Recap: Avery Sourfest 2012

Avery's barrel room

Armed with a pocketful of Tums, a camera, and two tickets, Lefty and I made a trek to Boulder on Saturday for the third annual SourFest. We arrived about 45 minutes before opening, and there was already a line of over 100 people. As we stood in line, a bearded brewer (redundant) walked up to me and introduced himself as Ron Gansberg, the brewmaster and blender from Cascade Brewing in Portland, OR. He was wondering if I brewed for Lost Abby since I wore a Lost Abby brewers shirt. What a way to start Sourfest! I unfortunately had to say no but did get to talk to Ron for awhile. This was his first time coming to SourFest, and he brought four beers with him. Since Cascade Brewing does not participate in GABF anymore, I was pretty excited to get the chance to sample some of these rare Oregon treats! 27 breweries brought beer for the event with 49 beers on tap and 10 bottled beers.

Front Range Beer Trip Day 1: AC Golden

Last week Isaac and I were able to make a pretty epic beer journey up the Front Range to see a number of breweries. Because we've been organizing more and more events we wanted to stop in to a few places and introduce ourselves. Some folks we have met a few times and we wanted to re-connect, or we've just chatted over email, and some breweries were brand new and we wanted to see how things were going. By the end of each day we were pretty exhausted and by the fourth day we actually had to cut our trip short because we had hit a mental and physical barrier and couldn't drink any more beer. So, for the next few days I plan to make a post, maybe two posts, for each day of the trip.

Troy Casey in the hidden barrel room at AC Golden

The journey starts in the town of Golden, Colorado at AC Golden. We have talked about Troy Casey and AC Golden a few times in this blog. The brewery makes some extraordinary beer, they won a Silver in the American Brett Style category in the World Beer Cup this year, and they have won a few awards for the Colorado Native. At the Craft Lager Fest and the Saison Festival, they proved to have some of my favorite beers of the day. Even during our visit I was overwhelmingly impressed with the brewery, the playful freedom the brewers experienced, and their dedication to finesse. The thing is,

2012 Saison Fest Image Recap

Saison Fest 2012 has come and gone and we have to wait another 365 days till the next one. After living in Colorado Springs for a year and a half I have come to love Saisons and Farmhouse Ales, due in large part to Trinity Brewing and their persistence in exploring the possibilities of these beers. We've seen Saisons of all kinds, from clean, dry, and sharp to messy, playful, and complex. We've seen farmhouse ales with wild yeast, with vegetables grown in our own backyards, with saffron, with heather, without hops, with fruit, with almonds, with large amounts of tartness and many other variations. It makes perfect sense that Trinity's newest flagship beer is Saison Man, a clean and dry saison named after Jason Yester, and it also makes sense that Jason organizes the annual Saison and Farmhouse Ale Festival. This is a day where breweries all over Colorado do some experimentation and bring some very playful offerings. Many of the beers are created for this event, while others are special beers that we just can't really get this far south of Denver (yet). It's a lovely festival, I really can't emphasize it enough. This year I had just as much fun as last year and I'm looking forward to the next one, although I wish we could have it again in 30 days. I hope you enjoy our photos and our recap.

On Buying AC Golden's Beer

Earlier today I gave a recap on the Wild Beer and Wild Game beer dinner and I talked about an absolutely fantastic beer by Troy Casey of AC Golden called the Hidden Barrel Project Apricot. The beer, masterfully crafted had two pounds of apricots per gallon and had been aged for 10 months in Chardonnay barrels. The beer was tart, but not overwhelming, it was incredibly balanced and absolutely delicious. I want to drink that beer all the time.

In case you didn't know AC Golden is a part of Miller/Coors, operating in a 'small' 30 barrel brew house right down the hall from Coors in Golden, CO. AC Golden is most known for their Colorado Native brand. Troy informed us that this Apricot Beer will be bottled and sold at Mile High Liquor in Denver starting in March. It will be a limited batch and the people at the brewery are not sure how well the beer will sell because it will be priced at $22/bottle. Not only that, but the beer is sitting somewhere between 5-6% ABV so it's not a big beer at all. Troy wasn't sure if people who are used to paying higher prices for higher ABV beers, like for Avery special beers, would be willing to pay the same price for these. Well, let me assure you that the beer is of the highest quality and is an absolutely lovely 'sour' apricot beer. I do believe it's worth $22, easily.

For me the question isn't whether or not people will buy this because of the ABV, but rather because of a moral and/or philosophical question of whether or not they want to put their money in the pocket of MillerCoors, a joint venture with MolsonCoors, whose beer  is not exactly known for being in favor with the craft beer crowd. Will people support AC Golden? The answer is clear to me, AC Golden is making damn fine beer and they are paying guys like Troy Casey to make these innovative beers. It's a clear yes for me.

Looks like it's also a clear yes for our Denver Off The Wagon buddies, who were somehow thinking the same thing as me at the same time. Collective consciousness!

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The Crowd Goes Wild: A Recap of the Wild Game & Wild Beer Dinner

The Wild Beer & Wild Game dinner at Trinity the other night was a real work of art. There were six courses, each with an element of wild game, with the exception of the fondue and the dessert which used local ingredients. The beers, all 'wild' in that they used traditionally wild yeast strains (usually Brettanomyces), ranged enormously from the acetic and sour, to incredibly fruity, to hoppy, to delicate and rosey. Everything was paired beautifully by chefs Brian Blasnek and Chad Conway. I'm going to write about some of the pairings but I don't intend for this to be a review, just a mouth-watering recap. If you want a review...I give it two thumbs up and I would highly recommend the next dinner.

The first course really set the stage for the rest of the night. The Colorado cheddar fondue sat next to apples, pears, and a couple different types of local breads. It was absolutely delicious. But even more incredibly it paired perfectly with the acetic Old Growth. The beer is perhaps Trinity's most tart offering, with notes of green apple. The cheese in the dish was creamy and smooth and so nicely cut through the tart qualities of the beer, which was also complimented so nicely with the pear.

Wild Beer Dinner Coming Up at Trinity

If you can afford it, you should get your tickets to the Wild Beer and Wild Game Beer Dinner at Trinity Brewing before it sells out. With the exception of Avery's Beer and Breakfast dinner at GABF, this may be the most exciting beer dinner I've seen. This will be a six course setting paired with six beers from Trinity, Crooked Stave, AC Golden and the Super Saison League (Buddha Nuvo). These three breweries are perhaps the most innovative in the state as it goes with experimentation with wild yeasts (Avery could be in there too... And yes, AC Golden included, they make damn fine, experimental beer) and they contend with the most innovative breweries in the country.

So, the dinner is pricey for sure at $80 but I just wanted to give you the DL because it should fill quickly. Below you'll find the pairings as well as descriptions of the beer:

Wild Beer and Wild Game Dinner
February 12 / Seating at 8pm
$80 - RSVP Only - 719.634.0029
At Trinity Brewing, Colorado Springs

Buddha Nuvo is Bottled and Almost Ready

Last week the collaborative and long-awaited Buddha Nuvo beer was bottled. You might remember this beer from our earlier image recap of the brew day. Check out that earlier post to see more info about how the beer was made and who contributed what in making it. The beer was originally brewed on Feburary 11th, and after initial fermentation it was stored in Oak Barrels. Numerous breweries all over Colorado have had a hand in the making of this beer, whether it was help conceptualizing it, providing equipment, ingredients, or simply lending a helping hand during production. The beer is a fundraiser for the Colorado Brewer's Guild. More information on that, where to find the beer, and a lot more pictures are below. I had a video but it's having problems. I'll post it later if I can get it to work (sorry Kjell!)

Here's the final product, dipped in wax and signed by
Jim Stinson of Rockyard and Jason Yester of Trinity

The beer is a 12% Saison, conceived initially by Jason at Trinity and added to and changed by many other brewers. Rockyard Brewing in Castle Rock provided the brewing space, fermentation space, checked in on the beer, and is handling the distribution. The malt bill of the beer consists of a complex blend Weyerman Pilsen, Vienna, Rye, and spelt for a golden color yet vinous body. Pumpkin was added in the boil for the smooth textures dancing over the palate. Several varieties of whole peppercorns were added to the boil to further reinforce the expected spiciness of this Saison. 5 distinct yeasts creating a spicy and fruity ester profile. 3 of the yeasts were provided by Troy at AC Golden. Post fermentation the batch aged on American Oak Chardonnay barrels, 6 varieties of Bretta, and the rare fruit known as Buddha's Hand. Buddha's hand was also in the boil.

A look from the top on bottling day

We had sampled the un-aged version of the beer at the Saison Fest earlier this year and it seemed quite promising. The oak barrels were provided by Chad Yakobson of Crooked Stave. Earlier in the week he and Jim Stinson mixed the beer from the barrels and prepped it for the bottles. The bottles were pre-labeled by some very appreciated folks at Rockyard.