Them Crazy Southerners Will Eat Almost Anything

This Sunday night, there is a beer dinner in Charleston, SC.

On the menu:
country ham, oysters, duck sausages, beef tenderloin and fried bologna and liver pudding.

Fried bologna and liver pudding??? Really? Oh yea, I forgot. Those crazy southerners eat parts of a cow that the rest of us throw away.

(laugh!)

Here are some great things to do this weekend here in Colorado.

Today (Friday, Nov. 13th)

It's Firkin Friday at Dry Dock and at Oskar Blues. Dry Dock is pouring a Bourbon Oaked Old Ale (www.drydockbrewing.com) while Oskar Blues is featuring Dales Pale Ale that's been dry hopped with a big dose of summit hops. (http://www.oskarblues.com/) Oskar Blues is also hosting a beer dinner tonight at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse in Denver. (http://www.delfriscos.com/)

Left Hand Brewing releases their newest brew Fade to Black at a release party this afternoon (http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/) and down in the four corners, Pagosa Brewing's Nipple Mountain Nip is back! (http://www.pagosabrewing.com/)

Tomorrow is Cask Ale Saturday with their IPA at Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs and Sunday morning, they host another session of Beer Yoga. BYOM (bring your own mat.) (http://www.bristolbrewing.com/)

To The Boats, Mate. There Is A Floatilla Of New Brews On The Horizon

Woo-Hoo!!! It's another Friday Afternoon Colorado Brew Cruise.

Today, we start at Colorado's oldest microbrewery. Boulder Beer is tapping the first keg of their Obovoid Oak-Aged Stout at 3pm. This is a perfect brew to dance with on a cold, Colorado afternoon.

Then, we will scoot across Boulder to the Twisted Pine. They are celebrating fall with a tapping party for their Mr. Brown Pumpkin Ale at 3pm. Mr. Brown comes complete with a little whipped cream on top. Whoa.

Ok, now it's time to chart a course out to Aurora. It's Firkin Friday at Dry Dock Brewing, the GABF's 2009 Small Brewery of the Year. Today, they are serving up Seven Seas Double IPA that's been dry-hopped with Riwaka hops. That starts at 3pm, too.

Speaking of the Great American Beer Festival, Downtown Denver's Falling Rock Tap House is the unofficial HQ during the GABF. Of course, they always have bodatious brews flowing from their wall of taps. Avery Brewing's gonna tap a keg of their brand new brew at 5pm, so here's your chance to grab a pint of dugan IPA.

Back in the boat and let's head south. Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs is rolling out one of my winter favorites today. It's Winter Warlock time. Today at 5pm, they tap the first kegs of this amazing Imperial Stout.

Finally, we head back up north to drop anchor at Oskar Blues Brewing in Longmont. It's another Firkin Friday at The Tasty Weasel and they are pouring a wet hopped Dale's Pale Ale in OB's brewery pub. They tossed an extra heaping helping of Cascade Hops in this sucka. The grassy hops will be enough to make us wish for summer again.

So, leave a message for the boss, grab an oar and lets row over to the bar. There are some great new brews waiting for you and I today.

GABF Docks A Big Award In Aurora

Let me tell you a little story. It's a little long for a blog, but it is a story worth telling.


Once upon a time there were these two guys, Kevin DeLange (he's in the green shirt) and Kevin Kellogg. The two "Kevs" were quietly brewing little batches of beer in The Brew Hut, a small home brew shop they owned in Aurora, CO. The beer was good. It was so good their customers started telling them they ought to open a brewpub.


It's Alive!
In 2005, they did just that. They knocked a hole in the wall and took over the empty space next door. It was small. There was just room for a couple bar stools, 5 or 6 tables and a popcorn machine in the corner. They didn't care. They weren't there to impress the world. They just wanted a place where people could gather and enjoy their beer. Kevin grabbed the tap. With the "psssshst" of compressed air, Dry Dock Brewing was born.



They are brewing really good beer in Aurora.
It didn't take long for the word to get around. People were quaffing every gallon of beer the Dry Dock could brew. Kevin knew he needed help, so Bill Eye became head brewer and brought his love of rich, German lagers to the Dry Dock. (That's him in the brown shirt.) Two other guys, Jim Denier (right, wedged in the Boil Kettle) and Lachlan McLean (left, stuck in the Lauter Tun) signed on as assistant brewers. The four figured their beer was pretty good, so they entered a couple at the Colorado State fair. They won! They took some to Denver and won a couple of medals at the GABF, too.



Trouble on the Horizon
All of a sudden, Kevin discovered he had a problem. It was great that legions of brew lovers were packing the place, but his little brewpub was too small to handle it. Even with the fermenter running non-stop, they still could not keep up. So this summer, just four years after Kevin tapped the first keg, Dry Dock set sail. It dropped anchor at a big, new, spacious brew house, just a couple doors down from the old brew pub. It had everything a brewer could want, including a brand new brew system with bright, shiny kettles. One thing didn't change. Kevin, Bill, Jim and Lachlan were still brewing it right. Dry Dock's beer was as good as ever.



Hello World
Saturday, the beer world sat up and took notice. A huge cheer rocked the place when the Great American Beer Festival announced that nobody had a better small brewery than Kevin DeLange. Out of hundreds of choices from all over the country, Dry Dock Brewing was picked as the 2009 Small Brewing Company and Brewer of the Year.



Congratulations Kevin! You and Bill and Jim and Lachlan ought to be mighty proud of yourselves. Dry Dock crafts amazing beers and it is great that the largest beer gathering in America, The Great American Beer Festival, agrees.




----It's Almost "Hop Tip" Time----
I am putting the finishing touches on the next Hop Tips from the Rocky Mountain Brewing News. It's filled with October's events, festivals and new brew releases from all across the Rocky Mountain West. Watch for it to pop up in your email in the next couple of days. If you don't get "Hop Tips", click here to sign up. You don't want to miss any beer-vents this fall.

Falling Rock Tap House Gets The GABF Week Going

Who has the biggest wall of beer taps in the Mile Hi City? The Falling Rock Tap House, hands down. This place is the holy shrine of suds in downtown Denver. When the Great American Beer Festival comes to town, Falling Rock kicks it up even more with a bunch of special beer releases, beer events and keg tappings each day.

Circle it in red. You gotta visit this Denver brew palace.

Last night, Falling Rock got the week rolling by tapping some wickedly crazy brews from Avery, Odell, Full Sail, Moylan's, Port, Russian River, Lost Abbey, Dry Dock, Great Divide, and Left Hand. The crowd's most popular seemed to be Great Divide's "Les" Claymore Sour Bourbon Barrel Scotch, Lost Abbey's Ten Commandments, Full Sail's Lupulin, Port Brewing's Older Viscosity and Odell Brewings Bourbon Barrel Stout.

Believe me. Each was an amazing brew. The low grade throbbing in my head tells me I must have done my dead level best to down at least a pint of each one.

And, the GABF hasn't officially even started, yet.

---Beer-vents Today---

Left Hand Brewing is tapping 2 year old Widdershins Barley Wine in the tap room of their Longmont Brewery, starting at 10am.

Avery Brewing in Boulder has another special tapping today. There are only two little 5-gallon kegs of Bad Sally '08 left in the world. This is Avery's Salvation Belgian Golden Ale that was aged in a Bookcliff Cabernet Sauvignon barrel and graced with a secondary Brettanomyces fermentation. Today, Avery will tap them both at a special tapping at 11am sharp in the tap room at the brewery.

Enjoy brews from Boulder Beer and other craft brewers at an "Underground" beer tasting at Denver's TAG Restaurant, 1441 Larimer Sreet in downtown Denver, beginning at 2pm.

Boulder Beer's head brewer, Steve Trese, hosts a "Meet the Brewer" Night with a special food menu designed around several Boulder Beers at The Rialto Café on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, starting at 4pm

It's taken Bristol Brewing five years to create their newest Belgium Sour Ale, Skull N' Bones. Grab a pint at the release Party at the brewery in Colorado Springs. The tapping party is at 5pm.

Odell Brewing is hosting a beer tasting at Marlowe's Restaurant on the 16th Street Mall in Downtown Denver, beginning at 5pm.

You can do a "meet-n-greet" with Left Hand's brewers in Denver tonight at Duo Restaurant, 32nd and Zuni. $12 per person. 5-7pm

Wynkoop Brewing taps the first keg of Ba-dunkle-donk tonight. Cody Christman, the 2009 Beer Drinker of the Year, helped to put this puppy together. It's a Munich-style dark lager called a dunkles: rich and malty, served at cooler temperature.

Hungry AND Thirsty?

Avery Brewing is at Jax Fish House in downtown Denver tonight, hosting amazing evening at one of the top ten best restaurants in Denver (5280 magazine) $50.

Great Divide Brewing is at Osteria Marco in Denver, pairing their incredible beers with the delicious Italian creations of Chef-proprietor Frank Bonanno. The reception starts at 6:30pm. Dinner starts at 7pm. $40

Oskar Blues Brewing and The Corner Office, 14th and Curtis in downtown Denver are teaming up for a Beer Pairing Dinner tonight. $40. 6-8pm

Ready, Set….BEER!

Here we go. Today begins an orgy of hops and malts. The Denver Beer Fest starts today, Boulder Beer celebrates 30 years of brewing tonight, Pre-GABF events kick into high gear and Oktoberfests start popping out all over.

Here is a list of some of the brew-things to choose from.

*****ON TAP TODAY*****
Tonight at 5pm, Oktoberfest in Downtown Denver begins. This might be the last one. The promoters are pulling out. www.oktoberfestdenver.com/

Tonight at 8pm. The Boulder Beer Throw Down at Boulder Theater on Pearl Street in Boulder. “Colorado’s First Microbrewery” celebrates 30 years of brewing with local music and $2.50 Boulder Beer pints all night long! Attendees will have a chance to win free beer for a year! Live music from Great American Taxi & Oakhurst. Get your tickets at http://www.bouldertheater.com/ or at the Boulder Theater Box Office.

Also at 8pm tonight. Nomis Fashion Show and Fall/Winter Line Release in The Tap Room of Avery Brewing in Boulder. A $15 get you in the door for the fashion show, three Avery brews, munchies from Illegal Pete's and more. http://www.averybrewing.com/

Beer Me!
Today is Free Sample Friday at Great Divide Brewing in Denver. Enjoy up to 8 free samples of Hercules. And Titan. And Hoss. And Yeti. And everything else. 'Nuff said. http://www.greatdivide.com/

Today at 3pm. Firkin Friday at Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora. Grab a pint of their Hazelnut Southern English Brown Ale, but don't be late. FF at Dry Dock is hugely popular and the beer doesn't last. http://www.drydockbrewing.com/

Tonight at 5pm. Firkin Friday at Oskar Blues in Lyons. Always great brews from the OB gang. Tonight, they tap 5 gallons of Ol' Bovinity Milk Chub. Now that sounds interesting. http://www.oskarblues.com/

Tonight at 5pm, Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs Rolls Out a New Brew. Come enjoy their latest, Edge City Octoberfest, a light, toasty malt brew with a crisp finish and a head bonking 7% ABV. The release party includes great German food from the Edelweiss Restaurant. http://www.bristolbrewing.com/

Tonight at 5pm, Trinity Brewing in Boulder Releases Another Great Beer. This time, is their Oak Whiskey Red. http://www.twistedpinebrewing.com/

This Weekend:
It Telluride's Blues and Brews Festival. The Grand Tasting is tomorrow. http://www.tellurideblues.com/

Redpoint Ale--Something From Avery That Is Not A Big, Bold Brew (and, that's ok.)

Redpoint Ale
American Amber Ale
ABV: 5.1%
Avery Brewing Co.
Boulder, Colorado

http://www.averybrewing.com/

Some people thing Avery's brewers are like mad beer scientists. They picture them huddled all night in a mountain top laboratory. While lightning flashes outside, these white coated beer geniuses spend their whole lives creating monster brews.

Maybe that is why some people thump Redpoint Ale. Maybe they can not get past the fact that this great brew from Avery does not share the boldness of its monster beer brothers.

Big mistake.

Redpoint Ale looks great with its deep, reddish color. Avery calls it an amber ale, but you will notice that this brew's color is darker than many of the other ambers out there. It's taste was all malt at first, but the Avery gang had a surprise in store. As this brew warmed a bit, I started tasting it's citrusy hops, too. It was a great blend of both worlds.

I am a big fan of Avery. They brew some amazingly complex brews. Redpoint Ale shows another side of this Boulder brewery. It is not as bold as many of its sisters and brothers, but it is a favorite of mine.

In fact, when somebody asks "what's a good beer to start exploring craft beer with?" I suggest two...Fat Tire, of course and Redpoint Ale from Avery.

On Tap This Week Around the Rocky Mountain West:

Today, September 1:
Salt Lake Brewing Co celebrates its 20th anniversary at its Squatters Pubs in Salt Lake City and Park City, UT. with a new brew, Hops Rising, a double IPA that weighs in at a whopping 9% ABV and a 20th anniversary special reserve Oktoberfest brew in a commemorative bottle. http://www.squatters.com/

Catch Kris Hansen live at Trinity Brewing in Colorado Springs, CO, starting at 7pm. http://www.trinitybrew.com/

Wednesday, September 2:
It's local band night at Oskar Blues in Lyons, CO with Steamboat Zephyr & Dave Gerard. 8pm. http://www.oskarblues.com/

Thursday, September 3:

Catch another Great Garden Escape Concert at the Idaho Botanical Gardens, Boise ID. The McCleary Band brings their unique country folk with a splash of rock and blues. Highlands Hollow Brewhouse brings the food and beer. 6pm-9pm http://www.highlandshollow.com/

Heidi and The Rhythm Rollers bring their bluesabilly to Oskar Blues in Lyons, CO. 8pm. http://www.oskarblues.com/

Catch Chris Daniels and The Kings tonight at the Boulder Beer Tent at Rhythm of the Rails in Nywot, CO. 6pm. On the patio at Boulder Beer, it's Train Back Home. 5pm. http://www.boulderbeer.com/

Johnny Shoes plays the TableRock Brewpub and Grill in Boise, ID 6pm-9pm. http://www.tablerockbrewpub.com/

Friday, September 4:

It's another Firkin Friday at Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora, CO. This Friday, they are rolling out an Engligh Toffee ESB! Don't wait to late. Firkin Friday brews almost always disappear before closing time. http://www.drydockbrewing.com/

It's equal parts folk, country, blues and bluegrass. The Kort McCumber Band performs at Oskar Blues in Lyons, CO. Show Starts at 9. $5 cover. http://www.oskarblues.com/

You might think of Joni Mitchell and the Counting Crows, but Jill Cohn has a sound all her own. Catch her free concert tonight on the Patio at Carver Brewing in Durango, CO. 8:30pm. http://www.carverbrewing.com/

Travis Ward, the "Original Idaho Fly Fishing Folk Singer” and his band Hillfolk Noir plays at Portneuf Valley Brewing in Pocatello, ID, starting at 8:30pm. http://www.portneufvalleybrewing.com/

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.

**************************
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