Typically, I write epic tales of hopping from one
brewery to another, of traveling cross-country, stopping at taprooms along the
way, and of colossal beer festivals spanning entire convention room floors,
mountainous valleys, or zoological parks.
Sometimes, however, Nicole and I just plain visit a new brewery—no pageantry,
no over-arching storyline, just beer. Still,
as supporters of the Colorado craft beer scene, we want to give all local breweries
their due publicity regardless of whether or not it’s within an interesting
context. Good beer is good beer even if nothing
adventurous surrounded our visit. Thus,
this mini update on Diebolt Brewing (which, because of my propensity for
long-windedness, isn’t all that mini).
Diebolt is a practice in juxtaposition. On one hand, the building in which it resides
is a bit rough around the edges: industrial brick walls, loading dock doors,
and metal screens over the windows. It doesn’t
look like a brewery, it looks like a place where the mafia would take you to get
wacked. The interior, if you were to
remove the fanciful artwork adorning the space, continues the theme, gives off
warehouse vibes. One might assume Diebolt’s
a sketchy place where only cheap whisky and diesel beer is served. But you’d be wrong. I haven’t yet talked about what’s on the
other hand.
The owners of Diebolt have a strong, proud, French
ancestry, even claiming they have “distant relatives currently making champagne in the Alsace Lorraine region of France.” Backed up by this Gallic heritage, Diebolt specializes
in French-style ales and, while it’s stereotypical to assume anything French is
automatically high-class, cultured, it’s generally more true than not and,
specifically to beer, it’s definitely true.
Granted, much of what constitutes “French ale”—such as
saison—is actually from the French-speaking region of Belgium AKA Wallonia. Borders are no more than imaginary lines on a
map, though; whether from the south of Belgium or the north of France, the
people on either side of the line are connected by language, a shared history,
and I imagine a similar genetic make-up.
What’s the difference between the Walloons and the northern French? Not much (if anything) ergo France ought to
feel as strong a national pride for these beers as Belgium. Of course, there are a few beer styles such
as bière de garde that’re actually from France-proper; not all French ales
fall into a gray area, our amis have
a few beers they can 100% call their own.
They don’t have to coast solely on what their northern neighbors are
brewing.
While not all
the beers at Diebolt are French-inspired (they also have the usual suspects:
IPA, porter, wheat…etc.), I wanted to drink the fierté de la France so I ordered A Votre Sante Winter Bière de
Garde (8.1% ABV, 21 IBU). I must admit,
I’m not well-versed in the bière de garde style. Quite frankly, it’s not popular among American
brewers; it’s a rare treat for the U.S. beer geek. I could go on and on about IPAs because they’re
the darlings of the craft beer movement, the poster child. Bière de garde, on the other hand, is some
weird, saison-like oddity you hardly see.
It’s not well known and that’s exactly why I ordered it; I’m always
looking to broaden my beery horizons.
A Votre Sante is a very deep, murky-red/brown beer
with a slightly off-white head. The
aroma suggests a mild sweetness and a raisin-like quality and the flavor, while
not domineering, is accompanied by a little alcoholic burn. One might describe the taste of A Votre Sante
as a bit funky, musty, and prune-like. I
would deem it a more advanced, more complex saison.
 |
| A Votre Sante |
And so concludes this mini update on Diebolt. I’ll end the post with a thought on the Denver
beer scene: as more and more breweries
open, cementing the Mile High City’s status as the premier craft beer metro, it’s
important for new breweries to differentiate themselves. Diebolt has done just that. Where else but Diebolt specializes in French
beer? France isn’t the first nation that
comes to mind when one thinks of great beer countries but Diebolt found a niche
and filled it. Seriously, with the I-don’t-even-know-how-many breweries in Colorado,
I can only think of, like, 2 or 3 where I’ve seen a bière de garde on the menu. A word to the wise craft brewer—follow Diebolt’s
lead, find an untouched demographic, and tap it.
Prost!
Chris
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