What we're drinking: New and old

Recently I decided it was time to make my family's special cornmeal crust deep dish pizza. I was thinking about what beer to pair with the beast of a dinner. The thing is at least two inches tall, packed with bacon, fennel sausage, cheeses, peppers, and more. It's heavy stuff. Like divine providence, a package containing Breckenridge Ophelia Hoppy Wheat showed up at my doorstep (Thanks Breck!). I decided to give it a shot and I'm glad I did. The beer has an immediate classic feel to it. It's super easy drinking, it has some lemony and tropical fruit in the background, finishes super crisp to cut through the grease in the pizza, and the Mosaic (a top 3 hop for me) and Palisade hops are amped up enough, but also subdued enough to be super fun. The beer provided a very nice balance to the meal, and I finished it much sooner than I realized. I imagine this will be a popular beer for many, including the beer geeks due to it's subtle complexity. At 5%, it'll be easy to have a few pints. ~Eric

While Eric was enjoying some new Breckenridge treats, I've been exploring some old favorites from my time in Durango. The latest brew to hit my glass, True Blonde Dubbel, has been one of my favorites of the "big" beers that Ska produces. The bright yellow wax job sets this one apart, and harkens me back to days sitting by the Animas river at "the beach"watching tubers float by. While in years past, I would have hogged the whole bottle, I've been introducing my younger sister to different beers in the hope that she'll convert to the beer side of things. She's a self-proclaimed non-beer drinker, but thoroughly enjoyed the Dubbel Blonde, so I'm one beer closer to converting her! We enjoyed this while we prepared some homemade stroganoff, and to no one's surprise the slightly spicy belgian notes and honey really melded well with the creamy sauces! ~ Ryan

What's been your favorite lately? Anything we should check out?
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Drink Local: Upcoming Beer Events

Thursday, Jan. 23rd

Brewer's Broads / 2014 Kickoff / 6:30pm

Nano 108 Brewing / 2402 Waynoka Brewing

Facebook event

Colorado Springs' own women's beer club will be resuming meetings starting this Thursday. Ladies, head to Nano 108 for a talk with Keith Altemose on hops as well as some social time to enjoy their wonderful taproom!

Friday, Jan. 24th 

Passed Stout, Imperial Stout Release / 5pm

Trinity Brewing / 1466 Garden of the Gods Rd

With the cold spell that is supposed to descend on the Springs soon, this beer will be very welcome to warm bellies and improve moods!

Passed Stout , Imperial Stout. Just in time to keep you warm during the colder months of winter! Its body is huge, its dark malt character is huge, its hop profile is gigantic, and its ABV is enormous. It’s basically everything that you would expect from a noteworthy Imperial Stout, and more! We age this beer on fresh Madagascar Vanilla Beans, Dagoba Cacao Nibbs, and French Oak. 11.0% ABV; extremely rare.

Tuesday, Jan. 28th

Beer Bingo / Open Tuesdays!

Great Storm Brewing / 204 Mount View Ln. #3

Starting Tuesday Jan. 28th, Great Storm Brewing will be open one more day a week! Also, they'll be hosting a Beer Bingo on Tuesday nights as well! While you don't need another excuse to go to Great Storm other than their beer, they're offering up fabulous prizes each week for the Bingo winners.

More information on their Facebook.

Coming in February:

Firkin Rendezvous Tickets on sale!

10th Annual Firkin Rendezvous / February 22
Brisol Brewing Company / 1604 S. Cascade Ave.

From Bristol Brewing:

We are happy to host the 10th Annual Firkin Rendezvous, a fundraiser for the Colorado Brewers Guild. 25 Colorado breweries will share with us their cask conditioned ales of goodness. Cask conditioning of ales is a traditional British style of brewing that originated centuries ago when publicans lived above their pubs and made a life's work out of tending their beers. Cask ales are fermented, dry-hopped, conditioned and served in a single cask, the "firkin" being the British cask size most commonly used.

VIP tickets are $60 which includes a t-shirt and early entrance at noon. General admission tickets are $35 with a 1pm entrance. All admission includes beer, food and souvenir tasting glass.

TicketFly

Beer Dinners:

Brewer's Republic has two Beer Dinners in the month of February, starting with Crooked Stave on Valentine's Day and finishing with Odell Brewing on the 22nd.

Head to Brewer's Republic or Coaltrain for tickets!

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New Belgium's new suit: new look and new brews

New Belgium Brewing has been working on revitalizing its packaging for the past year, and just last week, they revealed it to the world. I got the chance at McCabe's Tavern in Colorado Springs to visit with a bunch of the Rangers and talk through the new packaging and some of the new brews they'll be debuting in the next month or so!

365 Days, 365 Beers

Over a year ago, Austin Sherwood, the beer buyer and general manager at Coaltrain Wine & Spirits, told me that he was inspired to try a new beer every day for an entire year. He documented his journey on Instagram at @asherwoo24 with weekly photos of the beers he drank. I gotta say that as the weeks went on, I was not only impressed, but downright jealous of some of the beers he was able to try. It looks like he had a blast. As the last couple photos were being posted, we asked Austin if he'd like to share his journey with our readers. Here's his story.

The journey is complete. It was fun and educational.

So why did I do it?

The Eternality of Ancient Community: Culture and Subculture in Colorado's Microbreweries

Last year, we were approached by a CC student who wanted to contribute observations from his college thesis to Focus on the Beer. We are excited to introduce David Wright, who is embarking on a month-long tour of breweries around the major metropolitan areas of Colorado in an effort to study the impact of craft beer on our society. He'll be providing Focus on the Beer with periodic updates sharing what he has discovered through brewery visits, interviews and observations. 

Without further ado, here's David's introduction:

Brewers Broads is back!

Colorado Springs' women's beer club is back for 2014 and ready to kick off another year of events!

The first event will be at the area's newly opened Nano 108 Brewing on January 23 at 6:30pm. The 'Broads will get a chance to chat with Keith Altemose, Nano 108's owner and head brewer. We had a chance to check it out last month and it definitely is one of the breweries to keep an eye on in 2014.

It's free to attend, but be sure to grab a pint or two of their great beers! (We've been liking their Robust Porter and the White IPA)

Ladies, if you have been to a Brewers Broads event, you know how much fun they are. If you've missed out on previous events this is the perfect way to ease into things!

Brewers Broads 2014 Kickoff / Jan 23 / 6:30pm
Nano 108 Brewing / 2402 Waynoka Rd

For more info, check out their Facebook page or go straight to the event page!


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Craft beer events for the next two weeks

I hope everyone has recovered from last week's festivities and is ready for the new year! We're working hard on a new website that will be public very soon, but in the meantime here's some great events to keep your bellies warm and full during the next few weeks!

Thursday, Jan 9

Grand Opening / 6pm

503W / 503 W. Colorado Ave

Facebook

The Dutch Mill has undergone a huge construction overhaul, and is reopening as 503W. They'll be featuring some of the same great food, craft beer, and more.

Friday, Jan. 10

Chilly Water release / 5pm
Trinity Brewing 

Chilly Water Baltic Porter. Not a common style of beer by any means, in fact this style of Porter is a Bottom fermented lager rather than an ale. Traditionally brewed in Northern Europe, this lager had to be strong to keep all the hearty northern souls warm. Again keep in mind this beer is brewed by Trinity and any beer we make will always have an added twist. The twist in this winter seasonal is the choice to age the beer on some rare Mexican wood known as Cauchalalate. This wood imparts a certain dryness accompanied by deep chocolate and coffee flavors. We think this unique wood is the perfect match for the style, and we know you will agree! 8.5% ABV

Red Leg Brewing Tap Takeover
Brewer's Republic

The guys from Red Leg Brewing will be hanging out with 4 of their beers on tap!

Friday, Jan. 17

Pappy Legba Release / 5pm
Trinity Brewing

Pappy Legba, Crimson Saison. Brewed with just a touch of flaked maize for a seductive and creamy texture, this red Saison is undeniably focused on fruit. Post fermentation this special Belgian is aged on a grip of pie cherries, lending it more of a Kriek profile rather than Saison. As Pappy is the guardian of the crossroads, this Imperial Saison releases every January. What beer will you be drinking at your crossroads? 13.0% ABV

Saturday, Jan. 18

Elevation Beer Dinner / 5:30pm
Brewer's Republic
Tickets are $40 and on sale at Brewer's and Coaltrain Wine & Spirits.

Menu:
First Cast IPA – Tater tots with cotija cheese, cured pork belly and jalapenos served with a spiced, sweet chili coulis.
Senorita Horchata Imperial Porter – Carnitas pork sliders with a tequila lime jicama slaw.
Apis IV Belgian Quad – Beef bourguignon pot pie.
Fanboy Barrel Aged Double IPA – Blackened catfish with a goat cheese cream sauce and hushpuppies.
Oil Man Breckenridge Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout – Tiramisu with Breckenridge bourbon soaked lady fingers

Bourbon County comes to town

Back on Black Friday, while many were waiting in line at the major retailers, craft beer lovers here got the opportunity to purchase a variety of Bourbon County bottles in local liquor stores for the very first time. For those of you who didn't get a chance to get the bottles, all four Colorado Springs Old Chicago locations tapped Bourbon County Brand Stout just last week. I stopped by and tried a glass of this beer with so much coveted history including being aged in a variety of bourbon barrels including Elijah Craig and Pappy Van Winkle. Not once did I stop in the middle of my tulip glass full of oaky imperial stout perfection and think, "Wait, this is made by Budweiser!"

If you don't know, almost three years ago Goose Island, who brews the Bourbon County line, sold to AB InBev. After the sale, Goose Island no longer classified as a craft brewery according to the Brewers Association. Their criteria requires craft brewers to be small, independent, and traditional. However, if you look at Goose Island's branding, they are claiming now more than ever they are "Chicago's Craft Beer."

Last July several Goose Island representatives came through Denver in order to answer any uncertainties about their transition. We had the chance to sit down, sip on some Bourbon County Rare, and chat with founder John Hall and brewer Eric Ponce. Through their eyes we saw people equally passionate about their product as they would have been before the change. Eric, who focuses on barrel aged beers, was enjoying the benefits of the merger by expanding their barrel aging program tremendously. This immediately brought thoughts of New Belgium's La Folie, especially the year when they decided to start pasteurizing and stop corking and caging each bottle. Despite many people being upset, making this transition allowed even more people throughout the country to get their hands on La Folie.

Goose Island's change in ownership doesn't change the fact that the same amount of science, art, and tradition is going into every single beer they brew. While I am just as much of a proponent for supporting local businesses as the next person, and I see first hand the impact of buying beer from the local brewery down the street instead of from a brewery producing a thousand times more barrels a year, the Bourbon County Brand Stout is definitely something worth checking out.

Stop by any of the Old Chicago locations soon and grab a pour while it's on tap, or keep your ear to the ground, we're told Brewer's Republic should have it on tap very soon(Jan 24th!!!)!

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New Brewery Series: Fossil Brewing

With the flourish of breweries opening up in Colorado Springs, the west side is poised to make an impact on the beer scene here in 2014. With Paradox setting the precedent just a short drive up the canyon, and Manitou Brewing quickly getting ever closer to opening, another outfit is readying themselves to help draw you towards the mountains in search of your next frothy beverage. If you've driven on Hwy 24 westbound, you may have already noticed the unassuming sign above the door of a building just a stones throw from Rudy's Country BBQ. 

Beer in 2013: Our Photos

It's over already? Wow, time flies when you're drinking great beer! 

2013 was definitely a pretty amazing year. From rousing discussions about what makes a gueuze a gueuze to packing Front Range BBQ's patio month after month (no matter the temperature) for all of our Meet the Brewer talks, this year has been unique and interesting to say the least. Eric's Beers Made by Walking has again grown considerably, becoming bigger than a Colorado thing with tastings in both Denver and Portland this year, and we can't wait to see where it goes from there. The brewery boom has shown no signs of slowing, with Nano 108 and Lofty Brewing starting up recently and newcomers Manitou Brewing, Fieldhouse Brewing, and Fossil Brewing looking at 2014 for their opening date. Things here at Focus on the Beer are definitely evolving and changing, but we look forward to 2014 to be another year full of great times with craft beer.