Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Kugs says Aloha to: Colorado. Day the Second…

I covered a decent amount of ground here today.  Once I realized that I am smart enough to manage the light rail system, I managed to drop myself into the middle of the downtown Denver area.  I confidently stepped off the train onto 18th Avenue and promptly walked just about a mile in the wrong direction to reach my intended first target, the Wynkoop Brewing Company.  Typical of me in an unfamiliar city, but it gave me a chance to walk around and see more, which is what I told myself as I turned around like an idiot.
Eventually, I made it to the Wynkoop and did a pair of “rails” of their selections.  In all, I sampled ten of their beers.  There were a few I missed today, as if I had stayed for another rail I might have had to be carted out on a rail myself.  In general their beers were strong and well crafted.  I sampled their “Rail Yard Ale,” “Orchard Wheat,” “Silverback Pale Ale,” B3K Black Lager,” “Belgian Sour Brown Ale,” “Light Rail Organic Ale,” “Wixa Weiss,” “London Calling IPA,” “Cowtown Milk Stout,” and their “Imperial Red.”


It almost seems hack now to say how the beers were well made, even the ones that I was not a huge fan of, but it is very true today.  The Wynkoop beers were on the whole very well-crafted.  The Rail Yard Ale, which is their signature beer, was really an interesting hybrid of German and British sensibilities, bringing a unique and flavorful beer to the table.  The Orchard Wheat was a taste explosion-really coated the palate with a refreshing finish.  Wife would like this, I think.  Loads of flavor in this one.


Tess, my beer navigator at Wynkoop has said that one of her favorites is the B3K Black Lager.  It was really a densely packed color-looked like they put a bunch of colors together and made a beer.  Fragrantly it reminded me of a HB Dark from Oktoberfest.  Had a nice taste and a smooth finish.  I couldn’t quite place the flavors I was getting on the back end of this one, but Tess was a big help, pointing out that they used both dark chocolate and a gentle roasting to achieve the unique flavor.  It was filling so while I think I’d be willing to try, I don’t think I could drink it all day long.  Tasty though.  The Belgian Sour Brown Ale, their “Brewjolais Nouveau” was really unique.  It’s a hybrid collaboration between New Belgium and the Infinite Monkey Theorem Winery and fuses Young Cabernet grapes and a Flemish Style Brown Ale.  Looks and smells like a Cab, and has a mouth-filling quality like a wine that lingers on both the palate and the lips.  It was good but at 9% ABV, I think a pint of this would knock me out, especially in this Mile-High Air.  Would pair well with a good steak, something I don’t say about a lot of beers. 


I enjoyed the London Calling IPA.  It’s cask-conditioned and served room temperature, which was an interesting departure after the other chilled varieties.  Very fragrant with a sweet aroma.  I liked it-dry and hoppy but not overly bitter on the back end.  Creamy without being over-filling.  For some reason it put me in mind of sitting on the Thames and debating whether or not The Smiths should have been in the London Olympics Opening Ceremonies (they totally should have).The Cowtown Milk Stout was nice, though not as exceptional as the Stouts I enjoyed in Indianapolis a few weeks ago.  The big winner at Wynkoop for me was the Imperial Red.  It had a great bold color but its fragrance was off the charts.  Strong and complex flavor that didn’t overwhelm at all.  It’s a new beer for them and was really unique and enjoyable.  Was like a circus in the mouth-really dynamic flavor that I can’t compare to anything else I’ve had, which I suppose is a good thing.  Imperial Red is definitely in the running for Beer of the Week. 


I had a nice time at Wynkoop and the Rueben was pretty good too.  Check them out at www.wynkoop.com


I decided to visit the Breckenridge Colorado Craft drafthouse.  In typical Kugs fashion I turned entirely the wrong way on Blake Street and enjoyed at least a mile in the wrong direction, again.  But, with the potent Wynkoops coursing through my system, an extra mile or two was not unwelcome.  I made it to Breckenridge right before it started pouring.  I passed Coors Field on the way, which kinda just popped out of nowhere, like Camden Yards does in Baltimore.  It’s a very well designed park that fits in with the neighborhood really nicely.  That’s about all this Phillies fan has to say about that.


Breckenridge was cool inside.  Very spacious and open, a slight industrial feel to the décor.  My new friend Ryan let me plug in my dying cell phone (droid battery stinks) and set me up with the “Breckenridge Flight” which included the “Avalanche” Amber Ale, “Ballpark” Brown, Vanilla Porter, and “471” IPA.  He also hooked me up with their “Summerbright” Ale and Agave Wheat.


The Avalanche Amber is their signature beer and it is good.  Drinkable and smooth, but felt more like a fall beer to me.  I could see enjoying this one during football season.  The Vanilla Porter was tasty as well.  The Agave Wheat was interesting.  Ryan says they are selling a lot of that one now as it’s a very summery beer.  It had a nice blonde color and was not real cloudy for an unfiltered wheat beer.  It was a tiny bit tart for me but I definitely got a hint of the agave on the back end.  Enjoyable and would be great as an outdoor summertime beer.  Would go great with the grilled cilantro shrimp I made a few weeks ago.  The real winner for me in the opening flight was, surprisingly, the 471 IPA.  Ryan lists this one as his personal favorite and I couldn’t agree more.  For me to love an IPA, it has got to be special and this one most assuredly is.  It’s a Double IPA, but I found it light and hugely flavorful.  A mellow texture that doesn’t overwhelm the palate.  It held not a bit of the bitter aftertaste that I seem to find with most IPA’s and it was extremely drinkable and fragrant.  I feel like I could drink it all day, though at 9,2% ABV, it would like be a brief, albeit spectacular day.  Definitely on the short list for Beer of the Week.  I went on to sample the Irish Red, Thunder Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Trademark Pale Ale, and the “Lucky U” IPA.  They were all well-crafted and drinkable.  The Stouts were just OK for me.  I’ll take the 471 for the win here.  Check out Ryan and the crew at Breckenridge at http://www.breckbrew.com


The rain had let up and the day was steadily moving forward, as I hear they are wont to do, so I moved on to the Great Divide Brewery and Tasting room.  They were on my list and Ryan recommended them, so it seemed the thing to do.  The tasting room was small and cozy.  Reminded me of the Crest Tavern down in Wildwood, NJ. 


They offer three samples for three dollars which, considering the quality of the beer is an exceptional deal.  I started off with the Hoss Rye Lager, the Titan IPA, and the Yeti Imperial Stout.  The Hoss was very earthy and unique.  A gentle flavor that was quite a departure from the others I’d enjoyed.  It was good and clearly indicated to me that Great Divide beers were likely to be pretty distinctive.  The Titan IPA is their most popular beer and while it was good, I think I liked the 471 at Breckenridge better. 


As I finished this grouping I got to chatting with Dennis, who as fate would have it was from Newburgh, NY, a stone’s throw from where I used to live while I worked at SKS.  I also met Paul and his wife and daughter, who as fate would have it again, were from Indiana, and admired the Sun King Brewery T-Shirt I was wearing.  Small world.  Dennis may have had the line of the day when he commented that, “It’s good to leave your home” and experience new and interesting things.  Couldn’t agree more.


My next group included the Wild Raspberry Ale, Claymore Scotch Ale, and the Hercules Double IPA.  The Raspberry was really fragrant and took me for a ride in the old “Wayback Machine” to 1989 when I used to inhale the Raspberry Soho soda that we sold at the old Cranbury Market.  A strong flavor with a touch of bitterness on the back end and while it is a bit sweeter than I would choose to drink all the time, it was really nice.  Very distinct and unique.  The Claymore was a little heavy for me, especially compared to the Oskar Blues Scotch ale I’ve been enjoying back at the hotel, but it was good.  My favorite of the opening rounds was the Hercules Double IPA.  If I’m learning anything on this trip is that if I’m going to enjoy an IPA, it might have to be a double.  This was a really good beer-bright and fragrant with a great big and tasty finish.  It might be just a smidge below the 471, but I’d be willing to research it further.  Really nice beer with a complex texture and flavor. 


I then jumped onto the tour, where my new friend Will walked our group through the working brewery, where the tanks and employees were enjoying the dulcet tones of Ozzy Osbourne.  Great Divide started as a one man operation back in 1994 in Brian Dunn’s garage.  To grow from such humble beginnings to preparing space for five more 300 barrel tanks is a testament to the quality of their product, the vision of the company as a whole and the manner in which they have been embraced by the Denver community.  Will mentioned that early on in their history, the city of Denver itself stepped forward and provided some assistance on the condition that they open a tap room.  That’s a brand of government I can get behind.  


Apparently there are eleven new breweries getting set to open in the Denver area in the next two years.  They have chosen to “stay small on purpose,” which reminded me a great deal of Yuengling’s approach.  Will spoke with pride about how the company wants to “make beers that people recognize and to be smart about the future.”  While there are no specific breweries or beers that serve as a model for the company, Will discussed how he sees brewing as “a lot like farming” and that they want people to look at their beers the way people look at wine, and often think about their beers being paired with food.  It’s an interesting perspective and to me, indicates a desire to be taken seriously as a craft.  He discussed how Great divide is always looking to “push the envelope” with their beers, a fact that is clearly evident in the three selections he lists as his favorites, the Samurai, the Rumble IPA, and the “Old Ruffian” Barley Wine.  Of course, I had to go sample those now…


The Samurai is a Rice-wheat combination, which all by itself is pretty unique.  It was almost absent any fragrance at all and looked visually like a Chardonnay.  On taste though it was clearly a beer, and a fascinating one at that.  It had a beer texture but reminded me ever so slightly of a really good Sake on the tail end.  I immediately wanted sushi.  A young couple from Sweden mentioned that it put them in mind of a rice dish they would have for breakfast on Christmas mornings.  Sounded like an oatmeal sort of dish, warm and homey.  What a great range of images to inspire.  Quality beer.  The Rumble IPA reminded me of Kona’s Waialua Wheat with its fragrance.  It was tasty with hints of vanilla and a spiciness I couldn’t quite place.  Something about it reminded me of getting a fountain Vanilla Coke at the old soda Shoppe on Main Street in Hightstown, NJ, before they turned it into that Ice Cream place.  Well balanced and complex in flavor.  The Old Ruffian Barley Wine smelled like a liquor and had a big flavor.  Kinda hits all over the palate and while I don’t think I would drink it all the time, I enjoyed it.  A young lady named Kelly mentioned that the “Collete” beer is her favorite.  I can’t speak to it personally as it’s out of season at the moment, but I completely trust her judgment.  Check them all out for yourself at http://greatdivide.com and should you visit, ask for Will and tell him that Aloha Kugs sent you. 


And so, with that, I made my way back to the train.  I’ll write more about the city at the end of the week but I like it so far. It brings to mind aspects of Indianapolis, Baltimore, and even my beloved Philadelphia.  I’ve met some really nice people.  I am wondering who waters all the planters all over the city though.  I mean they are everywhere!


This is late in posting, but I got tired.  I am into day three now and hope to visit the Dry Dock Brewing Company in Aurora (http://www.drydockbrewing.com) and then have dinner with “The Bartsch.”  Stay tuned and Aloha for now. 

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