Beer at 6512

Beer cans and BPA

2012-02-02T10:00:00.003-07:00

Cans are an explosive source of growth in the craft beer industry. Beginning with Oskar Blues in Lyons, Colorado, breweries including Durango's Ska Brewing Co. and Steamworks Brewing Co. have turned to cans as it became clear than consumers in many cases prefer them to bottles.

Now many brewers, particularly in Colorado, are canning craft beers, and canned craft has become ubiquitous at retail.

Cans have certain advantages: They are lighter and thus cheaper to ship. They are easy to recycle and tend to be recycled at higher rates than bottles. They are more portable and conducive to outdoor activities. And they are impermeable, so beer-spoiling light and oxygen can't enter the package.

Craft breweries have responded to consumer demand with a rush toward cans. Ska's top-selling beer, Modus Hoperandi IPA, is sold primarily in cans. Durango's largest brewery just last year repackaged its summer seasonal, Mexican Logger, and greatly increased the lager's production and distribution.

Steamworks has also adopted cans. So has Colorado's largest craft brewer, New Belgium, the third-largest craft brewery by production in the U.S. Oskar Blues, the canned craft beer pioneer, is packaging "tall boy" 16-ounce cans. That's just the highlights; an exhaustive list of craft breweries using cans would be, well, exhausting.

Cans have been particularly popular in Colorado. This is partly because one of the nation's largest manufacturers of cans, Ball Corp., is located in Golden, not far from Coors.

The only disadvantage regarding cans that has been widely circulated is the obvious fact that aluminum for cans must be mined, and mining comes with a long list of environmental risks and drawbacks. Personally, I feel that I generally get a smoother pour from bottles than cans when I decant into a glass, but that's a minor quibble.

To arrive at my point: No one is talking about BPA in beer cans.

BPA, technically known as bisphenol-A, is a chemical used in the epoxy linings for beer cans and many other products, likely including the Ball Corp. cans used by most canning craft breweries in Colorado.

BPA has been an increasingly decried consumer bogeyman. It's an endocrine disrupter, and as USA Today put it, "It's been linked with diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease in humans and has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals."

Many consumer products have been redesigned recently to be BPA-free, most famously those Nalgene water bottles. Nalgene was forced to make BPA-free bottles to stem a consumer backlash.

A recent study regarding BPA in soup cans caught a lot of attention. The peer-reviewed study released in November found that people who ate canned soup every day had a more than 1,200 percent increase in BPA in their urine samples. The study is already prompting boxed soups to advertise their BPA-free status.

My question: If eating soup from a can every day increases your BPA level by 1,200 percent, what about drinking beer from a can every day? What about when you get a six-pack of, say, Modus Hoperandi and drink it within a few days? What if you're tailgating and drink several canned Coors?

The headlong rush to can craft beer seems to be ignoring this issue entirely. While some publicity has brought changes to products like water bottles and soup containers, no such backlash has occurred among some of the very same people who regularly drink canned craft beer.

I sent an email to a Ball Corp. spokesman seeking comment. To the company's credit, spokesman Stephen McCarty responded almost immediately. It's a long response, but I've included most of it because it's good information:

"Almost all aluminum and steel beverage and food cans use epoxy-based coatings inside cans as a barrier between the metal and the products in the can," McCarty said. "Ball buys these coatings from suppliers."
He added:
• Cans are coated with epoxy resin to prevent corrosion, extend shelf life, protect the food contents from the metal packaging and protect the metal packaging from the food contents.
• Metal packaging with internal coatings reduces the potential for serious illness by enabling high temperature sterilization.
• This sterilization virtually eliminates the dangers of food poisoning from microbial contaminants.
• Epoxy-based coatings have been used in cans for decades to protect the product inside the can through various packing processes and to increase its shelf life afterward.

Epoxy-based coatings may contain trace amounts of BPA. Scientific evidence evaluated by regulatory agencies in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand has consistently shown these coatings to be safe, and regulatory agencies have stated that human exposure to BPA from epoxy-based can coatings is well below safe exposure limits set by government bodies worldwide.

• The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is expected to comment again on BPA later this year. The FDA last commented on BPA on Jan. 15, 2010, when it concluded, "FDA is not recommending that families change the use of infant formula or foods, as the benefit of a stable source of good nutrition outweighs the potential risk from BPA exposure." ...

"While these regulatory agency statements seem to affirm the safety of epoxy-based can coatings, public discussion continues regarding bisphenol-A. Ball recognizes that significant interest exists in non epoxy-based coatings, and we have been proactively working with coatings suppliers and our customers to evaluate alternatives to current coatings," McCarty said.

• Currently there is not a viable alternative to epoxy-based coatings that meets the existing requirements of all products packaged in cans.
• Early results from ongoing test packs that began in mid-2008 using potential alternative coatings have been mixed.
• There are limited alternatives for certain, nonaggressive products. Those alternatives pose performance, shelf life, environmental or supply availability challenges.
• Coatings companies are working on alternatives to epoxy coatings. Once they are identified, it will then be a question of how long it will take the new coating(s) to obtain regulatory approval and to be produced in sufficient amounts by suppliers to meet the needs of the market.
• In limited cases, Ball is converting some foods to cans that use an FDA-approved non epoxy-based coating, typically involving less acidic products.
• Ball continues to participate in industry trade associations on BPA-related issues, and we will work with the FDA to update the agency on our progress and avoid any unintended consequences from possible alternatives to epoxy-based coatings.

McCarty added: "We are committed to responding to our customers' needs. If interest continues in non epoxy-based coatings, we will offer cans with those coatings when the coatings become commercially available."

Essentially, Ball acknowledges that it does indeed use epoxy linings that may contain BPA in its cans, and says there is no good alternative at the moment.

For craft brewers, it may pay to keep their options open. New Belgium downplayed the risks in a 2008 online response to a customer's question: "We became aware of BPA in epoxy resin can liners during our due diligence prior to deciding on packaging in cans. We looked into the matter thoroughly. What became apparent is that there are no cans whose lining does not contain BPA. The industry is actively looking for alternatives, but as yet, none exist. We still believe the benefits of cans outweigh the potential risk of the liners because the anxiety surrounding BPA seems to have far outstripped the science."

Dave Thibodeau, Ska's president and co-founder, leads a brewery that has rode a wave of mushrooming sales of craft cans. "There are very trace amounts of BPA in the liner of the can," he said in an email. "The levels are far less than that of steel cans and also way below what the FDA says is safe."

"As of now there is no aluminum can made without any BPA. The liner is there to protect the consumer from the aluminum."

Thibodeau added that Ska will be interested in BPA-free cans whenever they become available from Ball. "I know their mad scientists are working on an alternative and as soon as there is one we'll be all over it," he said.

Kris Oyler, a co-founder and general head honcho at Steamworks, said BPA seems to have little effect in adults — the main concern is the chemicals' effects on developing fetuses and children.

"From the research we have seen, it would take a lot of canned beer to have any overall adverse affects to an individual beer consumer," he said in an email message.

Oyler added, "We are not concerned that the general populous knows about BPA-lined beverage cans. To the contrary, more education is better. Beer drinkers can make their own educated decisions about what they want to put into their bodies and furthermore can make those changes. Studies have shown a reduction in BPA levels with the consumption of fresh foods — something we should all do more of. Balancing out a couple of canned beers with a fresh salad from a local farmer can go a long way."

"Our local consumers also have a choice to come in to our establishment for beer from the tap. Or they can purchase a glass half gallon growler for their beer. They can drink some of their beer from other brewers bottles. There are many choices and I think the key is balance and moderation in all things. Eating canned soup every day is not really healthy or balanced."

Oyler said Steamworks "would certainly be interested" in a BPA-free can. "We believe the can is a solid container for beer and the benefits ... are still worth pursuing."

For my take, cans certainly have their advantages, and craft beer drinkers love their convenience and portability. Hopefully, the market will soon demand that Ball and its competitors come up with a way to manufacture effective BPA-free cans.

As the Nalgene backlash illustrated, consumer preferences can turn on a dime, especially where their health is concerned. For their sake and mine, I hope brewers continue to offer their products in glass packaging as well as cans.

I'm not ready to give up on cans altogether. But until brewers can adopt a BPA-free can, I'll be buying my beer in glass bottles and growlers whenever I can, and limiting my use of cans to the golf course and backpacking trail — where bottles are clearly impractical — and for the occasional great beer that's only offered in cans.

It may not be time to get rid of those bottling lines just yet.

Holy Crap, it's Snowdown!

2012-02-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

'Round these parts, it was Christmas yesterday. Then I woke up to find that it is already February and time for more celebration and revelry in the streets of Durango for the annual Snowdown Winter Carnival! As in years past, there are several local beer releases for the event.

Carver's has a "Fairy Tale Pale Ale" on tap. It's a nicely hopped American Pale not unlike the mainline Jack Rabbit Pale Ale. Though not related to Snowdown, they also had an Imperial Stout on tap that was thoroughly quaffable for being a relatively big beer. In fact, two of these and a burger totally changed my outlook on the day last Wednesday.

Steamwork's will be tapping a "Black Fairy Firkin" on Friday prior to the parade on Main Street. We are told that this is based on their award wining Backside Stout that has be re-fermented in the firkin with maple syrup and anise. This is a continuation of their first Friday firkin releases of experimental brews that have been fun to sample this winter.

Ska Brewing Co. has been tweaking a spiced Brown Ale recipe for a few months now, and the effort pays off in this year's Snowdown special release. Faeries Wear Boots is a spiced Brown Ale that would fit well in a Winter Ale/ Winter Warmer category (for those of you that heed such things). Brewed with all of the holiday spices, this one packs a punch of bold flavorings on top of a mid-bodied Brown Ale base backed with plenty of warmth from all of the delicious alcohol it contains. The brew available on tap, and in 22oz bombers at your favorite local package store. I believe this is part of their "local series" set of releases, so distribution outside of Durango may be limited.

I enjoyed last year's Black IPA, but I have to say that I really dig this year's brew. I was a fan of the Brown Ale release at Christmas as well, which seems to have been an earlier version of this beer.

Ska will also be hosting a "Punk Rock Breakfast Party" at the Lost Dog Saloon on Sunday morning. For those of you still needing to kick some ass on Sunday morning, or for those of you looking to get a start on the celebrations for the "Big Game" later in the day, this might be the place to go. Beer specials and punk music to get your day started.

Ska Brewing's year in review

2012-01-26T10:00:00.003-07:00

Ska Brewing Co. looks back at its 2011 with this release:

Ska Brewing has had an incredible year, full of important milestones and proud accomplishments — at least according to notes taken by the brewery’s management team throughout the year. “I’m glad we wrote this stuff down. It all seems so hazy now,” admitted Ska President and co-founder Dave Thibodeau. “I know we grew, but without our notes I’d be looking to beer bloggers to find out how much and when.”

For example, one treasure trove of documentation — titled “press releases” — indicated that at the beginning of 2011 Ska Brewing was named Durango’s Business of the Year by the Durango Chamber of Commerce. That means for the past year Ska has been Defending Business of the Year. The title is notoriously impossible to defend, but Ska can claim many other highlights in 2011.

By the end of 2011, Ska had produced 21,257 barrels (bbls) of beer. (A U.S. bbl is 31 gallons.) According to notes found on a recently unearthed thumb drive, Ska announced near the end of 2010 that the company had reached regional craft brewer status, (as defined by the Brewer’s Association), by producing more than 15,000 bbls of beer. Math experts say these numbers show an increase of 28 percent over the previous year, or approximately 28 percent more than the S&P 500 stock index returned in 2011.

“Growth in production has allowed us to meet demand in our markets,” says Ska co-founder Bill Graham. “That’s a fancy way of saying we’ve been keeping people around the country supplied with fresh beer — and they’ve been buying it up pretty fast.”

According to pictures discovered on Ska’s Facebook page, last spring saw the addition of four new 240-bbl tanks, including three fermenters and one brite tank. This expansion increased Ska’s brewing capacity by 70 percent, and opened the door for the increase in production.

The milestones haven’t all been operational, either. Last spring Ska ventured into filmmaking when it produced Brew Minions—a video parody of the Discovery Channel series Brew Masters—with appearances by Ska’s co-founders and employees, and by Dogfish Head Brewing Founder and Brew Masters star Sam Calagione. The not-so-short film poked fun at the Dogfish Head-focused television series, while silently acknowledging that every brewery wishes it had its own TV show.

Thibodeau says the film was a success, even though it didn’t fit any traditional mold: “It ended up being over 20 minutes, which was about three times as long as we planned. But people watched it anyway, and they loved it. It’s had 13,000 online views so far.”

Other Ska Brewing milestones in 2011:

• Ska cans Mexican Logger for the first time, releasing the seasonal lager in all of its markets.
• Ska celebrates American Craft Beer Week with the release of Big Shikes Orange Blossom Imperial Pilsner, a beer collaboratively brewed with Westword beer blogger and homebrewer Jonathan Shikes. (In 2010 Ska initiated the first beer blogger brewing collaboration when it invited two local beer bloggers to brew on its pilot system and write about the experience.)
• Seth Townsend’s Organic Dubbel wins Ska’s GABF Homebrew Competition and goes on to be entered in the GABF Pro-Am. The beer is also released by the brewery as Sethvleteren 8, no. 19 in Ska’s Local Series.
• Ska again participates in the Tour of BoulDurango it helped found, sending four riders to join four other breweries on a 470-mile tour of Colorado’s biggest passes and best brewpubs to raise money for local charities.
• Ska loses the L.A. International Beer Competition, but wins many others, including:
• Steel Toe Stout: Gold Medal, Great American Beer Festival
• Modus Hoperandi IPA: Silver Medals—Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival and Australian International Beer Awards; Bronze Medal—AmeriCan Festival; Winner, Best Canned IPA—CraftCans.com Poll
• Pinstripe Red Ale: Gold Medal—North American Beer Awards; Bronze Medal—Colo. State Fair Nat’l Commercial Microbrew Comp.
• Ska Special ESB: Bronze Medal—Australian International Beer Awards; Silver Medal—Colo. State Fair National Commercial Microbrew Comp., Silver Medal—AmeriCan Festival
• Buster Nut Brown Ale: Silver Medal—Denver International Beer Fest
• True Blonde Ale: Silver Medal—Colo. State Fair National Commercial Microbrew Comp.
• True Blonde Dubbel: Bronze Medal—Colo. State Fair National Commercial Microbrew Comp.
• Mexican Logger: Winner, Most Sessionable Craft Can—CraftCans.com Poll
• Euphoria Pale Ale: Voted Durango’s Best Local Beer by Buzztown

• Ska celebrates its 16th Anniversary with a blowout party featuring The Toasters from New York City along with two other bands, more than 20 guest breweries and over 1,000 people in attendance
Ska attracts 11,150+ Facebook followers, 5,800+ Twitter followers, and one creepy stalker.

“13- or 14,000:1 is a pretty good fan to stalker ratio,” said Thibodeau. “But with all the new breweries starting up, we’re hoping that person will find another ‘favorite’ and lose interest in us."

Homebrewing update

2012-01-22T10:28:00.003-07:00

The 19th Hole Red Ale I brewed with a friend was a modest success. We used the Brewer's Best red ale kit, and followed the directions closely since it was the first time homebrewing for both of us.

It ended up with a nice flavor. If I were designing the recipe from scratch, I might like a little more robustness. But it turned out as a nice session ale, so I can't complain. I would have liked a little more carbonation as well. We used the priming sugar included in the Brewer's Best kit. It lent some carbonation, but not as much as you would expect in a typical commercial beer.

As first attempts go, we were pretty satisfied with the result. The 5-gallon batch yielded 48 12-ounce bottles. The Brewer's Best kits are more or less idiot-proof.

Next, we're going to try our hand at brewing a stout using Charlie Papazian's recipe for Cushlomachree Stout from his Joy of Homebrewing book.

We're also planning to add a pound of flaked oatmeal for a little more body and creaminess. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Firkin Friday @ Steamworks tomorrow!

2012-01-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Steamworks continues their "First Friday Firkin" tomorrow by tapping a Belgian Framboise style ale at 5pm. I plan on dropping by around 5:30 for a taste and perhaps a pint or two of their other offerings (I think the barleywine may still be available). And if you haven't in a wile, be sure to check out their newly redesigned website!

Below is the official word:

First 2012 Firkin Friday at Steamworks Brewing Co. on Jan. 6

A Belgian Framboise style ale is planned for the January firkin

DURANGO, Colo. – The monthly Firkin Fridays continues at Steamworks Brewing Co. on Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, as the Steam Team introduces a Belgian Framboise style ale. The firkin will be tapped at 3 p.m.

“A traditional Framboise or Frambozenbier is a spontaneously fermented raspberry Lambic ale specific to the region near Brussels,” said Ken Martin, Steamworks head brewer. “Our rendition can’t be quite like that because the authentic version involves open air, wild fermentation. The Lambic can trace its roots back more than 400 years. They say to drink a Lambic style beer is to take a trip back through time.”

Instead of brewing a Lambic, Steamworks’ Framboise Firkin will use a rich Belgian style brown ale as the base, re-fermented and naturally carbonated, or conditioned, in its cask with raspberries. The yeast transforms the sugar into alcohol within the cask, and carbonation results from the trapped carbon dioxide occurring as a byproduct.

“The Belgian Framboise firkin promises to be a balance of rich chocolate and fruit, cut with tartness. Think chocolate raspberry truffles,” explained brewer Spencer Roper. “The beer will have roughly a 7.5 percent ABV, so it should be a nice warm up for these cold winter nights.”

A firkin is an old English unit of volume, typically a wooden cask equal to approximately one-quarter of a regular barrel, or nine gallons. Unlike most draft beers, firkin beer is served at about 55 degrees - cool but not cold, and is unpasteurized, unfiltered. Because it contains no preservatives, a firkin beer is designed to be consumed after tapping.

Steamworks initiated its Firkin Fridays to introduce additional and unusual specialty craft beers to its regular offerings.

The award-winning Steamworks Brewing Co., open 11 a.m. to closing seven days a week, is located at 801 E. Second. Ave., Durango (970.259.9200). For further information, visit www.steamworksbrewing.com.

Pagosa Porters on Tap!

2011-12-26T09:00:00.001-07:00

Pagosa Brewing Co. has unleashed an avalanche of Porter style brews for the 2011 holiday season. Currently, four of these should be available on tap – Classic Porter, Baltic Porter, Java Porter, and Wassail Porter.

We were able to stop in at the brewery last weekend to meet up with some friends, and sample the Classic Porter and the Baltic.

As with much of the beer that Pagosa produces, both were excellent, clean examples of the style.

I have been favoring bigger beers lately, and I was partial to the Baltic-style pint that I was able to get 'with a little help from my friends', though usually pints of Pagosa’s larger brews are reserved for Mug Club members. The description states that it was made, “with a whisper of a maplewood smoked finish”. This is indeed the case, as the smoke was very subtle, almost hidden behind the big roastiness from the dark malts. It was definitely a softer smoke character than the Baltic Porter that Carver Brewing Co. currently has on, (itself being none-too-heavy).

Shreddin' Red IPA & wings

While catching up and swapping stories, the pint warmed slightly, revealing more of the rich malt character of the brew and some warmth from the 8.9%abv. Yet, the overall experience remained smooth, an effect I attribute to the use of lager yeast.

All ‘round, the pint landed solidly in my, “Thank you Sir! I’d like another!”, category.

Also on tap was Shreddin’ Red IPA, a hopped-up version of their regular IPA, and a British Bitter-style ale. We ordered these along with some appetizers, and I have to say that the IPA was delicious with the wings. The Bitter was good as well, but as with the Baltic Porter, I enjoyed it more as it warmed slightly, and some of the caramel from the warm, tan body was exposed. (Man, that last bit is kinda hot – makes me think of the beach…)

Seasonal offerings should continue to appear at Pagosa Brewing alongside the standard lineup throughout the ski season. If you happen in on something you like, drop us a note and let us know!

Texas judge slaps down labeling requirements

2011-12-20T20:50:00.003-07:00

A Texas judge, in a ruling issued Monday, slapped down the state's inane labeling requirements that required brewers to mislead their customers as to what they were drinking.

Until now, beer sold in Texas that exceeded 4 percent alcohol by weight had to be labeled "ale," while beer under 4 percent ABW was labeled "beer." This of course made no sense because ale is a type of beer defined by the sort of yeast used and the manner in which fermentation occurs. Ale, as it has been known for centuries, has nothing to do with alcoholic strength.

This led to absurdities.

Of local concern, Ska Brewing Co., which distributes in Texas, had to label its Mexican Logger with text that read, with admirable bitchiness, "Ale, in Texas." Mexican Logger is a lager and not an ale, so Texas was essentially requiring Ska to mislead its customers in order to sell beer in the Lonestar State.

Now Ska, and other breweries that sell their beer in Texas, may label their lagers lager and their ales ale. In another part of the ruling, Federal District Court Judge Sam Sparks (now doesn't that sound like a solid Texas name?), ruled that the state could not prohibit breweries from telling their customers the level of booze they were drinking. Under Texas law, breweries could not say "5.2 percent ABV" or "strong ale" or anything of the sort. Paradoxically, Texas required distillers to tell customers the strength of their hard alcohol.

Sparks, in a comedic judicial ruling, as far as such things go, chastised the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for failing to vigorously defend its own rules.

Many of these rules date from the immediate post-Prohibition period, when states that had no clue how to regulate alcohol came up with a ridiculous maze of stupid, ineffectual and counter-factual laws. Breweries, and the consumers who love them, are forced to contend with far too many of these laws to this day. In my native state of Oregon, bars are not allowed to advertise happy hour specials, as the specter of people enjoying relaxation after their daily labor is far outweighed by the state's interest in prohibiting free speech.

Sparks' ruling rested on First Amendment grounds. Essentially, he ruled that Texas can't force breweries to include untruthful speech on their products, and also can't force them to hide useful information like alcohol content levels from customers.

It's really quite remarkable that we're still dealing with Prohibition 78 years after it ended. It's good on Sparks for defending our First Amendment rights. It's good on Jester King Craft Brewery of Austin for fighting the good fight, hiring the legal muscle to get this done.

And maybe, just maybe, this ruling will send a message to mediocre, stale and arbitrary bureaucracies elsewhere that their interventions are neither necessary nor welcome.

Thursday Nitro @ Ska Brewing Co.

2011-12-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

Beer N' Chile at Ska on Thursday Night

Now, I gotta’ say, it’s a good thing when your local brewery takes care of you.

I stopped into Ska Brewing Co. this evening for the ongoing Thursday night live-music & chili special, and to pick up a keg of Euphoria.

To wit, I had been hounding/begging Holly, (the front of house manager at Ska), regarding a 1/2bbl keg of delicious, fresh, my favorite Ska brew ever, Euphoria, for weeks now. Yesterday, she called to offer one to me.

Per the season, I received the joyous news that the production team had released 1/2bbl’s of Euphoria to retail with exultation and great praise.

I have to cast the scene of this phone call for you to appreciate the pure ecstasy that it brought me.

I love my job, but here it was, mid-day Wednesday – the shittiest of the workdays as there are equally as many in front of you as behind – and I was stuck in a dimly lit room with burnt-orange carpet sitting right next to a piece of equipment that was generating a whirlwind of fan-noise so loud I couldn’t hear myself think. Over the scream of wasted hot air, (kinda’ like this post, I’d guess ;-), I noticed that the phone was ringing by the blinking of the light on the console. This is the same blinking light that had me wondering for months, in the usual near-silence of my office, why in the funk someone had bothered to put an F’ing blinking light on the front of the damn phone in the first place. Ho HO!

Well, having solved that mystery, I grabbed the receiver and screamed, “HELLO”, into it.

“Erich?”

“Yah.”

“It’s Holly… I’ve got what you want.”

“Sweet, I can come by tonight or tomorrow to grab it!”

“OK, I’ll put you down for tomorrow.”

Serious drug-dealer talk, that. I loved it – ‘Durango-vice’; although this involved killer brew and steel-toe boots, not booger-sugar and penny loafers (Ha! - screw you, Miami).

But back to my story…

The roar from the fan in the horrible witch-of-a-machine, (she’s a screamer), next to me faded to a whisper as a choir of angles began to sing, as if from on high. The flicker of the life-sucking neon lights ceased, and the 85 degree heat that I sit in, (right above the heater for the building), receded to a gentle breeze as the happy vision of a 15.5 gallon barrel of Euphoria beer danced like sugar plum fairies before my eyes.

Sidenote – “Sugar Plum Fairy” – A pint for the person who can comment and give the best explanation of what in the hell or on earth or in heaven this beast is. And I have a crude sense of humor, but this is a public post and we edit your shit, so keep it clever.

And so this evening, I stopped by for my prize. Most of you don’t know this, but I recently traded an automobile for three kegs of Ska Beer*, of which the above mentioned keg of Euphoria is the second. The sheer joy I felt when entering the taproom to the sound of live music, the sight of friendly faces, and the surety of excellent beer was a truly welcome vibe.

I have to admit that as I approached the bar, I had an agenda in mind. What was the “Imperial Nut Buster Brown Ale” that I had seen on taps around town, and what else had come up since I had stopped in ten days ago?

Much to my delight, I was informed by Denise that the “Imperial Nut Buster Brown Ale” was indeed the brew formerly known as “Last Year’s Fruit Cake” and that it was available both on tap and in a cask-conditioned pour. It is a huge deep-brown winter warmer with a lovely rum-like finish from the additions of brown sugar and plums to the base brew.

In addition to this, a “flavored” version of the mainline Steel Toe Stout was on tap. Christened, “Ole Mole Stout”, this one had more heat in the finish than the above pictured bowl of green chile had in each bite.

I hate to hit-n-run on a good party, but I had ‘Mr. Puppy’ in the outdoor dog run at home in need of “puppy dinner” and so I paid my tab for the pint and the taster and proceeded to make haste with the loading of the keg. On the way out the door, I was happy to get an offer of help with the barrel from Ska head brewer Thomas Larsen. After using his well-honed professional skills to heft the keg into the backseat of my ride, he mentioned that he would be tapping a second round of the Mint Steel Toe Stout this coming week (Steel-Toe Stout finished in the keg with fresh mint). The last batch from a few weeks ago was very interesting, and the next should be well worth a stop by the taproom before the holidays.

*The story of the “car-for-ska-beer” swap is an ongoing phenomenon that will be committed to lore at a later date.

Tour de Fat - a book about beer n’ bikes

2011-12-06T10:00:00.017-07:00

Perhaps you also recall when Durango rated high enough on New Belgium’s scale of bike-town worthiness to warrant a stop by the travelling circus of beer and bikes known as the Tour de Fat. This ended several years ago when D-town was given the gentle let-down and told that it was already bike-friendly enough around here.

The intrepid cast of characters that comprise the tour were being directed to brave the mean streets of the nation’s cities, carrying with them a bold message of beer, love, and bikes. While it may be the case that Durango is more bike-friendly than some places, (I’ll personally vouch for Durango over the ‘mean streets of Phoenix’), it is hard to miss the fact that the smallest city on the tour in 2011 was Ft. Collins, and that the likes of San Francisco and Chicago are the norm.

And what the hell, right? I mean, if I had a marketing budget to support nationwide sales, I’d spend it on population centers numbering in the millions over those numbering in the tens of thousands as well. And it is true that bike awareness by local drivers is better than many places.

It was with surprise then that I accepted an invitation to receive a copy of a new book published by New Belgium commemorating the 11 years that tour has been, well, touring. My surprise was not at the existence of the book itself, but that they have taken the time and expense of memorializing the burlesque cacophony of bike zaniness that the tour has delivered in its time rambling across the land.

I guess that I had written off the Tour de Fat as a spasm of youth and assumed that the onset of corporate magnitude would have drawn New Belgium’s focus elsewhere. After thumbing through the book, which is presented in a ‘coffee table’ format, (think the coffee table book hip enough not to freak out your friends), it was apparent that this is not the case. In fact, it appears that the tour and its message remain almost as close to the heart of the organization as the beer itself. Presented like the event it represents, each page is a giggle unto itself.

Altogether, the Tour de Fat book is an excellent companion to a fine pint of craft brewed beer in a comfortable old chair. Find it at an independent bookstore, like Maria’s in Durango, near you.

Getting started homebrewing

2011-12-04T10:00:00.007-07:00

After months of hemming and hawing, a friend and I finally took the plunge and got all of the equipment needed for homebrewing.

Many of you have been homebrewing for years. I resisted for a long time, figuring I'd leave it to the professionals. If you can buy perfectly good beer, I figured, why spend more than $100 for brewing equipment that might yield a lesser product?

But at some point, it's fun and satisfying to do something for yourself. So we went down to the new Durango Brew Supply, where the fellas helped us choose a five-gallon brewing bucket, a glass carboy, a siphon hose, a hydrometer, a capper and all the other gadgets needed to brew at home.

For our maiden voyage, we chose to brew up a simple Brewer's Best red ale kit. It comes with all the needed ingredients: malt, malt extract, hops and yeast, and even a little bit of equipment, like a cloth that functions as a giant tea bag, that turned out to be helpful.

19th Hole Red Ale is now finishing secondary fermentation in the carboy. The original gravity was a little low for some reason, so it looks to be heading for an ABV of about 4.2 percent.

We're considering going all-grain for our next batch. I'm looking around for a good oatmeal stout recipe, so if anyone has one for a five-gallon batch, or can point me to one, I'd appreciate it.

'Tis the Saison

2011-12-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Who says that summer brews must be tasted in season? While it is true that darker, heavier elixirs do fit well with the coming of ski season, certain styles of beer exhibit such unique and exotic combinations of flavor components that it is a delight to experience them, regardless the time of year. This is certainly the case with the humble saison, or Belgian/French farmhouse-style ale.

Traditionally brewed in a simple fashion for consumption during the warm summer months, saison is characterized by a fruity, citrusy yeast character, accented by modest hop and alcohol flavors. High attenuation by the yeast, (meaning that the yeast has consumed most of the available sugars in the beer and turned them to carbon dioxide and delicious alcohol), tends to leave a comparatively thin body, high carbonation and tart, dry finish.

Farmhouse ales were traditionally brewed for consumption on warm afternoons while working the land. This was at a time when slaking one's thirst with a funky-flavored, but bacteria-free, fermented beverage was a lot safer than drinking water from the nearby canal or irrigation ditch.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend a local beer tasting hosted by the Mesa Verde Mashers homebrew club in Cortez. One of the members had visited the West Coast, and brought back an ‘A’ list of domestic and imported saison-style beer for our consideration. I had also recently received a bottle of New Belgium Brewing Co.'s latest release in their “Lips of Faith” series, Prickly Passion Saison, which billed itself as a saison-style farmhouse ale brewed with juice from prickly pear and passion fruit. Intrigued, I brought it along to be opened at the event.

The bottle lineup looked like this:

Manzanita Lazy Saison (San Diego)

De GlazenToren (Belgium)
DeDottignies (Belgium)
Fantome (Belgium)
Baudelaire (link to a review by the San Diego Beer Blog)
PrettyThings Baby Tree (USA)
Ovila(Sierra Nevada)
DuPont (Belgium)
De Prouef (Belgium)
OmmegangHennepin (USA)
St.Feuillien (Belgium)
Lost AbbeyBrother Levonian (USA)
New Belgium Prickly Passion Saison (USA)

The review of these could consume pages. Instead of this, I would suggest consuming the imported De Prouef and St. Feuillien. These seemed to best find the elusive balance between sweet, sour, and astringent components of the overall flavor. Many of the domestic products were very good as well, with Lost Abbey and Ommegang being stand outs. If any of the Durango Brewing Co.'s 20th Anniversary Saison bottles survive, they would be worth picking up as well.

And for the Prickly Passion Saison? As with most of New Belgium’s brews, this one is very clean in body and appearance. Many of the earlier bottles that were tasted contained a lot of yeast in suspension, making for a cloudy liquid in the glass. This one was translucent, with a very refined malt body forming a base for the yeast and fruit juices.

Perhaps it was the strong flavors that came before it, but the prickly pear was almost absent, and the passion fruit was very delicate, almost more of an aroma than a flavoring. As a stand-alone drink, I think that the Prickly Pear Saison would be quite enjoyable, and is a fine place to start if exploring the world of saison.

A big THANK YOU to Dion and the Mesa Vera Mashers for hosting this excellent event!

Beer at 6512 is back

2011-11-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

After a hiatus of more than two months, Beer at 6512 is back. A friend persuaded me that this little blog has a loyal readership and some value it can offer to local beer lovers.

This time I won't be doing it alone. The aforementioned friend, Erich Hennig, will help me keep the site updated. Erich is a Durango homebrewer who has experience brewing beer, mead and cider, and has a fine sense of what makes a good craft beer. Not incidentally, he's also a damn good writer who you may know from his beer columns in Mountain Gazette and Rocky Mountain Brewing News.

Together we plan to provide regular updates that tell you more than you probably want to know about craft brewing in Durango and the wider world.

We're also looking for other contributors. You can't be any geek off the street, as Warren G once said. But if you know a good beer from a bad one and how to compose a decent sentence in English, please email me at soggycoaster(at)gmail(dot)com.

And for the rest of you, stop by when you can and read up on what's happening with craft brewing at 6,512 feet elevation. Durango is a special place, with some special beer. Let's get to it.

Beer at 6512 on hold

2011-09-27T19:29:00.000-06:00

As you may have noticed, posting here has slowed considerably this summer. It's time for me to recognize that I'm no longer posting regularly, and to acknowledge that this blog on indefinite hiatus.

There are several reasons, but primarily I just don't have the time to keep the blog as updated as it should be. For two years, I've written this blog as a personal project outside of my full-time job. There's a lot going on in craft beer locally, and I'm not keeping up with it. I feel if I'm not going to do it right, I'd rather not blog at all.

In all honesty, the last thing I want to do when I come home from work is spend more time in front of a keyboard and a glowing screen.

Perhaps I'll get back to it at some point. Perhaps not. Perhaps I'll find other outlets for writing about craft beer, or participating in the industry more directly.

I'm enormously appreciative of my readers, and the craft brewers I've come to know. I feel like I've been through graduate school in beer appreciation and the business of craft brewing.

Breweries are some of the most exciting businesses in America today, and, as others have noted, what's happening in craft beer is as interesting as anything in the worlds of food and drink.

Keep drinking good beer and supporting good brewers. I'll do the same.

Ska's 16th birthday bash highlights Durango Beer Week

2011-09-05T11:33:00.000-06:00

Ska Brewing Co. will host a big bash Sept. 24 to celebrate its 16th anniversary. Twenty of the region's best breweries will be pouring, and the New York City ska band The Toasters will headline the entertainment.

The party will mark the Durango debut of Shebeen Black IPA, brewed in honor of The Toasters. Shebeen has otherwise been available at a handful of Toasters concerts. The Clash cover band the Nuns of Brixton and the Blue Hornets will open the concert.

The breweries scheduled to join Ska's birthday bash include Avery, Breckenridge, Bristol, Carver's, Durango, Left Hand, Lumberyard, Marble, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Ouray, Pagosa Brewing, Santa Fe, Santan, Steamworks, Stone, Three Rivers and Tommyknocker.

I'd highly recommend you stop by Marble's tent. This Albuquerque-based brewery distributes only in New Mexico, so this is a rare chance to get their beer in Durango, and they're doing some fantastic brewing. Last year, Marble brought a version of From the Wood, a sublime barrel-aged ale that earned national attention from Draft magazine.

Ska expects the 16th anniversary party to sell out. Last year's 15th anniversary party was probably the best event I've experienced in my six years in Durango. The Supersuckers hosted a rock show of the quality you just don't see in Durango, and a lot of the beers were fantastic.The event runs 4-9 p.m. Sept. 24 at Ska, 225 Girard St. Tickets are $25 and available online or at brownpapertickets.com, or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

Ska's birthday party is just the biggest event during Durango Beer Week. The week kicks off with Steamworks’ 15th Anniversary Beer Dinner, to be held 7 p.m. Sept. 16 on the brewpub’s back deck.

Chef Sean Clark will offer a five-course meal matched to the Steamworks beers from brewer Ken Martin. The events costs $40 per person, and reservations are available by calling (970) 259-9200.

“Chef Sean has taken a leading role nationally in pairing fine foods and craft beers,” said Kris Oyler, Steamworks co-founder. “The menu, which includes Cuban pork, Yorkshire pudding and braised plantain, and smoked elk tenderloin with Palisade cherry gastrique, is fantastic. Of course, so are the Steamworks’ award-winning beers paired with each course.”

Durango’s official annual Oktoberfest is set for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17. on Main Avenue between 9th and 10th streets. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Women’s Resource Center.

“The event will include all the traditional Oktoberfest activities such as a stein-hoisting competition and a bratwurst-eating contest,” said Erik Maxson, Carver Brewing Co. head brewer. “Plus, the Bootleggers will collaboratively brew an authentic Oktoberfest beer to be tapped at the event.”

Food vendors, children’s activities and live music throughout the day from the Alpiners, Midnight Backhand and Moreland & Arbuckle are also planned. Durango Herald Arts & Entertainment Editor (and beer aficionado) Ted Holteen will serve as master of ceremonies.

Durango Beer Week continues with a variety of activities, including a beer brunch at Carver’s, a bike tour of the breweries, and a Brewathalon at Durango Brewing.

For more information on Durango Beer Week, visit www.realbeer.com. Here's the schedule:

* Friday, Sept. 16 Steamworks’ 15th Anniversary Beer Dinner, 7 p.m.
* Saturday, Sept. 17 Oktoberfest, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Main Ave.
* Sunday, Sept. 18 El Rancho Foosball Tournament, cash prizes, noon
* Monday, Sept. 19 Beer Brunch at Carver Brewing Co., 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
* Tuesday, Sept. 20 Lady Falconburgh’s Beer Bingo, 9 p.m.
* Wednesday, Sept. 21 Durango Brewing Company Brewathalon, 5 p.m. Test your skills at Shuffleboard and Ring Toss.
* Thursday, Sept. 22 DATO/Ska-b-que, at Ska Brewing, 5 p.m.
* Bootlegger Pint Night at Steamworks - $1 pints for anyone with a pint glass from any of the four Bootlegger breweries. Proceeds benefit the Colorado Brewers Guild.
*Friday, Sept. 23 Bike Tour of breweries, 5:30 p.m. start at Durango Brewing, finish at The Balcony.
* Book signing at Steamworks, 6-8 p.m.: "Mountain Brew: A guide to Colorado’s Breweries" by Ed Sealover.
* Saturday, Sept 24 Ska Brewing Co.’s 16th Anniversary featuring The Toasters and 20 regional breweries, 4-9 p.m.

A day in the life

2011-08-31T10:00:00.001-06:00

Photo by Andrew Carter

A sampler enjoyed last weekend at Colorado Boy Pub and Brewery in Ridgway. From left, an amber, Irish red, porter and IPA.

The Irish red and IPA were particularly tasty (both won medals at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival, I now see), and the atmosphere at the 1915 pub was excellent.

Unfortunately, shortly after this photo was taken, some local drunk hit my brother-in-law's rental car parked outside. Fortunately, there were several witnesses, and the local marshal appeared to be on the case. Insurance can be a wonderful thing.

San Juan Brewfest is Saturday

2011-08-26T13:26:00.001-06:00

The 13th annual San Juan Brewfest takes place Saturday in downtown Durango. Some 25 breweries are expected to attend the annual celebration of craft beer.

Tickets are $25. Attendees will receive a five-ounce sampler glass.

Most of the breweries come from Colorado, although a few are from farther-flung locales. Each year, the festival doles out awards for best beers.

I'm most interested in some of the small brewpubs that don't distribute, including the the two Ouray breweries, Colorado Boy and Moab. It's also worth noting that brewing giant MolsonCoors shows up to promote Blue Moon and Colorado Native, two attempts at reaching the craft beer market.

The event benefits United Way of Southwest Colorado. This is one of the most significant craft beer events in Durango each year, and I always have a good time.

Here's the full list of breweries attending:

Alaskan Brewing Company (Juneau, AK)
Big Sky Brewing Company (Missoula, Mont.)
Blue Moon Brewing Company(Golden)
Breckenridge Brewery (Breckenridge)
Carver Brewing Company (Durango)
Colorado Boy Pub and Brewery (Ridgway)
Colorado Native (Golden)
Durango Brewing Company
Eskes Brew Pub and Eatery (Taos, NM)
Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company (Glenwood Springs)
Jacob Leinenkugal Brewing Company ( Chippewa Falls, Wisc.)
Left Hand Brewing Company (Longmont)
Moab Brewing (Moab, Utah)
New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins)
Oak Creek Brewing Company (Sedona, Ariz.)
Oskar Blues Brewing (Longmont)
Ouray Brewery
Ourayle House Brewery (Ouray, CO)
Pagosa Brewing Company (Pagosa Springs)
Palisade Brewing Company
Rockslide Brewery (Grand Junction)
Samuel Adams (Boston)
San Luis Valley Brewing Company (Alamosa)
Ska Brewing Co. (Durango)
Steamworks Brewing Co. (Durango)

Ska Brewing to release Belgian dubbel

2011-08-23T10:00:00.005-06:00

Ska Brewing Co. on Wednesday will release the latest beer in its Local Series, Sethvleteren 8.

The beer comes courtesy of Seth Townsend, who won this year's Ska homebrewing competition and will have his beer entered in the Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition in late September in Denver.

Sethvleteren 8 is an organic, Belgian-style dubbel. It should be strong and yeasty.

It might not be dubbel weather yet, but I'll buy a couple of bottles for when temperatures cool off.

(For now, I'm enjoying my dwindling supplies of Mexican Logger. For what it's worth, everyone around town is running out of the summer seasonal. Get some before it's gone if you wish).

Last year's winner of Ska's homebrewing competition was really nice. Clancy's Black Beer was a German-style Schwarzbier with a malty and chocolatey taste.

The great thing about this one is it's been pre-screened for deliciousness. As with all the beers in Ska's Local Series, Sethvleteren 8 will be available in 22-ounce bottles in and around Durango.

About that name: presumably, it's a play on Westvleteren 8, a rare Belgian beer that is something of a Holy Grail for beer geeks. A lot of knowledgeable people say it's one of the best beers in the world. Not that Ska is setting Seth up for any pressure or anything.

Anyway, stop by Ska on Wednesday evening to meet Seth and get a taste of this organic, Belgian-style dubbel.

A visit to Funkwerks

2011-07-26T10:00:00.004-06:00

After six years in Durango and multiple trips to the Denver-Boulder area, I finally made it to Fort Collins recently to check out some of city's craft brewers.

A lot of craft-beer fans would have made a beeline to New Belgium Brewing, the third-largest craft brewer in the nation by production volume, trailing only Boston Beer Co. (maker of Sam Adams) and Sierra Nevada Brewing.

Instead, we steered to a craft brewer that's relatively new, small and interesting. Funkwerks was founded in 2009 by an accomplished homebrewer, Gordon Schuck, and an accountant, Brad Lincoln.

(It's interesting how many craft brewing partnerships involve one dude who really knows beer paired with another dude who can keep a business running).

Schuck is a Belgian beer geek who won a gold medal at the 2007 National Home Brew Competition for his saison. His brewery reflects that — every beer on tap is Belgian-inspired.

A lot of breweries take a crack at a saison, but only a few make these beers the center of their breweries (The Bruery in southern California and Upright Brewing in Portland, Oregon come to mind). The rise of these sorts of breweries that focus on one style is a major trend in craft brewing the past five years or so.

Funkwerks occupies a space abandoned by Fort Collins Brewery. It's a nice spot, with a good patio and a shady tree, a just-right modern-feeling tasting room and plenty of space in the back to do the dirty work. The brewing goes down on a 15-barrel system.

I had the $8 sampler, which I'd recommend. It will get you the whole range of their beers (seven on tap during my visit), poured into Belgian globe glasses. It's a substantial portion of beer, and you'll want to be prepared for it.

Funkwerks' flagship beers are its saison and white, both bottled in 750 ml wine-style bottles. These are understated beers. Neither is the best of its kind I've ever had. Rather, they're just nice Belgian-style ales that go down easy, with inoffensive flavorful profiles.

Their best beers were their lightest and their heaviest. Their light one, appropriately named Casper, is 5 percent ABV and light as a ghost. It was wonderfully refreshing for a hot summer day.

The heavy entry was Maori King, an 8 percent ABV imperial saison with a depth of flavor not found in the standard saison (6.8 percent ABV). Interestingly, it uses Rakau hops, a New Zealand variety of which I was heretofore unacquainted. Promising, this one.

Fortunately, Maori King is Funkwerks' next bottled beer, joining the white and saison due to popular demand (at last tweet, Funkwerks had bottled Maori King and was waiting for labels to arrive, which shouldn't take long). Their bottled beers are available in the Denver area. My guess is it'll be awhile before we see them down in our corner.

Funkwerks isn't quite yet at the level of Upright or The Bruery, for example. But I love where they're going. Fine Belgian-style beers are a joy, and the Denver area was due for a niche Belgian brewery like Funkwerks. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.

It'll be fun to see what Funkwerks does next.

Wheelsucker Wheat release Saturday

2011-07-22T10:00:00.001-06:00

On Saturday, Wheelsucker Wheat Ale will be released at Ska Brewing Co. as the brewer-bicyclists arrive from their five-day, 470-mile tour of Colorado.

This is the third year of the bicycle tour first organized by Ska and Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder. The ride continues to grow, with participation this year by cyclists from Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons and Sierra Nevada Brewing of Chico, California.

"Craft beer isn't about getting rich and cutthroat business practices; it's about following your passions and doing what you love, it's about being part of your local community and working with people who are just as psyched to be in the business as you are," Adam Avery, president and co-founder of Avery Brewing, said in a news release.

Each evening along the tour, the brewers are teaming up with other craft breweries along the course to hold fundraising parties, with profits from pint sales, raffles and auctions going to local charities.

Participating breweries along the route include Tommyknocker Brewing, Breckenridge Brewery, Eddyline Brewpub, The Brick Oven Restaurant, Ouray Brewing and Colorado Boy Brewery.

"We’ve had quite a few brewers from around the country express interest in this," said Dave Thibodeau, Ska's president and co-founder. "I think it has the potential to become huge, whether it remains a brewer’s tour and another fun way to hang out with fellow brewers while trying to make a positive difference in our communities, or one day possibly opens to the public.”

Last year Oskar Blues joined Avery and Ska on the tour. Steve Grossman and others from Sierra Nevada Brewing are also joining their Colorado brewing brethren, the first time a non-Colorado brewer has joined the ride.

The tapping party begins at 2 p.m., Saturday, July 21. Proceeds will go to the La Plata County Safe Roads Coalition

Wheelsucker Wheat Ale is a strong, flavorful wheat ale brewed by Ska and Avery. It won Beer at 6512's inaugural Beer of the Year award in 2009. Check out that post for details on the beer.

Ska Brewing loses in L.A.

2011-07-21T19:00:00.016-06:00

The crack beer journalists at Beer at 6512 (ahem) rarely post a full press release. But as press releases go, this one from Ska Brewing Co. is a gem, and heavy editing would only kill the humor. We have here perhaps the definitive beer competition humblebrag. Take a look:

Judging has been completed in the 2011 Los Angeles International Commercial Beer Competition, and Ska Brewing didn’t win a single medal, or even an honorable mention. Despite winning gold and silver medals in the 2010 competition, Ska came up empty-handed this year.

“Our friends at Odell Brewing and Lagunitas Brewing won medals,” said Dave Thibodeau, Ska Brewing President and Co-Founder. “Last year we won two medals in L.A… Samuel Adams Light won a medal. How am I supposed to tell our shareholder about this?”

Despite recently winning two medals at the Australian International Beer Awards—a silver for Modus Hoperandi, and a bronze for ESB, out of 1195 total entries—Thibodeau remained strangely focused on the loss. The medals in Australia weren’t the only recent wins, either, with Ska winning a silver medal at the Denver International Beer Competition for Buster Nut Brown Ale, and a two medals at the North American Beer Awards—a gold for Pinstripe and a bronze for Steel Toe Stout.

“We’ve actually been winning a lot of medals this season, but this loss at L.A. is all I can think about,” said Bill Graham, Ska Co-Founder and Overlord of Brewing Operations. “I know [Ballast Point Brewing’s] Sculpin IPA is a nearly perfect IPA, but I thought Modus would bring home some hardware. Nebraska Brewing didn’t even name their IPA. I don’t know where the justice is in this crazy mixed-up world.”

According to well-placed sources, Ska has actually won as many competition medals this season as they ever have, including a previously unmentioned bronze for Modus Hoperandi IPA and a silver for ESB at the AmeriCAN Craft Beer Festival.

That fact notwithstanding, Thibodeau insisted on putting out a press release about Ska’s “loss” in L.A.
According to a Ska PR manager who requested anonymity in order to speak candidly, Thibodeau didn’t even want to make the release funny, or poke fun at beer competitions in general. “Press releases are supposed to show your company in the best possible light,” said the source. “No one here listens to me. We’ve been winning things left and right, and all these guys can think about is not winning at one event. I don’t know if I can keep doing this.”

Top 5 Colorado summer beers

2011-07-12T11:00:00.000-06:00

A great summer beer must be light. It must be refreshing. It must also be flavorful and interesting. In Colorado, where the winters are long and cold and the summers are sunny and beautiful, craft breweries have the summer beer dialed in. The five beers pictured above and praised below represent the best Colorado summer beers.

All five represent different styles and separate breweries. Three are ales, two are lagers. Two are from Durango; three are from the Front Range. Two are Belgian-inspired, two are German-inspired and one is Mexican-inspired. Two are strictly summer seasonals, while the other three are light beers brewed year-round.

This isn't a definitive ranking. But it gives you an idea of the quality and breadth of summer beers in Colorado.

1. Great Divide Colette
7.3 percent ABV

It was a pleasant surprise when Great Divide Brewing of Denver started bottling a first-rate saison in six-packs. Before Colette, it was impossible to find a saison locally that wasn't sold in expensive bomber bottles.

The price would be irrelevant if the beer weren't great. Fortunately, Colette, a summer seasonal, is among the best saisons anywhere. This tasty Belgian-inspired farmhouse ale took home a silver medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival.

Saisons are wonderful, yeasty beers that manage to be light and refreshing and extraordinarily flavorful. Colette is as good as it gets. (Full review here).

2. Ska Mexican Logger
4.2 percent ABV, 18 IBUs

It's difficult to make low-alcohol beers like Ska's Mexican Logger carry much flavor, because alcohol acts as a sort of wave on which flavor can ride.

While Mexican Logger is light in alcohol, this little beer punches far above its weight. The deliciousness that is Ska's Mexican Logger defies explanation. Just drink it. (Full review here).

3. Left Hand Polestar Pilsner
5.5 percent ABV, 33 IBUs

The folks in Longmont got something right when they brewed their Polestar Pilsner. This lager has a perfect amount of hopping that doesn't get in the way of the funky yeast flavors. Delicous. Refreshing. Not to be missed.

4. Steamworks Colorado Kolsch
4.8 percent ABV, 17 IBUs

Not long ago, I found myself sharing an affordable $8 pitcher of Colorado Kolsch at Steamworks' bar in Durango. It was a hot day, and this ale was everything I needed at that moment in time. This kolsch is another beer that manages to be very flavorful while relatively low in alcohol.

It's also one of Steamworks' signature beers, and one of the cooler cans (or bottles) around, featuring the Colorado flag.

5. Avery White Rascal
5.6 percent ABV, 10 IBUs

A fantastic Belgian-style witbier from the consistently excellent Avery brewery in Boulder. These sorts of Belgian-style wheats are tough to pair with food, but they're great on their own and with some foods.

There's a nice hint of citrus along with ample Belgian yeastiness. This Rascal is worth confining in your refrigerator, until you can let it runneth over the top of your glass.

Please feel free to argue in the comments below. I tasted all five of these with my wife and a friend. My wife would have ranked White Rascal and Polestar Pilsner up top. My friend would have ranked the pilsener lower. Others would have included local favorites Durango Wheat and Carver's Raspberry Wheat. What do you think?

Steamworks servers get beer educated

2011-07-06T10:00:00.001-06:00

Steamworks Brewing Co. servers have been undergoing a mass education in beer and food pairings, styles and brewing knowledge.

Forty-five of the brewpub's servers have gone through the Cicerone certification program to become what the organization calls "certified beer servers."

In essence, Steamworks aims to have 45 beer sommeliers able to guide customers in their choices.

“Anyone can call themselves a beer expert,” Steamworks co-founder Kris Oyler said in a news release. “But when consumers want just the right beer, they usually need assistance from a server who really knows beer flavors, styles and brands. A Cicerone can assist.”

Oyler is leading by example, earning his beer server certification. He continues to study for the Certified Cicerone exam.

This is something new and interesting. It once again shows the beer world following in the footsteps of wine, where sommeliers are trained to pair various red and white wines with certain foods. There's a danger in taking things too seriously, but it can't hurt to have servers who know what they're serving.

The program probably only makes sense for restaurants that take craft beer seriously. Production-focused breweries wouldn't have much use for beer sommeliers.

Steamworks' "certified beer servers" have shown proficiency in beer storage, sales and service; beer styles and culture; beer tasting and flavors; brewing ingredients and processes; and pairing beer with food. To earn the Certified Cicerone and Master Cicerone designations, beer servers must demonstrate more comprehensive knowledge in all the aforementioned areas.

“Many consumers don’t know the difference between a pale ale and a lager, or a stout and a porter, let alone what flavors are found in a hefeweizen or Kölsch,” Oyler said. “Education is an important part of the Steamworks culture, so the Cicerone certification program has provided us with a structure to help ensure our servers have top-notch skills, which they can then share with our patrons. We want all expectations to be met when people drink a Steamworks beer.”

In addition to Oyler, Steamworks staff members earning the certified beer server designation are: Aaron Albosta, Jesse Armer, Ken Baker, Mike Brace, Jen Burgstahler, Stevonna Chavez, Nicole Clark, Sean Clark, Ben Colia, Stephanie Dieter, Theo Dillingham, Cassie Farr, Lea Gibbens, Landon Griffin, Jason Haley, Joel Hayes, Brandon Herrera, Chip Hosfeld, Marc Howard, Stevi Jaworsky, Steve Kammerer, Wilson Lawrence, Josh Lengner, Ken Martin, Katie Matney, Brian McEachron, Shirley Melton, Sean Moriarty, Sena Nissen, Sabrina Olsen, Derek Raimo, Rick Rivera, Spencer Roper, Mitra Sabeti, Jorge Sanchez, Keara Sandy, Devin Schuck, Brian Skyles, Erin Skyles, Lauren Turner, Shelton Urquidez, Alice White, Dave Woodruff and JD Zent.

Happy Independence Day

2011-07-04T11:00:00.004-06:00

A San Juan IPA and Old Glory on the rooftop of Ouray Brewery, July 1.

Comparing Colorado pilseners

2011-07-02T10:34:00.001-06:00

Thanks to W.J. Doyle Wine & Spirits, a new Durango liquor store that lets customers mix six-packs, I recently had the chance to compare two tasty Colorado pilseners side by side.

Pilseners are light lagers, originally from the Czech Republic and later Germany, with substantial hopping and a crisp finish.

The pilseners both come from northern Colorado breweries with good track records of producing high-quality craft beer: Left Hand Brewing Co. of Longmont and Avery Brewing Co. of Boulder.

Left Hand's Polestar Pilsner comes in at 5.5 percent ABV and 33 IBUs, using Magnum, Mt. Hood and Sterling hops along with Weyerman pilsner and pale two-row malt. It's distributed in 12-ounce bottles.

Avery's Joe's Premium American Pilsner is less boozy but more hoppy, at 4.7 percent ABV and 42 IBUs. It's brewed with Magnum and Hersbrucker hops and unspecified two-row malt, and distributed in 12-ounce cans featuring the image of a gangster-looking dude.

Both beers pour a pale yellow with an off-white head. The pilseners taste differently, though. The Left Hand pils is funkier and yeastier, with moderate hopping. The Avery pils is cleaner but much more aggressively hopped.

Both are good beers. I slightly prefer Left Hand's funky complexity to Avery's big hop taste, but to each their own. You can't go wrong with pilsener, a fantastic style for summer.

The Fourth of July tends to be an industrial lager holiday. I'm sure the liquor stores will sell plenty of Coors and Budweiser. But if you want to keep it craft, and you should, pilsener is an excellent option.

The joys of obscure German styles

2011-06-30T10:00:00.004-06:00

A couple of brief notes from the wider world of beer:

* The New York Times opines today on the value of the humble Kolsch, a light golden ale style native to Germany. Eric Asimov, who in the world's best job gets paid to write about such things, calls Kolsch an "ideal hot weather beer."

What is it about Kölsch? Well, it’s a snappy and beautifully refreshing golden ale, bright without being overbearing. From the first sniff of its grainy, malty aroma, to the delicately fruity, lightly bitter flavors in the mouth, to the brisk, clean, energetic feeling after you swallow, a good Kölsch offers a smooth journey of sensations that may be unremarkable individually but are extraordinarily pleasant as an ensemble.

Of course, those of us in Durango can buy six-packs of Steamworks' Colorado Kolsch, a past silver-medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival, at any corner liquor store. It's always amusing when big media outlets such as the Times learn about things we've been enjoying for some time. Welcome to the party, New York.

Coincidentally, or not, because of the hot weather, I found myself last Sunday sharing an $8 pitcher of Kolsch at Steamworks. It's very light (4.85 percent ABV, 17 IBUs), but it really is an ideal summer beer.

As Asimov notes, one can enjoy a fair amount of low-booze Kolsch with no regret.

* Speaking of relatively obscure German styles, I was pleased to see a bottle of Berliner Weisse at Star Liquors in Durango after enjoying a locally brewed example of the style at Block 15 Brewing in Corvallis, Oregon.

The one at Star, 1809 Berliner Weisse, is actually German. If you've had a hefeweizen, it's not so far off from Berliner Weisse. But the extremely pale Berliner Weisse style adds Lactobacillus yeast, giving an alluring tartness that in my opinion elevates it above the hefe. Definitely worth trying.

Pouring at Daddyfest

2011-06-19T15:50:00.001-06:00

I got drafted into volunteering Saturday for Carver Brewing Co.'s tent at Daddyfest, Durango's annual Father's Day weekend celebration. As a nonprofit event (proceeds go to the Durango Discovery Museum), volunteers help run the show.

It was an interesting experience for me to work behind the taps, as someone who has no experience pouring beers for customers. Partly, it was a lesson in consumer choice. Carver's was offering five beers: Lightner Creek Lager, Raspberry Wheat, ESB, Powerhouse Porter and Jack Rabbit Pale Ale, in addition to root beer for the kids.

Not surprisingly since temperatures were in the 80s, people were clamoring for the lighter beers, particularly Lightner Creek and Raspberry Wheat. Both of those kegs blew early. The ESB, a new beer from Carver's, was the last to go.

The festival-goers were pretty easy to deal with. When we ran out of one beer, most were happy to accept another kind of beer. People seemed to be enjoying themselves in moderation, for the most part, and that made things more enjoyable for everyone.

Once again, I was impressed by how hard the work is. Dragging kegs around is a young man's game.

Silverton Rockin' Brews recap

2011-06-16T10:30:00.000-06:00

A fine day for a beer.

It was about 70 degrees in Silverton on Saturday as Durango bands played and a dozen Colorado breweries poured beers for Silverton Rockin' Brews, in its second year.

The atmosphere was as laid back as could be. Little kids played in the field (Rockin' Brews was held on the baseball diamond at the entrance to town), Barbies strewn about. The brewery folks were convivial and happy to chat.

For such a small fest, the beer selection was quite good.

The downside: Rockin' Brews was sparsely attended, something a few brewery workers remarked upon. Perhaps it was due to competition from other events. It was held the same day as Animas River Days in Durango, and Ska had a live band at their place. Silverton also only has about 200 year-round residents, so events have to draw people in from elsewhere.

But I think you also have to look at price. The fest cost $30, quite a bit for such a small event (it should be noted the proceeds went to the nonprofit San Juan County Historical Society). I came late in the day, so I got in for the money in my wallet ($23). Still, I bet some prospective festival-goers were put off by the price tag.

Fortunately, the few who came made Rockin' Brews a pretty laid-back event. As I got there late, I only had a few beers:

• A rye ale from Ouray Brewery. Smooth, refreshing, not quite as good as Smugglers Brewpub's Rocky Mountain Rye.

• Aspen Brewing Co.'s Independence Pass IPA. It's always a good sign when a young brewery has a fine IPA. This was a wonderfully citrusy, grassy and tasty IPA. Probably my favorite beer of the fest.

It's rather strong (7.7 percent ABV, 75-80 IBUs), but balances nicely. Aspen uses primarily Palisade hops, along with some Columbuses, Cascades and Simcoes.

• Ourayle House brought Summit Pale Ale, brewed with Summit hops. Another good one from Mr. Grumpy Pants, who does well with pale ales.

• Gunnison Brewery tapped a whiskey barrel-aged porter named Porterotti. The whiskey note was nicely done, not too big for the base beer, a well-turned porter. A fine job by Gunnison.

Overall, a really nice time, some great beer and friendly folks. I hope more people support it next year.

Silverton Rockin' Brews on tap for this weekend

2011-06-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

Our high-altitude friends in Silverton will host Silverton Rockin' Brews this weekend on Sat., June 11, 1-6 p.m.

This small annual beer festival features a dozen Southwest Colorado breweries (with a couple of northern Colorado exceptions) pouring their ales. It'll be nice to have them all in one place since they're pretty far flung, tucked among mountain passes and tiny towns.

The festival costs $30 ($25 when purchased ahead of time) with live music, no dogs and proceeds benefitting the San Juan County Historical Society. Here are the breweries scheduled to be there:

- Ska Brewing Co., Durango
- Durango Brewing Co., Durango
- Carver Brewing Co., Durango
- Silverton Brewing Co., Silverton
- Ouray Brewery, Ouray
- Ourayle House, Ouray
- Horsefly Brewing Co., Montrose
- Pug Ryan's Steakhouse & Brewery, Dillon
- San Luis Valley Brewing Co., Alamosa
- Gunnison Brewing Co., Gunnison
- Aspen Brewing Co., Aspen
- Main Street Brewery, Cortez

Soggy Coaster's pithy guide: Definitely check out both Ouray breweries, which have been turning out some great beers in the last year or two. I'll also be eager to check out Horsefly, Pug Ryan's and Aspen (founded in 2008), all of which have escaped me so far.

I assume Steamworks is missing this one because they're hosting the their annual Half Marathon in Durango the same day.

Review: Ska Big Shikes Orange Blossom Imperial Pilsner

2011-06-05T13:40:00.001-06:00

Ska Brewing Co.'s latest Local Series release comes as the result of a project with Old Chicago restaurants. The restaurant chain asked Ska to come up with something unique for them to put on tap as part of an effort to reconnect with craft brewing.

Ska invited Jonathan Shikes, managing editor and prolific beer blogger at the Denver weekly Westword, to help design and brew the beer

This project follows an earlier blogger-brewer collaboration Ska did with myself and Jeff Hammett, formerly of Beer 'N Bikes and currently writing at San Diego Beer Blog.

Ska also bottled Shikes' batch for release as no. 18 in its Local Series, which is distributed only in and around Durango. Ska has been doing the Local Series for many years (a list of releases is here), brewing at its whim special creations. It gives the brewers a chance to experiment, and Ska's customers a chance to try something new.

Shikes' beer was tapped May 16 at Old Chicago in Denver, timed to coincide with American Craft Beer Week.

Now on to Shikes' beer itself. It's a big recipe, an imperial pilsner that comes in at 8.7 percent ABV and 73 IBUs (incidentally, Ska brewed a standard pilsner as no. 3 in the Local Series in 2005).

It pours a pale yellow color, topped by a short froth of white foam. The taste is bready and heavy on the palette, with a little citrus and sweetness from orange blossom honey.

Strong lagers are tough to brew well. Often, they end up syrupy, overly sweet and difficult to drink. Unfortunately, this describes to an extent this Imperial Pilsner.

Ska sometimes falls into a common trap for ambitious craft brewers: beers that are too big, too much, too flavorful. Looking back at the few Ska beers that seemed to miss the mark, it's been one ingredient that dominated the taste: too much Scotch in the barrel-aged Scotch ale, too much lemongrass in 2010's DIFF, too much hops in Ska Sour.

For Big Shikes, it's simply too big to really enjoy. It's not a bad beer, but neither does it leave you wanting more. About 12 ounces is all you really want to drink; a 22-ounce bomber ought to be shared. I ended up drinking the 14 ounces or so pictured here and pouring the rest down the drain.

Ska makes some great beers: their ESB, Ten Pin Porter, Modus Hoperandi IPA and Mexican Logger, in particular, are superb examples of their styles. But while I look forward to trying their next Local Series effort, Big Shikes I can do without. C

(P.S.: This seems to be the consensus on this beer).

Townsend wins Ska homebrewing competition

2011-06-02T10:00:00.020-06:00

Catching up on some news, a fellow by the name of Seth Townsend won Ska Brewing Co.'s GABF Pro-Am Homebrew Competition with his Organic Dubbel.

Townsend won "Best In Show" and also took top honors in the Belgian Strong Ale category.

As with past winners, Townsend will have his beer entered in the Pro-Am category of the Great American Beer Festival – the nation’s largest beer competition and festival. The beer will also be brewed on a commercial scale for release as part of Ska’s popular Local Series, which is distributed around Durango and Southwest Colorado. Townsend will have the chance to participate in the commercial scaling and production of his recipe for the Local Series.

Last year's winner, Clancy Calhoun of Aztec, N.M., brewed a tasty Schwarzbier, a dark German-style lager. The nice thing about competitions like these is the winning beers tend to taste good.

Ska has its own roots in homebrewing: the three co-founders all got their start as homebrewers.

“Homebrewers have the kind of DIY spirit that drove us to keep growing and improving," Ska President and co-founder Dave Thibodeau said in a news release. "We really respect that. That’s how a lot of craft breweries — including Ska — came to be."

Townsend is understandably excited at the leap his homebrewing career has just taken.

“My goal this year was to earn a spot in the GABF Pro-Am, so I focused on homebrew competitions that were selecting beers to enter it,” Townsend said. “The best part of this is that I’ll get to work with one of my favorite breweries, right here in Colorado. Honestly, I can’t think of a more fun brewery to be collaborating with to scale up my Organic Dubbel. I think it also shows that organic beer can stand up — and out — in a crowd.”

Chris Swersey, GABF's competition manager, had this to say about the Pro-Am category: “Because so many professional brewers began as homebrewers, the GABF Pro-Am competition is a great reflection of craft brewer unity at all levels. The Pro-Am serves to keep professional brewers and homebrewers in touch with each other, and serves as an exciting competitive forum for both AHA and BA professional members. But most importantly the Pro-Am is fun.”

Complete judging results for Ska' competition can be found here.

This is your weekend, Durango

2011-05-27T10:00:00.002-06:00

Memorial Day weekend is a big one in Durango, with 2,500 bicyclists coming for the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, a grueling 40-mile climb to Silverton.

Motorcyclists come, too, as does every other stripe of tourist. Fortunately, our local brewers have several events on tap this weekend. The studies say beer is good for recovery after exertion:

* Steamworks Brewing Co. continues its Firkin Fridays today, tapping the beer cocktail “Skip and Go Naked” at 3 p.m.

“Unlike the quick and dirty fraternity house versions, Steamworks’ Skip and Go Naked firkin uses our Colorado Kölsch as a base, and in the brew process we’ve added fresh lemon juice and zest with a peach simple syrup,” Ken Martin, Steamworks head brewer, said in a news release. “This is another fresh and delicious cocktail, perfect for savoring on Steamworks’ back deck as the days get warmer.”

Steamworks initiated its Firkin Fridays to introduce a range of specialty craft beers not suited to large draft production. Each month one of these beers is tapped, coordinated with the season or holidays.

“Serving a firkin beer requires a special tap and it’s gravity-poured,” said Spencer Roper, Steamworks assistant brewer. “Folks also need to remember that a firkin is served at about 55 degrees - cool but not cold. Because it contains no preservatives, it’s also designed to be consumed after tapping. We expect the Skip and Go Naked to be especially popular.”

* Steamworks and Ska Brewing Co. release Face Plant Ale at 6 p.m. Friday (tonight). It's an amber hefeweizen that's been brewed for 16 years in what's got to be one of the oldest and most durable brewery collaborations around. Incidentally, it's quite tasty, if memory serves.

Bicyclists can meet at Ska at 5 p.m. and pedal to Steamworks, if you want to work extra hard for your beer. I'll just stroll the six blocks from my place. Winning, as Charlie Sheen would say.

* Less momentous, but worth a note: Carver Brewing Co. has a great lineup right now. A new IPA is on tap, brewed with Cascades and Centennials. The Dandelion Saison is almost gone, but it's much improved from last year. Erik Maxson, Carver's head brewer, said they dialed back on the dandelion a bit this year and added a nice herb mix. The result is a very well-balanced and smooth saison. I quite like it this year. Also, the fine Power House Porter is back after a long absence. As always, the Cascade Canyon IPA on cask is a good bet.

* Finally, Oskar Blues Old Chub, a beautiful Scottish-style ale, is on tap at The Irish Embassy. It's 8 percent ABV, so please fasten your kilt.

Stylish beer in Oregon

2011-05-24T10:30:00.003-06:00

In Oregon, as in Colorado, just about every small town has its own brewery, and the larger cities have several.

I just spent more than a week traveling around Oregon, getting a sense of the beer landscape along the way. Things are good, and in some ways a step ahead of what Colorado craft brewers are doing.

Craft brewers in Oregon, having mastered the arts of the hop bomb and barrel-aged strong ale, are looking farther afield for inspiration. Most remarkably, I had three beer styles I'd never before encountered: Gruit, Gose and Berliner Weisse.

Gruit is perhaps the strangest and most unusual of the three, a hopless beer with a markedly different flavor profile from most ales. Gruit needs something else to stand in for hops, balancing the malt and making the beer drinkable.

Oakshire's Mountain Rose Gruit

The Gruit I had was Mountain Rose Gruit from Oakshire Brewing in Eugene. Oakshire used a crazy variety of herbs to spice the beer: mugwort, dandelion root, dandelion leaf, burdock root, licorice root, milk thistle seed, blessed thistle, chamomile flower and grapefruit peel.

The result was an herbaceous, almost sweet beer that finishes dry (7 percent ABV). It's not totally dissimilar from a saison brewed with herbs, or even rose tea, but you do notice the lack of any hop flavor whatsoever. Interesting, and a good sipping beer, but not a beer you want to toss down your gullet.

The Oakshire Gruit was pouring at The Bier Stein in Eugene, which beer journalist Lisa Morrison says has the biggest selection of bottles between Portland and San Francisco. Gazing at the stocked refrigerators, it's easy to believe.

Perhaps the best beer I had on the trip came from Upright Brewing, a small brewery in Portland that makes innovative farmhouse ales meant to be paired with food. The Gose, a spring seasonal, is a slightly tart wheat beer brewed with a light touch of salt and coriander. An old German style (detailed information here from the Portland blog Brewpublic), Gose is seeing a minor comeback on the West Coast.

Upright Brewing's Gose

Upright's version (5.2 percent ABV) was fascinating: refreshing like a hefeweizen, but much more complex and flavorful due to the lactobacillus tartness. The salt and coriander were deftly restrained.

I've had about a half-dozen Upright beers now and been impressed by each, but I think the Gose was the most interesting.

Finally, Block 15, a relatively young brewpub in the college town of Corvallis, had several noteworthy beers on tap but most unusually a Berliner Weisse.

A very pale and low-alcohol summer beer style that also hails from Germany, Berliner Weisse looks and tastes a little like lemonade. In fact, it's popular to mix with syrups.

At only 3 percent ABV, Block 15's Berliner Weisse showed that beer doesn't have to be strong to be flavorful.

Block 15 Berliner Weisse

Rest assured, ridiculously good IPAs continue to proliferate in the homeland of American hops. But I quickly found myself tiring of hop bombs after visiting Double Mountain Brewing in Hood River and Walking Man Brewing across the Columbia River in Stevenson, Wash.

After a couple of sampler glasses, my palate could barely distinguish anything. Walking Man alone had a strong pale ale, two IPAs and an imperial IPA on tap. My taste buds were beaten into submission.

Fortunately, some of the little craft breweries in Oregon continue to stretch the definition of craft beer by reintroducing and reinterpreting some very old beer styles. After all, given the highly evolved state of American craft brewing, what's left to be discovered?

Malt and matrimony

2011-05-12T11:00:00.007-06:00

On Saturday, I'm getting married in Portland, Ore. In addition to the bride and guests and such, the wedding will feature six Northwest craft beers on tap.

The wedding is at Meriwether's Restaurant, a farm-to-table restaurant that focuses on local food. The thinking extends to beer. The restaurant's six taps are all either Oregon or Washington-brewed beers. It's also noticeable whose beers are not included — the biggest Northwest breweries like Deschutes, Rogue and Redhook. The restaurant obviously prefers to choose the smaller guys.

Here's what Meriwether's currently has on tap:

* Hopworks Urban Brewery Organic Lager
* Fearless Brewing Scottish Ale
* Alameda Brewing Klickitat Pale Ale
* Ninkasi Total Domination IPA
* Double Mountain India Red Ale
* Hale's Ales Dublin Stout (nitro)

As you can see, it's a good mix of beers with one lager, two hoppy beers, two malty English-style ales and a stout. Ninkasi is the largest brewery represented here. It started in Eugene, Ore., in 2006, and has grown quickly by focusing on intensively hoppy ales. The extent of their reach — market penetration, in business-speak — is exceedingly impressive. They're everywhere in Oregon.

Hopworks Urban Brewery, known as HUB, is a Portland brewpub (with some bottling) that has won a slew of awards. Their beers are very well done, and HUB has gone as far as any brewery in emphasizing bikes and trying to minimize its environmental impact.

Double Mountain is the operation of two brewers who broke off from the much larger Full Sail in Hood River, Ore. I've heard a lot of good things about Double Mountain, and it wouldn't surprise me if the honeymoon involves a stop at the tap room (luckily, I've found a lady who's open minded about craft beer, particularly Belgians and dark beers).

It's indicative of the Northwest beer (and food) scene to have a menu like this. Some Durango restaurants, to their credit, have embraced local food and beer. (Seasons Rotisserie and Gril l and Cocina Linda come easily to mind).

In places like Portland, menus with locally raised pork or leeks harvested nearby barely warrant a mention. It's assumed that if you care about your food, you do these things.

P.S. Blogging around these parts might be light for the next two weeks. I might blog from the road, but I might not. It's a free country, as they say.

Ska to host beer dinner

2011-05-10T11:00:00.013-06:00

I'm going out of town for a little while, so of course Ska Brewing Co. has decided to hold a beer dinner. This was after I harangued President Thibodeau to hold a beer dinner in Durango after seeing they had held similar events in Denver and Texas.

Oh, well, I suppose the show will go on without me.

For those of you who might actually be able to go, the dinner is Thurs., May 19 at the Palace Restaurant in downtown Durango. It includes a four-course menu at the Palace and dessert at the Back Space Theatre for a private screening of the documentary film I Am, which in which a film director finds an inspiring story — himself.

The menu (which you Facebookers can read here) features a Ska beer paired with each dish. The Ten Pin Porter paired with wild mushrooms and polenta in a truffle cream sauce sounds especially appealing.

The other beers used in the pairing are Mexican Logger, DIFF, Dubbel Blonde and Steel Toe Milk Stout.

Tickets are limited, so Ska suggests you stop by or call the tasting room to reserve your seats. Tickets cost $95 per couple or $50 per person.

Update: Ska's full list of American Craft Beer Week events is here. Also, the latest Ska Local Series beer, Big Shikes Orange Blossom Imperial Pilsner, is on the shelves in Durango in bomber bottles. It's also being tapped Monday at Old Chicago in Denver's LoDo neighborhood.

Ska-B-Q launches today

2011-05-05T11:00:00.001-06:00

Today marks the official beginning of summer-ish in Durango with Ska Brewing Co.'s first Ska-B-Q of the season.

Zia Taqueria is open again on the side of Ska's building, charging $2 for tasty little tacos. Mexican Loggers will also be $2 for the Cinco de Mayo event.

The band Ten Cent Raise will play some sort of tunes as drunken Americans celebrate some battle in Mexico a long time ago. Awesome.

It's a 5-7 p.m. thing.

Review: Ska Brewing Mexican Logger

2011-04-28T10:30:00.003-06:00

Until now, Ska Brewing Co.'s Mexican Logger has been merely a local's favorite, a beer appreciated by a few of us in Durango while barbecuing, rafting, hiking and watching the thunderstorms roll down the Animas Valley.

Photo courtesy Ska Brewing.

This is changing. Ska recently began canning Mexican Logger, its summer seasonal, and distributing it widely. No longer will the lager be our little secret.

Ska is brewing about 900 barrels of Mexican Logger this summer, double last year's production, and distributing it to all of the brewery's markets.

Ska began brewing Mexican Logger in summer 2001. "We had been going through a multi-summer Pacifico phase, sometimes even drinking it instead of Ska beers when it was particularly hot out," Ska co-founder Dave Thibodeau said in an email. "Well, that couldn’t fly for long so we decided to brew our own beer to put limes in."

Mexican Logger (4.2 percent ABV, 18 IBUs), is brewed with a yeast strain from Mexico City and a light helping of Saaz hops. It's Ska's lowest booze beer, and the only lager it regularly brews.

It comes in bright green cans that will probably attract lots of eyes on the shelves of liquor stores (there's some in bottles, too). Amusingly, in the fine print next to the UPC code, it says "Ale, in Texas," even though Mexican Logger is, of course, a lager.

"As we all know, Texas likes to make up their own rules despite facts, i.e. creationism vs science," Thibodeau said. "Contradictory to the actual definition of 'ale,' Texas defines it as beer over 4 percent ABW. Beer under 4 percent ABW is called 'beer.' Because the Mexican Logger is a lager we couldn’t get it approved to sell in Texas, unless we called it 'ale,' so there you go, it’s 'ale, in Texas.'"

Anyway, Mexican Logger pours a pale yellow with a white, fluffy head of foam. It's fairly strongly carbonated. Despite the low booze and hopping, Mexican Logger is surprisingly flavorful. Corona, it's not.

Mexican Logger is a middle-aged beer in Ska's history. It's not as old as True Blonde and Pinstripe, which date to Ska's founding in 1995, but nor is it a young buck like Modus Hoperandi IPA (born in 2009).

Ska seems a little anxious over how Mexican Logger will be received in its newer markets like Missouri and Texas. It's not a hop bomb, nor barrel-aged nor sour.

But it's clear that people enjoy Mexican-style lagers. Corona is the no. 1 imported beer in the U.S., and more and more American craft breweries are doing their own. One worth mentioning is Del Norte Brewing in Denver, which brews a whole lineup of Mexican-style lagers.

For a decade, Mexican Logger has been a well-liked summer seasonal in Durango. I bet it'll do fine out in the big, wide world. B

Durango Wine Experience approaches

2011-04-25T10:30:00.014-06:00

The Durango Wine Experience has continued to grow from its inception. Now in its fifth year, the wine fest has an expanded schedule.

Although the May 5-7 event understandably focuses on wine, it's not restricted to oenophiles. There's a beer and food pairing event set for 2 p.m. Friday, May 6 at Steamworks Brewing Co.

According to the official Wine Experience website, chef Sean Clark and brewer Ken Martin will lead participants through food and beer pairings that go well beyond burgers and pizza. The seminar costs $30 per person.

Another seminar, also $30, at Lost Dog Bar & Lounge, focuses on tequila.

There are also several package passes that range from $99 to $285 for all events.

It's not cheap, but the events should be fun and educational.

Ska imperial Pilsener almost ready

2011-04-21T10:30:00.000-06:00

Ska Brewing Co. is close to releasing its Big Shikes Orange Blossom Imperial Pilsener, a beer brewed in collaboration with Jonathan Shikes of Westword.

Ska brewer Thomas Larsen with the double Pils.

The super-Pils will be on tap at Old Chicago restaurants in the Denver area. A short supply will be available at Ska's tasting room, says head brewer Thomas Larsen. The beer will be tapped May 16 for American Craft Beer Week.

Big Shikes comes in at 8.7 percent ABV and 73 IBUs, so we are indeed talking about a big beer here. It would be illegal in some states.

Shikes and Larsen essentially used an amped-up pilsener recipe for it, adding orange blossom honey.

I had a quick taste of it for which I had to put down my Mexican Logger. Let me tell you, there's a difference on your palette between a 4.2 percent ABV beer and an 8.7 percent ABV beer. The Pils was hot!

Big Shikes was still being filtered. I'm looking forward to trying the finished version.

Peach Street: good at making booze

2011-04-19T11:00:00.018-06:00

Peach Street Distillers, the sister company of Ska Brewing Co., dominated the awards at the Craft Distillers Conference in Portland, Ore., earlier this month.

Peach Street ran away with the Fruit Spirits category, piling up five gold medal wins — including three best in category awards — and one bronze medal. Peach Street took more medals overall than any other single distillery, the company said in a news release.

“This is truly humbling, and I’m not easily humbled,” said Peach Street Co-Founder Rory Donovan. “But really the credit should go to our phenomenal head distiller, Davy Lindig.”

Donovan owns Peach Street with Ska co-founders Bill Graham and Dave Thibodeau.

Blind tastings were performed by two distinguished panels, one for fruit spirits and one for whiskies. Judging took 19 hours over two long days to determine the medals. Results can be found online at www.distilling.com/cover5.html.

According to Andrew Faulkner, Judging Director for the American Distilling Institute, the quality of the judging panel is one of this competition’s distinguishing features. “[The judges] delighted everyone involved … with their passion, enthusiasm and knowledge of spirits,” said Faulkner. “A medal from this knowledgeable panel was truly earned. To a distiller, acknowledgement from a panel like this is satisfying not only professionally but also personally—to see your peers recognize your work.

“Peach Street took a gold medal in almost every category they entered," Faulkner said. "It was exciting to see one distillery reach excellence in so many categories."

On dumbing it down

2011-04-12T11:00:00.005-06:00

When Mick Ward and his partners opened The Irish Embassy Pub in downtown Durango in 2008, it was a truly unique place within the context of the local bar scene.

An Irishman who came to Durango by way of Chicago, Ward insisted on authenticity. The furnishings and decorations were imported from Ireland. He brought in an Irishwoman to design the interior, and an Irishman to manage the pub.

The beer taps reflected this. Of the 20 taps, not one pulled a beer brewed in Durango or a macro-brewed lager. It wasn't out of spite; Ward simply wanted his pub to be something different. The beers were almost exclusively imports like Guinness, Harp, Murphy's Stout and several Paulaner taps. It was a place you might find a couple of good German pilseners on tap.

"I hope it'll be unique," Ward said at the time. Tragically, he died a month later of a heart attack. His partners and some of the same staff he hired have carried on for almost three years since.

Unfortunately, it seems like the pub is straying from Ward's original vision, particularly on the beer taps. Sure, you can still get Guinness, Murphy's, Smithwicks — the basics. But no longer do you see the unexpected, offbeat European import.

Instead, the Embassy has given over a tap to Coors Light. And another to Blue Moon's spring seasonal (which has little more flavor than Coors Light, and I say this as someone who appreciates regular Blue Moon). And a few more to local brewers.

It's understandable. Customers ask for — demand — what they know. I feel sorry for the brewpub bartender who has to keep telling tourists, no, we don't sell Bud Light, we make our own beer here (a conversation I've witnessed at Carver's).

It must be irresistible for a publican to throw his hands up and simply sell people what they want. Even Lady Falconburgh's, easily the best beer bar in Southwest Colorado, seems to sell just as many shots of sugary-vodka garbage to college students as it does pints of the fine beers it keeps on tap.

Durango makes it even tougher. It has a small year-round, permanent population that is heavily augmented by Fort Lewis College students and especially tourists. They do not have time to get to know and appreciate an establishment that tries to do something different. Most of them want what they're accustomed to.

I happened to be in the Embassy one night during Snowdown, Durango's Mardi-Gras-on-ice. The restroom was strewn with broken glass, the shards of expensive imperial pints sitting in a disgusting mess. This is a business that's trying to treat its customers like adults, and the customers aren't holding up their end of the bargain.

It would be sad, but not at all surprising, if the Embassy went to red plastic cups instead of the nice, 20-ounce pints it now sells.

Some customers in Durango seem intent on encouraging the unique and special places we have here to regress to the mean. Coors Light and vodka-Red Bulls for all.

Review: Papago Brewing Oude Zuipers

2011-04-11T11:00:00.012-06:00

On my annual trip to Phoenix to watch baseball's spring training, I like to stop in Papago Brewing in Scottsdale. It has an extensive and interesting tap list and if you don't like any of the 30 craft and craft-quality import beers on tap, there's a wall of refrigerated bottles that allows you to choose one to buy there and drink on-premises.

Besides, they let you throw darts as you drink beer.

I took home a bottle of Papago's Oude Zuipers, a Belgian-style tripel. Actually, it's brewed for Papago by Brouwerij Van Steenberge in Belgium, so it's not so much Belgian-style as actually Belgian.

Last weekend, I brought the bottle out as I contemplated whether I wanted to drink 25.4 ounces of 11 percent alcohol beer. I removed the cage but not the cork, and decided better of it and put it back in the fridge.

A few minutes later: pop. And my decision was made for me.

You don't want to let a $12 bottle of beer go to waste, and without its cork, it was time to drink it or pour it out.

As I needed some food to soak up such a big beer, I made an emergency trip to Guido's Favorite Foods, an upscale deli in downtown Durango, for some pancetta and olives. Then a quick stop at City Market for oyster mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.

Back at home, I poured Oude Zuipers as I made my pasta dish. The Belgian ale is a reddish brown color, with a substantial off-white head of foam. The carbonation sticks around nicely.

It's a touch sweet on the palate, and carries that great Belgian yeast complexity. It finishes with a warming character from the strong alcohol content. Oude Zuipers is quite wine-like, actually.

Oude Zuipers was as good as any Belgian-style tripel I've had. Popping the cork accidentally sent me into a minor panic, but when you have all afternoon to cook a fancy pasta dish and drink Belgian beer, you're doing pretty well. A-

Sometimes, you get lucky

2011-04-09T10:19:00.000-06:00

Ska Brewing Co. cans on sale at Super Market Liquors, Fort Collins, Colo. Photo by Dustin Bradford

Review: Great Divide Colette

2011-04-03T10:33:00.001-06:00

The saison is a beautiful thing. Dry, crisp, light, bubbly, flavorful — this traditional Belgian style is the true Champagne of beers (apologies to Miller High Life).

Up till now, however, drinking saison was an expensive proposition. You could get a bottle of Saison Dupont or, my personal favorite, Ommegang Hennepin, but you'd pay something like $10-$12 for a 22-ounce bottle (or the slightly larger 750 ml Champagne-style bottles).

Delicious!

Great Divide Brewing Co. has upended this situation with a game-changer: a truly tasty saison bottled in a six-pack.

Colette just showed up on liquor-store shelves in Durango, packaged in regular 12-ounce brown bottles. It has enjoyed a well-laureled young life, winning a silver medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival.

Colette is brewed with barley, wheat and rice and fermented at high temperature with four yeast strains. Like most saisons, it's relatively boozy at 7.3 percent ABV.

It pours a straw yellow, with a healthy, frothy white head of foam that quickly recedes against the strong alcohol content. A tip: when pouring Colette, maybe leave a little bit in the bottle, as mine had a thick layer of yeast gunk on the bottom. Or don't; it's a free country. (And it wasn't due to age — my Colette was bottled on March 3 and poured on April 2).

A wonderful, earthy aroma introduces a dry funk on the palate. The wheat and rice — arguably nontraditional ingredients for this style — are actually nice additions, rounding out and strengthening the flavor. The carbonation pops.

Saisons are not usually hoppy, and Colette follows suit, with very mild hopping laying down a backbeat while the yeast solos up front.

Saisons are just a great summer style, light but very flavorful. Colette is a seasonal release, April through July.

A brewer friend of mine not long ago bitched about how trendy saisons have become. I fail to see the problem.

Colette costs about $9 for a six-pack of 12-ounce bottles. That's 12.5 cents per ounce. Compare that to $10 for a bomber, which comes out to 45 cents per ounce.

Great Divide has made drinking saison much more affordable. Colette is a fantastically tasty beer. You should buy it and drink it. A

Make beer

2011-04-01T11:00:00.003-06:00

Ska Brewing Co. is once again hosting a homebrewing competition that serves as a preliminary round for the Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition.

The entry deadline is May 9, and beers must be received between April 25 and May 11.

Previous winners include Clancy's Black Beer, a schwarzbier brewed by Clancy Calhoun of Aztec, NM, and a "Merlo" Stout that was aged in oak barrels.

Entries will be judged May 20-21. If the winner joins the American Homebrewers Association, his (or her) winning beer will be sent to Denver to compete in the Great American Beer Festival.

Good luck to this year's entrants. Now get brewing!

More on Ska's expansion

2011-03-21T20:00:00.001-06:00

The Durango Herald has a fine story on Ska Brewing Co.'s recent expansion. (The expansion was also covered, with a slightly different focus, by this post on Beer at 6512).

It's nice to see Ska getting more attention for its growth. Sometimes companies grow too fast for their own good and lose control of quality, but I think Thibodeau and Co. are aware of that danger and are concentrating on satisfying the demand in their existing markets.

These new fermenters will help them do so.

Another round at Marble

2011-03-15T10:30:00.000-06:00

I'm not a gusher. When I review beers or discuss breweries, I try to temper my praise so I don't sound like a fanboy. If beer bloggers aren't careful, they can sound a little like Justin Bieber fans reviewing a new single.

Which brings me to Marble Brewery. A few months ago, Beer at 6512 took a look at Marble, noticing the Albuquerque brewery's range of solid and often excellent beers.

Still, Marble hasn't gotten much attention. The only national attention it's received, really, was a mention in Draft magazine's top 25 beers of the year list for From the Wood, a ridiculously smooth barrel-aged ale that the lucky among us sampled at Ska's 15th anniversary party last summer.

Marble's beers are available only in New Mexico, for now. Marble was just founded in 2008 and is still expanding in its own backyard.

For Durangoans, the closest place to find a selection of their beers is Distil, a high-end liquor store in Farmington. Marble has its production facility and pub in Albu-quirky, and another pub on the plaza in Santa Fe.

Recently, after working up a thirst touristing around Santa Fe, Marble beckoned. I'd already enjoyed their well-crafted IPA and stunning Red, so I was looking for something different.

An imperial pint of Marble Brewery's English-style
pale ale at the pub in Santa Fe.

The pub had two pale ales on tap; one called Marble Pale Ale, the other was an English-style pale ale. A sample of Marble Pale Ale was bracing; it was just brutally bitter. It reminded me of the first time I tried Modus Hoperandi — way more hop presence than you would expect even for a frequently hoppy style. Hopheads no doubt would love it, but I was looking for something a little more refreshing.

So I opted for a pint of the English-style pale ale. It was caramelly and nutty in a beautiful amber body, with a nice balanced hop profile. It was an accomplished and flavorful English-style pale ale.

I took home a few bottles of various Marble beers, and was most impressed by their Oatmeal Stout. The style isn't always pulled off well, and can be so characterless that it turns boring.

Not Marble's. As I've come to expect from them, it was superb. Creamy all day long, and carrying more depth and flavor than one has a right to expect.

Every one of Marble's beers is flavorful, even the pedestrian styles that can be found at most craft breweries. Head Brewer Ted Rice does not do boring, mediocre or average.

I've been circling around it for a while now, and I'm ready to sit: Marble has surpassed Santa Fe Brewing as the best packaging brewery in New Mexico, and their beers would go toe-to-toe with what you would expect from consistently high-quality Colorado breweries like Ska, Avery, Left Hand, etc.

It's time to sit up and take notice of Marble Brewery.

New fermenters for Ska

2011-03-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today, a new batch of brewing equipment is scheduled to begin arriving at Ska Brewing Co., where it will give the Durango brewery room to grow — for a little while.

Ska purchased three additional fermenters and a brite tank. The fermenters are massive 240-barrel tanks that together will increase Ska's brewing capacity by nearly 70 percent, said Dave Thibodeau, Ska's president and co-founder.

"It didn’t take long to fill our existing capacity," Thibodeau said in an e-mail. "Even after acquiring Steamworks’ tanks last summer, we still managed to max out. We’re doing really well in our existing markets and demand continues to grow. In short, we needed them."

He added, "We intend to fill the existing pipeline and really get a measure on where our existing sales ceiling might be. Right now we have no intention of entering any new markets in 2011, but we do have a number of other fun things in the works, such as the release of Mexican Logger in cans in April. These tanks will take the pressure off and allow us some flexibility in production as we spend a few years growing into them."

This follows epic growth for Ska ever since they moved into a new brewery in September 2008. The new brewhouse, coupled with canning and introducing Modus Hoperandi IPA, have turned Ska from a sub-10,000 barrel a year brewery to one that eclipsed 15,000 barrels in 2010.

The new tanks will put Ska's capacity at well north of 20,000 barrels.

These new tanks will give Ska room to grow and hit their existing markets, like Denver, Illinois and Texas, a little harder. And it's just one more reminder that Ska is not such a small brewery anymore.

Ska presents "Brew Minions"

2011-03-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

Brew Minions, A Parody from David Thibodeau on Vimeo.

Ladies and gentlemen, Ska Brewing Co. has produced a 22-minute video parodying the Discovery Channel show "Brew Masters."

Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione makes a cameo in Ska's parody. It follows the story of Thibodeau & Co. as they try to deliver a beer to their idols, the ska band The Toasters.

If you have 22 minutes to spare, this is totally worth watching. It's really pretty entertaining, and the production value is impressive.

Ska's press release follows:

Brew Minions follows Dave and his team as they flawlessly execute a project to make a 30th Anniversary beer for the long-running NYC Ska band The Toasters. Along the way they cross high mountain passes and travel almost across town, pioneer techniques to produce beers (and short films) of questionable originality, and ignore advice from Sam himself, who makes a cameo, but was otherwise not harmed in the making of this video.

From Rainbo Bread to bagels to bits of British bees, Dave is constantly pushing his team and himself to keep going, even though it’s not clear that anyone, including the Toasters, wants them to. The imagination of the Ska Brewing team is matched only by their obliviousness, which they wear like a badge. Attending beer conferences with Sam, glamorous product launches with rock stars, ripping off ideas and making toast, it’s all in a days work for Brew Minions.

“It’s easy to make fun of ourselves,” said Dave Thibodeau, Ska Co-Founder and President. “It’s hard to make a video that makes fun of us though, even a short one. It was supposed to be short. And it’s expensive. If anyone thinks this is funny they owe us.”

“Brew Minions” was written, directed and produced by Ska Brewing Co. and Marc Snider / Exposure Productions in Durango, Colorado. The post-credit video was produced by Red Tettemer and Partners.

Impressive dubbel on tap at Steamworks

2011-03-03T09:00:00.003-07:00

A good Belgian-style beer is a wonder to behold, and Steamworks Brewing Co. has tapped one.

Steamworks has D'Deuce Dubbel on tap. It comes in at approximately 7 percent alcohol and 20 IBUs (I lost my notes and the figures come from memory, but they're about right).

It pours a dark amber with a small but persistent head of foam. It comes in a little 10-ounce glass for $4.

D'Deuce has a very nice balance and yeast character. Some Belgians go way too far on banana esters, or sweetness, but this is just a really solid dubbel.

If you like Belgians at all, this is a good one to try.

Review: Carver's English-style Organic IPA

2011-02-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

India pale ales vary as much as any beer style can. Seemingly subtle differences in hop selection can make a big impression on your palate.

The latest IPA from Carver Brewing Co., Durango's Main Avenue brewpub, takes an English approach to the style.

The IPA is completely organic, using Weyermann malt and hops from New Zealand, Carver's head brewer Erik Maxson says in an e-mail.

"This was a first run for these hops, and we are pretty proud of the result," Maxson says.

The hops exhibit a sunny, orange-like citrus quality, quite unlike the grapefruit flavor found in some of Carver's hoppy beers. It's relatively boozy at 6.9 percent ABV, but hop bitterness is well within the English style (and lower than most American-style IPAs) with 50 IBUs.

This is a well-balanced ale, with enough hop flavor to keep you coming back for more. I prefer it to the comparable Left Hand 400-Pound Monkey. B+

Also of note, Carver's is about to tap (if the brewpub hasn't already) an oatmeal pale ale, Maxson says.

"This time around I have left the herbs out (chamomile and yarrow) because of frequent request for a 'naked' version," Maxson says. "It will be carbonated instead of nitrogenated to help all those hops shine through. Lots of oatmeal in the mash makes it super silky, and a plethora of American hops throughout, mash, boil, knockout, fermentation and conditioning. A true Carver's original."

On a recent visit to Carver's, another bar hand was raving about this beer. That's usually a good sign.

Ska cans Mexican Logger

2011-02-18T14:00:00.012-07:00

It's really a no-brainer that Ska Brewing Co. would can its Mexican Logger. You have a brewery notable for canning, and a summer seasonal that would go perfectly in cans.

Mexican Logger is a light-bodied lager using a yeast strain imported from Mexico City. It's the beer that Corona would like to be, if Corona tasted good.

It's an ideal summer session beer, quite low in alcohol (4.2 percent ABV) and with a modest dose of Saaz hops (18 IBUs).

It's also the kind of beer that is underrated by beer geeks. No, it's not a hop bomb, nor is it barrel-aged, nor an impossible-to-find Belgian rarity. It's just a fine summer beer, with a flavorful yeast character that is difficult to describe.

Canning should mean it's more widely available. It seems like every year, Mexican Logger runs out and I've only had one six-pack. I vow not to let that happen this year.

Longtime Ska drinkers will note the can design. It's lacking the character – a literal Mexican logger – who has in past years appeared on the bottle.

The logger was depicted leaning up against a tree, sleeping under a sombrero. I'm sure Ska meant no offense, but one could see how such a stereotypical depiction could be considered offensive. It's probably best that Ska has apparently retired him.

I'm looking forward to sucking down Mexican Logger as I flip brats on the grill this summer, and it should be just the thing after a long day backpacking or running the river.

Photo courtesy Ska Brewing, via Facebook

Another Ska-blogger collaboration

2011-02-15T19:53:00.001-07:00

Ska Brewing Co. just can't get enough of us bloggers. The Durango brewery has now invited Westword's Jonathan Shikes, who blogs for the Denver weekly as Beer Man, to brew with them.

Shikes flew down to Durango on Tuesday to brew an imperial Pilsener along with the Ska boys, he says on Westword. Orange Blossom Imperial Pilsner will be put on tap at 27 Old Chicago locations around Colorado.

This is Ska's second collaboration with beer bloggers. A year ago, Ska co-founder Dave Thibodeau invited yours truly and Jeff Hammett, a former Durangoan now in San Diego, to brew with them.

In our collaboration with Ska last year, I brewed a 10-gallon batch of an imperial red ale based on Pinstripe, while Hammett went with a Belgian-American IPA. We tapped the beers at Ska's HQ to cheering throngs.

It sounds like Shikes' batch will be quite a bit larger. I guess Thibodeau wasn't too scarred from his experience working with bloggers.

Cheers to Shikes, and Ska, for another cool blogger-brewer collaboration. It doesn't sound like the beer will be available locally, but I'll let you know if that changes.

MillerCoors sales down

2011-02-13T09:00:00.003-07:00

MillerCoors, a publicly traded company, recently announced its first quarter results. Despite some good numbers, the important ones to look at are these:

"Domestic sales were down 2.5 percent to retailers and 2.2 percent to wholesalers."

MillerCoors is simply selling less beer. Sales of beers like Miller Chill are falling. Yet check out this interesting tidbit, from the same Wall Street Journal article: "Its Tenth and Blake craft and import beer business, launched in August, saw double-digit volume growth on a percentage basis, driven by Blue Moon."

Blue Moon is really a pretty decent Belgian-style witbier. What we have here is fewer people drinking bad beer (Miller Lite) with more people drinking good beer (Blue Moon).

And then you have to put this in the context of the ever-increasing size of of the craft-beer segment, especially when you hear things like Ska Brewing Co.'s sales grew 30 percent in 2010.

Clearly, there is an appetite for flavorful beer in America that still has room to grow.

Maybe, just maybe, as more drinkers experience craft beer, they'll choose beer that tastes good instead of simply reaching for whatever's cheapest.

You have to imagine that the big boys like MillerCoors, or Budweiser, which already makes Budweiser American Ale, are going to double down on craft-type beers.

Personally, I very rarely drink industrial lagers. Perhaps twice a year I'll grab a six-pack of Coors Original. In between go many purchases of craft beer.

I suspect over time this will become more and more mainstream, with more drinkers reaching for flavorful craft beer as their default.

Lingerie and home brew at the White House

2011-02-09T09:00:00.001-07:00

The above topics are not necessarily related.

• Ska Brewing Co. will host a lingerie show Friday night: "Bottom's Up! A pre-Valentine's Lingerie Fashion Show and Gift Boutique."

Basically, you can drink beer, look at pretty ladies in lingerie and perhaps buy something for your own pretty lady. I'm just wondering if Ska Head Brewer Thomas Larsen will be strutting down the catwalk. Sigh ...

The event is 7-10 p.m.

• Steamworks Brewing Co. has its tasty molé stout on tap. This one is an imperial stout (10 percent ABV) that uses molé made in Steamworks' own kitchen.

This is one of my favorite Steamworks beers: a full bodied and flavorful stout with a bit of spice. I'd recommend giving it a try.

• Carver Brewing Co. recently tapped an organic English-style IPA. I can't wait to try this one, once my death-cold releases its vise grip on me, and beer sounds good again.

• Many of our founders were home brewers — Ben Franklin, George Washington and Samuel Adams among them — but it's another thing to see home brewing in the White House in this most uptight of times.

Yet, one of President Obama's chefs brewed a honey ale for the Super Bowl. It was served alongside beers from a Wisconsin craft brewery and Yuengling, an old-school Pennsylvania brewery.

Whatever you think of the guy's politics, it's pretty cool to have a president who has a brewery in his kitchen.

Firkin Fridays continue at Steamworks

2011-02-04T09:00:00.003-07:00

Steamworks Brewing Co. continues with its special monthly firkin tapping Friday, Feb. 4, with the introduction of a chocolate Belgian-style dubbel. The cask will be tapped at 3 p.m.

A firkin is an old English unit of volume, typically a wooden cask equal to approximately one-quarter of a regular barrel, or nine gallons. Steamworks initiated its Firkin Fridays in November to introduce specialty craft beers not suited to large draft production. Previous firkins have included Cherry Vanilla Stout and Holiday Spice.

“The Chocolate Belgian Dubbel presents chocolate through and through,” Spencer Roper, Steamworks assistant brewer, said in a news release. “A slight spicy quality is achieved from the special Belgian yeast. The beer is then sent through secondary fermentation with strawberries. Think chocolate cake with strawberry syrup – perfect for Valentine’s Day.”

Unlike most draft beers, firkin beer is unpasteurized, unfiltered and naturally carbonated, or conditioned, in its cask. According to Steamworks Head Brewer Ken Martin, the yeast transforms the sugar into alcohol within the cask, and carbonation results from the trapped carbon dioxide occurring as a byproduct.

“Serving the beer requires a special tap and it’s gravity-poured,” Martin said. “It’s also served at about 55 degrees – cool but not cold. Because it contains no preservatives, a firkin beer is designed to be consumed after tapping – which hasn’t been a problem since we started Firkin Fridays.”

Firkin Fridays will continue on the first Friday of the month, with the March firkin planned with St. Patrick’s Day in mind. Stout-based, this firkin will feature flavors of Irish crème and Irish whiskey.

Snowdown!

2011-02-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

Snowdown!

That is all for now.

Sipping ales in Salida

2011-02-02T10:00:00.004-07:00

Salida, Colo., is not well known. It has only about 5,000 residents. The main attractions are the Arkansas River, for kayakers and rafters, while the nearby Monarch Ski Area draws winter sports enthusiasts like myself.

It's a cool little town. A visit last weekend reinforced the sense that all beer is local, and variety is infinite.

The local craft brewery is called Amicas. It deals pizzas and beers on a brewpub model, with some limited bottling in 22-ounce bombers. For a local joint, the atmosphere is oddly chain-like and unfunky. Diners waiting for a table are given vibrating pagers, and the menus are suspiciously professional and uniform.

I enjoyed a Joe's Porter, a relatively strong take on the style (6 percent ABV), with an almost overwhelming coffee flavor. I have no doubt the caffeine powered me through the long evening.

The customers at Amicas were mostly outdoorsy 30-somethings, a crowd familiar to any Durangoan. A few high-school kids on dates before a formal dance were amusing to watch.

Amicas is probably no better or worse than dozens of other brewpubs. But every town deserves its own beer.

Actually, I prefer Moonlight Pizza in Salida. The pizza is superb, with a tasty thin crust and fresh-tasting toppings. And while Moonlight is not a brewery, it has three well-chosen beers on tap — on my visit, Crested Butte White Buffalo Peace Ale (a refreshing pale ale), Stone IPA, and a Left Hand beer that I can't recall.

Finally, Roxy's Bottle Shop offered an impressive selection of craft and import beers. I grabbed a Whale's Tale Pale Ale, a beer from Nantucket, Mass.; a Boulevard 21st Anniversary Fresh Hop Pale Ale (which I now fear is past its prime) and a French red ale called Gavroche.

No matter where one travels in the United States, the beer differs. It's amazing how a little town only 200 miles from Durango has so many beers not found here.

The independent craft brewer is a holdout for local expression, while so many other forums – newspapers, bookstores, independent retail of any sort – are in decline.

Long live the independent craft brewer.

Ska releases DIFF tonight

2011-01-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight (Fri., Jan. 28) at 5 p.m., Ska Brewing Co. will release its annual DIFF, a beer timed to coincide with the Durango Independent Film Festival. (Ska is the festival's "official beer sponsor.")

DIFF is a Belgian-style witbier. I like it quite a bit. Unfortunately, last year it had an overpowering lemongrass taste. Hopefully, Ska has dialed that flavor back a bit to let the delicious yeast and Pilsen and wheat malts come out.

The local band Telekave will play.

Here's what Ska says:

Durango Film goers will once again savor the DIFF as Ska Brewing releases the 6th annual DIFF Belgian Wit Beer in support of the 2011 Durango Independent Film Festival. Ska, a long-time supporter of independent film in Durango, will host a release party in the tasting room from 5:00-7:00pm on Friday, January 28. Along with releasing the beer you can enjoy live music from local band Telekave. Hope to see you there!

The DIFF is an unfiltered Belgian Wit Beer with a touch of the Orient for good measure. Most of the flavor comes from an authentic Belgian yeast strain, but there is also added Pilsen malts and raw wheat and oats that help to give it a cloudy, hazy effect. It is also spiced with orange peel, coriander seed and oriental lemongrass. DIFF is a limited, single-batch release and will be available only in Durango area liquor stores and the Ska Brewing tasting room.

A well-stocked (beer) fridge

2011-01-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Variety, as the saying goes, is the spice of life. Those of us who are fans of craft beer appreciate having choices.

This extends to the home. Once upon a time, I didn't even buy packaged beer, reasoning correctly that it could get expensive. Then, later, I might have a single six-pack in the fridge. But as I tried different styles of beer and came to realize the myriad of flavors craft beer has come to offer, one style in the fridge no longer offers enough choice.

Certain styles of beer go well with certain foods (say, a Kolsch with seafood) while some don't (a malty English ESB and Mexican food — beer pairing FAIL). And it gets boring drinking the same style.

The ultimate is to have a beer cellar/garage where you can age and store a wide selection of beers (the same principle as a wine cellar), but many of us don't have the space.

So, prompted by a discussion on The Hopry, a Midwest beer blog, I offer my thoughts on the necessary ingredients for a well-stocked beer fridge. Individual taste may differ, but I think these guidelines are pretty solid:

Something hoppy. When the mood strikes, nothing replaces the delicious juice of Humulus lupus. Accept no substitute. We're blessed in the Western U.S. with many wonderful American-style India Pale Ales. My favorites for this category are Ska's Modus Hoperandi IPA, Avery IPA and Oskar Blues Gordon (a very hoppy red ale soon to be renamed G'Knight for silly legal reasons). Find something with an IBU rating in the 50-70 range. This sort of beer pairs well with spicy foods like Mexican and Thai.

(An aside on Modus. Excellent IPA. Midwesterners, however, are slobbering over it like it's a Chicago dog and deep-dish pizza combined).

Something dark and malty. Particularly in winter, this sort of beer feels appropriate. The humble porter is excellent to satisfy this craving, and Ska Ten Pin Porter and Santa Fe State Pen Porter are as good as any and easy to find here. Also worth mentioning: Dolores River Brewery just began canning several of its beers (a four-pack of 16-ounce cans runs $8 at the brewery), and the tasty dry stout is currently holding down a corner of my fridge.

Something Belgian. Once you go Belgian, you appreciate the astonishing things yeast can do. Belgian beers are as varied and interesting as any in the world. Fortunately, Avery Brewing, based in Boulder, does Belgians as well as anyone in the U.S. I'm a huge fan of The Reverend (a big, dark Quadrupel) and Salvation (a tasty Belgian-style golden ale). Not every liquor store in Durango carries Avery's bombers, but Wagon Wheel tends to have them.

Ska also has its True Blonde Dubbel, and DIFF, a Belgian-style witbier, will be coming out soon.

Or, go authentic. Star Liquors has some really, really good Belgians like Duchess de Bourgogne and Orval.

Something versatile. Sometimes, you just want a mellow beer that doesn't dominate your palate or overpower the food you're eating (Note to self: "Dominate," "overpower." Sheesh, this is beer, not the NFL playoffs). Something like Ska Pinstripe Red Ale or Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale.

Something special. It's good to have a few beers you're kind of afraid of — big beers that you can share with others. I'm thinking of strong ales like imperial stouts and barley wines, which are plentiful in these winter months. I've had a bottle of Deschutes The Abyss 2009 in my fridge for more than a year now. When you crack open a beer like that, it's kind of an event.

Following the above suggestions should give you a pretty well-stocked and versatile beer selection at home. What do you think? What beers are staples in your fridge?

The rare session beer

2011-01-20T13:00:00.005-07:00

An interesting discussion over at the Beervana blog laments the lack of session beers when compared to the ever-increasing roster of hop bombs and boozy beers with alcohol contents like wine.

There's no definitive ruling on what constitutes a "session" beer, but they're generally agreed to be below 5 percent ABV or so. They're meant to be beers you can drink a few of and not be worse for the wear.

In Durango, almost every year-round release exceeds 5 percent ABV. The one exception: Steamworks Colorado Kolsch, an award-winning light ale that follows the refreshing German Kolsch style.

The Kolsch comes in at 4.85 percent ABV. Fortunately, Steamworks recently began canning it, and it's widely available in Southwest Colorado.

There's also a summer seasonal session worth mentioning that's brewed here and distributed throughout Colorado: Ska Brewing Co.'s Mexican Logger.

Mexican Logger brings a lot of flavor for its 4.2 percent ABV. It's brewed with a lager yeast strain from Mexico, and tastes like a much more flavorful version of Corona. Ska is working on canning Mexican Logger and distributing it more widely.

Most of the other year-round beers from Ska, Steamworks and Durango Brewing Co. come in at 5-6 percent ABV. Several of Ska's old-school standbys (Pinstripe Red Ale, True Blonde, Bustern Nut Brown) come in at the low 5s, making them close enough.

So while session beers aren't numerous here, at least two good ones are becoming more available.

Update: Carver Brewing Co.'s Erik Maxson says the brewpub's Lightner Creek Lager comes in at just over 4 percent ABV, putting it in contention with Mexican Logger as Durango's lowest-booze beer.

Maxson adds that Old Oak Amber, Jack Rabbit Pale Ale and Colorado Trail Nut Brown come in right around 5 percent ABV.

"I think that the lower ABV 'session' beers are often ignored, or should I say eclipsed by the biggest, baddest, most nextest thing beery," he said in an e-mail.

"It is at its roots a social beverage. I'd rather have the opportunity to enjoy more than one well-crafted beverage than to drink myself into the corner of 'extreme.'

"All that being said in praise of the ever-so-humble session beer, I also believe that there is a time and place for the other end of the spectrum. What's that saying, 'all things in moderation ... including moderation.'"

Review: Three Rivers Bell Ringer

2011-01-17T09:00:00.011-07:00

Much like Carver Brewing Co. in Durango, Three Rivers Brewery in Farmington releases only one bottled beer per year. In both cases for these brewpubs, it's a barley wine.

Three Rivers' Bell Ringer is available now at the brewpub in downtown Farmington in 22-ounce bomber bottles dipped in wax. (Bottles of Carver's Big Grizz Barley Wine are also available now at the Durango brewpub).

Bell Ringer is what the brewery calls an "IPA barley wine," but it's really not so much a new style as a hop-forward take on barley wine.

Bell Ringer, a recurring holiday seasonal, is obviously meant to be a double entendre with its 10.9 percent ABV. Without care, it could indeed lay you out on the canvas.

It pours a deep amber with a modest off-white head that quickly recedes in the face of the strong alcohol content. The hops come in strong, stronger than most barley wines. It doesn't quite have that very well-rounded caramel malt character and deep complexity seen in the best barley wines.

Bell Ringer might be a little bit one-dimensional, but it's still a very good beer. It's definitely one you want to split with others. It might also be a good idea, as the brewery advises, to lay one down for a while to see how it ages. B+

Silverton Brewing to expand distribution

2011-01-14T09:00:00.003-07:00

Silverton Brewing Co. has worked out a deal with Fort Collins Brewery to bottle and distribute its beers on the Front Range, Westword reports.

Two Silverton beers, Ice Pick Ale and Bear Ass Brown, should be available statewide by February, according to the Denver weekly.

Contract brewing has really caught on lately as an inexpensive way for small breweries to expand. (In Durango, Ska is now brewing and canning Steamworks beers).

Those of us in Durango can already find Ice Pick Ale and Bear Ass Brown on liquor-store shelves. I like the IPA quite a bit, while the brown ale doesn't do much for me.

It'll be interesting to see how Silverton fares in the very competitive Front Range market. With breweries such as Breckenridge, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Odell, Left Hand, Wynkoop, Great Divide, Upslope, Avery, Ska and Steamworks .... you get the picture. It's no longer an immature market begging for new entrants.

It's a big jump for a small-town brewpub to start elbowing its way onto liquor-store shelves in Denver and environs.

Welcome to the big leagues, Silverton, and good luck.

Note: This post has been corrected from an earlier version.

Review: Ska Brewing The One Eyed Monster

2011-01-13T09:00:00.002-07:00

"Tell me if we nailed it," Ska Brewing Co. co-founder Bill Graham said, handing me his glass. "Raspberries and dark chocolate."

Ska decided to bring a new beer style to Durango for its annual beer to coincide with the city's Snowdown festival.

The One Eyed Monster, released last week, is what the brewery calls a Black IPA: essentially, an IPA brewed with dark malts.

When I walked into the release party at Ska last week to take a couple of bottles home, Graham was there. So, naturally, I interrogated him about the new beer while he was trying to play trivia with his friends.

The black IPA is a relatively young beer style that took hold in the Northwest about two years ago. Deschutes, Hopworks and other Oregon breweries have been at the forefront.

Ska's take on the style is very different from others I've seen.

While Deschutes and other NW breweries tend to favor typical, aggressive IPA hops like Cascade, Citra and Centenntial, Ska chose to hop The One Eyed Monster with Fuggles, a relatively mild hop of English origin, and Brewers Gold, a relatively mild hop of German origin.

The One Eyed Monster comes in at approximately 6.5 percent ABV and 65 IBUs, similar to a standard American IPA.

Ska brewed only 30 barrels of The One Eyed Monster and is distributing it only in Southwest Colorado. The 22-ounce bombers cost about $4.50 each.

It pours very dark, with a decent head of foam. The taste, at first, is a wash of chocolate malt, followed by a palate-cleansing hop flavor that tastes refreshing, not a word I often use in craft-beer reviews.

The aftertaste is indeed reminiscent of raspberries, perhaps also toothpaste (not a bad thing).

The style has provoked disagreement among beer taxonomists over what it should be called. Ska went with "Black IPA," a name that some have criticized as contradictory because it's saying black India pale ale, and a beer can't be both black and pale.

Folks in the Northwest prefer the term "Cascadian Dark Ale," after the regional Cascade Mountain range, which seems a little silly. You can't expect brewers in Colorado and elsewhere to follow that lead.

Neither does "India Black Ale" seem entirely satisfactory, because this new style is entirely American. The Brewers Association splits the difference, calling it an "American-style India Black Ale," which is probably about as good as we're going to get.

Putting aside the name game, Ska's version of the style is unlike any other you may encounter. While some brewers have reached for aggressive citrus hops that batter the malt into submission, the simple, humble Fuggles and Brewers Gold might be the way to go.

The One Eyed Monster is dark, malty and hefty. The hops are certainly here, but they don't dominate. It's an entirely pleasant departure.

The One Eyed Monster is an innovative approach to a still-developing beer style. Not incidentally, it tastes quite good.

Bill, you nailed it. A

Beer of the Year 2010

2011-01-06T09:00:00.012-07:00

The time has come for Beer at 6512's second annual Beer of the Year award. It's the only laurel we award around here, so it's kind of a big deal (ahem).

Durango's four breweries stretched themselves in 2010, brewing Belgian and German styles, fresh takes on long-established styles, beers without any style, beers aged in barrels and other innovations.

Beers eligible for Beer of the Year must have been new or substantially changed beers brewed in Durango for commercial release during 2010.

Old favorites are not eligible - there is no point in debating Pinstripe Red Ale vs. Steam Engine Lager, for example. Nor are beers from outside Durango.

The criteria: taste first and foremost, with uniqueness, complexity, availability, price, packaging and market impact all considered. The usual caveats: This is a subjective decision that you are free to argue with in the comments below. And while I believe I tried every bottled release, a few tap-only beers surely slipped by me.

So without further ado, the winner is:

Beer of the Year 2010
Ska Dementia

Barrel aging beers is a dangerous game, especially in whisky barrels. If the barrel imparts too much whisky flavor, it overwhelms the beer and you're left with a nearly undrinkable pint.

Improving on previous barrel-aging projects, Ska Brewing Co.'s head brewer Thomas Larsen put some Euphoria Pale Ale in bourbon barrels for about five months.

Euphoria, a winter seasonal, is stronger, darker and hoppier than a typical pale ale.

Larsen also dry-hopped his creation with Simcoes, a high alpha acid hop popular for use in IPAs.

Dementia was double-dipped in red and blue wax and sold in 22-ounce bottles. It debuted in August at Ska's 15th anniversary party, where Larsen tapped the ceremonial keg.

At the time, I wrote, "On first taste, you get a deep sense of something old and wonderful, like a musty barn. A suggestion of oak comes across, with perhaps a hint of vanilla. The rough edges in Euphoria have been lovingly sanded off, and Dementia is well-rounded, complex and balanced, with a slightly sweet and vinous aftertaste."

What makes this beer so impressive was the subtle interplay between the Simcoes and whisky taste. The barrel flavors and hops, which could have clashed, worked extremely well. It tasted unlike anything else on the market.

For this impressive variation on an existing beer, Larsen and Ska win Beer at 6512's Beer of the Year award.

Honorable mentions

Many beers could have won this award. The best of the rest, in alphabetical order, are:

Carver's Smoked Baltic Porter. Smoked beers also carry risk. Too much smoke can dominate the taste, as with the much-praised Alaskan Smoked Porter, a beloved beer that reminds me of how a fireplace must taste.

Carver's exercised restraint in using smoked German malt at 15 percent of the grist in this Baltic porter, a style that was new to Durango. This was a deeply satisfying release whose heft (7 percent ABV, 45 IBUs) helped brace us against the cold.

For its restraint, and for bringing the style to Durango and executing it well, Carver's deserves an honorable mention. (Initial review here).

Durango Brewing 20th Anniversary Ale. Coming off consecutive gold-medal wins at the Great American Beer Festival, Durango Brewing decided to brew a Belgian-style ale for their 20th anniversary. It was a great idea to brew a complex Belgian-style ale, but it could have benefited from some hard decisions.

It uses a Belgian souring yeast, but adds wheat malt, coriander and orange peel that obscures the yeast's qualities. It combined the characteristics of a saison, a golden and a wit. As I wrote in my initial review, the ale "seems like a beer trying to do too much, as if given the opportunity to brew a Belgian beer, the brewers couldn’t resist trying to brew three styles in one."

Give DBC some credit for innovation, and having the guts to try these finicky yeasts. It was an interesting experiment that tasted fine, but could have used some restraint.

Ska Brewing Oak-Aged Orange Cream Stout. Long ago, in the depths of January 2010, Ska put out the 14th beer in its Local Series. It was creamy and dark, with more than a suggestion of orange.

A twist on Ska's Steel Toe Milk Stout, this ale was aged for three to four months in oak barrels with sweet orange peel.

The idea came to Larsen after he came down with a head cold and was looking for ice cream. He ended up with one that mixed orange flavor and chocolate chunks.

What resulted from this inspiration was a wonderful dessert beer, an inviting stout with layers of flavor that was fun to drink.

One of the measures of a beer's greatness is how much you miss it when its gone. I miss this one a lot. (Initial review here).

Steamworks Elephant Rider Imperial IPA. It isn't easy to make an imperial IPA of brutish strength (9.5 percent ABV, 123 IBUs!) that goes down easy. But this hop bomb was impressively drinkable.

Using Centennial and Simcoe hops and Cascades for dry hopping, brewer Ken Martin brought a ton of hop flavor while somehow keeping it in balance.

I helped name the beer through a contest on Facebook, but the flavor stands on its own.

In a year when Steamworks began to regain its footing after retrenching from Bayfield, this was an impressive effort that should please the most ardent hop-head. And, I believe, it's still on tap.

Ska Brewing releases Snowdown beer

2011-01-04T12:00:00.002-07:00

Ska Brewing Co. tonight releases this year's Snowdown beer, The One Eyed Monster Black IPA. The tapping party begins at 5 p.m. at Ska, with bottles for sale.

Ska is the first of Durango's breweries to make a black IPA, a style popular in the Northwest. Last year, Ska's Snowdown beer was Hyper Fierce Gnar Gnar Hefe, an unfiltered hefeweizen brewed with toasted coconut and pineapple.

The One Eyed Monster has no such adjuncts, just water, malt, yeast and hops. It should be interesting. Black IPAs are an acquired taste — some drinkers like them and some just don't care for the style. I'll probably swing by Ska for a bottle tonight and write up a review when I can.

Around the Brewhouse

2010-12-29T09:00:00.004-07:00

Just as lynx have been admirably reintroduced to Colorado, I'm introducing some links here at Beer at 6512, where they have been known to roam in the past (groan, I know). Sprinkled in are a few brief impressions from recent pints guaranteed to produce hilarity and baldness-fighting riboflavins.

- Pagosa Brewing Co. is pulling cask pints of a wassail, a dark holiday ale spiced to hell and back. It's quite sweet, but balanced well by a big malt base. The cask presentation is ideal for this sort of beer. It's not something you would want to drink all the time, but for a holiday treat, it hits all the right notes.

Pagosa's also offering its seasonal Ice Cave Lager, Nipple Mountain Nip barley wine and a Baltic porter in addition to its usual lineup. Not a bad way to warm up after riding the ridiculous champagne powder at Wolf Creek Ski Area.

- Speaking of Wolf Creek, it was there that I made the mistake of passing up Steamworks' very tasty Alberta Peak Pale Ale for a beer I'd never seen before: San Luis Valley Brewing Co.'s Hefe Suave. Apparently, the Alamosa brewery is now bottling. Wolf Creek also had San Luis Valley's amber ale.

The hefeweizen came in a standard 12-ounce bottle. It was thin-to-medium bodied with only a little yeast character. It might be OK on a hot day, but it was inadequate to help me dodge vacationing Texans ("I'm from an hour north of Dallas, sir!" "Yes, sir." "Do you know anywhere on site that sells cigarettes, sir?" Dude was maybe five years younger than me). This 4.5 percent ABV featherweight wheat ale reminded me of what I like about craft beer: beers better than this. I want my $4 back.

- The Durango Herald has a nice article on a business started by a Carver's bartender that leads tours to all four of Durango's breweries. This idea has been needed for a long time, so it's nice to see someone doing it. The breweries are too far apart to walk to all of them. The article also has some basic facts on each brewery. The tour's Eugene Salaz is also known to Durango radio listeners as DJ I-Gene. Dude makes the best bloody mary in the world at Carver's. It's out-of-control good. He's one of those people who makes Durango what it is.

- Ska Dementia gets reviewed at a blog called The Greatest Beer of All Time. My initial take on Dementia is here. I'll have more to say about that beer in my annual Beer of the Year post shortly after the New Year.

- Elsewhere on the Webernet, CraftCans.com interviews Ska Brewing president and co-founder Dave Thibodeau, who reveals his infatuation with big cans.

A look at Marble Brewery

2010-12-28T10:00:00.002-07:00

New Mexico doesn't have the craft brewing culture of Colorado, but the Land of Enchantment is doing some catch-up. Marble Brewery is helping lead the charge.

Marble is based in Albuquerque, but also has a pub on the plaza in Santa Fe. The two cities form Marble's primary market, but its beers can be found throughout New Mexico (Distil in Farmington has a good selection), but not yet in Colorado.

Marble recently gained some national attention when their From the Wood was named one of the top 25 beers of 2010 by Draft magazine.

I've had the chance to try several Marble beers, including a batch of the acclaimed From the Wood at Ska's 15th Anniversary Party last summer. My favorite, however, is Marble Red, a very hop-forward take on the red ale, a style that is often offered with indifferent hopping.

Marble's version is relatively strong at 6.5 percent ABV, with Crystals, Cascades and Simcoes doing the bittering. It's essentially a red ale crossed with an IPA, to wonderful results.

Marble's head brewer is Ted Rice, director of brewing operations and one of the company's five owners. He told me in an e-mail that he has been brewing professionally since 1996.

Rice started in a New York brewpub before taking the American Brewers Guild class in 1998. He moved to Albuquerque in '99, brewed for Blue Corn Brewery in Albuquerque then transitioned that location to Chama River Brewing Co. He opened Marble in 2008.

Marble is quickly growing. Rice & co. will top 8,000 barrels this year after brewing 5,000 last year. For 2011, Marble will most likely pass 10,000 barrels, Rice said.

Marble's top-selling beer is its IPA, followed by Red. I asked Rice if Marble has any plans to distribute in Colorado.

"No plans to distribute in Colorado in the near future," he said. "Maybe a year from now. We are currently brewing at capacity and selling everything in New Mexico."

Good for them. What has impressed me most about Marble is the consistent quality of their beers. Having had the Red, IPA, From the Wood and Double White, each has been an above average, well thought-out and crafted beer. It seems Rice is doing some other interesting things, including a pale ale brewed with the designer hop Citra.

Marble also has a consistent brand identity that you can see on its website. Each beer is assigned a color of marble that dominates the packaging. More and more breweries are going to some sort of systematic branding (like Upright in Portland naming their core beers Four, Five, Six and Seven). Marble's beers are easy to find in a crowded liquor store cooler.

Hopefully Marble will be in Colorado before too long. In any case, their beers are well worth trying on your next sojourn to New Mexico.

This brewery is one to watch.

Ska Brewing graduates

2010-12-23T13:30:00.003-07:00

Ska Brewing Co. surpassed 15,000 barrels of brewing in 2010, moving Durango's largest brewery from the American Brewers Association's “microbrewery” designation to the more important-sounding “regional craft brewery” designation, Ska announced in a news release.

"It’s amazing how much your life can change in the course of a day," Ska President and co-founder Dave Thibodeau says. "Just yesterday we were king of the ‘micros’ at 14,957 barrels, ruling the land with an iron-clad brew glove, and now here we are 20 hours later scraping the bottom of the regional barrel.”

The American Brewers Association designates breweries that produce less than 15,000 barrels a year as microbreweries, while regional craft breweries are those that produce between 15,000 and 2,000,000 barrels annually. As of July 31, the Brewers Association reported 534 microbreweries in the United States, and 71 regional craft breweries.

The designation doesn't change anything, but it does illustrate the impressive growth Ska has enjoyed the past few years. Ever since moving into their new brewhouse in 2008 and doubling down on cans in 2009, Ska has pushed a huge amount of beer into the market.

Ska seems to be enjoying themselves. The brewery had more than a dozen signs made that say “REGIONAL CRAFT BREWER PARKING ONLY”.

“I put one up this morning,” says Thibodeau.

Review: Carver's Smoked Baltic Porter

2010-12-21T11:00:00.027-07:00

Last week, Carver Brewing Co. tapped something new and different for local craft-beer drinkers. The brewery's Smoked Baltic Porter was a first for Carver's, and, to my knowledge, any of Durango's breweries.

Baltic porter is a centuries-old style that seems to be enjoying a recent resurgence. Pagosa Brewing just tapped its own attempt, and chatter about the style on other beer blogs indicates it is not merely a local phenomenon.

"Why now?" Carver's head Brewer Erik Maxson said in an e-mail. "Hard to say other than maybe the proliferation of breweries and their brewers' desire to explore lesser-known styles is also increasing. I'm sure there are plenty of things not yet explored in the style realm or ingredients-wise, but with so many already established styles it would take a really long time to exhaust all of those possibilities. On a personal note 'is there really anything new under the sun?'"

Ah, the Ecclesiastes-quoting brewer. Seriously, though, it's something I've heard from other brewers — It's very difficult to come up with anything truly new at this stage in the craft-brewing game. Maxson's assistant brewer pushed to brew the Baltic porter.

Carver's Smoked Baltic Porter comes in at 7 percent ABV and 45 IBUs. I picked up a growler last weekend for free with my stamped-out growler card (a great deal, by the way).

It pours an inky black with a big tan head of foam. In appearance, it's not unlike an imperial stout.

It has a grand, roasted malty taste, with a hint of smoke and a depth and complexity that exceeds the traits of basic porters.

Maxson said the beer uses smoked German malt at about 15 percent of the grist.

Incidentally, my fiancée and a female friend with whom I shared the growler were also impressed. It's often interesting which beers women like or don't like. This one passed the test.

Carver's Smoked Baltic Porter is a very tasty and well-executed beer that's worth your time and dimes. A-

Review: Steamworks sour brown ale

2010-12-16T14:00:00.002-07:00

Durango has three new beers on tap just this week, and each is very different. (More on the other two later).

Steamworks Brewing Co. just tapped a sour brown ale brewed with Brettanomyces yeast. More and more brewers have been getting into weird souring yeasts, an encouraging and tasty trend.

It's a big, boozy beer, and as such it's served in a small goblet, which will run you about $5. (It's nice, actually, to see good beers served in glassware other than the ubiquitous shaker pint).

This one pours a fairly dark brown, with a modest off-white head of foam. As with many Brett beers, a fizzy, carbonated texture lingers.

The taste suggests apples and fall. Brett beers are endlessly fascinating — not only are they starkly different from each other, but they change dramatically over time. This one is already fairly tart, so it should be quite sour in a few months (if Steamworks has any left by then).

Steamworks' sour brown puckers. It wraps your tongue in sourness, with an almost soda-like fizz. Sour heads (a somewhat rarer breed than hop heads) should enjoy it. It's not a beer for the craft-appreciating novice, but it's good, and very interesting.

Some are already pronouncing the sour trend played out. Personally, I love the astonishing variety seen from one sour beer to another, and I wish there were more. Give this one a B, with appreciation for the extra time and expense that goes into brewing with Brett.

Also new are Steamworks' aggressive Elephant Rider IPA and Carver's Smoked Baltic Porter (interestingly, Pagosa Brewing also just tapped a Baltic porter). I'll have more on those later — after I drink them.

Beer of the Year nominations

2010-12-06T09:00:00.002-07:00

The advent of December means it's time to start thinking about Beer at 6512's Beer of the Year award, my annual pick for Durango's best new beer.

The winner will be announced in early January. The criteria: New or substantially changed beers brewed in Durango for commercial release (in bottles, cans or on tap) during 2010. This means old favorites are not eligible.

Looking back at my posts this year, the early contenders are Durango Brewing Co.'s 20th Anniversary Ale, and several from Ska Brewing Co.: Clancy's Black Beer, Oak-aged Orange Cream Stout, Saison Du'Rango, Dementia and Sour.

Ska won the 2009 Beer of the Year award for its Wheelsucker Wheat Ale, an excellent imperial hefeweizen brewed in collaboration with Avery Brewing Co.

Ska has a bit of a built-in advantage because they release more new beers than anyone else locally. Durango Brewing only released the one this year that I'm aware of, while good beers can come and go from the taps at Steamworks and Carver's in anonymity.

What's your favorite new Durango beer? What have I missed?

Style spotlight: ESB

2010-12-02T09:00:00.001-07:00

The Extra-Special Bitter, or ESB, is a centuries-old English ale style. It is derived from its diminutive brothers, the Bitter and Special Bitter.

ESB bears some similarities to the pale ale. Both are often strongly hopped, but the ESB tends to carry a more mineral-like taste.

The delicious, idiosyncratic ESB is one of my favorite styles. They are widely available most places, but in Durango, surprisingly, only Ska Brewing Co. regularly brews an ESB.

Fortunately, Ska's ESB is excellent. (It won a bronze medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival). It's aggressively and brightly hopped, with an off-white head foaming over the copper malt body. In fact, it's my favorite of Ska's year-round beers and, I think, unfortunately overlooked by the legions who prefer Pinstripe, True Blonde and Modus Hoperandi.

That said, Ska's version is a very hoppy and strong interpretation. Sometimes one longs for a slightly milder and more typical ESB.

During a recent visit to Star Liquors, arguably Durango's best-stocked liquor store, Ska's ESB was the only available example of the style. I later found a six-pack of Fuller's ESB at The Wine Merchant.

Fuller's, brewed in England, is a bit expensive at $12 for a six-pack, but it's a world-classic beer and I wanted to try it. It is indeed a milder and creamier ESB, with the hops acting as accompaniement rather than lead note.

I've also had some superb ESBs in Oregon, notably at Hopworks Urban Brewery in Portland and Calapooia Brewing in Albany.

It says something that three of Durango's four breweries choose not to brew an ESB. They all brew pale ales, a closely related style, but I would love to see more local ESBs, especially on cask, where the style is especially lovely.

Breckenridge, Wynkoop announce partnership

2010-12-01T19:00:00.003-07:00

Breckenridge Brewing Co. and Wynkoop Brewing Co. today announced a partnership that will merge the companies under one umbrella while keeping their brands separate.

The upshot is we can expect Wynkoop to use Breck's reach to expand its distribution. Perhaps it won't be too long before Wynkoop beers appear in Durango.

Wynkoop recently began canning their beers, so it's not entirely surprising they're looking to expand.

That would be good news for local craft beer fans; Wynkoop makes some impressive beers. Here's the news release from Breckenridge:

Breckenridge Holding Company, the owner and operator of the Breckenridge Brewery and other food and beverage concepts, announces plans to enter into a 50/50 joint venture agreement with Wynkoop Holdings, Inc., the Denver-based owner of seven brewpubs and restaurants located in Denver and Colorado Springs. The combined management strength, brand portfolio, and talent of these two Colorado craft beer icons will enable each entity to compete even more effectively in the craft beer and restaurant markets. Breckenridge and Wynkoop expect the joint venture to be finalized in January 2011.

Breckenridge Holding Company will continue to invest in growth and marketing opportunities for Breckenridge Brewery and its Breckenridge Ale House concept. Ed Cerkovnik, President of Breckenridge Holding Company, summarizes the key benefits of the agreement: "Both Breckenridge and Wynkoop companies have rich Colorado histories with similar, yet distinct, cultures. This joint venture captures the synergies of these two successful Denver-based companies. Combining 14 wholly and partially owned subsidiaries under one umbrella gives us the leverage to build a stronger, more diverse, company." Cerkovnik added that “the combined company provides us with the platform through which we can more effectively pursue growth and expansion of our respective brands and restaurant concepts.”

Wynkoop Holdings, Inc. is led by Lee Driscoll, its CEO and controlling shareholder. "This is a partnership Ed and I have discussed for years; the timing is finally right for making it happen. On the brewing side it means we can quickly grow our canning and self-distribution effort, with help from experienced craft beer veterans. We can get Wynkoop beer to more people without the time and expense of building a new brewery. This also adds a quartet of devoutly beer-minded establishments to our family, and provides a quick dose of depth and shared talent to our beer and food culture."

"Plus," Driscoll adds, "it puts two like-minded craft beer pioneers of our state on the same team. Together, our potential for adding to Colorado's beer culture is very big."

Wynkoop Holdings operating units consist of the Wynkoop Brewing Company, Phantom Canyon Brewing Company, Wazee Supper Club, Goosetown Tavern, Cherry Cricket, Pearl Street Grill, and Gaetano's. Wynkoop Brewing Company, Colorado’s first brewpub, was founded in 1988 by Denver mayor and Colorado governor-elect John Hickenlooper and a group of urban pioneers that included Mark Schiffler (current Wynkoop COO) and Ron Robinson (Wynkoop’s current GM).

Breckenridge Holding Company operates seven wholly and partially owned businesses, all of which are located in Colorado, including the Breckenridge Brewery of Colorado, a regional craft brewery in Denver; Breckenridge Brewery & Pub, a brewpub in Breckenridge; the Breckenridge Blake Street Pub located in the Ballpark Neighborhood of Denver; Breckenridge Brewery and BBQ, located in the Golden Triangle area of Denver; and the Breckenridge Ale House in Grand Junction. A second Breckenridge Ale House is scheduled to open in the spring of 2011 in the Lower Highlands area of Denver. Breckenridge Brewery of Colorado handcrafts nearly 30,000 barrels of fresh beer annually and distributes its beer in 28 states.

Empty fermenters beckon experiments

2010-11-26T09:00:00.014-07:00


Label art for Ska Brewing's 2011 Snowdown's beer.

People don't drink as much beer in the winter as they do in summer. This is because they're ignorant and misguided.

The sorts of knowledgeable folks who read Durango's first, best and only beer blog (I'm liking that line lately) know brewers break out great beers in winter, while summer releases tend to be thinner and slightly less wonderful.

The fact that fair-weather beer drinkers take a break in the winter means there's more space in the fermenters for brewers to geek around. Our local brewers are currently indulging themselves with some huge beers that we'll see over the next couple of months.

Above is Ska Brewing Co.'s label art for their 2011 Snowdown beer, brazenly stolen by me from Facebook (I doubt they mind the publicity). It tells us that Ska is planning to brew a so-called "black IPA" for Durango's annual winter embarassment in February.

Black IPAs are big in the Northwest. They're essentially IPAs brewed with dark malt. They can be quite good.

There has been much discussion about what to call these beers. "Black IPA" is contradictory because you're saying Black India Pale Ale, and a beer can't be both black and pale. The voguish term in the Northwest is "Cascadian Dark Ale," which I find a bit stuffy and provincial.

I'm just bummed Ska missed a chance to call their release "Call of Duty: Black Hops." (Maybe it's not too late!)

The brew geeks at Steamworks, meanwhile, are brewing a ridiculous IPA that aims for 125 IBUs. (I think at that point, you graduate from IPA to Imperial IPA to Ridiculous IPA).

Of course, I will taste this beer, because I'm a glutton for punishment, but I'm not looking forward to it. At some point, this attempt to brew the hoppiest beer possible just becomes painful. If you've ever tried to drink Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, you know what I'm talking about. It's not pleasant.

Steamworks is having a naming competition for the beer. I initially suggested "Second Avenue Hop Flood," after their location on Durango's most in-between of streets. However, I've decided I prefer "Shooting an Elephant Imperial IPA" in homage to George Orwell's writing on India.

At Carver's, the brewers are working on a Baltic porter, a burly style that is cold-fermented and brewed with lager yeast, according to the 2010 Brewers Association Style Guidelines.

I ran into brewer Erik Maxson at the Main Avenue joint. He said the inspiration came from his newest assistant brewer. Pulling out a slide rule (and reminding me of my great uncle, a retired Boeing engineer), Maxson announced the big boy should land at just over 7 percent ABV, right on target for the style.

I had a little taste of the Baltic porter. It shaping up quite well: big, dark and malty.

Carver's has its annual imperial stout and Big Grizz Barleywine on tap, as well as a new Belgian-style dubbel. Flavor: bananas. A trippel and perhaps even a quadrupel may be coming.

Update: I should have mentioned that Insider Apple Ale is on tap at all four Durango breweries. It's a project of the breweries' combined consortium, the Durango Bootlegger's Society. The ale uses locally harvested apples.

It's definitely a beer and quite different from cider. I haven't tried this year's version yet, but last year's had a strong apple taste. I liked the flavor but found the texture a little mealy. We'll see if this year's version is any different.

In any case, Insider Apple Ale is interesting as both a brewing project and a local effort using local ingredients. Give it a try, and let me know what you think. It's also available in 22-ounce bottles.

Thanksgiving beer pairings

2010-11-18T09:00:00.003-07:00

Thanksgiving is, or ought to be, a holiday of great decadence. If you're not overeating, and imbibing to match, you're missing the point.

Wine is a more traditional beverage than beer to pair with Thanksgiving dinner, but beer is more than up to the task. It's no knock on wine to notice that beer comes in a far greater range of styles and flavors.

I'm actually tasked with bringing beer to a small Thanksgiving dinner, so I've been thinking about this. I'd like to bring a variety of beers to cater to individual preferences and different foods.

A nice go-to Thanksgiving beer is New Belgium Hoptober. The fall seasonal (7 percent ABV, 40 IBUs) from the Ft. Collins craft giant is a well-wrought, hop-forward golden ale.

It's somewhat unusual to find a hoppy golden ale — usually they're pansy beers meant to avoid offense. Not this one. It has a wonderfully complex hop flavor from Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette and Glacier hops.

Hoptober should pair well with a typical Thanksgiving dinner. It also doesn't hurt that Star Liquors in Durango has Hoptober 12-packs on sale for $9.99.

Another favorite is Durango Dark Lager (5.8 percent ABV, 20 IBUs). This is a local beer that I periodically re-discover to my delight. Durango Dark would pair well with desserts such as pumpkin pie, and its malt-forward taste provides something different from Hoptober. If you live outside Durango and can't find Durango Dark, Session Black Lager (in the stubby bottles) is very similar.

Porters are also great in this vein, and Ska's Ten Pin Porter, Santa Fe's State Pen Porter and Deschutes' Black Butte Porter all come with the Soggy Coaster stamp of approval.

For a fancy wine-like presentation, Steamworks' Spruce Goose Ale is a personal favorite, and the spruce taste should pair well with fall harvest flavors on Thanksgiving.

Finally, if there were ever a day to drink really strong beers, Thanksgiving is it. Imperial stouts and barley wines can offer complexities not found in lesser beers.

Experiment. The internets are full of posts like this, so feel free to Google "Thanksgiving beer pairings" for other suggestions. Try what you like, and let me know how it goes.

Durango approves new beer store

2010-11-17T10:00:00.001-07:00

Last night, the Durango liquor board approved a liquor license for a new alcohol retailer at College Plaza, near the intersection of Eighth Street and Eighth Avenue.

Chris, Molly and Eric Hamilton plan to open a high-end liquor, wine and beer store, W.J. Doyle Wine & Spirits, according to The Durango Herald.

I'm glad. Despite the amusing comments from potential competitors, I would appreciate another liquor store in the South Side neighborhood, where I happen to live.

Sixth Street Liquors is a bit far to walk from my place and return with beer. As for Likker House, it has a limited selection focused on cheap beer and the owners still refuse to accept credit and debit cards, an increasingly untenable position.

The neighborhood could use a high-end store selling the kinds of quality beer offered by Star Liquors in north Durango. I see no reason why the Hamiltons should not be allowed to compete for customers.

Review: Big Grizz Barleywine Ale (Carver's)

2010-11-16T09:00:00.001-07:00

As mentioned on Durango's first, best and only beer blog last week, Carver Brewing Co. has tapped its Big Grizz Barleywine Ale, a potent English-style beer meant to keep your spirits high and chests warm in below-freezing weather.

I managed to stop in for a Big Grizz on Sunday night as temperatures dipped into the teens. A lovely server brought a little goblet to my table in exchange for a mere $3.50.

Apparently, it was from the 2009 batch, a keg that brewer Erik Maxson must have squirreled away to see how the old bear ages.

Well, it turns out. It has a hint of sweetness and a little fruitiness that is well balanced by hops. It sports fairly assertive carbonation that cedes to the amber-colored 11 percent ABV body. A full texture gives the ursine beverage a substantial heft appropriate for the style.

I like it. Call it an A-, almost an A. Big Grizz is the only barley wine in town, and many thanks for that. Durango is far too cold to be left without a barley wine.

One nitpick about the name: Big Grizz? Carver's names most of its beers after local phenomena. The Durango area has bears, but not grizzlies.

Barley wine, the ultimate winter warmer

2010-11-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

For the first time this season, snow has dusted the streets of Durango. It's not much, but enough to justify Carver Brewing Co.'s tapping of its Big Grizz Barleywine Ale.

Barley wine is, of course, a type of beer. (It is often called "barley wine-style ale" to avoid confusion, but I'm not sure that's any less confusing). It's a broad term for a very strong style of beer of English origin, typically at least 11 percent alcohol by volume.

Because of their strength, barley wines are usually served in goblets instead of pint glasses. Their burly malt profile typically makes them quite sweet, a tendency that must be balanced with generous hopping.

Carver's is the only one of Durango's four breweries to produce barley wine. Barley wine fits well with how Carver's presents itself: a cozy brewpub that feels a little Old World, what with the hand-pulled cask engine and the shelf of single-malt Scotches.

It's has been too long for me to render a judgment on Big Grizz (11 percent ABV), so I'll have to try it again and see if I can review it. Typically, Carver's bottles a few for customers to take home.

Three Rivers Brewery in Farmington also offers a barley wine every winter. Perhaps a side-by-side comparison is in order.

My favorite barley wine so far is Deschutes' Mirror Mirror (11 percent ABV, 30 IBUs), which can sometimes be found in our neck of the woods. It has a wonderful balance of caramel malt flavor and hops that I haven't seen equaled by others.

At the 2010 Great American Beer Festival, 57 entries competed for medals in the barley wine-style ale category. The gold medalist was from Troegs Brewery in Harrisburg, Penn. Given the miserable winters there, they can probably use all the cold-weather joy that a barley wine can impart.

Barley wines are often regarded as the pinnacle of the brewer's art (although brewing something like a lambic is more difficult). Often, I find them too sweet, but a great barley wine is indeed something to behold on a cold night when your belly wants nothing more than a warming swell.

Winter beers come in from the cold

2010-11-08T12:00:00.008-07:00

The first taste of Spruce Goose Ale is akin to a first taste of a fresh-hop beer. It carries a remarkable flavor, unique among local beers, lent by recently harvested high-altitude spruce tips.

Like fresh hops, the spruce taste is subtle but most present as soon as the beer is available. It recedes, and within a few months Spruce Goose will taste rather muted.

Last weekend, I made it down to Steamworks Brewing Co. for my first pint of this year's Spruce Goose release. It pours a dark amber color with a sizable head of foam. At 8.1 percent ABV, it's on the strong side. Spruce Goose is lightly hopped to 21 IBUs.

I love this beer. The spruce flavor, as I've said, reminds me of raspberries, but that's not quite right. Spruce really has a taste all its own.

Spruce Goose seems to fly under the radar. A good friend of mine who has lived in Durango for 12 years and drinks his fair share of craft beer had never tried it before I brought a bottle over to his house. It's seasonal (November through January), which limits its visibility.

Spruce Goose also costs about $10 a bottle. Some craft beer drinkers will not pay $10 for a beer, even if they wouldn't hesitate to pay that much for wine.

This is one worth trying.

Snow is expected in the mountains tonight, and around town, other winter seasonals are beginning to emerge. Ska's burly Euphoria Pale Ale is their lead winter seasonal. The purple cans ought to fit in your ski jacket, not that I would ever condone sneaking beers on the mountain.

At Carver's, an imperial stout just went on tap, and the brewpub will presumably have its annual barley wine available before long. November is Locals' Appreciation Month at Carver's, and they're having some good deals: pints are $3.75 (if I remember correctly; they may have been $3.50), while growlers are only $6.50.

I got my 64-ounce growler filled with imperial stout. You would have to look long and hard to find a deal better than that.

As always, the Front Range breweries have unleashed a flurry of winter beers. There are too many to mention here, but I was impressed by a Great Divide Hibernation Ale (8.7 percent ABV) I had recently. The old ale has a big, malty body that is nicely offset by fresh hopping.

Silly blogger navel-gazing + actual beer news

2010-11-05T13:15:00.003-06:00

I try to stay away from tedious discussions of blogging and what it all means. A quick exception today as this guy has started a tempest-in-a-sampler-glass with a broadside on the value of beer blogging (posted to his beer blog, of course).

Yawn. Blog if you enjoy it, quit if you don't. Don't blog and expect to be compensated monetarily. I'm a professional journalist, and I certainly understand and appreciate the concept of being paid for one's work. But that involves writing for a publication conceived, owned and edited by someone else.

For most beer bloggers, their site is a chance to write something that is entirely their own. That has enormous value, even if it doesn't help one's bank account.

Now on to actual beer news:

Steamworks Brewing Co. has released their Spruce Goose Ale, a wonderful beer using spruce tips from forest land north of Durango. It's best when fresh, as the spruce tips give a delicious raspberry-like taste that recedes with time. It's also an expensive beer, especially in bottles, but entirely worth it. Spruce Goose is one of the very best beers brewed in Durango.

Steamworks also reports via Facebook that it is tapping a new beer today. Wanna Git Rye? is a rye pale ale that comes in at 6.5 percent ABV and 40 IBUs.

It sounds promising. To my taste buds, 40 IBUs is about the sweet spot when it comes to hopping pale ales. I'm eager to try this new beer and my old favorite, Spruce Goose.

Steamworks also will have a cherry vanilla stout on cask tonight.

Finally, Ska Brewing Co. has just put into barrels a new sour beer, according to its Facebook page (I sense a trend). Ska says:

"Our 3rd sour project is underway! 20 degree plato wort fermenting entirely in the barrels, 3 brett strains, 2 ale strains, lacto and pedio. To be blended and hopefully available in 2012 in time to toast the End of Days."

It sounds like an interesting experiment, to say the least. I think the danger in these types of beers lies in trying to do too much. The handiest example is Durango Brewing Co.'s 20th Anniversary Ale, which tried to be a Belgian golden, or a Brettanomyces-soured saison, or something. It ended up being muddled and indistinct.

Ska went the other way with Dementia, simply aging its dark, piney Euphoria, a heavy winter "pale" ale that is not at all pale, in bourbon barrels for a few months. It was then dry-hopped with Simcoes, and voila, out came Dementia. That was it. In my view, it's the best beer Ska has made in at least five years and quite possibly ever.

A final thought: I did not like Ska's first sour beer (cleverly named Ska Sour) because it was hopped to hell and back, and I thought the hops clashed nastily with the souring yeasts. Perhaps that's just one man's opinion, but I hope they dialed the Lupulin back a bit on this one.

Brewer Hickenlooper elected governor

2010-11-04T12:00:00.003-06:00

Colorado voters have elected a brewer to lead their state. John Hickenlooper, mayor of Denver, was elevated to the governor's office by a wide margin.

Hickenlooper in 1988 co-founded Wynkoop Brewing in downtown Denver. Wynkoop was the first brewpub in Denver and helped lead the renaissance of the LoDo neighborhood (the Rockies and Broncos helped a lot, too).

Wynkoop has a number of links to Durango's breweries. Ska's head brewer, Thomas Larsen, learned his craft there.

The LoDo neighborhood has become a bit of a craft beer mecca. Great Divide Brewing (best known for their Old Yeti imperial stout), a Breckenridge Brewery pub and the famed Falling Rock Taphouse anchor the area surrounding Coors Field.

Hickenlooper follows a long American pageant of brewers to hold high office. George Washington and Samuel Adams, among other Founding Fathers, were avid brewers.

Brewing and state politics have mixed several times in recent years over grocery-store sales, excise taxes and other issues. It'll be interesting to see how Hickenlooper weighs in when brewing issues inevitably come to the Capitol.

Update (Nov. 8): Wynkoop will brew a beer in Hickenlooper's honor, Denver weekly Westword reports.

World Series beer recommendations

2010-10-27T13:30:00.000-06:00

It's fall, when a young man's fancy turns to the World Series, the best-of-seven, do-or-die contest that determines which team is the best at the world's most beautiful sport. (You can't tell me the Broncos are worth watching).

So we have the Texas Rangers facing the San Francisco Giants. For Giants fans, the beer recommendation is easy: Anchor Steam, first bottled in 1971 and arguably American's first modern craft beer. It is widely available, relatively affordable and at only 4.9 percent ABV, it won't make you pass out on your couch by the seventh inning.

Nevertheless, I would not argue against any of Northern California's finely wrought craft beers from breweries such as Russian River, Sierra Nevada or Lagunitas Brewing. There is no shortage of choices for supporters of Lincecum and the Kung Fu Panda.

Rangers fans have fewer choices, as Texas is not a craft-beer mecca on the level of NorCal. I'd recommend Shiner Bock, which is brewed in Texas and is also widely available and relatively inexpensive.

I briefly considered New Belgium's new Ranger IPA (6.5 percent ABV, 70 IBUs), but that's brewed in Fort Collins, not Fort Worth, and as a Colorado resident, I cannot allow Texans to claim another part of Colorado just because the beer happens to have a similar name to the baseball team. (Vent, seethe, recover).

So there you have it. Play ball!

Winter, and its delicious beers, loom again

2010-10-26T09:00:00.002-06:00

In my rearview mirror last week as I drove south out of Durango, snow blanketed the La Platas.

This means it's time to start thinking about winter beers. Personally, I say bring it on. I enjoy a good wheat ale or German-style lager in the summer, but winter is the season of imperial stouts and barley wines. Now that's beer.

I'm prepared. I've saved a couple Ska Dementias that should taste great when the city of Durango is busy plowing snow into my car. Also, a couple Deschutes' The Abyss, the wonderful imperial stout; and barley wines from Santa Fe Brewing and Pelican Brewing.

At the moment, a Durango Dark Lager accompanies my viewing of the baseball playoffs. I'm especially looking forward to drinking some Steamworks Backside Stout at Purgatory.

Drink up those yellow beers. It's time for beers that intimidate.

Steamworks to tap What the Helles?

2010-10-20T14:02:00.003-06:00

Steamworks Brewing Co. will tap its gold medal-winning "What the Helles?" lager today. If you haven't had a chance to try it, now would be the time.

Beer on the Pacific

2010-10-14T16:35:00.002-06:00

The Oregon Coast is less well-known than Southern California's, but it has it charms: gray and dark blue, wind-bent trees, a sense of power welling deep within the world's largest body of water. The ocean typically is too cold to swim in, but a few brave souls slip into wetsuits and surf.

The coast is also home to some of Oregon's best breweries. Pelican Pub & Brewery in Pacific City has a beachfront view of Haystack Rock. The scenery is breathtaking and has helped Pelican become a popular tourist destination.

This little brewery has repeatedly cleaned up at the Great American Beer Festival. Pelican won the Large Brewpub of the Year award in 2006. The brewery has accumulated an astonishing 28 GABF medals since 1998, including three this year.

After a long and beautiful drive from the Willamette Valley, my buddy and I sat down at a window seat to watch the waves roll in, eat lunch and drink beer.

I first ordered a Kiwanda Cream Ale (5.1 percent ABV, 25 IBUs), one of Pelican's mainline brews. Kiwanda beat out 54 other beers to win the gold medal in the Golden or Blonde Ale category at this year's GABF.

It pours a golden honey color with a decent head. The carbonation makes the flavor pop. Kiwanda certainly does taste of cream, reminiscent of a cream soda. The light ale body holds the beer together superbly. Kiwanda uses two-row malt, flaked barley and light hopping with Mt. Hood hops to achieve a perfect balance.

Next I tried Pelican's fresh-hop beer, Elemental Ale (6.5 percent ABV, 75 IBUs). This one uses big quantities of Sterling hops. It's worth reading Pelican's description of the beer:

Brewed only once a year at peak hop season, this beer is made with 400 pounds of freshly picked, "wet" Sterling hops from Goschie Farms in Silverton, OR. The hops were only three hours from the vine when they went into the kettle. The mash tun was also used as a hop back, holding 300 pounds of hops! This beer features a huge floral, spicy, grassy aroma with a firm malt background and a huge, snappy hop finish.

Fresh-hop beers have become de rigeur for ambitious breweries, particularly in Oregon, home to a substantial percentage of the world's hop production. It's also caught on in Colorado, where Ska, Steamworks and Pagosa all brewed fresh-hop beers this season.

To my taste, Elemental Ale was a little over-hopped. I enjoy the floral, citrus and grassy qualities in hops, but at 75 IBUs, the subtleties are overwhelmed by bitterness. Additionally, Sterlings, a close relative of Saaz, aren't my favorite hops for the sort of starring role played in a fresh-hop beer.

Pelican does a great job with their beer and food (my shrimp pizza was delicious). I still have two significant nits to pick:

1. Price. Lunch for two with three beers between us ran almost $50. Pelican puts out a good product, but they make you pay for it.

2. Service. The restaurant was understaffed, and our server obviously had as many tables as she could handle. Beers were slow in coming, I didn't have utensils for about 20 minutes after I sat down and when she finally took my debit card, the receipt came back without a pen with which to sign it (I had to track down one at the bar). The staff were friendly but either overworked or inattentive, a common problem at tourist restaurants.

After leaving Pelican, we drove south on Highway 101 along the ocean until we pulled into Rogue Ales' headquarters, spotted beautifully in Yaquina Bay at Newport.

I ordered a snifter of John John Hazelnut, a version of Hazelnut Brown Nectar that has been aged in rum barrels. (It's actually a collaboration between Rogue's head brewer and its head distiller). It would make an impressive winter warmer, but I found the rum note a bit over-the-top, smothering the tasty hazelnut flavor of the base beer. The liquor taste could be welcome in some situations, but I just wasn't feeling it.

Much better was a sampler highlighted by a dry-hopped Saint Rogue Red Ale that expressed its Chinook and Centennial hops very favorably.

A taste of Rogue's Double Chocolate Stout proved that Young's version isn't the only game in town. The bittersweet chocolate taste was deep and inviting.

After driving back to the valley, I'm comforted that where the Pacific meets North America, brewers are practicing their craft with skill and conscience.

Hops and ales in Bend, Oregon

2010-10-13T11:05:00.003-06:00

Bend, Oregon, reminds me a lot of Durango. It rests at fairly high elevation (a little over 3,000 feet), it has a wealth of outdoor recreation and natural beauty, and it relies on a tourism and second-homeowner economy.

Most importantly, it has five breweries (but a larger population, about 80,000 people). The best known is Deschutes Brewing, whose beers can easily be found in Durango. The town also hosts Bend Brewing, 10 Barrel Brewing, Cascade Lakes Brewing and Silver Moon Brewing.
I have been drinking Deschutes beers since I was of legal age, so it was nice to finally see the Bend pub.

Deschutes serves a six-beer sampler, all the better to enjoy during an Oregon Ducks football game. I chose Miss Spelt Hefeweizen (4.1 percent ABV, 17 IBUs), Yam-a-Lama! (5, 50) Down Under Dark Ale (4.7, 38), Mirror Pond Pale Ale on cask (5, 40), Lugnut Fresh Hop Pale Ale (6, 45) and Hop Trial Strong Amber (7, 52).

Most interesting and unusual was Yam-a-Lama!, a fresh-hop pale ale using Crystal hops, but with the addition of what the brewery calls a "heck of a lot of sweet potatoes." The sweet potatoes were a bold and different take on the American-style pale ale, adding a dimension I'd never tasted before.

It was a wonderful fall seasonal beer that took an entirely different tack than the many German-inspired Oktoberfest lagers.

The hefeweizen was also notably good, a flavorful turn on the popular style using wheat, pilsner, carared and spelt malts. It was brewed to style and very tasty.

I'm lucky to be here, in the midst of hop country, during a slew of fresh-hop releases. Deschutes had no fewer than four (four!) distinct fresh-hop beers on tap.

While I love Deschutes' beers, I was keen to try Bend Brewing. The brewery is best known for its rock star chick brewer, Tonya Cornett, who has won multiple Great American Beer Festival medals.

Bend Brewing's Elk Lake India Pale Ale (6.2 percent ABV, 64 IBUs) was a superb IPA, brimming with ample Nugget and Cascade hops. This bitter and floral IPA was head-turning.

I also tried Bend's seasonal Oktoberfest, which I felt lacked heft. Given Cornett's track record, and the wonderful IPA, I'm inclined to give her a pass. On a later visit, I tried the brewery's seasonal pilsner, a refreshing style that nicely complemented a light lunch. This one had a pleasant hop backbone.

Of Bend's three remaining breweries, the only other beer I managed to try was 10 Barrel's Summer Ale (4.7 percent ABV, 26 IBUs). A light golden ale with an assertive honey note, the Summer Ale was a dead ringer for Durango's own True Blonde Ale.

So that was Bend, a town with more than its fair share of craft breweries. For my next post, I'll have a rundown of Oregon's coastal breweries, including the much-laureled Pelican Pub & Brewery.

Report from the Tacoma Beer Festival

2010-10-08T22:11:00.002-06:00

I apologize for the lengthy delay since my last post, but the good news is I've been drinking some great beer in the Pacific Northwest on a visit to family.

I ended up attending the Tacoma Craft Beer Festival last weekend. It was held on a pier on the Tacoma waterfront (just south of Seattle).

I was most impressed by two beers from Walking Man Brewery in Stevenson, Wash. The first was a burly cherry oatmeal stout that exhibited a wonderful natural cherry flavor in a full-bodied stout.

Next was Walking Man's excellent fresh-hop IPA, using freshly harvested hops from a nearby farm. The ale had everything you want in a fresh-hop beer: a rounded, oily, interesting hop flavor.

Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat carried its sweetish, citrus fruit note exceptionally well. I was impressed by the Northern California brewers.

Elysian Avatar IPA was disappointing compared to the hype that the Seattle beer receives. Another Washington IPA, Port Townsend IPA, was triple dry-hopped and tasted like it. The aggressive hop flavor was nicely balanced.

Big Al's Brougham Bitter had a slightly mineral hop taste, very much to style and very tasty. Finally, Lazy Boy Hefe, made with Munich and wheat malts and Vanguard hops, was a nice example of the style.

It was a good time, but I have somewhat mixed feelings about beer festivals. You get to try a great variety of beers at one time, but the bottom line is you're often in a warehouse full of dudes drinking beer. That begins to lack appeal after a while.

Nevertheless, the Tacoma fest, in only its second year, had a lot to offer. I greatly appreciated being able to try so many beers unavailable in Colorado.

Red-state moment

2010-09-29T10:00:00.001-06:00

An overlooked benefit of the move among craft brewers toward cans: It is way more fun to wad up a can and toss it when finished, even if I have to pick it up later, than to place a bottle on the counter.

Crunching up a can and tossing it aside makes me feel American.

Review: Rio Grande Pancho Verde Chile Cerveza

2010-09-27T09:00:00.001-06:00

And so we come to the clunker. I purchased a six-pack of this stuff in Farmington long ago. I drank one and it took me many months to try another for review purposes.

Pancho Verde Chile Cerveza is the creation of Rio Grande Brewing in Moriarty, N.M., a dot on the map next to the bustling crap-tropolis of Albuquerque.

Pancho Verde pours a pale yellow, reminiscent of industrial American lager. It sports a minimal head of white foam for a few seconds before dissolving into tepid yellowness.

Green chiles, a crop for which New Mexico is justly famous, come through in the aroma and flavor. Pancho Verde is extremely light-bodied. The green chiles lend an organic, vegetable taste followed by a gut-turning injection of green chile heat.

Give Rio Grande props for doing something unusual and reflective of its home region. That's all the praise I can must for this one: Without the green chile, I imagine Pancho Verde would taste something like PBR. It's so thin-bodied that there's nothing to the flavor but green chile, a seering heat that is out of balance and unpleasant. As one guy wrote on BeerAdvocate, "If a green chile could take a piss, this is what would be in the toilet." A vulgar but illustrative comment.

The craft-brewing revolution began more than 30 years ago. With market competition and learning brought by homebrewing, conferences and much cross-germination and sharing among brewers, it has become downright rare to find a craft beer that tastes truly bad. This is one. D

Durango's Oktoberfest this weekend

2010-09-24T14:30:00.002-06:00

Downtown Durango will host its seventh annual Oktoberfest this weekend, Sept. 25-26.

The event will be held on three blocks of Main Avenue, from 900 to 1100 Main Ave.

On Saturday, Oktoberfest runs 11 a.m.-6 p.m. On Sunday, it'll be 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

All four Durango breweries are listed as cosponsors. The event raises funds for San Juan Citizens Alliance, the Durango-based environmental group.

Oktoberfest is free to enter. Food and beer can be purchased with wooden tokens. Dogs are prohibited, so leave the furry ones at home.

Review: Marble Red Ale

2010-09-23T14:40:00.001-06:00

My planned series of New Mexico beer reviews collided headlong with a busy week in real life. But let's get on with it:

Marble Brewery is a bit of a jewel in the still-developing world of New Mexico craft brewing. Founded in 2008, it is based in Albuquerque but also has a substantial tap room on the plaza in Santa Fe.

I was first impressed by a Marble beer I had at Three Rivers Brewery in Farmington, which was offering the Marble beer as a guest tap. I think it was an Old Ale, a deep, dark, boozy brew that stood out.

I didn't have another Marble beer until their folks showed up at Ska Brewing's 15th anniversay party. (A recap of that event is here). From the Wood, a 9.2 percent ABV Scottish ale aged in oak barrels, had a delicious, full and well-rounded character, with hints of vanilla and oak.

So I couldn't help but pick up a six-pack of Marble Red Ale while at Trader Joe's in Santa Fe.

Marble Red is fairly burly at 6.5 percent ABV. It uses substantial caramel malt, which is more than balanced by the contributions of Crystal, Cascade and Simcoe hops.

It pours a dark amber, with a decent head of off-white foam. The smell has a bit of caramel and a ton of hops.

Marble Red is aggressively hopped - the spices wash over your tongue and dominate the taste. It's more like a cross between a red ale and an IPA than a typical red.

I particularly enjoy generously hopped reds. They carry a ton of flavor, but seem better balanced than some IPAs. If you ever find yourself in New Mexico, grab this beer. And hopefully, given Marble's impressive consistency, it won't be long before the young brewery distributes here. A-

Homebrewing Modus Hoperandi

2010-09-23T14:21:00.001-06:00

The homebrewers among you might be interested in this gentleman's attempt to clone Ska Brewing Co.'s Modus Hoperandi IPA.

It doesn't surprise me that he wasn't entirely impressed by the result. Modus, which uses four different hop varieties, strikes me as a difficult beer to clone. The teeth-kicking hop flavor of that particular India Pale Ale is unique.

Review: Sante Fe State Pen Porter

2010-09-21T09:00:00.003-06:00

Sante Fe is one of the most stunningly unique places in America. It's as if someone took bits of Mexico and Spain and plopped them down firmly in the American West, surrounded by desert and mountains.

Every place name is in Spanish. The street grates say "Don't dump - drains to arroyo." The adobe architecture pleases the eye, as do the imposing Catholic cathedrals and the world-class art. And the food. Oh, God, the food.

Santa Fe has been thoroughly "discovered." Between the small city of 70,000, nearby Taos and environs, everyone from Julia Roberts to Val Kilmer, the late Dennis Hopper and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has chosen to live there at least part-time.

Fortunately, the land of Georgia O'Keefe and Tony Hillerman also offers ample craft beer to explore.

Santa Fe Brewing Co. is the oldest brewery in New Mexico. It is also the New Mexico brewery whose products are easiest to find in Colorado.

To start at a strong point in this week's New Mexico beer series, let's consider the State Pen Porter. It's one of Santa Fe's year-round, flagship offerings, and is readily available in six-packs here and there.

It pours a deep, inky almost-black with an imposing tan head of foam. The foam, no matter how carefully poured, will impress.

At 6.4 percent ABV, State Pen is relatively strong for a porter, a centuries-old English style that is widely brewed in the U.S. (including by Ska, with its comparable Ten Pin Porter).

Let State Pen warm for a few minutes to let the malts express themselves. And boy, do they - a wash of chocolate malt, with a little nuttiness. Some tasters perceive a hint of smoke in State Pen Porter (named for the nearby prison); I don't.

The dominant sweet chocolate taste is followed by a second wave of hop bitterness. This one has Cluster, Cascade and Willamette hops, and they're substantial enough to balance the ample chocolate malt.

It would be difficult to find a better porter. From the pour to the aroma to the taste, State Pen is a pleasure every time.

Santa Fe's website calls State Pen a "trademark beer of the Santa Fe Brewing Company’s master brewer, Ty Levis." Fine work, Mr. Levis. A

(An aside: If you visit Santa Fe, don't bother with the brewery itself. I went two weekends ago. It's out of town along a highway, past strip malls and chain restaurants. Only four beers were on tap. In fact, Trader Joe's had a better selection of Santa Fe beers than the brewery itself. Furthermore, the restaurant was out of chicken when I visited, and that ruled out about half the menu. Just buy their beer in a store).

Steamworks mounts comeback at GABF

2010-09-20T14:18:00.006-06:00

Steamworks Brewing Co. made a strong showing at last weekend's Great American Beer Festival in Denver, taking home three medals, including two golds, to lead Durango's breweries.

Steamworks' Backside Stout won gold in the Oatmeal Stout category (39 entries). What in the Helles? won gold in the Munich-style Helles category (42 entries). And the brewery's Colorado Kolsch, which is now being released in cans, took the silver medal in the German-style Kolsch category (46 entries).

For Steamworks, this represents an impressive comeback after getting skunked at the festival last year. The GABF is widely regarded as the most prestigious beer festival in the U.S., and brewers take a great deal of pride in winning medals in the blind tasting competitions.

For Southwest Colorado's other breweries, Ska Brewing Co. won the bronze medal for its Extra-Special ESB (you may recognize the red can) in the Classic English-style Pale Ale category (29 entries).

In nearby Pagosa Springs, the plucky little Pagosa Brewing Co. won silver in the specialty beer category (23 entries) with its Coconut Porter.

Durango Brewing Co. came home empty, ending its two-year streak of winning gold.

Medals vary a great deal from year to year. One year, a beer won't even place and the next year it will win gold. Still, you can't avoid being impressed by Steamworks' performance. Two golds and a silver is nothing to scoff at.

Colorado Kolsch (4.9 percent ABV, 17 IBUs) is a great summer beer, light but still flavorful. Backside Stout (6.2 percent ABV, 28 IBUs) makes for wonderful quaffing between runs when poured at Dante's or the base lodge at Purgatory.

"This is the first time the Backside Stout has been recognized at the GABF,” said Kris Oyler, Steamworks co-founder, in a news release. “It is one of our original brews, on tap since we opened in 1996. This recognition is long overdue.”

Oyler credited Steamworks brewers Ken Martin and Spencer Roper with the victories.

Congratulations to all the winners. Now start thinking up some recipes for 2011.

Appraising New Mexico craft beer

2010-09-20T09:00:00.003-06:00

Durango is so close to New Mexico that in many ways we have a foot in each state.

The economic intercourse between southern Colorado and northern New Mexico is considerable. Driven by advertising markets, we get our TV from Albuquerque. Many of us occasionally shop across the border in Farmington, while tourism from New Mexico helps drive Durango's own economy.

When it comes to beer, Durango's packaging breweries find an obvious additional market in New Mexico. And while New Mexico's homegrown craft-beer scene is improving, it lags behind Colorado's by almost any measure - number of breweries, amount of production, medals won at the Great American Beer Festival.

Still, there is good beer to be found in the self-proclaimed "Land of Enchantment." This week, Beer at 6512 will be highlighting New Mexico craft beers - the impressive and the disappointing, those distributed in Colorado and some that you must find there.

I hope you enjoy it.

*Note to readers: The computer I use to transfer photos has crapped out, so this blog will be lacking in photographs for the immediate future.

A look back at Ska's Local Series

2010-09-16T09:00:00.005-06:00

Ska Brewing Co. just released the 17th beer in its Local Series. The new release is the third go-round of Hoperation Ivy, a wet-hop IPA using freshly harvested hops from a farm near Montrose.

So I asked Dave Thibodeau, Ska's president and co-founder, to send me a list of all the brewery's Local Series releases. It makes for interesting perusing.

The Local Series gives Ska's talented brewers a chance to stretch their abilities and experiment with new styles with minimal risk on Ska's part.

The small-batch beers are always released in 22-ounce bomber bottles, mostly in and around Durango, costing about $5 a bottle. I like that it gives us local beer drinkers something new to try several times a year.

Below is the label art for Ska's first Local Series release, a Spiced Belgian-style Blonde Ale:

Here is the full list of Local Series releases:

17. Hoperation Ivy
16. Clancy's Black Beer
15. Saison Du'Rango
14. Oak-aged Orange Cream Stout
13. Hoperation Ivy
12. "Merlo" Stout
11. Hoperation Ivy
10. Puck's Potion
9. Double Chocolate Stout
8. Pilsner
7. Double Cream Ale
6. Strong Scotch Ale
5. Jay Tea
4. Watermelon Wheat
3. Pilsner
2. Double Chocolate Stout
1. Spiced Belgian-style Blonde Ale

The first Local Series beer I remember (having moved to Durango in the summer of 2005) was no. 3, a refreshing, flavorful pilsner. I recall drinking no. 4, the Watermelon Wheat, with some skepticism.

The Local Series seems to have gotten more dialed-in and consistently excellent in the last couple of years. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd go with no. 14, the Oak-aged Orange Cream Stout that brewer Thomas Larsen thought up when he was sick. It tasted great - a deep, creamy dark stout with a pleasant hint of orange peel.

I hope Ska keeps the Local Series going for years to come.

Recipe for Ska double red

2010-09-15T11:39:00.004-06:00

An alert reader noticed that the recipe for the beer I brewed last winter with Ska Brewing Co. in Durango has been reprinted by Brew Your Own, a homebrewing magazine.

If you're interested in how to brew a double red ale based on Ska's Pinstripe Red Ale, click over. I've posted the recipe on this blog before, but it's been organized in a more coherent fashion by Ska's Bill Graham. Scroll down to the recipe headed "Ska Brewing Company Kingpin Double Red."

I originally named it Soggy Coaster Imperial Red Ale, but I kind of like the name change.

Steamworks celebrates 14 years with specials

2010-09-14T09:00:00.004-06:00

This week, Steamworks Brewing Co. is celebrating its 14th Anniversary with special discounts, a new pale ale and live music. The following is adapted from a Steamworks news release:

The brewpub will tap its new Colorado Proud Pale Ale, and welcome Colorado Kölsch in 12-ounce cans to the repertoire of beers available off-premise throughout the state of Colorado.

“It’s been an interesting 14 years,” said Kris Oyler, Steamworks co-founder. “And we’re coming out of a very challenging one, but given that our revenues this summer in the Durango brewpub have been the strongest in our history, and we’re seeing a renewal of our presence in Colorado, all is good.”

The Steam Team is especially pleased with its new, limited production Colorado Proud Pale Ale, to be tapped on Thurs., Sept. 16. Any product that endeavors to sport the Colorado Proud logo (a statewide effort that promotes restaurants and other producers who are “totally Colorado”) must include all-Colorado ingredients.

“We used 450 pounds of premium Colorado two-row barley and 150 pounds of red wheat malt from Colorado Malting Company in Alamosa,” said Brian McEachron, Steamworks co-founder. “The hops are organically grown and we harvested 50 lbs. ourselves from Thistle Whistle Farms in Hothckiss. The dominant varieties are Cascade and Centennial hops. Our yeast comes from Brewing Science Institute in Woodland Park, and the water is first-use water from the San Juans. Thus, this is an all-Colorado ingredient beer.”

Colorado Proud Pale Ale will, according to McEachron, emphasize hop flavor and aroma over bitterness. IBUs are in the 25-30 range and the ABV approximately 5.5 percent.

“The hop character should be floral with citrus notes,” said McEachron, noting the Colorado Proud will be available only at the Durango brewpub. “We’re targeting a highly drinkable Pale Ale.”

Since closing its Bayfield brewing operation earlier this year, Steamworks has been canning only its flagship beers for off-premise sales, including the popular Steam Engine Lager and Third Eye Pale Ale, both of which have been available for several years in 12-oz cans. Thanks to an increase in efficiencies at the Durango brewery, Steamworks is now canning the Colorado Kölsch.

“We’re focusing our off-premise marketing on Colorado,” said Oyler. “We’ve developed a strong following throughout the state and we’re pleased we’re still able to service those accounts with the Steam Engine Lager, Third Eye and now Kölsch in six-pack cans as well as kegs.”

“The Colorado Kölsch is our tip of our cowboy hats to the German Kölschs that surfaced early in the 1900s and peaked in popularity in the 1960s in Cologne, Germany,” added McEachron. “Steamworks’ Kölsch has won silver medals at both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.”

Steamworks 14th “Gold” Anniversary celebration will include special beer and food pairings throughout the week, as well as “retro-pricing” - $2.75 for all house craft pints. On Tuesday, Sept. 14, local bluegrass band Waiting on Trial will perform – no cover, with all house pints $1 throughout the day.

“Next year is no. 15, and we’re already planning a bigger celebration for September,” said McEachron. “For Steamworks, it always was and it still is, ‘full steam ahead.’”

Steamworks Brewing Co. is located at 801 East Second Ave. in Durango. Ph: (970) 259-9200.

Hoppy beers dominate Brewfest

2010-09-13T15:12:00.007-06:00

Brewers packed a block of downtown Main Avenue Saturday for the 12th annual San Juan Brewfest, Durango's premier annual beer get-together.

The event brought 25 breweries, mostly from Colorado. Local bands Baby Toro and the Lawn Chair Kings provided the soundtrack.

Beer festivals seem to be coming fast and furious lately; another one was held in Cortez the same day. They could all be considered a warm-up for the mother of all beer festivals, the Great American Beer Festival this weekend (Sept. 16-18) in Denver.

I took it easy at the Brewfest because I had plans later in the day, but I still got to sample the beers that appealed most.

I mostly kept it to hoppy pale ales and IPAs. The few dark beers just didn't appeal under the summer sun. Here's my brief impressions of the beers I tried:

1. Palisade S.O.B. Pale Ale. This little brewery brought an outstanding pale ale to the Brewfest; probably the best beer I tried. The bright, floral, citrusy hops led the way. Simply a great, well-rounded and inviting pale ale.

2. Palisade Dirty Hippie Dark Wheat. Compared to the earlier Palisade beer, this one seemed a little lackluster. It was dark, malty and full-bodied, with a hint of spice. It would probably make a good winter beer but seemed out of place here.

3. Colorado Boy Cask ESB. A delicous, flavorful offering from the little Ridgway brewpub. The cask conditioning favorably showed off the Extra Special Bitter's creamy, lingering, smooth hop bitterness. It again demonstrated the benefits cask conditioning can offer hoppy beers, as Carver's does every time it pours its Cascade Canyon Cask IPA.

4. Ska Hoperation Ivy. The latest Local Series from Durango's own Ska Brewing Co., Hoperation Ivy is an annual fresh-hop IPA. The just-harvested hops from a farm near Montrose lend an oily character to the bitter ale that can't be faked. Fresh-hop (also called wet-hop) beers are always distinctive and often excellent. People who care about conscientious and interesting brewing shouldn't miss this one.

5. Pagosa Pale Ale. This is a perpetual favorite of mine from Pagosa Brewing Co. It's dry-hopped twice with Cascades, and the hops just pop on the tongue. The grassy flavor and lingering bitterness make this a showcase pale ale.

Miscellany: The Brewfest is a blessing in offering beers from around the state usually unavailable in Durango. Furthermore, it benefits a good cause in the United Way of Southwest Colorado (I should mention by way of disclosure that I was admitted to the Brewfest for free to blog about the event).

However, good events can always improve. My suggestions:

1. More food. Some brats were on hand, but that was about it. Perhaps next year, the organizers could extend invitations to a few restaurants so festival-goers who are queasy about eating brats have some other options.

2. Tim Walsworth, the United Way director who organizes the festival, is a magnanimous man who is familiar with my complaint about the glassware. It's no doubt cheaper, and safer, and with fewer headaches, to offer a small plastic sample "mug" than a real pint glass. It's an understandable move.

Still, I would prefer a nice pint glass, which was offered at the Brewfest years ago, for the following reasons: a). A pint glass makes a much better keepsake. Cool pint glasses like the one Ska made for its recent 15th Anniversary party make sweet collectibles. b). Aesthetically, it's much nicer to hold a hefty pint glass than a little plastic thing. c). The plastic mugs aren't adequate to the demands of foamy beer. It's a pain to have to wait for beers to settle in the little vessel. d). Glass indicates a presumption that your customers are responsible adults, rather than potential trouble-makers. That sort of trust goes a long way.

But those complaints are minor. The Brewfest is a fun event, put on for charity, that offers some great beer. I look forward to the lucky 13th year.

On "33 Bottles of Beer"

2010-09-12T09:00:00.003-06:00

A Portland, Ore., entrepreneur by the name of Dave Selden, in the mistaken impression that Beer at 6512 is an influential tastemaker, has sent me a sample of his product, a well put-together notebook intended for beer reviews.

In a moment of weakness that I blame on guilt stemming from my Midwestern, Protestant heritage, I'll give the guy the publicity he is so baldly seeking.

33 Bottles of Beer is a small notebook, slightly larger than a deck of cards. Each page contains fill-in spaces for the fundamental aspects of a beer review: ABV, IBU, beer name, brewer, etc. A flavor wheel allows the user to rate a beer's various aspects such as "malty," "sour," "hoppy," etc.

The notebooks cost $4 each or three for $10 from the official website.

33 Bottles of Beer is a nifty little tool for beer reviewers. I see it being most helpful for people who write frequent but short reviews for sites such as BeerAdvocate.

My only criticism is that it seems likely to encourage the ongoing standardization and formulization of beer reviews. Sites like BA have their place, but I hope there remains a space for us writerly types to go a little deeper in beer reviews. A hundred words might not be enough for every beer review; neither do I like to adhere by rigid categories like appearance, smell and taste. I might want to spend 100 words on the origin and character of the yeast alone.

In any case, Selden clearly has a handle on what constitutes a basic beer review, and 33 Bottles of Beer could be a useful tool for those who like to pound out brief appraisals.