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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Beer Photo of the Week #4: Shamrock Brewing

Photo by Daniel Flanders. Shamrock Brewing / Keg, hose, and bucket

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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.

Collaborative Buddha Nuvo Image Recap

Last Friday a gathering of Colorado brewers took place. The project they were/are working on is a collaborative beer called Buddha Nuvo, named after the Buddha's Hand citrus fruit that has been added to the beer. There are more breweries involved in the project that I can beautifully list here, but I've got a bunch of pictures from the brew date below. Here's a bit of information about the beer:

Our malt bill 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. In fermentation, we mixed 5 distinct yeasts creating a spicy and fruity ester profile. Post fermentation the batch will age on American Oak Chardonnay barrels, 6 varieties of Bretta, and the rare fruit known as Buddha's Hand. Expected ABV is 12%. (Buddha's Hand was also added to the boil).

If you want more information on this beer, there is hours worth of information online about it at this point. Jason Yester took a lot of video from the event, so check his video-blog page to see the activities. Additionally, Rockyard Brewing set up a blog page devoted to this collaborative beer, which includes a wonderful entry of the email exchange happening between the brewers. Check it out!

This is what a Buddha's Hand looks like. Pretty friendly looking fruit, eh?

Jason Yester of Trinity Brewing mashing in the grains. *

Jason Yester, Jason Leeman of Rock Bottom COS, and Tim Myers of Strange Brewing checking mash temperatures.

Jim Stinson of Rockyard Brewing checking to see if the mashing procedure had finished extracting sugars from the malt. They were shooting for 16-18 degrees Plato.

Merry Christmas from Shamrock Brewing Co

This Thursday, Dec. 16th, Shamrock Brewing Co in Pueblo will release Shamrock's Holiday Spice Ale. This strong ale, just in time for Christmas, is brewed with pale and caramel malts, as well as wheat, roast barley, honey, and molasses. Spiced with fresh ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and a touch of cinnamon, this beer has a rich complexity. At 7.8% ABV, it is sure to bring lots of holiday cheer! 

Shamrock is located at: 108 W 3rd Street, Pueblo, CO 81003