Great Divide Pumpkin Spice Yeti

College football is officially back, so it's okay to start drinking pumpkin beer again.  I know the stuff actually dropped a few weeks earlier this year, but you gotta have standards.  Anyway, one pumpkin beer i had not enjoyed before is the Pumpkin Spice Yeti from Great Divide, the Fall-themed take on their classic imperial stout.  The 9.5% brew pours a thick, dark black with a light brown head and smells of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg along with notes of roasted coffee and some light hints of vanilla.  The flavor is an almost creamy mix of said spices and coffee with some caramel and some earthy pumpkin notes.  It's all very well balanced, with no taste overpowering anything else, so about as well rounded a pumpkin stout as you're likely to find.

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Left Hand Bittersweet Nitro Imperial Coffee Milk Stout

It's been a spell since i've had anything from Colorado's Left Hand Brewing, so i picked up a 4-pack of their Bittersweet Nitro Imperial Coffee Milk Stout.  And i'm glad i did.  The 8.9% ABV brew pours black with a beautiful off white head that bubbles forever as nitros are wont to do.  Aromas of coffee, vanilla, cream, and roasted malt abound.  The flavor is heavy on coffee and cream with some notes of caramel in the mix as well, finishing smooth and very balanced between the bitter and the sweet.  This beer is wonderful.

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Great Divide Barrel Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

Great Divide's Yeti Imperial Stout is great enough on its own, but barrel aged...man.  The 12.5% ABV delight pours a dark black with a tan head and smells of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, oak, tobacco, and a hint of vanilla.  Flavors of chocolate, toffee, oak, booze, and some dark fruit notes abound in a medium sticky mouthfeel that gets better and better as the beer warms.  It had been awhile since i last enjoyed a Yeti, but i'm back on that wagon now.

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Ski Jeans

I love when different brewers around the country get together and collaborate.  It generally leads to some pretty unique creations.  Case in point is the fantastically named Ski Jeans, a limited release 7.5% ABV Colorado-style session IPA from the brewers at Austin, Texas's Austin Beerworks and Ft. Collins, Colorado's Odell Brewing.  During the brewing process, the hops are infused with liquid nitrogen, causing them to burst, and then said remnants are used for the beer.  Science!  And aside from some excellent can art, the beer is pretty damn good too.  Pouring a slight hazy gold with a frothy off-white head, the beer smells of citrus, fruit, pine, and florals with just a hint of spice.  The flavor is sweet at first, notes of pineapple, grapefruit, and more citrus hitting the tongue before bittering up a bit on the back end, the notes of pine and malt smoothing things out.  Hops abound.  And considering that 7.5% ABV, the beer is remarkably smooth, perfect for drinking in a lodge on the mountain...or in your living room while your kids watch episodes of "Sesame Street."  I write from experience.

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Boulder Nitro Shake Chocolate Porter

I've been back from Denver for a couple of weeks now, and thinking how i need to get back there someday...maybe next time without the kids...to make my way to more breweries and drink way, way more beer.  Anyway, while catching some lunch at the Ale House in downtown Denver, i tried the delicious Shake Chocolate Porter on nitro from Boulder Beer.  The 5.9% ABV brew poured a dark, blackish brown with a foamy white head (as nitros are wont to do) and smelled of malts, chocolate, and coffee.  The flavor was a velvety mix of chocolate and coffee with some hints of caramel and a great blend of sweet and bitter.  I must have this again someday.

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Avery Tangerine Quad

Turns out there are a lot of breweries in Colorado.  I was only there for 4 days...with kids...so i was only able to make it to a couple, but Avery Brewing in Boulder most certainly got a visit.  While there in their taproom/brew pub (the food was excellent by the way), i was able to try a handful of different beers, culminating in the Tangerine Quad, a 10.1% ABV Belgian style quadrupel with added tangerine peel and aged in bourbon barrels.  I think it goes without saying that it was magnificent.  Pouring a dark amber, the beer smells of dark fruits, tangerine, and hints of vanilla and alcohol.  The flavor is complex, notes of fruit, vanilla, caramel, bread, and oak swirling together with the tangerine peel in this full-bodied brew, nothing ever overpowering.  All in all, a damn fine beer.

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Bristol Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

"Make the Empire Great Again!"  Like i wasn't going to buy the beer with storm troopers on the label.

Last week i spent a few days in Denver and was able to sample a hand full of different Colorado brews, as one is wont to do when in Colorado.  The first during the trip (literally just a couple hours after landing) was the 10% ABV Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout from Bristol Brewing out of Colorado Springs.  The beer pours dark with a fleeting head and smells of malts, oats, hints of chocolate, and booze.  The beer's flavor was predominantly a mix of malt and alcohol but with a little extra tang to make things interesting.  Not a bad way to start the trip...and again, dig on those storm troopers.

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Nitro Pumpkin Spice Latte

Pumpkin beer season is in full bloom, with a smattering of offerings available from many a brewer.  Breckenridge Brewery's Nitro Pumpkin Spice Latte pairs all of the wonderful pumpkin spice flavors with a coffee stout, essentially making an alcoholic version of that seasonal coffee so many people freak out about.  And they do a pretty good job of it.  Pouring a thick and velvety black with a foamy white head (hooray nitrogen!), the stout looks fantastic and smells of roasted malts, coffee beans, and hints of nutmeg, clove, and pumpkin.  The beer is very smooth and easy to drink, subtle notes of the aforementioned nutmeg, clove, and pumpkin, as well as some hints of vanilla meshing wonderfully with the malt and coffee flavors.  All in all, it's a very drinkable beer, and at 5.5% ABV, feel free to have a few...just don't drive later you dummies.

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New Belgium Portage

Colorado's New Belgium Brewery is one of those brewers who have never blown me away, but have also never made anything that i didn't like.  They are about as dependable a brewery as you're liable to get, and so, on that train of thought, the New Belgium Portage, a dark and smooth porter, is a pretty tasty beer that's as dependable a representation of a porter style as you're likely to taste.  The beer pours dark with a moderate tan head and smells of malts, chocolate, and vanilla.  The flavor is similar, but with some added nuttiness and some hints of coffee.  The Portage is simple and classic, a traditional porter with no added frills or exotic flavors.  It's really easy to drink too and makes a great chilly weather companion.

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Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout

I love chocolate milk.  I also love milk stouts.  To that end, the Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout from Odell Brewing Company is a total no-brainer.  The 8.5% ABV brew pours dark and black with a minimal tannish head.  The aromas of milk sugars and chocolate are evident upon first pour, along with some malt and alcohol notes.  The beer is thick, creamy, and smooth, the milk chocolate sweet, but not too sweet, and finishes on the dryer side.  This is definitely more of dessert beer and would go great following a late dinner.

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Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA

I always love when breweries work with and tweak IPA's coming up with awesome and tasty combinations.  Deschutes Brewery offer up their Chainbreaker White IPA, a nice mix of Belgian white and IPA.  The beer pours a hazy light yellow, with a nice and foamy white head.  The aroma consists of Belgian yeast and malts, lemon, and hints of banana and grass.  The taste is malty, with the lemon coming in front and center, followed by notes of coriander and grass.  The hoppiness is slight, especially for an IPA, but still noticeable with hints of grapefruit coming on the back end.  A great anytime beer.

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Odell 90 Shilling Ale

The 90 Shilling Ale from Colorado's Odell Brewing is not the best English/Scottish ale i've ever had in my life, but that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable.  The beer is a lovely amber with a white head that smells of grain and hints of caramel.  The taste is the same, but with some hints of bread and some medium bitterness from the hops.  Overall, a decent brew that was a great companion to making dinner last night.

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Standing Wave Pale Ale

Earlier this year for Valentine's Day, my wife enrolled me in a beer of the month club because she is awesome, and now i receive a 12-pack with 4 different beers from all over the country at the end of every month.  A recent arrival was the Standing Wave Pale Ale from Kannah Creek Brewing Company out of Colorado.  And it's a nice one.  The beer pours gold with an off-white head, giving off some bread and pine aromas.  The taste is the same, but with some spicy hops and some hints of citrus and sweetness in the mix.  The medium body and crisp carbonation definitely make this a summer beer, a lovely elixir for these long, hot days ahead.  I recommend drinking this with a burger.

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Ska Brewing Hibernal Vinifera Stout

Okay, this is a different one.  I don't normally take grape juice in my stouts, but after having the Hibernal Vinifera Stout from Ska Brewing, i'm willing to change my stance on that.  It's cool.  I can admit when i'm wrong.  The beer pours a dark black with a light brown head.  The initial aromas consist of roasted malt, chocolate, and a little bit of alcohol.  The taste combines those elements with some lovely fruit notes from the grape juice.  It's sweet and bitter and smooth.  I found these very, very easy to drink, and they were an excellent companion for the cold nights we had in Austin last week.

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Snow Day Winter Ale

So this goes out to all my friends in the northeast who may be under a foot or more of snow right now.  I hope you are adequately stocked with water and food and propane and batteries and whatnot.  I also hope you have some libations to keep you warm through the storm.  Might i suggest New Belgium's Snow Day Winter Ale.  With hints of chocolate, caramel, and some subtle walnut undertones combined with the spicy hops, the beer comes together remarkably well and is just the remedy for a cold night.  Add to that the creamy head and roasty finish, and you've got a winner.  Keep warm and be safe my friends.

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Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter

Still winter time.  Still digging on the darker brews.  But this time, i felt i should go for more of a traditional porter without all the coffee, or pecans, or pumpkin (the kind i just brewed myself), and so i give you the Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter from Ska Brewing Co. in Durango, Colorado.  The brew is a pretty straight forward porter, dark, malty, and with your usual hints of caramel and chocolate.  An excellent beer for a cold day.  Sometimes it's nice to just enjoy a classic.

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Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout

Although here in central Texas, our weather has been all over the map lately (25 degree low on Wednesday and a 72 degree high today), i'm giving myself over to my usual ilk of winter beers, that is to say, porters and stouts will be filling my belly for the upcoming months.  That being said, Colorado's Great Divide Brewing Co. has just thing soothe my craving for heavier libations, their delicious Yeti Imperial Stout.  The brew is dark, with a nice frothy head that dissipates quickly, but carries the aroma and flavor of cocoa or dark chocolate along with coffee and roasted malts.  The Yeti has a creamy taste with blends of the aforementioned chocolate and coffee, as well as some hints of toffee and caramel.  The sweetness combines well with the hops giving it a smooth and rich feel and taste.  And it's no slacker in the alcohol department either (9.5% ABV).  All in all, the beer is an excellent stout.  Kudos to the kids at Great Divide.

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Avery Samael's Oak Aged Ale

Now this is what i've been waiting for.  The good peeps and brew masters over at Avery Brewing Co. in Colorado have unleashed a series of "Demon Ales" upon an unsuspecting populace of beer drinkers.  And so we have Samael's Oak Aged Ale.  To start, this thing is over 15% ABV, so it packs a punch.  Taste wise, the first thing that hits the palette is a ton of caramel, followed by some hints of vanilla.  The malts take control of this beer, putting the hops in the backseat.  It's sweet, but not too sweet, as there seem to be some bittering agents in the mix to make the beer more complete.  All in all, it's a pretty tasty brew...and not to be trifled with.  The aroma is oak and pure alcohol.  It almost smells like caramel and scotch, and i wholeheartedly approve of that.

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