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!

Fermaentra Gives Denver Yet Another Very Fine Brewery and Taproom

With so many craft breweries in the Denver area, you have to be a bit choosy on where to spend your time and money. Let me make the case for checking out the new Fermaentra, a brewery that opened Nov. 15 on East Evans Avenue in the University of Denver neighborhood. You want delicious, interesting, well-made beer, right? Fermaentra has that and more, including good ambiance and service. It's yet another example of long-time homebrewers who believed they were good enough to go pro, and made their dreams come true with the help of lots of hard work and planning.

Fermaentra was started by Spencer O'Bryan and Brennan Mann, two like-minded brewers with years of homebrewing experience. They chose to brew commercially on a 7-barrel system, which is located directly behind the taproom bar along with the other stainless steel vessels. Both side walls of the taproom are exposed brick from top to bottom, and garage doors are on both sides of the entrance to provide plenty of open air on a warm day. It's a fairly spacious taproom, with high and low tables in addition to counter space along the walls. There's a simple yet artistic character to the space, which is reflected throughout the brewery's theme. O'Bryan and Mann bring eclectic backgrounds to their brewery, as detailed on their website. They've given their beers fun, intriguing names like Prism, Fluence, Canticle and Meristem.

It's hard not to be impressed when a brewery launches with eight beers on tap, and still has all eight pouring two weeks later, not to mention a ninth beer released that day. It's even better when the beer measures up to the quality that's expected from a new craft brewery in Colorado. Fermaentra's styles cover a broad range, with a nice mixture of traditional and more creative recipes. I tasted all nine of their offerings on my visit, and found very few flaws or disappointing elements. The lineup is filled with very enjoyable and mostly on-point beers, and some stood out as being exceptional. The Fluence Hefeweizen, Terrarum English-style Amber Ale, and Redolent Belgian-style Blonde Ale nailed the flavors, aroma, and overall qualities associated with these styles. I was blown away by the quality of their stronger beers, Aphion Double IPA and Meristem Russian Imperial Stout, both of which shine with their immense flavor, depth, and drinkability.

With this great first visit, I experienced a lot of reasons to add Fermaentra to my growing list of Denver breweries worthy of a regular stop. It certainly meets my expectations of what a craft brewery should be, even from the start, so give it a try if you're in the area.

Winter Wheat Reflects Anchor Brewing's Innovative Spirit

Anchor Brewing Company is not your typical craft brewery. Likewise, Anchor's Winter Wheat is not your typical wheat beer. Both are unique and special in their own way, a treat to be appreciated. Anchor considers itself to be America's first and oldest craft brewery, founded in San Francisco in 1896. It's been a part of American craft brewing tradition and innovation for more than a century, helping to build the industry into what we know it to be today. Winter Wheat is a reflection of such innovation, combining a variety of malted wheat and barley to create a beer with unexpectedly complex and intriguing flavors.

New beer flavors and intricacies have always been an Anchor staple. Like some of its west coast brethren, Anchor blazed new trails from the start. Its famous Steam beer, a style also known as a California Common, was created in part because of the technological restrictions of the late 1800s, but also because of the climate of the San Francisco Bay area. The beer, brewed specifically with the Northern Brewer variety of hops that add woody and rustic flavors, is a unique American west coast classic, different than so many of the citrusy, piney west coast IPAs that have risen in the past 20 years. Anchor has kept some brewing traditions while adapting to and embracing modern techniques, and its beer lineup has also evolved and expanded. Excellent seasonal offerings like Winter Wheat add even more versatility to the brewery's catalogue.

Before I go any further, pay no attention to what you know about wheat beers, even dunkelweizens. The Winter Wheat pours a very dark color, almost black, with a thin head of foam. The aroma is subdued, but consists of cocoa, dark fruits, some roastiness, and a touch of smoke. Winter Wheat has a medium-full body and a thick mouthfeel that coats the tongue. There are rich, malty flavors of dark fruits like plums, raisins, and black cherries. Chocolate and black licorice flavors are also present. While some spiciness comes through, there's little hop bitterness, flavor or aroma. Overall, Winter Wheat is a delicious, intriguing beer that tastes and feels just right for the season.

Anchor's Winter Wheat shows the broad range that different malted grains can have in a beer. Rarely is malted wheat used to create a beer that delves this deeply into darker flavors and aromas. It's a testament to the brewing expertise and creativity that Anchor has always shown in brewing great craft beer.

Colorado is Home to the Best American Brown Ales of 2014

What comes to mind when you think of the brown ale style of beer? If a brown ale sounds boring to you, perhaps you're doing it all wrong. American craft brewers have taken this malty traditional English style and put their own stamp on it, often with a larger dose of hops. The American brown ale is an underrated and versatile style, easily paired with a broad range of foods and enjoyable during any time of the year. It's also easy to find some excellent brown ales to try. In fact, Colorado is home to the American brown ales that were judged to be the best at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival. The gold medal went to Face Down Brown Ale from Telluride Brewing Company, silver went to Braggarts Brown Ale from Diebolt Brewing Company, and bronze went to my personal favorite, Upslope Brewing's Brown Ale.

As with many American craft beer styles, some characteristics of American brown ales can vary or be interpreted by the brewer in different ways. Telluride considers its Face Down Brown to be a hybrid between an English and American brown ale, while I'd say Upslope Brown Ale, at 6.7 percent ABV and with a more pronounced bitterness, is a firm American example. Regardless of specifics, an American brown ale should be dark and roasty, with an aroma and flavors of chocolate, toffee, and toast, but not as roasty or full-bodied as a porter. A good American brown ale should also be balanced and not overly sweet, and very drinkable.

Telluride Brewing has been in operation for only four years, but Face Down Brown can be found throughout many parts of Colorado. Here's what you can expect if you get your hands on a can of it or find it on draft. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin head of foam. It has a rich, inviting aroma of chocolate, caramel, toffee, and honey - a nice preview for delicious flavors of the same kind. There's enough hop presence to add a bit of spiciness and a slight bitterness. Face Down Brown finishes very smooth, with a lingering flavor resembling brown sugar, some roasted malt, and a nutty character.

Whether you lean more toward hops or malt in your beer styles, there's no denying that Face Down Brown and its fellow GABF winning beers deliver the kinds of flavors that are easily enjoyed. Explore the dark but mellow flavors that make the American brown ale style so delicious and approachable.

Belgian Styles Help Make Boulevard a Standout American Craft Brewery

For developed palates, Belgian strong ales have an undeniable allure. Rich in flavor, deep in complexity, and very sneaky in strength, these revered beer styles represent the upper echelons of brewing to some connoisseurs. When an American craft brewery can pull off some excellent renditions of Belgian strong ales, it's a definite sign that the brewers are doing things well. Some craft breweries have built a reputation and a growing business primarily on Belgian styles. Others may brew a wide range of styles, but also put out a selection of world-class Belgian style beers. Boulevard Brewing Company falls in the latter category, and one of their outstanding Belgian offerings is The Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale. This rich, decadent sipping beer is the perfect answer to a cold, frosty evening.

Boulevard, which opened in 1989 in Kansas City, Missouri, made industry news in October of 2013 when it was acquired by Duvel Moortgat Brewery in Belgium. This was not a case of a craft brewery selling out to a large brewing conglomerate, but more an example of an established craft brewery being taken under the strategic wing of a larger family-owned brewery with a long history of high quality products and a commitment to artisanal brewing. Duvel Moortgat also acquired Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York in 2003, and has helped it grow into one of the most well-known and reputable Belgian-focused breweries in America. The Belgian strong ale lineup at Boulevard, which is part of the brewery's Smokestack Series, definitely shows why a Belgian brewery would be interested in partnering with it and helping it expand its reach. Such beers include Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Long Strange Tripel, and The Sixth Glass.

Beers in the Smokestack Series are bottle conditioned, providing a high amount of carbonation and another layer of complexity in the aroma and flavors. The Sixth Glass has a very enticing aroma of sweet dark fruits like cherry and raisins, with some banana, spice, and caramel. It has a medium-full body and a mouthfeel that's both slick and effervescent at the same time. The flavors make The Sixth Glass seem like delicious, deceptive candy for adults - with cherry, plum, caramel, clove, and a touch of alcohol. The sweet flavors, resulting from the use of various malts, the addition of sugars, and Belgian yeast fermentation, give way to a spicy finish that lingers on the tongue. This is a beer that's high in sweetness, high in fruity esters and spicy phenols, but relatively low in bitterness.

The Sixth Glass is an outstanding example of a Belgian dark strong ale, showcasing the delicious elements that make this style so beloved. Strong, complex, and flavorful, it's a beer to be sipped, savored, and respected.

Beer and Coffee Beans Blend Perfectly in Backcountry's Breakfast Stout

Beer for breakfast? Well, not usually. Although some beers really are enticing as a potential A.M. beverage, delivering flavors and elements that resemble a cold cup of Joe. A beer brewed with roasted barley will have big coffee and chocolate flavors, so the addition of actual coffee beans makes a lot of sense. Add lactose, or milk sugar, and you have a beer that's very much like a creamy, roasty, rich cup of coffee. That's exactly what you'll find in a glass of Breakfast Stout from Backcountry Brewery, one of the best beers of its kind I've had from a Colorado brewery.

Breakfast Stout is a limited seasonal release, and makes for a great beer to sip on as the days get colder and darker. Backcountry Brewery, an award winning craft brewery located on Main Street in the town of Frisco, uses coffee beans roasted at a local shop. It's a great partnership between two small businesses in this small Rocky Mountain town, and the freshness of the coffee beans is apparent while enjoying the beer. The use of lactose as an ingredient in the boil makes this a milk stout, adding a touch of sweetness along with a creamy mouthfeel. When the coffee beans are added to this beer, it goes beyond a milk stout into the realm of a breakfast stout, with all components coming together perfectly.

Black as night with a thin head, Breakfast Stout has the rich, dark look you'd expect. The aroma is a straightforward blend of dark chocolate, coffee, and cream. The beer has a medium body with a creaminess from the lactose. Big flavors of roasted barley, coffee, and dark chocolate fill the palate. Breakfast Stout leaves a somewhat dry finish to go along with a lingering roasty bitterness. It's a rich beer, yet lighter than many stouts, and comes in at only 4.4 percent ABV.

If you're looking for a dark beer that's balanced, approachable, smooth, and complex, this Breakfast Stout checks all those boxes. But be warned, it may be very tempting to crack open a bottle before noon!

Time, Effort, and Authentic Ingredients Help Märzens Shine in the Fall

We're firmly in the fall season now, but October is quickly coming to an end. It's an appropriate time to feature a classic Märzen, an iconic beer style that's a hallmark of this month. Malty, yet balanced, and very approachable, a Märzen is the beer style you'd find in each of the massive tents at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. Many American craft breweries brew their own versions that measure up to the taste and quality of a German Märzen, and one of them is Fest Devious from Epic Brewing Company. 

Part of what goes into making an excellent Märzen, also commonly known as an Oktoberfest style, is the length of production time compared to many beer styles. As a lager, fermentation happens at lower temperatures than ales, and at a lower speed. Longer storage in the fermentation vessel, or possibly lagering tank, after primary fermentation is also necessary for the yeast to settle out and clean up any unwanted flavor compounds so they don't make it into the finished product. To nail the flavors of a Märzen, the recipe must call for the appropriate types of German malt and varieties of German noble hops, and the right amounts of each. When all the aspects of the brewing process come together, a great Märzen is hard to beat this time of year.

Epic Brewing has facilities in Salt Lake City and Denver, but Fest Devious is brewed primarily at the Salt Lake City brewery and sold for retail in 22-ounce bombers. It pours a rich, clear, copper color with nice carbonation. Munich malts make up the majority of the grain bill, and they really come through in the aroma of bread crusts and molasses. There's no hop presence in the aroma, but the noble hops definitely shine in the flavors. They add a spicy, floral character to complement the prominent malt flavors of caramel, biscuit and nuts. There's a lingering sweetness in the finish, probably more than in most classic Märzen examples, but it doesn't go overboard. Fest Devious is a fine version of a balanced, clean, delicious European amber lager.

You may have had your fill of the Märzen style at Oktoberfest celebrations in late September and throughout October, but if not, you can almost certainly still find bottles of Fest Devious or many beers like it. When you enjoy one, consider the extra time and effort that went into making your beer as authentic as possible.

Two Boulder Beer Company Hybrid Styles That'll Hit the Spot

As I detailed in my recent post about Flipside Red IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing, fall is an especially good time for beers that meld a large amount of hops with a rich, robust grain bill. Such hybrid styles are a great answer to this season of transition, offering the best of warmer weather beers and colder weather beers. Today we explore hop-forward beers with even darker, more complex malt profiles. I'm giving you a two-fer from Boulder Beer Company: Flashback India-style Brown Ale and 35th Anniversary Imperial Black IPA.

Both beers are anniversary beers for Boulder Beer, which was founded in 1979, making it Colorado's oldest craft brewery. Flashback was first brewed for Boulder Beer's 30th anniversary, but it's now brewed year-round. 35th Anniversary was brewed this year as a one-time beer, though perhaps someday it may get the same revival treatment as Flashback. These are both great examples of beers that balance big, bitter hops flavors with a significant malt presence, providing a unique beer drinking experience born out of American craft brewing ingenuity.

Flashback is a cross between an American IPA and a brown ale. Aspects of both elements really shine, but also come together really well. There's a big hop aroma, along with caramel, chocolate, and a slight roastiness in the nose. The beer feels medium-bodied, much like an IPA, with a slick mouthfeel. Flashback has a crisp, spicy hop bite right up front, with hop flavors of citrus and pine. The rich malt backbone adds flavors of caramel and toffee without being overly sweet. A bitter finish lingers on the palate, leaving an impression that this beer leans slightly more toward an IPA than a brown ale.

35th Anniversary Imperial Black IPA is a definite step up in strength from Flashback, with a darker and even more complex malt profile. It pours a very black color, and has an aroma of floral, crisp American hops, roasted barley, and coffee. Hop flavors jump out first, and then comes a rich roasty maltiness of chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, and a bit of char. 35th Anniversary is a crisp, balanced, medium-bodied, hearty black IPA. When enjoying this beer, hop lacing lingers all the way down the glass, adding a nice visual touch.

I recommend trying both of these delicious beers, or similar ones available in your area, if you have a chance anytime soon. They're sure to satisfy and challenge your palate through a variety of powerful flavors.

Platt Park Brewing Adds a GABF Medal to a Whirlwind First Year

During the first week in October, Denver again played host to the Great American Beer Festival, the largest celebration of craft beer in the United States. The competition portion of the event gives breweries large and small a chance to show how good their beer really is, at least in the eyes of seasoned beer judges. Most judging categories had dozens of entries, and some had more than 300 this year. A number of first-year Colorado breweries came away with a medal, and one of them is Platt Park Brewing Company. This south Denver brewery took a silver medal for Gump's Vienna-style Lager, and I was able to try a glass when it was re-released this weekend.

Platt Parking Brewing has had an exciting and interesting year since it opened in late spring. The brewery opened as Denver Pearl Brewing Company, but quickly ran into issues with its name. Two other breweries had claims to the words "Denver" and "Pearl," respectively, so rather than try to fight a legal battle, the owners of Denver Pearl decided to change names. The new name was unveiled in early September, and it's been smooth sailing for the brewery ever since. I had stopped in when the brewery first opened to try some of their beers, and finally made my return visit on Friday night to get a taste of their medal-winning Gump's Lager.

The GABF judges are not obligated to award medals in each of the 90 beer categories if they don't think enough entries are worthy of such prestige, so a silver medal means that Gump's Lager really is an excellent beer. As a Vienna-style lager, it pours a clear golden brown with a prominent white head of foam. It has an aroma of cracker, biscuit, and earthy, floral hops. Gump's Lager has a very clean lager taste, with malty flavors of bread and biscuit, and a strong noble hop flavor that gives it a spicy, earthy quality. Substantial bitterness comes through on each sip, along with a clean, dry finish. It's a balanced, crisp, delicious lager that would go well with many different foods, or is just fine on its own.

Along with Gump's Lager, Platt Park Brewing has a really nice variety of beers on tap right now. Several others I sampled on this visit are a smooth and creamy pumpkin ale on nitro, a sour Berliner Weisse that's more tart than most of its kind, an excellent schwarzbier, a very tasty barrel-aged amber ale, and an imperial IPA that's loaded with crisp citrus hop flavors. Platt Park Brewing is located in the heart of a hip, historic Denver neighborhood, and its taproom that's friendly for families and dogs makes for a great place to spend a couple hours socializing and enjoying some great beer. Give it a try soon if you have the chance!

A Balanced Dose of Hops & Malt Helps Define Great Fall Seasonals

When it comes to craft beer, a taste of the season is very personal and subjective. We all have different preferences, so it's a good thing fall seasonal beer choices cover a wide range of styles and flavors. Like a lot of people, I often have more of a taste for big citrus hop flavors in the summertime, and go to the maltier side of beer in colder months. It makes sense, then, that an appropriate fall seasonal, or even a spring seasonal, combines such elements into a crisp, hearty, well-balanced beer. Flipside Red IPA by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is a fall seasonal release that does just that, providing thirst-quenching hop flavors with a healthy dose of malt to back them up. It's one of many Sierra Nevada beers that showcases the wonderful qualities of American hop varieties.

There's so much that can be said about Sierra Nevada's history and contributions to the craft beer industry. The brewery, based in Chico, California, opened in 1980 and was considered to be a pioneer and key player in the craft brewing revolution. With its iconic Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada helped start the trend of brewing aggressive, bitter beers with large amounts of American hops. Unlike many breweries, Sierra Nevada brews using only whole-cone hops, rather than hops pellets. While the hops flowers are still dried immediately after they're harvested to lock in their oils and essence, the whole cone goes into the wort boil, and possibly the fermenter if the beer recipe calls for dry-hopping. Sierra Nevada also utilizes a combination of traditional hop varieties and experimental hops, creating unique new flavor profiles with their beers. Each brewing ingredient is important, but Sierra Nevada seems to give extra attention to hops, and this emphasis is reflected across the majority of their lineup.

Despite this attention to hops, Sierra Nevada makes sure their beers have the malt presence to maintain balance and superb drinkability. With Flipside, you get a truly American beer style that lets each element really shine and come together beautifully. It pours a deep amber color, with an aroma of fresh hops, grapefruit, pine, and toffee. A crisp, zesty character comes through on the first drink, with citrus flavors of grapefruit and lemon, a bit of pine, and a balance of malt that tastes like caramel and toffee. Sweet, bitter, and very satisfying, Flipside unleashes a variety of flavors that seem just right for the season. As a seasonal release, Flipside can be found only for a limited time. With Sierra Nevada's nationwide presence, chances are you can pick some up if you look hard enough.

Flipside is just one example of a beer with a complex grain bill that complements a big load of hops. Keep an eye out for features on the blog about beers that show even more depth and intensity on the malt scale while also delivering a pronounced hoppy bite.

Hop Harvest Season Gives Way to Fresh Hop Beers in Local Taprooms

This time of year yields a special type of beer from craft breweries. I'm not talking about a seasonal style that's traditionally served in the fall, but instead a category of beers that can be brewed only at a specific time of the year. If you walk into any number of craft breweries right now, you can probably find a beer that's been brewed using fresh hops, or wet hops. When hops are harvested, they're typically dried and then pelletized to be used year-round. They can also be used right off the vine when they're fresh, going into the batch wet and whole. Hop harvest occurs in the late summer, so hops that were picked and used fresh this year are currently getting their chance to shine in fresh hop pale ales and IPAs.

Colorado isn't historically known for growing hops, and most of the hops used by Colorado craft breweries come from outside the state. That's one reason fresh hop beers are special for Colorado craft breweries. It gives them an opportunity to use home-grown hops and support local farmers. Colorado hops growers celebrated a record harvest this year, thanks to an increasing number acres being used for this purpose, mostly on the Western Slope. That means more fresh hops to go around for any craft brewery who wanted to purchase them for immediate use.

I had a chance to enjoy a delicious fresh hop beer recently at Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery, an excellent downtown Denver brewery that's been open for nearly a year. The beer, Hop Sponge I, is one of several fresh hop beers Jagged Mountain brewed for tappings that coincided with the 2014 Great American Beer Festival. Hop Sponge I is a Fresh Hop Belgo-American IPA that called for 37 pounds of fresh Cascade hops, all from Paonia, Colorado, in a full batch on Jagged Mountain's 10 barrel brewing system. It pours a beautiful dark orange color, and has an aroma of fresh citrus and lemongrass. With one sip, you can tell this beer was made with fresh ingredients. There are flavors of orange, lemon, pine, grass, and some subtle fruity esters derived from Belgian yeast. Hop Sponge I has a bitter bite up front, but the fresh fruit flavors overtake the bitterness for very pleasant and smooth finish. It's a crisp and refreshing yet substantial beer, at 7.5 percent ABV.

Fresh hop beers like Hop Sponge I won't last long, so stop into Jagged Mountain or another fine local craft brewery soon to try them. It's a chance to get a taste of the local land, support both local brewers and farmers, and enjoy unique flavors that come around just once a year.

An Avery Fall Seasonal Double Feature

Today I'm giving you a double shot beer feature with two fall seasonal releases from one brewery. The first is a big beer, and the other is undeniably massive. Avery Brewing Company certainly brews its share of tame and sessionable beer styles, but an ever-growing list of beers that edge up to and go well north of 10 percent ABV give it even more clout in the national beer scene. The Kaiser and Pump[KY]n are two such burly and strong beers from this outstanding Boulder brewery. The Kaiser is an imperial Oktoberfest lager that's released annually in August. Pump[KY]n, a new beer from Avery, was just released as part of the barrel-aged series. It's an imperial porter brewed with pumpkin and spices and aged in bourbon barrels.

There's a lot of ground to cover between these two beers, so let's jump right in. With The Kaiser, Avery elaborately combines an array of German malt and hops to create an Oktoberfest that hits all the usual notes but on a whole other level. It pours a dark copper color with plenty of clarity from the lagering process. A rich aroma includes earthy noble hops, Munich and Vienna malts, and a sweetness like maple syrup or honey. The sweetness is more restrained in the flavors, which feature a subtle hop spiciness and a biscuity malt character. The 9.5 percent ABV strength is apparent in the taste, giving it a slightly boozy element. Despite that, The Kaiser is a delicious, well-balanced beer that finishes clean.

The Kaiser may seem rather tame compared to the monster of a beer known as Pump[KY]n. I enjoyed this 17.2 percent ABV sipper on draft at Parry's Pizza, one of the Colorado beer bars lucky enough to get a keg of it. Pump[KY]n is black as night with a medium body, and has a huge aroma of bourbon, roasted barley, and pumpkin spice. An aggressive bourbon flavor hits the palate up front and lingers on the finish, accompanied by flavors of sweet dark malt, subtle pumpkin and spices, coffee, and chocolate. While this beer is a unique and excellent example of a barrel-aged pumpkin beer, it's definitely not for the faint of heart. Pump[KY]n is relatively smooth for its enormous strength, but it takes a developed and seasoned palate to truly enjoy this kind of beer.

If you're so inclined, these are two special fall seasonals worth trying while you can find them. On the other hand, you can also scale back on the alcohol content and try a very tasty Gored Pumpkin Ale from Avery. Whatever suits your festive mood this fall, Avery has you covered.

Grimm Brothers Elevate Old World Brewing With Styles Like Munich Dunkel

The world is full of lesser known beer styles, and American craft brewers are introducing these styles to beer drinkers in cities and towns across the country. Sure, it's amazing to travel to the places in which historic beer styles originated, but such a trip isn't necessary to expand your beer knowledge and enhance your palate. The European beer culture, including Germany and the surrounding area, holds so much history and tradition going back centuries, and some craft breweries focus primarily on the many styles associated with this culture. One such brewery is Grimm Brothers Brewhouse in Loveland, Colorado, and one style they brew is a Munich Dunkel lager called The Fearless Youth.

Grimm Brothers, which was founded by avid homebrewers, appropriately melds the European beer styles they love so much with the folk storytelling of Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm. The famous Brothers Grimm were German academics who, throughout the first half of the 19th century, collected and published the many iconic folk tales that we're all familiar with today. The Grimm Brothers Brewhouse categorizes their beers into three different series, with the names Legends, Fairytales, and Fables. Each beer name or piece of label art ties into an element of Grimm storytelling, so the marketing theme runs cohesively throughout the entire beer lineup. Grimm Brothers Brewhouse isn't just a fun marketing gimmick though. Their beer is quite excellent, and has been recognized as such with several medals at the Great American Beer Festival in recent years.

The Fearless Youth, which falls into the brewery's Legends series, is an approachable and delicious dark lager. It's a Munich Dunkel, a style of brown lager that originated in Munich, Germany. Its rich, dark color and malty profile is most influenced by the toasted Munich malt used primarily in the grain bill. Fearless Youth features an aroma of Munich malt sweetness, bread, and toast. Flavors are rich and malty, like molasses, bread crusts, and biscuit. Hop bitterness is low, but prominent enough to keep the sweetness and rich character in check. It's a medium-bodied beer with a creamy mouthfeel and a clean lager finish. While Fearless Youth isn't considered a fall seasonal, it definitely pairs well with a cool, crisp fall afternoon.

Much like a related style, the Oktoberfest, a Munich Dunkel is an example of straightforward German lager brewing that highlights the complexities of German malt. Lagers take longer than ales to produce due to the time dedicated to cold conditioning, but great lagers like Fearless Youth are proof that some things are definitely worth the wait.

At Diebolt Brewing, Craft Beer and Family Go Hand In Hand

There's something very appealing about the concept of a neighborhood brewery and taproom - the kind of small, independent business that not only fits well into its surrounding area, but also enhances it by bringing people together for a common interest. Diebolt Brewing Company in northwest Denver is just that type of craft brewery, with a focus on producing great beer and positively impacting the local community. It's also a family owned and operated brewery, and much of this family's heritage is reflected in their beer offerings.

Diebolt Brewing opened in September of 2013, and recently celebrated its first anniversary with a weekend-long party. Dan Diebolt, a long-time homebrewer, and his son, Jack, had the dream of opening a brewery in Colorado, and chose to set up shop in the Sunnyside neighborhood. Their space is in an old warehouse property that has character but remains simple and unassuming, much like the older homes and commercial spaces in Sunnyside. The Diebolts also decided to brew on a 15-barrel system, more robust than the systems that many other newer, small breweries use. A larger system, though a more expensive initial investment, gives Diebolt Brewing the capacity to brew more beer per batch, as well as the flexibility to brew on their own schedule.

When Diebolt Brewing opened their doors, they featured a lineup of straightforward beer styles. But it was their intent to also offer beers that reflected the family's French heritage, and they definitely fulfilled that intent in their first year of business. They've become known as a craft brewery with an emphasis on French-style beers, which helps them stand out even more in Denver's bustling beer scene. On my recent visit during the anniversary weekend, I observed a lineup that covered a vast selection of styles. The tap list included nearly ten beers, with another handful of barrel-aged beers offered to celebrate the anniversary.

I ordered a selection of tasters, as I often do, to get a thorough taste for Diebolt's beer. What I found was excellence across the board, with flavors and attributes that matched each beer style very well. A French ale featured earthy hop flavors, prominent malt, some fruity esters, and a dry finish. A Bière de Garde, or French farmhouse ale, had similar flavors to the French ale, but was a bit maltier and sweeter. I tried the saison, which was a delicate, refreshing version with crisp fruit flavors. The weizenbock delivered rich, sweet flavors of cherries and other dark fruits. An IPA, called Diebolt International Ale (DIA), featured a simple malt profile and unique hop flavors contributed by three different continental varieties of hops. It was spicy and bitter, with flavors of lemon and grapefruit. One barrel-aged offering I tried was the bourbon barrel À Votre Santé, a dark Bière de Garde. Very rich and decadent, it exuded flavors of bourbon, malty sweetness, and caramel.

I could go on about the other beers I tried at Diebolt Brewing, but you should stop in and try some for yourself. Neighborhood charm, personal service, and great beer make this a destination in Denver for beer lovers to explore.