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?

Pliny is Here

Pliny the Elder is currently in stock at Coaltrain Wine and Spirits!

You know how rare this occurrence is, and know that it will go quick! One bottle per person.
For you visual learners out there, here's a peek at what you need to get:

It's so pretty!

Get to Coaltrain tonight, or right now for that matter if you want some amazing, hoppy goodness! I've gotten mine!

Cheers!

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Recap: Pikes Peak Tap Takeover and Avery Beer Dinner

In the last week I've had a few memorable beer experiences and I'd like to share them. I'll mention my time at Brewer's Republic here and then at Blue Star below.

Brewer's Republic has been killing it with Josh as the new General Manager. Pretty much every week (often more than once a week) they have special tap takeovers, they've started selling some ridiculously good bottles of beer (Drei Fonteinen Oude Gueuze and others!) and they've even had some really great out-of-state beers on tap. I plan to head there tomorrow or Thursday to get a glass of the North Coast Barrel Aged Rasputin on tap.

2 Great Looking Beer Dinners From Coaltrain

We would like to direct your attention to a couple great looking beer dinners that Coaltrain is organizing. The first is on January 8th and is a five course dinner at Tapateria paired with Bristol beers. The second is on January 30th at The Blue Star and features a rare sampling of some of Avery's Barrel Aged beers. Details from Coaltrain are below:

Beer Dinner with Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Jolly Pumpkin Artisinal Ales is a brewery in Michigan that specializes in open-fermentation, oak-aging, wild and sour beers. They are a phenomenal brewery, one of the very best in the country and one of the most reputable with brewers and beer geeks alike.

A couple weeks ago Isaac and I had the privilege of helping The Blue Star and Coaltrain pick out which Jolly Pumpkin beers should be a part of the next beer dinner and which order they should go in. It was one of my favorite drinking sessions ever, the beers were absolutely killer and I believe we all came up with a lineup that will totally knock your socks off. I just got word that the menu is finalized, so I'm sharing all the menu here. In all honesty, this beer dinner will be ridiculously good, I would recommend getting your ticket because this will sell out.




Jolly Pumpkin Beer Dinner
July 19th / 6:30 / 
The Blue Star / 1645 S. Tejon St. / RSVP 719-632-1086
$65 plus tax & gratuity

Recap of Coaltrain Barrel Aged Beer Tasting

The other night we attended the Coaltrain Barrel Aged Beer Tasting at The Warehouse. This event was very different than the beer dinners we've had at Trinity and Another Pint as it wasn't a proper beer dinner per say. There were three courses and about fourteen different beers in between all that. These beers have been saved off in the Coaltrain cellar for such an event and then also made available at a discount for those who attend. Overall the beers were really tasty, some I have tried previously but now the beers had some age to them so they were quite different than before. Some of the exceptional beers I'd like to mention were the La Trappe Oak-Aged Isid'or Trappist, HaandBryggeriet Akevitt Porter (Akevitt is a spirit from Norway), Barrel Aged BORIS from Hoppin Frog, Old Rasputin 14th Anniversary Stout, Dry Dock Bligh's Barleywine, Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad, and Odell Friek.

The Barrel Aged Old Rasputin was one of my favorites, I picked up a bottle of this for a special occasion. And I'd really like to try this next to the original stout. This one had some balanced notes of chocolate and bourbon.

Coaltrain's Barrel Aged Beer Tasting

Photo taken from Buffalo Trace

Coaltrain is pulling out the stops! They've got a ridiculously good looking barrel aged beer tasting coming up. This will be a great opportunity to have some rarities, just have a good time, and if you feel like it to also educate yourself a bit on different types of barrel aged beer, and the differentiation of flavors. Here's the news from Coaltrain, including a list of beers:

Join us on Thursday, March 1st at 6pm at The Warehouse restaurant for the greatly anticipated Barrel-Aged Beer Tasting. The line-up is killer; with an imported beer flight including a couple oak-aged Trappist ales, followed by a domestic flight dominated by bourbon and whiskey barrel aging. This is a sit-down event that begins promptly at 6pm. The Warehouse kitchen will provide two food courses to pair with the beer flights as well as a light dessert. The cost per taster is $48 inclusive.

Coaltrain's 2011 Sour Beer Tasting

Last night Coaltrain Wine and Spirits held their annual Sour Beer Tasting at The Warehouse. There was a good turnout but the event was not sold out which surprised me given the theme of this dinner. There were three welcome beers which included Rockyard Rockweisser Berlinerweiss, Victory Helios, and Anchorage Whiteout Wit Bier. All three were solid starter beers, light and refreshing. Then the first course appeared of four additional sours paired with a cod dish. The beers included Crooked Stave Pure Guava Petite Sour, Vandberg and Dewulf Lambrucha, Ommegang Aphrodite, HaandBryeriet Haandbakk, and Ichtegem's Grand Cru. The HaandBryeriet Haandbakk really stood out in this flight. It was very acidic and had notes of tart cherries. Yum! This was the first beer in more than one hundred years made in Norway using wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. The second course came with five more sours paired with a baked ziti pasta dish. The last five sours were definitely the crowd pleasers and included De Ranke Kriek, 2008 Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek, De Oude Cam Oude Lambiek ($37 a bottle!), Timmermans Oude Gueze, and Brewery Stubbe Lambickx. This flight give the palate a challenge in that all were very acidic, flavorful, and had the classic barnyard horse blanket aromas and flavors that sour fans covet. It was hard to pick a winner from this flight, but it sure was fun sampling the rare and renown Cantillon.

Overall, the event was a hit. The credit goes to Austin, the manager and beer buyer, who stores these great beers every year just for this event. The other employees at Coaltrain also did a great job serving the beers and answering any questions. The food pairings could have been better with possibly one more additional course, but that's not the real reason one comes to a sour beer tasting. The beers were fantastic, and it was a rare treat to sample 12 in one sitting. I recommend signing up early next year because I don't think next year will have an open seat!

Also, Coaltrain will soon have a Barrel-Aged beer tasting soon, so stay tuned for that. 
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Focus on the Beer Top 10 Beer Spots in Colorado Springs: #8 Coaltrain Wine and Spirits

Here is the Focus on the Beer list of the top 10 beer spots in the Colorado Springs area. We are starting at #10 and working our way down to #1 in the upcoming weeks. The rest of the Top 10 can be found here. Let us know what you think! 

#7 Beer Spot of Colorado Springs: Coaltrain Wine and Spirits
Nestled almost under I-25 next to a 7-11 is the most well stocked liquor store of microbrews and hard to find beers in Colorado Springs. You might be saying, "Hey wait a minute, how can a liquor store be in the top 10?" Well, we believe that sometimes instead of heading to your favorite beering hole for a barley pop, why not bring the beer home and save a few bucks. Coaltrain has been in operation since 1981 providing some of the best selection of wine, spirits, and beer in Colorado.

The Beer: This is the reason Coaltrain made the list. They have a back wall of coolers filled with an impressive amount of 6-packs that include microbrews from many many Colorado

Coaltrain Beer Dinner at Blue Star on Feb. 1

Duvel Moortgat Beer Dinner at The Blue Star
Please join us at The Blue Star on Tuesday, February 1st at 6:30pm for a fantastic beer dinner. This event will feature the beers of Duvel Moortgat. They represent Duvel, Brewery Ommegang, Brewery D'Achouffe, and Maredsous.

Menu

Reception
Assorted beer inspired snacks
Duvel Golden Ale

Duo
Broiled shrimp with green papaya slaw, red curry vinaigrette
Lobster corndog in hush puppy batter, remoulade, wasabi mayo
Ommegang Hennepin Saison
Houblon Chouffe

Duo
Roast pork belly on brined cabbage with horseradish jus
Roasted smoked brisket, potato & leek hash, Abbey Ale sauce
Ommegang Rare Vos
Ommegang Abbey Ale

Duo
Onyx cocoa molten cake, ovaltine ice cream, Earl Grey ganache
Vanilla malt chiffon cake, cherry currant topping,
creme fraiche ice cream, coffee caramel
Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence
Ommegang Three Philosophers Quadrupel

Cost and Tickets
$45 plus tax & gratuity per person
Reserve a seat at 719.632.1086 x 0
Feb 1st, 6:30pm at Blue Star

Two Upcoming Beer Events at The Warehouse

There are two good looking beer events coming up in Colorado Springs that look to be organized by Coaltrain's Wine/Liquor/Beer shop and both take place at The Warehouse restaurant. They are listed below.

1. Sour Beer Tasting
Dec. 1 /// 6:30pm
$40 /// RSVP to Coaltrain's is Necessary

This is our third installment of the sour beer tasting. I was just digging through my secret stash of cellar beers and sours, and I discovered a handful of special brews I forgot I was saving. These were earmarked for the next sour tasting, and that is now! Please join us on Wednesday, December 1st at 6:30 at The Warehouse to taste 12 deliciously sour beers. The beers will range from slightly sour to mouth puckering monsters. Some with fruit added, and some that will take you back to your days cleaning out the horse stalls at Grandpa's farm.