Oh, what do you do with a problem like The SandLot? It presents a philosophical
conundrum to the ardent craft beer supporter.
On one hand, it’s well known that this tiny, ten-barrel brewhouse is, in
fact, a single tentacle on the Cthulhu that is Coors. While this miniscule brewing facility nestled
into the northeast corner of a baseball stadium accounts for but a fraction of
Coors’ overall production and profit it still, nonetheless, serves the master
of R'lyeh.
On the other hand, damn, their beer is exquisite! Blue Moon Belgian White—the most famous beer
to have been created at SandLot—is often derided but, if we’re being honest
with ourselves, it’s a fine beer; it’s expertly crafted and holds its ground
when compared to other beers of the style.
Furthermore, while that particular witbier may be the best known brew to
have originated at Coors Field, it’s certainly not the only. In fact, the tap list at SandLot is vast, ever-changing,
and full of boundary-defying, experimental beers the likes of which are rarely
seen outside of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
They don’t do boring at SandLot, no sir, and, believe it or not, they
have a lot of Great American Beer Festival and
World Beer Cup medals to prove their worth.
One might call SandLot a “crafty” brewery and, while
the “craft v. crafty” debate is a fairly new controversy, it’s gotten so much internet
play that it seems as though we’ve been talking about it forever. The conversation may have been discussed to
death but, in my opinion, it should never be outright ignored; there’s still a
problem with the world when beers owned by mega-corporations can masquerade as
mom-and-pop products. I find it
unnerving that the consumer can’t see the word “Coors” on a Blue Moon
label. Nowadays, any beer geek who’s
been a part of the craft community for a few months or so knows who owns who;
when they want to support a small, local business, they know where to
turn. I do still worry about those who
are just getting into the beer lifestyle—people who are well-meaning advocates
of small businesses who simply don’t know who’s benefiting from their purchases. I imagine the number of people deceived into
buying macrobeer is, with today’s easy access to information, quite small. “Small” is not a synonym for “nonexistent,”
though; anytime anybody unwittingly buys MillerCoors or Anheuser-Busch when they think they’re supporting an independent business
is a problem.
 |
| Nice spread in front of the brewing equipment |
Take note: I don’t claim macrobrewed beer is bad.
Oftentimes, it is bad (e.g.
Bud Light Platinum, Keystone Ice…etc.) but other times it’s really, really good
(e.g. pretty much any of AC Golden Brewing Company’s sour beers). For me, it’s not about flavor but about
honesty. If you intend to buy macrobeer,
that’s fine—do what you do. If you
intend to buy craft but were duped into buying otherwise, well, that gets my
hackles up. If you choose to support a
small business then it’s devious for a corporation to pull the wool over the
consumer’s eyes, trick them into buying their
product instead of what the
consumer actually wants.
Now that I’ve aired my thoughts and concerns, I can
get to my point; Nicole and I were invited by VISIT DENVER to attend the January
Travel Writer Reception, an opportunity for people who write about and promote
Denver to eat, drink, and mingle at SandLot.
Of course, Beer in Colorado
has a broader focus (all of Colorado,
not just Denver) and Nicole and I, obviously, keep our posts centered on beer but,
if you think about it, we’re travel bloggers as much as we are beer
bloggers. We don’t just write about
beer, we write about visiting breweries, the journey to and from taprooms, the
people we meet along the way, and the other non-booze related activities that
occur on our trips. Yes, we are beer
evangelists but we’re also Colorado (and Denver) evangelists.
 |
| John Legnard speaks to the crowd |
The event was also a chance for the Coors Field staff
to show off their new “Rooftop Deck Project” which will soon house a CHUBurger
and the 5280 Craft Bar (with those two establishments in development and an active brewery already in place,
is Coors Field, in fact, the most craft-centric stadium in the MLB?) as well as
to showcase their in-house beers and meet head brewer John Legnard.
Here are a few highlights from the night:
·
Legnard explained some of the more curious
aspects of the brewery. For one,
SandLot, while housed in a baseball stadium, is actually in a building older than the stadium itself. Before the Coors Field era, that part of town
was dotted with early-20th-Century brick-and-mortar warehouses (it
still is although most of them have been transformed into condos, art studios,
and restaurants by this point). The SandLot
sits in one such building. In keeping
with the adage “they don’t build ‘em like they used to,” urban legend claims the
warehouse was so well constructed it couldn’t
be torn down—the developers were forced to build the stadium around it. When you’re at the bar, look to the garage
doors on the north wall and notice how you’re standing on higher ground—about as
high as the back end of a tractor trailer.
You’re standing on the former loading docks.
 |
| Hangin' with Legnard |
·
Ownership of SandLot is very much a gray
area. There is a corner of the taproom
devoted to brewing operations where all the equipment is situated safely behind
floor-to-ceiling glass. Everything within that glass box is owned and operated
by Coors while everything outside is
owned and operated by the Colorado Rockies organization.
·
Legnard talked about the many weird and
wonderful beers made at SandLot including the beer/wine hybrids Golden Knot and
Crimson Crossing (both of which I sampled and enjoyed). The brewers made sure the recipes for each
featured 51% malted barley and 49% grape juice so as to keep the libations
technically classified as “beer” and to avoid the high taxation of wine.
 |
| Golden Knot |
·
The other beers I tried were Tongue Thai-ed
(noticeable lemongrass flavor), Short Straw Farmhouse Red (a touch sour in the
finish), Move Back (short for “Move back to Chicago, local Cubs fans, if you
think Chicago is so great,” a name with which any Denver sports fan can relate),
Pine in the Neck (piney, as you might expect), Valencia Grove Amber (a hint of
orange citrus flavor), and Clueless Beer Writer which, I think, is a bit
confrontational but, then again, when you’re brewing tasty beer all the while
being harangued for your corporate ownership, I can see how the brewers could
get a little sensitive.
·
I tried to press Legnard on how much of the “competition’s”
beer would actually be served at the new CHUBurger and 5280 Craft Bar (the name
on the building does say “Coors,”
after all; I can see how there might be territorial issues). He claimed to be out of the loop on such
insider knowledge. I guess we’ll have to
wait until opening day to find out.
·
The artist’s renditions of the Rooftop look
phenomenal! Aside from great burgers and
(hopefully) great beer on tap, this new deck will have the most killer view of
the ballpark, the mountains, and the city skyline; it’s going to be a crowded
spot on fireworks games. The renditions
did raise a few concerns, though; if you look closely, many of the stock image
spectators look like d-bag hipsters or mean girlfriends. Plus, I think the graphic designer may be
from Arizona because the Jumbotron shows a Diamondback player with his hands
raised in victory. This designer better not
curse us with his futuristic vision—unsavory clientele and divisional losses
could put a damper on even the best views and brews.
 |
| Look at this tool in the highwaters |
 |
| This doofus, too, with the ironic bowtie |
 |
| Why's she being so pissy? |
 |
| Why would they show the D-Backs on the big screen? |
We thank VISIT DENVER for the invite and we hope to
stay on their radars for future events.
I’ll leave you with a call to action: never stop drinking the beer you
love. If you want a Blue Moon, by God,
have yourself a Blue Moon! I do ask,
though, that you remain an informed consumer.
Know where your beer comes from, be skeptical of advertisements, and don’t
get hoodwinked by savvy marketing. There’s
absolutely nothing wrong—morally or flavorfully—with drinking a Coors product
so long as it’s your choice to do
so. I do urge you, however, to never
forget the small brewers; support them, too.
There’s room for everybody in the Colorado beer scene.
Prost!
Chris
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