Pagosa Porters on Tap!

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!

Around the Brewhouse

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.

Steamworks mounts comeback at GABF

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.

Hoppy beers dominate Brewfest

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.

Ska celebrates 15 years

Some 15 years ago, a couple of high school friends from Colorado's Front Range cobbled together a little bit of money and some equipment scrounged from rural dairy farms. With a comic book for a business plan, they founded Ska Brewing Co. in a warehouse on Durango's outskirts.

By now, Ska is easily the largest brewery in the Four Corners, with a spanking new state-of-the-art facility churning out bottles and cans for customers in much of the western and midwestern United States. Founders Dave Thibodeau and Bill Graham and later partner Matt Vincent now have more than 70 employees, strong sales and growing prominence in the craft-beer industry.

On Saturday, Ska celebrated its 15th birthday with a party worthy of its history. Seattle rockers the Supersuckers headlined a slate of bands and 15 breweries brought their best creations.

I was impressed by both the overall quality of the beers and the event in general. Everything seemed well-planned, from the shuttles departing from Steamworks to the commemorative tasting glass with a four-ounce pour line etched on the glass.

On to the beers. I got to taste most of the beers that piqued my interest. But I found that the four-ounce pour line was treated generously, and I left with some drink tickets still in my pocket. I tended to avoid beers readily available in Durango, so I found myself returning to some of the smaller producers.

Without further ado, in approximately the order in which I tasted them:

1. Ska Dementia. I had to give my regards to the birthday boy, so to speak. Brewed specifically for this event, Dementia is a barrel-aged version of Ska's Euphoria Pale Ale, typically a winter seasonal. Ska head brewer Thomas Larsen aged it for about five months in oak barrels, and dry hopped it with Simcoes.

I kept my expectations for this beer in check. Euphoria is not one of my favorite Ska beers - I have made the error of comparing Euphoria to other pale ales rather than taking it on its own merits. Euphoria is nothing like a standard American-style pale ale, Sierra Nevada's pioneering pale being the widely acknowledged exemplar. Euphoria is darker, hoppier and boozier.

Larsen poured a ceremonial opening keg of Dementia (pictured). The aged ale shows a deep mahogany color, with a substantial head of white foam.

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.

In short, it's outstanding. Dare I say Dementia is one of the best beers Ska has ever brewed.

An extremely small quantity of Dementia is available in 22-ounce bomber bottles, double-dipped in wax to ensure proper aging. Your best bet is to purchase them at Ska headquarters in Bodo Industrial Park. I suggest you do so.

2. Steamworks Cherry Diablo. A cherry-infused version of Ale Diablo from Durango's own Steamworks Brewing Co., this one was served from a firkin. The cherries (I heard they were pie cherries) nicely complemented the already excellent base beer, a Belgian-style golden ale that comes in at 8.5 percent ABV and 33 IBUs.

3. Marble IPA. A very hop-forward and well-brewed IPA from the two-year-old Albuquerque outfit. This one is brewed with Columbus, centennial and Amarillo hops and packs 6.2 percent ABV.

4. Left Hand Polestar Pils. A summer favorite of mine from the boys in Longmont, this pilsner lager (5.5 percent ABV, 33 IBUs) is brewed with Weyermann pilsner and pale malt, and hopped with magnum, Mt. Hood and sterling hops. It was as good as I remember.

5. Three Rivers Double Amber. A big amber ale from the Farmington brewpub, this one flaunts its alcohol content like Flavor Flav rocks a timepiece. The thick malt body gave it a sweetness that could have used greater hop character for balance.

6. Marble From the Wood. I went back to these up-and-comers for their strong Scottish ale aged in oak barrels. From the Wood (9.2 percent ABV!) carried assertive notes of vanilla and oak. It was luxurious and smooth, not unlike a barley wine. My second-favorite beer of the fest.

7. Three Rivers SHIPA. A single-hop IPA brewed with Cascades, the classic American craft beer hop. A very enjoyable IPA.

8. Pagosa Rodeo Rider Red. This German-style red ale plays to my weakness for interesting and well-done red ales. Many are the weak, boring red ales. This is not one of those. Rodeo Rider Red carries a huge and endlessly complex malt profile. Caramel, wood, molasses flavors impress.

9. Bristol Compass IPA. At this point my palate was dead to hops and my interest in note-taking declined precipitously. About all I can relate here is this Colorado Springs IPA tasted acceptable (6.7 percent ABV, 55 IBUs).

10. Breckenridge Double Pils. A strong pilsner lager from the Denver-based giant. "Sweet," say my notes. I think I liked this one.

Ska threw a hell of a party, a ton of people helped out and brewers brought some serious, interesting beers.

"Have I mentioned how tasty this beer is?" said Supersuckers leadman Eddie Spaghetti from the stage. "It's good shit."

I'll leave it at that.

Pagosa to tap Wolf Creek Wheat

Pagosa Brewing Co. is tapping its Wolf Creek Wheat on Friday, July 23.

The brewery describes Wolf Creek Wheat, a returning summer seasonal, as a "cloudy, unfiltered American wheat beer."

For an extra 50 cents, Pagosa will let drinkers add peach, orange, pomegranate, ginger, raspberry or apple flavor to the wheat ale.

It'll be a wheaty weekend in Southwest Colorado. Ska and Avery Brewing will be tapping their Wheelsucker Wheat Ale a day later at Ska HQ in Durango.

Last year, Ska had flavors available to turn Wheelsucker Wheat into a Radler, a popular German drink. I suspect that option will be available again Saturday.

Sunday round-up

- Ska Brewing Co. has a double-dry hopped version of Euphoria Pale Ale on cask. The brewery is also not far from releasing its Mexican Logger seasonal.

- Carver Brewing has Smokey the Beer on tap, a Rauchbier (smoked lager) from Pagosa Brewing. The smoke flavor is not exactly subtle, but try it if you like the style.

Now how about getting some of Pagosa's Belgian-style treats on this side of the Pine River Valley?

- Oregon breweries appear to be taking the hint when it comes to cans. Colorado's breweries have been much more aggressive and early to can their beers. But now a small operation called Estacada Brewing has adopted cans, reports The Oregonian. Caldera Brewing in Ashland, maker of a superb pale ale, is probably the most notable Oregon brewery to adopt cans.

But wait! Cans contain BPA liners, which apparently are going to kill us all. A good discussion of the issue is at The Oregon Economics Blog here. More comments at Beervana here.

A Day in the Life

A Belgian-style pale ale looking out the window at Pagosa Brewing Co. on Dec. 7. Pagosa Brewing is always worth a stop on your way through town. In addition to this beer, the brewery also had a stout on cask and Hop 'N Fresh, a fresh-hop ale, available, along with their usual lineup. Tasty little brewpub, this one.

A day in the life

A Belgian amber ale enjoyed at Pagosa Springs Brewing Co on Sept. 20. If you've never been to Pagosa Springs Brewing, you should go. They've got a fantastic lineup of beers.

A new one I had the same day, Mid Nite Pale Ale, was fantastic, although my photos of Mid Nite didn't turn out well. There's no information about Mid Nite on Pagosa's website, which makes me think it's new. In any case, it exhibited superb, well-balanced hop character. Sometimes hoppy beers run toward the bitter end. But in some cases, as with Mid Nite, they exhibit a fruity, floral character that makes you wonder if the hops were just picked off the vine. Delicious.

Taste of Durango

A huge crowd packed Main Avenue on Sunday for Taste of Durango, the town's annual showcase for restaurants.

The breweries came out, too. All four Durango breweries had booths, along with Silverton Brewery and Pagosa Brewing.

Silverton and Pagosa each make some good brews, but in my experience they're not as consistent as their Durango counterparts. Both are growing up and getting better each year.

Soggy Coaster had a Pagosa Pale Ale, which was decent if unexceptional. Unfortunately, Pagosa's tasty Powder Day IPA was not available.

The most interesting beer was the dandelion saison from the Bootlegger's Society, the consortium of Durango breweries. It was brewed using real dandelions for some sort of hippie event.

Soggy Coaster found it quite refreshing. The dandelions are barely discernible, and the saison yeast is also not assertive. It almost tasted like a lager. Nevertheless, it filled the bill for a hot day in the sun.

The dandelion saison should continue to be on tap at the Durango breweries until supplies run out.

Brewings in Breckenridge and Pagosa Springs

Soggy Coaster had the chance to stop by two Colorado breweries last weekend, Breckenridge Brewing and Pagosa Brewing.

The coalition alighted in Breckenridge Brewing's pub in downtown Breck on Friday night, with snow piled up outside and the young, wealthy and beautiful piling inside. I sampled Pandora's Bock and an unfiltered wheat. Pandora's Bock (7.5 percent ABV, 16 IBUs) was good enough, although after recently drinking a Carver's X-Rock Bock, the Breckenridge offering struck me as over-filtered and a bit dull. The unfiltered wheat was also lacking in character. It would be fine after a long, hot bike ride, but in a pub session it underwhelmed.

Breckenridge Brewing seems more committed to offering accessible session beers than to going out on a limb. Even its small-batch 471 Series, offering a double IPA (9.2 percent ABV, 70 IBUs) and an ESB (7.8 percent ABV, 55 IBUs), strikes me as playing it safe. Those beers are essentially stronger versions of very popular styles offered by a long list of other Colorado breweries. Ska Brewing, for example, brews both a double IPA and an ESB. Certainly, Breck offers some good, well-brewed session beers - its Vanilla Porter (4.7 percent ABV, 16 IBUs) is a favorite of mine - but the brewery is not doing anything unique. Its beer can be found in most Durango liquor stores.

We broke up the long car ride from Breckenridge to Durango with a stop at Pagosa Brewing. It's situated behind the newer City Market on the western edge of the town's haphazard highway sprawl. A gate leads visitors in to a sawdust-covered front yard. The pub itself is cozy, with no more than a dozen tables.

The small brewery has an impressive cast of brews: nine staples including a cream ale, a wheat, a pale ale, an ESB and a stout. A large roster of seasonals is also on offer.

I started with an Alpine Abbey 8, a seasonal Belgian-style dubbel. Unfortunately, it was lacking in that yeasty funk I enjoy in other Belgian-style dubbel ales such as New Belgium's Abbey. It was completely drinkable, but ultimately uninteresting.

For the second round, I chugged a Powder Day IPA. I really liked this one: Powder Day is a very enjoyable IPA, with plenty of well-balanced hop character.

Pagosa Brewing pints cost $5. Growlers are available to go. It's not cheap, but you're paying for the local character. Small brewpubs like Pagosa Brewing and Carver's simply don't have the efficiencies of scale that a largish brewery like Ska or Steamworks can use to keep prices low. The small brewpubs may cost more, but they don't lack for innovation. I'd highly recommend a visit to Pagosa Brewing. If you want cheap beer, there's always PBR.