"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