Gm1m2/r^2 Brewing

grav·i·ty 

Noun:             The force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass. Equation: Fg = Gm1m2/r^2 Wherein G = universal gravitational constant: 6.67 x 10^-11 m1, m2 =  two masses that attract each other Fg =  attractive force between the two masses r = distance between the two masses

grav.i.ty brew.ing 

Noun:

A brewery in Louisville, Colorado with hand-crafted suds that attract beer geeks toward the bar.

Equation: GT = H + MB + Y + W

Wherein

H = hops

MB = malted barley

Y = yeast

W = water

GT = good times

With ski season nigh, Nicole, my sister, and I made a quick trip to Boulder Ski Deals to stock up on new gear but, on the way back, we made a layover in Louisville, Colorado.  Despite Nicole constantly correcting me, telling me it’s pronounced exactly as it’s spelled (Loo-iss-ville), I’m a born Midwesterner, I have an aunt living just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky, and I’m set in my ways; I doubt I’ll ever be able to say the name of this small, Colorado town without a French/Redneck phonation.  That, however, is a digression.  The reason we stopped in Louisville was to visit Gravity Brewing.

Located behind Mountain High Appliance and comprising half of the American Legion hall, Gravity—whose brewmaster is the son of the co-founder of Boulder Beer—isn’t in the most obvious place.  Those who seek it out, however, are rewarded.  With a large, open space diagonally bisected by a jagged-line bar top, Gravity, like Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, uses decidedly un-chic material and creates a hip environment: picnic tables made of particle board, floors sealed with Rust-Oleum EPOXY SHIELD Garage Floor Coating, and, in a polar opposite of the trash-to-treasure norm, a bar that appears to be constructed of old pallets but is actually composed of new wood.  Made with alternating dark and light boards complete with staples, a lot of time and effort went into creating the illusion that the bar top used to be warehouse skids.

Nicole and I ordered the sample platter: Coolship (4.7% ABV), Louisville Belgian Ale (6.5% ABV), Mendacious (8.1%), Newtonian (5.7% ABV), Regular (7.5% ABV), and Tsar Bomba (11% ABV).

Left to right: Coolship, Louisville, Mendacious, Newtonian, Regular, & Tsar Bomba

Coolship is a Belgian witbier that’s pale—nearly white—yellow with a flavor and aroma defined by bubblegum and coriander.  There’s a bit of wheat-y spice and a bready, yeasty character to the beer, too.  Coolship finishes dry.

Among the most decadent beers at Gravity, Louisville Belgian Ale is the color of rich caramel with red highlights.  The aroma suggests raisin, plum, and brown sugar and the flavor backs up that claim.  Warm alcohol cascades down the throat thus imparting a pleasant, glowing orb of heat in the body’s core.

The word “mendacious” refers to something that is false or lying and the beer that bears this appellation is, ironically, true to its word; this easy drinking, straw-colored Belgian blonde goes down so smooth with a clean, mineral-y, bready flavor that it’s impossible to realize it’s packing 8.1% ABV!  Be careful with the deceitful Mendacious—she’ll put you on your ass before you know what’s happening. 

Newtonian is an ESB that’s caramel-colored with a toffee, caramel, toasted aroma and flavor.  It is, essentially, a solid example of the ESB style—nothing more or less.

The hazy, orange Regular is a rye IPA with a crisp, grapefruit-like aroma which follows through into the taste.  The flavor also features a fresh, wood-like aftertaste not unlike what one might experience if biting down on a fresh pair of chopsticks. 

Louisville Belgian Ale may be decadent but it’s beggar’s gruel compared to the sheer opulence of Tsar Bomba, a Russian imperial stout.  Opaque black with red highlights, Tsar Bomba is like dessert and after-dinner coffee all at once—vanilla-y, roast-y, and smoky.  This intermingling of flavors will make any beer geek quake at the knees with palate pleasure.

Cool light fixture at Gravity

We hung out a little longer, drank a few full-pours, and chatted up the staff a bit.  Amazingly—and I kid you not—Nicole and I once again ran into ***** whom we met at Hops & Pie, River North Brewery, Wit’s End Brewing Company, and twice at Great American Beer Festival!  I don’t know how we always end up at the same place at the same time; beer just brings people together, I guess.   

If you find yourself in Louisville and don’t mind a short scavenger hunt, visit Gravity and enjoy a hand-crafted beer.  Since it’s so conveniently located in the American Legion, consider thanking a veteran with a round of beer, too (Beer for Heroes Day is October 17, just so you know).

Go to this place, I guarantee you’ll enjoy yourself.  That’s not a theory, that’s the law of Gravity.

Prost!

Chris

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