Ska Brewing's Decadent Imperial IPA

It's an ugly day in Colorado. Yesterday, we had blue skies and nice warm temperatures. Today, it's 35 degrees and the drizzle is threatening to change over to snow. I heard the weather whizzes saying winter was coming so, I got the mower out one last time. The sweet smell of cut grass got me remembering summer. As soon as I finished in the yard, I went in search of some hoppy beer grassiness. In the fridge, I found a big, brown, bomber bottle, filled with Ska Brewing's Decadent Imperial IPA.

Decadent's packaging is outstanding. You've got a thick coating of deep, red wax that covers the top and neck of the bottle. It drips seductively down over the label, guarded by a nasty looking skeleton in his tie and top hat. He clenches a big green branch of hops jauntily between his crooked teeth.

Pour the brew. Decadent is a rich, copper colored beer with a really tight, off white head. It might look a little hazy. Mine did.

Pick up the pint glass. Here is the Decadent difference. While many Imperial IPAs lead with hops, Decadent is silly full of citrus. The bitterness of a grapefruit rind slaps your nose, fills your mouth, coats your tastebuds and lasts long after you swallow. It also seems to muzzle the hops and malt flavors in the beer. What the citrus does not cover is the alcohol taste. Decadent carries 10% Alcohol By Volume (ABV), and you will feel the alcoholic warmth that goes with it. You will also feel the sting of carbonation. Decadent is a fizzy beer.

Bottom line....Ska's Decadent Imperial IPA is big and it's bossy. It's a heavy hitter that slaps your face with citrus and carbonation and pounds your head with its high alcohol content. I liked it. I really did. Even so, Decadent is not be my "go to" Imperial IPA. It needs a lot more hops...over the top hops...to be "go to" on that list.

Denver Beer Fest Goes High Gear Today

The big beer week in Denver has arrived. From now through Sunday, Colorado is awash with great brews and the GABF ain't even started yet.

Here is the official "One Good Brew" beer tour for today.

We start our special beer tour in Boulder at Avery Brewing at 11am. Today, they will tap the final barrel of Reverend, their Belgian Quadrupel aged in an Eagle Rare Whiskey barrel. A little whiskey, a little sour, a lot of love. The special tapping is at 11am sharp in the tap room at the brewery.

Then, we're are back in Denver at Wynkoop Brewing. Saturday, Wynkoop brought back The Obamanator, the beer that made last summer's DNC famous. This afternoon, they roll out another special brew. All Star Ale is a moderately hoppy ale brewed arm in arm with the Brewers Supply Group. Get a free pint between 4 and 5pm.

Ok, let's waddle over to the Falling Rock Tap House, the unofficial HQ during the GABF/Denver Beer Fest. Tonight starting at 5pm, they will tap 10 to 12 keys of some hard to find brews from Avery, Russian River, Lost Abbey, Port Brewing, Left Hand, Odell and more.

It's meet the brewer night at Duo Restaurant in Denver, so we gotta slide by there. Besides the guys who started this "Can A Craft Beer" apocalypse, Oskar Blues will be there. $12 per person. 5-7pm.

It's Durango night at City, O' City in Denver. Ska Brewing is bringing their beers and Peach St. Distillery has the whiskey. 7-9pm.

Now we are hungry, right? Lucky for us there are several really nice beer pairing dinners tonight as some of Denver's finest establishments.

Vine Street Pub's Chef Rob Green and Head Brewer Brian Hutchinson are hosting a 4-course beer pairing dinner tonight at Harry's Space, just east of the pub. 6pm. Get tickets at the Vine Street Pub.

Great Divide Brewing is teaming up with Appaloosa Grill for a three course dinner, followed by a GD brewery tour and live music. It starts at 6:30pm. RSVP events@appaloosagrill.com.

Left Hand Brewing is pairing their great beers with the amazing food of Elway’s at the Ritz in the heart of Denver. For more information, visit their website or call 303-312-3107.

Now that dinner is over, how about something just a little bit naughty? Tonight is Beer and Burlesque! Avery Brewing is going to be bringing their brews to Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret. Twirl it baby! 7pm – 8pm

You are probably asking yourself..."Self? How does he know about all this stuff?" It's simple really. I spend hours and hours toiling over an ever expanding list of beer events happening across the Rocky Mountain West. Then, I stuff it into an email and send it out every couple weeks. "Hop Tips" is from your beer buddies at the Rocky Mountain Brewing News. Get on the list and get your "Hop Tips," FREE! Just Click Here

Chilly Temps Put Me in a Nefarious State of Mind

Night time temperatures are dipping below 40 in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. That means my beer tastes go dark. Instead of the hoppys of summer, I find myself choosing a stout or porter instead.

One of my favorites comes from the Ska Brewing bunch in Durango, CO. Never mind what you will find inside, you could like their Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter just for its packaging. Under its blue wax coated bottle top, its label is guarded by a really pissed off gold crowned skeleton brandishing a bowling pin and ball sceptre. Open it up and pour it into your pint glass and you will find yourself holding a dark, almost midnight black brew topped with a tight, khaki colored head. Nefarious is a rich, bold brew that is loaded with coffee, chocolate and sweet fruit flavors. I am thinking a couple bottles of Nefarious would go perfectly with a big bowl of stew, a thick, chunk of heavy German bread and a roaring fire on a snowy Colorado evening. And, with Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter's powerful 8% ABV, if I drank a couple 22 oz. bombers of this brash brew, I am pretty sure I’d be nefariously off to bed as soon as the dishes were done.

*****On Tap Today*****

Looking for work? The "werk fer us" job fair continues for Oskar Blues' new brew bar and restaurant, The Homemade Liquids & Solids restaurant. 9am-12pm and 3pm-6pm at The Tasty Weasel, 1800 Pike Rd. Longmont, CO. Get an application online at http://www.oskarblues.com/

Avery is teaming up with some of Boulder's best for the Cultiva, Growing Gardens dinner at the Harvest House, in Boulder, CO. 5pm tonight. http://www.averybrewing.com/

Left Hand Brewery hosts the The Indian Peaks Alers, Longmont’s homebrew club, in their tasting room tonight at 6pm. http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/

Lonesome Traveler brings bluegrass to Oskar Blues in Lyons, CO. 8pm. http://www.oskarblues.com/

Glove Trucker plays at Odell Brewery, Ft. Collins tonight. http://www.odells.com/

And, speaking of Ft. Collins, the brew bunch at Ft. Collins Brewery are getting firked up. Today they add firkins to their Tap Club Series. First up, a tasty Cherry Cream Ale made with 3 pounds of cherries from Grant Farms CSA. Get it quick, a five gallon firkin is gone freakin' fast. http://www.fortcollinsbrewery.com/