Get to Know Amarillo Hops Better With an Element 29 Pale Ale

Many different varieties of hops exist, each with its own flavor and aroma qualities, and with its own level of bittering capabilities. Brewers often come up with recipes that blend several different hops varieties in an effort to get the perfect combination of aroma, flavor, bitterness, and finish for a particular style. This is part of the art of brewing, which allows for endless experimentation and creativity. It's also fun to go the other direction and scale back on the ingredients, allowing just one variety of hops or type of malted grain to show what it can do. That's what Epic Brewing Company did on its recently released Element 29 Pale Ale, which is brewed with only the Amarillo variety of hops.

If a brewer is going to use only one variety of hops in an American pale ale, Amarillo is a good choice for several reasons. It's become a popular and heavily used variety in American pale ales and IPAs because of its juicy, citrusy, floral character. It brings out very desirable aromas and flavors in the beer, and with an alpha acid range of 8-10 percent, imparts a medium bittering value. With pleasant aroma and flavor, and a nature that won't destroy your palate with bitterness, Amarillo sounds like a great variety of hops to go solo, right? Well, it also depends on the brewer's knowledge of all the other ingredients used in the recipe. The other chosen ingredients, like the grain composition, yeast used for fermentation, even the water used, must mesh well with the hops variety to create a beer worth drinking. After enjoying a can of Element 29, I'd say that Epic definitely pulled this off.

Element 29, which represents the element Copper on the periodic table, lives up to its name with its deep orange, coppery color. There's a thick, prominent head of foam that lingers down the sides of the glass as you sip. The aroma has a subtle citrus and floral character, with malty sweetness like bread crusts or cinnamon raisin toast. In the flavors, tangerine, grapefruit, and pine hit the tongue first, followed by a pleasant sweetness of honey, biscuit and bread. The hefty malt backbone melds well with the Amarillo hops and keeps bitterness in check, making for a crisp, smooth, and balanced pale ale.

In a world of hop-forward beers, Element 29 offers something a little bit different. Give it a try if you want to taste the intricacies created by just one variety of hops, or if you want a beer that delivers great American hops flavors with a less aggressive nature.

In a Bourbon Town Like Louisville, It's Good to Go Against the Grain

The art of brewing is fluid and always evolving. While a brewer must be fundamentally sound in their processes and science in order to make excellent beer, there's a ton of room for creativity. Craft beer lovers increasingly want to try new or different tastes, so there's also a lot of opportunity for brewers to offer lesser-known or obscure styles. Take these considerations, and add in a local craft beer scene that's early in its development, and you have a recipe for success. Against the Grain Brewery and Smokehouse is a growing craft brewery in Louisville, Kentucky that embraces the foundations of brewing expertise and goes beyond the most typical popular styles out there, while also experimenting and innovating in its products.

I like to explore the Louisville beer scene when I go back to my hometown to visit my family. Against the Grain is one brewery that I'd heard a lot about but not yet experienced. It opened in September of 2011 and is housed within Slugger Field where the minor league baseball "Bats" play. Last year, after less than three years in operation, ATG announced that it plans to open a 25,000 square foot production space in the historic Louisville neighborhood of Portland in 2015. The expansion will allow the brewery to increase production by more than 400 percent, provide customers with a second taproom, and allow for tremendous expansion of its impressive barrel-aging program. Such growth is exciting news for a well-regarded craft brewery in a city with a smaller, but proud, beer scene. After all, Louisville and the surrounding area has long been known best for its fantastic bourbon distilling culture. Louisville's breweries have proven that craft beer can co-exist with bourbon, and even thrive in such a market. The creativity that ATG employs with its barrel-aging program also combines the best of both worlds, much to the pleasure of those who love complex beers enhanced by months spent in a bourbon barrel.

We checked out ATG for lunch on the day after Christmas, as it's also a full pub and smokehouse with a versatile food menu. With a broad range of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and meats, there are a lot of delicious and high quality choices to complement the eclectic lineup of beers. When looking at the beer list, you may not find the most popular styles around, or many beers that fit firmly into categories. For instance, they didn't have an IPA on tap that day, but they did have two different India pale lagers available. What you'll find is intriguing beers, many that give a nod to history and tradition. You'll find beers brewed using a wide variety of grains, including malted rye and wheat, smoked malts, and black malts. Lagers, which often take a backseat to ales in many breweries, are given equal consideration at ATG. Barrel-aged beers of all different kinds show the range of innovation at ATG, and really help set the brewery apart from most in the area.

Above all, the brewers at ATG know what they're doing. Their recipes accentuate the intricate and delicious qualities of the malts and hops varieties in the beer. The quality really shone through in each of the beers I sampled in the pub, as well as the beers I brought back to try with my co-workers last Friday afternoon. I'll admit that some of the more challenging offerings like their smoked malt beers won't automatically please every palate, but a big part of the fun of beer tasting is experiencing new flavors and finding out what you like. Against the Grain is definitely a brewery to watch over the next few years, and certainly one to visit if you're ever in downtown Louisville.

Victory at Sea is One of Many Coffee-Infused Beers to Try This Winter

If you love a good cup of joe and a high quality malty beverage, why not savor both at the same time? Beers brewed or infused with coffee are easy to find these days. Just last weekend, I enjoyed a glass each of Ozo Coffee Brown Ale from Upslope Brewing and Hiatus Cold Coffee-Infused Oatmeal Ale from Renegade Brewing. The bitter, roasty flavors of coffee beans add a dynamic element that enhances many different beer styles. I've had a bit of a craving for these flavors lately, so this week I cracked open a bottle of beer that had caught my attention this winter - Victory at Sea from Ballast Point Brewing Company. This imperial porter, infused with coffee and vanilla beans, is the perfect answer to a dark, cold winter night.

Victory at Sea has been surrounded by its share of fanfare as a winter seasonal. On Dec. 21, Ballast Point celebrated its 3rd Annual Victory at Sea Day, a celebration that featured many different versions of the beer, from barrel-aged to infused with fruit, chocolate or spices. I'm sure this event in San Diego was a blast, but for the majority of us Ballast Point fans who missed it, we have to settle for the standard version of Victory at Sea, if it's available in our area. That's just fine with me, and luckily Ballast Point distributes this world-class strong ale, and other great beers in its lineup, in the Denver metro area. Though Ballast Point, like many west coast breweries, is known best for its hop-forward beers like Sculpin IPA, Victory at Sea helps prove this brewery's versatility and range of brewing expertise.

As an imperial porter, Victory at Sea is a decadent beer to be sipped and savored, and its 22-ounce packaging makes it perfect for sharing. This is a full-bodied beer that pours a deep black color with a prominent, bronze-colored head of foam. Its aroma has an immediate draw, with a nose of coffee beans, caramel, chocolate, vanilla, and roastinesss. There are big coffee flavors right up front, followed by a creamy sweetness of chocolate, caramel, toffee, some vanilla, and a bourbon character. The finish is a melding of sweetness, some roasty bitterness, and a bit of alcohol warming. The beer's strength of 10 percent ABV is noticeable, but doesn't take away from its enjoyment. Victory at Sea is an excellent robust porter made even better with the infusion of coffee and vanilla, which add layers of depth and richness.

When you have a chance to try a great coffee beer you haven't had before, I strongly suggest you take it. Beers like Victory at Sea burst with flavor and exemplify the creativity and excellence that thrive in today's craft brewing industry.

Treat Yourself to a Deliciously Spiced Winter Warmer This Holiday Season

I interrupt your holiday festivities, which likely include enjoying some excellent beers, to feature yet another great seasonal beer worth trying. Imagine bottling the essence of gingerbread cookies or other spiced desserts and pouring this elyxir into a glass. That sums up what you'll experience when drinking 4 Elf Winter Warmer Ale from Dark Horse Brewing Company. This beer, and its style, go far beyond this simple comparison, and I'll break it down for you here.

4 Elf is, of course, a winter seasonal from Dark Horse, one of several from this increasingly popular craft brewery in Marshall, Michigan. Dark Horse, a family owned brewery founded in 1997, has a broad lineup of year-round and less frequent offerings, a good portion of which lean in the malt-centric direction. As a winter warmer, 4 Elf is firmly in the realm of darker, maltier, fuller-bodied beers. Winter warmers are in the same vein as English-style old ales, often stronger beers brewed with a significant amount of various malts and fermented with an English ale yeast. Winter warmers are more of a modern development compared to more traditional old ales, and brewers often take liberties with recipes by adding appropriate spices.

When pouring a glass of 4 Elf, the variety of malts used, including darker malts, is evident in the very dark brown color of the beer. It's well-carbonated, with a thin head of foam that follows the beer down the glass as you drink. The aroma consists of gingerbread, spices, clove, and dark fruits like raisins, plums and dates. While this description may indicate an overly sweet beer, the flavors don't cross this line. With each taste, there's a spicy yet sweet combination, providing flavors of cinnamon, gingerbread, spiced cake, dark fruits, and a subtle earthiness from the hops presence. There's little hop bitterness, and the profile leans heavily toward malt, but 4 Elf still manages to maintain balance. It's a great winter warmer that's stronger than many, at nearly 9 percent ABV, with a lot of flavors that are just right for the season.

If you still need a choice for which beer to savor as you ring in the new year, why not grab some 4 Elf? Now, back to your holiday cheer! I hope 2014 treated you well in so many ways, and best wishes for a wonderful 2015. 

On The Winter Solstice, We Fade to Black

The lack of daylight this time of year can be difficult to deal with in our daily lives. Darkness in the sky is quite apparent today, on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. What better way to lift your spirit out of the dark doldrums than by sitting down with friends and sharing some delicious craft beer? A fitting beer to have on the darkest day of the year is Fade to Black, Volume 1, from Left Hand Brewing Company in Longmont, Colorado. This fantastic foreign export stout hits all the right notes for the style, offering rich roasty character along with depth and drinkability.

Left Hand releases its Fade to Black beers as winter seasonals, giving consumers a broad taste of dark malts and specialty grains. There are five beers in the series, all of which are black ales that range from more traditional styles like the foreign export stout to experimental or innovative beers like a chili pepper porter. Fade to Black, Volume 1 is also a highly regarded and awarded beer, having taken gold medals in 2010 and 2013 in the Foreign Stout Category at the Great American Beer Festival. With so many variations of the stout style - dry, sweet, foreign, oatmeal, imperial, American - it's important that the brewer get each aspect of the particular sub-style correct, and Left Hand does a wonderful job with Volume 1. Foreign export stouts have a higher gravity than most other types of stouts, with a dark and complex roasted character that leads to a bitter, dry finish.

Volume 1, which should be enjoyed at around 50 degrees, pours a deep black color with a thin head of foam. It has a rich, layered aroma of chocolate, coffee beans, molasses, and roasted bitterness. Moderate carbonation and a medium-full body give Volume 1 a substantial mouthfeel. There's a lot happening in the flavors, which encompass chocolate, espresso, a touch of vanilla, some dark fruit, and a roasty bitterness from the complex malt base and roasted barley used in brewing this beer. There's also a vinous character and some earthy undertones that add to the complexity. Volume 1 finishes quite dry with a lingering bitterness. Overall, it's a very enjoyable, smooth, creamy, roasty stout that fits the style perfectly.

Starting tomorrow, the days will get longer again, but there's still plenty of darkness for a while and lots of reasons to enjoy excellent dark beers throughout the winter. The Fade to Black series alone gives you five different ways to enjoy darker malts, so give any of these beers a try if you see them available.

Add an Authentic Doppelbock to Your List of Winter Beers to Enjoy This Season

It's only mid-December, but we're firmly in the season of winter beer offerings. From traditional winter styles to more innovative creations brimming with spices or chocolate, there's no shortage of heartier, stronger, fuller-bodied beers to help keep you warm this time of year. One of my favorite traditional winter styles is a classic German Doppelbock, and there's no better brewery to produce it than one that's truly authentic. In Denver, we're lucky to have a German-style brewery that fits the bill. Prost Brewing uses only hops and malt from Germany, and boasts large brewhouse copper kettles that were previously used for almost 50 years in Germany. Not surprisingly, every beer that Prost puts out is true to style, and very delicious.

In keeping with German brewing history and tradition, the majority of Prost's lineup are lagers, including the winter seasonal Doppelbock. Due to the nature of having such an authentic brewhouse, Prost, which was founded in 2012, has a relatively high brewing capacity. They can brew about 60 barrels of beer per batch, with fermentation capacity that includes several 80 barrel fermenters and a 120 barrel fermenter. Prost also has several large horizontal lagering tanks which hold the beer at low temperatures after fermentation in the large vertical tanks. While this is all happening behind the scenes in the Prost brewhouse, guests enjoy their authentic German-style beer in the festive biergarten taproom or patio. If you're not able to actually go and enjoy the atmosphere and beer, Prost bottles a handful of their beers, including seasonals like Doppelbock, for retail in Colorado stores.

Prost's Doppelbock, which is a traditional double bock lager, measures up to some of the best you'll find from Bavaria, such as Paulaner's Salvator or Ayinger's Celebrator. It pours a deep, rich amber color with minimal foam. Though it's dark in color, there's very good clarity from the long lagering process. Doppelbock exudes a malty, sweet aroma of bread crusts, raisins, plums, and a hint of chocolate. The flavors are a complex, delightful combination of dark fruits like cherries, raisins, plums, and prunes, some caramel and chocolate. It's a hearty, medium to full-bodied beer with a chewy mouthfeel that delivers rich flavors without being too sweet. There's no hop bitterness, but enough noble hops presence to add a touch of spice on the back end.

As you make your way through the festive variety of winter beers available to you this season, keep your eye out for traditional styles like Prost's Doppelbock. A well-made Doppelbock can help you appreciate this style's history, discover another layer of malty goodness, and satisfy your soul.

Satisfy Your Hops Cravings in a Variety of Ways With Stone's Mixed 12-Pack

For hop heads, it doesn't get much better than the beers put out by Stone Brewing Co. Since 1996, this San Diego area brewery has been satisfying, challenging, and expanding the palates of beer lovers who crave bitterness, aggressive flavors, and hops in all their glory. Stone's lineup, including their seasonals and special releases, does go beyond just hop-forward beers, but such styles are their bread and butter, and that's how they've built their widely-known name and reputation. For hops lovers who enjoy variety, like myself, Stone offers a mixed 12-pack that features four different bitter, complex and flavorful beers. The current pack includes Stone IPA, Ruination IPA, Arrogant Bastard Ale, and Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA.

Each beer is excellent and offers a different example of the delicious and versatile aspects of American varieties of hops. Ruination is more of an imperial IPA, very high in bitterness along with the usual hops flavors of citrus, tropical fruits and pine. Arrogant Bastard is an iconic craft beer, an American strong ale with intense hop bitterness, but balanced with a hefty grain bill. Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA is perhaps the one that feels most right for the season. In a time of the year when dark beers come to the fore, this one provides the bitter and flavorful hop punch that many long for in a beer, in addition to the roasty presence added by the dark and specialty malts and grains.

Sublimely Self-Righteous is a medium-bodied beer that's very black in appearance, with a thin but lasting head of foam. It has a big aroma of American hops, with elements of grapefruit, pine, and earthiness, along with some roastiness. There are loads of hops flavors on the initial taste, followed by roasty coffee and chocolate flavors. The beer's 90 IBUs ensure a bitter, lingering finish. The balance tilts more toward hops flavors and bitterness, but the complex grain recipe definitely stands out and makes this beer very intriguing. There's a lot to like in this black IPA, which is on the stronger end at 8.7 percent ABV.

The Stone variety pack is a great way to get your fix for American hops and enjoy a great mix of beers from one of the nation's finest craft breweries. It also makes a great buy when hosting or attending a holiday party, or a nice gift for that hop head in your life!