The Durango Herald has a short story today on the Ska/Avery/Oskar Blues statewide tour that culminated in the release of Wheelsucker Wheat Ale on Saturday.
The bicycle ride seems like a great way to build camaraderie among craft brewers. The beer ain't bad, either.
I attended the release party Saturday. A band called S.O.B. played ska tunes while the first kegs of Wheelsucker were tapped. The band moved inside as lightning threatened.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
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.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Skavery Wheelsucker Wheat Ale returns
Ska Brewing Co. and Avery Brewing Co. will release this year's version of Wheelsucker Wheat Ale at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 24, according to Ska's Facebook account.
Wheelsucker Wheat Ale is a superb imperial hefeweizen that won Beer at 6512's Beer of the Year 2009 award.
Wheelsucker is a thick-bodied wheat beer that has a refreshing aftertaste despite its approximately 7 percent ABV heft. I assume it will again be bottled in 22-ounce bombers.
Wheelsucker was brewed last year with 50-50 two-row malt and wheat malt, Hallertau Hersbrucker and Hallertau Mittlefruh hops and yeast from the Hopf Weissbier Brewery in Meisbock, Germany. Sweet and bitter orange peel were added at the end of the boil, lending a distinctive citrus note.
This beer is a crown jewel of Southwest Colorado craft brewing. It's worth seeking out.
Wheelsucker Wheat Ale is a superb imperial hefeweizen that won Beer at 6512's Beer of the Year 2009 award.
Wheelsucker is a thick-bodied wheat beer that has a refreshing aftertaste despite its approximately 7 percent ABV heft. I assume it will again be bottled in 22-ounce bombers.
Wheelsucker was brewed last year with 50-50 two-row malt and wheat malt, Hallertau Hersbrucker and Hallertau Mittlefruh hops and yeast from the Hopf Weissbier Brewery in Meisbock, Germany. Sweet and bitter orange peel were added at the end of the boil, lending a distinctive citrus note.
This beer is a crown jewel of Southwest Colorado craft brewing. It's worth seeking out.
Ska-blogger collaboration in Zymurgy
The current July/August issue of Zymurgy, the journal of the American Homebrewers Association, includes a column I wrote about my brewing collaboration with Ska Brewing Co.
I covered the project last winter extensively on this website, but it was fun to reach out to some new readers via Zymurgy.
The column is not available online. Zymurgy is sold at Magpie's in downtown Durango, along with homebrew shops and newsstands nationwide.
An archive of all the blog posts I wrote about the project to brew Soggy Coaster Imperial Red Ale is available here.
It was very cool of Ska to open up their brewery to bloggers like myself and Jeff Hammett (formerly of Beer N Bikes in Durango, now writing at San Diego Beer Blog). Thanks especially to Ska Head Brewer Thomas Larsen and President Dave Thibodeau, without whom I wouldn't have had any clue.
I hope this project leads to other interesting collaborations between bloggers and brewers.
I covered the project last winter extensively on this website, but it was fun to reach out to some new readers via Zymurgy.
The column is not available online. Zymurgy is sold at Magpie's in downtown Durango, along with homebrew shops and newsstands nationwide.
An archive of all the blog posts I wrote about the project to brew Soggy Coaster Imperial Red Ale is available here.
It was very cool of Ska to open up their brewery to bloggers like myself and Jeff Hammett (formerly of Beer N Bikes in Durango, now writing at San Diego Beer Blog). Thanks especially to Ska Head Brewer Thomas Larsen and President Dave Thibodeau, without whom I wouldn't have had any clue.
I hope this project leads to other interesting collaborations between bloggers and brewers.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
George Orwell, hop head
The English writer George Orwell led an austere life, but he did appreciate the finer things, including well-hopped English beers. This is from his autobiographical novel Down and Out in Paris and London (1933):
"There are, indeed, many things in England that make you glad to get home; bathrooms, armchairs, mint sauce, new potatoes properly cooked, brown bread, marmalade, beer made with veritable hops - they are all splendid, if you can pay for them."
"There are, indeed, many things in England that make you glad to get home; bathrooms, armchairs, mint sauce, new potatoes properly cooked, brown bread, marmalade, beer made with veritable hops - they are all splendid, if you can pay for them."
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Generous bootleggers
A news release from the Durango Bootlegger's Society:
The Bootlegger’s Society, the local consortium of Durango’s four craft brewers, has established the Durango Bootlegger’s Society Fund under the auspices of the Community Foundation of Southwest Colorado.
The affiliation with the Community Foundation will allow the breweries to collectively donate funds to non-profits as well as organize fundraising events and obtain a liquor license (needed for beer-related events) through the Foundation. Independent donations made directly to the Bootlegger’s Fund will also be tax-deductible.
“This is a unique situation that helps to cement our philanthropic footprint in Southwest Colorado,” said Dave Thibodeau, chairman of the Bootlegger’s new fund advisory board and co-founder of Ska Brewing Co. “I feel it can become a model for other small breweries/businesses to emulate in other communities across the country.”
The Bootlegger’s Society, the local consortium of Durango’s four craft brewers, has established the Durango Bootlegger’s Society Fund under the auspices of the Community Foundation of Southwest Colorado.
The affiliation with the Community Foundation will allow the breweries to collectively donate funds to non-profits as well as organize fundraising events and obtain a liquor license (needed for beer-related events) through the Foundation. Independent donations made directly to the Bootlegger’s Fund will also be tax-deductible.
“This is a unique situation that helps to cement our philanthropic footprint in Southwest Colorado,” said Dave Thibodeau, chairman of the Bootlegger’s new fund advisory board and co-founder of Ska Brewing Co. “I feel it can become a model for other small breweries/businesses to emulate in other communities across the country.”
Ska, Steamworks Brewing Co., Carver Brewing Co. and Durango Brewing Co. originally came together as the Bootlegger’s Society with a mission to raise the awareness and understanding of craft beer by rallying around the needs of the community.
“Our first event was the ‘Pint for Pint’ blood drive back in 2003,” said Brian McEachron, co-founder of Steamworks. “Blood was running short and workers were having little success securing donations. It didn’t take long for us to conspire and decide a little friendly competition might help raise awareness. We all asked our patrons to donate a pint blood and, in return, we offered them a pint of beer at their brewery of choice.”
The “Pint for Pint” blood drive has since emerged as a “best practice” and been modeled by blood services organizations throughout the country, according to McEachron.
The Bootlegger’s Society Fund was established with an initial $1,000 generated from the Spring Tonic event held at Carver’s. Upcoming events designed to help increase the fund include Oktoberfest, Ska’s 15th Anniversary Celebration and all four “Evenings on 8th” events held each Wednesday in September, 4-8 p.m. in Downtown Durango.
“Collectively we’ve always had a desire to help out the people of our communities who have always supported us,” said Thibodeau. “Establishing the Bootlegger’s Society Fund will make it that much easier for us to do so.”
For further information regarding the Community Foundation of Southwest Colorado, or to contribute to the Bootlegger’s Society Fund on-line, visit http://www.swcommunityfoundation.org/.
Review: Deschutes Hop in the Dark
“From the nothing’s sacred Pacific Northwest comes a whole new beer style: Cascadian Dark Ale. Welcome to the curious place where the velvet dark of roasted malt meets the hop snap of IPA. Cheers.” –Deschutes Brewery
For a while now, the Northwest has been abuzz about a new beer style that the local advocates call Cascadian Dark Ale. Named for the Cascade mountains of Oregon, the beer style is essentially a black IPA.
Beer styles never stay confined to one region for long, so I offer a few thoughts about probably the most widely available example: Hop in the Dark from Deschutes Brewery, based in Bend, Ore.
Deschutes is arguably among the very best breweries in the nation. It complements an accomplished line of session beers such as Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte Porter with innovative releases like The Abyss imperial stout and The Dissident, a Flanders-style brown ale.
Deschutes recently released Hop in the Dark in 22-ounce bomber bottles as part of its Bond Street series. I purchased my bottle in Denver, but Deschutes does distribute in Durango, so it should be on the shelves here soon if it isn’t already.
Hop in the Dark pours a deep black with a modest tan foam head. The beer style presents an immediate quandary: do you drink it immediately after pouring, as you would with an IPA, or let it sit for a few minutes to draw out the dark malt flavor?
I don’t know if that question has a correct answer, but I chose to start drinking with little delay alongside a dinner of homemade macaroni and cheese (not the boxed stuff).
The ale’s first taste contributes dark malt flavors of coffee and chocolate. The hop sharpness comes later, but soon cedes to a clean, malty aftertaste. Hop in the Dark does not carry the lingering, bitter aftertaste typical of IPAs.
Hop in the Dark comes in at 6.5 percent alcohol by volume and 70 IBUs.It is a somewhat hefty beer, but the malt nicely counters the hop bitterness.
Most beer geeks seem to agree that Cascadian Dark Ale (or whatever one wants to call it) is indeed a new beer style, but I was struck by how… familiar … it seemed. Dark malt, hop kick: Yeah, I can handle that.
Hop in the Dark was brewed with oats, dark, Munich and crystal malts, along with Cascade, Citra and Centennial hops.
It isn’t so dramatically different from imperial porter, although hoppier and not reaching the high alcohol content typical of that style.
Deschutes says its brewers made 22 test batches of Hop in the Dark before they were satisfied. It shows. Hop in the Dark is well-executed and nicely balanced.
Hop in the Dark is not stunningly exotic, but it’s a nice change of pace. It tastes good. And at about $5 per bomber bottle, it’s a reasonable value.
Add one more worthy ale to Deschutes’ quiver. B
For a while now, the Northwest has been abuzz about a new beer style that the local advocates call Cascadian Dark Ale. Named for the Cascade mountains of Oregon, the beer style is essentially a black IPA.
Beer styles never stay confined to one region for long, so I offer a few thoughts about probably the most widely available example: Hop in the Dark from Deschutes Brewery, based in Bend, Ore.
Deschutes is arguably among the very best breweries in the nation. It complements an accomplished line of session beers such as Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte Porter with innovative releases like The Abyss imperial stout and The Dissident, a Flanders-style brown ale.
Deschutes recently released Hop in the Dark in 22-ounce bomber bottles as part of its Bond Street series. I purchased my bottle in Denver, but Deschutes does distribute in Durango, so it should be on the shelves here soon if it isn’t already.
Hop in the Dark pours a deep black with a modest tan foam head. The beer style presents an immediate quandary: do you drink it immediately after pouring, as you would with an IPA, or let it sit for a few minutes to draw out the dark malt flavor?
I don’t know if that question has a correct answer, but I chose to start drinking with little delay alongside a dinner of homemade macaroni and cheese (not the boxed stuff).
The ale’s first taste contributes dark malt flavors of coffee and chocolate. The hop sharpness comes later, but soon cedes to a clean, malty aftertaste. Hop in the Dark does not carry the lingering, bitter aftertaste typical of IPAs.
Hop in the Dark comes in at 6.5 percent alcohol by volume and 70 IBUs.It is a somewhat hefty beer, but the malt nicely counters the hop bitterness.
Most beer geeks seem to agree that Cascadian Dark Ale (or whatever one wants to call it) is indeed a new beer style, but I was struck by how… familiar … it seemed. Dark malt, hop kick: Yeah, I can handle that.
Hop in the Dark was brewed with oats, dark, Munich and crystal malts, along with Cascade, Citra and Centennial hops.
It isn’t so dramatically different from imperial porter, although hoppier and not reaching the high alcohol content typical of that style.
Deschutes says its brewers made 22 test batches of Hop in the Dark before they were satisfied. It shows. Hop in the Dark is well-executed and nicely balanced.
Hop in the Dark is not stunningly exotic, but it’s a nice change of pace. It tastes good. And at about $5 per bomber bottle, it’s a reasonable value.
Add one more worthy ale to Deschutes’ quiver. B
Friday, June 25, 2010
Go Denver!
At least once a year, I make my way to Denver and environs to catch a Rockies game and taste some of the area's fantastic beers. Denver has become one of the best beer cities in the nation, with nearby Boulder and Fort Collins contributing some inspired brewing. 
I drove up there last weekend.
A necessary stop, always, is Avery Brewing in Boulder. They simply make great beer. They also keep an up-to-date tap list online, so you can plan your attack before descending on the brewery, tucked away, with only small signs to guide you, in an office-parky area of Boulder.
My first priority was trying a version of Avery India Pale Ale that had been dry-hopped with Centennials. Avery IPA is pretty much unimprovable. The dry-hopping just gave the IPA a somewhat harder hop kick than is standard. I liked it fine but feel the IPA is perfect in regular form.
Next, I went for a pint of Avery Fifteen. Fifteen is part of a series of annual releases to mark Avery's anniversary. Avery just released Seventeen, so Fifteen is two years old. Time has done the beer well. It was effervescent, reminding me of Champagne. The flavors are fuller, bossier than ever before. The Brettanomyces yeast has had its way.
When I gave my friends a sip, they recoiled a bit. Fifteen is a very different type of beer, and you should know what you're getting into before you try it. I loved it.
Finally, I happened to be there during a release party for Joe's American Pilsner. I have been enjoying pilsners this summer, as the style makes for a refreshing but flavorful summer beer. Joe's is a well-executed version of the style.
Amusingly, while my friends and I were hanging out on Avery's patio, Adam Avery rolled up on a road bike, his Avery cycling gear sweaty from an apparently tough ride. He sat down on the patio and drank a pilsner. Quality control, you see.
(An aside: The Avery guys are big into bicycling and joined Ska Brewing for a cross-state tour last summer to herald the release of Wheelsucker Wheat Ale. It's on again later this summer, Wheelsucker included, as I understand it).
We also stopped at one of several Breckenridge Brewery outlets in Denver. I have in the past been somewhat critical of certain Breck brews, but they continue to put out better and better beers. A draft-only saison called Vesper that was on tap during my visit was as good as any saison I've had.
There are many, many more breweries in the area, but that's all I had time for on this trip. I did stop by Falling Rock Taphouse, one of the best beer bars in the country, and conveniently situated only about a block from Coors Field.
Falling Rock pulled me an Houblon Chouffe, some sort of Belgian creation that was delicious. Then a cask pull of Left Hand Sawtooth, a hop-forward red ale from the Longmont company.
Durango certainly carries its own craft-beer cred, but it was cool to try some different things. Keep on brewing, Denver.
I drove up there last weekend.A necessary stop, always, is Avery Brewing in Boulder. They simply make great beer. They also keep an up-to-date tap list online, so you can plan your attack before descending on the brewery, tucked away, with only small signs to guide you, in an office-parky area of Boulder.
My first priority was trying a version of Avery India Pale Ale that had been dry-hopped with Centennials. Avery IPA is pretty much unimprovable. The dry-hopping just gave the IPA a somewhat harder hop kick than is standard. I liked it fine but feel the IPA is perfect in regular form.
Next, I went for a pint of Avery Fifteen. Fifteen is part of a series of annual releases to mark Avery's anniversary. Avery just released Seventeen, so Fifteen is two years old. Time has done the beer well. It was effervescent, reminding me of Champagne. The flavors are fuller, bossier than ever before. The Brettanomyces yeast has had its way.
When I gave my friends a sip, they recoiled a bit. Fifteen is a very different type of beer, and you should know what you're getting into before you try it. I loved it.
Finally, I happened to be there during a release party for Joe's American Pilsner. I have been enjoying pilsners this summer, as the style makes for a refreshing but flavorful summer beer. Joe's is a well-executed version of the style.
Amusingly, while my friends and I were hanging out on Avery's patio, Adam Avery rolled up on a road bike, his Avery cycling gear sweaty from an apparently tough ride. He sat down on the patio and drank a pilsner. Quality control, you see.
(An aside: The Avery guys are big into bicycling and joined Ska Brewing for a cross-state tour last summer to herald the release of Wheelsucker Wheat Ale. It's on again later this summer, Wheelsucker included, as I understand it).
We also stopped at one of several Breckenridge Brewery outlets in Denver. I have in the past been somewhat critical of certain Breck brews, but they continue to put out better and better beers. A draft-only saison called Vesper that was on tap during my visit was as good as any saison I've had.
There are many, many more breweries in the area, but that's all I had time for on this trip. I did stop by Falling Rock Taphouse, one of the best beer bars in the country, and conveniently situated only about a block from Coors Field.
Falling Rock pulled me an Houblon Chouffe, some sort of Belgian creation that was delicious. Then a cask pull of Left Hand Sawtooth, a hop-forward red ale from the Longmont company.
Durango certainly carries its own craft-beer cred, but it was cool to try some different things. Keep on brewing, Denver.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
A brewpub-owning governor?
John Hickenlooper, the mayor of Denver, was in Durango on Thursday as part of a statewide campaign trip.
Hickenlooper is running for governor of Colorado, and is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. (An article I wrote for The Durango Herald on Hickenlooper's visit is online here).
Germane to this blog, he is also founder of Wynkoop Brewing in Denver, and he held a meet-and-greet at Ska Brewing Co.
Brewers have been politically active at the state Capitol in recent years, especially with regard to Sunday sales and grocery-store sales bills. Brewers are excited and curious to see what a brewpub-owning governor might do in office. Of course, Hickenlooper has a general election campaign to win first.
Hickenlooper is running for governor of Colorado, and is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. (An article I wrote for The Durango Herald on Hickenlooper's visit is online here).
Germane to this blog, he is also founder of Wynkoop Brewing in Denver, and he held a meet-and-greet at Ska Brewing Co.
Brewers have been politically active at the state Capitol in recent years, especially with regard to Sunday sales and grocery-store sales bills. Brewers are excited and curious to see what a brewpub-owning governor might do in office. Of course, Hickenlooper has a general election campaign to win first.
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