Shamrock - Winner of Battle of the Brewers!

The first go-around of Battle of the Brewers is officially over and our congratulations go out to Shamrock Brewing in Pueblo, the final winner! Shamrock made their way through three great rounds with beers made by Jason Beuhler. In the first round they were paired against Pikes Peak Brewing, in a close call match up using the random ingredients of Raspberry and Pumpkin. In round two, Shamrock defeated Rockyard Brewing using Ginger and Almonds. In the finals they met Lone Tree Brewing and came out on top. The final beer was made with a bottle of red wine per 5 gallons, and the use of some kind of wood (but not oak). In this round, Lone Tree put together a base beer that was a malty red ale with Spanish Tempranillo, hickory, and cherry wood. Shamrock's base beer was a strong Stout, used Merlot and aged with 35 year old cherry wood.

I would like to send my thanks to Jason Beuhler and Shamrock for really putting a lot of effort into this fun little event. I'd also like to thank all the other participating brewers including: Lone Tree Brewing, who also made it to the finals, Rockyard Brewing, Phantom Canyon Brewing, Kevin Beity Kraft Beer, Pikes Peak Brewing, Yak and Yeti, and Rock Bottom. This was a lot of fun and we're already planning the next battle.

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Announcing the Final Round of Battle of the Brewers

Battle of the Brewers: Final Round
Sat. June 23 / 4pm Sharp! / $5 cash
Brewer's Republic / 112 N. Nevada, Colorado Springs
Facebook Event Page

We started with eight local breweries, each brewer was given two random ingredients to add to a beer, you did a blind tasting of all the beers and decided which ones were best and which breweries advanced to the next round. We're now at the third and final round, the last two brewers are duking it out on June 23rd. We congratulate Shamrock Brewing and Lone Tree Brewing on getting this point, your beers have been wonderful thus far, but only one brewer will win in the end. What are the two random ingredients for the beer this time? A bottle of wine per 5 gallons of beer, and the use of wood (but not oak).

Join us on Saturday, June 23rd at 4pm. You will get to decide, in a blind tasting, which beer is best and who will be crowned the 2011 Battle of the Brewers Champion. For $5 you will get a sample of each beer, one vote, a chance to win some door prizes AND a half pint of your choosing from two specialty kegs. It's going to be a good time, We'll see you there!

Wondering what the previous rounds were like? You can see the info here and here and our video recap.
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Battle of the Brewers: Round 2

Battle of the Brewers: Round 2
Saturday, May 19th / 4pm SHARP! 
$10 cash / At Brewer's Republic / 112 N. Nevada, Colorado Springs
Facebook Event Page

Round Two of Battle of the Brewers is just around the corner. Last time we brought you eight local brewers, we put the brewers into brackets, we chose sixteen random ingredients, and you were the judge for the beers. It was a blast. You selected your four favorite beers in a blind tasting and now the winners of round one are paired up against each other. They've been working endlessly to perfect this round's offering.

On May 19th, join us for Round Two, where once again you'll be the judge. Be there at 4pm SHARP to participate. When the round is over we will announce the winners for the finals and randomly select the two ingredients. For $10 you will get a sample tray with four beers AND you will get a 10oz pour of a beer from a specialty keg.

The Players:
Lone Tree vs. Phantom Canyon (Pineapple and Honey)
Rockyard vs. Shamrock (Almonds and Ginger)

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Video Recap: Battle of the Brewers Round One

Battle of the Brewers: Round One from Focus on the Beer on Vimeo.

Battle of the Brewers was pretty amazing. We opened Brewer's Republic at 4pm and there was a huge line going out the door. Apparently a few other folks were just as interested as we were in seeing what our local brewers could do with a handful of random ingredients. Check out the awesome video that our photo guy Daniel Flanders put together. I think it nicely captures the spirit of the event.

Battle of the Brewers: Round One

Battle of the Brewers: Round One
Sat. March 31st / 4pm sharp!
Brewer's Republic / 112 N. Nevada, Colorado Springs
$5 for the full flight
Facebook Event Page

We are proud to introduce the first ever Battle of the Brewers competition in Colorado Springs. We have invited eight local breweries to compete against one another using randomly selected ingredients that we pulled out of a hat! We have used a bracket system so that one brewery is matched up against one other brewery, both producing a beer using the same two ingredients (such as molasses and peaches). The fun part comes when you, our lovely beery readers, will do a blind judging of the beers. March 31st will be Round 1, we will announce the winners of the public vote, announce the date for the next round, and select the random ingredients again right there at the bar for all to see!

So, be sure to be at Brewer's Republic at 4pm on March 31st. For $5 you will get eight beers in sample glasses and you will get a judge. We are limited to only five gallons of each beer, so it will go quickly. Also we are dividing the eight beers into two brackets: Bracket One will be served at 4pm and Bracket Two will be served at 5pm. Here are the brackets, breweries, and random ingredients:

BRACKET ONE / 4pm

Lone Tree vs Rock Bottom (Black Cherry, Clementine)

Rockyard vs Yak and Yeti (Molasses, Peaches)

BRACKET TWO / 5pm

Phantom Canyon vs. KBKB (Black Tea, Strawberry)

Shamrock vs. Pikes Peak (Raspberry, Pumpkin)

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