G'Knight is a Great Beer for Early Spring, or Any Time

Spring is officially here, but does it really feel like it? That answer can change as quickly as the early spring weather. March and April in many parts of the U.S. can bring snow one day and 65 degrees the next. It makes sense then that American craft breweries put out spring seasonal beers that are all over the map. There are a few distinctly spring styles, but I've noticed that most spring seasonals cover a broad spectrum of flavor profiles. One beer that's excellent this time of year is G'Knight Imperial Red IPA by Oskar Blues Brewery.

G'Knight is brewed year-round, and, truthfully, it's a great beer to enjoy any time of the year. Oskar Blues first launched this beer as Gordon Ale. It was a tribute to Gordon Knight, who was a homebrewer, Colorado craft brewing advocate, Vietnam vet and helicopter pilot. Knight died in 2002 in a helicopter crash while fighting a wildfire near Lyons, Colorado, the town where Oskar Blues was founded. Oskar Blues rebranded the beer as G'Knight in 2011 after receiving a cease and desist letter from Gordon Biersch Brewing Company. Oskar Blues was able to turn a potentially contentious situation into a positive by smartly renaming the beer in a way that continues to honor Knight, and creating new buzz around an excellent beer.

G'Knight is the type of beer to select if you can't decide between something more on the malty or the hoppy side. It has a large amount of both, but the flavors are well-balanced. G'Knight pours a deep copper color with a moderate head. Sweet malts mixed with citrusy hops dominate the nose, and the flavors that follow in the taste are what you'd expect from the aroma. A caramel-like sweetness, grapefruit, pine, and earthy spiciness come through, leaving a bitter finish. It's hard to believe this tasty brew is 8.7 percent ABV because it goes down very easily.

G'Knight throws a lot at you, a bit like the spring-time weather. Give it a try soon if you have the opportunity.

Get to Know Your Beer Styles: Berliner Weisse

Have you ever read through the beer list at a bar or restaurant and noticed some beer styles unfamiliar to you, and then simply ignored them? Chances are you're not alone. It takes a very seasoned beer expert to know all the many dozens of traditional beer styles from all over the world, some of which are obscure or brewed only in a specific region. However, you don't have to travel the world to learn about the many styles that exist. American craft brewers foster a spirit of exploration, and many brew a wide variety of more or less common styles.

One style that I learned about just in the past couple of years is the Berliner Weisse. This tart, refreshing wheat beer is a favorite in Berlin, Germany where it's been brewed since the late 16th century. Berliner Weisse is brewed with a malt base comprised of at least 50 percent malted wheat, and has a low hop bitterness. A top-fermenting yeast is used, along with the bacteria Lactobacillus, to achieve a sour or tart character. I haven't known many American craft breweries to brew a Berliner Weisse, but one that currently has their own on tap is Grist Brewing Company in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

The Grist Berliner Weisse, at 5.4 percent ABV, is somewhat stronger than what's typical or traditional for the style. This one would still be considered a session beer by American craft beer standards though. Grist also offers to add a bit of fruit syrup, which is in keeping with Berliner Weisse serving tradition. Pictured here is the standard Berliner Weisse, and one with a squirt of raspberry syrup added. This delicious Berliner Weisse is great for sour beer lovers and those who haven't yet ventured into the world of sour beer. It has a crisp, tart, refreshing flavor with a dry finish, but does not quite make your mouth pucker from the sour character. The wheat malt profile gives it a bright, almost citrusy flavor as well.

The next time you notice a beer style that's new to you, give it a try. You'll be happy you expanded your craft beer knowledge and your palate, and you just might really like it!

 

More Craft Beer in the Burbs: Lone Tree Brewing Company

Residents in the southern part of the Denver metro area continue to have great options for local craft beer. A couple of breweries in this area have opened in recent months, with more in the works. One of the more established among the wave of new south suburban breweries is Lone Tree Brewing Company. Located in the southeastern city of Lone Tree, this excellent brewery has gained a presence at beer festivals and in beer bars and Front Range stores since it opened in late 2011. To truly get a feel for the brewery and its beer, it's great to stop in to the spacious Lone Tree taproom and try a variety of the 10 to 12 beers they'll have on tap at any given time.

When John Winter and Jason Wiedmaier founded Lone Tree Brewing, they wanted to create a community-minded place where people could relax and enjoy each others' company over great beer. That's exactly the type of vibe I get when I walk into the taproom. The decor is simple, seating is abundant, and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Lone Tree brews six flagship beers and keeps a handful of seasonals on tap. The selection is wide and approachable, from simple and clean like the Mountain Mama Helles and Ariadne's Blonde, to more complex and aggressive like the Hoptree IPA. For those wanting to take beer home, Lone Tree fills growlers, and sells bombers of several beers. The brewery is also planning to start canning two beers soon for distribution to local area stores and restaurants.

On a recent visit, I was able to taste Lone Tree's seasonal pumpkin ale, doppelbock lager, and peach pale ale, in addition to the flagship offerings of Hoptree and Toot's Oatmeal Stout. These are all delicious, flavorful beers, but the ones that stood out the most were the peach pale, doppelbock, and Hoptree. The peach pale ale is very well-balanced between a crisp hop character and a subtle peach flavor on the finish. The doppelbock is an outstanding example of this style, with rich malt flavors of dark fruits and caramel dominating the profile. The Hoptree is simply an awesome Imperial IPA, with 11 hop varieties and a sturdy malt backbone creating citrus, tropical fruit and pine flavors without an overly bitter finish. It’s smooth, crisp, and very drinkable, but be careful as this one is 8 percent ABV.

Aside from being close to home, there are lots of great reasons for me to make regular trips to Lone Tree Brewing. I look forward to watching this brewery continue to grow and produce excellent beer for the region’s consumers to enjoy.

Green Flash Brewing Delivers Big Hops and Freaky Goodness

I have a confession to make: I just discovered Green Flash Brewing Company this past year. Maybe it's the fact that here in Colorado we have a seemingly endless selection of local craft beer, but somehow this San Diego brewery had eluded me. As a self-professed hop head, all I can say is, "better late than never." Green Flash, like a lot of California breweries, brews a vast array of assertive and complex hop-centric beers.

Green Flash opened in 2002, and has grown into a major player in the booming San Diego craft beer scene. The city has established itself as one of the best beer cities in America, luring beer enthusiasts in with names such as Stone Brewing, The Lost Abbey, and Ballast Point. Green Flash prides itself on brewing delicious, creative beer that combines styles and creates new ones. Their portfolio includes IPAs of all different types and strength, Belgians, black ales, and more. I recently tried one of their hybrid beers that combines two of my favorite beer characterics, which are aggressive hops and the complexities of a Belgian ale. This amazing beer is called Le Freak.

Green Flash calls Le Freak a combination of a Belgian-style tripel and an American Imperial IPA. Since I had really enjoyed several big Belgian IPAs or double IPAs in the past year, I knew I had to try it. Le Freak pours a hazy orange color with a moderate head that hangs around and forms a nice lace on the glass. The aroma is heavy on fruit, including banana and orange from the Belgian yeast esters, and citrus and tropical fruit from the large amount of American hop varieties. The flavors are simply delicious - a crisp, complex combination of fruitiness and spiciness. Although Le Freak is very heavily hopped, the Belgian yeast subdues and smooths out the bitterness for a dry finish.

My experience with Le Freak, the third Green Flash beer I've had, is further proof to me that this brewery is a force to be reckoned with. In a consumer market whose thirst for hop-forward beers is hard to satisfy, Green Flash will continue to turn heads and pick up steam. Now I just need to get my hands on some Palate Wrecker Double IPA, the Green Flash spring seasonal.

A Craft Beer Gold Mine at Tommyknocker Brewery

I love checking out new craft breweries, but it's important to also recognize Colorado's iconic craft beer brands that helped pave the way. Tommyknocker Brewery and Pub is one such noteworthy establishment, and it's been churning out approachable excellent craft beers for 20 years. Located in the mountain town of Idaho Springs, about 45 minutes west of Denver, Tommyknocker makes a great pit stop for anyone traveling to or from the Rocky Mountains along Interstate 70.

The brewery's name taps into the gold mining history of Idaho Springs. A tommyknocker is a mythical elf-like creature that was said to live in the cracks of the mines, helping the miners know where to pick for gold. The legend of the tommyknocker is playfully reflected in the brewery's label art, branding, beer names, and brewpub decor. However, clever branding wouldn't mean much if the beer wasn't consistently great. In the bar, Tommyknocker exhibits the large collection of medals its beers have won at the Great American Beer Festival. The brewpub's food also holds up with the best of them, with a wide variety of reliably delicious pub food on the menu.

Over the years, I've tried just about all the year-round Tommyknocker beers, and a handful of seasonal releases. I stopped in recently and tried two of their seasonals, the Oaked Bock and Pine Bough Pale Ale. For the Oaked Bock, Tommyknocker takes the recipe from its Butt Head Doppelbock lager, an old favorite of mine, and adds oak chips in the brewing process. The beer has a malty sweetness, and flavors of vanilla, oak and whiskey. It retains similar qualities to the original doppelbock, but the oak adds layers of complexity. The Pine Bough Pale Ale is light and refreshing, with a crisp hop character and a smooth finish. The hop flavors are grassy, earthy, floral and a bit piney. It's a very enjoyable pale ale that packs a lot of flavor.

Tommyknocker has carved its place among Colorado's best and most well-established breweries. With its ideal location off I-70, it's also possible that many consumers first fell in love with craft beer in the brewpub while waiting out the mountain traffic. Here's to many more years of mountain town craft beer from Tommyknocker!

Are You Game for a Great Food and Beer Pairing?

There are so many different ways to create a great burger. Adding spices, cheeses, or vegetables, either inside or on top, can take the burger's flavor profile in a lot of different directions. A great burger with bold, complex flavors needs a sturdy and complex beer to match its intensity. A friend recently gave Kris and me some elk meat from a Fall hunting trip, so we made elk burgers this week. With the help of a great recipe we found, they turned out to be absolutely delicious, and my choice of Old Ruffian Barley Wine by Great Divide Brewing Co. complemented them perfectly.

Old Ruffian is an American barley wine style ale that packs huge aggressive flavors. A barley wine is a strong ale that's enjoyed most often during the colder months, and has the ability to age for up to a decade or more. The 10.2 percent ABV Old Ruffian pours a dark ruby red with moderate carbonation. The aroma exudes a sweetness like dark fruits or caramel, and the taste matches the sweetness before giving way to huge hop characters. Flavors of tropical fruits, citrus, piney bitterness and a slight alcohol burn linger on the tongue. To put it simply, this beer has a lot going on inside it. Old Ruffian is full-bodied but has a slick mouthfeel, making it a nice match for a meal.

We prepared the burgers by stuffing them with blue cheese, red onion, thyme, oregano, garlic, and a few other spices, and topped them with caramelized onions and bacon. Among the amazing flavors were the savory lean elk, sweetness from the caramelized onions, smokiness and saltiness from the bacon, and a richness from the blue cheese. Old Ruffian had an answer for all these flavors, with the sweet maltiness in the aroma and initial taste, then the huge hop flavors slicing through on the finish. For such a big, strong beer, it doesn't overwhelm the meal, but instead enhances it.

A great aspect about food and beer pairings is that experimentation is encouraged, so consider trying Old Ruffian with a meal of your own. Likewise, maybe try elk burgers or other wild game with another craft beer that sounds like a good match. Cheers to exploring the world of food and beer!

The Collaborative Spirit of Craft Brewing Lives On

There are well over 2,500 craft breweries in the United States, and the number grows by the week. Competition is hot in many cities and regions, especially in the Rocky Mountain region. But that doesn't mean brewers have lost their spirit of openness, camaraderie and sharing ideas. In an industry where it's not uncommon to hear of copyright or trademark lawsuits over beer names and label designs, collaboration is still alive and well. This is good news for brewers, and for consumers who get to discover the wonderful products created when artisans come together.

There's one primary example that those in the brewing industry point to as the standard for brewery collaboration. It involves Avery Brewing in Boulder and Russian River Brewing in California, who for years have both brewed a beer called Salvation. Ten years ago, Russian River approached Avery about the name, and neither had a problem with the other brewery's use of the name Salvation. Not only was this potentially slippery situation resolved amicably, but the brewers came together to create a new beer that blended both Salvation beers, calling it Collaboration Not Litigation Ale (pictured below). It's been released most years since it was created.

Despite this standard set by Avery and Russian River, many brewers feel it's important to trademark beer names and logos. After all, brewing is still a business and businesses need to protect their brands. But when should breweries get litigious against competitors, and at what point is it taken too far? These are tough questions to answer, but they definitely strike a nerve for many in the industry and for observers. A high profile case that drew plenty of attention in 2013 was when Magic Hat Brewing in Vermont filed a federal lawsuit against West Sixth Brewing in Kentucky for trademark infringement. Another situation involved Denver's Strange Brewing, who also faced a trademark dispute in 2012 and 2013 from a Massachusetts homebrewing store and aspiring brewery called Strange Brew Beer and Wine Making over the name "strange." The uproar that ensued on social media in both cases showed that breweries can sometimes go too far to protect their brands, at least in the eyes of the public. To many, overzealous litigious activity flies in the face of the spirit and culture on which craft brewing was founded.

Although the buzz generated is sometimes loud when breweries take action over possible trademark infringement, it's actually a lot more common for breweries to come together to share expertise or brew together. Take a look around the craft beer section at your local liquor store, and you'll find quite a few beers that bear the names of two different breweries. This March in Denver, brewing collaboration will be on full display at the Collaboration Fest, put on by the Colorado Brewers Guild and the website Imbibe. Dozens of beers, each brewed by two or more mostly Colorado breweries, will be available to taste. Such collaboration is a win for the breweries, who rely on each other for industry growth, and for all who get to enjoy the fruits of this brewing labor.