Yo Broncos, Thanks For Nuthin!

"Ugh!"

What a game. It was a great game if you are a fan of Da Bears. It felt like a splash of acid in the eye to me. I love the Broncos.

Let's face it. The Broncos are in trouble. They stunk up Mile High worse than an oil refinery fire and their dramatic underperformace has forced me to send some really great Colorado craft beer to Doug.

Doug is a DePaul graduate. He writes the All Beer Blog. Doug is also a Bears fan. You never heard of the college I graduated from and I like the Broncos.

Last week, me and Doug made ourselves a little proposition, just among us beer buddies.

If the Broncos win, I get a chance to sample some fine craft brews from his part of the country.

If the Bears win, he gets to enjoy some fantastic Colorado craft beers.

Final score...Chicago 27 Denver 17.

Like I said...."Ugh!"

*****IN THE NEWS*****

Did you hear about the three Texas fishermen that were rescued the other day? The guys who were lost at sea for 8 long days?

Do you know why they made it? They relied on their country-boy survival skills.

Once they figured out nobody was going to come find them for a while, they dove under the boat and retrieved a case of beer, some crackers, and potato chips.

Now that thar's my kin of survival trainin'!

Here is a link.

Sawtooth Ale--A Bullseye Brew From Left Hand

Sawtooth Ale
American Style ESB
ABV:4.28%
Left Hand Brewery
Longmont, Colorado
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/

Longmont's Left Hand Brewing Company is not a little, hidden, Colorado brewery anymore. Today, you can find Left Hand brews in half the country and in much of Europe.

There is a reason its grown like that. Left Hand's beer is that good.

Take their Sawtooth Ale, for example. Sawtooth is an ESB, an extra special bitter. Don't worry. Sawtooth Ale and other really good ESBs, are about balance…not bitterness.

Simply put, Sawtooth Ale is amazing. From the first sight of its coppery color and tan colored head, to the last swallow from your pint glass, you will not be disappointed. The crew at Left Hand created a beer that has the perfect blend of malts and hops. It's not a heavy brew. It is light and airy, with just the right carbonation to tickle your mouth.

So, how does it go with food? Well, last night I cooked up an awesome boneless pork loin, stuffed with bacon, garlic and rosemary. Left Hand's Sawtooth Ale was the perfect beer.

I really like Left Hand's Sawtooth Ale. The only problem is that I wish I more.

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Speaking of Left Hand Brewing Company, tickets for their 2009 Boulder County Brew Cruise are almost gone. This is a great way to kick off the GABF a day early. Breakfast, lunch, t-shirt, tasting glass and discounts are included as you get the VIP treatment at 4 terrific Boulder County breweries (Boulder Beer, Left Hand, Oskar Blues and Avery.) Tix online at http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/

On Tap This Weekend:

This weekend, there is a boatload of brewy good things going on.
*The 2009 Fort Collins Cycling Festival kicks off in grand fashion tomorrow with activities sure to bring a smile to your face and maybe take an inch off your waist. This is truly a fun event! It runs all weekend and one of the sponsors is Oskar Blues, so you know they will be bringing the brews. www.fccyclingfest.com/cruser-rideconcert
*NedFest 2009 is this weekend, too. It's a three-day outdoor music and microbrew festival with camping located in Nederland, just 17 miles west of and 3,000 ft. above Boulder. ww.nedfest.com

Friday, 8/28
*Kick off the weekend with Firkin Friday at Drydock Brewing in Aurora. They will feature a Coffee Porter with 4 oz. of Organic, shade-grown, free trade, hard bean, hand-picked from happy trees, Guatemalan Coffee. http://www.drydockbrewing.com/
*At Crabtree Brewing in Greeley, Friday is Teacher's Friday. Starting tomorrow, teachers get pints for only $2.50 each on Friday. Bring your Teacher ID. http://www.crabtreebrewing.com/
*In Boulder, Twisted Pine Brewery shows off their latest creation with a Saison Rollout Party, 3pm to 9pm in thier Ale House. They just birthed a new blog at Twisted Pint, too.
www.twistedpinebrewing.wordpress.com/

Saturday, 8/29
*Saturday is the Colorado Springs Foam Fest. It's billed as "The Only Beer festival in Downtown Colorado Springs." http://www.oldchicagofoamfest.com/
*Saturday is also Trinity Brewing Company's first birthday. So, while you are in the Springs, put on your pointy birthday hat and stop on by. http://www.trinitybrew.com/

Sunday, 8/30
*Sunday is the San Juan Brewfest in Durango. 18 breweries, including all your four corner favorites, will be there. www.cookmanfood.com/brewfest

Hand Me The Gauntlet. Da Bears Are Going Down!

Doug is the dude that writes the All Beer Blog. I like his blog...I like it a lot. The only part that bothers me is that Doug lives in Chicago.

See, I don't like Chicago much, but I come by that feeling honestly.

First, there are the screaming blue clad masses of summer who turn Coors Field into "Wrigley Field west" when the Cubs come to town. It's disgusting to watch them turn the Rockies turf into a Mile Hi salute to the red white and blue Cubbie nation.

Second, there is football. We love our Broncos and lately, they have been....well, uh....sucky is the word I am looking for. We were so bad that we pretty much fired our quarterback and the Bears were so bad they pretty much did the same to theirs. This season, our old QB is now their quarterback and their old quarterback is now ours.

Pretty ironical, huh?

Well, this Sunday, guess who comes to town? Yup, it is Broncos vs. Bears at Mile High.

Doubly ironical, I know.

Well, fear not Denver nation. Everything is gonna be alright. The Broncos are gonna beat the Chicago Bears this Sunday night.

I guarantee it.

I am so sure of a big "W" for the Donkeys that I have a sweet six pack of wonderful Colorado craft brew riding on it. It's beer that has to go to Doug (the All Beer Blog guy) if we don't.

(getting down on my knees)

Dear lord, please help the Broncos by paving the path to victory Sunday night. Help them beat da Bears. Bring divine forces into Mile High Stadium. Empower the Blue and Orange. Give them the will to smash the Windy City invaders into tiny bear peaces. Please, do not make me ruin a perfectly good sixer of Colorado craft beer by sending it to Doug in Chicago.

I couldn't Bear it.

Beer Lust = Bad..and, Coors Killer Dies

Maybe if he hadn't run through the power lines in North Greeley. Or maybe if the burglar alarm was not set at the Big R. Or maybe if the cops hadn't Tased him five times.

Maybe then, Cruz Marceleno would have gotten what he wanted all along.

BEER!

Read more here.

And, this off the police beer blotter, too.

The man who was convicted of kidnapping and killing Adolph Coors III back in 1960 has committed suicide. Joe Corbett had been out of prison for 29 years.

Read the entire article from the Denver Post here.

On The Radio Today:
Todd Usry, Breckenridge Brewing's Brewmaster and Tebo, the brewery's Sales and Marketing Director, are suppose to be on AM 760 in Denver 9AM-10AM this morning...(unless the station go into expanded coverage following Senator Edward Kennedy's death.) You can listen live on their webpage. http://www.am760.net/main.html

On Tap This Week:
Thursday, 8/27
It's River Flicks. Enjoy "Young Frankenstein" and a cold Breckenridge Brew. Movie begins at dusk. Confluence Park, near downtown Denver. www.greenwayfoundation.org/home/riverflicks.html

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Friday, 8/28

It's Firkin Friday at Drydock Brewing in Aurora. They will roll out Naked Porter, a coffee porter, with 4 oz. of organic, shade-grown, free trade, hard bean, hand-picked from happy trees. The Guatemalan coffee courtesy of the Coffea Rostir. Get there early. Firkin Fridays are really popular at Drydock.

Starting this Friday (8/27), it's Teacher Friday at Crabtree Brewing in Greeley. Teachers get pints for only $2.50. Bring your teacher ID.

5 Barrel. An English Pale Ale With An Odell Twist.

5 Barrel Pale Ale
English Pale Ale

ABV: 5.2%

Odell Brewing Company

Ft. Collins, Colorado

http://www.odellbrewing.com/

"Doug Odell's passion for crafting great beer started in his kitchen in Seattle. After the demand for his home-brew grew, Doug-along with his wife Wynne-searched for a good location to take Doug's passion commercial. They moved to Fort Collins to be closer to Doug's sister, Corkie, who quickly joined forces with them in opening the brewery in 1989. "--from Odell Brewing's website

Ft. Collins, Colorado? Sure, everybody knows New Belgium Brewery, but Ft. Collins isn't just Fat Tire's domain. There are some smaller breweries that call Northern Colorado home and their brews are nothing short of amazing, too.

Odell Brewing is one of them and 5 Barrel is one of their outstanding brews.

Appearance--A fluffy, almost white head tops this beer and it leaves a lot of lacing on the side of my pint glass as I quaff it down. The brew itself is a very nice orangy/copper color.

Smell--My nose gets a good dose of a very nice malt aroma, but I am also smelling a heavier dose of hops, too. A nice twist for this English Pale Ale.

Taste--This brew is a bit of a changeup. While many Pale Ales bust your chops with heavy flavors, 5 Barrel's taste is more subdued. Yep, you will taste the wonderful, bisquity taste of the malt and, the additional citrusy, earthy hops, but each flavor is more subtle in this beer.

Aftertaste--Again, the aftertaste is muted, much like the taste, and I don't mind that a bit. As you swallow, you feel the tongue bite of the hops, but it isn't overpowering. The beer leaves some of its malty and hoppy flavors behind, but it finishes nice and clean.

Overall--I usually taste more of the bready malt flavors when I drink an English Pale Ale than when I have a pint of its American cousin. Odell's 5 Barrel is spot on with its malty goodness. The cool thing that the Odell gang did with 5 Barrel is they used whole fresh hop flowers when they brewed it, so its hoppy flavor really shines through, too. It is that little twist that makes 5 Barrel a very special beer.

Bottom Line--"Is 5 Barrel on tap? Oh yes, I'd love a pint!"

Speaking of Odell, they just announed they will roll out their Bourbon Barrel Stout on Sept. 7th. It will be a big, bold Imperial Stout (10.5% ABV) that has been aged for 4 months in bourbon barrels from the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky. It will be available in all 8 states where Odell's brews are found (Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, Missouri and Arizona) in 750 ml bottles, corked like a fine champagne. Bourbon Barrel Stout is the first of new series, which will include an India Barley Wine and an all Colorado hopped beer that are coming out later this year.

"What Have You Got On The Nitro Tap?"

I am a funny beer drinker. At least, that's what the wifey thinks.

Her favorite drink is a vodka/soda with lemon.

My favorite is only limited by the number of taps lined up like wooden soldiers behind the bar.

The wifey drives a '91 Toyota pickup. She bought it new. It has served us well, but after 250,000 miles it is time to give the old girl a dirt nap (the truck, not the wifey.) We couldn't find a sharp stick to poke our eye out with, so we decided to punish ourselves with the next best thing, a visit to our local car dealer on a Saturday afternoon. Ugh! (No offense Robin Williams.)

First, we needed some liquid courage and lunch. We decided on the Rock Bottom Brewery, on the south end of the Denver Tec Center. The wifey ordered her vodka/soda.

Yes, I know. Rock Bottom is a chain. I suppose that I am suppose to automatically look down at them from my lofty craft beer lover's perch just because you can find a Rock Bottom Brewery in 15 states across the country.

Yes, I realize the corporates in RB's dilbertville have decreed that each Rock Bottom will have the standard Rock Bottom brews. That I guess, is another reason I should dislike, distrust and totally diss their beers.

But, Rock Bottom is not your normal chain brew restaurant (you know who you are.) Rock Bottom is different because there is freedom at Rock Bottom. Each RB's brewer is encouraged to put his/her spin on those standard brews. That is why a Red Rocks Red, for example, is a little different depending on which Rock Bottom you go to.

I like that difference.

I also like that RB's corporate suits let each brewer showcase some of their own creations at their restaurant. This particular Rock Bottom is Rick Abitbol's realm. One of his recipes is a really loud, brash, shut up and sit your bad self down IPA. He calls it Hair of the Tongue.

If you and I have ever shared a pint, you know how I feel about big, bold, earthy hops filled IPAs. I love them...ALOT!

But yesterday, Rick's Hair of the Tongue was different. Rick had put it on the nitro tap.

Once upon a time, back when I was just beginning my journey into craft brews, I was afraid of ordering anything "wrong" in a brewpub. So, I danced with the one that brought me and only ordered beer that came from under the wooden taps with the cute, colorful labelly things.

That unmarked tap over there? The nitro tap? Uhhhh, I don’t think so.

But like FDR said, "there is nothing to fear, but fear itself."

Without going into a lot of scientific gobbly-gook, putting a beer on nitro smoothes it out. You get a nice, creamy brew with a nice tight head. Nitrogen also turns down the volume on the beer's flavor a bit and lowers the carbonation, too.

But, wait a minute you say. You like the really big IPAs. Why in the world would you order a pint of creamed out, flavor muted, IPA from the nitro tap?

Simple really. When you order a nitro brew, you get a totally different take on a really great beer. It is like those old Certs commercial? "Two (click)…two (click)….two beers in one."

Nitro changes a craft beer. It transforms it. You get a pint with a head so tight you could play a drum solo off it. The feel of it changes, too. It becomes a silky beer, the consistancy of a Guinness. The taste is quieter, as well. It is muted. It almost whispers to you.

It can be a really nice change of pace, like an automatic transmission instead of a stick shift.

I loved every sip of Rick's big IPA on nitro. I bet you will enjoy how nitro changes the look, taste and feel of a great craft brew, too. The next time Bobby, the brewpub beer dude, says they have something on the nitro tap, fear not. Throw caution to the wind. Go madcap and embrace the difference. Have yourself a pint from the nitro tap.

FDR was right.

On Tap This Week:
Tuesday, 8/25
Great Divide is holding another one of their beer and cheese pairings. Beer and cheese? Uh, wait a minute. That is wine and cheese, not beer and cheese, right? Nope. Brian Dunn and the Great Divide gang don't see it that way and their beer and cheese pairings are always tasty events. It starts at 5pm in the tap room of the brewery, but if you have to work late, don't worry. You can show up as late as 7:45. One thing, you must RSVP ahead of time. Email info@greatdivide.com or call Patrick at 303.296.9460 x29. Be sure to include the number of people in your group and give them a phone number so they can contact you.
Great Divide Brewery, 2201 Arapahoe St., downtown Denver.

Thursday, 8/27
It's time for River Flicks. Grab a pint of Breckenridge brew and enjoy Young Frankenstein. (It's I-Gor, Master.) The movie begins at dusk in Confluence Park, near downtown Denver. This is the place where the South Platte River and Cherry Creek meet. It is also the place where a couple guys were panning for gold there back in 1859 and Denver was born. (Whoa... a movie, a beer and a history lesson, too.)
Get more information at: www.greenwayfoundation.org/home/riverflicks.html

Skinny Dip...Arm In Arm With An American Blonde

Skinny Dip Beer
American Blonde Ale
ABV: 4.2%
New Belgium Brewing
Ft. Collins, Colorado

http://www.newbelgium.com/

"New Belgium’s Skinny Dip started out as a challenge from our founder Jeff to brewmaster, Peter Bouckaert. Jeff was looking for a full-bodied, highly drinkable beer for after workouts - something a little lighter than the rest of the portfolio. Peter, a Belgian, responded: “Only in America would I be asked to brew a beer with no calories and less alcohol.” The challenge was to give the beer body and complexity not usually found in beers at the lighter end of the spectrum. Cascade hops frolic with a hint of lime leaf, making Skinny Dip a bright, refreshing splash for the summer season."--from New Belgium's website

Skinny Dip is New Belgium's toast to a summer weekend. Since there is a nice, warm, August weekend on tap here in Denver, I thought it would be the perfect beer to wander through.

Appearance--This brew has a nice amber color, but I was a little disappointed that its off white head pulled a quick disappearing act.

Smell--The aroma is subdued. Malty? yes, but I also smelled the hops that are blended into it and some citrus, too.

Taste--Like its aroma, Skinny Dip does not over power you. The flavor is mildly hoppy and a little citrusy at first, and I taste that familiar malty flavor, a very pleasant bread and biscuits flavor, too.

Overall--Skinny Dip is a quiet beer. The bottle says it is a full bodied beer, but I disagree. To me, it's more of a light to medium brew. It might be a little laid back for you, but on a hot summer afternoon, it's a perfect fit.

Bottom Line--Go search YouTube for the song "Summertime." Grab Sam Cooke's classic version. He is singing Skinny Dip's theme song.

***
Speaking of the New Belgium Brewery. They will soon have the largest solar set up in Colorado. Click HERE for the full story from my friends at The Full Pint.


On Tap This Weekend:
Saturday, 8/22
Join Breckenridge, Bristol, Left Hand, Odell's, Oscar Blues, Palisade, Pyramid and Steamworks Breweries for the Ale House Beer Festival. All in the Back Yard of the Breckenridge Ale House in Grand Junction, CO this Saturday. All to benefit the American Cancer Society. $20 per person for unlimited tastings. Breckenridge Ale House 2531 N 12th Street Grand Junction, CO

All Weekend
New Belgium's Tour de Fat invades Boise this weekend. Saddle 'em up, Idaho!

Hazed and Infused..A Perfect Episcopalian Beer

Hazed and Infused Dry Hopped Ale

American Pale Ale

ABV: 4.85%

Boulder Beer Company

Boulder, Colorado

http://www.boulderbeer.com/

"Hazed and Infused is "hazed" in it's natural, unfiltered state, and "infused"--dry hopped with Crystal and Centennial hops--during fermentation for a big, bold taste. Originally, a one keg brew for our pub, its popularity has soared and is now available in 20 states."--Boulder Beer website.

There is a lot to like about the beers of the Boulder Beer Company. Hazed and Infused" is certainly one of them.

Appearance--nice, tight off white head above a very inviting reddish orange brew. I poured this from a 12 ounce bottle into my pint glass and it was a little cloudy.

Smell--hops....wonderful earthy hops, but not a stomp your nose out hoppy smell that other brews can pop you with.

Taste--If you are expecting to get swarmed by a hop monster, this is NOT the beer for you. Hazed and Infused is a dry hopped brew so its hoppy flavor is more subdued. It is artfully blended with a very nice grapefruity/citrus taste that really steps forward just after you swallow. The hoppy bitterness picks at your tongue, but it isn't distracting. This beer feels really good in your mouth.

Overall--My mother used to say Episcopalians believed in "everything in moderation." Well, Hazed and Infused from Colorado's first microbrewery is the perfect Episcopalian brew. You have your hops and your citrus and all the makings of a great American Pale Ale, but it is blended so well that Hazed and Infused is a brew of moderation. Nothing here that will explode you out the door.

Bottom line....I could make an afternoon out of drinking this beer (and, at 4.85% ABV, maybe an evening out of it, too.)