Video: Denver’s Beer Culture
If you’re heading to Denver anytime soon, or just want another reason to go, check out this promotional video about the fine craft brewers in the Mile High City via craftbeer.com. I’ll be heading there in a few months, and this video is making me thirsty.
- Matt Pritchard
Colorado brewery creates Tebow-inspired barley wine
Jack Dempsey/Associated Press
Bonfire Brewing out of Eagle, Colo., has jumped on the Tim Tebow bandwagon with its “Tebrew” barley wine. The logo features “a man crouching as if in prayer but holding up a mug of beer, with the tagline ‘The Sunday Sipper.’ ” Is there anything Tebow can’t do? No. Here’s the story via the Associated Press:
EAGLE, Colo. – A beer inspired by Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has produced big interest for a small brewery in Colorado’s mountains.
Bonfire Brewing’s “Tebrew” is a barley wine, a high-alcohol type of beer. Tebrew has a logo featuring a man crouching as if in prayer but holding up a mug of beer, with the tagline “The Sunday Sipper.“
Bonfire Brewing, in Eagle, Colo., plans to enter the barley wine for competition at the Jan. 7 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival in Vail. The Vail Daily reports that after the brewery put the logo on its Facebook page, calls started pouring in seeking the limited brew.
“It’s been great for the brewery, great for Eagle and great for the state,” brewery co-founder Andy Jessen said.
Jessen acknowledged that he doesn’t know whether Tebow drinks beer or not. He said the brew is more about fans and football than the player.
“It’s just a good time to be in Colorado and be a football fan here,” Jessen said.
Brewery owners say they’re flattered by the attention, but the batch is only 150 gallons. “Tebrew” is available only at the festival and at the small brewery’s tasting room, in 10 ounce servings.
“In the style of 4th quarter heroics, we’re waiting until the last minute to serve it up,” according to the brewery’s Facebook description of Tebrew.
The brewery is also selling T-shirts and mugs featuring the logo.
- Matt Pritchard
‘Beer Culture’ documentary to examine Colorado breweries
Here’s a trailer for the upcoming documentary “Beer Culture,” which is set in Colorado and due out this summer. The film “explains the cultural phenomenon behind the growth of craft beer, telling it through the stories of struggles and successes of some top brewers in Colorado, including New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Avery Brewing Company, Tommyknocker, Upslope” and others.
Dale’s Pale Ale takes gold at international event
Just got this news release in my inbox, and since I’m a fan of canned beer, thought I’d pass it along.
LONGMONT, Colo. – In 2002, Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colo. launched the “Canned Beer Apocalypse” with Dale’s Pale Ale by becoming the first U.S. craft brewery to package great craft beer in a can.
Eight years later Dale’s Pale Ale continues to gain international accolades by earning a gold medal at the 2010 European Beer Star Competition (English-style pale ale category). The international recognition adds to the fast-growing popularity of canned craft beer. The can has come into its own in recent years as beer drinkers realize that cans offer superior protection from sunlight and oxygen infiltration, and the containers are much more portable and environmentally friendly than their glass counterpart.
The seventh Annual European Beer Star Awards attracted a record 955 international entries from countries all over the world. Beers are judged on uniqueness and authenticity by international independent experts using the Olympic benchmark awarding beers in their respective categories with gold, silver and bronze.
Oskar Blues is known for turning craft brewing on its ear by stuffing complex, three and four-dimensional beers into 12 oz. cans. As cans become a fashionable package Oskar Blues continues to walk-the-walk by brewing beer that continues to push the boundaries of what to expect from a canned beer. “It was far-fetched for anyone to really believe, even in our industry, that someone would put a full-flavored, hoppy beer in a can,” said Dale Katechis, recalling the 2002 launch of Dale’s Pale Ale. “Some people laughed it off.”
- Matt Pritchard
New Belgium Clips of Faith Beer and Film Tour in Missoula Tonight
Ever wanted to try some of New Belgium Brewing Company’s Lips of Faith beers but couldn’t find them in Missoula? Tonight is your chance. The Clips of Faith Beer and Film Tour hits Missoula tonight on it’s way through a 14-city tour in some of the coolest places in America. We’re privileged and in good company on this map.
The Tour hits Missoula this evening, where you’ll be able to try some of New Belgium’s most hard-to-find beers as well as check out 18 of the films selected from more than 80 submissions. The films center on folly, sustainability and craft beer, and the ones we’ve seen so far are great.
And for a shameless little plug, a film by yours truly and a few great collaborators in beer buddies Jon Lewis and Beau McBryde and technical guru David Brown, will be showing tonight as well. It’s the only Missoula film to make it into the tour, and you’ll likely recognize the backdrop. We should, if all goes according to plan, have our chicken star available for autographs later this evening. Her name is Dark Chocolate, but she goes by the stage name Free Ranger in this film. We called our movie “Free Ranger and the Breakfast Beer.”
Everything kicks off at 8 p.m. at Caras Park. Ride your bike down and enjoy some beverage and kick back and watch a good movie with us. The movie will start at dusk.
So please, come on down and show your support for New Belgium’s Beer and Film Tour and for including Missoula on the list of cities to visit. Try some great New Belgium Brewing Company beer and enjoy the films. Oh, and don’t forget to send in your film for next year’s competition. They’re accepting already. Check it out here.
Prost,
GG
Bike yourself, with New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing Company is giving away cruisers again, one random winner each day if you submit your name and info here. Here’s my Bike Yourself pose.
My Wii character on a bicycle
Prost,
GG
Avery Brewing Co. to begin canning beers in May
Another western brewery is throwing their hat in the canning ring, so to speak. Avery Brewing Co. of Boulder, CO. will begin canning four of it’s craft beers this spring, according to this article from Denver Westword, a Colorado food blog.
You can find Avery beers at The Good Food Store and Worden’s Market. It will be interesting to see if the canned varieties show up here here in Missoula or elsewhere in Montana.
Prost,
GG
The Official Beer of the Smoke Jumpers is not in Montana, believe it or not
Official beer of the smoke jumpers
It’s from Longmont, Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing Co. And it’s a doozy. After a barley wine tasting last night, we had some new guys show up, and I needed to open a few more beers. I had recently picked up a Smoked Imperial Porter from Left Hand Brewing Co., at Worden’s Market, so I figured a smoked porter could be interesting after a lot of sweet barley wine. And I was intrigued by the smoke jumper label and the fact that they call it the official beer of the smoke jumpers.
This porter is one of the strangest tasting experiences I’ve ever had. This beer is much more complex than you might initially think. With very little smoke discernible on the nose, a giant malt body comes tumbling into your nostrils on first scent, followed shortly by some rich caramel and chocolate nibs. In fact, you would not know this is a smoked beer at all until a few seconds after you swallowed your first sip.
Then it comes like its nature, weaving up your olfactory system like tendrils from a newly sparked fire. Then it assaults you. Massive smoke inundates your sense and makes you go, whoa! Then it’s gone, and you start over again with malt and caramel and chocolate. The hops are there, buried deep below the other tastes, completely inundated by the smoke flavor that wallops you again.
The general consensus, among our group of tasters, is that this beer is too much, over the top, really. But I did a second tasting, and I found that the experience of this beer is so different, that I can’t short sell it just because it has a huge smoke characteristic that overpowers everything else.
The velvety texture of the beer aligns with the feeling and sense of smoke. And I’ve been a victim of overly smokey beer before, so I’m really sensitive to this particular flavor. On a second taste, I found that the beer was much more rounded than I initially thought. The surprisingly big smoke flavor that comes after you sip and swallow is truly surprising, but it has merit here because of the way it fits with the beer. It almost acts as a hop in the sense that it really gives a powerful aftertaste that creates such a pleasant overall tasting experience.
This one isn’t for the faint of heart, but it could be for those who want some beer adventure and who want to challenge their current assumption about what good beer really is.
Prost,
GG
New Black Tot Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Imperial Stout from Avery Brewing Co.
Here’s the description, and it’s a doozy. If you find yourself in Colorado on the 15th, grab me a bottle or two.
Black Tot Flavor Profile: “huge, chewy and endlessly deep flavors of roasted dark malts, sweet
rum, espresso and more subtle elements of brown sugar, molasses and
vanilla. Initial sips are bold and intense, but new flavors burst and
slide into the milieu as the beer warms, drawing you deeper into the
stormy heart of this m…ost dark and tumultuous brew”. RELEASE IS FRIDAY 1/15 at the Avery Tap Room!!!!
Prost,
GG
I want some of this.
SourFest in Boulder this February
Sour beers are growing in popularity here in the U.S. The upcoming SourFest on Saturday, February 27, 2010, 5 – 12:00 p.m., hosted by Avery Brewing Co. looks to be a decent collection of U.S. sour and brett beers. Here’s the info. Hoping to see you there.
Featuring 35+ of the best sour, wild and brett beers from across the nation! Presented and hosted by Avery Brewing Company. All attendees will receive a complimentary, full size tasting snifter commemorating this inaugural event. Please call 303-440-4324 with event related questions or go to www.averybrewing.com for an up-to-date listing of confirmed breweries who will be in attendance.
Prost,
GG
Avery Brewing Co.