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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Buffalo Bayou Black Raz

Every now and then, a beer can totally serve as a desert, something thick and sweet to end a meal or evening with.  The Black Raz, a delicious chocolate raspberry stout from Houston's Buffalo Bayou Brewing, has you covered.  The beer pours dark black with a nice tan head and smells of roasted malt, raspberry, and hints of vanilla, toffee, and other fruit.  The flavor is a lovely mix of malt, chocolate, raspberry, and cherry that's sweet, but with a roasty back end, and all in an 8% ABV package.  Nothing overpowers.  All in all, a wonderful stout.

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Phoenix Vienna Style Lager

One of the cool things about writing a beer blog (even if i don't have a vast readership) is that the friends and family that read it will sometimes send beer my way.  From Coachella Valley Brewing Co. comes the Phoenix Vienna Style Lager, a tasty and spicy 6.5% ABV beer that i may certainly have to drink again if ever i'm back in California.  The brew pours an amber hue with a very foamy white head and smells of spicy hops with hints of bread and fruit.  The flavor is full of spice with toffee and fruit notes.  Brewed with dates, the beer is a pretty refreshing libation, and would pair well with spicy food.  Much thanks to Gary and Noma.

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(512) Wild Bear

I missed posting last week, but i'm back again with an absolutely wonderful beer from (512) Brewing here in Austin.  The Wild Bear is a double brown ale with Brettanomyces yeast and Pediococcus bacteria cultures added after primary fermentation and then aged in oak barrels for 10 months.  Pouring a nice, dark brown with a foamy, white head, this 8.5% ABV brew smells of oak, cherries, and hints of vanilla with an overall tartness prevailing.  The flavor is full of sour brett funkiness with a nice malty backbone and notes of vanilla.  This is a tasty brew wrapped together in a badass bear package.

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Community Snickerdoodle Ale

Christmas may be in our rear view now, but i had to get in just one more holiday ale before the oncoming later winter months and the beginning of spring bring us a slew of lagers, pales, and IPA's to whet our whistles.  And so, i present the Snickerdoodle Ale, a 5.2% sweet treat from Community Beer Company.  The brew pours a light crisp gold with a frothy white head and smells of sugar, cinnamon, and light bread notes.  Cinnamon and vanilla are most prevalent in the flavor, though the malt and bread notes keep everything surprisingly balanced.  I enjoyed this beer far more than i thought i would, and it made for delicious offering over the holiday break.  Find some while you can.

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