tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231562020108258152024-03-04T23:16:09.512-08:00Beer in Colorado"Beer in Colorado" is dedicated to that divine elixir born of the marriage of water, malt, hops, and yeast as interpreted by those living in Colorado. Follow the author as he visits every brewery in the state, creates experimental homebrews, attends beer festivals, tries interesting beers from around the world, and spreads the good word of beer. Prost!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.comBlogger171125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-25026732471049437382019-02-11T13:24:00.002-08:002019-02-11T13:24:39.665-08:00Guanella Pass and Westbound & Down<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A re-cap of our visits to <a href="https://guanellapass.com/" target="_blank">Guanella Pass Brewery</a> and
<a href="http://www.westboundanddown.com/" target="_blank">Westbound & Down Brewing Company</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My wife trudging along with our son and my daughter prancing towards the modest yellow box that is Guanella Pass</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Living
in the Denver-area causes one to forget what Colorado really looks like. The Mile High City is a fine city indeed but
it <i>is</i> a city and more similar to
other American metros of similar size than different. Colorado’s tourism industry doesn’t rely on
people visiting Denver, it’s the mountains that beckon vacationers. Our half-day trip into the hills was a needed
reminder of our state’s majesty, even if we were never more than a stone’s
throw from I-70.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVadJOzlQLeYK5Fa4wa0kwAidDhXjBqat89HF8gwyAogWvOQSPKb3JlfZTUHFxUcwk8pueFySRYdCHEyT7HaTqdhVxqNay7dHzs2QrICREBfIBZSRN0A-L5HO9nNH2pJ5qIzvN_pjinq2/s1600/20181121_133723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVadJOzlQLeYK5Fa4wa0kwAidDhXjBqat89HF8gwyAogWvOQSPKb3JlfZTUHFxUcwk8pueFySRYdCHEyT7HaTqdhVxqNay7dHzs2QrICREBfIBZSRN0A-L5HO9nNH2pJ5qIzvN_pjinq2/s400/20181121_133723.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brew equipment at Guanella Pass</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcRp6iDWtG_yrZUpUp_fIinyrWwg2QkB9j-6qvPTnjgyxAqnXLnNGPpPHI3akaLj20Ck8MwcdWu4e40jLMRp9AgIQLQ3iURWvI9czxa5DKRonz2fRNE7jshFvEfiM3yXPVU63Uz7Rk142/s1600/20181121_133735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcRp6iDWtG_yrZUpUp_fIinyrWwg2QkB9j-6qvPTnjgyxAqnXLnNGPpPHI3akaLj20Ck8MwcdWu4e40jLMRp9AgIQLQ3iURWvI9czxa5DKRonz2fRNE7jshFvEfiM3yXPVU63Uz7Rk142/s400/20181121_133735.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guanella Pass taproom</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Bold
opinion: Guanella Pass in Georgetown is <i>the</i>
quintessential Colorado brewery in terms of the actual building and
location. It is, of course, in the
mountains which has got to be the first thing checked off the list. The surrounding shops and museums ooze of classic
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_false_front_architecture" target="_blank">Old West false front architecture</a>. Its
own building is a modest cinder block affair half sunk into the ground; a simple
structure reflecting our state’s down-to-earth citizenry. Though the brewery’s housed within rudimentary
building material, the cheery yellow paint and Tibetan prayer flags serve to
remind one of Colorado’s New Age, hippie streak. And no Colorado brewery is truly complete
without a patio to catch those 300 days of sunshine! Perhaps you have a different idea as to who
claims the title of most prototypical Colorado brewery but, as far as I’m
concerned, until John Elway and Trey Parker team up to open a brewery made of recycled
skis and bricks of recreational marijuana, Guanella Pass is it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqA3fBmx2mgapyEkXhRyBgrcHt9CqgPbz8B0oH8e0J97VEpG-KtBeyuZ4lyN36GqUiQy-ppvgqaNWkzWbqs10uhi50WqqMTpR_NPmucaLkvyH5X3j2QjYvJY4Ozn1hnUl7z-QXtcxzw7xX/s1600/20181121_125609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqA3fBmx2mgapyEkXhRyBgrcHt9CqgPbz8B0oH8e0J97VEpG-KtBeyuZ4lyN36GqUiQy-ppvgqaNWkzWbqs10uhi50WqqMTpR_NPmucaLkvyH5X3j2QjYvJY4Ozn1hnUl7z-QXtcxzw7xX/s200/20181121_125609.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What
is happiness to you? It’s an emotion that
comes in small and unexpected moments. A
warm day juxtaposed with snow on the ground, on a patio gazing up at a green
wall of pine with my wife and kids, sipping on a flight of Guanella Pass beer, that’s
where I find my Zen. For a few minutes—nay,
moments—everything felt right. Beer, family,
and Colorado have that effect.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Let’s
talk about those beers. Honestly, this
trip happened right before Thanksgiving and my memory’s a bit fuzzy due to the passage
of time. I really should pay more
attention to the beer since this is a <i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">beer
blog</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> and all, but I increasingly find myself living in the moment and not in a beer
journal, and I'm okay with that. Not that I could write anything down anyway, what with a squawking one-year-old and a
jabber-jawed three-year-old distracting me all their waking hours. This is more than a beer blog, though, it’s also
a travel log and a family diary.
Hopefully the other aspects of this blog are enough to compensate for my unsatisfactory
tasting notes.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctUBAiljJxQT05tu9aMqw5IVilXFQob5VAe6JEwRh535HRG7wHeNhso-ZOHReD4Mm69AhoWrN-ALSuT7kCt4-Ps1wKXe7MhbNGlkR2Rm8HN9djffLu5NpFwiJppOwhocPwMLUZMTYnNQ0/s1600/20181121_130651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctUBAiljJxQT05tu9aMqw5IVilXFQob5VAe6JEwRh535HRG7wHeNhso-ZOHReD4Mm69AhoWrN-ALSuT7kCt4-Ps1wKXe7MhbNGlkR2Rm8HN9djffLu5NpFwiJppOwhocPwMLUZMTYnNQ0/s400/20181121_130651.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My happiness, visualized</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfOVKBduyMkX2UHbExP18_wXoO_ibJz_FOuGIO4Ph9Z6yUtXuukDgQwqn6pnWl8Qi1IUGgx2ZEAR8MX5kqP5Q_Bd0h34HnMRdw3PLwGjdUpT5iFg8zGQCzIC6f3eDD8LyHY1PsmfL7m__/s1600/20181121_130633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfOVKBduyMkX2UHbExP18_wXoO_ibJz_FOuGIO4Ph9Z6yUtXuukDgQwqn6pnWl8Qi1IUGgx2ZEAR8MX5kqP5Q_Bd0h34HnMRdw3PLwGjdUpT5iFg8zGQCzIC6f3eDD8LyHY1PsmfL7m__/s400/20181121_130633.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Two
bits of pop culture trivia I can tell you about Georgetown off the top of my
head: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jszFtToMTSQ" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">a fight scene from <i>Every Which Way But Loose</i> was filmed there</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> as was the </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119891/locations" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">Ben Affleck movie <i>Phantoms</i></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> which is primed for a re-make because
the Lovecraftian plot has a lot of potential, the film just suffered from
piss-poor execution. Also Ben Affleck was
in it, and </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw3jMPjAcwg" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">he was not “bomb” in it as Jay & Silent Bob decree</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTeBYmMpIh-lev37eEMSONubj8FcUJDFys79WglhSsh2a5ERUcRBCbmScKc7ic4548ly3_yhVX2n-nVfJnrSVJ5bhrjwF4ZbQJJFa5frHCyea8pl8oliC2PE28M2pePmcgRYhVOTf55NZ/s1600/20181121_135936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTeBYmMpIh-lev37eEMSONubj8FcUJDFys79WglhSsh2a5ERUcRBCbmScKc7ic4548ly3_yhVX2n-nVfJnrSVJ5bhrjwF4ZbQJJFa5frHCyea8pl8oliC2PE28M2pePmcgRYhVOTf55NZ/s200/20181121_135936.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Now
the point in the blog in which I contradict myself. Before I ever visited Westbound & Down I
heard its praises sung for it eschewed the local, mining town ambiance, opting
for a more Scandinavian modernist vibe. In
principle, I’m not down with that. A
brewery should embody its place. I don’t
necessarily condone conformity but I do appreciate a respect for location and
local history. I don’t like sore thumbs sticking
out just for the sake of being different.
On the other hand, down the block is a pizza joint with a logo of crossed
pickaxes and directly across the street is an outdoor apparel company also with
a crossed pickaxe logo. So, I guess I
understand the need to stick out every so often. In a town such as Idaho Springs where they’re
only known for one thing (mining) then you might as well make a hard left and decorate
your brewery sleek and sophisticated.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj181FmhLs0VO-ZXBMFYMZqnIT_fCmPEa5nhB2yo3BaRvDiQmtYOZu9fpp8d19n3gu1AUnK1uiHtuTsokcm53eD4uoKfKqWTxtQUB2cDASMly14fZK2yNDgvFeMs3ujaYeo0J9NtPsoLA1z/s1600/20181121_145853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj181FmhLs0VO-ZXBMFYMZqnIT_fCmPEa5nhB2yo3BaRvDiQmtYOZu9fpp8d19n3gu1AUnK1uiHtuTsokcm53eD4uoKfKqWTxtQUB2cDASMly14fZK2yNDgvFeMs3ujaYeo0J9NtPsoLA1z/s400/20181121_145853.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alright, Idaho Springs, you like crisscrossed axes...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZKOTVX-Or_kgsRBH4h55zltazHkj59FXEiM5gwQrVOPYVI8STK_kFirlZCz_stskCGiRFjXtcK4dzG8xVYyQrAx1Esr2SuMYS2m76A6r_SFRvOQPOQygGMLHGSAzcd8r5M01-KAxnM4T/s1600/20181121_145850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZKOTVX-Or_kgsRBH4h55zltazHkj59FXEiM5gwQrVOPYVI8STK_kFirlZCz_stskCGiRFjXtcK4dzG8xVYyQrAx1Esr2SuMYS2m76A6r_SFRvOQPOQygGMLHGSAzcd8r5M01-KAxnM4T/s400/20181121_145850.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...like, you <i>really</i> like them</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Another
reason I’ll give Westbound & Down a pass for its decidedly un-Colorado atmosphere:
<a href="https://www.westword.com/restaurants/first-look-the-historic-buffalo-restaurant-and-bar-reopens-in-idaho-springs-7489062" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">it’s partnered with their neighbor The Buffalo Restaurant & Bar</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> which
exudes Old West antiquity like the prop closet on the set of a John Wayne
movie. The businesses are connected inside,
but the interiors are black-and-white distinct.
If you yearn for an old timey saloon, step out of the urbanity of
Westbound & Down and into the ruggedness of The Buffalo.</span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaX1jjbrjTE1ZRtdHVyLe0Bmtfj9CkBSeDcKtk1RSqgX93Xi9smXQIoP2YX498Se-9wHHz6mgdysvh3K1XenwgFKuBSNMvHL3TGJ8CbPvnWafki9_0jIEq9dzJ9L0xWD9KK-v6QDqx0ffD/s1600/20181121_141708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaX1jjbrjTE1ZRtdHVyLe0Bmtfj9CkBSeDcKtk1RSqgX93Xi9smXQIoP2YX498Se-9wHHz6mgdysvh3K1XenwgFKuBSNMvHL3TGJ8CbPvnWafki9_0jIEq9dzJ9L0xWD9KK-v6QDqx0ffD/s400/20181121_141708.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Westbound & Down</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaN1VXMTyNQCg91EWwpI1tTkfOA0G2LfCZCj2tWEk-iiR2yVAfIOPnWobfHIc65lE1S08TktOxEW8elQcaBcDuOC-j3i2rsED8h-9fHRIko6k5EMZPtqXumPul3mb03phs4LUT44fXY74e/s1600/20181121_141700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaN1VXMTyNQCg91EWwpI1tTkfOA0G2LfCZCj2tWEk-iiR2yVAfIOPnWobfHIc65lE1S08TktOxEW8elQcaBcDuOC-j3i2rsED8h-9fHRIko6k5EMZPtqXumPul3mb03phs4LUT44fXY74e/s400/20181121_141700.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Westbound & Down</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li>I
ordered the <a href="http://www.westboundanddown.com/coloradobeers/" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">9 & 11 Pale Ale</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> brewed with nine grains and 11 hops. I once heard from an expert brewer that it if
you use more than three grains you’re using too many. Well, I don’t really care about that, the beer
was tasty enough. Were there so many grains
that they all melded together making it impossible to discern one from another? Yes. But
I’m a beer drinker before I’m a beer judge and I found it to be a perfectly
acceptable beer.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjps54Z-rEY-AfOxmCfCo5comScd8y36gjPAjEnSQ-qDBQzttnKlP9QZrvTA7XCzVlTRozSsufl2aKTRwlby5XgrMe6dSK98Xf72DGVzzFExra4q_qiDZlFvMcTZUV4NgToxkF7I5OMCT5S/s1600/20181121_145714%25280%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjps54Z-rEY-AfOxmCfCo5comScd8y36gjPAjEnSQ-qDBQzttnKlP9QZrvTA7XCzVlTRozSsufl2aKTRwlby5XgrMe6dSK98Xf72DGVzzFExra4q_qiDZlFvMcTZUV4NgToxkF7I5OMCT5S/s400/20181121_145714%25280%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fancy-ass water dispenser at Westbound & Down</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I’ve
always found it amusing that the local high school team’s mascot is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Creek_High_School_(Colorado)" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">The Golddiggers</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">. They might as well call themselves The
Nose-Pickers. </span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Prost!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Chris<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0opLw1rqSOjEtA6jODy-g5bPkiegDV_UhLNSvUATkKp8JX6RY1qyCM8kUOZ0TP1dOynespkMSDIO8wN9BaiojuDlnB_ccp45JsBRxfmae8Nm9i6mMiVloTPB-qd8MSYH_-1Esyt4kqp_Z/s1600/20181121_140318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0opLw1rqSOjEtA6jODy-g5bPkiegDV_UhLNSvUATkKp8JX6RY1qyCM8kUOZ0TP1dOynespkMSDIO8wN9BaiojuDlnB_ccp45JsBRxfmae8Nm9i6mMiVloTPB-qd8MSYH_-1Esyt4kqp_Z/s400/20181121_140318.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look, if you don't have a recommended beer pairing for the pork cracklins just say so</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-3634278614714388932018-12-29T16:58:00.001-08:002018-12-29T16:59:53.396-08:0014er and Liberati<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A re-cap of our recent visit to <a href="https://www.14erbrewing.com/" target="_blank">14er Brewing</a> and
<a href="https://www.liberatidenver.com/" target="_blank">Liberati Osteria & Oenobeers</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">For
better or worse, the outside and inside of 14er looks
like your typical repurposed <a href="https://www.denver.org/about-denver/neighborhood-guides/river-north-art-district/" target="_blank">River North</a> building—an old brick industrial
space. Some decry the homogenous atmosphere
of Denver breweries, but I appreciate the conformity. I appreciate the sense of place. They look the same because that’s what <i>Denver</i> looks like! 14er’s building ties the present to the city’s
industrial past and it’s good to have those callbacks to history, especially as
character-ridden old buildings are razed to make room for new glass high-rises and
boxy duplexes.</span></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNu9K2Q6dJYkEPB9br6LW1Fr7CXYVbEJYX-yQWoI_7MUDmtGiuJYNawIExJ1jh2xFEkq0CvaZt5k9hSWWguElOW8fKL6qF3cd13ZjDShUE2Bj9bRhj_OgedmM1NhWw5JSQM-1s8XpmvBkK/s1600/20181103_161002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNu9K2Q6dJYkEPB9br6LW1Fr7CXYVbEJYX-yQWoI_7MUDmtGiuJYNawIExJ1jh2xFEkq0CvaZt5k9hSWWguElOW8fKL6qF3cd13ZjDShUE2Bj9bRhj_OgedmM1NhWw5JSQM-1s8XpmvBkK/s400/20181103_161002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's River North in a nutshell: an old brick building, a new condo, and a dumb electric scooter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">During
renovation, most people tear down non-load-bearing interior walls and go
for an open concept but 14er left one former office space intact and that's a perk for 30-something beer geeks with kids like Nicole and me. We stuck our children in that semi-enclosed
box and they ran around causing a ruckus without disturbing the other
patrons. It's like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cry_room" target="_blank">a cry room at a church</a> except maybe it's more of a wild ass room. I’ve gotten word
that this particular taproom (<a href="https://www.westword.com/restaurants/eight-breweries-that-plan-to-open-in-denver-in-2019-11052071" target="_blank">because 14er has a few in the works</a>) is
“rudimentary” and is slated for further renovations, so that parent-friendly
corner may not last long. </span></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17p9sUi6yS9SZ8kVbYxQ2S_qLhJ_j1mhsIgXee3fg-utjuxVam1yf11XBGCLYBaKr1Gf6GYCYfEYQFPzGex20FDdrpYP113qW2QE4c7Suf0yE6vz1THKPKnnuiM4dmf2KWNgbT1YZpnRQ/s1600/20181103_153532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17p9sUi6yS9SZ8kVbYxQ2S_qLhJ_j1mhsIgXee3fg-utjuxVam1yf11XBGCLYBaKr1Gf6GYCYfEYQFPzGex20FDdrpYP113qW2QE4c7Suf0yE6vz1THKPKnnuiM4dmf2KWNgbT1YZpnRQ/s320/20181103_153532.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My kid trapped in the play box</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’ve
had plenty of 14er beers because they contract brewed before they had
their own space and they were a staple at many beer festivals thus I ordered one
of their specialty offerings: Bananas Foster Cream Ale on nitro. Pretty decent flavor but the nitro wasn’t
behaving appropriately. In my non-expert surmising, I’d guess they carbonated the beer first and then tried to put it on a
nitro tap, which doesn’t work. If you’re
going to serve a nitro beer, it must be dedicated to nitro from the very
beginning.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">For any non-Colorado readers, the name 14er refers to the mountains of Colorado that exceed 14,000 feet. As of this writing, I've only summited one: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncompahgre_Peak" target="_blank">Uncompahgre Peak</a>. I should probably bag a few more at some point, but where does one find the time?</span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpWP7nYixB5GrseCo3JLay0-Ba_68xUh6H_S4EIbQqmjSe-XkrGZwTzrE0wI3-IH0n-LIFbZywivLqWjnhl2X5K_ndrmAFHJvpzgAT5c4ikxCTvIUL-7rD2p_EQD9cTNzhDBbeM4BwHh1/s1600/20181103_153557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpWP7nYixB5GrseCo3JLay0-Ba_68xUh6H_S4EIbQqmjSe-XkrGZwTzrE0wI3-IH0n-LIFbZywivLqWjnhl2X5K_ndrmAFHJvpzgAT5c4ikxCTvIUL-7rD2p_EQD9cTNzhDBbeM4BwHh1/s400/20181103_153557.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bar room at 14er</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWds_xOfqk5yZ3bSEwVe-aZn52TnFjnyiL_ksEE7NYNDHiYCajKMk74f_6Y92GmiS4LnqMoqYJlExlXOcJ8qtBDUsBQL9MguwfOSwFeBoAq2U-6v0o6UKxdL-Wekke7sJWhUzLgw7hpEhW/s1600/20181103_153616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWds_xOfqk5yZ3bSEwVe-aZn52TnFjnyiL_ksEE7NYNDHiYCajKMk74f_6Y92GmiS4LnqMoqYJlExlXOcJ8qtBDUsBQL9MguwfOSwFeBoAq2U-6v0o6UKxdL-Wekke7sJWhUzLgw7hpEhW/s400/20181103_153616.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back room at 14er; the office/play pen is in the back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li>From
the flannel-clad hipster masses of 14er we drove less than ¾ of a mile and
entered Tuscany. Tiled floors, Art
Nouveau posters, leather-wrapped bar seats, cloth napkins: you’re gong to feel
out of place when you visit Liberati if you're dressed for brewery hopping and have
two fidgety kids in tow. Not to say the
ambiance at Liberati is bad, they’re just trying to be a fancy Italian
restaurant first and a brewery second.
They cater to a higher-end crowd to which almost no other Denver brewery
pays any mind. But that means they might
not be paying mind to the majority of craft beer drinkers. I, for one, might visit Liberati once a year
or once every other year for a special occasion meal like a birthday or anniversary and, of course, have a few
beers when I'm there. However, it's not the kind of establishment where I see myself
meeting a friend after work and catching up over a few brewskis. It feels like a place that
requires reservations, not a place where you just drop in.</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimq-weKSRVZi-xwYLlSX6fB2BQkRm_9A5hOl0auBtdxJYtZqayeIWnX3PgdktmGBcehqcc-GpiiiDO8a-2sAUSlJfOfah5tACQarLwLP7Xjq-OkxkPJmTOMoGsXD9RZZgLFT3KgVef4vQ6/s1600/20181103_163007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimq-weKSRVZi-xwYLlSX6fB2BQkRm_9A5hOl0auBtdxJYtZqayeIWnX3PgdktmGBcehqcc-GpiiiDO8a-2sAUSlJfOfah5tACQarLwLP7Xjq-OkxkPJmTOMoGsXD9RZZgLFT3KgVef4vQ6/s400/20181103_163007.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0VAYJZycu41wYbJxe4yeTj-IQV1cwtMvy-D4IxhGCAuumhN2gszY9VAyjfSJsIexsUTM9IVi3WRNKOywkmi48KV1DxGb9oxCbGXuD6Sej4lZnt2-Z9hBmiDYmzXkuTlGTETYRh6EBNmb/s1600/20181103_164211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0VAYJZycu41wYbJxe4yeTj-IQV1cwtMvy-D4IxhGCAuumhN2gszY9VAyjfSJsIexsUTM9IVi3WRNKOywkmi48KV1DxGb9oxCbGXuD6Sej4lZnt2-Z9hBmiDYmzXkuTlGTETYRh6EBNmb/s400/20181103_164211.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m
a very lenient craft beer drinker. 96%
of the beer I drink is perfectly adequate, 2% is bad, and 2% really astounds
me. The beers at Liberati fall into that
latter category. It’s really good stuff! They’re not just good beers but <i>different</i> beers—oenobeers. You can read the <a href="https://www.westword.com/restaurants/italian-brewer-introduces-oenobeers-to-denver-10603634" target="_blank">whole spiel on oenobeers</a> yourself but, basically, we’re talking about a beer/wine hybrid; beer made
with a certain percentage of grape (on the menu, they list the percentage of
grapes used in each brew). The offerings
are familiar craft beer styles like saison, IPA, stout, and Kölsch and all
would have been lovely as straight-up beer but the inclusion of grape gave them that little something extra.</span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05kLqJDbIE4yQiJ_lDu_beBbjv_1gXdwuv00XJr_oBysbuj9nIGJbWP9s5fNdDkefbOcDO_0rloYaZxHGpTiLuHJKmem1qvuYs5WWIE2nDGIiudkAYEFfBimYPfJ1aUQ-Y8QEw4D9l-Sv/s1600/20181103_164935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05kLqJDbIE4yQiJ_lDu_beBbjv_1gXdwuv00XJr_oBysbuj9nIGJbWP9s5fNdDkefbOcDO_0rloYaZxHGpTiLuHJKmem1qvuYs5WWIE2nDGIiudkAYEFfBimYPfJ1aUQ-Y8QEw4D9l-Sv/s640/20181103_164935.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice spread of Oenobeers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I
ordered a flight of almost all the beers and, although there wasn’t a bad one
in the bunch, I was most impressed with the beers that had a high percentage of
grape like the Dictum Factum stout brewed with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon grape. In a beer like that, you can really get a
sense of how grapes impact the flavor.
The Calboni Docet Kölsch, on the other hand, only had 7% Chardonnay
grapes. A fine beer but my palate isn’t
refined enough to suss out an ingredient that accounts for only 7% of the entire product. Hit me in the face with that
big grape flavor!</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Despite
Liberati’s formal setting, the brew space, like any brew space, is quite
industrial and separated from the customer space by only a handrail. The juxtaposition is stark.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1zOoPyWzBUE1Kpzo-ZX5B7hrarIgweTFBa_XPzSj2KPXsDPaEMfmcKCq0JUttcdcI1kM_khku2gTClYZplOTOjSkJW1XJ32sBc-Ulpple1kcoxly48bUwHG15OznIZ_AgVz1jW-N6Lj-/s1600/20181103_164425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1zOoPyWzBUE1Kpzo-ZX5B7hrarIgweTFBa_XPzSj2KPXsDPaEMfmcKCq0JUttcdcI1kM_khku2gTClYZplOTOjSkJW1XJ32sBc-Ulpple1kcoxly48bUwHG15OznIZ_AgVz1jW-N6Lj-/s400/20181103_164425.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two sides of Liberati</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Prost!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Chris<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyQ22lAfbVx5IejzdqvSvATrcRlfhKIEfNi2dFwPV49vSB_FOz0Kr340n0AfEMClJiyEpsz3DhIvUHSH0ll04a8WJO4m8e19z-RwDL1lpHkZ5lstt21GKKs5vywt1gzS2XKf0BxA-pedO/s1600/20181103_164231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyQ22lAfbVx5IejzdqvSvATrcRlfhKIEfNi2dFwPV49vSB_FOz0Kr340n0AfEMClJiyEpsz3DhIvUHSH0ll04a8WJO4m8e19z-RwDL1lpHkZ5lstt21GKKs5vywt1gzS2XKf0BxA-pedO/s400/20181103_164231.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brew equipment at Liberati</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhypheniPn4E_RMpbaZiuAwbwmxA99i7jc3ZzL-XJu_Im0IM6CAaoCMlgYYCyHWM-KjAaodSQlDVi9ZLlkQIBRjdqZXgPjpyTpRnR9xbo_gqp2mZxYrjgbRAEZehfzyJaOFVZmEarLnzi5wzKx/s1600/20181103_164340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhypheniPn4E_RMpbaZiuAwbwmxA99i7jc3ZzL-XJu_Im0IM6CAaoCMlgYYCyHWM-KjAaodSQlDVi9ZLlkQIBRjdqZXgPjpyTpRnR9xbo_gqp2mZxYrjgbRAEZehfzyJaOFVZmEarLnzi5wzKx/s400/20181103_164340.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-58474916023894208442018-11-25T19:47:00.001-08:002018-11-25T19:47:14.067-08:00Burns Family and Novel Strand<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As you likely surmised from the previous post, these
kids of ours take up a lot of time and a lot of mental capacity, dulling our
senses and making prolonged coherent thought nigh impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, I’m trying a new approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll present each brewery visit recap in
vignette form: short, self-contained, semi-related, bulleted paragraphs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s give this approach a spin with <a href="https://burnsalesdenver.com/" target="_blank">Burns Family Artisan Ales</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/novelstrand/" target="_blank">Novel Strand Brewing Company</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Transpose
the “U” and “R” in “Burns Family” and you get <i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">my</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> family name.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">This pleases
me.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Burns
Family is located in the space <a href="https://www.westword.com/restaurants/wits-end-brewing-will-close-its-taproom-move-in-with-strange-craft-9615645" target="_blank">Wit’s End Brewing Company vacated when they shacked up with Strange Craft Beer Company</a>.
Burns Family didn’t make any dramatic changes but, cosmetically, it
looks different. Whereas Wit’s End kept
the industrial space looking, well, industrial, Burns Family swanked the place
up with some mid-century modern furniture straight off the <i>Mad Men</i> set. Actually, I
must confess I’ve never seen <i>Mad Men</i>. If you’ve seen <i>Mad Men</i> and have also been to Burns Family, is my assessment a fair
one?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVi3rx6C3_EAoG5b75J-j8uxaGP-kKUzCdkmoGxJqCeP0og4Y8-MwfxZO-65K6tJrta4ZxFJ6_c4WeicQrI3kUnd-D0oHwjHtQ1PdkPFw0V-Rbtb1fv84ojhqWn0nuoBQNhS56-LfpppP/s1600/20181006_184501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVi3rx6C3_EAoG5b75J-j8uxaGP-kKUzCdkmoGxJqCeP0og4Y8-MwfxZO-65K6tJrta4ZxFJ6_c4WeicQrI3kUnd-D0oHwjHtQ1PdkPFw0V-Rbtb1fv84ojhqWn0nuoBQNhS56-LfpppP/s400/20181006_184501.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burns Family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSCtmvNXUutnddA652vLmV8MX4d9o8Ukz_CsS7sq20bPb1ZJ9jxlsSduwIK_6PNZe0ZeeuyVDC1e6NP-O0DnRzIgjjKUimmXBJTaowYRezBBefMIqXaWlxoBSdbNxqUjJtCODGmdhEhes/s1600/20181006_184513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSCtmvNXUutnddA652vLmV8MX4d9o8Ukz_CsS7sq20bPb1ZJ9jxlsSduwIK_6PNZe0ZeeuyVDC1e6NP-O0DnRzIgjjKUimmXBJTaowYRezBBefMIqXaWlxoBSdbNxqUjJtCODGmdhEhes/s400/20181006_184513.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burns Family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></li>
<li>I
ordered the Bumblebee Feet because I needed one more <a href="https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/styles/114/" target="_blank">braggot</a> to get the <a href="https://blog.untappd.com/post/102888178266/new-badges-leveling-update" target="_blank">Hey Honey badge on Untappd</a> but some fool categorized the beer as simply “honey
beer” and that generic classification does not count towards the badge. I’m still one braggot shy and I refuse to
drink any straight-up mead to get myself there.
I have standards, you know?
Untappd is for beer, not mead, cider, or root beer; this is my decree.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I
also ordered the Ancient Art, a brut barleywine. In the craft beer industry, every innovation
will inevitably spawn more mini-innovations.
It was only a few months ago that <a href="https://beerandbrewing.com/the-birth-of-the-brut-ipa/" target="_blank">brut IPA</a>s came to Colorado and we’re
already on to brut barleywines. What
will be the next “brutalized” beer style?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEi3ClFMR8SAOvjrAt_MDT5yNo_9tWfWWF9NIwUvgaVBNvtBZQGIkUebiWeHaDXv4hurlKPNPzpQcI4lJL1G2EH5wTL81evZSj9H1h-iV1IGDyQNFaI82YqxDQXMpMI0_5yhhEV63lqOsY/s1600/20181006_175117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEi3ClFMR8SAOvjrAt_MDT5yNo_9tWfWWF9NIwUvgaVBNvtBZQGIkUebiWeHaDXv4hurlKPNPzpQcI4lJL1G2EH5wTL81evZSj9H1h-iV1IGDyQNFaI82YqxDQXMpMI0_5yhhEV63lqOsY/s320/20181006_175117.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of the bar front at Burns Family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">On
a similar note, Colorado is one of the nation’s—nay, world’s—best places to get
a beer yet we don’t have a “native” or regional style to call our own. The left side of the country has the West
Coast IPA, the right side has the New England IPA, San Francisco has the
California Common and the brut IPA, even Florida has the <a href="https://www.craftbeer.com/craft-beer-muses/florida-berliner-weisse-champagne-south" target="_blank">Florida Weisse</a>. Colorado is a much better beer region than
Florida, why can’t <i>we</i> introduce
something new to the world? I don’t
think brut barleywine is necessarily going to fill that void, but we might as
well throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I
may have made a bit of a horse’s ass of myself at Burns Family. Our friend Justin was entertaining our
daughter by throwing her <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koosh_ball" target="_blank">Koosh Ball</a> really high up in the air when, against all
odds, it landed on top of a rafter and got stuck. Looking to be my kid’s hero, I wadded up my
coat and tossed it up to dislodge the ball.
Well, I accomplished what I set out to do <i>but </i>then my coat got stuck up there. The bar staff had to poke at it with a long
stick to get it back down. I got my fair
share of <i>I told you so</i>s from Nicole
after that.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVTmlM5BD9S99jNIFfxgeL8bLjZWoVyaPAsqgPkk5OeeRYC74Gw7gBiimxnqbX6jJTgbz1b-eLWdAVW5MYSadts0CKEOQWazRqr8TuScsK5Fl7Aq94gfWIiSRfY22D4UCaU91QLcAuoJ0/s1600/koosh+ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVTmlM5BD9S99jNIFfxgeL8bLjZWoVyaPAsqgPkk5OeeRYC74Gw7gBiimxnqbX6jJTgbz1b-eLWdAVW5MYSadts0CKEOQWazRqr8TuScsK5Fl7Aq94gfWIiSRfY22D4UCaU91QLcAuoJ0/s400/koosh+ball.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the Koosh Ball stuck up in the rafters...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhf-RsN6iXNUPDcW-lw9zfOYcUqgx5pCmDm-O0Ae2LxcM8zWYBBnUE2cRb6ypgBvAOaqOJgXqzE2IWNtC60AE5_N76mFpjHz-4Uqs5M7B4TsA107JcdL2Z5r3wWtbtOGBcZwQG0y18B63/s1600/20181006_192625%25280%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhf-RsN6iXNUPDcW-lw9zfOYcUqgx5pCmDm-O0Ae2LxcM8zWYBBnUE2cRb6ypgBvAOaqOJgXqzE2IWNtC60AE5_N76mFpjHz-4Uqs5M7B4TsA107JcdL2Z5r3wWtbtOGBcZwQG0y18B63/s400/20181006_192625%25280%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and here is my coat stuck up in the rafters. But notice the Koosh Ball <i>isn't</i> up there. I was technically successful in getting the ball down.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Man,
Bumblebee Feet and Ancient Art are high in ABV and by the time we got to Novel
Strand I was pretty much done with taking photos and paying attention to
details. I was just BSing around with
Nicole and the kids and our friends from that point on. So, I don’t have much to say about Novel Strand
other than I remember all the beers being really good and I like the cozy,
brick-walled taproom.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Prost!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Chris<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-53664300001179219102018-11-07T20:02:00.000-08:002018-11-07T21:04:54.519-08:00Postpartum Blogging: Getting Back to the Beer Grind with Frolic Brewing Company<br />
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</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-LE2tyo1mZCuhBCxscmhWpxfL5uPC0KGcO6kWC-NLVlO-FeLIrAZ8jESox2ZhWOhWZTe5wOTZkKtEFQsBVY2VB2KuJBaoXwmOnZhcc44laNtd5GVwvVRriQwscjQfjaxfCsZtxl6h_rD/s1600/20180902_095426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-LE2tyo1mZCuhBCxscmhWpxfL5uPC0KGcO6kWC-NLVlO-FeLIrAZ8jESox2ZhWOhWZTe5wOTZkKtEFQsBVY2VB2KuJBaoXwmOnZhcc44laNtd5GVwvVRriQwscjQfjaxfCsZtxl6h_rD/s320/20180902_095426.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking like a star on the way to The Butterfly Pavilion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i>
been up to these past three years?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can
tell you what Nicole and I have been doing—having and raising two kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hence, our prolonged absence from this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Say what you will about children, say they’re
the worst thing or say they’re the best thing (both statements are true, it depends on the day) but there’s one undeniable truth—they take up
a lot of time. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">By no means have we stopped drinking or going to
breweries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, shortly after our
first-born, we went on a brewery spree, we were so excited Nicole could
imbibe once again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we haven’t
been documenting our adventures and, even though we have two little imps
sucking up our leisure time, it’s important now more than ever to keep a
record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time our kids are old
enough to have opinions they’ll undoubtedly think their parents are lame
and, frankly, they’ll be right; when one has children one no longer concerns themselves
with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fortnite</i>, My Space, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6FnSOYPNzc">La Macarena</a>,
or whatever the hell kids are into these days. The kids need to know that their mom and
I were once young and cool, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
then I want them to feel bad when they realize they’re the reason we now suck so
bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHItRylGdPtthbGjwOKWRqBTAEuFZ9pUy4Dqb6Gp-c_bp6nS2t-DBu1t3hy_qK0FbkpAwp3DEUeuHZe_lhQ4HoWlkS7-lTt8Zt9a-g9_NjXdan5RIZ1tqf9CkaKRTmx8Pkci2AUG16HPP/s1600/20180902_100334%25280%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHItRylGdPtthbGjwOKWRqBTAEuFZ9pUy4Dqb6Gp-c_bp6nS2t-DBu1t3hy_qK0FbkpAwp3DEUeuHZe_lhQ4HoWlkS7-lTt8Zt9a-g9_NjXdan5RIZ1tqf9CkaKRTmx8Pkci2AUG16HPP/s400/20180902_100334%25280%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weirdest dang butterflies I ever seen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">So let's start this blog back up! </span>The family took a little weekend trip to
Westminster (somewhat) recently and stopped by <a href="https://butterflies.org/">The Butterfly Pavilion</a> which is a good,
wholesome name to lure kids into the building before pulling the rug out from
under them when all the other creepy, crawly invertebrates on display besides the titular <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidoptera"><i>Lepidopterans</i></a> are revealed.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7J557f6p0MKyb58DNykZ3ATHNb0XLhPhMzXcM_qlDO1Ih8Whh1xVZLtoNNgiGgYq06I_VYytNphR-D7b0v6COSUYyiEuB_gL1IvsYp0RE2snWugwrzCe_fwApBspqcOVp7NZWvtj2tWoi/s1600/IMG_20180902_114950_505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="1600" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7J557f6p0MKyb58DNykZ3ATHNb0XLhPhMzXcM_qlDO1Ih8Whh1xVZLtoNNgiGgYq06I_VYytNphR-D7b0v6COSUYyiEuB_gL1IvsYp0RE2snWugwrzCe_fwApBspqcOVp7NZWvtj2tWoi/s400/IMG_20180902_114950_505.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nobody who knows Nicole would have thought they'd ever see a picture like this</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jTJzKwlhysenP6MXwN4vsrm9RKzqffY1YLbRe776WAIdtTXggtmXzSjBYIQXbrqOwCaXubeeZDcs6vsR4bRhp8L5h42fOgcgeP8x6v_Cvy2m_e58M1NWhMJYtRZ2DLfJ4iOuqC956kBX/s1600/IMG_20180902_115227_345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jTJzKwlhysenP6MXwN4vsrm9RKzqffY1YLbRe776WAIdtTXggtmXzSjBYIQXbrqOwCaXubeeZDcs6vsR4bRhp8L5h42fOgcgeP8x6v_Cvy2m_e58M1NWhMJYtRZ2DLfJ4iOuqC956kBX/s400/IMG_20180902_115227_345.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls in the family are beating the boys in the tarantula-holding contest by a factor of one</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We gave our children the willies checking out the
various spiders, scorpions, and cockroaches and probably traumatized my daughter explaining that
the nightmarish <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_isopod">giant isopod</a> is what her beloved little rolly-polly bugs would
look like magnified before we set out to explore the namesake atrium. The actual butterfly pavilion was a good way to lull the kids into a
false sense of security before telling my daughter there was something she had
to do before earning her snack for the day: hold Rosie, the Chilean rose hair tarantula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Although a bit trepidatious, she actually didn’t mind the
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> A</span>t only three
years old she’s not had enough time to develop a phobia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nicole held the spider, too, which was more amazing because she <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">has</i> had time
to develop a phobia; it’s my duty to swat down every cobweb in the house and squash
every little eight-legged black dot that manifests itself on the walls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, for all my heroics
at home, I sure as hell wasn’t touching Rosie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nicole modeled her
tarantula-holding technique for our daughter so I’ll do the same for our son when
he’s older.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a few years to think about it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrNwE3avW3sDNsXLtZziho1eW9aV8zA7xLGudr0ifXqY8kwMq1b6zi3yz16F3S_lyM5KpAorqS-WNWmQn3nr8Rx6lIBW_4pYJOabaPRp7SmnIrMPfj78z9s7IaYywC5Mrd9njoxu9BFem/s1600/20180902_122848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrNwE3avW3sDNsXLtZziho1eW9aV8zA7xLGudr0ifXqY8kwMq1b6zi3yz16F3S_lyM5KpAorqS-WNWmQn3nr8Rx6lIBW_4pYJOabaPRp7SmnIrMPfj78z9s7IaYywC5Mrd9njoxu9BFem/s400/20180902_122848.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After conquering her fear, Nicole was owed a beer
and, after watching other people conquer their fear, I was owed some suds, too,
so we headed out to <a href="https://www.frolicbrewing.com/">Frolic Brewing Company</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Out in the suburban prairies of Westminster and occupying the endcap
unit of a strip mall, Frolic makes the best of a not especially aesthetically
pleasing environment with a sprawling patio, a game area with over-sized
tabletop games and cornhole, and a few interesting interior design details such as the privacy wall near the restrooms which features grains of various
degrees of kilning sandwiched between clear plastic creating an hombre effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus, a lot of teacher-orientated flags
hanging from the ceiling which is a nice touch for an education-centric
household such as ours.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmh97LGWeXDFHWm7dlY0vZLiZBJJkNhkG4qyG9boprZYETt9tI48DXuEsQgwldKx9cxjYpMNf34jMXZb8mOKASyY09CrmCSBw_qSc6sFtSdV4OSLfgKuh3eUzsxqmHUBBrozfqEWVivmXV/s1600/20180902_120955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmh97LGWeXDFHWm7dlY0vZLiZBJJkNhkG4qyG9boprZYETt9tI48DXuEsQgwldKx9cxjYpMNf34jMXZb8mOKASyY09CrmCSBw_qSc6sFtSdV4OSLfgKuh3eUzsxqmHUBBrozfqEWVivmXV/s400/20180902_120955.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grain wall at Frolic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8CAakwoeisPW5PzUFcVx52l5_fSdKzQb8irlO_uaa8PwzzJaTf9BPYWEFMxxJvzFhZdeH8duLPzKkVkVB0HG5pyNhMWTg34UEf0MjMi6jzxpFYGMsSXL5VOzx_xb-dJKrpBViIKWeCEi/s1600/20180902_121015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8CAakwoeisPW5PzUFcVx52l5_fSdKzQb8irlO_uaa8PwzzJaTf9BPYWEFMxxJvzFhZdeH8duLPzKkVkVB0HG5pyNhMWTg34UEf0MjMi6jzxpFYGMsSXL5VOzx_xb-dJKrpBViIKWeCEi/s400/20180902_121015.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grain wall at Frolic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">After a short father/daughter dance-off on the vast
concrete floors, we settled in for a beer.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">First, I had the Anaheim Pepper Saison.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I like chili beers so I liked this one.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I don’t know about the whole “saison” part, though; I guess the hot
peppers drowned out the fruity, spicy yeast qualities.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Then, a flight of Citra IPA (exactly what
you’d expect; an IPA with craft beer's most popular hop), Vienna Lager (silky and malty), and Cranberry Gose (there are
some who poo-poo kettle sours but I really don't care about the process; I paraphrase Andrew Zimmern when I say “If it
tastes good, drink it!”).</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrw2gjV__oV3PpKlbIJ0h48OxFIFeNDcPnAsV0jfdQog74A3-OQJBYW45T1gGe8rXuXhaw2KkgtD-Ibzb4OTOZRFutIPttK-5U2MSQbvwLSAxK8B5fIGsg-knKvts5lGb-inklAPqdkhcv/s1600/20181106_143644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrw2gjV__oV3PpKlbIJ0h48OxFIFeNDcPnAsV0jfdQog74A3-OQJBYW45T1gGe8rXuXhaw2KkgtD-Ibzb4OTOZRFutIPttK-5U2MSQbvwLSAxK8B5fIGsg-knKvts5lGb-inklAPqdkhcv/s320/20181106_143644.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anaheim Pepper Saison</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDSwM3j-gJp5aEZdBTD4gMvSKx7la5oOeoCPMWtpM8Bw18ALI0-uhp_d6qwCMIZxRmFezlpIHbDSTbRncpofF2-I7WXP5QXDFdz5a87DuQyyM8hWeeDgLBFiF-WwgIwv-RYY40sSxe0Nc/s1600/20180902_121309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDSwM3j-gJp5aEZdBTD4gMvSKx7la5oOeoCPMWtpM8Bw18ALI0-uhp_d6qwCMIZxRmFezlpIHbDSTbRncpofF2-I7WXP5QXDFdz5a87DuQyyM8hWeeDgLBFiF-WwgIwv-RYY40sSxe0Nc/s640/20180902_121309.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Citra IPA, Vienna Lager, and Cranberry Gose</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I think I’ll give this blog post the old Irish good-bye
and just end it abruptly and without much warning b</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">ecause all this happened over Labor Day weekend and I began writing
this post shortly thereafter.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">how much time kids will take up
in your life, it took me about two and a half months to write eight paragraphs.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">If I don’t post now, I never will.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Until next time:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Prost!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Chris <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1x_M5OSTteozImmTEc9TwLXFPEubNjL1AzFGMJswsP36pf2y1Xwne32jlfMD27W8FhoLg8GRLKANL8mUVjfO7ejDO02kQbQFsXdh2OAG8WEu191ObdPI3cPCy4WoW_94bJTm0a70xcRc/s1600/IMG_20180902_142920_695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1x_M5OSTteozImmTEc9TwLXFPEubNjL1AzFGMJswsP36pf2y1Xwne32jlfMD27W8FhoLg8GRLKANL8mUVjfO7ejDO02kQbQFsXdh2OAG8WEu191ObdPI3cPCy4WoW_94bJTm0a70xcRc/s640/IMG_20180902_142920_695.jpg" width="638" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We fed the animal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7X2277W9XvJaYRwDLBM_wn_DywnSlJOG79SpSS0Hmy0znLaJqCXriwGYU1xVWJfPip5lSONARWwIIm0xuxVmoWG2qowW4KyKLhEx7wEH9IWvMSjyfrJDLCMTd6GqyBvBYCfV9SiNPuoJ/s1600/20180902_122013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7X2277W9XvJaYRwDLBM_wn_DywnSlJOG79SpSS0Hmy0znLaJqCXriwGYU1xVWJfPip5lSONARWwIIm0xuxVmoWG2qowW4KyKLhEx7wEH9IWvMSjyfrJDLCMTd6GqyBvBYCfV9SiNPuoJ/s640/20180902_122013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They don't just hand these out to anyone, y'know</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMqP9T6GpiTFBMku2Cr040weVYbKiW3G2pLAtdjroI_SGP4MZfQ8zNBIFXf_Qdnd2cQ-sUAKwqMHxRaPNki6AjDzETeTCHvG7XOnNw-rRHnmBV05lUR-eRWNf78p7CUVFMkCgTDLpeJuA/s1600/20180902_122805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMqP9T6GpiTFBMku2Cr040weVYbKiW3G2pLAtdjroI_SGP4MZfQ8zNBIFXf_Qdnd2cQ-sUAKwqMHxRaPNki6AjDzETeTCHvG7XOnNw-rRHnmBV05lUR-eRWNf78p7CUVFMkCgTDLpeJuA/s640/20180902_122805.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brewing equipment at Frolic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY07ZC-wmKEuCB6vBmuzcn6xMwjAO6eLs2YFwYgH5PwsrYRImKAnFJIK4GehtiTpVaWc1QZzocsv1QN1fmxZM80CPQHbUxcFhJeRZx692FdYqOEX5HmLRiuoIoQAidSHrRavTZGdd3ISrv/s1600/20180902_114138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY07ZC-wmKEuCB6vBmuzcn6xMwjAO6eLs2YFwYgH5PwsrYRImKAnFJIK4GehtiTpVaWc1QZzocsv1QN1fmxZM80CPQHbUxcFhJeRZx692FdYqOEX5HmLRiuoIoQAidSHrRavTZGdd3ISrv/s640/20180902_114138.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bar area at Frolic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RH2YhYhKonVY71eXtYfHk6uXbr4PM-Pc57A8N4xNsGPLCQZujti4uom8cdIP5jXhIaQ08c_Jfg1iMn2hZxdBuX_HbJmAJ6YaWJQQkIbFYcPiezo-98mDefzj3XBFXJLiXxEQ21IQ-KQG/s1600/20180902_114124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RH2YhYhKonVY71eXtYfHk6uXbr4PM-Pc57A8N4xNsGPLCQZujti4uom8cdIP5jXhIaQ08c_Jfg1iMn2hZxdBuX_HbJmAJ6YaWJQQkIbFYcPiezo-98mDefzj3XBFXJLiXxEQ21IQ-KQG/s640/20180902_114124.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrr! Pirate teacher!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-76406027729463724032015-08-26T10:43:00.000-07:002015-08-26T12:42:58.519-07:00A Baby's a-done a-Brewing<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-babys-brewing.html">Back in March Nicole and I released the news that we were womb-aging a child</a> and shared a series of weekly photos documenting the progression of the pregnancy. Well, there have been a lot more pictures since then:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrCCE4SVqmsC3attr338jNPcVeCtxFC0OOo3ysA8g0uBYFTpcO3p41cEckFm8d2FOH1dF7OriyngK4a4uxi7e1xhvvDZMSqsGcan-5WX_YJ-HxVTGdWnv0Gy5W3DK2NAyJldDjZIP3AS-/s1600/week+17+38+state.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrCCE4SVqmsC3attr338jNPcVeCtxFC0OOo3ysA8g0uBYFTpcO3p41cEckFm8d2FOH1dF7OriyngK4a4uxi7e1xhvvDZMSqsGcan-5WX_YJ-HxVTGdWnv0Gy5W3DK2NAyJldDjZIP3AS-/s640/week+17+38+state.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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No clever sayings for this one but it was around the time of March 3rd AKA 3/03 AKA <a href="http://www.westword.com/music/happy-303-day-everybody-celebrating-the-rad-in-colorado-5718073">303 Day</a> so we just went with a Colorado pride theme. I remember <a href="http://www.38statebrew.com/">38 State Brewing Company</a> having an interesting taproom. I believe it was a former mechanic's workshop as evidenced by the many garage doors. One of the more peculiar (but also neat) features of the taproom was an unfinished-looking side room that served as sort of a rec room. With big glass garage doors on opposite ends of the room, it almost felt like being outside. We also visited <a href="http://www.locavorebeerworks.com/">Locavore Beer Works</a> on this particular trip to the southern suburbs. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzoPZIoQvw9L-fqa6et7A0f3BnEm8mcODNkXETDNx5nB1EBcSw18vVuv0rAdRtJfNPq19429bPKkod5400B_L7QlIGoVHwaGzOR_3oMMYrBA-ivcu8DEFr0LnvaXC43-awfoOZB3GlePp/s1600/week+18+goldspot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzoPZIoQvw9L-fqa6et7A0f3BnEm8mcODNkXETDNx5nB1EBcSw18vVuv0rAdRtJfNPq19429bPKkod5400B_L7QlIGoVHwaGzOR_3oMMYrBA-ivcu8DEFr0LnvaXC43-awfoOZB3GlePp/s640/week+18+goldspot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://goldspotbrewing.com/">Goldspot Brewing Company</a>'s got a quaint little space near <a href="http://www.regis.edu/">Regis University</a>. A small brick building with low, wooden rafters interwoven with patio-style filament lights, this brewery has the vibe of countryside love shack.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNZrea03mzGfIQub7n7RUbfKet0wSXpCl7BuQG-75mn6snbIMMRyRxAb9Rxk1xwB8l874ZtuvPamrIIXkbQzsCR8vk9fOwlcyWWbg5BNPKMycajSxD7zp_uBvlW8Y88gxTwNBjhf2o2GX/s1600/week+19+caution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNZrea03mzGfIQub7n7RUbfKet0wSXpCl7BuQG-75mn6snbIMMRyRxAb9Rxk1xwB8l874ZtuvPamrIIXkbQzsCR8vk9fOwlcyWWbg5BNPKMycajSxD7zp_uBvlW8Y88gxTwNBjhf2o2GX/s640/week+19+caution.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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I guess if we're trying to show off the baby-bump we shouldn't have put Nicole in a red shirt and have her stand in front of a red wall.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7Rd3Y9-o50haD5g4YYJeXNuoiUAsVblym_ZtLQNZpjxlOk2aoUaQ1Knb9w7f84jpa9KMkXy2x2jCU_FDdoWb_5fNQQ9PJgrRewQILeiO16WH6HuwWNYGZLK-t9KKRO0CbiZW2m8hOiOT/s1600/week+20+great+divide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7Rd3Y9-o50haD5g4YYJeXNuoiUAsVblym_ZtLQNZpjxlOk2aoUaQ1Knb9w7f84jpa9KMkXy2x2jCU_FDdoWb_5fNQQ9PJgrRewQILeiO16WH6HuwWNYGZLK-t9KKRO0CbiZW2m8hOiOT/s640/week+20+great+divide.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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This was taken at what <i>should</i> have been the half-way mark of the pregnancy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoxt7Z9wG2rhJ58RyvcPYjRpKHYHM5lsUQ12XRGDj0F2u_8G71jishZqbPhQ5_lVe6ffC1XBnttArw_ytA-4g5iFFldmsulvB1yA5tpY31ycrp9FCDl87txq4k7i3d3kH0KRhGoKYTAHZ/s1600/Week+21+bull+and+bush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoxt7Z9wG2rhJ58RyvcPYjRpKHYHM5lsUQ12XRGDj0F2u_8G71jishZqbPhQ5_lVe6ffC1XBnttArw_ytA-4g5iFFldmsulvB1yA5tpY31ycrp9FCDl87txq4k7i3d3kH0KRhGoKYTAHZ/s640/Week+21+bull+and+bush.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At this point, we had not yet found out the sex of the child. But, as you can ascertain from our chalkboard, we were about to find out. SPOILER ALERT: it was a girl.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruWtF-8yx8ZuqSaleSMPOzeBbWNpQNLjrkGce0LA1YO2aejBGXN5ZrUJKaG-ePMaGu03RQsdXwBbhN6H2ql-FRD_L1YEKkFf0-GqFerpwcEvMVzsV-6KnutBWwnfvABrEtFpTlAxN1DD4/s1600/Week+22+barrels+and+bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruWtF-8yx8ZuqSaleSMPOzeBbWNpQNLjrkGce0LA1YO2aejBGXN5ZrUJKaG-ePMaGu03RQsdXwBbhN6H2ql-FRD_L1YEKkFf0-GqFerpwcEvMVzsV-6KnutBWwnfvABrEtFpTlAxN1DD4/s640/Week+22+barrels+and+bottles.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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I would like to amend this one slightly. We're not "trading in" anything, we're simply adding to the bottle collection. There're still plenty of beer bottles at our residence.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7w0GjfAC6vMZzo01sUNrYyvNbDplgR6mgHfm1o-1Mqoj3VDgi4KBPlcPUGJvL0hjsYCVc1a1ASPERAhg1zChQchyphenhyphenbY91e7uUvpkgl0lQg9YHfLN7tx3t46zf2vi1dJpPz6pWjf5jqrmz/s1600/Week+24+spangalang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7w0GjfAC6vMZzo01sUNrYyvNbDplgR6mgHfm1o-1Mqoj3VDgi4KBPlcPUGJvL0hjsYCVc1a1ASPERAhg1zChQchyphenhyphenbY91e7uUvpkgl0lQg9YHfLN7tx3t46zf2vi1dJpPz6pWjf5jqrmz/s640/Week+24+spangalang.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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A jazz-themed brewery calls for a jazz-themed chalkboard message. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDYx3w386SCUSc54ArHa8PM5EupBSTu8fzw_mkAT3I580x-l0qBtu0bZRlsEbTIgcY9FYjKtMEeBuy9NrsykCKBbWZNqMBhnCTxvtc99B5geH2YM2p6kvODqbYYIFKX4ZuwoJenlbyFx4/s1600/week+25+black+sky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDYx3w386SCUSc54ArHa8PM5EupBSTu8fzw_mkAT3I580x-l0qBtu0bZRlsEbTIgcY9FYjKtMEeBuy9NrsykCKBbWZNqMBhnCTxvtc99B5geH2YM2p6kvODqbYYIFKX4ZuwoJenlbyFx4/s640/week+25+black+sky.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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Likewise, a metal-themed brewery calls for a metal-themed chalkboard message.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSc5bi3MxH3OGZjuoe9IzIS492hwcPs_WhyuFdeNv2cvbSNM7AZQwIxIfN-Zi_Op3bdJmuAZ0-VUEzK6CFGDVCN9o_gz-w1KrJFuq3ls9TVgcgUM-DXLlLFCQfVtIrEftFDufVgEOUWwu/s1600/week+26+station+26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSc5bi3MxH3OGZjuoe9IzIS492hwcPs_WhyuFdeNv2cvbSNM7AZQwIxIfN-Zi_Op3bdJmuAZ0-VUEzK6CFGDVCN9o_gz-w1KrJFuq3ls9TVgcgUM-DXLlLFCQfVtIrEftFDufVgEOUWwu/s640/week+26+station+26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We were at Week 26 of the pregnancy so, naturally, we took our picture at <a href="http://www.station26brewing.co/">Station 26 Brewing Co.</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TIK4WDnxVx6_g-11vU8LQHIczFr82ovOYJCE8w3bC0h2onNu-VfzIg9X5Aig5hotksL_a294zGMpOpjIO54A68BhAN_p11cNw83iklnyObWcxt5oyvUENZfL5RVEXAuWDvP8qSLI-Rg8/s1600/Week+27+CO-Brew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TIK4WDnxVx6_g-11vU8LQHIczFr82ovOYJCE8w3bC0h2onNu-VfzIg9X5Aig5hotksL_a294zGMpOpjIO54A68BhAN_p11cNw83iklnyObWcxt5oyvUENZfL5RVEXAuWDvP8qSLI-Rg8/s640/Week+27+CO-Brew.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.cobrewdenver.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwx_WuBRDJ7tSK2-W0pJkBEiQAEWgR8ILEUJLp3vXzz5IQXjyiA14ivKAeQnguslGLuqUBF3kaAn178P8HAQ">CO-Brew</a>, the homebrew shop/brewery hybrid on Broadway. At a glance, it's more homebrew shop than brewery but the check-out register is also a bar and there's a seating area off to the side indicating it's dual nature.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_TDCanag87Sj4FxgiWTkvx_sMz4quVYaunYxqxRH5sx9Cxl2GVolDSKnFOYK5QFrMN4JmAUt4pUrTKcYMBzN1zKHnlvzyw2Zj4qUzqYV3eLYoPxmY8NYLedJm2eWPBGht-_7iBh188oV/s1600/week+30+colorado+plus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_TDCanag87Sj4FxgiWTkvx_sMz4quVYaunYxqxRH5sx9Cxl2GVolDSKnFOYK5QFrMN4JmAUt4pUrTKcYMBzN1zKHnlvzyw2Zj4qUzqYV3eLYoPxmY8NYLedJm2eWPBGht-_7iBh188oV/s640/week+30+colorado+plus.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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Math is hard!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdyqUnXi254wTucmuSR9zaixVGt-1YnsWXEtHgrXZvLaTRLo-6fqK1GVKg7BDrSzmy8xLT8x8vZdaWY7fm39aeT07lBM7gUuoOl46badUuqeNm0q2D5hFkKnsUjoEITDn9e9KfHDtpu8E/s1600/week+31+joyride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdyqUnXi254wTucmuSR9zaixVGt-1YnsWXEtHgrXZvLaTRLo-6fqK1GVKg7BDrSzmy8xLT8x8vZdaWY7fm39aeT07lBM7gUuoOl46badUuqeNm0q2D5hFkKnsUjoEITDn9e9KfHDtpu8E/s640/week+31+joyride.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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We weren't revealing the baby's name until she was born which prompted a lot of prying questions from friends and family. So, being cheeky, we composed a poem and snuck her (technically misspelled) name into it. Nobody caught the hint. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskzybu5D4F9ucmZZmK1T3ZIzzUmNqyt5v_fqiAeoAE9loJ9K5SFOV5fkMXRV-qtWapwOe6NqyHxALg4-eHeCcWcdAgXC-55eBUvMxV2qq4Cp84FzI9lGHRsoPqtFRufRmtoQm4yCYyrhi/s1600/Week+32+grandma%2527s+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskzybu5D4F9ucmZZmK1T3ZIzzUmNqyt5v_fqiAeoAE9loJ9K5SFOV5fkMXRV-qtWapwOe6NqyHxALg4-eHeCcWcdAgXC-55eBUvMxV2qq4Cp84FzI9lGHRsoPqtFRufRmtoQm4yCYyrhi/s640/Week+32+grandma%2527s+house.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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We turned Nicole's parents into grandparents with this baby (my brother already did that honor for my parents).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBB1kVylI12yNy8riZyf-BoJUA7IGr5s1jcya5gHxR712iPwIdlZSWoMHhcfosqWmEwyL93PI7CH7a-NygS5J1_PjtzA-yctvneL-KtrwPlHRcxlg-c0VHcBYWaWU4pNyc8X8yl-CilTj/s1600/week+33+dad+and+dudes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBB1kVylI12yNy8riZyf-BoJUA7IGr5s1jcya5gHxR712iPwIdlZSWoMHhcfosqWmEwyL93PI7CH7a-NygS5J1_PjtzA-yctvneL-KtrwPlHRcxlg-c0VHcBYWaWU4pNyc8X8yl-CilTj/s640/week+33+dad+and+dudes.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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I think this was taken near Father's Day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1Ofo50ZPPWHLnlkCzF9SYkftHpYCyskWatqCNHgDYWX1N1NIREQorSCQX5Zg_Y5qpIlsuP_aNNdWqyAxUg19esOVqcbhQvOpmYC9tCp_9LFZbmwW3VxAuYuBvJ_nldzv4UNHoQSuIdMD/s1600/week+34+platt+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1Ofo50ZPPWHLnlkCzF9SYkftHpYCyskWatqCNHgDYWX1N1NIREQorSCQX5Zg_Y5qpIlsuP_aNNdWqyAxUg19esOVqcbhQvOpmYC9tCp_9LFZbmwW3VxAuYuBvJ_nldzv4UNHoQSuIdMD/s640/week+34+platt+park.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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Yes, but the actual giving birth part? Not so much.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-njlUm34MmIQDkLTW1VkrTp0ZzbHSuIDZ0Uz3arnIFxF6cfoyUe65dkp1l-lCgl4V7goQKxLeg_JMZEWQ59tU87oKTH7MkwV6DHyLHcvWZuAHW8Qx26CfggZYyVXcdk8kWhV5SXTO5YN4/s1600/Week+35+Vine+Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-njlUm34MmIQDkLTW1VkrTp0ZzbHSuIDZ0Uz3arnIFxF6cfoyUe65dkp1l-lCgl4V7goQKxLeg_JMZEWQ59tU87oKTH7MkwV6DHyLHcvWZuAHW8Qx26CfggZYyVXcdk8kWhV5SXTO5YN4/s640/Week+35+Vine+Street.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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We took this picture out of convenience; it's the closest brewery to our hospital where we were headed to take a birthing class.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ31DM6V0bdMlrQoHn8Nc0xwReRPlTvoQqgOKNrQJrAQIVb0FuANf-1z3FNGWYPeu0oW7yKZVw3xSQrQskNrszAXf2rWdreKX7jExLCcXmomRTmHO69mWRKX17blgr61OF4AcuudA0lAMu/s1600/week+36+odyssey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ31DM6V0bdMlrQoHn8Nc0xwReRPlTvoQqgOKNrQJrAQIVb0FuANf-1z3FNGWYPeu0oW7yKZVw3xSQrQskNrszAXf2rWdreKX7jExLCcXmomRTmHO69mWRKX17blgr61OF4AcuudA0lAMu/s640/week+36+odyssey.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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I apologize for the crappy-looking boat we drew.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K7odqaabFFqm2hqLEL8Ry0MG4vXcrbCMy3Bz3Nw7X2JvcKtzPC5JN98nWnvg34b1Iz25yVPVDEaO0yzKBN8WAjn7XTmQVFKLZ3gnKZt1FYADqMLAOOmH1r49kDFZZUimZ7rI7OlOXv51/s1600/week+37+at+call+to+arms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K7odqaabFFqm2hqLEL8Ry0MG4vXcrbCMy3Bz3Nw7X2JvcKtzPC5JN98nWnvg34b1Iz25yVPVDEaO0yzKBN8WAjn7XTmQVFKLZ3gnKZt1FYADqMLAOOmH1r49kDFZZUimZ7rI7OlOXv51/s640/week+37+at+call+to+arms.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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Awesome spot and great beer! I had their Luntbier, a nearly-extinct style of German smoked beer; it was delightful. The taproom is a mix of industrial American and classic English pub. It's in an old barrel-roofed building with lots of garage doors but within the rough-edged matrix floats classic details like a hanging pane of tin ceiling plates and a massive, ornate, dark-wood bar. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkhr6Udq5SoWGVFJ2eSUMyKwrLYHxNNPsuaIvxl_nckd8XTfDVGS0mzMpM82IE4GxKaKI8HWqRDyNti14xFzQzxvSEzeGp4dopszLaFfMgSJU7mzZdIDdhmPO5jkIwnlNPGeyDk5VDHim/s1600/week+38+at+lowdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkhr6Udq5SoWGVFJ2eSUMyKwrLYHxNNPsuaIvxl_nckd8XTfDVGS0mzMpM82IE4GxKaKI8HWqRDyNti14xFzQzxvSEzeGp4dopszLaFfMgSJU7mzZdIDdhmPO5jkIwnlNPGeyDk5VDHim/s640/week+38+at+lowdown.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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We were actually at a different brewery when we realized we could come up with a better message at this one. So, we packed up and drove here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYrw-xvtYLP9nrpimDXlDJtDNDWbrBo3A0VQ37-fF4s-2DHIryB1jYcBVFopIArJOyMI8OAreZ0pWlBupIygjsa3tJgi5qs91IWgJqwj4MqEnF9CGN0XhPoXGnejX-NaxpqzhtTp1_vrL/s1600/week+39+blue+moon+caption.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYrw-xvtYLP9nrpimDXlDJtDNDWbrBo3A0VQ37-fF4s-2DHIryB1jYcBVFopIArJOyMI8OAreZ0pWlBupIygjsa3tJgi5qs91IWgJqwj4MqEnF9CGN0XhPoXGnejX-NaxpqzhtTp1_vrL/s640/week+39+blue+moon+caption.png" width="354" /></a></div>
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It was actually at about the same time the real, celestial blue moon was in the sky when we took this picture. As you can see, we forgot our chalkboard for this one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfin3dfir08CmPBKeWKrl77Yuu9BNa1ARW892YIhnK1Su0z8PBKgAflDBg0VjYU1fB5hSvugFL1sB9SyItb6g-dlyW0dUnFmQhE3ZZi_26lI2ZVneRMT3i6TTjA77osBz3lHoGfIr_diKs/s1600/week+40+cannonball+creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfin3dfir08CmPBKeWKrl77Yuu9BNa1ARW892YIhnK1Su0z8PBKgAflDBg0VjYU1fB5hSvugFL1sB9SyItb6g-dlyW0dUnFmQhE3ZZi_26lI2ZVneRMT3i6TTjA77osBz3lHoGfIr_diKs/s640/week+40+cannonball+creek.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
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Nicole was overdue at this point; we were ready to blast this little cannonball right out of her!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_lrW4nsARrUfAkE5mbpujz4d5k2BD2G7BB0MooohxDVSeHC4eI8IpAZoAdcDCovDq_H6o3e3Pa1GRhCZgBSBdgW1jlzmLOB8FNvPcL6J3hRgVEHC-IX77hm6p_rkvGUpdOUcGYPvNPHB/s1600/sloane+at+breckenridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_lrW4nsARrUfAkE5mbpujz4d5k2BD2G7BB0MooohxDVSeHC4eI8IpAZoAdcDCovDq_H6o3e3Pa1GRhCZgBSBdgW1jlzmLOB8FNvPcL6J3hRgVEHC-IX77hm6p_rkvGUpdOUcGYPvNPHB/s640/sloane+at+breckenridge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then, on August 12th, Sloane Viola Jane was done fermenting and was ready to be tapped for the world to enjoy! I promise she doesn't always look so blobby and disgruntled, the photographer just caught her at a bad time.</div>
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Prost!</div>
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Chris</div>
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-75583694543103266092015-07-13T12:09:00.002-07:002015-07-13T12:09:35.744-07:00A Picture Tour of Avanti F&BThe highly-anticipated new eatery in Denver's Highlands neighborhood, <a href="http://avantifandb.com/">Avanti F&B</a>, opens to the public <i>today</i>! Here's a few sights you can expect to see at the former print shop located at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/3200+Pecos+St,+Denver,+CO+80211/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x876c78ecf56f38ed:0x3a3432873cdefd5d?sa=X&ved=0CB4Q8gEwAGoVChMIr4j32-XYxgIVgl2SCh38vgHC">3200 Pecos Street</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRacFOiWwdeGppG1qQrwGwZTsX7NpypQg3W0rnpgu-RuHsErN8FiOIyQnLAZu12Xxzv-eHBGhpKmkqZq5xeIRM00yZrTt8SuzhtgH1oe9Sly2ZDVa-GehcfyN9H30ifAAhYKC26dCLfEeG/s1600/avanti4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRacFOiWwdeGppG1qQrwGwZTsX7NpypQg3W0rnpgu-RuHsErN8FiOIyQnLAZu12Xxzv-eHBGhpKmkqZq5xeIRM00yZrTt8SuzhtgH1oe9Sly2ZDVa-GehcfyN9H30ifAAhYKC26dCLfEeG/s400/avanti4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The outside of Avanti as seen from the south. The main dining area is behind the second-level windows and, above that, one part of the rooftop patio. Just to the left of this wall is...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoStFpC8T-rqbcLUe3JAsuCFbhIZP-L7rLezPvoJ53XWmtLEnVpfUFDOEb2haz9odwA51Z-k5tyqV68nI5KhUa0GLPScRl_1LRfppc9AyoMQ18au8stHtO9kx4gLdI6GVJhtZDPc4oOPS/s1600/avanti3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoStFpC8T-rqbcLUe3JAsuCFbhIZP-L7rLezPvoJ53XWmtLEnVpfUFDOEb2haz9odwA51Z-k5tyqV68nI5KhUa0GLPScRl_1LRfppc9AyoMQ18au8stHtO9kx4gLdI6GVJhtZDPc4oOPS/s400/avanti3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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...the rooftop bleacher section that looks out in the general direction of <a href="http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/col/ballpark/">Coors Field</a>. It's kind of a silly concept having bleachers on the roof that look out over nothing specific, just the whole of the Denver skyline, but that's okay--I like silly concepts. Continuing to turn left we see...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCO4y_7FvoGkWzRN8ra7hyM6JCv8TAMkvYFoPMzEsneGIeTUfLQuhKQghfNqaqTtKHrKrMiSPBZXpIg7v9D2SCf4CoIfC6zJcAczPbe3cNlHraYrs_pl8oIhRQ9qkX3sZTvM-Wi1dMXgV1/s1600/avanti6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCO4y_7FvoGkWzRN8ra7hyM6JCv8TAMkvYFoPMzEsneGIeTUfLQuhKQghfNqaqTtKHrKrMiSPBZXpIg7v9D2SCf4CoIfC6zJcAczPbe3cNlHraYrs_pl8oIhRQ9qkX3sZTvM-Wi1dMXgV1/s400/avanti6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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...<a href="https://denver.bcycle.com/">the largest B-cycle station in Denver</a>! Apparently, they <i>needed</i> to install the city's largest bike rental station lest they be forced to add more parking spaces. This part of town needed a few more stations, anyway.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierzJq9ygIH6Lfoz2AS5xyRxDaJpXXKYF9kz0A-obVDNSre5REcgLICKyfKINiGWUHF0oywBi6HBr9Xb8AuJzxxKq3oTsNWcXyIeN76AwGG4lu1CJWONh1iWEgqcTJtNZaHRawgKkeYAxg/s1600/avanti7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierzJq9ygIH6Lfoz2AS5xyRxDaJpXXKYF9kz0A-obVDNSre5REcgLICKyfKINiGWUHF0oywBi6HBr9Xb8AuJzxxKq3oTsNWcXyIeN76AwGG4lu1CJWONh1iWEgqcTJtNZaHRawgKkeYAxg/s400/avanti7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Walking through the front door, guests find themselves in a pretty swanky lounge! On the left side of the lounge is...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIo9KcQWuwRN2ODadZThzEtU8mcvLJpy9OGHpk-XClYiWZSN3PINB8KS_A00s-62kYjWY3lOhGYiOI1LTlLc0AGKro-Obvld4RIKZUZ6cJQy_2OUYIKnqJ7vfdypYkCYMn1byIta8xo82w/s1600/avanti17.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIo9KcQWuwRN2ODadZThzEtU8mcvLJpy9OGHpk-XClYiWZSN3PINB8KS_A00s-62kYjWY3lOhGYiOI1LTlLc0AGKro-Obvld4RIKZUZ6cJQy_2OUYIKnqJ7vfdypYkCYMn1byIta8xo82w/s400/avanti17.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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...Avanti's main bar area serving wine, mix drinks, and beer including...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2guwJtg2r0TeZt2a-mgDcO4s7lPmBs3ZW_OuZl2En-TeR9GnryMMiTuUyCmmBh7D9jw2uop-86bDt5OV6lDst0mi6k4ncjr7UjwfROkJJFzRLzjNze-3E_Ov7UEb8c7GLkC6sR_hOf0u1/s1600/avanti2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2guwJtg2r0TeZt2a-mgDcO4s7lPmBs3ZW_OuZl2En-TeR9GnryMMiTuUyCmmBh7D9jw2uop-86bDt5OV6lDst0mi6k4ncjr7UjwfROkJJFzRLzjNze-3E_Ov7UEb8c7GLkC6sR_hOf0u1/s640/avanti2.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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...Colorado's largest selection of <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/">Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales</a> beers on tap! One of the owners of Avanti is a close, personal friend of <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/company/dogfish-way/our-people.htm">Sam Calagione</a> so it makes sense that DFH would be featured so prominently. My camera's flash obscured it but that last one is Collabo-Ryezon, a rye beer made in collaboration with <a href="http://www.prostbrewing.com/">Prost Brewing</a> which is just on the other side of a small park from Avanti. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1n9n5_GZGwXWWY4zj-wT4tqZoC5CBvkJrgPQIM-125Hclfz0xhY8QRXMIqzJfK-vjBtOkOT7t4gGNvNu57tVFgBYrOid8fvD6VoE-qgvZOuiwc-PHjO523COGaJE_-mL_y_bVprNBJNqM/s1600/avanti5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1n9n5_GZGwXWWY4zj-wT4tqZoC5CBvkJrgPQIM-125Hclfz0xhY8QRXMIqzJfK-vjBtOkOT7t4gGNvNu57tVFgBYrOid8fvD6VoE-qgvZOuiwc-PHjO523COGaJE_-mL_y_bVprNBJNqM/s400/avanti5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Avanti also has a lot of beers <i>not</i> from DFH, too, including one from <a href="http://www.postbrewing.com/">The Post Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://www.westword.com/restaurants/former-dogfish-head-brew-master-bryan-selders-joins-big-red-fs-the-post-brewing-5742796">a brewery headed-up by Bryan Selders, former brewer at DFH</a>. So, I guess there's no hard feelings between Selders and his former employer. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurloYkaGPlN3Jwv8nU_-aZJA3cOFOPK8pOps12NfstnAIjqWfXuUrJIQPcf7uAY50Nwtbl4kadQXVqRuOoURRy2O0asPuleeDdJkJW49vrOVfpfVBgAq3MXYWGx7RyTb_x4jJUvcsD9-n/s1600/avanti1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurloYkaGPlN3Jwv8nU_-aZJA3cOFOPK8pOps12NfstnAIjqWfXuUrJIQPcf7uAY50Nwtbl4kadQXVqRuOoURRy2O0asPuleeDdJkJW49vrOVfpfVBgAq3MXYWGx7RyTb_x4jJUvcsD9-n/s400/avanti1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Walk past the main floor lounge and enter into the main dining hall. The concept behind Avanti is that of a collective eatery inspired by European markets. But, I've never been to a European market and you probably haven't, either, so I think a better way to describe Avanti is as a high-end food court or a permanent food truck rally. There are five eateries on the main floor and two on the second floor. The dining area is all communal and there are no reservations, just get the food you want from the pod you want and find an available seat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQnHRm4NMhTOqu6nkG40l-4zMD8S6TYO09U5O0mOpZcquefFfNoGzR8XyGnVe1JIst7UJzWLbiNmHv_GA5vtDS6Dyxv6HtZfHhrSri8yIabL7_eIQ1ff_E7L58VJlePuIPFxo7CkSk3hP/s1600/avanti15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQnHRm4NMhTOqu6nkG40l-4zMD8S6TYO09U5O0mOpZcquefFfNoGzR8XyGnVe1JIst7UJzWLbiNmHv_GA5vtDS6Dyxv6HtZfHhrSri8yIabL7_eIQ1ff_E7L58VJlePuIPFxo7CkSk3hP/s400/avanti15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another look at the main dining hall.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlV9JagOIqwumU1im7m7cYuIHI08SDaz5pU_cXBl72vj7h-TneDzBes3xw3nPjWWWFm-JGUb8wkIX5j1GeGvaS_U6E3y4yrM9Tj0GFuZcUdpIbV-Ib48JWwltPULZIFYg0DlFfS0JqrnE6/s1600/avanti14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlV9JagOIqwumU1im7m7cYuIHI08SDaz5pU_cXBl72vj7h-TneDzBes3xw3nPjWWWFm-JGUb8wkIX5j1GeGvaS_U6E3y4yrM9Tj0GFuZcUdpIbV-Ib48JWwltPULZIFYg0DlFfS0JqrnE6/s400/avanti14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A nice succulent garden as you head up from the main floor to the second level.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TVtk8T8nq6c2g8aWaNxdPq5sopQjxajz8AaUOPCtxFGOwKuXFxx9Z6Ys5W66spK7UUFcxkEkdPViyrMo56-RR64FMakn1M8THTNbb9hQy3299gZ4ean6Iy7_EmTaMKGtCRxCZ7NhWTOi/s1600/avanti12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TVtk8T8nq6c2g8aWaNxdPq5sopQjxajz8AaUOPCtxFGOwKuXFxx9Z6Ys5W66spK7UUFcxkEkdPViyrMo56-RR64FMakn1M8THTNbb9hQy3299gZ4ean6Iy7_EmTaMKGtCRxCZ7NhWTOi/s400/avanti12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The upstairs bar is indoor/outdoor. The outside portion serves...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXmEyhZCeIuJ6iIK1zwIy02xJH-R7mvEGp7CM8joMTfpxUxZ_gyFAj7lz1nkTPiYfNiNX0DXrw2mZBpI3KXybxq_F_28cSVr7UjzNkd-GifUmHY2nrFjOpDWUN61Qi5ymeVNcYlGmQo5R/s1600/avanti16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXmEyhZCeIuJ6iIK1zwIy02xJH-R7mvEGp7CM8joMTfpxUxZ_gyFAj7lz1nkTPiYfNiNX0DXrw2mZBpI3KXybxq_F_28cSVr7UjzNkd-GifUmHY2nrFjOpDWUN61Qi5ymeVNcYlGmQo5R/s400/avanti16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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...the main rooftop lounge area. Turning to the left, we see...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWuZ9WuqEroW1Dph8M25rejSt0G8oL3R9FLH0ZnF_WwSdkCjNGoHoX57GAwYje2zt1KTR19yOXd-3zjnLdT5S5v1clD61PRlIzRldcMQkRnscPiOvvJqCGE8g103vz1RneQr1Fr7VUm2C/s1600/avanti18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWuZ9WuqEroW1Dph8M25rejSt0G8oL3R9FLH0ZnF_WwSdkCjNGoHoX57GAwYje2zt1KTR19yOXd-3zjnLdT5S5v1clD61PRlIzRldcMQkRnscPiOvvJqCGE8g103vz1RneQr1Fr7VUm2C/s400/avanti18.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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...a line of barstools that look out over the bleachers that are just beyond the edge. The outdoor, upstairs dining area is on the left. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6lWlkcV6xiuI5XdEIso9b5pY3dLITARckOZbtdaQLxeJ_jZF2fI4XSm5X5BQ2qcKxS0bPMbVS_fYMCVhD3QCSFsrqhcELoFj69i__n_w7fPjuUFU9NP_xlsj0_oxFMJixswChjBIjebE/s1600/avanti19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6lWlkcV6xiuI5XdEIso9b5pY3dLITARckOZbtdaQLxeJ_jZF2fI4XSm5X5BQ2qcKxS0bPMbVS_fYMCVhD3QCSFsrqhcELoFj69i__n_w7fPjuUFU9NP_xlsj0_oxFMJixswChjBIjebE/s400/avanti19.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Looking back from the barstools and bleachers, we see the outdoor portion of the upstairs bar.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiGZWhh9zQhyphenhyphen6FQJznlEUOY2Ws7XaQ8JoVqj6aD65_QsuLFpSNl3JGrEwrlVuOOXgNoHy8KTqPjZPea_0Y-4QCAdNTlqNcFJQgWESHDXVe51_tRjHHrbjGBoxil7Cw0n5b23gdF0n0bOn/s1600/avanti8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiGZWhh9zQhyphenhyphen6FQJznlEUOY2Ws7XaQ8JoVqj6aD65_QsuLFpSNl3JGrEwrlVuOOXgNoHy8KTqPjZPea_0Y-4QCAdNTlqNcFJQgWESHDXVe51_tRjHHrbjGBoxil7Cw0n5b23gdF0n0bOn/s400/avanti8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The view from up top!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8nL4n4Zl_4Y8av_D_qZtaPl2VUUACoLu1sGWPG9BKvYSWV-tlfrFFgChz_0D3jrcbown9qnX6o9EQJu1Eq4e92Ah5ox6LWK1kxUmOplRfFBSB3rek1srmPViM-JiSgmtLoqmVAizV2PK/s1600/avanti11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8nL4n4Zl_4Y8av_D_qZtaPl2VUUACoLu1sGWPG9BKvYSWV-tlfrFFgChz_0D3jrcbown9qnX6o9EQJu1Eq4e92Ah5ox6LWK1kxUmOplRfFBSB3rek1srmPViM-JiSgmtLoqmVAizV2PK/s400/avanti11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The upstairs, outdoor dining section. This part is covered so patrons can enjoy the fresh air and views even in inclement weather.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-g4T_E_9XXo6wCNT9YI_k0OiXu_uoZne5mGj2OlFegmcmQ5jnsTVg7QgN7pqUUhoH-6YOYKKFrOI5IdieK1ZOVsfe_6WHeotkWmeILluL5JXq3IF_L2OOs0b-xT8v8Jk3uzhBN9C6kYhn/s1600/avanti10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-g4T_E_9XXo6wCNT9YI_k0OiXu_uoZne5mGj2OlFegmcmQ5jnsTVg7QgN7pqUUhoH-6YOYKKFrOI5IdieK1ZOVsfe_6WHeotkWmeILluL5JXq3IF_L2OOs0b-xT8v8Jk3uzhBN9C6kYhn/s400/avanti10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The length of the upstairs, outdoor dining area. They have a glass garage door that can be raised, opening the outdoor section to the bar and other two food pods.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf6jG57tiCbhXsovFyg07_46okiDK7FL01yrUXOm-c1LBfOFwfLyoZKcnZOdXpnr3-pkipuOv5xnANxS-ZxW_YXXabfwNXVNw8jy9LTZCRj905depmPBBn-GLkfo5nKwuQL7HSzpG6-0M/s1600/avanti9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf6jG57tiCbhXsovFyg07_46okiDK7FL01yrUXOm-c1LBfOFwfLyoZKcnZOdXpnr3-pkipuOv5xnANxS-ZxW_YXXabfwNXVNw8jy9LTZCRj905depmPBBn-GLkfo5nKwuQL7HSzpG6-0M/s400/avanti9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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From the upstairs dining area, another shot of the rooftop bleachers.</div>
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So, what are you waiting for? Avanti opens today so go eat, drink, and take in the spectacular views!</div>
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Prost!</div>
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Chris</div>
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<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<span style="color: red;">A few months ago, we visited
the space that would become Avanti F & B.
At that time, it looked like an empty warehouse. The cargo containers that would become the food
pods were in place but the rest of the space had yet to be transformed. When we visited this last Thursday, we were
met with a mix of modern, industrial, and rustic touches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
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<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: red;">I have to say I’ve been
looking forward to the opening of Avanti
mostly because <a href="http://quieroarepas.com/">Quiero Arepas</a> would be there. Quiero Arepas is one of my
favorite food trucks in the Denver area but, being a food truck, we only get to
enjoy their Venezuelan treats when we are lucky enough to find them at a
brewery or outdoor event. As usual, the
food did not disappoint; I enjoyed the Reina Pepiada, shredded chicken in an
avocado sauce stuffed into a corn bread arepa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: red;">Avanti brings different
cuisines to one place in a unique way. Imagine a food court but with craft beer,
quality food, an inviting atmosphere, a gorgeous view, and no angsty teenagers
(I would say less screaming children, too, but I plan on bringing my baby there
when I meet up with friends). Avanti houses
seven restaurants, some are the product of a booming food truck industry,
others are testing their concepts, perhaps in hopes of opening a larger
restaurant someday. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: red;">After trying samples from
each restaurant, my favorite of the night was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mijofoods">MiJo</a>. MiJo served a banana curry over udon noodles
with tofu or chicken. It had a great
flavor and just the right amount of spiciness; I will definitely be back for
more!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: red;">Another favorite was <a href="http://bravapizza.com/">Brava! Pizzeria Della Strada</a>. Brava! serves wood-fired
pizza, the oven carefully squeezed into their cargo container. They were serving the margherita pizza as well
as bacon-wrapped goat cheese-filled dates and Italian S’mores. The crust on the margherita was so
wonderfully thin and the sauce boasts a tangy sweetness, I was actually
reminded of pizza I’ve had in Italy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: red;">Unfortunately, with baby on
board, I wasn’t able to try any beer or cocktails (I had my eye on a pear cider, though). I will be returning to Avanti to try out some
of the other food options once the full menus are in place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
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<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<span style="color: red;">Nicole <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-33259221958713130932015-07-02T22:35:00.002-07:002015-07-02T22:40:49.037-07:00The Biergarten Festival is Coming!<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
It’s that time of year again. Early July.
That time when we hoist high the Stars n’ Stripes, when we all come
together to eat hotdogs, drink copious amounts of beer, watch fireworks, and
collectively agree that, damn, it’s good to be American.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
In Colorado, early July is even more important; it’s
a time when we double-down on our patriotism.
It’s a time when we hoist high the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Germany#Civil_flag">Bundesflagge</a></i>,
when we all come together to eat bratwurst, drink copious amounts of <i>bier</i>, watch <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuhplattler">Schuhplattler</a> </i>dancers, and collectively agree that, <i>verdammt</i>, it’s good to be German-American. Why?
Because July 10-12 is when the <a href="http://www.gaccco.org/">German-American Chamber of Commerce—Colorado Chapter</a>’s <a href="http://www.biergartenfest.com/">Biergarten Festival</a> is held in Morrison.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFextI2B2DZ2vZxAYbKh0zPHDEFAacuI8hyksrgoDJ5WKAii_zFtIDxSA_yAstZV9F-5pw2EPrNbvXlD3foWW0V2piesyk26I8qkK_xCxTK18hTf-itm1MGTdeywiLUkWnzSAAraVHG10/s1600/IMG_7614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFextI2B2DZ2vZxAYbKh0zPHDEFAacuI8hyksrgoDJ5WKAii_zFtIDxSA_yAstZV9F-5pw2EPrNbvXlD3foWW0V2piesyk26I8qkK_xCxTK18hTf-itm1MGTdeywiLUkWnzSAAraVHG10/s320/IMG_7614.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who's that handsome young Kraut?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Held at the scenic <a href="http://tevedelweiss.org/">TEV Edelweiss</a> festival grounds,
the Biergarten Festival is a perfect blend of Colorado rustic and Old World
charm. <a href="http://redrocksonline.com/the-park/recreation">Red Rocks</a> stands majestically to
the north as oompah bands stomp their feet to the rhythm. The fresh Rocky Mountain air wafts through
the site as the aroma of soft pretzels, roasted nuts, schnitzel, <i>Apfelstrudel</i>, and other German
delicacies entice hungry festival-goers.
When you’re at Biergarten Festival, you’re very much in Colorado <i>and</i> you’re very much in Bavaria.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
And what would Biergarten Festival be without
beer? With <a href="http://paulanerhpusa.com/">Paulaner</a> and <a href="http://www.hacker-pschorr.us/en-US/">Hacker-Pschorr</a>
as a sponsor, expect many fine, Munich-style beers on tap. In fact, according to <a href="http://www.biergartenfest.com/">the festival website</a>,
expert more beer than ever before: “This year’s Beer Garden (Biergarten)
Festival will be bigger and better than ever before! We have added more music, more beer and more
entertainment.” There will also be wine
and, if prior experiences at the festival are any indication, schnapps. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
This will be the 19<sup>th</sup> running of the
Biergarten Festival and my third time attending. Here’s some advice from a seasoned pro:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
1) Learn some of the language. Know a few courtesies and <i>definitely</i> know the proper pronunciation
of the beer you’re ordering; the lady behind the bar wouldn’t serve me until I
said <i><a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/29/">Märzen</a></i> correctly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
2) If you have lederhosen or dirndls in your closet,
wear it! How often do you get to break
out <i>that</i> ensemble? Be forewarned, though: if you dress authentically,
people will assume you speak the language fluently and are an expert German
folk dancer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
3) Don’t worry if you’re not of German heritage. Just as everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s
Day, everybody is German at Biergarten Festival. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
4) Bring sunscreen.
Pasty German complexions and the scorching high country sun are a
dangerous mix.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>When<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Friday, July 10th | 4pm – 10pm<br />
Saturday, July 11th | 11am – 10pm<br />
Sunday, July 12th | 10am – 5pm (traditional German <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%BChschoppen">Frühschoppen</a></i> brunch in the morning)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>Where<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
17832 Highway 8<br />
Morrison, Colorado 80465 <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>Cost<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Friday & Saturday: $5<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Sunday: $3, early-bird special: $1 from 10am to noon<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i>Frühschoppen</i>:
$15 (all-you-can-eat)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Children 12 and under are free</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.biergartenfest.com/volunteer-festival/">You may also volunteer</a><o:p></o:p></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-90954167353092824412015-05-19T10:30:00.004-07:002015-05-19T10:30:26.460-07:00Beer Not in Colorado: Homecoming IV -- Back in the Habit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
Colorado. It’s
where I live. It’s where I
matriculated. It’s where I met and
married my wife. It’s where my first
child will be born. It is my home. However, I, like a good portion of the
state’s population, am not originally from Colorado. I cannot, in good conscious, decorate my car
with the ubiquitous <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/mf/73782959/colorado-native_bumper-sticker?utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=620919581&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sem-cpc-product-ads&utm_content=search-pla&productId=620919581">“Native” bumper sticker</a> <i>à
la</i> <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=colorado+license+plate&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS466US469&es_sm=122&biw=1777&bih=861&tbm=isch&imgil=B9cVfqY0491WQM%253A%253BRoNBf19lWAgBkM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fthefreethoughtproject.com%25252Flawsuit-idaho-state-trooper-assumed-70-yo-man-weed-colorado-license-plate%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=B9cVfqY0491WQM%253A%252CRoNBf19lWAgBkM%252C_&usg=__60E_oPFARHtFXr5UQW9v_zf61NQ%3D&dpr=0.9&ved=0CEkQyjc&ei=eUpaVfbbGMmwyASggYHQDA#imgrc=B9cVfqY0491WQM%253A%3BRoNBf19lWAgBkM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftftppull.freethoughtllc.netdna-cdn.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2014%252F03%252F1983_Colorado_License_Plate.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fthefreethoughtproject.com%252Flawsuit-idaho-state-trooper-assumed-70-yo-man-weed-colorado-license-plate%252F%3B435%3B220">the green mountain license plate</a>.
Nay, my roots are in the Crossroads of America, the Hoosier State, the
Land of Letterman—Indiana. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRKbTY0xnd3_5fEfvt_MaKYvlI-0F5PWxjr6n7MVi1tPbLsMmaIrXuzOWTGl3Jzy9JCcuRv6NCssaVLQxw8z5maY6qSwA8OBfxHKEV_vpstNfcLwWF9ErQtSeq_0DCxS46A-JvY-VoimL/s1600/indy24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRKbTY0xnd3_5fEfvt_MaKYvlI-0F5PWxjr6n7MVi1tPbLsMmaIrXuzOWTGl3Jzy9JCcuRv6NCssaVLQxw8z5maY6qSwA8OBfxHKEV_vpstNfcLwWF9ErQtSeq_0DCxS46A-JvY-VoimL/s400/indy24.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicole at the Indy Mini expo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
My brother is fond of saying, “Indiana is a great
place to be <i>from</i>.” I’ve no desire to live there again but I’ll
always hold it in a special part of my heart.
It’s my place of birth, the state that shaped me in my formative years,
and its influence on me cannot be understated.
That’s why I feel the need to make a short statement on a recent
controversy: the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_Freedom_Restoration_Act_%28Indiana%29">Religious Freedom Restoration Act</a> (RFRA).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
The big hubbub surrounding RFRA has died down due to
amendments made to the law but residual stigma won’t wash out. I’m embarrassed my homestate passed such a
law. Do I think RFRA had any real power
to significantly harm the gay community?
No, not really; it wasn’t as bad as social media made it out to be. <i>However</i>,
the very statement “wasn’t as bad” suggests it was at least a little bad and <i>any</i> backwards step for LGBT Hoosiers is
a damn shame.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9yFBI9MminN5NVnA11uAYfooHOrGg9JJd3vIr3_2UWkcwxGLznS4z6iXIeaIPKCmquKCe5eK_QNfoJYUz_SG6XovtgTpTYaKWZ_sNJ_HzTW3HYcSTgEUd5qBK6M1Jhqyi0mLUaqN069q/s1600/indy23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9yFBI9MminN5NVnA11uAYfooHOrGg9JJd3vIr3_2UWkcwxGLznS4z6iXIeaIPKCmquKCe5eK_QNfoJYUz_SG6XovtgTpTYaKWZ_sNJ_HzTW3HYcSTgEUd5qBK6M1Jhqyi0mLUaqN069q/s320/indy23.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Then again, disgusted though I was with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Pence">Gov. Mike Pence</a>’s decision to pass RFRA, I was equally perturbed by the #BoycottIndiana
campaign. Yes, companies, please do pull
your businesses out of Indiana, deny an already poor, working-class state of
desperately needed money. Yes,
performers, cancel your Indiana tour dates and withhold the arts from mostly
rural communities most in need of entertainment and enlightenment. Yes, supporters of #BoycottIndiana, punish an
entire population for the decisions of a few politicians, politicians who
barely feel the sting of your actions whereas the good and honest masses
receive the brunt. There’s no holes in <i>that</i> plan, no sir (gosh, I hope the
sarcasm is as obvious as I intend it to be).
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPd284htBrJKtGJY9d_HY7X7YqkI6ErvZ-1wmyu3LeXTVTqpWx1bChu9e6T-EB4DAkvVdi2rM8VnThYdjGr4uDu1aya64xKP54HMLWBBWaDEBMdUNL36OEfGZLYj-p0ml5-aH4ighRTKSd/s1600/indy22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPd284htBrJKtGJY9d_HY7X7YqkI6ErvZ-1wmyu3LeXTVTqpWx1bChu9e6T-EB4DAkvVdi2rM8VnThYdjGr4uDu1aya64xKP54HMLWBBWaDEBMdUNL36OEfGZLYj-p0ml5-aH4ighRTKSd/s400/indy22.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went to the Colts pro shop; notice anything wrong with the packaging for this helmet?<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
#BoycottIndiana is a shotgun, not a surgeon’s scalpel. Precision is lacking, there’s too much
collateral damage. Believe it or not,
there are gay Hoosiers and #BoycottIndiana affects them, too. There must have been some supporters of RFRA
in Indiana for it to get passed, true, but you wouldn’t know that by the outcry
I’ve witnessed from people living there and that includes—as we get back on
topic—local breweries. Nearly all of
them went out of their way to make a statement on their Facebook page rallying against
RFRA; usually breweries stay out of such political quagmires because, hey, conservative
customers pay with the same money as liberal customers. This time they felt the urge to speak out. The issue was important enough to make a
stand. Major kudos to Indiana
breweries! They’re not just makers of
great beer, they’re makers of social change
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNwh6skGnSxjNfxSy21MYni9ItzVLJluAW3wsNLCRUw1ymTIu7m6i7ayLeKjKUWmUMjY-cNsTOIhoTg4K_xpnT_imk9wfomfl9IZkpzMK5w7xeW-2aempGT2ZJiPVW9XGew0p-sqbI5fc/s1600/bier+ass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNwh6skGnSxjNfxSy21MYni9ItzVLJluAW3wsNLCRUw1ymTIu7m6i7ayLeKjKUWmUMjY-cNsTOIhoTg4K_xpnT_imk9wfomfl9IZkpzMK5w7xeW-2aempGT2ZJiPVW9XGew0p-sqbI5fc/s640/bier+ass.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite anti-RFRA protest; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bier-Brewery/142149049146462">Bier Brewery</a> decided to "turn the other cheek" to discriminatory laws</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<o:p> </o:p>In sum, supporters of RFRA and proponents of
#BoycottIndiana both really, really suck.
With Hoosier blood flowing through my veins, I choose to be ashamed of
my state’s backwards government yet proud of the Indiana people’s backlash towards
that reprehensible bill. But there’s
more pride than shame—I’m pretty well used to government officials doing
dumbass things, it’s lost its shock value.
But my heart will always swell when the masses make the morally correct
decision and spurn homophobic laws. </div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuas4bw5efXz_PCCTwVe7TQkNxmpMZZdPchjKdz17uHyQVkL61MT3xgKpbtc0mLTRGScj-ASh4sxaob7ZXgrVeMBiIbsARAndP9lCtoIeODtYGvYJv_ktQeuS6w3oA2zkvBDzPX7_L83j/s1600/indy13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuas4bw5efXz_PCCTwVe7TQkNxmpMZZdPchjKdz17uHyQVkL61MT3xgKpbtc0mLTRGScj-ASh4sxaob7ZXgrVeMBiIbsARAndP9lCtoIeODtYGvYJv_ktQeuS6w3oA2zkvBDzPX7_L83j/s400/indy13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ha! But, in all seriousness, Indy still loves Peyton; they just love Luck more</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Did I say earlier that would be a <i>short</i> statement? Well, enough soapbox pontificating; let’s get
down to beer. Nicole and I were in
Indianapolis to run the <a href="http://www.500festival.com/node/88">OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon</a> (Indy Mini), the
nation’s largest half marathon. As any
runner will say, one must carb-load before a big race. Know what has a lot of carbs? Beer.
Thus, the day before the race, we partook in the wares of a few of our favorite
Indy beer spots.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqYgztW6B4RKNIWyTvE1_yq0N1j14TfKlQE7WK-Oy_JGNZduL5tCMRI93UxjkSDVcgj3-K2FUQWHM1x8hfBKeYpUmL8csnjY0g1QPy8d2uww0WjK9jWMtvxPSnOOB7N585Y22kV_NtN5J/s1600/indy16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqYgztW6B4RKNIWyTvE1_yq0N1j14TfKlQE7WK-Oy_JGNZduL5tCMRI93UxjkSDVcgj3-K2FUQWHM1x8hfBKeYpUmL8csnjY0g1QPy8d2uww0WjK9jWMtvxPSnOOB7N585Y22kV_NtN5J/s320/indy16.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biergarten at The Rathskeller</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
First, we popped into <a href="http://www.scottysbrewhouse.com/">Scotty’s Brewhouse</a>, a downtown
hangout near <a href="http://www.bankerslifefieldhouse.com/">Bankers Life Fieldhouse</a>.
Popular for its large patio (which, due to crowds, we could not enjoy),
Scotty’s isn’t actually a brewery but is among the many satellite taprooms
associated with <a href="http://www.thr3ewisemen.com/">Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co.</a> (the guy who started the company’s
named <a href="https://twitter.com/brewhouse">Scott Wise</a>); it’s kind of like the <a href="http://alehousedenver.com/">Ale House at Amato’s</a>/<a href="http://www.breckbrew.com/">Breckenridge Brewery</a> of Indy—a non-brewing beer bar operated by a brewery. The beer selection at Scotty’s is good but,
as an out-of-towner, I’d appreciate more local options. Then again, I understand I’m not their target
demographic, repeat local customers are what keep the place in business, people
who might want to taste beers from far-flung lands. Sure, Indiana beer is a special treat to my Colorado
palate but it’s the norm to those living in Indy. But, I almost always drink local so I had a
couple <a href="http://www.taxmanbrewing.com/">Taxman Brewing Co.</a> beers (a brewery that’s been highly recommended to me
several times; I’ll visit the facility one of these days) and headed for the
next destination.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1MBz4MPMLE-gzkxN89mNGo9UapWGbvBp7I8ULfBKoiH7mUIhrTUhVXQp4KjxeA8FM95I_yDmErO6Ck96K0HEGuXmMUgxIhfEk9xt2zL6o8c-LwhFDSTHX5VNSNz1a2TBjVUy30VTsxsO/s1600/indy18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1MBz4MPMLE-gzkxN89mNGo9UapWGbvBp7I8ULfBKoiH7mUIhrTUhVXQp4KjxeA8FM95I_yDmErO6Ck96K0HEGuXmMUgxIhfEk9xt2zL6o8c-LwhFDSTHX5VNSNz1a2TBjVUy30VTsxsO/s320/indy18.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biergarten at The Rathskeller</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
In the Denver-area, we have the <a href="http://www.gaccco.org/">German-American Chamber of Commerce—Colorado</a> (GACC-CO), a great organization that puts on fun events such as the <a href="http://www.denverchristkindlmarket.com/">Christkindl Market</a> and <a href="http://www.biergartenfest.com/">Biergarten Festival</a>. What Colorado doesn’t have, though, is the
Midwest’s history of German immigration. Of course, those of German descent are <i>everywhere</i> in America, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/sa-article/largest-us-ethnic-group-it-s-germans-138988">they’re the largest European ethnicity in the nation</a>.
But, historically speaking, places like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana
are where our <i>Deutsche </i>ancestors
first settled. The GACC-CO has to
forcibly interject German joviality into Colorado culture, in other parts of
the country it’s just the natural state of things. That long-lasting and pervading aura of
German heritage is why something as cool as <a href="http://www.rathskeller.com/">The Rathskeller</a> exists in Indy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxB6hl87jWvtxCN5hTmyDv8Zu4I1mjv1E5daZk_IHgktP-rOsBcHf2VaRdAPVwNLakH8l0vsPKa53RHhUgMb4Q5JMsRikOt5cIf76KGfi7H_iFRTsPj3l-kolMe0B4UWZHTlG7RGjZF-7q/s1600/indy17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxB6hl87jWvtxCN5hTmyDv8Zu4I1mjv1E5daZk_IHgktP-rOsBcHf2VaRdAPVwNLakH8l0vsPKa53RHhUgMb4Q5JMsRikOt5cIf76KGfi7H_iFRTsPj3l-kolMe0B4UWZHTlG7RGjZF-7q/s320/indy17.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indy skyline from Rathskeller's biergarten</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
An enormous and ornate beer hall, restaurant, and
biergarten, The Rathskeller has operated since 1894; it is and was <i>the</i> place for German-Americans to hang
out, socialize, and party. It’s
essentially the German Elks club. I
visited the place briefly several years ago, never seeing The Rathskeller’s
crown jewel—the biergarten. I wasn’t
about to make that mistake twice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
I can say with all honesty, I’ve been to Munich and
The Rathskeller’s outdoor drinking area is on-par with its Old World
counterparts. A vast, open space with
endless rows of picnic tables, an amphitheater, medieval flags flapping proudly
in the breeze, a view of the Indy skyline—there’s plenty to <i>prost</i> about! I enjoyed the house beer, <a href="http://www.sunkingbrewing.com/rathskeller-amber.html">Rathskeller Amber</a>,
by local brewers <a href="http://www.sunkingbrewing.com/home.html">Sun King Brewery</a>—was there ever a more appropriate beer for
me, a German-American-Hoosier, to drink?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddxOyAVdAXWQB-KSfa1ZuJyRVrvl-jtD03C5CwIxZgvF9ZxF1JDe1TaDuEI0DubbMTK_PwXZCBr9K6frgh3TaTljTaD-1MDGGwr4n7AFWZ9c3mHi8BAOOnGkhTU8VjlB4qhAo6qfqK-ax/s1600/indy20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddxOyAVdAXWQB-KSfa1ZuJyRVrvl-jtD03C5CwIxZgvF9ZxF1JDe1TaDuEI0DubbMTK_PwXZCBr9K6frgh3TaTljTaD-1MDGGwr4n7AFWZ9c3mHi8BAOOnGkhTU8VjlB4qhAo6qfqK-ax/s640/indy20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They don't cite their source on the banner so it's probably a self-appointed title; doesn't mean it's wrong, though</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusssPWL2yLTn0w45nbGwTVmgaQjzV-fz0MKOQdD4Y3nSnMvTJKke0a53FaweRFnon3wNoUW0JryxZY5z_N7Jc8aiP_0dx8Os_5b5elq9cTyRGNHp9HjcKftiDLAy-qFrEJfb-E4uDFSL-/s1600/indy21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusssPWL2yLTn0w45nbGwTVmgaQjzV-fz0MKOQdD4Y3nSnMvTJKke0a53FaweRFnon3wNoUW0JryxZY5z_N7Jc8aiP_0dx8Os_5b5elq9cTyRGNHp9HjcKftiDLAy-qFrEJfb-E4uDFSL-/s640/indy21.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spectrum of beer at The Rathskeller; that's the Sun King one in the middle </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
After Rathskeller, we ended the evening at <a href="http://www.indycm.com/tomlinson-tap-room/">Tomlinson Taproom</a>. It’s not a visit to Indy for me
without having a beer or two at one of the best unknown beer bars in
America. Tucked in the mezzanine of the
historic <a href="http://www.indycm.com/">City Market building</a>, Tom Tap, as the cool kids call it, serves
nothing but Indiana-made beer making it possible for out-of-towners such as
myself to taste the flavor of the state, to “visit” may Indiana breweries
without driving through miles of cornfield.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyRa3wJF8nW7HWznbcOPyN2uUN2AMcGVmgjCtdmJbtTjMTOQ64pI09dDhXzFZ0lixg6t_m4xyokRz_4qVt-SCQSBQ13ttlgojnRXjhYkdPJCXEVpD2Ax_dJCDfv51T_tQ2uFENFwx8DiH/s1600/indy15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyRa3wJF8nW7HWznbcOPyN2uUN2AMcGVmgjCtdmJbtTjMTOQ64pI09dDhXzFZ0lixg6t_m4xyokRz_4qVt-SCQSBQ13ttlgojnRXjhYkdPJCXEVpD2Ax_dJCDfv51T_tQ2uFENFwx8DiH/s640/indy15.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down on the floor of City Market from the mezzanine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqsKlme23fScdOA6PYbt2be3zP_i6hmf-DRUo6H15xUuAF4_zhFCjsDVz-1kPJDowNxQGZcr_5RrRbwmmaI5VWaZM4XFQ8-Og5E6RdHBhZtust5cbp3I186ysxvrWPSr9LtyPGGzAuD0h/s1600/indy14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqsKlme23fScdOA6PYbt2be3zP_i6hmf-DRUo6H15xUuAF4_zhFCjsDVz-1kPJDowNxQGZcr_5RrRbwmmaI5VWaZM4XFQ8-Og5E6RdHBhZtust5cbp3I186ysxvrWPSr9LtyPGGzAuD0h/s640/indy14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Tap is in the mezzanine of the City Market building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Tom Tap was followed by a meal at <a href="http://iozzos.com/">Iozzo’s Garden of Italy</a> where we further raised our carbohydrate levels for the next day’s run. It was my seventh time participating in the
Indy Mini and it was my second-worst time—so, I wasn’t super happy with my
results. It was <i>definitely </i>Nicole’s slowest time because she had to walk, pregnant
as she is. But, hey, our times might not
have been what we were looking for but there’s nothing quite like beer to
soothe one’s wounded ego.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIZW6GfnxuhKu_bsDVWpNDETkign5d2wB8WMB0LoGRiS22V4V_lafUW1tHrWSdrAsfFHt_Qh28hquLdZ7PygW1fh7v-vd_Coil5Ls9tA_lbC2YOVR-0y5S2awmBAO7uSJMDIw_He0CZsj/s1600/indy12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIZW6GfnxuhKu_bsDVWpNDETkign5d2wB8WMB0LoGRiS22V4V_lafUW1tHrWSdrAsfFHt_Qh28hquLdZ7PygW1fh7v-vd_Coil5Ls9tA_lbC2YOVR-0y5S2awmBAO7uSJMDIw_He0CZsj/s640/indy12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the pedal bar parked in front? In Indy, it's actually legal for you to drink alcohol while riding; in Denver, you have to be sneaky about it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
First stop after the race: <a href="http://towyardbrewing.com/">Tow Yard Brewing Co.</a>, the
closest brewery to <a href="http://www.lucasoilstadium.com/">Lucas Oil Stadium</a>.
Built on the ground level of an old brick building, Tow Yard’s ample
parking is, according to my parents, a primo spot for <a href="http://www.colts.com/">Colts</a> tailgate parties, a
cash-cow for Tow Yard given the fact Indianapolis law allows for open
containers; tailgaters can order a beer at Tow Yard, have it poured into a
plastic cup, and walk right back outside to the party in the parking lot. It’s odd, Indiana has some of the most
bass-ass-backwards liquor laws in the country (liquor stores closed on Sundays,
no brewery can sell beer without also selling food, no minors allowed in the
bar area…etc.) and yet, in one regard, its capital city is among the most
lenient, on par with the lax liquor enforcement of Las Vegas, New Orleans, and
Key West. Supposedly, the open container
law was always on the books but nobody knew it was legal until the city hosted
the Super Bowl. Event organizers started
researching what they could get away with and, lo and behold, an open container
wasn’t illegal to begin with! It always
pays to double-check.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Tow Yard boasts a decent-sized patio, a spacious
taproom with <i>two</i> bars and <a href="http://towyardbrewing.com/deli-menu/">a whole deli in the back called The Larder</a>! The
beer’s pretty tasty, too; I enjoyed <a href="http://towyardbrewing.com/tow-yard-brewing-beers/emerald-circle-ipa/">The Wrecker</a>, an IPA, and The All Seeing
Rye, a rye pale ale. It was also at Tow
Yard where we met up with our friend-through-beer and two-time Beer Bloggers
Conference acquaintance <a href="https://twitter.com/tamremullins">Tamre</a>. I mention
Tamre because her presence has a significant impact on the next part of my
story.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIb7GTTuUQCI5UZQ88NYvyQhXAfHlaEMn8uaQey243RiQg0ybYfcFLUU8JF9J-eNLO314MtpKx5K6_HCh-L1JV_9S2C3YiHc8FH7frHdLyfGk0PFBsqzwVf35i96r5ZoQgFb4kP-Yg9Uzv/s1600/indy10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIb7GTTuUQCI5UZQ88NYvyQhXAfHlaEMn8uaQey243RiQg0ybYfcFLUU8JF9J-eNLO314MtpKx5K6_HCh-L1JV_9S2C3YiHc8FH7frHdLyfGk0PFBsqzwVf35i96r5ZoQgFb4kP-Yg9Uzv/s400/indy10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCCGcqQoy-wv5ayI2fyb_XFTMkfpgBi6JomvGhJFyX92X6uQLBa889IgK7LSjCrHMp5yyZMsBQ1TssW8hfrwEhYiUk3fJ6YOWandqQmuKdCZPoYKVjpKZbaMa0smv9lHhRkuCOp9sUQCB/s1600/indy7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCCGcqQoy-wv5ayI2fyb_XFTMkfpgBi6JomvGhJFyX92X6uQLBa889IgK7LSjCrHMp5yyZMsBQ1TssW8hfrwEhYiUk3fJ6YOWandqQmuKdCZPoYKVjpKZbaMa0smv9lHhRkuCOp9sUQCB/s400/indy7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
We left Tow Yard and followed Tamre’s car to the
hipper-than-you’d-think-for-Indiana Fletcher Place neighborhood and <a href="http://www.chillywaterbrewing.com/">Chilly Water Brewing Company</a>. There, we met yet
another friend, <a href="https://twitter.com/IndyStuckey">Andy</a>, a <a href="http://mhs.marion.k12.in.us/">high school</a> pal of mine (funnily enough, it turned out
he and Tamre were practically neighbors and didn’t realize it). The space is cool and modern-looking, the <a href="http://www.chillywaterbrewing.com/beers/">One Hop Wonder Mosaic IPA</a> was lovely, and yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever—it’s a fine
establishment but my memory of the place is dominated by something other than
the beer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKIvghKHB5chnVqpH-prgE0l1jWIC49IAe6mxNwJpG1j-BoLTdB_7fW74_09uJ6XlSdIP8ZE0R-b2f6LOB0kihvOL6jpXZfu4gEZofIANz9NdA_hwBejXa8hhSWiY3AEBtLgA_gXumSgF/s1600/indy8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKIvghKHB5chnVqpH-prgE0l1jWIC49IAe6mxNwJpG1j-BoLTdB_7fW74_09uJ6XlSdIP8ZE0R-b2f6LOB0kihvOL6jpXZfu4gEZofIANz9NdA_hwBejXa8hhSWiY3AEBtLgA_gXumSgF/s320/indy8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Andy and I were catching-up, re-hashing the good ol’
days, when a dude walks through the front door wearing a t-shirt, board shorts,
and a poodle on his head i.e. a glorious drape of thick, curly hair. We stop our conversation, glance over quickly,
and laugh to ourselves. “That guy looks
like <a href="http://www.kennyg.com/splash">Kenny G</a>!” We go back to our
conversation, look again: “I’m actually being serious now, I’m pretty sure
that’s Kenny G!” By this point, he’s
walked back outside and seated himself on the patio, right on the other side of
the window from our table. Another
patron sees us taking quick, not-so-inconspicuous peeks through the glass. “Guys!” he says, “were you wondering if
that’s Kenny G? I looked up his concert
schedule; he’s playing in Indy <i>tonight</i>! That’s f**kin’ him, man!” The whole time we’re animatedly conversing,
Mr. G is looking through the window and rolling his eyes—he knows he’s been
recognized (you can’t just walk around with Kenny G hair and expect <i>not</i> to be recognized!). Tamre couldn’t resist, she snapped a photo
with the smooth jazz saxophonists:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZa3bhCekzUOGr7uwns9D-GkikqVi7cM_tLa73YReJzD9Fc5G32z7mJqTizj_4cUyfe811ORXz3RU6aZMhV-sDoo9TlJgKj6yRM9SENF0NnhMsJS1pY-u5HZ4yTyK6knZSoWLM8asziYE/s1600/kenny+g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZa3bhCekzUOGr7uwns9D-GkikqVi7cM_tLa73YReJzD9Fc5G32z7mJqTizj_4cUyfe811ORXz3RU6aZMhV-sDoo9TlJgKj6yRM9SENF0NnhMsJS1pY-u5HZ4yTyK6knZSoWLM8asziYE/s640/kenny+g.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The G-Man himself (I'm technically in this picture, too, if you look closely)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
After Chilly Water, we set out for <a href="http://indianacitybeer.com/">Indiana City BrewingCo.</a> in search of Michael Bolton or Yanni.
No luck on the adult contemporary front but plenty of luck on the beer
front! Like Tow Yard, Indiana City is in
a building dripping with character: old loading dock, weathered wood and brick,
big, roll-up doors. The factory ambiance
is lovingly preserved while still offering a space of comfort. While there, I drank <a href="http://indianacitybeer.com/portfolio-item/regulate-ipa/">Regulate</a>, a
single-hopped session IPA. They have a
whole Regulate series featuring different hops but, for the life of me, I
forget which one I had. Well, I remember
it being pretty good, anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlxlFbK2HNfdEfo2_0VQePLoYcc5sXealeQYvrk5O05VGgDLAivaz-Qb3PZDbtV51LqcM1YQ1YlhC3a25orMa8wfxOuQajFLdiqgAfhRsmcf63qei2QcE3aFzn4J3LTN3iSlFqFuENbf8/s1600/indy6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlxlFbK2HNfdEfo2_0VQePLoYcc5sXealeQYvrk5O05VGgDLAivaz-Qb3PZDbtV51LqcM1YQ1YlhC3a25orMa8wfxOuQajFLdiqgAfhRsmcf63qei2QcE3aFzn4J3LTN3iSlFqFuENbf8/s400/indy6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PO8hHj3SI9f5Jz74JD0SCqea1gAKuaEJ7xDdLB4IHf9gDqfVzZEQlOKWh3KY6yDqhkDvBYglrluGA0D85uZ6i1o8pyD1SVEjkTt6eh1Ay0S88oPQyC7Aqwp_GfTJfHgSu1nmv4SKE_8i/s1600/indy5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PO8hHj3SI9f5Jz74JD0SCqea1gAKuaEJ7xDdLB4IHf9gDqfVzZEQlOKWh3KY6yDqhkDvBYglrluGA0D85uZ6i1o8pyD1SVEjkTt6eh1Ay0S88oPQyC7Aqwp_GfTJfHgSu1nmv4SKE_8i/s400/indy5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indiana City</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SeckdaBWTQZUmjcUMhG1JSWsMFsrNiOW1o52UC-fSDmyAFyClinY1-tJWPN-LRSH40Zg4-nwyLYOnmNSlNrXjPOpRPJquvDf9TYmbJMrIYxPB3TiAHJpXIpgk00AwQwYHoqaX3Ldn9vA/s1600/indy4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SeckdaBWTQZUmjcUMhG1JSWsMFsrNiOW1o52UC-fSDmyAFyClinY1-tJWPN-LRSH40Zg4-nwyLYOnmNSlNrXjPOpRPJquvDf9TYmbJMrIYxPB3TiAHJpXIpgk00AwQwYHoqaX3Ldn9vA/s400/indy4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Indiana City</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_hB2CFod3uRPyFUs0-VtbPFdWX-NLh0dp2rwSFgYh2aDSgBx8S_HMEYPWk4CziUoK8Y17cpOBEs4pow2JfYaKD-MlV2Kc34-2dhRhtOZ4Zm0OObkdgHDX9HiEtpEmTLBujjLeDVb0P0B/s1600/indy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_hB2CFod3uRPyFUs0-VtbPFdWX-NLh0dp2rwSFgYh2aDSgBx8S_HMEYPWk4CziUoK8Y17cpOBEs4pow2JfYaKD-MlV2Kc34-2dhRhtOZ4Zm0OObkdgHDX9HiEtpEmTLBujjLeDVb0P0B/s400/indy2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Indiana City</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
With a dinner at <a href="http://www.harryandizzys.com/">Harry & Izzy’s Steakhouse</a> later
that night, Nicole and I concluded our Indiana beer odyssey. However, having been born and raised in the Hoosier
state, I guarantee it won’t be the last time we venture into the Circle City,
hunting down the best and newest breweries in town. Perhaps, if we visit once again for the Indy
Mini, I’ll carb-up even more and surpass this year’s lackluster performance. If not, I’ll console myself with some of the
best beer the Midwest has to offer! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ad28PjiMKqiFpxAIu8IeG5nKIEeBY-0hK2iY56iyLCL9AcVCBtCcQZmPQw0QOanSou71sTdXFoyyp35hJngYcPyi82-AT6tnV8_6MZKQDDsVHNEwpCHUz-BehBo9KIVEP8OZZ29Bkm41/s1600/indy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ad28PjiMKqiFpxAIu8IeG5nKIEeBY-0hK2iY56iyLCL9AcVCBtCcQZmPQw0QOanSou71sTdXFoyyp35hJngYcPyi82-AT6tnV8_6MZKQDDsVHNEwpCHUz-BehBo9KIVEP8OZZ29Bkm41/s640/indy1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I enjoy the fact that Indiana City's official vehicle is an old church van<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-53737289320237922212015-04-25T07:57:00.008-07:002015-04-25T08:01:55.487-07:00Spangalang Continues Colorado's Long Tradition of Music-Themed Beer<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
Colorado, for all its wonder, isn’t nationally
recognized for its music scene. There’ve
been a few famous artists to come from the Centennial State (e.g. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fray">The Fray</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_String_Cheese_Incident">The String Cheese Incident</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OneRepublic">OneRepublic</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3OH!3">3OH!3</a>…etc.) but the list is
paltry. Even Colorado’s “native” son,
the man who took the state’s capital as his stage name, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Denver">John Denver</a>, was
actually born in New Mexico. One wouldn’t
necessarily call Colorado a black hole of musical talent but it is a bit lacking
in the song and lyric department. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0GJce284UPSAN43Mn4999by4x7ZKva4X8ePIDEoJarfKARqCUWnyxPvj91LUFkMkE4QlVuLYvtkQ0DkQ9iKGKpnuLFe3CkXXkKflBC9o-JWmWywD5TPHzuQddRqPu1pkTfEKnJnizpFU/s1600/5points4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0GJce284UPSAN43Mn4999by4x7ZKva4X8ePIDEoJarfKARqCUWnyxPvj91LUFkMkE4QlVuLYvtkQ0DkQ9iKGKpnuLFe3CkXXkKflBC9o-JWmWywD5TPHzuQddRqPu1pkTfEKnJnizpFU/s1600/5points4.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Perhaps Colorado’s brewers aren’t oblivious to this
near-absence of melodic clout. Perhaps
that’s why the number of music-themed breweries in Colorado is inversely
proportionate to our tonal reputation.
Perhaps our brewers are filling a void; where there is a deficiency of
groove and funk, beer will patch the hole.
For example, there’s <a href="http://skabrewing.com/">Ska Brewing</a>, named after a musical genre. <a href="http://www.oskarblues.com/">Oskar Blues</a>, now themed more heavily towards
<a href="http://www.reebcycles.com/">bicycles</a> and <a href="http://brew.oskarblues.com/ob-beers/year-round/pinner-throwback-ipa/">marijuana</a>, fits that bill, too.
Then there’s <a href="http://trvebrewing.com/">TRVE Brewing Company</a> and <a href="http://www.blackskybrewing.com/">Black Sky Brewery</a>—both with a heavy metal bent,
<a href="http://www.bigchoicebrewing.com/main.html">Big Choice Brewing</a> with its punk rock flair, <a href="http://www.blackshirtbrewingco.com/beer-menu">Black Shirt Brewing Co. which dates their beers as “Studio Tracks,”</a> and plenty more I’m surely
forgetting. Now, add to the list Denver’s
newest, the jazzed-up <a href="http://spangalangbrewery.com/">Spangalang Brewery</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7x_5i3yflKVx7_XvZHclQNdTcElh3jew5tey11Evf8jixidJr2N9kA7xoOXim_t94l-VWkAR5qzbOvTyx6vHDJG9bMAt22qfDhlKUCzbV0oDdCcev3j7g1DJQicJzy0uU6CuuLN0T_ttK/s1600/5points6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7x_5i3yflKVx7_XvZHclQNdTcElh3jew5tey11Evf8jixidJr2N9kA7xoOXim_t94l-VWkAR5qzbOvTyx6vHDJG9bMAt22qfDhlKUCzbV0oDdCcev3j7g1DJQicJzy0uU6CuuLN0T_ttK/s1600/5points6.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Spangalang—so named for <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=spangalang">a common jazz cymbal pattern</a>—is
located in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Points,_Denver">Five Points neighborhood</a>, a part of town of which I have little
knowledge except that it’s know to be less a “neighborhood” and more a “’hood.” Most Denver natives are afraid to venture
within Five Points’ borders due to its criminal reputation but I say the real
crime is the reputation itself. Five
Points is downtrodden, yes. It is rife
with poverty, yes. I’m also sure a few
felonies and misdemeanors have indeed taken place on Five Points grounds but,
nonetheless, I’d feel more comfortable walking through Five Points than I would
a few places in my rural, north-central Indiana hometown of 29,500. Don’t walk around Five Points with a $100 bill
hanging out your pocket and diamond-encrusted Air Jordan’s on your feet and you’ll
be just fine.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMVDiechsWF2nzryL4Il27feKCyfzbfyWNP2QulfsAt46RIJNDJixEGcxqSOmN6B3Pc5yFooHxvfSloIFrcEFNJQppaT5NO6Hpie17TGIkq050vs6wd5ZUjHySJZNjCg-ZVQAy8imuXIv/s1600/5points2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMVDiechsWF2nzryL4Il27feKCyfzbfyWNP2QulfsAt46RIJNDJixEGcxqSOmN6B3Pc5yFooHxvfSloIFrcEFNJQppaT5NO6Hpie17TGIkq050vs6wd5ZUjHySJZNjCg-ZVQAy8imuXIv/s1600/5points2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Five Points wasn’t always saddled with such a
negative image, though; once deemed the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/25/denver-five-points_n_3792436.html">“Harlem of the West,”</a> Five Points was a
thriving cultural center from the 1920s-1950s, boasting around 50 jazz clubs
and hosting legends such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Holiday">Billie Holiday</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington">Duke Ellington</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_King_Cole">Nat King Cole</a>, et
al. Unfortunately, by the 1960s, the
neighborhood suffered the same fate as the “Five Points of the East” (i.e. the
real Harlem), succumbing to the effects of drug use, illegal activity, and a
general distaste for urban life. But, as
breweries are want to do, Spangalang—like <a href="http://www.wynkoop.com/">Wynkoop Brewing Company</a> to the former
skid row that is hip, modern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LoDo,_Denver#History">LoDo</a>—is beckoning new patrons to Five Points, tempting
them with beer, assuaging their fear, and doing their part to revive a
struggling community. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBr0dJLejz5Lqs9OgkI43nkIPeyVw1sbhnb-IN8nFHc9m8VCZGBnYTGDMGEQxdYjb9TnENbr1BpZaxPsZvpjQnmqrzMNVBXdQh-mjnF4kv8G6J8pl2cQoURn4RRfUU3-C_-nBKdlK3Qds/s1600/5points5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBr0dJLejz5Lqs9OgkI43nkIPeyVw1sbhnb-IN8nFHc9m8VCZGBnYTGDMGEQxdYjb9TnENbr1BpZaxPsZvpjQnmqrzMNVBXdQh-mjnF4kv8G6J8pl2cQoURn4RRfUU3-C_-nBKdlK3Qds/s1600/5points5.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Located right by the five-street intersection from which
the neighborhood derives its name, Spangalang is tucked away into a shopping
plaza, occupying a space where once the local DMV resided. The vivacity of jazz and the hum-drum
beige-ness of a DMV don’t typically pair well but Spangalang makes it work. Certainly, the fiberboard ceiling tiles (now
painted, hiding their true hum-drum whiteness), the no-nonsense right angles of
the walls, and the very fact the taproom’s in a strip mall recall the space’s previous
bureaucratic life. However, bright,
colorful feature walls, a handsome wood-carved bar, <a href="https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/category/products.jsp?categoryId=cat550006">Edison bulb</a> light fixtures,
and little potted succulents on the tabletops give the brewery the soul it
needs and deserves. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMt6s9sOqwxj6UwGYpBJBfzEQHX3s9k1DgCnYajbv6rIlp71Enq8adKLLBRZbfQkGl7VcJ1YpMPXsu6g4oHwVf43IbAL5oXKqJDldeaxUpy4SrNY0cPks27Lw7WKiODePqzYdZcWlHCM2/s1600/5points1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMt6s9sOqwxj6UwGYpBJBfzEQHX3s9k1DgCnYajbv6rIlp71Enq8adKLLBRZbfQkGl7VcJ1YpMPXsu6g4oHwVf43IbAL5oXKqJDldeaxUpy4SrNY0cPks27Lw7WKiODePqzYdZcWlHCM2/s1600/5points1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
I enjoyed two of Spangalang’s beers on my visit. The Love Supreme, a dubbel with tart cherries,
was pretty darn good; the cherries added a little something fun to the beer
without being overbearing or gimmicky.
But, when I asked for the beer that best defined Spangalang, the one
beer they’d pick as the face of the brewery, they gave me their best-seller and
employee favorite: Hop Colossus, an almost-imperial IPA. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Holy cow. It’s
a beer worth writing home about. Huge
tropical fruit notes bombard the nose and palate as if being head-butted by
<a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS466US469&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=carmen+miranda+hat">Carmen Miranda</a>. Bitterness is nearly
nonexistent with the more pleasant, soothing qualities of the hops shining
through. I know IPAs are the most
popular style of craft beer and I feel like a real beer n00b getting all
aflutter over such a ubiquitous and hyped-up type of beer but, dammit, I don’t
care how many levels you’ve achieved on your <a href="https://untappd.com/">Untappd</a> <a href="http://blog.untappd.com/post/2580566695/i-believe-in-ipa">“I Believe in IPA” badge</a>,
Hop Colossus will instantly become one of your favorites.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
For that matter, if you <i>hate</i> IPAs you’ll probably like Hop Colossus because it’s not one of
those polarizing, ultra-bitter ales <a href="http://beervana.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-is-this-mysterious-ipa-of-which.html">for which West Coast brewers are famous</a>; it’s
mellow, smooth, and savory. Basically, every
beer lover will get a kick out of Hop Colossus.
Be careful, though; it’s an 8% ABV beer but it hides the alcohol
well. You won’t realize you’re wasted
until it’s too late.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Whether a hepcat or tone deaf, everybody can find
something to love at Spangalang. They’re
making top-notch beer (and who would assume otherwise with their pedigree from
<a href="http://greatdivide.com/">Great Divide Brewing Co.</a>?) and they’re revitalizing a section of Denver many have
left for dead. So, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siCNdfH9U40">if brewing fantastic beer and being a pillar of the community is, like peeing your pants, cool, then consider Spangalang Mile Davis.</a> <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9O1LvXpE9j_4A95fC3O0tY1iuLcpXFDj85Cgfu6e4FiZkR6PJDtb3aF4ex3uxvPzGSSjggmQbKhaWoZzzJwFBK9jy9gprRLEkID6WSt72yBAH8s16kmhgbbbqKblozBZXg2RvtkUvOp8f/s1600/5points8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9O1LvXpE9j_4A95fC3O0tY1iuLcpXFDj85Cgfu6e4FiZkR6PJDtb3aF4ex3uxvPzGSSjggmQbKhaWoZzzJwFBK9jy9gprRLEkID6WSt72yBAH8s16kmhgbbbqKblozBZXg2RvtkUvOp8f/s1600/5points8.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Week 24</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOV8nNlZDBockH2_tmhJugh0Fr5ri6Fh-XN0EKfqmvvfko_LomoXpXdMGBs9Xk3ldNiKFBKHb1NwCTqa8hHZZVx3pV8sgZ1zh9Xrd5q6IQXFs-LPX9I4zWw4e-g_cjSUkY9MKOA17Pi1T/s1600/5points7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOV8nNlZDBockH2_tmhJugh0Fr5ri6Fh-XN0EKfqmvvfko_LomoXpXdMGBs9Xk3ldNiKFBKHb1NwCTqa8hHZZVx3pV8sgZ1zh9Xrd5q6IQXFs-LPX9I4zWw4e-g_cjSUkY9MKOA17Pi1T/s1600/5points7.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Week 24</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-30721635252861847562015-03-09T07:43:00.001-07:002015-03-09T07:44:30.982-07:00A Baby's a-Brewing: A Brewery/Pregnancy Photo Project<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
Something’s brewing but it’s not fermenting in any
stainless steel tank, plastic bucket, or carboy. It’s something Nicole and I hope will be low
in IBUs—sweet rather than bitter. It’s something
that won’t fit in a keg, bottle, or can, it’s advised you don’t shake it, and
it will hopefully be 0% ABV for its first 21 years. That something is our first child.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Indeed, we’re about to become parents! While Nicole has been eating for two I’ve
been busy upholding my end of the bargain by drinking for three (the horrors of
fatherhood!). As we are such lovers of
quaffable libations, we decided to the contrary of conventional wisdom; we’ve
not decreased our number of new brewery visits, we’ve <i>increased</i> our visits. In
fact, we’ve brewery-hopped pretty much every weekend since discovering our
impending offspring. How else could we put
together this clever little photography project we concocted? NOTE: before you call social services, I
remind you I said that I’m drinking for three; no beer for Nicole. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
First, I’ll quickly get you up to speed; we’ve written
about many of breweries since discovering Nicole’s pregnancy but weren’t yet prepared to make our
grand announcement. So, I’ve
retroactively posted them below. Once we
get to breweries I haven’t yet posted about, I’ll provide a short blurb.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>Catching Up<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboaTVKuuE67IsKlJQZMAxy-g1Ui2ShKDDn2P25v30j78i0JKOY_UXo5_1fWtBmGqbHuDiPMQeofx3NSnV1YpKF56lohyGX3CTGX4j4QJK47GvO9-qKPbOewBC9Deo1h9YtrEhj5FrazLM/s1600/Week+8+-+Fiction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboaTVKuuE67IsKlJQZMAxy-g1Ui2ShKDDn2P25v30j78i0JKOY_UXo5_1fWtBmGqbHuDiPMQeofx3NSnV1YpKF56lohyGX3CTGX4j4QJK47GvO9-qKPbOewBC9Deo1h9YtrEhj5FrazLM/s1600/Week+8+-+Fiction.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXMsKaqvn9oII7T1_1AkMpjdHsmGzyuE99-tfj12fmX1rzQKIVS3fh27K1ZeSNPNMEc4UVwGkwClKTl-A_oMgwCSV05q_wSc-8GqloKItTS7mfH0AVy97V8cObY5hTiWt79Ls4kfIiDhB/s1600/Week+9+-+Living+the+Dream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXMsKaqvn9oII7T1_1AkMpjdHsmGzyuE99-tfj12fmX1rzQKIVS3fh27K1ZeSNPNMEc4UVwGkwClKTl-A_oMgwCSV05q_wSc-8GqloKItTS7mfH0AVy97V8cObY5hTiWt79Ls4kfIiDhB/s1600/Week+9+-+Living+the+Dream.jpg" height="640" width="353" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5C20-tjxUxUlPmmAw1zpM-1ieeudX4VGTJnDszamzKPPTcZY6sWl6PooH6NY-UNn3JItlb8W329C-GVeICFGFHfOZK8hXF7y24ha5JFQ3-ffP541NqtC8SWiyad_88tGfogwLqTUW6lb/s1600/week+10+mu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5C20-tjxUxUlPmmAw1zpM-1ieeudX4VGTJnDszamzKPPTcZY6sWl6PooH6NY-UNn3JItlb8W329C-GVeICFGFHfOZK8hXF7y24ha5JFQ3-ffP541NqtC8SWiyad_88tGfogwLqTUW6lb/s1600/week+10+mu.jpg" height="640" width="353" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_9_sESz2d-YowrABtBpT_8Ox_aZ52JhLW2tX-2sFtbXFtdto8Ylz-8GIeebhB1tfnhDrxdG32y4I4dPy0jUNgG0YruCwexAhLd87WzLzO30ZcEf4PIy0E9C8r9HtuAnbfLCaWn3TQE7o/s1600/week+11+4+noses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_9_sESz2d-YowrABtBpT_8Ox_aZ52JhLW2tX-2sFtbXFtdto8Ylz-8GIeebhB1tfnhDrxdG32y4I4dPy0jUNgG0YruCwexAhLd87WzLzO30ZcEf4PIy0E9C8r9HtuAnbfLCaWn3TQE7o/s1600/week+11+4+noses.jpg" height="640" width="354" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>New Breweries<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeQFPtUKUW5kiCqE6sI5mx5jkUFMOBoXt9RswNZ7Mmxwbt9lqEhOCN31n3ZNKsFkSN_ofb7urI5LhkMxVjuqHfy2HasoSMzLrKhPHXZLLOnU3C3Bc-njbG0-_FMCT6pYovtjd6K05fX0w/s1600/week+12+storm+peak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeQFPtUKUW5kiCqE6sI5mx5jkUFMOBoXt9RswNZ7Mmxwbt9lqEhOCN31n3ZNKsFkSN_ofb7urI5LhkMxVjuqHfy2HasoSMzLrKhPHXZLLOnU3C3Bc-njbG0-_FMCT6pYovtjd6K05fX0w/s1600/week+12+storm+peak.jpg" height="640" width="354" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<a href="http://www.stormpeakbrewing.com/">Storm Peak Brewing Co.</a> is a welcome addition to Ski
Town, USA (AKA Steamboat Springs). The off-the-beaten-path
resort town has made due with <a href="http://www.mahoganyridgesteamboat.com/">Mahogany Ridge Brewery & Grill</a> for far too
long. Not to say Mahogany Ridge isn’t a
decent enough brewery but Steamboat has often billed itself as the anti-<a href="http://www.vail.com/">Vail</a>—down-to-earth,
inclusive, and free of pretension.
Mahogany Ridge’s name alone evokes a certain hoity-toity characteristic,
calling to mind a greasy executive’s high-polished corner office, thus
undermining Steamboat’s image of cowboy culture. The addition of Storm Peak, a less-touristy
operation in an industrial building on the outskirts of town, harkens back to
that storied, genuinely Western past. Storm
Peak is decorated sparsely save for a few old-school pieces of ski memorabilia adorning
the wall and is the kind of place in which the lovable losers of an <a href="http://www.westword.com/arts/top-10-ski-movies-the-good-the-bad-and-hot-dog-the-movie-5794088">80’s ski comedy</a> would plot their hijinks against the snobby, turtle-necked, European
developers who seek to raze the locally-run youth center and build a
multimillion dollar condo complex. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytmItToohHqJx_qDqWTLXXxCDRz2Tlxg5BICreY_outR7DpbY3IMuo2knHeeGomG1Z_MBlKvQhoctSDU7AVvkI8avQuAGMaH24EyYSg0PD-65aBpRom_DBX4VCqaBUjc51lePquaUSWYw/s1600/Week+13+tommyknocker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytmItToohHqJx_qDqWTLXXxCDRz2Tlxg5BICreY_outR7DpbY3IMuo2knHeeGomG1Z_MBlKvQhoctSDU7AVvkI8avQuAGMaH24EyYSg0PD-65aBpRom_DBX4VCqaBUjc51lePquaUSWYw/s1600/Week+13+tommyknocker.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Granted, I haven’t written about <a href="http://www.tommyknocker.com/">Tommyknocker Brewery</a>
recently <i>but</i> it was, in fact, among
the first breweries we profiled when starting this blog. <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2011/01/failures-and-successes-in.html">Click here for a blast from the past</a>. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSqkHQSM9dece90q9bx_4iT2Rc-9r6wo6noPadMpJmT8c4G6-utK3wl23Xda8ENOn3QSpehtOcM5pDleAQ0j2IEgVnEd3lWOMAP5D1_oWDvC_YlGefvSwpcXDnmQ4f3o7jMqzXy8PNxg6/s1600/week+14+declaration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSqkHQSM9dece90q9bx_4iT2Rc-9r6wo6noPadMpJmT8c4G6-utK3wl23Xda8ENOn3QSpehtOcM5pDleAQ0j2IEgVnEd3lWOMAP5D1_oWDvC_YlGefvSwpcXDnmQ4f3o7jMqzXy8PNxg6/s1600/week+14+declaration.jpg" height="640" width="354" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
We visited <a href="http://www.declarationbrewing.com/">Declaration Brewing</a> on one of its soft
openings. It’s a brewery practiced in
the art of juxtaposition. The warehouse
surroundings suggest a biker bar or otherwise slummy watering hole may await
drinkers at Declaration’s address but the artfully painted exterior and vast
biergarten quickly dispel that assumption.
Far from a cheap-o dive, it’s apparent that the proprietors of
Declaration began their business venture with a sizeable chunk of money. It’s a massive building (even if only a
portion of it is customer space) with many and diverse decorative flairs such as
a beer menu printed on skateboards, outdoor lighting encased in beer mugs, the
ubiquitous <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=edison+lights&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=36168227680&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9713474549575873051&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_4pdilnmsjv_b">Edison bulbs</a> hung above the bar, and lots and lots of reclaimed
wood. Try their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Belgium#Table_beer">Belgian table beer</a> for a
classic take on session beer.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC3RbqK8We-LPazaBufIw_UfxxNKAMgILE22GjdQToSxwaZubPDZj-d4o9MAVRSsFeF1zFIZDRcwlpRN-teReNor8ZUOAusBWzUjwXfL9yyIeP5DQBr4zIgVIZSIHjX7swzDXO09egNT6/s1600/week+15+ratio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC3RbqK8We-LPazaBufIw_UfxxNKAMgILE22GjdQToSxwaZubPDZj-d4o9MAVRSsFeF1zFIZDRcwlpRN-teReNor8ZUOAusBWzUjwXfL9yyIeP5DQBr4zIgVIZSIHjX7swzDXO09egNT6/s1600/week+15+ratio.jpg" height="640" width="354" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Unlike Declaration, we didn’t go to <a href="http://ratiobeerworks.com/">Ratio Beerworks</a>
on their soft opening; we went there on the <i>grand</i>
opening and, as such, were crammed in there like nine of Kevin James’ relatives
in an eight-man gondola. You can’t get an
accurate bead on how good or bad a brewery may be when constantly dodging
elbows and slipping between people sideways, trying to squeeze through the
crowd and grimacing every time asses and crotches inadvertently rub against
each other. From what I saw, though, it
seems a decent place, a worthy addition to the jam-packed <a href="http://www.rivernorthart.com/">River North</a> brewer
scene. It’s got the much sought-after
barrel-roof, lots of garage doors, a moderately-sized outdoor space, and a few notable
conversation pieces such as the theatre marquee-style beer menu hoisted high
above. Smart and simple detail: they
designate <i>one</i> area of the bar for
walk-up orders, meaning those who are already seated at the bar need not worry
about other customers barging in between.
Plus, it ensures fairness of service; if five people walk up to the bar
in five different spots, it’s impossible for the bartender to tell who was the
first to arrive. Having everybody line
up in the same spot, however, makes the task much easier.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
And, yes, we realize we got some of the math wrong in
that photo. It was crowded, we were distracted, and sometimes we just aren't good with numbers. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTPqvb7omcpTTvROWCuHxpHFjIqyExZEy5xXPB_20jTfBBnyweBXrNQ2sSgXMkg2F0PUmo7PhH1TTM3WrIqmQgTQDVRAiKzklAlOAvHNzD748UrUKZNXIWF8_hkybBOyUaC2rkQ5dcj2v/s1600/week+16+factotum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTPqvb7omcpTTvROWCuHxpHFjIqyExZEy5xXPB_20jTfBBnyweBXrNQ2sSgXMkg2F0PUmo7PhH1TTM3WrIqmQgTQDVRAiKzklAlOAvHNzD748UrUKZNXIWF8_hkybBOyUaC2rkQ5dcj2v/s1600/week+16+factotum.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
I’ll let my beer blogging colleague <a href="http://www.thebeerdrifter.com/">The Beer Drifter</a> tell you about <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FactotumBrewhouse">Factotum Brewhouse</a>; I can’t describe it better than he (<a href="http://www.thebeerdrifter.com/reviews-goldspot-brewing-and-factotum-brewhouse-denver-co/">click here</a>).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
We’re at Week 16 and still have plenty more to
go! Stay tuned for more updates.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!</div>
<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<span style="color: red;">When first I found I was pregnant, I wanted to incorporate brewery visits as often as possible. A weekly baby-bump picture at a brewery seemed appropriate. It was weird at first, taking pictures in front of breweries where any stranger on the street could see our big news, while our family and friends were still in the dark. My fear was that someone we knew might see us. Well, that fear became a reality at Storm Peak Brewing Co. After taking my picture and ordering a beer, Chris and I sat down with the chalkboard laying out on the table for all to see only to realize Chris' mom and sister were sitting a mere three feet away from us! Coincidentally, they happened to be at the same place at the same time. I quickly whisked the chalkboard away, hiding it in the car. Our secret was safe! Our planned surprise announcement: intact.</span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<span style="color: red;">Now that I can't actually consume those delicious brews, I've begun noticing other things about breweries. For one, I'm discovering one of my favorite non-alcoholic beverages to be root beer, especially fresh-brewed root beer. However, very few breweries actually make their own. My hope for the future of this photography project is to find a few more that do. Secondly, I love breweries with food trucks or at least snacks of their own. It gets boring watching Chris enjoy his beer as I sit drinking water (or root beer, if available). If I have something to snack on, I enjoy my time a little more. </span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<span style="color: red;">It's been fun coming up with the sayings for our weekly chalkboard. But, um, I wish I could draw a little better. My crafting skills lie elsewhere (e.g. knitting). </span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<span style="color: red;">With about 24 more weeks to go, there's a lot more brewery visits ahead. Luckily, there are so many great new breweries opening in the Denver-Metro area as well as a few that have been open for a while that we haven't yet had a chance to visit. This will be one epic series of photos!</span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<span style="color: red;">Nicole </span> </div>
</div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-24055068537256223512015-01-30T21:20:00.000-08:002015-01-30T21:20:15.311-08:00A Sesquicentennial in the Centennial State<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
It’s scarcely a month old yet it’s been a busy year in
beer for me and Nicole. We’ve hit
multiple breweries over the past few weekends and, by doing so, reached a milestone
in our mission to imbibe in every brewery in the state. We’ve reached our Centennial State sesquicentennial:
150 Colorado breweries visited! <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2fTi7u7nka5yYDfXE2jHtSOMPq6hXUgT3S_kiS8ZZpBxtdFtxGZ-y1IHXtwYELE7g9g13i1oRk6c1h4y3g43nR_c8cvJ6g3Zde4hm093h6gn0kFCHQiS5MI3hsO20iFgr57YvVcm2Sku/s1600/mu4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2fTi7u7nka5yYDfXE2jHtSOMPq6hXUgT3S_kiS8ZZpBxtdFtxGZ-y1IHXtwYELE7g9g13i1oRk6c1h4y3g43nR_c8cvJ6g3Zde4hm093h6gn0kFCHQiS5MI3hsO20iFgr57YvVcm2Sku/s1600/mu4.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mu Brewery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Our path to that landmark number began with an
eastward jaunt to Aurora’s <a href="http://www.brewbymu.com/">Mu Brewery</a>.
Now, I’ve been to breweries in the factory district, I’ve been to
<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2013/02/momentarily-conquering-denver.html">breweries tucked away in alleys</a>, and I’ve been to <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2012/09/after-beer-bloggers-conference-part-2.html">breweries in the backwoods of North Carolina</a> where I’d hardly be surprised if the locals complimented my “purdy
mouth” but Mu may well take top honors in the sketchy location contest. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs2f-wkc-u9iX1gQQjSvEkv1Pk0nGx2TfFcxHBiBi-D94v12bUx3guf75TiyezilfQgLOeYbQ0YyOY3FFD5NhxJRfccIcTYnqJy1uBxwa19YKxiBzCCDq4ufocPLCDr3X-WCyOIjDJNnB/s1600/mu1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs2f-wkc-u9iX1gQQjSvEkv1Pk0nGx2TfFcxHBiBi-D94v12bUx3guf75TiyezilfQgLOeYbQ0YyOY3FFD5NhxJRfccIcTYnqJy1uBxwa19YKxiBzCCDq4ufocPLCDr3X-WCyOIjDJNnB/s1600/mu1.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Cranberry Pilsner, Blumpkin, Aurora Town Brown, Boone's Maple Cream Porter, & Da Bomb Black IPA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Near the corner of infamous Colfax Avenue and
less-than-notable Dayton Street, I was warned about Mu’s neighborhood by my
brother and sister-in-law who live in the general area. In short, they said don’t go there at night. Intriguing.
Is there actually an area in the Denver metro that’s truly intimidating? Up until this point, I’ve certainly noticed
that certain places around Denver seem rough<i>er</i>
than others but none that appeared simply rough. Not dangerous enough for me to think twice
about walking down the street, at any rate.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJngEX0Qac79ypx8y7fMlyXGSyOCsyzFAbKJbzp_STwtkTNMY6utoooNBk_EIaAQYYsAuCzaP6fMoOIZUSFqnYfpj6n15lND6Z8X1f_eFfMsdYejNIJlxMEGfRRMHKkhSBL7PdPtwZMEe/s1600/mu3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJngEX0Qac79ypx8y7fMlyXGSyOCsyzFAbKJbzp_STwtkTNMY6utoooNBk_EIaAQYYsAuCzaP6fMoOIZUSFqnYfpj6n15lND6Z8X1f_eFfMsdYejNIJlxMEGfRRMHKkhSBL7PdPtwZMEe/s1600/mu3.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Mu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Having now been to Mu’s neck of the woods, I’ll say
that I would have no qualms in returning—day or night. But, I’ll stick to the main road. When Nicole and I turned a corner to park on
Dayton, we drove out of the relative safety of commercial Colfax and directly
into the mean street: disgruntled and suspicious stares following us as we
rolled by, folks drinking mystery liquids from brown paper bags, loiterers
propped against chain link fences—it was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwBoa-NbNL8">Clark Griswold’s St. Louis odyssey in real-life</a> (Roll ‘em up!). To be fair,
this particular ‘hood was, like, one block long; once we got to 16<sup>th</sup>
Street things got back to normal.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPvc49l7mIR7vQ7RHyGg7ba3SfTMXEK0y_ip2GCYHX6Nb4Vv4R0QjrdF6BZIoriQ6amBQnttHyS5W5L9fBfIdK1_2bvOUDeMqZexhQRe0Hp-637PvuzN5cTkXN-rpVzhh8qdQssgNEE92/s1600/mu5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPvc49l7mIR7vQ7RHyGg7ba3SfTMXEK0y_ip2GCYHX6Nb4Vv4R0QjrdF6BZIoriQ6amBQnttHyS5W5L9fBfIdK1_2bvOUDeMqZexhQRe0Hp-637PvuzN5cTkXN-rpVzhh8qdQssgNEE92/s1600/mu5.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mu's bar </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
After circling the block and leaving the car in a
spot less likely to result in the tires being replaced by cinder blocks, we
entered Mu’s storefront taproom. In
stark contrast to its urban surroundings, Mu possesses a sort of old-timey, rustic
saloon vibe albeit with a few modern twists such as the metal-cut mountain
profile with rotating backlights. Of
course, no amount of homey ambiance will prevent already-drunk patrons from
stumbling in and boisterously ordering <a href="http://www.budlight.com/">Bud Light</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
The beers at Mu are decent enough. Many of their offerings leave some room
for improvement but I was surprised how much I enjoyed the cranberry pilsner
and, despite the disgusting name, the <a href="http://www.brewbymu.com/beer.html">Blumpkin</a> pumpkin beer wasn’t too shabby,
either. Don’t know what “blumpkin”
means? <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=blumpkin">Go to UrbanDictionary.com</a> because <i>I’m</i> not going to explain
it to you. Apparently, the assistant
brewer jokingly scrawled the name on the recipe sheets and the head brewer, not
understanding that it was a joke, went ahead and made “Blumpkin” the beer’s
official appellation. Also, they offer a
blend that’s Blumpkin mixed with one of their darker beers. They call it the Dirty Blumpkin (as if there
were any other kind).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjMthqffFz5DgPtai_Rt7abd24Ra-lz6_CVw-QfMYKDDjcuRuIeISOGAbbr3mgXVhyphenhyphenTLbJ_ra7oGNoLirMQf7eFtLURlT6FQgLRtPpIAp3NOa_lb4tnI3mzJGNHfYuQvh6uGDRT0i1YDi/s1600/coda2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjMthqffFz5DgPtai_Rt7abd24Ra-lz6_CVw-QfMYKDDjcuRuIeISOGAbbr3mgXVhyphenhyphenTLbJ_ra7oGNoLirMQf7eFtLURlT6FQgLRtPpIAp3NOa_lb4tnI3mzJGNHfYuQvh6uGDRT0i1YDi/s1600/coda2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Since we were on that side of town, Nicole and I also
dropped into <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coda-Brewing-Co/155563864590022">Coda Brewing Co.</a>—only 2.5 miles away but in an entirely different
and gentrified world. At the foot of a
condominium near a golf course, Coda’s suburban surroundings stand in stark
contrast to Mu’s gritty, down-trodden locale.
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCuTsjjgNd9PZ39HAs0pyvneGaw5rQMqgObPb3isuhi00y3dz2RHSCuoR9viKs0Vt7DhpGuS1GX6GAIFU_CI5KbwSxnZDF7ZeZ3A2eMVwdkFGTmwr1pefE_7EGI15u-QyQ4RgN0F9FI3q/s1600/coda3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCuTsjjgNd9PZ39HAs0pyvneGaw5rQMqgObPb3isuhi00y3dz2RHSCuoR9viKs0Vt7DhpGuS1GX6GAIFU_CI5KbwSxnZDF7ZeZ3A2eMVwdkFGTmwr1pefE_7EGI15u-QyQ4RgN0F9FI3q/s1600/coda3.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleepyhead, a Kolsch<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
As unexciting as Coda’s neighborhood might be, the
taproom is hip enough to compensate: chalkboard pillars, drinks served in Mason
jars and chem lab beakers, stringed festival lights, weathered wood furniture,
and, being as it is a music-themed brewery, a stage. I only had one beer at Coda plus two tasters but that's all I needed to have a high opinion of the brewery. A spine-shivering Scotch barrel-aged Scotch ale, a nitro American red, and a Kӧlsch brewed with passion fruit were the sometimes-unconventional
yet delicious treats that swayed me to Coda’s side.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJc5B1dEMgPi5NMf1vkNoFRgaVxFMl42V4RUXcwcNb3QIlKOPBlxUMgyhdxDh1RKGOTpx0u9hEmTW82BfBCrzm-22eW2IU5ZfvFmiiRLqgWqsrKyM_0Fn12Feh1bxUOAyzYOfhjq6DSCP/s1600/coda1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJc5B1dEMgPi5NMf1vkNoFRgaVxFMl42V4RUXcwcNb3QIlKOPBlxUMgyhdxDh1RKGOTpx0u9hEmTW82BfBCrzm-22eW2IU5ZfvFmiiRLqgWqsrKyM_0Fn12Feh1bxUOAyzYOfhjq6DSCP/s1600/coda1.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Dogcatcher American Red & McDrums Scotch Ale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
With the eastern metro-area wrapped up, the following
weekend we set our sights north to Broomfield and our 150<sup>th</sup> Colorado
brewery: <a href="http://4nosesbrewing.com/">Four Noses Brewing Co.</a> and <a href="http://wonderlandbrewing.com/">Wonderland Brewing Co.</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
We rode the desolate prairie of Broomfield’s
outskirts, rolling over brown knolls of tallgrass and treeless steppes, finally
coming across a commercial strip as featureless as the landscape. Like Coda, Four Noses doesn’t have much in
the way of outward personality. Also
like Coda, though, it’s what’s inside that counts.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORf-VQV9RK5TJFh691bguyP-CmVlpy7xi49KBJgjO3gOSzwF3MKcN4VYGLDZ8whCV_reZRVJ31_0-mDES5yegiTOyuYpEoBuKjVD0nVtRwk-OtfoKIWnmfJ8OBEjj4ABPun7-x4_Fru2S/s1600/coda7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORf-VQV9RK5TJFh691bguyP-CmVlpy7xi49KBJgjO3gOSzwF3MKcN4VYGLDZ8whCV_reZRVJ31_0-mDES5yegiTOyuYpEoBuKjVD0nVtRwk-OtfoKIWnmfJ8OBEjj4ABPun7-x4_Fru2S/s1600/coda7.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Coda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUKqEMbVRMRK7UxIbVIRWYFIdEwV6g-8jyhvgM70XDD8hGOTZfrskLUoZrG9Mzqw8Il_j8h-RNcoL8hrVXbkiI2YRjrdJhd36BGuObVnf-wnTKW3mMY1rOLupVa4JFmonCeayXeOAtnmv/s1600/coda6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUKqEMbVRMRK7UxIbVIRWYFIdEwV6g-8jyhvgM70XDD8hGOTZfrskLUoZrG9Mzqw8Il_j8h-RNcoL8hrVXbkiI2YRjrdJhd36BGuObVnf-wnTKW3mMY1rOLupVa4JFmonCeayXeOAtnmv/s1600/coda6.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Coda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Cavernous ceilings, like an industrial cathedral,
greet drinkers as they walk through Four Noses’ doors. A looming logo, stretching from floor to
ceiling, is painted on the far wall much like <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=dr+evils+lair&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS466US469&espv=2&biw=1777&bih=861&tbm=isch&imgil=6hCMSf7-57Z-EM%253A%253BCKwh7j231IjBfM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Faustinpowers.wikia.com%25252Fwiki%25252FDr._Evil&source=iu&pf=m&fir=6hCMSf7-57Z-EM%253A%252CCKwh7j231IjBfM%252C_&usg=__b3Ny-j98AH2Vp2blfGVLC8m4yPk%3D&dpr=0.9&ved=0CDQQyjc&ei=qTrJVM2RK8-WyASNxIDIDA#imgdii=_&imgrc=6hCMSf7-57Z-EM%253A%3BCKwh7j231IjBfM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimg2.wikia.nocookie.net%252F__cb20081025164524%252Faustinpowers%252Fimages%252Fb%252Fb5%252FDrevilslair.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Faustinpowers.wikia.com%252Fwiki%252FDr._Evil%3B1000%3B600">the enormous “E” which hangs in Dr. Evil’s lair</a>; lest you forget where you’re drinking, the wall will gladly
remind you. Breaking up the steel
structure is an overhang of wooden planks which envelope the center of the room
like a rustic cocoon. The brewing
equipment, seemingly too massive for a brewery as young as Four Noses, sits
soundly behind glass in the back of the building. I enjoyed the <a href="http://4nosesbrewing.com/beer/experimental">Anarchy Ale III</a>, a strong
English-style IPA; a double English IPA, if you will. It’s a clever if subtle twist to the style to
intensify the usually mild-mannered English IPA or British-ify the
American-born double IPA (depends on which way you look at it).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-g0PuVAayR69ArRvKPQfQ1qNLWeBYrs7lIqAeupXEBrLtgjy0FmM2k9FahYEjN2wmdNZVBYnHsPsgEznQAFSROUZTQQPEk3VlYrJSEh1HP0DBmopi1b0iJGN9HGdSLiHz3K9WQgL7dcY/s1600/nose1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-g0PuVAayR69ArRvKPQfQ1qNLWeBYrs7lIqAeupXEBrLtgjy0FmM2k9FahYEjN2wmdNZVBYnHsPsgEznQAFSROUZTQQPEk3VlYrJSEh1HP0DBmopi1b0iJGN9HGdSLiHz3K9WQgL7dcY/s1600/nose1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEB94utjRIvMr59m5ybfqiDYMqmrVX5Se0ykANfAuppqEIynpI6RFDHsyXpb5MSFUo3JsQi9M5y6K8Kf7fvG0q-y4NuNBsUEHaVWjymsLG2v9TjQoxniIi6Ned4wvCuQ4f8g9oL2f_Q2nU/s1600/nose3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEB94utjRIvMr59m5ybfqiDYMqmrVX5Se0ykANfAuppqEIynpI6RFDHsyXpb5MSFUo3JsQi9M5y6K8Kf7fvG0q-y4NuNBsUEHaVWjymsLG2v9TjQoxniIi6Ned4wvCuQ4f8g9oL2f_Q2nU/s1600/nose3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
And then it happened.
After leaving Four Noses and jetting across Broomfield, we arrived at
what appeared to be a former rec center; the general layout and construction of
the building as well as the multi-hoop basketball court by the parking lot seem
to suggest that notion, at least. A rather
immense, metal-sheeted building with spacious outdoor seating and open-concept
taproom, Wonderland was fittingly grandiose to mark our 150<sup>th</sup>
Colorado brewery visit. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsB1ZMdKblboNpekifG9Ehct67fbE-O8pHbvWw4l6csPP7cSBxjZ8oRqTR7dEAlE1gt7vDT6oNt8b-YZGF6EV_X8kKS2dq16SlnpJ5UPQth5Ypok0VinaCckOTkWW4BRvJ6d1SjMeG3Bt/s1600/wonder3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsB1ZMdKblboNpekifG9Ehct67fbE-O8pHbvWw4l6csPP7cSBxjZ8oRqTR7dEAlE1gt7vDT6oNt8b-YZGF6EV_X8kKS2dq16SlnpJ5UPQth5Ypok0VinaCckOTkWW4BRvJ6d1SjMeG3Bt/s1600/wonder3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQn_0aOsV6wjqeIRbv7UxBTwFcRB3C2lHdtPfuU2FGlepOPxEsasMUi0hSB9dUTilNe2RFA9jbVpnifUfdoJahjnayfdHwWbQGNV3K8zBt5h8l32mMLuiu4FSbpyEI4PKvabjKCkO79HM7/s1600/wonder8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQn_0aOsV6wjqeIRbv7UxBTwFcRB3C2lHdtPfuU2FGlepOPxEsasMUi0hSB9dUTilNe2RFA9jbVpnifUfdoJahjnayfdHwWbQGNV3K8zBt5h8l32mMLuiu4FSbpyEI4PKvabjKCkO79HM7/s1600/wonder8.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spacious patio at Wonderland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GJgKj9ZGORCNu-d1mtQjk35ni29JOs66Kf9rCFd3dQ6gPHfI1F8rDgSU6CZ2NS0Tzq2DDrGavSCa8k2o30MVeAvbwouN_WQxNjrN1qxpxAk5-zs-sB1ciOh6QPpCzXXlDb3Qznvk1ltk/s1600/wonder4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GJgKj9ZGORCNu-d1mtQjk35ni29JOs66Kf9rCFd3dQ6gPHfI1F8rDgSU6CZ2NS0Tzq2DDrGavSCa8k2o30MVeAvbwouN_WQxNjrN1qxpxAk5-zs-sB1ciOh6QPpCzXXlDb3Qznvk1ltk/s1600/wonder4.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large room for rent at Wonderland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Walking into Wonderland, one notices a
gymnasium-sized room for private event to the left and a near-equally expansive
taproom to the right. Granted, half the
taproom is devoted to ping-pong tables but, even then, the seating is ample. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlv29gwj6xGLA9zzQz837ETwjoq-fHhavamg9uxNaPN0TGj9fMX-QrFqsMYREiSkp6gJoLYyZiOugbczVKeepkZGg2ZMUZ1H5RK72QQ3Ihy5NPFmVMhbhkoRtB_PPoT0Mtmj5Lo0M26oh/s1600/wonder7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlv29gwj6xGLA9zzQz837ETwjoq-fHhavamg9uxNaPN0TGj9fMX-QrFqsMYREiSkp6gJoLYyZiOugbczVKeepkZGg2ZMUZ1H5RK72QQ3Ihy5NPFmVMhbhkoRtB_PPoT0Mtmj5Lo0M26oh/s1600/wonder7.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Wonderland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
It’s difficult to describe the atmosphere of
Wonderland. In some regards, it feels
like a dive bar with its several arcade games, aforementioned table tennis
section, diner-style chairs, and vinyl booths.
On the other hand, it exudes the mountain lifestyle with snowboard
accent pieces and wood-cut alpine profile behind the bar—a timber version of Mu’s
metallic mountains, almost. On the other
<i>other</i> hand, a black ceiling, black
tiling, and a stage in one corner make the place feel like a Las Vegas
lounge. It’s a real hodge-podge at
Wonderland, nothing seems to be cohesive.
Then again, as it’s themed to the fantastical and ethereal world of Lewis
Carroll’s Alice, perhaps the whimsically mix-matched décor is appropriate.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1sU1b-R1WW_spXgnoatOxNgMQlVQxGzdSeYBsrmBhLKRxqKC3s6cCGfR9So4vBUt8ZGDlx-ppDbY-MPsdweHqfUBd9OnOb_LsiyzVWw6wFNpQ0poBglg4olrRuBkX-Ya7PNK8B8eoJFR/s1600/wonder5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1sU1b-R1WW_spXgnoatOxNgMQlVQxGzdSeYBsrmBhLKRxqKC3s6cCGfR9So4vBUt8ZGDlx-ppDbY-MPsdweHqfUBd9OnOb_LsiyzVWw6wFNpQ0poBglg4olrRuBkX-Ya7PNK8B8eoJFR/s1600/wonder5.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Wonderland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
After downing a <a href="http://wonderlandbrewing.com/beer/">Vaderade Irish Stout</a> (Vaderade? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFy_NxzM5WA">Is this the Sith lord’s post-exercise electrolyte replenishment?</a>), Nicole and I left Wonderland satisfied with our accomplishment.
There was a time not long ago where, if
we’d visited 150 Colorado breweries, it meant we had visited them all. It’s a testament to the growing popularity of
small and independent brewers that we’re no closer to meeting our goal today
than we were when we first set out on this quest. It’s a Sisyphean task that Nicole and I are
on; for every brewery we visit it seems two more pop up. But that’s okay with me. I never want this adventure to end.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPLgBMhXl7_Zd0q9BtYLUrMDuLJCYq_wTowSRI9bmAAvNA1F4RXQjV5t9EJG3SMLLYNKd9eWQ9AuU9j8u7iT2n_i3N8lu5puU4PNhgnIqcrQ__zq6g-mYwM1OTbscADLMPh9yw44sRlhg/s1600/wonder1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPLgBMhXl7_Zd0q9BtYLUrMDuLJCYq_wTowSRI9bmAAvNA1F4RXQjV5t9EJG3SMLLYNKd9eWQ9AuU9j8u7iT2n_i3N8lu5puU4PNhgnIqcrQ__zq6g-mYwM1OTbscADLMPh9yw44sRlhg/s1600/wonder1.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-80595058676315687462015-01-06T20:01:00.003-08:002015-01-06T20:02:50.928-08:001.1 Miles Away and Worlds Apart<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
With a new year comes new beer! Fresh off our temporary conquest of Denver,
Nicole and I decided to begin 2015 the best we know how: visiting new
breweries. Since we’d recently ran through
all the Mile High City has to offer, we set our sights south, rode <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_State_Highway_470">C-470</a> to the
‘burbs, and checked out <a href="http://livingthedreambrewing.com/">Living The Dream Brewing Brewing Company</a> (LTD) and
<a href="https://www.gristbrewingcompany.com/">Grist Brewing Company</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IJRhK-BktydnPS7YNqiKJyYWxia7hXe6ti-P5yNASHcRy5eZVsbUvDlRg101hRQTd4L1Z6oe6z6fq_dXAxb4U_u_1RfOt0RNZBgTdxhJ7CRsNLPPrag7BvG2eZSadN-e0NgGuSwtdrf2/s1600/ltdgrist10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IJRhK-BktydnPS7YNqiKJyYWxia7hXe6ti-P5yNASHcRy5eZVsbUvDlRg101hRQTd4L1Z6oe6z6fq_dXAxb4U_u_1RfOt0RNZBgTdxhJ7CRsNLPPrag7BvG2eZSadN-e0NgGuSwtdrf2/s1600/ltdgrist10.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living the Dream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Separated by only 1.1 miles, LTD and Grist are in
different cities (Littleton and Highlands Ranch, respectively) and worlds
apart. LTD’s in as gritty a locale as
one could hope for in an otherwise affluent suburb; it’s off the main road,
behind a Murdoch’s ranch supply store, surrounded by landscape company yards,
auto body shops, firearms and archery stores, fence post suppliers, and a
multitude of other blue collar, rough-neck businesses. Drive north on Santa Fe Dr. a short distance,
turn right, and, suddenly, you’re in the land of Starbucks, national banking
firms, chain restaurants, and, shoved into the middle of a blank,
corporate-looking building, Grist. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkPnHTB4_riv-Yrcy-xwofh82sC0WqYpXteJ8QvdnSAvcIIT1NRfiWY4o3Br_ja4Jq7UXOrOI53EeBGxJjtPKdZAxlot61U7tOP850Xx1a232FtXagoQ2olusVwDabJzWHNDSLeVfnmDz/s1600/ltdgrist21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkPnHTB4_riv-Yrcy-xwofh82sC0WqYpXteJ8QvdnSAvcIIT1NRfiWY4o3Br_ja4Jq7UXOrOI53EeBGxJjtPKdZAxlot61U7tOP850Xx1a232FtXagoQ2olusVwDabJzWHNDSLeVfnmDz/s1600/ltdgrist21.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks like a Wal-Mart but, thankfully, Grist has more soul than that</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Despite the discrepancy in surroundings, LTD and Grist
fit their environments splendidly; once there, you can’t imagine the space
without a brewery and, before walking through the door, you get a pretty good
idea of the ambiance that awaits in the taproom.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5F6rVXMwfm8EZ6drHUpU7G6DDNAhTaj7G5rMB-swTBI1bLqTi0EUkGGJlTUyoAV7kuA9S9-1tFpDt4hyphenhyphenJw7br7F-fEQZNRzDZsvknatffhfPbNW4Ki3jp_TYnQFri-bxHWD-W0CqbSit/s1600/ltdgrist1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5F6rVXMwfm8EZ6drHUpU7G6DDNAhTaj7G5rMB-swTBI1bLqTi0EUkGGJlTUyoAV7kuA9S9-1tFpDt4hyphenhyphenJw7br7F-fEQZNRzDZsvknatffhfPbNW4Ki3jp_TYnQFri-bxHWD-W0CqbSit/s1600/ltdgrist1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside LTD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6U2XwrDqG-a_nqkQnqFdMEKx7SpOqjVZELh3wesfPFVZBaIdZnFotnT6R6NAIGGVg8jTZkqU0dAxvYDSmYG9sbl0W6JL5J0WCS304lS-DxeiogieA6OByowh8Yt9vBEbGuX8MuiaDf7P/s1600/ltdgrist7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6U2XwrDqG-a_nqkQnqFdMEKx7SpOqjVZELh3wesfPFVZBaIdZnFotnT6R6NAIGGVg8jTZkqU0dAxvYDSmYG9sbl0W6JL5J0WCS304lS-DxeiogieA6OByowh8Yt9vBEbGuX8MuiaDf7P/s1600/ltdgrist7.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside LTD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
For example, when driving up to LTD, one turns into a
parking lot and is faced with a metal-sheeted building and a parking lot
landmined with pallets of stone pavers, bricks, rock, and other construction
material. A posh, Belgian abbey-inspired
ambiance would be inappropriate for such a setting so LTD doesn’t even try to
be fancy. Instead, they play the hand
they were dealt and go for more of a secret hangout atmosphere, sort of like a
speakeasy; decorative walls only go halfway up, leaving metallic columns and
rafters exposed, the table tops are rustic wood, appearing as though they were
scavenged for use in a treehouse, and—oh, yes—skis. Lots and lots of late model skis and snowboards. The place is covered with them: the beer
menu, the bar face, the tap handles, the shelving…etc. Living The Dream for LTD apparently means
brewing beer and hitting the slopes—a fitting dream for any Coloradoan, really.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexs4gTC2TEFDc2dVBfnucRStqz2VSDM1v79WHbHyl7D9Ync9zaXmDGQUx4y8pLq37maJ2lLIZeEUjQS15AxPcuW8YUn5EBVw1btO1P4ZbxnHwlcmZ8DtBXtBU_XhFbC_TJayHqPDERNvu/s1600/ltdgrist2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexs4gTC2TEFDc2dVBfnucRStqz2VSDM1v79WHbHyl7D9Ync9zaXmDGQUx4y8pLq37maJ2lLIZeEUjQS15AxPcuW8YUn5EBVw1btO1P4ZbxnHwlcmZ8DtBXtBU_XhFbC_TJayHqPDERNvu/s1600/ltdgrist2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Grist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHUsB1cOqpTOWHeDgNtCk33unXtSDr94pXWk5BjPe35-H4q2bey18n1IGzBsHp-cZNwOw4LLYqXm7EC7bL7zOj_ClmV0O9DJERuFvB9Hl3IB5vyaSVaHBNnD26gO3SNEu3nBZSC93aeNw/s1600/ltdgrist20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHUsB1cOqpTOWHeDgNtCk33unXtSDr94pXWk5BjPe35-H4q2bey18n1IGzBsHp-cZNwOw4LLYqXm7EC7bL7zOj_ClmV0O9DJERuFvB9Hl3IB5vyaSVaHBNnD26gO3SNEu3nBZSC93aeNw/s1600/ltdgrist20.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Triangular peninsula attached to Grist's bar </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
On the other side of the spectrum, there’s
Grist. The laidback, no-frills approach won’t
fly when the other occupants of the building are design studios and science
labs. The flight of the approach becomes
even more like a cinder block when, in the vicinity, there are <a href="https://www.highlandsranchgolf.com/">golf courses</a>,
<a href="http://www.coloradosupporters.com/locations/detail.php?locationID=SHE">soccer stadiums</a>, and <a href="http://highlandsranch.org/services/parks-open-space/spring-gulch-equestrian-area/">an equestrian jumping park</a>—the trifecta of WASP
sports. Grist acted accordingly with a
rather chic taproom. First, the brew
room is massive and the tanks butt right up to the customer space. The enormous fermenters tower over the customers,
benevolent deities rewarding loyal subjects with the nectar of their bodies. The bar is a jagged island in the center of
the room with catwalk-style storage hanging from the ceiling. A clever touch at the bar: triangular peninsulas
that add extra seating and allow customers to actually <i>look</i> at each other instead of being forced to face the same
direction. A bold, yellow feature wall
with a light-up sign, large, windowed garage doors, and worn-wood accent pieces
make Grist a lively but clean-cut place to quaff.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDpKgfwQKW8EEo-K_O2ME4BZs6R5R_wxwRXzUbncfkHEAJqSaSbYLX8N2OHV-JAt1r1wEJZpSAkH3lYl-rpmlZoRIpx1AC2VdxIVSNjvO6Kt_laqLyi54_tGo-SVJ9mS8JUFIrYZeY5tH/s1600/ltdgrist11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDpKgfwQKW8EEo-K_O2ME4BZs6R5R_wxwRXzUbncfkHEAJqSaSbYLX8N2OHV-JAt1r1wEJZpSAkH3lYl-rpmlZoRIpx1AC2VdxIVSNjvO6Kt_laqLyi54_tGo-SVJ9mS8JUFIrYZeY5tH/s1600/ltdgrist11.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brew equipment at LTD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3_xkp9JQ2_YHZ6Yut32-egAnoRnd-CwZ_t6HIqszXhwT7GrY835zoyQ1S6GPbeFtOEaVOIgbS9uZBEaqzMcQAOuvX332q7vaYuiMA4zG6utkbqUc5Lr9JvWcWqWMY3ozFb6Vv8WQSB-a/s1600/ltdgrist13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3_xkp9JQ2_YHZ6Yut32-egAnoRnd-CwZ_t6HIqszXhwT7GrY835zoyQ1S6GPbeFtOEaVOIgbS9uZBEaqzMcQAOuvX332q7vaYuiMA4zG6utkbqUc5Lr9JvWcWqWMY3ozFb6Vv8WQSB-a/s1600/ltdgrist13.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brew equipment at Grist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
If there’s a common link between LTD and Grist, it’s
the beer. For being a touch removed from
the craft beer epicenter that is Denver, both are cranking out some damn decent
brews. At LTD, I enjoyed a flight of Arrogant
Hipster Lager, Alt Whitman, C-470 Collaboration Weizenbock, and Helluva
Caucasian Cream Stout with peanut butter. </div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKesWn6kKcIEBbwTA3Q8LKroSOFw3Bx0RQ5DGRy2N_arxljEWknY0nSaxml3htT4FhJXbT4GLp9NnSGdQu3hwg0y2Pxo_ypLlRMgRKrc8wGbLHfDnTRmNecDlCe2pYE1Xw-8UeGItfxBQ/s1600/ltdgrist16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKesWn6kKcIEBbwTA3Q8LKroSOFw3Bx0RQ5DGRy2N_arxljEWknY0nSaxml3htT4FhJXbT4GLp9NnSGdQu3hwg0y2Pxo_ypLlRMgRKrc8wGbLHfDnTRmNecDlCe2pYE1Xw-8UeGItfxBQ/s1600/ltdgrist16.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Arrogant Hipster, Alt Whitman, C-470, & Helluva Caucasian </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
The Arrogant Hipster is intended to be the craft
version of <a href="http://pabstblueribbon.com/">PBR</a> and, based on the taste, I’d say they achieved that goal; everybody
should brew something light and easy for when beer geeks drag their
craft-adverse friends to the brewery.
Getting non-craft drinkers into the taproom is step one, getting them to
drink a gateway beer like Arrogant Hipster is step two. With a few more steps, our domestic
lager-guzzling friends will be downing quadrupels and Russian imperial stouts
like a champ. I only hope a certain southern California brewery doesn't get its panties in a twist over the use of the word "arrogant." <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZIXWH0TZAwDm4QEjCBvF5Fe0b_DWqWhXCO941lqdI8hKeqkcyhW-TYIVQq3wLxDJRQqaXkvi_DwnGcNVoTR-DrX-wluejSl1fqoq4BcZCAzBe2NIOAXt3AHcu5POwMb-Ebzcv9bYi6Ps/s1600/ltdgrist9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZIXWH0TZAwDm4QEjCBvF5Fe0b_DWqWhXCO941lqdI8hKeqkcyhW-TYIVQq3wLxDJRQqaXkvi_DwnGcNVoTR-DrX-wluejSl1fqoq4BcZCAzBe2NIOAXt3AHcu5POwMb-Ebzcv9bYi6Ps/s1600/ltdgrist9.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer menu at LTD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Alt Whitman is a typical, malt-forward <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altbier">A</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altbier">ltbier</a>
although, just to stir things up a bit, the version I enjoyed was brewed with
lager yeast rather than ale yeast, making it not a hybrid ale but rather a plain, old lager. A
good beer, to be sure, but hardly memorable.
It’s a middle-ground road for when you want something more complex than
Arrogant Hipster but don’t feel like committing to anything extravagant,
either. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Weizenbocks are one of my <i>least</i> favorite beers but I ordered<a href="http://www.craftbeer.com/news/beer-release/press-release-south-denver-c-470-collaboration-beer-passport"> C-470 anyway if only for the story</a>. In a nutshell, it’s a
collaboration beer amongst the breweries along the eponymous highway: LTD,
Grist, <a href="http://www.bluesprucebrewing.com/">Blue Spruce Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://lonetreebrewingco.com/">Lone Tree Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://www.38statebrew.com/">38 State Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://www.3freaksbrewery.com/">3 Freaks Brewery</a>, <a href="http://www.cbpotts.com/">C.B. & Potts</a>, and <a href="http://www.rockbottom.com/">Rock Bottom</a>. Can we call the C-470 neighborhood the next
Denver-area brewery neighborhood (using the word “neighborhood” loosely, of
course; these eight breweries represent four separate and independent
towns)? The resulting beer features a
dominant chocolate flavor with banana-like undertones. For a style I don’t like, I actually did
enjoy this one. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSlcGcpJWicxWrfztpNpVbLBXjebltc0EcDn1duv5dAwxNniVVDSPdYDRzFEU8MwnupdRjAeOS82Loow55balxB71i_akjoZEc7RlZ3o1f6VvsoTvnndLV-u74UFCjTDNhTErCOFtGZAq/s1600/ltdgrist5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSlcGcpJWicxWrfztpNpVbLBXjebltc0EcDn1duv5dAwxNniVVDSPdYDRzFEU8MwnupdRjAeOS82Loow55balxB71i_akjoZEc7RlZ3o1f6VvsoTvnndLV-u74UFCjTDNhTErCOFtGZAq/s1600/ltdgrist5.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside LTD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Helluva Caucasian was by the far the best,
though. A decadent and creamy stout, the
addition of peanut butter really helped knock this one out of the park. I don’t know if LTD has any plans to can or
bottle in the future but they should start with this one. It’s basically liquefied <a href="https://www.hersheys.com/reeses/products.aspx#/REESE'S-Peanut-Butter-Cups">Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
At Grist, I once again had a flight: Winter Saison, American
Barleywine, Juniper Berry Belgian Single, and Berliner Weisse.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cn5y6GyJztcBkel9xpCxCmBnuqSCVBnqh_iB1s3t6OUr3mhqR0Eb1fVKBRKtEIdThpOxeNanyR9Jer_6VPxgQlZnYez7Z5sMnzSo32q7YUe6_JXAkCn8ql-CvHVODmbvdcpGG9Hm2N2H/s1600/ltdgrist17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cn5y6GyJztcBkel9xpCxCmBnuqSCVBnqh_iB1s3t6OUr3mhqR0Eb1fVKBRKtEIdThpOxeNanyR9Jer_6VPxgQlZnYez7Z5sMnzSo32q7YUe6_JXAkCn8ql-CvHVODmbvdcpGG9Hm2N2H/s1600/ltdgrist17.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Winter Saison, Juniper Berry Belgian Single, American Barleywine, & Berliner Weisse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
If there’s a beer with a more pleasant smell than
Winter Saison, I’ve not come across it.
It’s a big whiff of cinnamon sweetness and, while the flavor’s okay, it’s
hard to beat that aromatic opening act.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidh-VY3_FXgXUZDpIbCMX2cGVjkNV9xEUlaAo8Og7AvQGnJMBtEMm1x1oGd0oCa2KpIv8cUElDV-GowMbys2F3S18lxEVMgP1J4_IY2j66ZUm_-l3KwQxulRxam1HDtvFnefHhPebPQPjl/s1600/ltdgrist19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidh-VY3_FXgXUZDpIbCMX2cGVjkNV9xEUlaAo8Og7AvQGnJMBtEMm1x1oGd0oCa2KpIv8cUElDV-GowMbys2F3S18lxEVMgP1J4_IY2j66ZUm_-l3KwQxulRxam1HDtvFnefHhPebPQPjl/s1600/ltdgrist19.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
American Barleywine is over 10% ABV but you can’t tell
by drinking it, it hides the alcohol well; no burn, no punch, it slips down
your throat with ease. American barleywines
and double IPAs are considered close relatives in the beer world and this one definitely
straddles the line. It’s perhaps a bit
under-hopped to be a double IPA but only barely.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
In the Juniper Berry Belgian Single, the reverse of
Winter Saison is true: the flavor outshines the aroma. Stick your nose in this beer and you’ll shrug
your shoulders in a “so what?” manner.
Then, give it a sip and your palate is treated to a medley of Belgian spices
and fruits. Yes, the juniper beery makes
a showing, too, but is most apparent near the end of the taste.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqrGI0D73nVWbkZv01yCrRheEA2MNpZMI-QRKE8crSH3UrlkgOXUJPMTXR5lvAu7Mkeq-nRlRxZh8zdXTLxxYmWUeYcP1UnXcIiGJkaAq_EFTqnnl50u8yGQls5xWFAgP8gOyS3lHlS0a/s1600/ltdgrist18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqrGI0D73nVWbkZv01yCrRheEA2MNpZMI-QRKE8crSH3UrlkgOXUJPMTXR5lvAu7Mkeq-nRlRxZh8zdXTLxxYmWUeYcP1UnXcIiGJkaAq_EFTqnnl50u8yGQls5xWFAgP8gOyS3lHlS0a/s1600/ltdgrist18.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
I’ve had a lot of Berliner Weisses in my day, they’re
among my favorite styles of beer.
Although they’re famously tart, quite a few are lacking in the acidity
department. I don’t like that. I like a nice, pucker-inducing Berliner
Weisse. Some beer geeks identify
themselves as hop heads, I’m a sour head.
That’s why I enjoyed Grist’s version so well; it clenches your lips
quicker than a <a href="http://www.krazyglue.com/">Krazy Glue</a> lollipop. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
I’m amazed at how diverse two breweries can be when
they’re so close in proximity. It’s
heartening, too, as it supports a personal crusade I’ve been waging in recent
years, <a href="http://www.denveroffthewagon.com/2013/11/08/non-experts-pseudo-scientific-look-issue-brewery-oversaturation-denver/">a crusade against the false notion of brewery oversaturation</a>. I’ve made many points in support of my stance
and I won’t repeat them all but I will say that, if two breweries are different
enough, they can be located directly next door to each other and still
coexist. In my mind, breweries are no
different than restaurants yet nobody’s beating a dead horse over restaurant
oversaturation. Why? Because each restaurant offers something a
little different from the next one. And
so do breweries. So long as there’re
not, like, 15 Italian restaurants/Belgian-style breweries in a quarter mile
radius, so long as each establishment is at least a little unique when compared
to the next one, the market will continue to grow and prosper.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJEOomZeWEWO0kpuqbhfAaONwaeeANHTImofZ16HT2Ydwr8K3U8nQiOhlJbah27MlHRt-roshhXBmIhqYCGRqo0NV5lRqB7-AyrotkMPG_4SaMEBdVm4owj4nE6QHmE7ROa9G9nkEmGBn/s1600/ltdgrist4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJEOomZeWEWO0kpuqbhfAaONwaeeANHTImofZ16HT2Ydwr8K3U8nQiOhlJbah27MlHRt-roshhXBmIhqYCGRqo0NV5lRqB7-AyrotkMPG_4SaMEBdVm4owj4nE6QHmE7ROa9G9nkEmGBn/s1600/ltdgrist4.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live that dream, folks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5e3B_o0ylk9uM8wbiAYEFifjkgLt00zdGkcqwzSSXISYvKlI5NEwPBeQtvmSM0WA7cfcOwhzDBk5f2vznxS_7CllTAxsOatupGGshjFNzfu0tv5O1P-xg7zYDrjus6_VOOXyEmDXoET3M/s1600/ltdgrist12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5e3B_o0ylk9uM8wbiAYEFifjkgLt00zdGkcqwzSSXISYvKlI5NEwPBeQtvmSM0WA7cfcOwhzDBk5f2vznxS_7CllTAxsOatupGGshjFNzfu0tv5O1P-xg7zYDrjus6_VOOXyEmDXoET3M/s1600/ltdgrist12.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grist's massive brew space</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIoPsNA6C2bjGX2GKAqem6UwXXmG8i7KbytqqD4jY7-M5pQzLxI8Ak9Y1BtLLsa2O74XpZq04AKw_6hKdVc9bQrYFZEn-yHdgjcEz2EA8M_39HecsRTXzIQliC49q7a4DWUD31sbO-e9H/s1600/ltdgrist15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIoPsNA6C2bjGX2GKAqem6UwXXmG8i7KbytqqD4jY7-M5pQzLxI8Ak9Y1BtLLsa2O74XpZq04AKw_6hKdVc9bQrYFZEn-yHdgjcEz2EA8M_39HecsRTXzIQliC49q7a4DWUD31sbO-e9H/s1600/ltdgrist15.jpg" height="640" width="354" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why more Colorado breweries don't do things like this is beyond me; craft beer and quaffing the freshies is what this state does best.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-70885676972911322202014-12-30T18:38:00.000-08:002014-12-30T18:38:02.261-08:002014: The Year of the Beer<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
As Nicole and I look forward to a fresh, new year we
look back on the past 12 months of our lives and reflect upon all the sudsy
good times we had both in Colorado and away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li>First and foremost, Nicole and I got hitched
this summer. <a href="http://www.denveroffthewagon.com/2014/06/04/brew-hosting-craft-beer-wedding/">You better believe craft beer inundated nearly every aspect of the event</a>. From the bachelor party to the ceremony to the reception, if our friends and family didn't already know we liked beer, our nuptials certainly clarified that point for them. </li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKfiUw7zv5nmbIl2aorMZFEkVjaWPfG2z-xDRIFqi8Yeuukjb0IpLvozlSYq0_4Wg5XSS8Qh58lDvLU_cYtKKMX-wrhPA4iAv5DBdspU0Uejnlv9-b26nLLv4Y68-qiLaoLFMor8KLh7j/s1600/Getting+Ready-0064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKfiUw7zv5nmbIl2aorMZFEkVjaWPfG2z-xDRIFqi8Yeuukjb0IpLvozlSYq0_4Wg5XSS8Qh58lDvLU_cYtKKMX-wrhPA4iAv5DBdspU0Uejnlv9-b26nLLv4Y68-qiLaoLFMor8KLh7j/s1600/Getting+Ready-0064.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are the bottle cap cuff links the groomsmen, my dad, and I wore for the ceremony; the bridesmaids had similarly-designed earrings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br />
<ul>
<li>We visited 32 new Colorado breweries:
<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/01/kicking-off-2014-with-westminster.html">Westminster Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/01/kicking-off-2014-with-westminster.html">Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/01/station-26-douses-flames-of-beer-craving.html">Station 26 Brewing Co.</a>,
<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/02/lafayette-and-case-against.html">Front Range Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/02/lafayette-and-case-against.html">The Post Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/02/lafayette-and-case-against.html">Odd13 Brewing</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/02/two22-bob-and-late-posts.html">Two22 Brew</a>,
<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/02/two22-bob-and-late-posts.html">The Brew on Broadway</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/03/diebolt-brassage-de-la-fierte-de-la.html">Diebolt Brewing</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/04/conquering-boulder-for-now.html">Kettle & Stone Brewing Co.</a> (now
Vindication Brewing Co.), <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/04/conquering-boulder-for-now.html">Sanitas Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/04/conquering-boulder-for-now.html">J. Wells Brewery</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/04/pick-theme-stick-to-theme-kokopelli-and.html">Kokopelli Beer Company</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/04/pick-theme-stick-to-theme-kokopelli-and.html">LowDown Brewery + Kitchen</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/05/lagers-in-englewood-what-camras-missing.html">Saint Patrick’s Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/11/river-norths-newest-additions-mockery.html">Mockery Brewing</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/11/river-norths-newest-additions-mockery.html">Beryl’s Beer Co.</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-sobo-brew-quest.html">Grandma’s House</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-sobo-brew-quest.html">Platt Park Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-sobo-brew-quest.html">FERMÆNTRA</a>,
<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-sobo-brew-quest.html">Former Future Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-sobo-brew-quest.html">Bære Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-mini-brew-tour-of-colfax.html">Alpine Dog Brewery</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-mini-brew-tour-of-colfax.html">Lost Highway Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/12/re-conquering-denver-before-new-year.html">Zephyr Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/12/re-conquering-denver-before-new-year.html">Fiction Beer Company</a>, and <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/12/re-conquering-denver-before-new-year.html">Creede Brewing Company</a>. Plus, <a href="http://www.industrialrevolutionbrewingcompany.com/welcome.html">Industrial Revolution Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://www.comradebrewing.com/">Comrade Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://www.redlegbrewing.com/">Red Leg Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://www.chainreactionbrewingco.com/">Chain Reaction Brewing Company</a>, and <a href="http://joyridebrewing.com/">Joyride Brewing</a>—breweries we visited but about
which we did not have time to write a post.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br />
<ul>
<li>We also visited 14 non-Colorado breweries; five
in Wisconsin, one in Indiana, seven in Michigan, and one in Nebraska: <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/08/great-lake-great-beer-pt-1.html">Vintage Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/08/great-lake-great-beer-pt-1.html">The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/08/great-lake-great-beer-pt-1.html">One Barrel Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/08/great-lake-great-beer-pt-1.html">Water Street Brewery</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/08/great-lake-great-beer-pt-1.html">Lakefront Brewery</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/08/great-lake-great-beer-pt-2.html">Three Floyds Brewing Co.</a>,
<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/08/great-lake-great-beer-pt-2.html">Greenbush Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/09/great-lake-great-beer-pt-3.html">Odd Side Ales</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/09/great-lake-great-beer-pt-3.html">Old Boys’ Brewhouse</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/09/great-lake-great-beer-pt-4.html">Founders Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/09/great-lake-great-beer-pt-4.html">Brewery Vivant</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/09/great-lake-great-beer-pt-4.html">Harmony Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/09/great-lake-great-beer-pt-4.html">Schmohz Brewing Company</a>, and
<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/09/great-lake-great-beer-pt-4.html">Upstream Brewing Company</a>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br />
<ul>
<li>Furthermore, on our honeymoon, Nicole and I
visited four international breweries; two in Ireland and two in Scotland: <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/07/newlyweds-in-old-world-dublin.html">J.W. Sweetman Craft Brewery</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/07/newlyweds-in-old-world-dublin.html">The Porterhouse Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/07/newlyweds-in-old-world-glasgow.html">WEST Brewery</a>, and <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/07/newlyweds-in-old-world-glasgow.html">Drygate Brewery</a>. Plus, we went to the <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/07/newlyweds-in-old-world-northern-ireland.html">Old Bushmills Distillery</a> and lots and lots of pubs. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mBnkPcpX4Kq2gPENqTvwGLA2qGZcx03ezRJNBJDi0UeP0Xwlq2raRxgg14w2c0aB5EkTR4nBajqjtL0XrQymNPEGvkcVZwojtrKDCyrAwgpNjz_VvoqGwmvAVtMiBszz3B3vctooZ7Dd/s1600/x39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mBnkPcpX4Kq2gPENqTvwGLA2qGZcx03ezRJNBJDi0UeP0Xwlq2raRxgg14w2c0aB5EkTR4nBajqjtL0XrQymNPEGvkcVZwojtrKDCyrAwgpNjz_VvoqGwmvAVtMiBszz3B3vctooZ7Dd/s1600/x39.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicole's extraordinary!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li>We attended six Colorado beer events: <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-great-sandlot-debate-visit-denvers.html">VISIT DENVER’s Travel Writers Reception at The SandLot</a>, the <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-2014-craft-brewers-conference-re-cap.html">Craft Brewers Conference</a>,
<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/05/new-brew-fest-showcases-colorados.html">New Brew Fest</a>, and <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/10/gabf-2014-festival-itself.html">Great American Beer Festival</a> (GABF). For the second time, we attended <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/10/gabf-2014-media-luncheon.html">the GABF Media Luncheon</a>. The beers and food were
just as good as we remembered them.
Plus, the <a href="http://www.denveroffthewagon.com/2014/07/14/lost-regained-culture-biergarten-festival/">Biergarten Festival</a> and <a href="http://denverbeerfestivus.com/">Denver Beer Festivus</a> about which we
did not have time to write a post. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br />
<ul>
<li>Both Nicole and I achieved major milestones on
our <a href="https://untappd.com/home">Untappd</a> apps. At GABF, Nicole had
her 1,000<sup>th</sup> unique beer thus earning her the “Extraordinary”
badge. <a href="http://nodabrewing.com/">NoDa Brewing Company</a>’s <a href="https://untappd.com/b/noda-brewing-company-van-winkle-barrel-aged-monstro/601233">Van Winkle Barrel-Aged Monstro</a>, a Russian imperial stout, had the honor of propelling her
into the quadruple digits. I, earlier in
the year and in a quieter environment, achieved the same badge at <a href="http://www.cautionbrewingco.com/">CAUTION: Brewing Co.</a> with their <a href="https://untappd.com/b/caution-brewing-company-ain-t-yo-mama-s/626117">Ain’t Yo’ Mama’s</a>, an imperial porter.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
A happy New Year to you and yours! May your 2015 be filled with good cheer and
even better beer. I look forward to next
year’s boozy adventures.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!</div>
<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris<o:p></o:p></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-55119831291664820872014-12-29T18:37:00.002-08:002014-12-29T18:38:07.663-08:00Re-Conquering Denver Before the New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
It’s the end of the year and time is running out! Here’s a quick and dirty post about <a href="http://www.zephyrbrewingco.com/">Zephyr Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="http://www.fictionbeer.com/">Fiction Beer Company</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Creede-Brewing-Company/375307579276123">Creede Brewing Company</a>—the last three
Denver breweries Nicole and I had yet to visit.
Going into 2015, we can say for the third time that we’ve conquered all
the Denver breweries. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>Zephyr Brewing
Co.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hWQr8d21uif2yUo99e2rLEIT1KW2b7W2NECZiU6QYkbhYFls6Xo_QGg3uv1nu9U2X87yMFbSk-y_pWpJunvDnJpz9SwJJnXUUGOsy3TwKq69OB8WxS8kxG3gTCexK-HTqhZsrgaXi2uj/s1600/zephyr2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hWQr8d21uif2yUo99e2rLEIT1KW2b7W2NECZiU6QYkbhYFls6Xo_QGg3uv1nu9U2X87yMFbSk-y_pWpJunvDnJpz9SwJJnXUUGOsy3TwKq69OB8WxS8kxG3gTCexK-HTqhZsrgaXi2uj/s1600/zephyr2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<i>Thoughts on the
space</i>: Yet another brewing addition to the River North (RiNo) neighborhood,
Zephyr is located on the garden level of a multi-tenant building at the corner
of Walnut and 26<sup>th</sup> Street.
Sunken into the earth, it’s a pseudo-basement and feels like a venue for
a hardcore punk rock concert with its exposed pipes and concrete walls. Despite the industrial nature of the space,
it retains a warm and welcoming ambiance with a glass garage door letting in a
surprising amount of light as well as a massive, curved bar decorated to look
like a barrel.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fAuIxlAgehZ8-SmnMB_2X4OrlQ0rRpdqP-x63b5Sq_dxcybhSNzKKewvwQydwC3cdHEnYi4vYoIPVujddUncFjPwdtSGJSPqKoZutiTRZTH5zlwzJH9_DHQN9joLEhQGV4MasZrBr9Um/s1600/zephyr1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fAuIxlAgehZ8-SmnMB_2X4OrlQ0rRpdqP-x63b5Sq_dxcybhSNzKKewvwQydwC3cdHEnYi4vYoIPVujddUncFjPwdtSGJSPqKoZutiTRZTH5zlwzJH9_DHQN9joLEhQGV4MasZrBr9Um/s1600/zephyr1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Zephyr</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<i>Thoughts on the
beer</i>: Sampling three beers, the stand-out was Dark Chocolate Raspberry
stout. It tastes just like it sounds:
dessert in a glass.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<i>General
thoughts</i>: Another brewery in RiNo?
Yes, and here’s hoping a lot more move in. I love the concept of a brewery neighborhood. A brewery city (e.g. Denver) is great but the
convenience and, for lack of a better word, <i>coolness</i>
of having so many beer-makers in a single, defined area is hard to beat. RiNo is Denver’s beer showcase to the rest of
the world. If you beercation in Denver,
please check out lots and lots of different neighborhoods but remember this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elitch_Gardens">paraphrased Elitch Gardens slogan: “not to drink in RiNo is not to drink in Denver.”</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>Fiction Beer
Company<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEOIgqJBJK0GGsAzxdWgkSEcPIMOaT6z00SjPUk9WKnXvtbVdR_XqpTYJsxxAY9iEo6ie7EKRbzt5TSId3w8PKlFmrTvM8MaMbsl6u3CtE-DG6PsaqFvDX2jfwUkAu97eRujoW0O-dfLU/s1600/creede5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEOIgqJBJK0GGsAzxdWgkSEcPIMOaT6z00SjPUk9WKnXvtbVdR_XqpTYJsxxAY9iEo6ie7EKRbzt5TSId3w8PKlFmrTvM8MaMbsl6u3CtE-DG6PsaqFvDX2jfwUkAu97eRujoW0O-dfLU/s1600/creede5.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<i>Thoughts on the
space</i>: Three walls-worth of windows
makes Fiction, a book-themed brewery, quite dissimilar to the dark canyons of shelves
and catacomb-esque study rooms of a traditional library. This bright and airy taproom features comfy leather
seats, lively artwork, and, yes, books.
In fact, the entire front of the bar is faced in hardcovers. Don’t worry, bibliophiles, I checked a number
of the titles used in the bar’s construction and it doesn’t appear as though
they actually used any “good” books. The
world won’t be any worse off with one less <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Grafton">Sue Grafton</a> novel in it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwonfM3egdzIxfdCl9_ETFWcuOl0PaRddO8tTuAvKlTz7yx5j76Bg3Wx_zfLQrHAUGzGekA64pZdp-AL9uU4FAih0uKqkgybdB7Zo-jIeNfdjHBbk1HRPxLgNnObGHJ334yxJ_IGSIk_Zj/s1600/fiction4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwonfM3egdzIxfdCl9_ETFWcuOl0PaRddO8tTuAvKlTz7yx5j76Bg3Wx_zfLQrHAUGzGekA64pZdp-AL9uU4FAih0uKqkgybdB7Zo-jIeNfdjHBbk1HRPxLgNnObGHJ334yxJ_IGSIk_Zj/s1600/fiction4.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: 42, Communal Synergy, & Autumn Stars, a pumpkin saison</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<i>Thoughts on the
beer</i>: Green Tea Chocolate Milk Stout is a minty delight and Communal
Synergy, a double IPA, was surprisingly tasty.
With so many IPAs on the market, it’s hard to get noticed in the crowd
but Communal Synergy caught my attention
nonetheless. It wasn’t anything unusual;
it was just really, really good and fresh.
I have no qualms putting it in my top ten list of favorite double IPAs. 42,
a bourbon porter brewed with 33 pounds of maple syrup, 30 pounds of donuts from
<a href="http://www.gcdonuts.com/">Glazed & Confused</a>, and 27 pounds of donut glaze <i>sounds </i>like a wild and wacky beer but the flavors are actually
quite traditional. It’s a decent beer
but, with a backstory like that, I’d prefer a little more pizzazz.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ccczW0pmi4ezzod00z_8zkXLrxM4SP4tOVgkZzvG91NJGluA-_ix4kCCXnA7eaOR_LbG8_pHCKw7wXXC0J4Q5hvLnXDXHGK2tVI8TVJbRuXFhnYKgxuQTYO8ssfBuqXMkGMPo4-w3KYC/s1600/fiction3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ccczW0pmi4ezzod00z_8zkXLrxM4SP4tOVgkZzvG91NJGluA-_ix4kCCXnA7eaOR_LbG8_pHCKw7wXXC0J4Q5hvLnXDXHGK2tVI8TVJbRuXFhnYKgxuQTYO8ssfBuqXMkGMPo4-w3KYC/s1600/fiction3.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fiction's bar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<i>General
thoughts</i>: <a href="http://www.fictionbeer.com/welcome">Both Fiction</a> <a href="http://www.losthighwaybrewing.com/about.html">and Lost Highway</a> claim to be the first Denver brewery to open on Colfax. One of you is lying! And, if my quick Google research is to be
believed, Lost Highway is the fibber. It
looks as though Lost Highway opened on September 26<sup>th</sup> of this year
and Fiction six days earlier on the 20<sup>th</sup>. Not that it matters; they’re both exceptional
breweries; But, there can be only one first.
Unless they both opened at the same time on the same day. Which they did not. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>Creede Brewing
Company<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b><br /></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGtLICFyICn8ezhqBCPLj60B8kLYgoyUnCT299uXAok92s4AVrfN92dvfnYuTIDnDQ3oq3dVMREtiQc1a9utlYqlVEl4C2aZoiYBv4ayYD6NRYAHxWAzZBlTMAFITdOdXbFipI2iYM-mV/s1600/creede3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGtLICFyICn8ezhqBCPLj60B8kLYgoyUnCT299uXAok92s4AVrfN92dvfnYuTIDnDQ3oq3dVMREtiQc1a9utlYqlVEl4C2aZoiYBv4ayYD6NRYAHxWAzZBlTMAFITdOdXbFipI2iYM-mV/s1600/creede3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creede is pretty hard to spot from the road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<i>Thoughts on the
space</i>: Way up north in
unincorporated Denver, off an unpopulated stretch of Washington Street, sits
Creede at the end of a nondescript strip mall.
There’s not much on the outside that lets you know there’s a brewery in
there, especially with cars parked in front blocking the low-hung banner. Once inside, the taproom is small and simple
with a moderately-sized bar in front of a modest walk-in cooler. Wooden tables, Old West-style photos on the wall,
and a smattering of <a href="http://www.denverbroncos.com/">Denver Broncos</a> paraphernalia fill-out the rest of the space.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKhKCDUNqba5FhtNqCgg6veNmOQOPKpkNxkhEZ2aZhNPEXGdp58FsLXZQaPPyzPN8VZsBBGqRyKvlBp80k81CJS2osr85iSfkvYL9KMyLgNfq-L-qgKXSCkizfuo_SqwlXlAmRcfngTCQ/s1600/creede2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKhKCDUNqba5FhtNqCgg6veNmOQOPKpkNxkhEZ2aZhNPEXGdp58FsLXZQaPPyzPN8VZsBBGqRyKvlBp80k81CJS2osr85iSfkvYL9KMyLgNfq-L-qgKXSCkizfuo_SqwlXlAmRcfngTCQ/s1600/creede2.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Creede</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<i>Thoughts on the
beer</i>: Being located in the boondocks
and in a shopping center that time forgot, Creede’s in an inauspicious and
unknown location. Who would expect good
beer to come from <i>there</i>? Those who search, however, are rewarded with a true hidden gem. Creede is pumping out some very interesting
brews like an IPA made with an experimental, as-yet-named hop variety boasting
strong tropical fruit aromas and a powerful, bitter bite as well as a tart
peach ale and a chili ale that can be ordered straight or with a splash of the
house Bloody Mary mix. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<i>General
thoughts</i>: In most businesses, it’s
location, location, location. Not so
with the brewing industry, there are plenty of tucked-away breweries in Denver:
<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2012/01/ive-never-been-supporter-of-new-years.html">Wit’s End</a>, <a href="http://strangecraft.com/">Strange</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2012/06/cautionvenus-flytrap-connection.html">CAUTION</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2013/02/momentarily-conquering-denver.html">DeSteeg</a>,…etc.
Creede is in good company and, so long as they keep brewing innovative
beers, local beer geeks will keep making the trek up to that isolated beer oasis.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3HSauLoAIcb87GUdIOFrWS3rTbGJwkKf_whHG34o8wo1atxHHnoQQc9X_tbjc1M9iHPaTtWtXpBvUShux1Hlq3hjGY2fjgsqF0iiJ_vcjni4iNyKKMZP-4D5314Qx4SBDaIHvI7JU7sc/s1600/creede1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3HSauLoAIcb87GUdIOFrWS3rTbGJwkKf_whHG34o8wo1atxHHnoQQc9X_tbjc1M9iHPaTtWtXpBvUShux1Hlq3hjGY2fjgsqF0iiJ_vcjni4iNyKKMZP-4D5314Qx4SBDaIHvI7JU7sc/s1600/creede1.jpg" height="400" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite a creative beer menu at Creede </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
---<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
All these breweries deserve an entire post dedicated
to them but time waits for no man and I wanted to give them at least <i>some</i> credit before we hit the New Year. Sparse though this post may be, there’s an
easy and fun way to accrue more information on each of these breweries: go
visit them!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Chris<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfdo3-u8ngemC7HyheY3LvoCA4KLN6Ay19tgUYtLSa4ZDBf67V40At7X91vZFOF3UpQyVR54phLDhCo_1RiqrUovXxEWJDFaej26r3Zv6EZMw9vGJKu_qkvn-BesL7sseKiT7_mBvQRj1/s1600/fiction2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfdo3-u8ngemC7HyheY3LvoCA4KLN6Ay19tgUYtLSa4ZDBf67V40At7X91vZFOF3UpQyVR54phLDhCo_1RiqrUovXxEWJDFaej26r3Zv6EZMw9vGJKu_qkvn-BesL7sseKiT7_mBvQRj1/s1600/fiction2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork at Fiction<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-54802280604067757162014-12-02T20:26:00.002-08:002014-12-02T20:26:31.403-08:00A Mini Brew Tour of Colfax<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colfax_Avenue">Colfax Avenue</a>.
Running through Golden, Lakewood, Denver, and Aurora, it’s America’s
longest commercial street and, prior to the interstate system, the cities’ main
thoroughfares. Jack Kerouac referenced
it in <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Road">On the Road</a></i> and, because of the
street’s notoriety for burn-outs and prostitutes, Playboy once deemed Colfax “the
longest, wickedest street in America.”
On a more innocent note, Colfax also serves as a nostalgia preserve,
showcasing our country’s motoring history even if said history is in a decrepit
state; flickering neon signs, old-school motor lodges (now seedy motels), and
50’s style diners both authentic and recreated line the 26.1 mile stretch of
pavement. Smattered between those relics
of the past are popular concert venues, marijuana dispensaries, and dive bars
but, for all its reputation, Colfax Avenue was, until recently, devoid of
Denver’s most famous industry: craft brewing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gPksRQxHvg91qwEA6NgAqVOssLARwDuR_f02KomuRkbzoyoe_4s6ga3H9bBDlP8MZ1_k0tH_SYcT_FQwnJ8ptfIIwoeR1s4gYwPktkt4a2MOguNjk_tUqZLPUUaDQvjC3AvcEVvOhIJf/s1600/alpine1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gPksRQxHvg91qwEA6NgAqVOssLARwDuR_f02KomuRkbzoyoe_4s6ga3H9bBDlP8MZ1_k0tH_SYcT_FQwnJ8ptfIIwoeR1s4gYwPktkt4a2MOguNjk_tUqZLPUUaDQvjC3AvcEVvOhIJf/s1600/alpine1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19FxkjmU8ICy7Jje1AJ8dXBv6whqgXyORNObObIAGp_3oC16SklUtef6blW76oSwVvg-d6-15n0Qbi2zolSYuKaQBmkyQQl5I1zIPTafHPGOCuG65cXIGBpz6AHjJc17U6pAtDGmHBO94/s1600/alpine2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19FxkjmU8ICy7Jje1AJ8dXBv6whqgXyORNObObIAGp_3oC16SklUtef6blW76oSwVvg-d6-15n0Qbi2zolSYuKaQBmkyQQl5I1zIPTafHPGOCuG65cXIGBpz6AHjJc17U6pAtDGmHBO94/s1600/alpine2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<a href="http://www.brewbymu.com/home.html">Mu Brewery</a> opened on Colfax in late July, 2014, thus
ushering craft beer onto Denver’s most (in)famous street. Other brewers eventually followed suit and,
since Mu’s opening, three more Colfax breweries have opened for business (and
that doesn’t even count <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coda-Brewing-Co/155563864590022">Coda Brewing Co.</a>, situated only 0.5 miles [by the crow
flies] from that roadway of questionable repute). Over Thanksgiving break, Nicole and I visited
two of these newcomers.</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLrkkaOo9gDw3-vpbEkgwaT2h6z7XSXucLoUOWIuDaVgGSDme2JbIgzAJLjFkQ3HZeTaXTqTf87pfmvNble5UEUUOk8TXpyAJ_Heueyj1wTqtVHgzuYc3Wewf6MkyIElLutfWvlQ2U-Lf/s1600/alpine5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLrkkaOo9gDw3-vpbEkgwaT2h6z7XSXucLoUOWIuDaVgGSDme2JbIgzAJLjFkQ3HZeTaXTqTf87pfmvNble5UEUUOk8TXpyAJ_Heueyj1wTqtVHgzuYc3Wewf6MkyIElLutfWvlQ2U-Lf/s1600/alpine5.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Alpine Dog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Lately, Nicole and I have been hitting brewery grand
openings (i.e. <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/11/river-norths-newest-additions-mockery.html">Mockery</a> & <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-sobo-brew-quest.html">FERMÆNTRA</a>) but we missed <a href="http://www.alpinedogbrewery.com/">Alpine Dog Brewing Company</a>’s big night by half a week.
Nonetheless, it remains the freshest face on Colfax (even if the address
technically has it on Ogden Street) and in the entire city.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLj9abHFozzpYPJ-GyWPRrSITdl0SGmIy65itYoq_hyzgGsP_AoU5m7LqHBrVWchyphenhyphennHnS4ZL_vFgvWEzWmq-NXdZ2jDQmcMBdCSuTHtIJ7i4xtkDnzID5YAsuImzi4igf6aZ3d-y4CZpg/s1600/alpine7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLj9abHFozzpYPJ-GyWPRrSITdl0SGmIy65itYoq_hyzgGsP_AoU5m7LqHBrVWchyphenhyphennHnS4ZL_vFgvWEzWmq-NXdZ2jDQmcMBdCSuTHtIJ7i4xtkDnzID5YAsuImzi4igf6aZ3d-y4CZpg/s1600/alpine7.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've seen lots of chairs made of skis, I've only seen one with a binding cup holder</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Located in a space made available by <a href="http://www.denveroffthewagon.com/2014/11/10/alpine-dog-overcomes-delays-slated-grand-opening-november-22nd/">the downsizing of the neighboring music store</a> and seated on one of the grittiest streets in
the nation, Alpine Dog is among the most urban of Denver’s breweries. The décor, though, is anything <i>but</i> urban. In fact, the name “Alpine Dog” refers to Colorado’s
mountain adventurers—skiers, boarders, bikers, hikers, and climbers (not <a href="http://www.lenzsport.com/skibike_main.php">ski bikers</a>, though; they’re stupid). The
brewery shows admiration for the wild and rugged landscape looming to the west
of town, honoring a wholly different world from the tarmac and depravity of Colfax. Alpine Dog’s an island of mountain life amid
a sea of inner-city grime.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6lIR4iqaf3fFvKgioFzpy-3e7mklXJJT9bX4jz9qAC1wxoPS4KE0cF9RNTfO5cssh9dce9q5czugTdGu7_tfGzpTmlYXIc8nvEgichTTtE50n1Izl7FJgzWWUoLN7uIrsNctilh6GyaU/s1600/alpine4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6lIR4iqaf3fFvKgioFzpy-3e7mklXJJT9bX4jz9qAC1wxoPS4KE0cF9RNTfO5cssh9dce9q5czugTdGu7_tfGzpTmlYXIc8nvEgichTTtE50n1Izl7FJgzWWUoLN7uIrsNctilh6GyaU/s1600/alpine4.jpg" height="320" width="178" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
The two sides of Alpine Dog—its nature-loving and
city-slicking sides—mesh better than you might think. In some regards, the brewery’s quite modern
with its enormous, storefront windows, shiny metal chairs, and concrete floor. In other regards, photos of extreme mountain
athletes and a corner full of chairs and benches fabricated from discarded skis
and snowboards encapsulates the high country.
The wood on the tables and walls straddles a line; it showcases a
natural grain pattern but it’s also smoothed to a fine finish. A metrosexual lumberjack might use this wood
in his log loft. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
We only stayed for a single beer since we were
scheduled to meet Nicole’s aunts later that night but the <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28624/100092/">IPA</a> is a solid
example of the style and certainly worth a try.
Nicole liked it and she doesn’t normally go for the big, hoppy
beers. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Our second stop on the Colfax beer trail was <a href="http://www.losthighwaybrewing.com/">Lost Highway Brewing Company</a>. Next to <a href="http://www.thecheekymonk.com/">Cheeky Monk</a> and owned by the same folks, the brewery’s name is a reference to Colfax
itself, demoted as it was from major highway to lowly city street after the
completion of I-70. It is a highway no more;
it’s been lost in the dust of interstate construction. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4keUx26BT8jixMszq6orvQ5ZGp7g1wNs30QYUT-xquKFOFC_HI1pyJv1zcG-X9ESmvUGQpYS9AAXtYRHKUR4XOKhjsAb2_kFL17z_G1ynJInFiL4tHmRmMilPNduvA2aYPdHsPqvPbdq/s1600/lost1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4keUx26BT8jixMszq6orvQ5ZGp7g1wNs30QYUT-xquKFOFC_HI1pyJv1zcG-X9ESmvUGQpYS9AAXtYRHKUR4XOKhjsAb2_kFL17z_G1ynJInFiL4tHmRmMilPNduvA2aYPdHsPqvPbdq/s1600/lost1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xq5sm40PIIwlZzfC0nsQzt0hINiNK2b5NJOm2BeiQItXUcNEb-adHeNcG0gnoHKMpOHlDYfw9W_YwQed1YWg0YqWuc8Wes2fc6gYZ_00a-lYvRriMDoIO1dBlOSk_kmmX1tTt2Tcw6pi/s1600/lost8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xq5sm40PIIwlZzfC0nsQzt0hINiNK2b5NJOm2BeiQItXUcNEb-adHeNcG0gnoHKMpOHlDYfw9W_YwQed1YWg0YqWuc8Wes2fc6gYZ_00a-lYvRriMDoIO1dBlOSk_kmmX1tTt2Tcw6pi/s1600/lost8.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
The first thing patrons notice when approaching Lost
Highway is the signage which pays homage to the glory days of Colfax and, to a
larger extent, America. The neon sign
with arrow indicating the entrance (the arrow appropriately sporting highway
stripes) harkens back to the days when families packed up <a href="http://griswoldfamilyvacations.com/maiking-the-griswold-family-truckster/">the station wagon</a> and
toured this great land <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Lampoon%27s_Vacation_%28film_series%29">Clark Griswold</a>-style.
Those were the pre-<a href="http://www.thule.com/en-us/us">Thule</a> days when people simply strapped their luggage
to the roof of the car, stopping at every roadside attraction and sending
brightly-colored postcards from each tourist trap. It’s not a completely wholesome memory the
sign evokes, though; Lost Highway’s logo—a beret-wearing skull—also recalls a
certain counterculture, beatnik attitude born from Kerouac’s era and still, in
some form, surviving today. Even if
similar signs do exist on Colfax (my favorite being the one at <a href="http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/8427">“Big Bunny” hotel</a> which, if you look closely, clearly used to say “Bugs Bunny” until they
were likely hit with a copyright lawsuit), Lost Highway’s is the only one pointing
to an establishment law-abiding citizens feel comfortable entering. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jQL78bE1ixD3l5OrmLGg8sqcVgHcAjS6fGDO0J71_yxTifiqlwHiGVuzxwgp8lMjpMMJGn7TO7MYJBT3R7Se1DsEI88PnmxSwhk7F-HD8yRhzbnUs6toRA315CDhGCaOPOqhp158sJvJ/s1600/lost2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jQL78bE1ixD3l5OrmLGg8sqcVgHcAjS6fGDO0J71_yxTifiqlwHiGVuzxwgp8lMjpMMJGn7TO7MYJBT3R7Se1DsEI88PnmxSwhk7F-HD8yRhzbnUs6toRA315CDhGCaOPOqhp158sJvJ/s1600/lost2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lost Highway brew equipment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
The second thing patrons notice about Lost Highway is
the patio. The wall dividing the outdoor
drinking space from the public sidewalk is abnormally tall and topped with iron
spikes. The floor-to-ceiling garage door
opening into the taproom sits several yards behind this fortification. Lost Highway might be <i>on</i> Colfax but the brewery’s wisely taken measures to keep Colfax
from getting <i>in</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivr1jU_Mglj06Gd9H7qBeBKihMbX-TZEMjxonKlTZ9GD2eVhUqqR6A2bSMesHui0wD2eR35TmE1nuE2RIm6z-qlZMjdYDe38rY4NhJET8H6znmzlv7I3Vcf9qKxRPblrJ7QTAvxEEe7iJP/s1600/lost7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivr1jU_Mglj06Gd9H7qBeBKihMbX-TZEMjxonKlTZ9GD2eVhUqqR6A2bSMesHui0wD2eR35TmE1nuE2RIm6z-qlZMjdYDe38rY4NhJET8H6znmzlv7I3Vcf9qKxRPblrJ7QTAvxEEe7iJP/s1600/lost7.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nobody's getting through <i>that</i> barricade </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Once inside, the taproom is as charming and welcoming
as is possible. Brick walls envelope the
space, the brew equipment sits behind glass like an expensive art display,
steel lintels separate rooms, and the beer menu’s presented in among the
cleverest fashion I’ve seen—the wall behind the bar is sheeted in metal, the
beer names written out in those <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=plastic+magnetic+letters&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=5156868941&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=485715370433412050&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_9798ukt9vz_e">plastic, magnetic letters</a> used by children
learning to spell. It’s a creative,
colorful, and whimsical touch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPu3sway2zTJeAJ_BrW0HJznwcgezvqz6SsnHn12Ix5XcwHi0r9SwuJIRKIAb45q-Bq8J22YyH9gR558tc6wX6p64QrkddNxfJM9SQjoqcp1ekrC4MaZkF8hP9E1ch07bONj6rc4-ai5Z/s1600/lost5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPu3sway2zTJeAJ_BrW0HJznwcgezvqz6SsnHn12Ix5XcwHi0r9SwuJIRKIAb45q-Bq8J22YyH9gR558tc6wX6p64QrkddNxfJM9SQjoqcp1ekrC4MaZkF8hP9E1ch07bONj6rc4-ai5Z/s1600/lost5.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tap menu at Lost Highway</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
I enjoyed the <a href="http://www.losthighwaybrewing.com/beer.html">520 Copper Ale</a>, Nicole sampled the
<a href="http://www.losthighwaybrewing.com/beer.html">Longest, Wickedest Wit</a> and <a href="http://www.losthighwaybrewing.com/beer.html">Golden Ghost</a> and, as I bustled about taking photos
for this blog, the brewer, T.J. Compton (incidentally, one gangsta-ass name),
noticed my flitting about and offered me a quick behind-the-scenes tour. I got a peek at the brew room, the future
barrel room, and what I’m calling The B.S. Room—a place to drink and curse and
argue the finer points that separate German-style and Bohemian-style Pilsners
without disturbing and/or boring customers.
Apparently, during the last <a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/">GABF</a>, Lost Highway hosted a few visiting
brewers and the beer debates in that room got heated and very, very nerdy. While I don’t expect or deserve special
treatment when I visit breweries, I do appreciate T.J. extending the
offer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ-uTmVZ_369ya2uW08oD4jopQiTdmItu5hX9LfUjWQDOnJX9FcYGiegIeVwnQDsfO_CUmjmC76plr2J3-uZQqQGQmZiIW8nUA0z1C1qn95YmIzZE8SO9xDtVwhEmPky2_EzSpjAgHC5o/s1600/lost3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ-uTmVZ_369ya2uW08oD4jopQiTdmItu5hX9LfUjWQDOnJX9FcYGiegIeVwnQDsfO_CUmjmC76plr2J3-uZQqQGQmZiIW8nUA0z1C1qn95YmIzZE8SO9xDtVwhEmPky2_EzSpjAgHC5o/s1600/lost3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Golden Ghost, 520, & Longest, Wickedest Wit (ignore the suggestive placement of the glasses)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Nicole and I had to scurry out of Lost Highway to
meet her aunts but, even though our visits to both breweries were brief, I’m
confident Alpine Dog and Lost Highway will prove to be two great new additions
to the scandalous street. So, after
going to a concert, buying legal weed (or illegal other drugs), and picking up
a few hookers, indulge in Colfax’s newest claim to fame and have yourself a
craft beer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBKA9C8v65JA1m1BKPKGgInLOCo8lF_Fgca_08mEKbeXVTVBkuVJWu9TF4g9sncmuK0Fufedkug00rgfEDNUGmtoHrl3F1KNrH52pi4YCJApjgFP4v6dPEDuWIH0ufCLhhsMxJ-lvGTZ3/s1600/alpine6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBKA9C8v65JA1m1BKPKGgInLOCo8lF_Fgca_08mEKbeXVTVBkuVJWu9TF4g9sncmuK0Fufedkug00rgfEDNUGmtoHrl3F1KNrH52pi4YCJApjgFP4v6dPEDuWIH0ufCLhhsMxJ-lvGTZ3/s1600/alpine6.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cap art at Alpine Dog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UTOI7gD53Q-zJNTzUVF4mQnMJKkZ5B4Pv6RBd9JJQWggmhATqljWyOfFX86J-rXtj_8Brp2UrNilkkeeErOHLSDez8At-D6G4wrDBTDtQgP2dIwAsR0eoB14hziROzadyjOp3RV1COO-/s1600/lost4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UTOI7gD53Q-zJNTzUVF4mQnMJKkZ5B4Pv6RBd9JJQWggmhATqljWyOfFX86J-rXtj_8Brp2UrNilkkeeErOHLSDez8At-D6G4wrDBTDtQgP2dIwAsR0eoB14hziROzadyjOp3RV1COO-/s1600/lost4.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Lost Highway</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13FxuTDhh-888POWTupMSTFCOc0yaJ-kLVWe_npPN8f1Ro3Ta-sUO3V1TVkB9jRzcoYQ6iFaDxVJOnRMLWqDvo7Q4zwFR61PMhKzdhMgdMZmqb10xq_cSTa-tp_6-YV1NOGAit6gjt0QI/s1600/lost6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13FxuTDhh-888POWTupMSTFCOc0yaJ-kLVWe_npPN8f1Ro3Ta-sUO3V1TVkB9jRzcoYQ6iFaDxVJOnRMLWqDvo7Q4zwFR61PMhKzdhMgdMZmqb10xq_cSTa-tp_6-YV1NOGAit6gjt0QI/s1600/lost6.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One day, this will be Lost Highway's barrel room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
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<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
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<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-43144024295531434342014-11-22T12:59:00.001-08:002014-11-22T13:00:09.876-08:00The SoBo Brew Quest<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
Denver has a tendency for two-syllable neighborhood
nicknames. There’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland,_Denver">LoHi</a> (Lower
Highlands) known for its upscale, yuppie population, there’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LoDo,_Denver">LoDo</a> (Lower
Downtown) attracting youthful partygoers, and there’s <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/11/river-norths-newest-additions-mockery.html">RiNo</a> (River North)
boasting a stronghold of starving artists and hipsters. Then, perhaps because of its relative
distance from the heart of the city, the lesser-mentioned <a href="http://www.sunset.com/travel/rockies/south-broadway-denver">SoBo</a> (South Broadway,
although it should really be SoBro but I guess that sounds too “frat-y”) famous
for dispensaries, antique shops, and, as Nicole and I found out, a high
concentration of breweries.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGur8JrttkBgieAtTqriNn_AUQYGHQbk2J5NhZ5ozEFEuC9NNcW-Vd0F0DcXNRDJHM0IxvqQCgVGRHOENHrJejLMlWqzEg_oHKZ04Yq9s1Y-MiUw6NcWoGF7IPIbRE4hsVtlmmHKiYaOc2/s1600/grandma3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGur8JrttkBgieAtTqriNn_AUQYGHQbk2J5NhZ5ozEFEuC9NNcW-Vd0F0DcXNRDJHM0IxvqQCgVGRHOENHrJejLMlWqzEg_oHKZ04Yq9s1Y-MiUw6NcWoGF7IPIbRE4hsVtlmmHKiYaOc2/s1600/grandma3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
With friends Robin and Justin in tow, we began our
SoBo brewery conquest at <a href="http://www.grandmasbeer.co/">Grandma’s House</a>, the craft craft brewery. That’s no typo, I mean to say it’s a craft
brewery that, like Nana herself, enjoys a little arts and crafts. The matriarch’s presence is felt everywhere
in the taproom. The tap handles are
wrapped in hand-knitted sleeves. The bar
top is an actual quilt hardened by polyurethane. 50’s-style, folding, aluminum-edged tables are
the base for antique vases, jars of hard candy, and tacky bric-a-brac like
animatronic singing fish and dancing hamsters.
The old TV box is hooked up to an original NES, the walls are adorned
with curios including, but not limited to, Bobbleheads, Elvis paraphernalia,
and folksy art. The theme is even
carried into the restroom where, behind the mirror, you’ll find bunion
cushions, shoe powder, constipation meds, and an admonishment from Grandma
telling you not to peek behind other people’s medicine cabinets.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjxkJdcc9RJgFQ2z_1S-3qfsWkWf7Nz1vW9GqFRr9RJ5GCf4rHCFyTilsIEV03oNBQ0oWtFkNR75HQj-uHpTL8-67dJlWgX9wc4QJ_pbRrcjYRtMted5sQYJS1UKm4Oo5fkA4djf9qwde/s1600/grandma1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjxkJdcc9RJgFQ2z_1S-3qfsWkWf7Nz1vW9GqFRr9RJ5GCf4rHCFyTilsIEV03oNBQ0oWtFkNR75HQj-uHpTL8-67dJlWgX9wc4QJ_pbRrcjYRtMted5sQYJS1UKm4Oo5fkA4djf9qwde/s1600/grandma1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Yes, Grandma’s House is quite kitschy but that’s
entirely the point. It’s tongue-in-cheek
and I applaud their originality. Too
often, brewery taproom themes are repeated <i>ad
infinitum</i>. The industrial, factory
look? Seen it. The sleek and modern look? Been done.
The outdoorsy, rustic look? Join
the club. Hell, Denver alone features
two breweries themed to heavy metal! I’m
not knocking these breweries; in fact, I rather enjoy those archetypal taproom designs. But, being archetypes, they are a bit lacking
in imagination. Grandma’s House, on the
other hand, got a bit nutty with their motif and the pay-off is a completely
novel taproom design. Find another geriatric-themed
brewery and I’ll give you a dollar. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sPKUPa1uSPZVuWXIfMNVKVeyVRPEUkTStRdvf-x00F-QzxTI6OK55X4uPTjLg8reAohKfg2_8M75diufdlkn4vqO5W21c-qNzJOeKmukZuhXu5cZtOHjXFiXKplu5tiGgqIZ_9b-MJzX/s1600/grandma4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sPKUPa1uSPZVuWXIfMNVKVeyVRPEUkTStRdvf-x00F-QzxTI6OK55X4uPTjLg8reAohKfg2_8M75diufdlkn4vqO5W21c-qNzJOeKmukZuhXu5cZtOHjXFiXKplu5tiGgqIZ_9b-MJzX/s1600/grandma4.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Grandma's House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0rsZVGJ6V0T5wWvrwioWabMQagVsZJwM1EUr2GuSNciX7Gilq6WuyCTTppMcG98LHW8udwqJZGS5k9V1DcU8j-3PqR_p0AYxXGKGlZMT0v9ypNVUT7MVU-1LXC3kaRDKWJyxIo93FtI4/s1600/grandma5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0rsZVGJ6V0T5wWvrwioWabMQagVsZJwM1EUr2GuSNciX7Gilq6WuyCTTppMcG98LHW8udwqJZGS5k9V1DcU8j-3PqR_p0AYxXGKGlZMT0v9ypNVUT7MVU-1LXC3kaRDKWJyxIo93FtI4/s1600/grandma5.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Inside Grandma's House</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxMMWuWOxSX2SucQuvnS15u90Wnm7-w6xMDOR9SeDpvMOTwlSuvPFL_7XKkxj7grAVc_WYDXkaot3ZjbJM2Bd0h2jHbxpeJIHn2LDQ8cqGNij_bSA_F1LwasFATRKvuOShzahqu1Mb7vU/s1600/grandma6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxMMWuWOxSX2SucQuvnS15u90Wnm7-w6xMDOR9SeDpvMOTwlSuvPFL_7XKkxj7grAVc_WYDXkaot3ZjbJM2Bd0h2jHbxpeJIHn2LDQ8cqGNij_bSA_F1LwasFATRKvuOShzahqu1Mb7vU/s1600/grandma6.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Inside Grandma's House</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Initially outdated though the decor might be, the
beers of Grandma’s House, well, they’re not you’re grandma’s beer (although
they’re served in your grandma’s glassware, emblazoned as they are with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamm%27s_Brewery">Hamm’s</a>
logos and Looney Tunes characters).
Session IPAs with peach added, oatmeal stouts with hatch green chilis,
along with classic styles such as ESBs and Scottish-style ales means there’s
plenty of “cough medicine” from which Grandma can choose.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpbMbjC1tzmXz-9au4dtZIcq5yFeX99ZdR-6C0cR2d80Niq6ASbRUx_aE4PnaEDTrwOSw44dNXHQ0ND_uMn5AveBjy5aohL99a-u637SWyWmnVKtRhPEXTP07uFi8BhPVnsf5h8pD3_mU/s1600/grandma2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpbMbjC1tzmXz-9au4dtZIcq5yFeX99ZdR-6C0cR2d80Niq6ASbRUx_aE4PnaEDTrwOSw44dNXHQ0ND_uMn5AveBjy5aohL99a-u637SWyWmnVKtRhPEXTP07uFi8BhPVnsf5h8pD3_mU/s1600/grandma2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scottish Red at Grandma's House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Our next stop was a few blocks off Broadway on Pearl
Street. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/plattparkbrewing">Platt Park Brewing Co.</a> née Denver
Pearl Brewing Company is <a href="http://blogs.denverpost.com/beer/2014/10/05/gabf-2014-colorado-medal-count-kids-right/14112/">a recent GABF silver medalist</a> and the victim of <a href="http://denver.eater.com/2014/9/8/6159485/new-name-for-existing-brewery-platt-park-brewing-co">a two-pronged litigious attack</a> from both <a href="http://pabstbrewingco.com/">Pabst</a> and an unnamed (but obvious) local
brewery that took umbrage with the word “Denver” (golly, who could <i>that</i> be?). I felt Denver Pearl’s pain when I heard the
news; there’s too many nasty cease-and-desist letters floating around the
industry. That said, I always thought “Denver
Pearl” was a lame name. I can’t pinpoint
exactly why. Maybe it just didn’t have
that <i>snap</i>, y’know? Platt Park’s a good name—it’s alliterative,
both words are monosyllabic, and both end with a hard, definitive
consonant. Denver Pearl had none of
that. No alliteration, no uniformity of syllables,
and there’s not a clean finish to either word—the word “Pearl” extends into a
slur making it sound sloppy and guttural.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eMSA-k8BdmA23ZLIcD9FDEpJ6a5MiRxCmq9tcERUk4zrg9yT4EGRxlIklPC7TuYEVNzwUWMVnkCB5cIyQaJDKSPPNXZ79O8nkgmzMfmcO5mDjpczMGMl8r6b4rKb2z3HKleThdnsZw6R/s1600/plattpark4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eMSA-k8BdmA23ZLIcD9FDEpJ6a5MiRxCmq9tcERUk4zrg9yT4EGRxlIklPC7TuYEVNzwUWMVnkCB5cIyQaJDKSPPNXZ79O8nkgmzMfmcO5mDjpczMGMl8r6b4rKb2z3HKleThdnsZw6R/s1600/plattpark4.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
I didn’t like the formula for the name, either i.e. the
city + the street. It’s an awkward way
to name a brewery. What if everybody did
that? Care to visit <a href="http://www.breweryrickoli.com/">Wheat Ridge Wadsworth Brewery</a>? <a href="http://www.newbelgium.com/Home.aspx">Fort Collins Linden Brewing Company</a>? <a href="http://www.trinitybrew.com/">Colorado Springs Garden of the Gods Beer Co.</a>? It’s plain weird. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Former titles put to the side, Platt Park’s taproom
is best defined as modern bucolic.
Although the tables and doors are wooden and although “Platt Park’s”
been spelled out in rusty metal squares, there’s still a sense of consistency. It’s not a hodge-podge, everything matches,
and the overall feel is that of a city-slicker attempting to emulate a countrified
abode. The massive windows looking into the
brew room and walk-in cooler are also nice touches of contemporaneousness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LxU4-ccMrK3Ac1ToqN811kUhRrZxY6Y8kh_F6q7jZQicyG-7a0zdW0mXLD5kHq3Ve4LVbtFBCt7OZ5OoXtHf94-4dlxfFcivR9JICclh_S839b1ApDLgnhyphenhyphenA7rVX4Hp-CAv2BSTTGoZi/s1600/plattpark2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LxU4-ccMrK3Ac1ToqN811kUhRrZxY6Y8kh_F6q7jZQicyG-7a0zdW0mXLD5kHq3Ve4LVbtFBCt7OZ5OoXtHf94-4dlxfFcivR9JICclh_S839b1ApDLgnhyphenhyphenA7rVX4Hp-CAv2BSTTGoZi/s1600/plattpark2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Platt Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZfwd2bdkHM9i6EinMKJMtwLxwaEXeJ6_J130tVxj_buyp85Hf3FHa49tNkQH_dilsTaUs2R0O-hktMyceZ0BsHUldfAtCBB9Bv_9mGFeyze7iNEMlbQ-DcP5gpfWrv-K8fyGS6xJZgZw/s1600/plattpark3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZfwd2bdkHM9i6EinMKJMtwLxwaEXeJ6_J130tVxj_buyp85Hf3FHa49tNkQH_dilsTaUs2R0O-hktMyceZ0BsHUldfAtCBB9Bv_9mGFeyze7iNEMlbQ-DcP5gpfWrv-K8fyGS6xJZgZw/s1600/plattpark3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Inside Platt Park</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Platt Park’s beer, like its interior design, walks a
line, a line between standard and experimental.
Nothing at Platt Park is totally off-the-wall but many place a foot or
two off the beaten path. Nadare, for
example, is a classic Japanese-style rice lager. Typically, such beers are brewed with rice
and Nadare is no exception—except it’s brewed with jasmine rice. It’s those minor deviations that make a beer
special. It could have been a boring old
<a href="http://sapporobeer.com/lda/?ref=http://sapporobeer.com/">Sapporo</a> but, instead, leaned closer to a <a href="http://www.cautionbrewingco.com/brews.html">CAUTION: Brewing Co. Lao Wang Lager</a>. A pumpkin beer on nitro, a Berliner Weisse
with choice of syrups (as I mentioned <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/09/great-lake-great-beer-pt-4.html">in an earlier post</a>, an option sorely
lacking in the American market), and several others completed the laudable tap
menu. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJl__mtEC9pROvJM0ofL_Mcoara7doQtaCi4Hdd1FMMOyIUyRU2jD8z0EyUkNLc5uQQpq66w_FY4B0ss1uNvE6II6Vtpax-yCiww5LhOFXcAXNhc6rn77915HXoor-RibZYzP2v8xL6L8s/s1600/plattpark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJl__mtEC9pROvJM0ofL_Mcoara7doQtaCi4Hdd1FMMOyIUyRU2jD8z0EyUkNLc5uQQpq66w_FY4B0ss1uNvE6II6Vtpax-yCiww5LhOFXcAXNhc6rn77915HXoor-RibZYzP2v8xL6L8s/s1600/plattpark.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadare </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Our third stop, <a href="http://www.fermaentra.com/">FERMÆNTRA</a>, was the furthest from
Broadway and is more accurately attributed to the <a href="http://www.du.edu/">Denver University</a>
neighborhood. But, it was in the
vicinity of Platt Park so it felt as if it belonged with the other breweries we
hit that day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
We were at FERMÆNTRA for their grand opening so it
was a crowded room. We muscled our way
to the bar and glanced over the list of beers.
The list was intimidating, a lot of the beer names were technical and it
took some effort to pronounce them correctly e.g. Terrarum, Canticle,
Aphion. Tricky words should be expected,
though, from a brewery that spells its name with the none-too-common <i><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C3%A6sc">æsc</a></i> grapheme<i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKEKVeeUpke1FWiAL7CpN9oMzUhGHy8i1ea-lE8RipTRUIi4uoK2GFxXnaicXP3kilyDMybGku0C_56iVMoTF_SEzM6ilZ0PJWNDW1L4l_-Q-tYx3GFloMF0EX33hNCRNnvdDzyopx4HZ/s1600/fermaentra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKEKVeeUpke1FWiAL7CpN9oMzUhGHy8i1ea-lE8RipTRUIi4uoK2GFxXnaicXP3kilyDMybGku0C_56iVMoTF_SEzM6ilZ0PJWNDW1L4l_-Q-tYx3GFloMF0EX33hNCRNnvdDzyopx4HZ/s1600/fermaentra.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNYgwVd8IvNlojXLUIMVIhEJpHj9Z6uWDWnzhtIsNTNXHULkub1kYazAo3kBha6i17KyoCiOcK_HJC7MMq5TVCxusPBZ99fxiLq7cD2Xfyoo8au_12DWbb3OPbRe737fc8QhZ3oZZU18k/s1600/fermaentra3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNYgwVd8IvNlojXLUIMVIhEJpHj9Z6uWDWnzhtIsNTNXHULkub1kYazAo3kBha6i17KyoCiOcK_HJC7MMq5TVCxusPBZ99fxiLq7cD2Xfyoo8au_12DWbb3OPbRe737fc8QhZ3oZZU18k/s1600/fermaentra3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
After practicing the word “Meristem” a few times, I
ordered the Russian imperial stout of that name. It was everything I needed on a snowy, chilly
day—robust, roasted, and high in alcohol.
We all enjoyed our respective beers huddled in the corner of the
taproom, handsome and cultured with its brick walls and solid-colored splashes
of vibrancy, attempting, with not much success, to keep out of the path of the
hordes. We downed our brews, placed our
empty glasses where the servers could easily retrieve them, and, with shoulders
tucked in, waddled through the masses, out the door, and on to our next
brewery.</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7lviwSQZ3EOsHN40nXCDj0y39HfMrNjvYyfSdDUIscIzil7v-ShP6HLGn0YWaUXcX8S0-sJf-1qKwltCd8eH42e_L5lycRSGWXcaJ-Wl_BQv_XLKB3xveQ1yNR5ICl4I06S80yQJmTGm/s1600/fermaentra2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7lviwSQZ3EOsHN40nXCDj0y39HfMrNjvYyfSdDUIscIzil7v-ShP6HLGn0YWaUXcX8S0-sJf-1qKwltCd8eH42e_L5lycRSGWXcaJ-Wl_BQv_XLKB3xveQ1yNR5ICl4I06S80yQJmTGm/s1600/fermaentra2.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meristem</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<a href="http://www.embracegoodtaste.com/">Former Future Brewing Company</a> is a brewery Nicole and
I had visited previously but a) we didn’t blog about it at the time, b) Robin
and Justin hadn’t been there, and c) Nicole and I had a coupon we wanted to
use. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Squeezed into a tight row of brick storefronts,
Former Future has a kind of steampunk/hipster vibe. With airplane wings as bar tops, masculine
dark wood tables, black-and-white photos, globular, metalwork light fixtures,
and antiquated terrarium jars housing sundry plants, the interior of Former
Future might be mistaken as the den of <a href="http://brewtallyinsane.com/2013/04/17/formerfuture/">Professor Phineas Barleyhop</a>, the bygone,
mustachioed man on the brewery’s prior logo.
I only mention that because Former Future, before they opened, held a
naming contest for that man and I was responsible for one-third of the total
appellation i.e. I contributed the “Phineas” part. I got a free shirt out of it. Now, they don’t even use that logo and I can
no longer point it out and brag to anybody who will listen. I’ve resorted to regaling blog readers with my
former glories. Soothing my troubled mind
was Brettly So…, a rye ESB with brettanomyces; the taste of that
expertly-crafted beer lessened the sting of my great accomplishment being lost
to the sands of time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzw68CqzgBAsnzxekQFjQ8uNvL01jSpP9jUce3aqqGBAEfA9kQXM426hoBzSKCZfPH988qlrPKDMV8WNY6TyUhJXLtmihkVejXL7ZnVi2SElmPqyxS2xkkdhr6Mny-AK4Wi9JpXIx3B3H-/s1600/formerfuture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzw68CqzgBAsnzxekQFjQ8uNvL01jSpP9jUce3aqqGBAEfA9kQXM426hoBzSKCZfPH988qlrPKDMV8WNY6TyUhJXLtmihkVejXL7ZnVi2SElmPqyxS2xkkdhr6Mny-AK4Wi9JpXIx3B3H-/s1600/formerfuture.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's actually Justin's good side--at Former Future</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Then, finally, we visited our fifth and final SoBo
brewery and Nicole and I’s 139<sup>th</sup> Colorado brewery, <a href="http://www.baerebrewing.com/">Bære Brewing Co.</a>
(another damn <i>æsc</i>!), so named for the
Old English word for “barley” and the precursor to the modern word “beer.” When we started this brewery mission about
five years ago, our 139<sup>th</sup> brewery would have meant we were in the
home stretch, only a few isolated places left to visit before we’d been to <i>all</i> Colorado breweries. Because of craft beer’s exponential growth,
though, Nicole and I are hardly closer to our goal than that day in 2009 when
we saw the <a href="http://www.beerdrinkersguidetocolorado.com/">Beer Drinker’s Guide to Colorado</a> map hanging in the <a href="http://odellbrewing.com/">Odell</a> taproom
and decided to embark on this impossible journey. In truth, I’m glad we’ve fallen behind
because the sooner our quest ends, the sooner our fun ends. And nobody wants that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-7I7-kD8Fg6JVMaZ8yX04EIjmw0utSRo7a1XvfWjC_RvrKcYzfEcxF8YjITnhgfxF7AVVJqD1FV2klWMN9UiFnLbgM5-I0rXUSzLTb6Kls1UNSZ41ur5VTpfkwfubYvEFwaUgvTxcAfj/s1600/baere2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-7I7-kD8Fg6JVMaZ8yX04EIjmw0utSRo7a1XvfWjC_RvrKcYzfEcxF8YjITnhgfxF7AVVJqD1FV2klWMN9UiFnLbgM5-I0rXUSzLTb6Kls1UNSZ41ur5VTpfkwfubYvEFwaUgvTxcAfj/s1600/baere2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Baere</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Bære, located in a former martial arts dojo in the middle
of a commercial strip, is a pastoral cabin oasis on busy, urban Broadway. The walls are absolutely covered with
weathered, reclaimed planks and the bar top is a nice, solid piece of butcher
block. Walking off the street and into Bære
is an abrupt transition from gritty streets to faux mountain lodge. I enjoyed the Bære-liner Weisse, a pleasantly
tart beer so brightly yellow it almost looks like somebody soaked a highlighter
in a glass of water.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRpBWxs8bYdyoz4TPvVjc4V4NaoKrVtjY4VMueurh_ULvOWH-yjiJwqxAQIjx8WhceDD2_xoqlZ6x0O-Gn3Z3OLtLcsC7qU1OcJrO1FmZa_J6yvS3NHabu-Wpgtp5EhrUbRCg4DCx-GdK/s1600/baere1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRpBWxs8bYdyoz4TPvVjc4V4NaoKrVtjY4VMueurh_ULvOWH-yjiJwqxAQIjx8WhceDD2_xoqlZ6x0O-Gn3Z3OLtLcsC7qU1OcJrO1FmZa_J6yvS3NHabu-Wpgtp5EhrUbRCg4DCx-GdK/s1600/baere1.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baere-liner Weisse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
We’ve come to a point where we can’t talk about
Denver breweries anymore—it’s too broad a term.
Each Mile High neighborhood has its own beer-y reputation, separate from
the rest. Denver is, in practice, a
conglomeration of several smaller beer cities, each component part boasting an
enviable quantity and quality of beer.
As such, when out-of-towners ask me for suggestions in regards to great
Denver breweries, I always tell them to pick a section of town lest my list of recommendations
be lengthier than The Bible. Shall we
discuss the RiNo breweries? The LoDo
breweries? The Colfax breweries (a brew
crawl I hope to complete soon)? Whatever
section of town you may choose, as of now, I can guarantee you won’t be
disappointed with the SoBo package. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRTuRytShzZ-hobzjTFmTOXxRLH7Hntw8cPbNtHml24JfZzD-S6Pq3S34UYWxae49flh84Jixvh5X06AP03IgakUZEEpMMCku5SAyhCOq1CvA04UoFOsLcn9LcesCb7dKnAa2gu-WjJ7q/s1600/fermaentra4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRTuRytShzZ-hobzjTFmTOXxRLH7Hntw8cPbNtHml24JfZzD-S6Pq3S34UYWxae49flh84Jixvh5X06AP03IgakUZEEpMMCku5SAyhCOq1CvA04UoFOsLcn9LcesCb7dKnAa2gu-WjJ7q/s1600/fermaentra4.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dino bike rack outside <span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">FERMÆNTRA</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-5170264934883289332014-11-14T17:08:00.000-08:002014-11-14T17:38:11.983-08:00River North's newest additions: Mockery and Beryl's<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
I didn’t grow up on the mean streets of East St. Louis or in the ghettos of Compton but my hometown wasn’t exactly The
Hamptons, either. A burg of nearly
30,000 people in north-central Indiana, one might not imagine <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion,_Indiana">Marion</a> as a
bastion of criminal activity. Indeed,
it’s home to a private Christian university and it’s an island in a sea of
cornfields—two things not associated with the thug life. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4-T4TRh8Whe2z41pkDb_t-oS6-kUhMi5LV5GqoLtRDj84xhmkbRvZK-4ip3rtWmYQJn3XvrQUmJNKVPMCaXD7Nlwdh2rFo6_3-6xVIX_6JssAfqXNnB6jPUEcUH6MJWKvm_UUgesSeN1/s1600/mockery1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4-T4TRh8Whe2z41pkDb_t-oS6-kUhMi5LV5GqoLtRDj84xhmkbRvZK-4ip3rtWmYQJn3XvrQUmJNKVPMCaXD7Nlwdh2rFo6_3-6xVIX_6JssAfqXNnB6jPUEcUH6MJWKvm_UUgesSeN1/s1600/mockery1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think Mockery's facade is pretty rad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
At the same time, it’s a factory graveyard. Poverty rates are high and with them the
crime rates. Marion’s a stopping-off
point for drug runners en route to Chicago and Detroit. Murders and shootings aren’t everyday but
neither are they uncommon. Gang activity
is ever-present. There’re more dangerous
places in America than Marion but significantly more places are safer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFRfuuv1JaW-Wuireiqq0n8rEYbqtCgsvyApKXpXHn-1VqM5l2CePp1PoqlbQFC-P7-WE0Tn9dWrgybnKJGPT9evb6vYxowFiD9PN4JXWbmcRWgBI0MqreB0MAnz-UP2Q5jriwfIbx_jg/s1600/mockery4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFRfuuv1JaW-Wuireiqq0n8rEYbqtCgsvyApKXpXHn-1VqM5l2CePp1PoqlbQFC-P7-WE0Tn9dWrgybnKJGPT9evb6vYxowFiD9PN4JXWbmcRWgBI0MqreB0MAnz-UP2Q5jriwfIbx_jg/s1600/mockery4.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
I bring this up to elucidate a point—Denver’s not
that treacherous. Bigger, yes (604,626
more people than Marion, in fact), and not without its fair share of shady
characters but, all told, there’s not a neighborhood in Denver I’d deem <i>too</i> sketchy. The worst of Denver is Marion’s average. It’s all a matter of perspective, though. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
That said, some parts of Denver are still—shall we
say—“rougher” than other parts. The
neighborhood colloquially referred to as <a href="http://www.rivernorthart.com/">River North</a> (there is no official
“River North”; it’s comprised of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_neighborhoods_in_Denver#mediaviewer/File:Denveneighborhoods.gif">pieces from Five Points, Cole, Globeville, and perhaps a touch of Elyria-Swansea</a>) being one such neighborhood. A gritty, industrial area that seems like a
nice place to conduct a mob hit or receive a shipment of primo Colombian coke. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Change is not on the horizon for River North, either. That’s because the metamorphosis is already
happening. What was once no-man’s land
is currently transforming into the hippest hangout in the metro. Denver can thank local artists for getting
the ball rolling, for taking loading docks and turning them into studios, for
converting factories into galleries, and for lifting the neighborhood from skid
row status to a haven of creative types.
Yes, the artists certainly got the ball rolling. But, it’s the breweries that are accelerating
that ball, rolling it at supersonic speeds.
Two of the newest establishments helping to thrust River North upward:
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MockeryBrewing">Mockery Brewing</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/berylsbeerco">Beryl’s Beer Co.</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylfO4jX1MPLL92Hycs2YVXlLFTFyey95fqZQsc1Beq3K4g2ISMUpmDVXl9cR8GAb_71Bc7aWAfsVEKCqy6DubJegdL8myXBueW1tsbYj0DDrZORtEzM1ShE-jDL1fNtTrQTb5JRESsRid/s1600/mockery7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylfO4jX1MPLL92Hycs2YVXlLFTFyey95fqZQsc1Beq3K4g2ISMUpmDVXl9cR8GAb_71Bc7aWAfsVEKCqy6DubJegdL8myXBueW1tsbYj0DDrZORtEzM1ShE-jDL1fNtTrQTb5JRESsRid/s1600/mockery7.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can tell from the outside the business of Mockery </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
To the uninitiated, the walk up to Mockery seems a
harrowing experience, especially at night.
Industrial lots of rusted equipment, chain link fences with barb-wire
tops, and the absence of streetlights imparts a sense of foreboding; one expects
a hooded assailant to appear at any moment.
But the attacker never comes. The
trained eye notices an underlying benignity.
That creepy looking garage across the street? That’s actually where the police service
their vehicles. The two buildings
adjacent to Mockery? <a href="http://milehighmutts.com/">A doggy daycare</a> and
what looks to be a small but expensive condo unit. Perhaps the shadiest business on the block is
Mockery itself, those moonshinin’ ne’er-do-wells! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhri6Jg3yz3HUstq8YnMKKSseLz008cGrUwW5SuLo2eJfRnWMDuz_ZHXI1TlOX70mLp0vgZvFb162O8JQXLuaZ5uK1Nt_vBmvbsQIOR-h9_UrnsNWJxTknZRydf0l2HhCY5KuA4-QfWjn9u/s1600/mockery5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhri6Jg3yz3HUstq8YnMKKSseLz008cGrUwW5SuLo2eJfRnWMDuz_ZHXI1TlOX70mLp0vgZvFb162O8JQXLuaZ5uK1Nt_vBmvbsQIOR-h9_UrnsNWJxTknZRydf0l2HhCY5KuA4-QfWjn9u/s1600/mockery5.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Mockery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
It was Mockery’s opening night when Nicole and I
(along with cohorts Robin and Justin) visited and, like <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2013/01/cannonball-creek-makes-splash.html">our last brewery grand opening</a>, patrons were pressed together like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrance_Knighton">Terrance Knighton</a> and <a href="http://oskarblues.com/employees/chris-gubna-katechis/">Chris Katechis</a> in a <a href="http://www.smartusa.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Desktop-Brand&utm_content=smart%20car">Smart car</a>. Despite the sardine-like
conditions, we plowed our way to the bar where I noticed a sight most pleasing:
a full tap menu of solid and innovative beers.
Usually, a grand opening is epitomized by two or three beers (because
the brewers haven’t had time to make more) that, while probably tasty, are
pretty basic e.g. an IPA or a stout or some other prosaic style. One doesn’t typically see a salted Scotch
ale, a sessionable red IPA, a rye saison, a peach blonde ale, or a vanilla
Bourbon porter until at least a few weeks into operation but Mockery put forth
these astounding beers right from the start.
For that, I tip my proverbial hat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAldJ_RI0g_GHzzToU_k1KSnSfyijIpwnTkjUKw2MhWXi_x1RaGTHMEO2lGewGOrBgCI0qUGZOk37un-be5u8FkNjZ1ZjJSsX6Iy_pmiebIK1ActjZPJx1HiCX-5TAvGU9mLNqkw7fdyLY/s1600/mockery6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAldJ_RI0g_GHzzToU_k1KSnSfyijIpwnTkjUKw2MhWXi_x1RaGTHMEO2lGewGOrBgCI0qUGZOk37un-be5u8FkNjZ1ZjJSsX6Iy_pmiebIK1ActjZPJx1HiCX-5TAvGU9mLNqkw7fdyLY/s1600/mockery6.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mockery's beer garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Fortunately for us, the beer garden featured several
space heaters; the taproom constrictiveness would have crushed us like <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Garbage_Compactor_3263827">Garbage Compactor 3263827</a></span>. For such a
traditionally unappealing neighborhood, the outdoor seating at Mockery is
actually quite posh. It’s sunken in
among three buildings which provide privacy and big, bulbous festival lights
strung overhead offer a welcoming ambiance, an oasis of hospitality in an
otherwise utilitarian locale.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOKRhYl1Ao4a2NkiECUB0ibjIUju75UcDntxNZSJYtEzc2f4Uv-ZOziRVf3qKcXJOJbsRQCAEzKLuQz0izjCmUHpKU-lq1pk0cwaR_gIORoV92sJ-tmmOk9IHs2Qyj_W80ubv2BJA-C9Y/s1600/mockery2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOKRhYl1Ao4a2NkiECUB0ibjIUju75UcDntxNZSJYtEzc2f4Uv-ZOziRVf3qKcXJOJbsRQCAEzKLuQz0izjCmUHpKU-lq1pk0cwaR_gIORoV92sJ-tmmOk9IHs2Qyj_W80ubv2BJA-C9Y/s1600/mockery2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin toasts to America and Mockery's game room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Speaking of the three buildings enclosing the beer
garden, the taproom is one, the neighboring condo is another, and the “Game
Room” is the third. I guess sticking a
<a href="http://www.gametables4less.com/productcart/pc/viewcategories.asp?idCategory=44&pageStyle=H&gclid=CjwKEAiA7ZajBRCpur2xi47n1zkSJADqV2WlTYOsjzmmtYVzWPS1mPwT3R3z8vqNhHNgX-_0-RD-uxoCJqjw_wcB">shuffleboard table</a> against the wall is enough to constitute a game room but
it’s more accurately described as “The Homebrewers Clubhouse” because this
garage—with an American flag draped on one wall, an around-the-room collection
of growlers, and bottle cap art—is the space a group of homebrewers would hang
out in as they wait for wort to boil.
It’s a stark, functional room save for the few splashes of incongruent
decorations and I really liked it; it suggests a suburban, neighborly charm in
the heart of the city.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xUIZqJ8MtWk9jJh8FHKAqU2WDu8JRTiVt7tXLVC2i_IMqEQajn5qAMpwYeTPzwQ5uwAJbXreWsTef2SyZB6NXVnx0SDGebqEtfV5ZnX9NxbSMuoXk3iAoElTgGgrOCS9KhjFlLMrCo4B/s1600/mockery3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xUIZqJ8MtWk9jJh8FHKAqU2WDu8JRTiVt7tXLVC2i_IMqEQajn5qAMpwYeTPzwQ5uwAJbXreWsTef2SyZB6NXVnx0SDGebqEtfV5ZnX9NxbSMuoXk3iAoElTgGgrOCS9KhjFlLMrCo4B/s1600/mockery3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Mockery was tout-worthy but I needed to escape the
hordes. So, we gave the crowd the slip
and headed for a place <i>not</i> hosting a
grand opening and River North’s second-youngest brewery—Beryl’s.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhLdqNvqJ0UGw65A-t2uFKF-wMwZRpDozXLsaPMdL70kKzJCCTU4mnRamVrIC4jsCib-lo4ZtgIGT4xHJMt-HEohCyID6arOOaKD7dp731p70shqR2Zu340UyZoP5CMpr46l3IKkPCrMd/s1600/beryls6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhLdqNvqJ0UGw65A-t2uFKF-wMwZRpDozXLsaPMdL70kKzJCCTU4mnRamVrIC4jsCib-lo4ZtgIGT4xHJMt-HEohCyID6arOOaKD7dp731p70shqR2Zu340UyZoP5CMpr46l3IKkPCrMd/s1600/beryls6.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
I’m usually pretty quick on the uptake but I can
admit when I’m confused; I didn’t immediately <i>get</i> the name “Beryl’s.” I
assumed it was a cutesy way of phonetically spelling “barrels” since they
specialize in barrel-aged beers. I was
at least half right in that assumption.
Then there was the matter of their logo, this thing that looks like
jagged mountains of bluish green. It’s
cool but, until Nicole explained it to me, I didn’t realize the secondary
(primary?) meaning. Apparently, beryl
(or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryl"><i><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">beryllium</span></i><i> </i><i><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">aluminium</span></i><i> </i><i><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">cyclosilicate</span></i></a>)
is a mineral, oftentimes teal, found in Colorado (most notably <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Antero">Mt. Antero</a>) and <i>that’s</i> the depiction in the logo. I hope this wasn’t obvious to everybody
except me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHrq-Zp-Tfa3Hqx78V0QaQP-Tohi0CmrRMS7Vfq-YjZDGR0q7KMMWEuK2V-3vxvOPRB-Scse8Wgm0557aYzjvRkFu5DEVCiGkC58nFwBSSoz-OllJqNY1-94ZI3KSc28gzDKLeZwb-JYu/s1600/beryls3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHrq-Zp-Tfa3Hqx78V0QaQP-Tohi0CmrRMS7Vfq-YjZDGR0q7KMMWEuK2V-3vxvOPRB-Scse8Wgm0557aYzjvRkFu5DEVCiGkC58nFwBSSoz-OllJqNY1-94ZI3KSc28gzDKLeZwb-JYu/s1600/beryls3.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrels at Beryl's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Beryl’s, like many River North breweries, sits on an
unadorned, no-frills plot of land.
There’s a fenced-in lot in front that serves as outdoor seating with the
brewery itself lying within a nondescript, metal-sheeted building. The interior, however, is a bit cozier with
repurposed, antique tables and chairs around which guests can congregate,
vertical log stumps where one may sit their glass or their butt,
interpretations of the state flag in the medium of rustic wood, and the barrels
themselves all lend to the make-yourself-at-home atmosphere.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
The design of the taproom is nice but the beers at
Beryl’s are certainly worth mentioning as well.
Riga Doms, a Baltic porter aged in brandy barrels? Elsie Mae, a saison aged in white wine
barrels? Man, their aint nothing’ wrong
with that! It’s a general rule of mine
but it’s held up thus far: a good beer is made great through barrel-aging. Beryl’s got the message and delivered
expertly. </div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDq6UNUdZHoDC40EjXxegHjIMF20jlsAtM-zUbqKHYaiSrCVUi_REgKKI7VA9_JgIYcD4ap2XAxbLT_69B87BvsPmXbd9yNsu126TMusbiKlnLiXlf5raCRjAjJPLZ2cPujQTOoTX1ZXC/s1600/beryls2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDq6UNUdZHoDC40EjXxegHjIMF20jlsAtM-zUbqKHYaiSrCVUi_REgKKI7VA9_JgIYcD4ap2XAxbLT_69B87BvsPmXbd9yNsu126TMusbiKlnLiXlf5raCRjAjJPLZ2cPujQTOoTX1ZXC/s1600/beryls2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Beryl's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
If you haven’t been to River North, you haven’t experienced
the Denver beer scene. This statement’s
all the more true after the addition of Mockery and Beryl’s and, truly, the
neighborhood’s become so much more than it’s intimidating façade. It’s a place of creativity, of imbibing, and
of socializing and quite frankly, as crowded as the beer market may be in River
North, I’d welcome, say, five or six more.
Because the beer geeks will keep a-comin’.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Chris <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqona191bqYHS-Gx2RQsUq-fy0MDFINumvwZhIinuUF1P8BT5ghkUmr17S9tFURepv-GMFd57MdoHcpoZkKixxUQtdR3HQIBaebDf-IWa4e0e4Vu3PMz-155LWFHu-wX7F4KRk0oYoW0-/s1600/beryls5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqona191bqYHS-Gx2RQsUq-fy0MDFINumvwZhIinuUF1P8BT5ghkUmr17S9tFURepv-GMFd57MdoHcpoZkKixxUQtdR3HQIBaebDf-IWa4e0e4Vu3PMz-155LWFHu-wX7F4KRk0oYoW0-/s1600/beryls5.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bar at Beryl's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1SUd5b3YUKWC_qhyphenhyphenQ8Ike8EAYV81n_Tfc4Z5W_p9Heg1Sung6WDK1xuhG0BfRIIbjmAR-YpsZu5fjKGm7vR_IjUYk5cNeP5qENQBith3H92h_Hz6q9yJyFy1wtFo0zcz_KuGfBStiAzA/s1600/beryls4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1SUd5b3YUKWC_qhyphenhyphenQ8Ike8EAYV81n_Tfc4Z5W_p9Heg1Sung6WDK1xuhG0BfRIIbjmAR-YpsZu5fjKGm7vR_IjUYk5cNeP5qENQBith3H92h_Hz6q9yJyFy1wtFo0zcz_KuGfBStiAzA/s1600/beryls4.jpg" height="372" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrels upon barrels at Beryl's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRM87o64s8xFcqW-0JpbLREnGD7JdGDEmcL0Xqfm_ha8ZHB_GzkpS2X0nvt4xqI0smqyvdSiaw1_RGzCfyugpiG266DaZeCoqyWwRARRqzE7zWS7EP6m0nAeIYZPiWhucr95fduIBt9E7U/s1600/beryls1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRM87o64s8xFcqW-0JpbLREnGD7JdGDEmcL0Xqfm_ha8ZHB_GzkpS2X0nvt4xqI0smqyvdSiaw1_RGzCfyugpiG266DaZeCoqyWwRARRqzE7zWS7EP6m0nAeIYZPiWhucr95fduIBt9E7U/s1600/beryls1.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole gang (besides me) at Beryl's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-46942726769419933452014-10-12T19:30:00.002-07:002014-10-12T19:30:22.767-07:00GABF 2014: The Awards<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/">Great American Beer Festival</a> (GABF) has once again
blown through Denver and, once again, Nicole and I were on-hand to experience
the wonder that is America’s premier beer festival. How does one encapsulate the essence of GABF
in a blog post? Not easily; the festival
is multi-faceted, nonlinear, and inconsistent to the narrative storytelling
format. Ergo, I shall recall my
experiences via vignettes separated into broad categories: <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/10/gabf-2014-festival-itself.html">The Festival Itself</a>,
<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/10/gabf-2014-media-luncheon.html">The Media Luncheon</a>, and <a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/winners/">The Awards</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>The Awards</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>Admittedly, <a href="http://www.denveroffthewagon.com/2014/10/06/2014-gabf-medals-colorado-stack-rest-nation/">I’ve already written an awards re-cap for <i>Denver off the Wagon</i></a> and
much of the information in this post I’ve pulled from that previous
article. Nonetheless, I intend to add a
few extra tidbits to make this version slightly more distinct.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Colorado was second in overall medals
accrued. Here’s a list of the top five:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
1.
California (46)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
2.
Colorado (39)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
3. Oregon
(22)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
4. Texas
(16)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
5.
Pennsylvania (12)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Colorado was also second in most gold
medals. This leads one to conclude that Colorado
was the second best state at GABF. I
prefer first, of course, but that’s how 2014 shook out for Colorado: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
1.
California (15)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
2.
Colorado (10)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
3.
Oregon (7)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
4.
Texas: (6)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
5.
Pennsylvania & Washington (5)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BN-ZUibcv127sQqX5bkG8WlGYpYc6d9Nl32awD1meLY8DFtlTIMpUtzvk1rP9v5aYsCTn0WLbQxjSw0zgee57wLxxsZlDH82oNX0DRnf61LIh5d4FoD3ZWBEeRSr96cEcm4UC08EcVuH/s1600/IMG_8549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BN-ZUibcv127sQqX5bkG8WlGYpYc6d9Nl32awD1meLY8DFtlTIMpUtzvk1rP9v5aYsCTn0WLbQxjSw0zgee57wLxxsZlDH82oNX0DRnf61LIh5d4FoD3ZWBEeRSr96cEcm4UC08EcVuH/s1600/IMG_8549.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good times at GABF</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->It doesn’t do much to sooth the emotional wounds
of local football fans but, to the satisfaction of beer geeks, Colorado avenged
its Super Bowl loss against Washington in the arena of craft beer. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XLVIII">The Seahawks may have pounded the Broncos 43-8</a> but Colorado nearly reversed the score in overall GABF medals: 39-9. That’s a spread of 35 points in the Super
Bowl and 30 points in GABF. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Colorado’s massive medal count is all the more
impressive considering the total’s the sum of several diverse breweries working
together from across the state. 34
different breweries representing 16 Colorado towns and cities snagged medals. They included very, very big breweries (e.g. <a href="http://www.coors.com/agegate/">Coors</a>,
<a href="http://www.rockbottom.com/">Rock Bottom</a>, <a href="http://www.cbpotts.com/">C.B. & Potts</a>), exceeding small breweries (e.g. <a href="http://www.bruboulder.com/">BRU</a>, <a href="http://dieboltbrewing.com/">Diebolt</a>,
<a href="http://www.embracegoodtaste.com/">Former Future</a>, <a href="http://www.witsendbrewing.com/">Wit’s End</a>), veterans of craft beer (e.g. <a href="http://oskarblues.com/">Oskar Blues</a>, <a href="http://lefthandbrewing.com/">Left Hand</a>,
<a href="http://averybrewing.com/age-verification/?referrer=/">Avery</a>), newcomers (e.g. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/plattparkbrewing">Platt Park</a>, <a href="http://www.postbrewing.com/">The Post</a>, <a href="http://www.station26brewing.co/">Station 26</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coda-Brewing-Co/155563864590022">Coda</a>), mountain
brewers (e.g. <a href="http://dostalalley.net/Site/Dostal_Alley.html">Dostal Alley</a>, <a href="http://www.telluridebrewingco.com/">Telluride Brewing</a>, <a href="http://bonfirebrewing.com/">Bonfire</a>), and front range
brewers (a lot of them). Colorado’s not
the land of one or two hotshot breweries, it boasts a team of breweries all
doing their part to bolster the state’s prestigious brewing reputation. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KTF4YPqomFOuix2LbrkJV8-0T1D9WNoJDuKPAImLPO21d37Ukxk07Qy3by5PmgwXACBcJjn3xlte50ufOnYEtBPMnrsJDKpEP-hw4OcjMSZk9GNrP0DISXY18R_1aDj6xyju1SHCWhpI/s1600/IMG_8436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KTF4YPqomFOuix2LbrkJV8-0T1D9WNoJDuKPAImLPO21d37Ukxk07Qy3by5PmgwXACBcJjn3xlte50ufOnYEtBPMnrsJDKpEP-hw4OcjMSZk9GNrP0DISXY18R_1aDj6xyju1SHCWhpI/s1600/IMG_8436.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted at GABF</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Coors’ craft division, <a href="http://www.acgolden.com/AgeVerification.aspx">AC Golden Brewing Company</a>,
earned the award for <i>Large Brewing
Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year</i>. I sometimes wonder how event organizers determine
a brewery’s size. True, Coors is a large
brewery. Hell, <a href="http://www.millercoors.com/Brewery-Tours/Golden-Brewery-Tour.aspx">it’s the largest single-site brewing facility in the whole damn world</a>! AC Golden, though, while <i>owned</i> by Coors, operates with near 100% autonomy, hardly ever
answering to Coors’ big-wigs. AC Golden’s
equipment, likewise, is separate from Coor’s colossal, sequoia-wide kettles; the
system on which AC Golden brews is actually on par with many mom-and-pop
breweries around Denver. Really, the
only thing “large” about AC Golden is their wallet—Coors is footing their bills. I suppose its financial magnitude puts it in
the <i>Large Brewing Company</i>
category. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->You like American-style brown ales? Colorado’s the state for you! We swept that category winning the bronze,
silver, <i>and</i> gold! From top to bottom, the victorious breweries
were <a href="http://upslopebrewing.com/">Upslope Brewing Company</a>, Diebolt Brewing, and Telluride Brewing Co. Unfortunately, Colorado’s category-sweeping achievement was overshadowed
by California which dominated <i>two</i>
categories: <a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/beer-styles/">Barley-Wine Style Ale</a> and <a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/beer-styles/">Session Beer</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->If you really want to get into some specific
mathematics, according to the <a href="http://www.brewersassociation.org/">Brewers Association</a> (BA):<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: #222222;">“Top three states by ratio of medals to entries by state:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222;">New Jersey: 19% with
16 entries and three medals</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222;">Alaska: 13% with 16
entries and two medals—tied with federal district Washington, D.C.: 13% with 8
entries and one medal</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222;">New Mexico: 10% with 84 entries and eight medals”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">You
wouldn’t call these three states (four counting D.C.) the best of GABF due to
their high percentage of wins but you might call them the most <i>precise</i>; instead of shot-gunning a bunch
of entrants and hoping for a medal, instead of throwing the proverbial poo
against the wall and seeing what sticks, these states streamlined the competition,
sending only their most phenomenal beers.
They sent King Leonidas’ 300, they sent quality over quantity. I give them kudos for cutting out the fluff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0GWqqvNNWf2u_8Su3QcANMQH0XgqX31bIP5KR0s_9MBFFhc-fGW-p17GVtRmc3ZgYT_jY_k0wPCcPvneeuI9gCtX9ORLtJTgRM6Jg7hQcTMu5nBUXRC3tzuPzuMRv9D4re9JBy8aGWNa/s1600/IMG_8443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0GWqqvNNWf2u_8Su3QcANMQH0XgqX31bIP5KR0s_9MBFFhc-fGW-p17GVtRmc3ZgYT_jY_k0wPCcPvneeuI9gCtX9ORLtJTgRM6Jg7hQcTMu5nBUXRC3tzuPzuMRv9D4re9JBy8aGWNa/s1600/IMG_8443.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fat Head taps at GABF</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222;">Also according to
the BA:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
“Four breweries
tied for most medals won, with three medals each:<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o</span><span style="font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.10barrel.com/agegate">10 Barrel Brewing Co.</a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o</span><span style="font-size: 7.0pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.barleybrownsbeer.com/">Barley Brown’s Brew Pub</a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o</span><span style="font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.dbbrewingcompany.com/theoutpost.aspx">Devils Backbone Brewing Company–The Outpost</a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o</span><span style="font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span></span>Left Hand Brewing Co.”<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">That’s
an unfair statement to Barley Brown’s and Devils Backbone, though, because they
each netted <i>four</i> medals except each
of their fourth medals came from a separate brewing facility. Not all the medaling beers were born under
the same roof but the same logo hung on each of the two buildings. All were nurtured by the same company. Ergo, <i>two</i>
breweries tied for most medals won so congratulations to Barley Brown’s and
Devils Backbone. Colorado’s own Left Hand
was right in the hunt with three silvers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADi3oF7bG82l5E0oCHXkiRnUQU09ETztg3F2zXcIrEu2oFnieikomfG0b9wp5_enzI4esnOYGTyPjP-FAi2G71I-HRDqrXe29M2oEfJ5-G7beyrvjfxIiqWUYLYvjbGy5blm40qZWkfsg/s1600/IMG_8524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADi3oF7bG82l5E0oCHXkiRnUQU09ETztg3F2zXcIrEu2oFnieikomfG0b9wp5_enzI4esnOYGTyPjP-FAi2G71I-HRDqrXe29M2oEfJ5-G7beyrvjfxIiqWUYLYvjbGy5blm40qZWkfsg/s1600/IMG_8524.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Chris1Char"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222;">Longtime
readers know I’m native to Indiana and, while the Hoosier State didn’t exactly
mop the floor with the competition, Indianapolis-based <a href="http://www.sunkingbrewing.com/">Sun King Brewery</a> won a
silver and gold <i>in the same category</i>! They </span><span class="Chris1Char">do a <a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/beer-styles/">Wood-and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer</a> right! One
brewery claiming two-thirds of one category is seriously prodigious. Did they load up on the category, hoping at
least <i>one</i> of their beers would medal? Was it a twist of fate they ended up with two
awards? I don’t know but Sun King earned
their bragging rights with that one.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Chris1Char"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span class="Chris1Char">This year, I
participated in <a href="http://www.porchdrinking.com/2014-gabf-fantasy-brewery-league-results/">PorchDrinking.com’s GABF Fantasy Draft</a>. Five points for gold, three for silver, and
one for bronze plus an additional 20 points if any of our breweries were
crowned in one of the seven “<a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/brewers/competition-information/#6">brewery or brewpub of the year</a>” categories. Take a look at my team in the chart below. On paper, it looks like a can’t-lose
line-up. I lost anyway (technically, I
tied for <a href="http://www.porchdrinking.com/2014-gabf-fantasy-brewery-league-results/">ninth out of 12 players</a>). It
was rough. I tried to be scientific with
my picks, taking into account past wins for each brewery but, in the end, I
would have done better on random mode because, as it turned out, there were a
lot of out-of-nowhere winners at this year’s GABF—newcomers and breweries who
haven’t won in ages decided to show up in 2014.
Regrettably, many of my fantasy draft competitors happened to have those
longshots on their teams. <span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Chris1Char"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XPjhErZa3j3egIW1zuzkeedHsp0ZlN7ceYzjXWmKfebQuas97NKM3Yq3aLREHUjl3yT-e1BofO13AGxscN49g3l0auKEDlG3dHI6s6OvKSq2h5IyxB0FnSU6WZkt4F1BiJJZ2jcltSe2/s1600/fantasy+draft+board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XPjhErZa3j3egIW1zuzkeedHsp0ZlN7ceYzjXWmKfebQuas97NKM3Yq3aLREHUjl3yT-e1BofO13AGxscN49g3l0auKEDlG3dHI6s6OvKSq2h5IyxB0FnSU6WZkt4F1BiJJZ2jcltSe2/s1600/fantasy+draft+board.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I represented <i>Denver off the Wagon</i> for the draft </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span class="Chris1Char">Let’s all point and laugh
at </span>Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Mississippi, North Dakota, Nebraska, New
Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island because they didn’t win anything at the
2014 GABF.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris<o:p></o:p></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-56242773663144654412014-10-10T15:15:00.000-07:002014-10-10T15:34:09.797-07:00GABF 2014: The Media Luncheon<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/" target="_blank">Great American Beer Festival</a> (GABF) has once again
blown through Denver and, once again, Nicole and I were on-hand to experience
the wonder that is America’s premier beer festival. How does one encapsulate the essence of GABF
in a blog post? Not easily; the festival
is multi-faceted, nonlinear, and inconsistent to the narrative storytelling
format. Ergo, I shall recall my
experiences via vignettes separated into broad categories: <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/10/gabf-2014-festival-itself.html" target="_blank">The Festival Itself</a>,
The Media Luncheon, and The Awards.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>The Media Luncheon<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>This was the second time Nicole and I attended
the media luncheon; first in 2012 then skipping 2013. Held on the 38<sup>th</sup> floor of the
downtown <a href="http://granddenver.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html" target="_blank">Denver Grand Hyatt</a>, this summit of journalists, <a href="http://www.brewersassociation.org/" target="_blank">Brewers Association</a> (BA)
reps, and brewery personalities offered networking opportunities, exclusive
facts and figures from the BA, and all while perched in a lofty tower,
overlooking the city and mountains. An
awe-inspiring view, certainly, and I couldn’t help trying to spot my favorite
breweries from that sky-scraping vantage point.
No luck; from that height, all the buildings blur together.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXhJBULN0o8r8SdAu_V5dFrLS1Y2AVRag8XUamE9qkfUKxmAM3JHC2096zWqMNXk75HZm86dSXOKKH_fcpEZdt8ecB9AZbdPz0bKLB-lC9uKDUzpFNDreAJMxnfEIJa6yfrpARWz2wqjp/s1600/luncheon2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXhJBULN0o8r8SdAu_V5dFrLS1Y2AVRag8XUamE9qkfUKxmAM3JHC2096zWqMNXk75HZm86dSXOKKH_fcpEZdt8ecB9AZbdPz0bKLB-lC9uKDUzpFNDreAJMxnfEIJa6yfrpARWz2wqjp/s1600/luncheon2.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drinking beers a mile high (plus 38 floors)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->The reasons a beer writer should want to attend
the GABF media luncheon are myriad but, for me, the food and the beer pairings
are the strongest siren call. As I
write, I’m remembering our luxurious feast and making that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msQPHxTUgzI" target="_blank">Homer Simpson gurgling noise</a>. Check out the menu, keeping
in mind each beer is also a past GABF medalist:<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Starter<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Smoked Trout Fuille de Brick, Grapefruit and
Chervil Persillade<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">paired with:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30581/102895/" target="_blank">Serenity from Wicked Weed Brewing</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2210/114806/" target="_blank">Opal from Firestone Walker Brewing Company</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Intermezzo<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Granny Smith Apple with Ginger and Grapefruit<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">paired with:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Napoleon Complex Berliner
Weisse from the BA homebrewing team<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Entrée<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Grilled Ribeye Filet, Roasted Shallot Demi,
Salsify, Yukon Gold Potato and Horseradish Gelette, French Green Beans,
Horseradish Chip<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">paired with:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.blacktoothbrewingcompany.com/Section/The_Beer/Black_Eagle_Baltic_Porter/index.html" target="_blank">Black Eagle Baltic Porter from Black Tooth Brewing Company</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://pineyriverbrewing.com/beer-tomporter.html" target="_blank">Old Tom Porter from Piney River Brewing Co.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Dessert<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Dusty Miller Semifreddo, Warm Toffee Sauce<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">paired with:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29377/82924/?ba=yourefragile" target="_blank">Balt Altbier from Union Craft Brewing</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1304/3704/" target="_blank">Tsunami Stout from Pelican Pub & Brewery</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpk8ww23xwrBPKiOurcCqLKVV2QhsSuv-sxfesDuxTp4IJBM0dnA5EltUdZ2kG_takIkDKJgXaU8px-Hu1EW4b9v_d6EQnTwogJCUXWZvDDWHJEYmByEFZeURKetWPFfzaPELpNMlziSkY/s1600/luncheon4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpk8ww23xwrBPKiOurcCqLKVV2QhsSuv-sxfesDuxTp4IJBM0dnA5EltUdZ2kG_takIkDKJgXaU8px-Hu1EW4b9v_d6EQnTwogJCUXWZvDDWHJEYmByEFZeURKetWPFfzaPELpNMlziSkY/s1600/luncheon4.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
For those not schooled in culinary terminology, a
more prosaic description of the food would be as such:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: center;">
<u>Starter<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Yummy fish eggrolls<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<i>paired with:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
A citrusy,
tart beer and a dry-hopped saison<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<u>Intermezzo<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<i>A thin slice of apple folded over ginger and
grapefruit and then held in place with a toothpick<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<i>balanced on the rim of:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
A shot
glass of bready-more-than-sour Berliner weisse<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<u>Entrée<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<i>One of the best pieces of steak you’ll ever
put in your mouth sitting atop a hash brown<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<i>paired with:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
Two very
decadent porters<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<u>Dessert<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<i>A weird sphere of chocolate mousse encased
in a hard, chocolate shell<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<i>paired with:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpLast" style="text-align: center;">
A robust
altbier and a gut-filling stout<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpLast" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBHukdCXiiniKHt0ucYxjI_iwc4xOAuXUcpLXVejeYxrclVuv7_rTELX82Tk4SI1ueSBFwIx6FajwlN-8kvedBbxe8nwEBsEIWCebfvFRU_5sdna9uFFk7PDe2awe47q3NSF23SJ5rfga/s1600/luncheon5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBHukdCXiiniKHt0ucYxjI_iwc4xOAuXUcpLXVejeYxrclVuv7_rTELX82Tk4SI1ueSBFwIx6FajwlN-8kvedBbxe8nwEBsEIWCebfvFRU_5sdna9uFFk7PDe2awe47q3NSF23SJ5rfga/s1600/luncheon5.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
Fit for the snooty, rich antagonist of a 1980’s “<a href="http://www.ifc.com/fix/2012/03/10-great-snobs-vs-slobs-comedies" target="_blank">slobs vs. snobs</a>” comedy, the meal was several sumptuous notches above the
stereotypical beer geek fare of dripping hamburgers, pizza, and pretzel
necklaces. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzxPfgnMyQpAlK7YJp2Q9JNlqqE2B-Ddg3lpRjrvcN7-hiE1GNjBB0XM8N5yhpXwO-OfCOr5X68KbxC34gdKMj5kEr3qgRuYjTGpS-N9E2pE-Yg9f6KGbAvNFW4Zzz6Sp4ebuJDSShnGd/s1600/luncheon7+(2).JPG" height="213" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The intermezzo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Quick!
Picture a beer geek. What do you
see in your mind’s eye? A beard? A flannel shirt? An epidermis hailing from the Caucasus
region? Basically, a white dude who’s
doing well financially, right? That
demographic is the majority at any beer festival but, according to the BA,
there’s a cultural shift happening in the world of craft beer. A rising number of women, Hispanics, and
people in lower SES brackets are joining the party. Women age 21-34 account for 15% of craft
volume, the lower 60% in terms of income account for 40%, and Hispanic craft
drinkers are quickly becoming a target audience. On one hand, this is awesome news; diversity
benefits the industry as a whole. A
wider customer base equates to more money generated. The world tends to be a more pleasant,
tolerant place when people of different backgrounds share a common interest,
too. On the other hand, the statistics
remain paltry; it’s still a European-descended male’s world. The BA’s figures seem “token,” like
Photoshopping a minority student into a <a href="http://home.byu.edu/home/" target="_blank">BYU</a> newsletter. Perhaps I’m just cynical. Perhaps craft beer is truly experiencing the
onset of a major demographic change. I
don’t know if that’s true but I hope it is; beer is for the people—<i>all</i> the people. I do know, however, my wife, who boasts
Hispanic roots, didn’t like beer until she met me. You can thank me for bumping the BA’s
percentages up by a decimal or two.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9qjLGQCpZ30evekRyuCGPXCd9UTV0IeQQVsNnZeXzLUYhsyEAxF7MmuisKy8yvImr7qx6P4JLfSPqFSnIrEhu-jEQ65RktBe2jd3AqjxEoTJeyij_5TFjTwf15edA6Nv5qV6hVw03udP/s1600/luncheon9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9qjLGQCpZ30evekRyuCGPXCd9UTV0IeQQVsNnZeXzLUYhsyEAxF7MmuisKy8yvImr7qx6P4JLfSPqFSnIrEhu-jEQ65RktBe2jd3AqjxEoTJeyij_5TFjTwf15edA6Nv5qV6hVw03udP/s1600/luncheon9.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get in my mouth!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/10/the-expanding-demographics-of-craft-beer.html">75% of Americans age 21 and up live within ten miles of a brewery</a>. There’s no excuse
why you shouldn’t be drinking local.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjwARFotFV7kIqo2ZNEMt0NZwlVavnLbvGkAmlMUadlls0gf4sW-EW12zfMwxBb3JYBhxwpU1pjbNdhUjKfNWSVXOH5P3Aaox-SVGEuVsnF8PjfwmFUwHA8mhamEisiUORByG9ycIFjZs/s1600/luncheon10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjwARFotFV7kIqo2ZNEMt0NZwlVavnLbvGkAmlMUadlls0gf4sW-EW12zfMwxBb3JYBhxwpU1pjbNdhUjKfNWSVXOH5P3Aaox-SVGEuVsnF8PjfwmFUwHA8mhamEisiUORByG9ycIFjZs/s1600/luncheon10.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics/national-beer-sales-production-data/">Beer is a $100 billion market, the subset of craft beer is $14.3 billion</a>, while wine is at $36 billion. Meanwhile, craft is steadily eating away at
the mega-brands’ share—craft, like Pepé Le Pew pursuing his object of
affection, is slowly but surely overtaking the remaining $85.7 billion. My point: I’m not sure. But it’s an interesting bit of data.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>Throughout the luncheon, brewers expounded on
their stories of origin, successes, failures, and future plans. Kevin DeLange of <a href="http://drydockbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Dry Dock Brewing Co.</a>, for
example, told an anecdote of when he won his first GABF medal. When they announced his beer as the winner,
the first thought that ran through DeLange’s mind was “who stole my name?” Of course, Dry Dock’s used to hearing their
names called now; they have 20 career medals, after all. Additionally, the folks from <a href="http://pineyriverbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Piney River</a> explained
their unique situation: they’re way out in the boondocks of the Missouri
Ozarks. If you survive the
snaggle-toothed opossums and similarly dentally challenged backwoodsmen, you’re
rewarded with award-winning beer! Fun
side note: Piney River, since 2011, is the only brewery in the Missouri Ozarks
that cans their beer. However, it’s such
a localized operation that they have no liquor store presence in the state’s
two major metros, St. Louis and Kansas City.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YPG48oMaJtM_MZwj34noVGSCMvy-SMNrb5A3FpDDAo1zqiLOoh1HfxVHS83XIrI3_gEXqV1-kjx9bsHFLDvVQdIr-38CsVdgDUdgSEDFGQXumJtdhqA5jVvR6Y2TbZoKbpLhBrXgJ9mg/s1600/luncheon6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YPG48oMaJtM_MZwj34noVGSCMvy-SMNrb5A3FpDDAo1zqiLOoh1HfxVHS83XIrI3_gEXqV1-kjx9bsHFLDvVQdIr-38CsVdgDUdgSEDFGQXumJtdhqA5jVvR6Y2TbZoKbpLhBrXgJ9mg/s1600/luncheon6.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DeLange et al speaking to the crowd</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->The website for your next favorite brewery may
not end in .com, .net, or any other <i>dot
whatever</i> to which you’re accustomed.
Rather, it may well conclude with <a href="http://www.instra.com/en/domain-names/newgtld/beer-domain-registration/beer?gclid=Cj0KEQjwh96hBRCnsefbvZrKrpcBEiQAF7oMdFzqDZel0MVVmXCz451sMeN1KABIKp_VRsFHRzWAzUUaAnA-8P8HAQ">.beer</a>.
I’m not much of a techie (as you may assume from this blog’s
primitiveness) but this new format seems like a natural progression befitting
the dramatic rise of craft beer’s popularity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris<o:p></o:p></div>
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-36316382919282570622014-10-07T20:54:00.002-07:002014-10-08T08:22:47.652-07:00GABF 2014: The Festival Itself<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/" target="_blank">Great American Beer Festival</a> (GABF) has once again
blown through Denver and, once again, Nicole and I were on-hand to experience
the wonder that is America’s premier beer festival. How does one encapsulate the essence of GABF
in a blog post? Not easily; the festival
is multi-faceted, nonlinear, and inconsistent to the narrative storytelling
format. Ergo, I shall recall my experiences
via vignettes separated into broad categories: The Festival Itself, The Media
Luncheon, and The Awards.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHOX5dc6w8L9Eqbpsc3SUy81SsAL8cVYbpmjUfuuTfPDKyKUlaQbsFNv11KJPH13B38WWhMPufB1sRYWeAsa38S2-xZFYxn06MEw-Hp1aQXiE6RbUYW4JQT0OFk1oUqQN8mBUqSpTfmRB/s1600/IMG_8432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHOX5dc6w8L9Eqbpsc3SUy81SsAL8cVYbpmjUfuuTfPDKyKUlaQbsFNv11KJPH13B38WWhMPufB1sRYWeAsa38S2-xZFYxn06MEw-Hp1aQXiE6RbUYW4JQT0OFk1oUqQN8mBUqSpTfmRB/s1600/IMG_8432.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beer was so manly, my glass sprouted a 'stache</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>The Festival
Itself<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Do long lines at a booth indicate a particularly
good brewery? Perhaps. It’s equally likely the meandering queue is
the result of hype. I’m not saying <a href="http://www.3floyds.com/over-21/?redirect_to=http://www.3floyds.com/" target="_blank">Three Floyds Brewing Co.</a> doesn’t brew stupendous beer (although, if you read <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/08/great-lake-great-beer-pt-2.html" target="_blank">one of my recent posts</a>, the attitude of their taproom employees leaves something to be
desired) but I <i>am</i> saying <a href="http://www.sunkingbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Sun King Brewery</a>, only a booth or two down from Three Floyds, is, in my humblest
opinion, a superior brewery and featured no line. On the other hand, the folks in front of
Three Floyds might as well have been waiting for <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/08/great-lake-great-beer-pt-2.html" target="_blank">a roller coaster at Six Flags</a>. I get it: <a href="http://www.3floyds.com/over-21/?redirect_to=http://www.3floyds.com/beer/zombie-dust/" target="_blank">Zombie Dust</a> is highly-regarded and
people covet the bragging rights that go along with having tasted it. But, would you rather have a great and famous
beer or a great and unknown beer? Is the
thought of a “celebrity” beer really that alluring? Personally, I prefer to be a trendsetter, not
a trend follower so, on that note, might I recommend Sun King’s <a href="http://www.sunkingbrewing.com/kung-pao-brett.html" target="_blank">Kung Pao Brett</a>? Perhaps their 2014 GABF medalists
<a href="http://www.sunkingbrewing.com/lonesome-dove.html" target="_blank">Lonesome Dove</a> or <a href="http://www.sunkingbrewing.com/batch-666.html" target="_blank">Barrel Aged 666: Sympathy for the Devil</a>? <b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="https://www.facebook.com/plattparkbrewing" target="_blank">Platt Park Brewing Company</a>, formerly Denver
Pearl, poured next to <a href="http://denverbeerco.com/" target="_blank">Denver Beer Co.</a> at GABF, Denver Beer being the brewery
that <a href="http://www.confluence-denver.com/inthenews/ipb_ppb_091114.aspx" target="_blank">recently threatened Platt Park with a trademark infringement lawsuit</a>. That was probably awkward for both parties
but don’t blame the festival organizers; it makes alphabetical sense
considering Platt Park registered for GABF under the name “Denver Pearl.” It was only recently the change of name occurred,
after all. Platt Park probably forgot
about their little litigious spat, though, when they took home the silver in
the Vienna-Style Lager category. <b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2M79ZCRwJt0f9wLi48C1JXFWlBa2JgCAGR_EayPryBoymCCwXsntsZZED56pSERQX46TlQIC40wf-8LUBEwAtGU-rO6uykTOt67CY_sERU0qrOiwLLiJrf_y5AwVU_Fhyphenhyphen8Yfc1Vy9Iylx/s1600/platt+park+dbc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2M79ZCRwJt0f9wLi48C1JXFWlBa2JgCAGR_EayPryBoymCCwXsntsZZED56pSERQX46TlQIC40wf-8LUBEwAtGU-rO6uykTOt67CY_sERU0qrOiwLLiJrf_y5AwVU_Fhyphenhyphen8Yfc1Vy9Iylx/s1600/platt+park+dbc.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hopefully, these booths were run by objective and unbiased volunteers the whole night.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Wish to avoid a Platt Park/Denver Beer Co.-type
situation? Name your brewery something ridiculous
so no other brewery could (or would want to) imitate it. GABF was ripe with absurd brewery and beer
names and among my favorites were <a href="http://belchinbeaver.com/" target="_blank">Belching Beaver Brewery</a>, <a href="https://untappd.com/b/four-fathers-brewing-llc-british-ugly/758956/photos" target="_blank">British Ugly from Four Fathers Brewing</a>, and the suggestively named (to perverted minds e.g. my
own) <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoldenAvalanche" target="_blank">Golden Avalanche Brewing Company</a>.
Technically named for <a href="http://www.kutztown.edu/avalanche/bio.asp" target="_blank">a local college mascot</a>, “Golden Avalanche” sounds more
like an intense golden shower (again, I admit it may take a warped individual
to make that leap). Having been in
business since 1999, Golden Avalanche has been around too long to operate under
a new name. However, it would be wise to
update the logo. The imagery of
cascading, yellow liquid is <i>supposed</i>
to be beer, I guess, but looks like, well, let's just say it looks like something else. <b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdsHWHnWhdlLcYDRyeM6koP8LcHrvP2wVhiGeRTB77T5_amlqItC8siqDCyWqI_CjUR2DkTSe0YQ5O237LoYrFGJkjeVQgCc3eJdUeiOtGAdKQzd0X_PHS54yvj0sG5wd2hmMRZNwQNPG/s1600/IMG_8451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdsHWHnWhdlLcYDRyeM6koP8LcHrvP2wVhiGeRTB77T5_amlqItC8siqDCyWqI_CjUR2DkTSe0YQ5O237LoYrFGJkjeVQgCc3eJdUeiOtGAdKQzd0X_PHS54yvj0sG5wd2hmMRZNwQNPG/s1600/IMG_8451.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I <i>can't</i> be the only one whose mind went to the gutter, can I?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Most people pay the brewers guild booths little
mind but that’s a mistake; the booths are staffed by passionate beer geeks with
tons of information on their state’s brewing scene and, sometimes, there are
fun little activities like the <a href="http://coloradobeer.org/" target="_blank">Colorado Brewers Guild</a>’s head-to-head
competition between Colorado’s Senate and House of Representatives. Both governmental entities brewed with local
companies—the former with <a href="http://drydockbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Dry Dock Brewing Co.</a>, the latter with Denver Beer Co.—and,
when Nicole and I visited, the votes were in a near-tie with the Senate’s Upper
Chamber Fresh Hop (originally titled “Burning Down the House” before being
deemed a touch too violent) raking in 51% of the constituency and the House’s
Representative Saison with 49%. A family
divided, I voted for one and Nicole the other. UPDATE: <a href="https://twitter.com/coloradobrewers/status/518542946317385728" target="_blank">the final count had the House winning with 51.9%</a>. <b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRA-zDwTI5Vx-20u3TiZCHZLxlO8wTJQz2PbrwHwssrKEWcGgxjNn9HifBpN0um6wPIHDHDBJ8AwKvWI3_PKeTfHjsbMd3D4wkfD_pYilX2VFcRfjK0HHNmMUWoeujGP3Aw-0t60ILJXDh/s1600/IMG_8446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRA-zDwTI5Vx-20u3TiZCHZLxlO8wTJQz2PbrwHwssrKEWcGgxjNn9HifBpN0um6wPIHDHDBJ8AwKvWI3_PKeTfHjsbMd3D4wkfD_pYilX2VFcRfjK0HHNmMUWoeujGP3Aw-0t60ILJXDh/s1600/IMG_8446.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The House ended up winning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The award for best-dressed brewery reps goes to
<a href="https://www.shortsbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Short’s Brewing Company</a>. Donned in snappy, vintage garb, the green-vested, corsage’d pourers matched the brewery’s extravagantly old-fashioned end-cap skinned in distressed wood and worn tin tiles. With such an eccentric booth, the beer needs
to be similarly snazzy and Short’s delivered earning a gold medal for their experimental
beer, <a href="https://www.shortsbrewing.com/beers/key-lime-pie/" target="_blank">Key Lime Pie</a>. That certainly wasn’t
their only off-kilter brew. See also:
<a href="https://www.shortsbrewing.com/beers/bourbon-carrot-cake/" target="_blank">Bourbon Carrot Cake</a>, <a href="https://www.shortsbrewing.com/beers/strawberry-shorts-cake/" target="_blank">Strawberry Short’s Cake</a>, and <a href="https://www.shortsbrewing.com/beers/schnozzleberry-griffin/" target="_blank">Schnozzleberry Griffin</a>.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cEyKCLcz1to26P2U_LtLt2ZdtdyOxkeTudV0PKFwhD23lG4wQvDSQ9IlKnQWWF4gbtcLIEWkuLYQAvP1r-aiYj0tYeHYJNqzFjJwogqbLKwTWAwgrGv7ulA3rE5PHzuF4OouSppvjeT5/s1600/IMG_8520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cEyKCLcz1to26P2U_LtLt2ZdtdyOxkeTudV0PKFwhD23lG4wQvDSQ9IlKnQWWF4gbtcLIEWkuLYQAvP1r-aiYj0tYeHYJNqzFjJwogqbLKwTWAwgrGv7ulA3rE5PHzuF4OouSppvjeT5/s1600/IMG_8520.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lookin' sharp, Short's.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The one brewery I made absolutely sure to visit
was <a href="http://scratchbeer.com/" target="_blank">Scratch Brewing Co.</a>, the Illinois brewery known for their foraged beers
made with items picked from the surrounding woodlands. This year, <a href="http://scratchbeer.com/?p=508" target="_blank">Scratch featured an all-gruitlineup</a>—all five of their beers were without hops and instead bittered with the
natural flora of the Midwest. I was not
disappointed when I tasted Scratch’s beers.
Craft beer runs a gamut of flavors—bitter, sweet, sour, salty, roasted,
toasted, fruity, spicy,…etc.—but I was nonetheless surprised as I quaffed
Scratch’s wares—I’ve literally never tasted another beer anything like the ones
at Scratch. Each beer was a whirlwind of
flavors but, at times, I noticed essences of tea, mint, and general woodsy
qualities. They tasted like the forest
floor and I mean that as a high compliment.</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3YwCPM4x6Gi8rALsYTnfqmK84jNc5MBP_7CldjwTm95rb8GII8P8MhD07bcxUDMeElpVxO5inzSxAC3yF_5si6JoW8yNv1aJ4qoIhcD5KwYR-sfWEspgeHWsAXgHPPBH9Wotc4aZGKcu/s1600/IMG_8538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3YwCPM4x6Gi8rALsYTnfqmK84jNc5MBP_7CldjwTm95rb8GII8P8MhD07bcxUDMeElpVxO5inzSxAC3yF_5si6JoW8yNv1aJ4qoIhcD5KwYR-sfWEspgeHWsAXgHPPBH9Wotc4aZGKcu/s1600/IMG_8538.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, there's such a thing as too many pretzels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Beer geeks are generally a likeable bunch. However, not everybody at GABF is a beer
geek. Some attendees are plain, old
jackasses merely looking to get blotto.
This is especially true of the Saturday night session. On the night in question, Nicole and I, along
with usual cohorts Robin and Justin, were weaving through the throngs of
revelers, looking for a space to recollect and plan our next move. To give my diminutive wife a beacon as we
navigated the crowd (and because I was feeling silly from the beer), I pressed
through with an empty tasting glass held firmly to the crown of my head. Unbeknownst to me, an over-served young lady
made several attempts to dislodge said tasting glass from my noggin. Mind you, this person was a perfect stranger,
not a rambunctious friend of mine. I’m
glad her nefarious plan went unnoticed by me for there might have been an
exchange of unkind words. Robin <i>did</i> notice, though, and uttered a few
words of admonishment as she passed the ne’er-do-well. Friends got to stick up for each other.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8Lxrme-MDURLsaBe_RsFQ0yHrtoExJnh7STHNdbAesSptHeth4rC_DP7TTcdrH6RQeN-3w4qdjDPal8MzuE_fxmbzXuSrc-l5roJLRey3WcUGjwSPZcjo2eZMv8uOj7CKD9n9JcKK97A/s1600/IMG_8542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8Lxrme-MDURLsaBe_RsFQ0yHrtoExJnh7STHNdbAesSptHeth4rC_DP7TTcdrH6RQeN-3w4qdjDPal8MzuE_fxmbzXuSrc-l5roJLRey3WcUGjwSPZcjo2eZMv8uOj7CKD9n9JcKK97A/s1600/IMG_8542.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your friendly neighborhood Beer Geek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Speaking of Robin, she and Nicole reached
milestone <a href="https://untappd.com/home" target="_blank">Untappd</a> check-ins at GABF; Robin got her 500<sup>th</sup> beer,
Nicole her 1,000<sup>th</sup>. <a href="http://www.wickedweedbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Wicked Weed Brewing</a> had the honor of lifting Robin to “<a href="https://untappd.com/user/BeerInColorado/badges/6038480" target="_blank">Legendary</a>” status but the brewery
that gave Nicole her millennial brew shall remain nameless because, to commemorate the occasion, they did something nice but also something against festival rules<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">—they
filled Nicole’s taster cup all the way to the top.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Cheers to you, John Doe Brewing!</span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><br />
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->In 2014, GABF fully implemented <a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/news/return-beer-geeks/" target="_blank">the Beer Geek squad</a>: roaming craft enthusiasts educating volunteers and assisting attendees
in finding beers to match their tastes. It’s
a fantastic program, I think. Granted, I’m
in my element at GABF, I don’t need any assistance, but, just for fun, I’d chat
up a Beer Geek and ask him or her for a recommendation or, to give them a
challenge, ask for the <i>weirdest</i> beer
they’ve had all night. They certainly
delivered on that last question; <a href="http://www.armadilloaleworks.com/beer/?age-verified=994ec003f0" target="_blank">Brunch Money from Armadillo Ale Works</a>—tasting like
liquefied pancakes and syrup—was definitely weird.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->I saw <a href="https://twitter.com/CharliePapazian" target="_blank">Charlie Papazian</a> hanging out by the guilds
and bothered him for a picture. That was
pretty cool.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UJ2bU-00W0jZnEcfTeqCmiPP3TonqYuxmJnrMYKwi7jSK0cfLVsfx-UW4e3tW7eN8L40B76J5aAMbCH75n_PthEhj6VO_rbxmcclbH1eoorxdniKR5TC09knHt-T2lQXCXyjlKzbgDaY/s1600/charlie+papazian+gabf2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UJ2bU-00W0jZnEcfTeqCmiPP3TonqYuxmJnrMYKwi7jSK0cfLVsfx-UW4e3tW7eN8L40B76J5aAMbCH75n_PthEhj6VO_rbxmcclbH1eoorxdniKR5TC09knHt-T2lQXCXyjlKzbgDaY/s1600/charlie+papazian+gabf2014.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin, Papazian, and I</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Memorable beers I haven’t already mentioned: <a href="http://towyardbrewing.com/tow-yard-brewing-beers/hook-up/" target="_blank">TheHook Up from Tow Yard Brewing Co.</a>, a radler/shandy hybrid blended with
locally-made (Indianapolis-area) citrus soda.
<a href="https://untappd.com/b/strangeways-brewing-wake-me-up-before-you-gose/738643" target="_blank">WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GOSE from Strangeways Brewing</a>. <a href="https://untappd.com/b/namaste-brewing-smoked-austoner-weisse/579496" target="_blank">Smoked Austoner Weisse from Namaste Brewing</a>, a rauchbier-like Berliner weisse. <a href="https://untappd.com/b/deep-river-brewing-company-rhubarb-lahey/796117" target="_blank">Rhubarb Lahey from Deep River Brewing Co.</a>, a
refreshingly tart and fruity sour beer. <a href="http://www.wreckingbarbrewpub.com/rose-gose" target="_blank">Rosa Gose from Wrecking Bar Brewpub</a>. <a href="https://untappd.com/b/alameda-brewing-co-nightbeer-before-christmas/526579" target="_blank">Nightbeer Before Christmas from Alameda Brewing Co.</a>, a strong, spiced brown ale which,
according to the pourer, nobody could properly pronounce (I suppose everybody wanted
to call it by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/" target="_blank">the famous movie title</a> from which the beer’s name is inspired;
people <i>saw</i> the beer’s name on the
sign but they didn’t <i>read</i> it). <a href="https://untappd.com/b/forbidden-root-brewing-company-forbidden-root/458025" target="_blank">Forbidden Root from the brewery of the same name</a>, a root beer flavored beer. <a href="https://untappd.com/b/destihl-brewery-wild-sour-series-here-gose-nothin/563602" target="_blank">Here Gose Nothin from DESTIHL</a> Anything and everything at <a href="http://www.therarebarrel.com/" target="_blank">The Rare Barrel</a>. <a href="https://untappd.com/b/caution-brewing-company-the-earl/442801" target="_blank">The Earl from CAUTION: Brewing Co.</a>, an
English mild ale infused with Earl Grey tea.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Stay tuned for the next GABF 2014 post: The Media
Luncheon<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFm7qhoAnfR8eZjJySQUKn8z5N_QBYnWgfMammsOj7E1-kh9xcrvHpFnx2o5mtWmZZ-CGexcs6NaxVu7-xIbpm-S1PEbHHUgXGEYc6m4vpxbL3ZK_F7jDBecWIsmHrnxXOPv_J3uppGVy/s1600/IMG_8408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFm7qhoAnfR8eZjJySQUKn8z5N_QBYnWgfMammsOj7E1-kh9xcrvHpFnx2o5mtWmZZ-CGexcs6NaxVu7-xIbpm-S1PEbHHUgXGEYc6m4vpxbL3ZK_F7jDBecWIsmHrnxXOPv_J3uppGVy/s1600/IMG_8408.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicole likes this beer name because it reminds her of the TV series <i>Weeds</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQxCdrtlAVktyccSkKHxlnzS1CaNpF9Lw7sSbpgfTTMgfUrnsGLLAWkBhDeodVJ__WxVF7CBW8m2wdfxw00tk2KXcTc2WaHt0tgCusPtazPe5TpHxioNw_R1M2oG1KA7D4PxvqopUlrN5/s1600/IMG_8509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQxCdrtlAVktyccSkKHxlnzS1CaNpF9Lw7sSbpgfTTMgfUrnsGLLAWkBhDeodVJ__WxVF7CBW8m2wdfxw00tk2KXcTc2WaHt0tgCusPtazPe5TpHxioNw_R1M2oG1KA7D4PxvqopUlrN5/s1600/IMG_8509.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-73636098982925682072014-09-17T15:03:00.000-07:002014-09-18T09:33:12.063-07:00Great Lake, Great Beer: Pt. 4<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<i>To read Part 3 of our Lake Michigan beer adventure,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i><i><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/09/great-lake-great-beer-pt-3.html" target="_blank">click here</a></span></i><i>.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
With a carload of people, Nicole and I, along with my
parents, siblings, and siblings’ significant others, headed inland to <a href="http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2013/05/grand_rapids_wins_beer_city_us.html" target="_blank">“Beer City USA” AKA Grand Rapids, Michigan</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Grand Rapids calls itself “Beer City USA” because
twice it won <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Papazian" target="_blank">Charlie Papazian</a>’s famous (<a href="http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2014/03/beer_city_usa_poll_retired_fou.html" target="_blank">now defunct</a>) internet poll. I’m not sure if winning a web-based
popularity contest warrants a metro-wide rebranding, even if Grand Rapids did claim
the top spot more than once. Don’t
misunderstand, I think very highly of the beers made in Michigan’s second
largest city; it’s just that I also think the “Beer City USA” poll is <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2012/09/after-beer-bloggers-conference-part-1.html" target="_blank">an inexact crock and should be given little credence</a>. I can hardly blame the municipal government
for latching onto the moniker, though. “Beer
City USA” sure as hell beats Grand Rapids’ official nickname—“<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids,_Michigan#Furniture_City" target="_blank">Furniture City</a>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilK_OEiKCWSQ6NBLdL9Zu5Rf8mg6ml3VG9qOmZijlmgtl0YBFxDBCphI2L49D_14-i7dZYrU_Gs19l_6VMX_TL9PlDxuCkbphy2emVQeJC261KkBzZg9KYOFSWaUoq8_1BeHvSFlzy7cSG/s1600/gr1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilK_OEiKCWSQ6NBLdL9Zu5Rf8mg6ml3VG9qOmZijlmgtl0YBFxDBCphI2L49D_14-i7dZYrU_Gs19l_6VMX_TL9PlDxuCkbphy2emVQeJC261KkBzZg9KYOFSWaUoq8_1BeHvSFlzy7cSG/s1600/gr1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
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Iffy though Grand Rapids’ beer accolades might be, I
applaud their branding efforts. Disregarding
the “Beer City USA” poll, it remains a fine town for ale and lager. Why <i>shouldn’t</i>
Grand Rapids advertise that fact? Why <i>shouldn’t</i> there be billboards erected hours outside city limits informing
drivers of the beer destination that lies ahead? Why <i>shouldn’t</i> they be proud of their brewing culture? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Do you know who <i>doesn’t</i>
laud their breweries with such enthusiasm?
The more obvious beer hotspots like San Diego and Denver. I’ve seen a few brew signs go up around the
Mile High City during <a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/" target="_blank">Great American Beer Festival</a> season but, besides that,
Denver’s beer culture is implied, hardly ever stated plainly. Why is the situation as such? Is it because the tourism boards of San Diego
and Denver focus on the more evident draws (e.g. the beaches of San Diego, the
mountains of Denver) and beer just isn’t on the radar? Are they protecting their civic reputation by
downplaying the cities’ affinity for mind-altering substances? Are they keeping beer culture hush-hush, underground,
trying not to oversell it so as to retain the “cool factor” of the brewing industry? I simply don’t know. All I know is, driving the eastern plains
towards Denver, I’ve never seen a billboard extolling <i>my</i> city’s strong craft
community (<a href="http://www.porchdrinking.com/colorado-state-craft-beer-launch/" target="_blank">although it does seem change is on the horizon</a>). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DatqSqmqbvZzqL2BttBEExoFD9Uig__YBbslFpB2nepJdmNZGbakraqm_TwzGOTrbZ030V4P9vVppk1I7TuqEfKC_IMZV_T5N4vBC54Pam9Q-pMQhIwQUMnoQdpsjy6hHDL6rR3Rx0Dx/s1600/gr2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DatqSqmqbvZzqL2BttBEExoFD9Uig__YBbslFpB2nepJdmNZGbakraqm_TwzGOTrbZ030V4P9vVppk1I7TuqEfKC_IMZV_T5N4vBC54Pam9Q-pMQhIwQUMnoQdpsjy6hHDL6rR3Rx0Dx/s1600/gr2.jpg" height="180" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Founders</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Our first brewery was the biggest and most famous in the
area, <a href="http://foundersbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Founders Brewing Co.</a> What can be
said about Founders that beer geeks don’t already know? They’re a juggernaut of the craft beer world,
they’ve got a contender in <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/lists/top/" target="_blank">Beer Advocate’s top 10 highest-rated beers</a> list, and
it was the most recommended brewery when I asked where in Grand Rapids I should
visit. Chances are you’ve had Founders
even if you don’t live in a state where they distribute (e.g. Colorado). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
My M.O. when it comes to drinking at well-known
breweries like Founders is never ordering from the year-round menu. What’s the point? Why talk about <a href="http://foundersbrewing.com/our-beer/all-day-ipa/" target="_blank">All Day IPA</a> when every other
beer geek’s probably already had it? I
want to bring something new to the conversation. Go small and go rare whenever you can; be a
beer adventurer, take the ale less traveled by.
For me, that meant <a href="https://untappd.com/b/founders-brewing-co-barrel-aged-spite-pepper-blend/683312" target="_blank">Barrel Aged Spite</a>—a beer far removed from the flagships.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsz6Hecz_4_I7_egNwQSZab2YP7FrRevIbseryd5xN8iVPQBVnzZ5BrWoatFH0lrQdLkNj79EgvChPABzMDo43EoPDnH3yGgRZMv4onKzeNN018kNDaMGCyGxJUKYlEXseOrrugPrggtB/s1600/gr3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsz6Hecz_4_I7_egNwQSZab2YP7FrRevIbseryd5xN8iVPQBVnzZ5BrWoatFH0lrQdLkNj79EgvChPABzMDo43EoPDnH3yGgRZMv4onKzeNN018kNDaMGCyGxJUKYlEXseOrrugPrggtB/s1600/gr3.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrel Aged Spite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
I drank Barrel Aged Spite in the Founders taproom
with its handsome, curved bar constructed of rustic wood. A chili beer,
Barrel Aged Spite lost much of its peppery bite from its rest in the barrel, the
flavor is heavier on oak and bourbon, but it’s still an interesting, creative
beer with at least a little spiciness left to tingle the tongue. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
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<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Our next Grand Rapids brewery, while boasting far
less fame than Founders, is becoming a larger part of the collective craft beer
consciousness. <a href="http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/detail.aspx?id=ebbb4453-3830-464f-b569-fb2fad5970f7" target="_blank">Collaboration with New Belgium Brewing</a>, achievements in <a href="http://www.breweryvivant.com/#!buildings/c21dq" target="_blank">LEED certification</a>, a devotion to French and
Belgian ales, and <a href="http://www.breweryvivant.com/#!buildings/c21dq" target="_blank">a taproom built in a refurbished funeral chapel</a> with stained
glass windows, vaulted cross-beamed ceilings, and a bar shaped in a Gothic pointed
arch will get any brewery some recognition and <a href="http://www.breweryvivant.com/" target="_blank">Brewery Vivant</a> deserves every
ounce of acknowledgment they accrue.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWyLmfHeC7d9UUsLwuY-Xz3qP3uLxg-oF2K2NGatAfKKV_SoSKJ5ODwHBJenwMvlDZcxTlwGkPfswmWYTz362zJJDdbMhwOEBGtdS7YAmI4iB36-uU6j3aneNPnUXnzg8JpSFQEtnY3nl/s1600/gr5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWyLmfHeC7d9UUsLwuY-Xz3qP3uLxg-oF2K2NGatAfKKV_SoSKJ5ODwHBJenwMvlDZcxTlwGkPfswmWYTz362zJJDdbMhwOEBGtdS7YAmI4iB36-uU6j3aneNPnUXnzg8JpSFQEtnY3nl/s1600/gr5.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Taking our seats at a long, wooden table—one of many
that outline the edges of the bar area—our group settled in with an order of
frites, a charcuterie platter, and several footed glasses of fine Franco/Belgo
ale. Most notably, the sour-tinged <a href="http://www.breweryvivant.com/#!packaged-beer/cais" target="_blank">Farm Hand saison</a>, the aptly named <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24678/65520/" target="_blank">Sgt. Peppercorn Rye</a> (the titular ingredient is not
to be ignored), the powerful and lavish <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24678/97951/" target="_blank">Whisky Rooster</a> aged in <a href="http://www.jackdaniels.com/verify-age?url=whiskey" target="_blank">Jack Daniels</a>
barrels, and <a href="https://untappd.com/b/brewery-vivant-the-cheetah/741171" target="_blank">The Cheetah</a>, a merciless Belgian strong dark ale that, with 14.2%
ABV, can drop a beer geek quicker than its namesake drops a Thomson’s gazelle. Brewery Vivant’s beers are so good they seem inspired
from on high. They don’t simply serve
the beer in a holy space, the recipes are equally divine. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnF-4FuSMF7mAR0eI8fWbumzbcykQGSE1LyeWaVugkv5F4uQc4hKgNuJEKb1sEAHU-2N1aNCW3_9hVUG_8xuX431r0sUaY15_gaDYa_WCo62IU_rki41iMKC6toK6blvEKGiO0vrLWBsed/s1600/gr6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnF-4FuSMF7mAR0eI8fWbumzbcykQGSE1LyeWaVugkv5F4uQc4hKgNuJEKb1sEAHU-2N1aNCW3_9hVUG_8xuX431r0sUaY15_gaDYa_WCo62IU_rki41iMKC6toK6blvEKGiO0vrLWBsed/s1600/gr6.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Vivant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Keeping the brew tour train chugging along, we
finished our beers at Brewery Vivant and skedaddled to <a href="http://harmonybeer.com/" target="_blank">Harmony Brewing Company</a>,
a neighborhood pub-style watering hole with an interior accented with worn
timber and a pleasant roadside patio with vibrantly colored picnic tables on
which we staked our claim. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEFDcazuv2eHNWTKaDiUx8rSBWvF-JD6BytiH1ruEaGz7aXfse9PY_b4aljiq_D8f5CxcmWKFQqRF3hgeH8uzUz2XBXr32bCq53xqY1CRAcDLKS89eu3zKuUx63ciS2qysHaxn7fcJAvn/s1600/gr7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEFDcazuv2eHNWTKaDiUx8rSBWvF-JD6BytiH1ruEaGz7aXfse9PY_b4aljiq_D8f5CxcmWKFQqRF3hgeH8uzUz2XBXr32bCq53xqY1CRAcDLKS89eu3zKuUx63ciS2qysHaxn7fcJAvn/s1600/gr7.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
There was one aspect about Harmony I particularly
appreciated. <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/87/" target="_blank">Berliner Weissbiers</a> have
slowly climbed the ladder of obscurity and to the near-forefront of
advanced-palate craft beers; the sour beer trend is in full swing and the
revival of Berliner Weisse is partially to thank. However, even though American brewers have
resurrected the German native’s career, Berliner Weisse in the United States typically
misses a key component: the syrup. In Berlin,
people traditionally order the demonymic drink with <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/87/" target="_blank"><i>Himbeere</i> (raspberry syrup) or <i>Waldmeister</i> (woodruff syrup)</a> to sweeten and tone down the beer’s acidic sharpness. In America, we drink Berliner Weisse straight-up,
no syrup. Syrup’s usually not even an
option; brewers make the beer and omit the condiments. Thus, when I saw a selection of homemade
syrups accompanying Harmony’s <a href="https://untappd.com/b/harmony-brewing-company-grand-jollification-berliner-weisse/710733" target="_blank">Grand Jollification Berliner Weisse</a>—juniper,
strawberry, cherry, black rose tea, and probably a few more—I jumped at the
chance to drink like a true German. I
went with the juniper syrup and, overall, I don’t regret my decision. Nicole, however, has the nose of a bloodhound (in ability, not appearance) and thought the syrup/beer combination smelled like old cheese and fungal feet. Now, I usually defer to Nicole's olfactory prowess but, in this case, I have to disagree. I thought the juniper syrup added a refreshing coniferous flavor. In the end, I still favor
my Berliner Weissbiers “American-style.”
The syrup adds too much sugar for my liking. What I relish in Berliner Weisse is its tartness;
I’m not looking to ruin that with counteracting saccharinity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKekVhZzhCrev7xKTxlYit5VQRbzf1Oq2jE9LrVQ-ZGiLFGhHIaJtz4hMPEdbcjMckdqvafcJbYErrXh3q_OC7uVURPxBeDt-7vp-aIkzXx7wmZLrKMEXhbNlWjxfVFABvlxnTgVqt8qg/s1600/gr8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKekVhZzhCrev7xKTxlYit5VQRbzf1Oq2jE9LrVQ-ZGiLFGhHIaJtz4hMPEdbcjMckdqvafcJbYErrXh3q_OC7uVURPxBeDt-7vp-aIkzXx7wmZLrKMEXhbNlWjxfVFABvlxnTgVqt8qg/s1600/gr8.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Jollification with juniper syrup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Our last brewery in Grand Rapids was <a href="http://schmohz.com/" target="_blank">Schmohz Brewing Company</a>, situated in a drab, gray building trimmed in maroon awning. It’s a dark, dive bar atmosphere and
unrefined with its cafeteria chairs, drop tiled ceiling, concrete floors, and
pinball machine in the corner. It emits
a vibe more akin to a biker bar or factory worker's pub than a craft brewery. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcN3qpAk0-D3nIwF1-GpRf2CJnAufeJ1f5I1LRLXJbigARzRKcsUwgO51-ul34MVN0nPJAzlq3fUOLm5FnT0d_Ro3ZbrHH_mko_vv573U2ZMYb0cgM2SWBg04jv3Y6jbOr8gY2N3IOMpR/s1600/gr9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcN3qpAk0-D3nIwF1-GpRf2CJnAufeJ1f5I1LRLXJbigARzRKcsUwgO51-ul34MVN0nPJAzlq3fUOLm5FnT0d_Ro3ZbrHH_mko_vv573U2ZMYb0cgM2SWBg04jv3Y6jbOr8gY2N3IOMpR/s1600/gr9.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbu_V2nCTpDFn0H5a86qL_ld2FKDFYO5yHjm0mrM8XCZIpZTcLXAtsJjl3LrawpgFzFeD-b0iq4bK9jHCl58IShBhJrL50G7kMar-w-CX1qY42Nj4tjcfQCnUVFNlukBV9Pm67daczaa8/s1600/gr10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbu_V2nCTpDFn0H5a86qL_ld2FKDFYO5yHjm0mrM8XCZIpZTcLXAtsJjl3LrawpgFzFeD-b0iq4bK9jHCl58IShBhJrL50G7kMar-w-CX1qY42Nj4tjcfQCnUVFNlukBV9Pm67daczaa8/s1600/gr10.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Schmohz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
That’s not a condemnation, mind you, merely an
observation. In fact, I’d prefer if more
breweries plopped their operations into dingier settings, got back to the roots
of the craft beer revolution. The
industry as a whole has become too polite; it’s very nearly lost its edge. However, when the taproom looks like the
headquarters for Hell’s Angels or an illegal gambling den, it re-instills the
sense of adventure once prevalent at all small brewing operations. I admire Schmohz for retaining craft beer’s
anarchistic spirit. Not everyone must
follow suit, a chic brewery here and there is fine, but I appreciate that the
down-to-earth aura of craft hasn’t completely evaporated. Also, Schmohz’s <a href="http://schmohz.com/beer/jtp/" target="_blank">John T. Pilsner</a> was pretty
good; nothing too fancy, it’s straightforward and it gets the job done just
like the building in which it was birthed.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELwVeLgaKKMoYZ3TZ1HHYl2t0Hk6YRpLCHeUKUJhp_AsNm59m5Ci9IOKXrZ08DV8v-xZhJFv_hJgIfDuqWnhqITs8_sZ4helZ6k8BhTNNrzaeAYOZY6sjeYvk3UNhaXY0aVK7004B6UcP/s1600/gr13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELwVeLgaKKMoYZ3TZ1HHYl2t0Hk6YRpLCHeUKUJhp_AsNm59m5Ci9IOKXrZ08DV8v-xZhJFv_hJgIfDuqWnhqITs8_sZ4helZ6k8BhTNNrzaeAYOZY6sjeYvk3UNhaXY0aVK7004B6UcP/s1600/gr13.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John T. Pilsner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
That sums up Nicole and I’s Lake Michigan
beercation. We drove back west, stopped
in cooler-than-you’d-think downtown Omaha to enjoy the rooftop patio at
<a href="http://www.upstreambrewing.com/" target="_blank">Upstream Brewing Company</a>, and finally arrived back in Denver. We had ourselves a rollicking good time
skirting along the shoreline, visiting great Midwestern cities, and partaking in
local beer but, no matter where we go, we’re happy to hang our hats in Colorado. It’s our home. It’s where our favorite beers are made. It’s where we want to end up at the end of
any journey. I credit the Lake Michigan
area for its undeniably vivacious beer scene but nothing can tear me away from
my Rocky Mountain brews. </div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUX5WADgKFM_eimXGANQqb5RmV055-yOftWwhh6HG446Avv1k2SGY3VXPhDp-0cmJ7CL7a9FrT_3_h5ZhT8TSVG2CoMC3bqzMV-aOQWdL0-2W3x14cEMJfdFTUF-WAOEAWJVYXSQPPMM9J/s1600/upstream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUX5WADgKFM_eimXGANQqb5RmV055-yOftWwhh6HG446Avv1k2SGY3VXPhDp-0cmJ7CL7a9FrT_3_h5ZhT8TSVG2CoMC3bqzMV-aOQWdL0-2W3x14cEMJfdFTUF-WAOEAWJVYXSQPPMM9J/s1600/upstream.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upstream in Omaha</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3wGURM6LZHD1eSHDzHZnA9Jf0OK-sGv7sexxXSdyEWSidnowI3_wS1IRmA5bqQsVQSe3pd3Zjfkovsso8oYR8woehCDJXFgC07qekJMtbtxaC8Z2AKqSABq5MHrEWUwlXauScS9Zb0K8/s1600/gr11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3wGURM6LZHD1eSHDzHZnA9Jf0OK-sGv7sexxXSdyEWSidnowI3_wS1IRmA5bqQsVQSe3pd3Zjfkovsso8oYR8woehCDJXFgC07qekJMtbtxaC8Z2AKqSABq5MHrEWUwlXauScS9Zb0K8/s1600/gr11.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schmohz lacks a bit in subtlety</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiSuOMs0-mFZrVnkaAywK1QBOPYfm7atohmZ99sm6AFBtqz6rX1KerFJ7r1ahDtEzStNwmoNBabAqC_3mSZM4606ZQ6_RtpxIlb-lp9jUIqQO4aX2DVO1YGX9LAaLi9GegtQtOoE69fM8/s1600/gr12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiSuOMs0-mFZrVnkaAywK1QBOPYfm7atohmZ99sm6AFBtqz6rX1KerFJ7r1ahDtEzStNwmoNBabAqC_3mSZM4606ZQ6_RtpxIlb-lp9jUIqQO4aX2DVO1YGX9LAaLi9GegtQtOoE69fM8/s1600/gr12.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Case in point</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-85941101762638632642014-09-08T16:28:00.000-07:002014-09-09T10:01:36.863-07:00Great Lake, Great Beer: Pt. 3<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<i>To read Part 2
of our Lake Michigan beer adventure,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/08/great-lake-great-beer-pt-2.html" target="_blank">click here</a></span>.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPdLULu1-7ke-GXmZHz-17Cw6_AKg7Njd3EKVVVxRm5smVU2uJRNepFnebwg1Pd5a9aj8QikepryKzwfjpCWztT3MxxQtslSfZuz1g8qhBS-wlvSRXtrIbobgvYf_DuDHfy08KIEEnxgY/s1600/IMG_8132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPdLULu1-7ke-GXmZHz-17Cw6_AKg7Njd3EKVVVxRm5smVU2uJRNepFnebwg1Pd5a9aj8QikepryKzwfjpCWztT3MxxQtslSfZuz1g8qhBS-wlvSRXtrIbobgvYf_DuDHfy08KIEEnxgY/s1600/IMG_8132.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a view like that, who cares about the house itself?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Having crossed the sixth state line of our
beercation, Nicole and I finally arrived in Grand Haven, Michigan, where we’d
spend a week celebrating my parents’ 40<sup>th</sup> anniversary with sun,
surf, and suds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
We—including my parents, my two sisters and their
boyfriends, my brother and his wife and kids, and my two maternal aunts—stayed
at a rental property located in the cul-de-sac of a long, snaky road that wound
through the dunes and past impressive beach homes all with commanding views of
Lake Michigan. Like so many of the houses
on that secluded stretch, our domicile was massive; built atop a hill,
surrounded by woodlands, shoreline adjacent (via a steep, sandy downhill), and
featuring a pool, our place was a palace—a very tacky palace. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf8tlye8ylCm-iyZBCwaj-D0dIf3eDKt40gTR508wFsD7Z8POAccC0YXpVMl-OK01kELEVLD8n3kbBsY-RwdPh9s1CGwi4r2b-J0RcNmDX0dyf0zzvJi8Ap7UoCmRJwn2ivcIEAq6CnPA/s1600/IMG_8162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf8tlye8ylCm-iyZBCwaj-D0dIf3eDKt40gTR508wFsD7Z8POAccC0YXpVMl-OK01kELEVLD8n3kbBsY-RwdPh9s1CGwi4r2b-J0RcNmDX0dyf0zzvJi8Ap7UoCmRJwn2ivcIEAq6CnPA/s1600/IMG_8162.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Everybody agreed the size and location of the house was
primo. The décor, however, left much to
be desired. The black, white, and red
color scheme, akin to a cold and emotionless modern art gallery, was anything
but homey. The cavernous main floor with
nary a soft surface echoed like a high school gymnasium; each toe dragged
across the concrete floor screeched like a Chihuahua at the vet’s office. Privacy was clearly not a priority during
construction, either, as bath tubs sat before large, curtain-less windows,
balconies and toilets were separated by nothing but clear panes (again,
curtain-less), and most of the bedrooms had glass doors <i>with</i> curtains—sheer, see-through curtains. It was an exhibitionist’s playground and a
family vacationer’s hell. Overall, the
place exuded the ambiance of somebody with a lot of money and no taste; it
looked like a house in which <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hT-t19CJ4E" target="_blank">the snooty neighbors in </a><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hT-t19CJ4E" target="_blank">Christmas Vacation</a> </i>might live. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigr1PnfHNeV8BE-RV81ZrQOIuGIGPaR_iZ3VeDJ7omhKxBTkD-bRQS7spDZfOWmk0ArGY3I8DrcalC09MGVWWahDxPaSpIur1HdoTXhtF2lSgpkEFixGErZFmOla6dEj4MwmGzGdBDicB2/s1600/oddside4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigr1PnfHNeV8BE-RV81ZrQOIuGIGPaR_iZ3VeDJ7omhKxBTkD-bRQS7spDZfOWmk0ArGY3I8DrcalC09MGVWWahDxPaSpIur1HdoTXhtF2lSgpkEFixGErZFmOla6dEj4MwmGzGdBDicB2/s1600/oddside4.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odd Side's taproom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
We overlooked those obvious deficiencies, though,
when we overlooked something else: the vastness of the lake from our soaring
perch among the trees. The beer made us
all more forgiving, too. Most of the
time, the family and I imbibed poolside or lakeside because that’s what the
trip was all about—relaxing, lounging by water, and drinking copiously. But, Grand Haven and nearby Spring Lake are
both homes to craft breweries and, being so conveniently located, their siren
call was enough to coax us from our private retreat and into their public
taprooms.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkVcXcBFMm5BBrAufWoe30mfUIjoGCb2N5GXE3qiU-lhQsR7ysnFLvTQEZ6ugh_nBPTQuMx7xHHE0a9VnFBIfyZG-UdHv78B_HUq95h4VoIoJH9yQ56LJuRqhV8yYzsj_nRqqHcslYukX/s1600/oddside2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkVcXcBFMm5BBrAufWoe30mfUIjoGCb2N5GXE3qiU-lhQsR7ysnFLvTQEZ6ugh_nBPTQuMx7xHHE0a9VnFBIfyZG-UdHv78B_HUq95h4VoIoJH9yQ56LJuRqhV8yYzsj_nRqqHcslYukX/s1600/oddside2.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A touch insensitive (but funny)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<a href="http://www.oddsideales.com/" target="_blank">Odd Side Ales</a> sits across the street from the <a href="http://www.mfhn.com/glsdb/rivers/grandriver.html" target="_blank">Grand River channel</a> and is located in an old piano factory that’s since been turned
into a multi-tenant shopping and dining center.
Its taproom uses light sparingly; with worn-wood floors and timbered
pillars and ceilings, even the beaming summer sun had a hard time penetrating
this dark alcove. It’s a decidedly rustic,
non-modern, and convivial space.
Juxtaposing Odd Side’s traditional charms were vivid beer posters
advertising tongue-in-cheek, pop-culture-referencing, and mildly-offensive
labels: <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22564/76261/" target="_blank">Morningwood Stout</a>, <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22564/96709/" target="_blank">Oh, Me So Hoppy to Wheat You</a> (billed as “A derisious
wheat ale with a hoppy finish that lingers long time!”), <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22564/97432/" target="_blank">Bean Flicker Blonde</a>…etc. If you don’t understand why these are
funny/uncouth, look them up on <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/" target="_blank">Urban Dictionary</a>—I already had to explain them
to members of my family and I’d rather not relive the experience. Do your own research. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8c3H-Ct036BgkaMWH7QVtdd2nJPs9fKN26kvNTSUNIj2JKYcRAAieEqtbvKKPPDkIksF2zevwg7Q4sGke-5X5wktbSezo9qfeVvjD8aeWXQZjb5mdxOJlC1UsET5TW7pilfGAPFODlWrR/s1600/oddside3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8c3H-Ct036BgkaMWH7QVtdd2nJPs9fKN26kvNTSUNIj2JKYcRAAieEqtbvKKPPDkIksF2zevwg7Q4sGke-5X5wktbSezo9qfeVvjD8aeWXQZjb5mdxOJlC1UsET5TW7pilfGAPFODlWrR/s1600/oddside3.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like, a whole bunch of Odd Side beers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Many, many flights were downed at our table so it’s hard
to remember details on any particular beer. I recollect <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22564/97913/" target="_blank">Wheatermelon</a>, a spritzy and
refreshing watermelon wheat beer, <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22564/79840/" target="_blank">Mayan Mocha Stout</a>, a thick and luxurious dark
beer, and the <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22564/70232/" target="_blank">Pineapple IPA</a>. Even if the
specifics evade me, I don’t remember being disappointed by anything at Odd
Side. </div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<a href="http://www.oldboysbrewhouse.com/" target="_blank">Old Boys’ Brewhouse</a>, the other brewery in the area,
resides <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Old+Boys+Brewhouse+Inc/@43.07706,-86.212589,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xc7e5010b3e9af591" target="_blank">on the tip of a peninsula</a> jutting out into the braided, meandering
Grand River. Only 1.8 miles from Odd
Side, Old Boys’ was actually the closest brewery to our rental property even
though it’s technically in a different town.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWLhR1s9jR56yZmmyvd4lBIObLOWZvdYcH5MlK_HUVZjhQ514PiVtPTVgA8bVkv1iLB-SxRjI-3ZYXIR6ThJBmfZIZ2Rcp0T5gPB5HTGBBzNuCCSNbdn30ZF77pVkMM2Vv5Mkiu-NJSTP/s1600/oldboys4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWLhR1s9jR56yZmmyvd4lBIObLOWZvdYcH5MlK_HUVZjhQ514PiVtPTVgA8bVkv1iLB-SxRjI-3ZYXIR6ThJBmfZIZ2Rcp0T5gPB5HTGBBzNuCCSNbdn30ZF77pVkMM2Vv5Mkiu-NJSTP/s1600/oldboys4.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Approaching Old Boys’, I felt both over and underwhelmed. The stilted grain silo and cavernous
three-story vestibule kept my eyes turned upwards as if I were entering a
cathedral. On the other hand, I couldn’t
shake a feeling of mundaneness; yes, it’s a big entrance but it’s basically a blank
brick wall with a few windows. Immense
though Old Boys’ might be, it’s featurelessly immense. Plus, I realized after spotting the bone-shaped
logo, Old Boys’ is another dog-themed brewery.
Can we please, as the collective brewing community, stop doing
that? I love dogs but naming your brewery
for the family pet has been done to death.
It’s passé. It’s trite. It’s not original and it ensures you’ll blend
in with the herd rather than stick out.
Just quit it. When <a href="http://www.theonion.com/articles/microbrewer-trying-to-work-dog-into-name-of-new-se,27457/" target="_blank">The Onion has enough fodder to satirize craft brewers for uncreative canine appellations</a> then that’s a pretty good
indication the trend is over. Old Boys’
was founded in 1997, before the practice became rampant, so I’m actually going
to give them a pass on this one; it <i>might</i>
have been a novel idea in the late 90’s when they first opened. All you new breweries, though? Keep Fido out of it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKl1JymA8THTYa9rTVRvjxyYZ31JXEDUz8D0wp24OwF69iyWX9ZiXI7I5r703o5FPrn-HHQiN1043QWHZU2DpohXRJGX7D4vh064sHeLJNs_bA7FBjZ7861SNm1GpHn9R4niDw8TWEREt/s1600/oldboys1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKl1JymA8THTYa9rTVRvjxyYZ31JXEDUz8D0wp24OwF69iyWX9ZiXI7I5r703o5FPrn-HHQiN1043QWHZU2DpohXRJGX7D4vh064sHeLJNs_bA7FBjZ7861SNm1GpHn9R4niDw8TWEREt/s1600/oldboys1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Boys' patio</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Nicole and I sat on Old Boys’ back patio and my
opinion of the place became increasingly more positive. The patio’s laid out near an expanse of lawn
terminating at the river’s edge. A
boardwalk skirts the banks and leisure boats putt-putt through the narrow
strait, headed for the docks on either side of our little protuberance of
land. The overall atmosphere is not
unlike that found at a mid-level country club.
I felt I ought to be wearing a knitted white vest, tennis shoes, and a
visor. Can we get a croquet set over
here? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
My interest was further piqued as I perused the beer
menu. Wow! I wasn’t expecting such advanced beers; from
the ho-hum exterior, I’d assume Old Boys’ merely brewed the standards—IPA, amber,
a non-confrontational stout or porter, and a lighter offering—usually a wheat. Basically, I predicted gateway craft beers,
nothing unconventional. Surely, these
brewers don’t cater to radical palates and yet, there they were in front of me:
<a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/5501/123697/" target="_blank">Irascible</a>, an American wild ale aged in Bourbon barrels with Michigan-picked
cherry juice added, <a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/old-boys-the-flapjacker/277769/" target="_blank">The Flapjacker</a>, a maple syrup-infused brown ale, <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/5501/123705/" target="_blank">Magnum Breakfast Stout</a>, a hefty beer showcasing Sumatran and South American coffee and
Ugandan vanilla beans, and several more Nicole and I didn’t have the
alcohol-tolerance to order (we had to drive home, after all). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWjSZNJDIOHa2jV25-IFIjxrOONX8AMADT7yby06ASNS9Fk0YMcFlzKPh37M4sT5cBmUeHc8LLV2eXx7Czcm1oIWlTNC6MVtnl_jjiCZjeiN2Y9iNhZ4Xz893vevkxDQhchn5QAqDGY1U/s1600/oldboys2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWjSZNJDIOHa2jV25-IFIjxrOONX8AMADT7yby06ASNS9Fk0YMcFlzKPh37M4sT5cBmUeHc8LLV2eXx7Czcm1oIWlTNC6MVtnl_jjiCZjeiN2Y9iNhZ4Xz893vevkxDQhchn5QAqDGY1U/s1600/oldboys2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Irascible, The Flapjacker, & Magnum Breakfast Stout</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Old Boys’ is truly old at 17 years—a geezer by craft
beer standards—but it <i>can</i> be taught
new tricks; there’s nothing weary about Old Boys’, their beer is fresh,
experimental, and young at heart. To
them I say, “Good boy! Stay (in
business)!” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rtAJi9654IIPKipfhtgGnPCKS2cymFi5wkFUXy4-7sZWbjtHnjdvzt-Z-B6dCbgryaWMLHncKFDkH6PrEPioWF8yVIccDAOfioFC-V9nbsekyg2QSWJL6E8bNA44rMyc1gxMN3YROf7w/s1600/macwoods1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rtAJi9654IIPKipfhtgGnPCKS2cymFi5wkFUXy4-7sZWbjtHnjdvzt-Z-B6dCbgryaWMLHncKFDkH6PrEPioWF8yVIccDAOfioFC-V9nbsekyg2QSWJL6E8bNA44rMyc1gxMN3YROf7w/s1600/macwoods1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old school dune buggy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
As I mentioned earlier, the majority of the week
centered on drinking at home, floating in the pool and lake. We even visited the city beach but the wind
was ferocious and nobody wanted to stay very long (here’s a tip for drinking at
the beach where alcohol is technically not allowed: bring craft cans because
the high school kids who enforce the beach laws are only accustomed to big
domestic brands; they won’t immediately comprehend the design of, say, <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20672/52194/" target="_blank">Sun King Brewery’s Sunlight Cream Ale</a> unless they get a really close look at it). We took a few other excursions to <a href="http://www.macwoodsdunerides.com/" target="_blank">ride the dunes at Silver Lake</a> and to boost Nicole’s roller coaster count up and over the
100 mark at <a href="https://www.miadventure.com/" target="_blank">Michigan’s Adventure</a> where a perennial favorite, <a href="http://rcdb.com/478.htm" target="_blank">Shivering Timbers</a>,
has been thrilling guests since 1998. It
was on our final day when we <i>really</i>
got into the craft beer groove. Driving
an hour east to the state’s premier craft beer city, we arrived in Grand Rapids
and visited four of their esteemed breweries.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
But we’ll get to that in a later post.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!</div>
<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris </div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBcZhO3I0LzJOeurIz0ymLeCanl_zfUjSK2nREjXLlqsXbAfqhDHWCEiUf5iWcQUMbd8C-Qvghun3obLEfl8G6w2zAP3dYtrj7J6XvkQMCmAWg5XxwDE3j0xF2TjF20itRl3AIBp0aqK4/s1600/oddside1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBcZhO3I0LzJOeurIz0ymLeCanl_zfUjSK2nREjXLlqsXbAfqhDHWCEiUf5iWcQUMbd8C-Qvghun3obLEfl8G6w2zAP3dYtrj7J6XvkQMCmAWg5XxwDE3j0xF2TjF20itRl3AIBp0aqK4/s1600/oddside1.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odd Side's wall of beer posters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
<br /></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-70430313297829139942014-08-29T16:45:00.000-07:002014-08-31T15:34:26.470-07:00Great Lake, Great Beer: Pt. 2<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<i>To read Part 1
of our Lake Michigan beer adventure, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/08/great-lake-great-beer-pt-1.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelSGkdUS4S6cy5wxQdOimgXBE_mcSILREdYUnmXoF843Z03dvJTzNQ-UYmmTPF4GE5bJMzs2jJ4XDaEHN20W5xBg6Vt0FoJzeoomGEPclyK6y24X7JyQ7UAmC_hLHGVmIMiVLs4rUHcWC/s1600/chicago1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelSGkdUS4S6cy5wxQdOimgXBE_mcSILREdYUnmXoF843Z03dvJTzNQ-UYmmTPF4GE5bJMzs2jJ4XDaEHN20W5xBg6Vt0FoJzeoomGEPclyK6y24X7JyQ7UAmC_hLHGVmIMiVLs4rUHcWC/s1600/chicago1.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chi-Town skyline from the White Sox stadium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lake Michigan to the left, endless cornfields to the
right, Nicole and I drove south from Milwaukee and into Illinois to indulge my
second great geeky pleasure: roller coasters.
<a href="https://www.sixflags.com/greatamerica" target="_blank">Six Flags Great America</a> in Gurnee (a smidgen north of Chicago) recently
built <a href="http://rcdb.com/9972.htm" target="_blank">Goliath</a>, the world’s steepest and fastest wooden coaster. It did not disappoint: smooth as silk, peppy,
and featuring one-of-a-kind elements such as a wooden dive loop and a “zero-g
stall,” Goliath isn’t quite as awesome as its smaller, older brother <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2013/08/boston-beer-bloggers-conference-part-1.html" target="_blank">Outlaw Run</a>
(Outlaw Run’s setting in the forested Ozark mountains enhances the already-epic
ride much more than the bland, open tarmac on which Goliath sits) but it’ll
instantly shake-up any coaster geek’s top 10 wooden coaster list. Marring our time at the park were three
factors resulting in a frustrating conclusion: a) it was Saturday, b) we were
near America’s third largest city, and c) Six Flags is notoriously inefficient
in moving people through queues. Add it
all up and what you get are torturously long waits; we only got four coasters
under our belts before needing to continue on towards Chicago.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPAe8CN9T6d2ePfbBLw4hrFQBQTnZ82Vnzy8Jnrfl5RwX-8PtRJaNcLp5Lw5pfofvb5LuYBQHkDJfN5en-jywwarIGMJ6U4iy2CwTGLIsUeleHA4pfTZJVJshbG833iAbokh0VwnF1CXg/s1600/Chicago2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPAe8CN9T6d2ePfbBLw4hrFQBQTnZ82Vnzy8Jnrfl5RwX-8PtRJaNcLp5Lw5pfofvb5LuYBQHkDJfN5en-jywwarIGMJ6U4iy2CwTGLIsUeleHA4pfTZJVJshbG833iAbokh0VwnF1CXg/s1600/Chicago2.jpg" height="147" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">U.S. Cellular Field</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We spent two half-days in Chicago during which time
we took in a <a href="http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=cws" target="_blank">White Sox</a> game, visited the <a href="http://www.sheddaquarium.org/" target="_blank">Shedd Aquarium</a>, and took a stroll on
<a href="http://www.navypier.com/" target="_blank">Navy Pier</a>. Unfortunately, we didn’t hit
any Windy City breweries. In keeping a
road trip schedule, sacrifices must be made.
I’m aware of the fabulous beers we missed in Chicago but we neither had
the time nor, because a long car ride awaited us, the irresponsibility to hop
from brewery to brewery; it’s really not smart to chug a bunch of beers and then
drive crowded metropolitan highways (or drive <i>anywhere</i> for that matter).
Another time, Chicago, another time.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
A Chicago-<i>area</i>
brewery, however, we did hit. Crossing
over state lines into “<a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=The%20Region" target="_blank">The Region</a>” (the traitorous northwestern section of
Indiana which identifies with Chicago culture more so than Indiana culture, my
barely-farcical disdain for The Region stems from the fact I’m a true, corn-fed
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosier" target="_blank">Hoosier</a> tired of hearing people claim they’re “from Chicago” when they were
actually born and raised in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads_of_America" target="_blank">Crossroads of America</a>; you live in Indiana—deal
with it), we stopped in Munster to check out one of America’s most famous, most
respected, most influential craft
breweries: <a href="http://www.3floyds.com/over-21/?redirect_to=http://www.3floyds.com/" target="_blank">Three Floyds Brewing Co.</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
And what a mistake <i>that</i> was.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Don’t get me wrong, Three Floyds brews some of the
best beers one can ever hope to imbibe.
Whether it comes from bottle or from tap, drinking Three Floyds is
almost a religious experience. My
advice: leave it at that. Drink their
wares at bars, restaurants, and at home but don’t “meet your heroes” and
actually visit the brewery. You’ll
regret it. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhud3ER6c5jFuVhAlHQNxfbh0Aysue3ekdXBV9hJBWMwj_L4j6K8QkjfibwC2hda82-OjJ_dOFSeckIGNytYdGBUxXHhaEog0gq7FJSw3I4ofj59L9K9kJheYPnGFWeuIr9uzmsCppeHe_E/s1600/IMG_8089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhud3ER6c5jFuVhAlHQNxfbh0Aysue3ekdXBV9hJBWMwj_L4j6K8QkjfibwC2hda82-OjJ_dOFSeckIGNytYdGBUxXHhaEog0gq7FJSw3I4ofj59L9K9kJheYPnGFWeuIr9uzmsCppeHe_E/s1600/IMG_8089.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is as close as you can get to Three Floyds before the employees start bawling at you</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
First, it’s packed fuller than five sumo wrestlers in
a <a href="http://www.fiat.com/" target="_blank">Fiat</a>. You can’t fault a business for
being popular, right? Good on ‘em for attracting
the crowds! Three Floyds <i>is</i> at fault, though, for how they manage
said crowd i.e. poorly. The staff is as
brusque as they come. When we muscled
through the front door, we told the host we were just here for drinks,
assuaging our presence by forgoing food.
He responded with an eye-roll so pronounced his face could have been
mistaken for the spinning wheels of a slot machine. “Huh, story of my life!” he said. Oh, sorry, bro; didn’t mean to cause you umbrage
(this is where <i>my</i> eyes start to roll). Shortly thereafter, another customer wedged
through and walked right into the taproom to which our sour host retorted, “Now
what the hell does this guy think he’s doing?” and took after the interloper
like a bouncer chasing a velvet-rope-ducker.
Feeling a bit bristly from the encounter, we opted to grab a few bottle
from the to-go window (the guy running the window was pleasant enough) and hightail
it out of there fast with <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26/29180/" target="_blank">Deesko! Berliner Style Weisse Beer</a> and <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26/126705/" target="_blank">Floyd D’Rue</a> in
hand.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Was it a one-time interaction? Am I making too much of what was probably a rare
incident? Well, my sisters and their
boyfriends visited Three Floyds the day before and reported the staff’s <i>same</i> crappy attitude. Furthermore, take a glance at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/three-floyds-brewery-and-pub-munster" target="_blank">their Yelp page</a>; its overall score is high because many reviewers focus solely on the beer,
not the service, but Three Floyds would get <i>six</i>
stars if it weren’t for the one and two-star reviews saying exactly what I’m
saying: the people that run the taproom are jerkwads, rude beyond belief. Understandably, managing a crowd of inebriated
customers wears thin quickly yet, somehow, other breweries pack their taprooms
with hordes of drunkards yet still keep their poise—why can’t Three Floyds? In sum, the back-of-house brewers are to be commended
for their tremendous, award-winning beers while the front-of-house staff are to be slapped across the face with a hot <a href="http://processhose.com/goodyear-vintner-beer-wine-food-hose?gclid=CjwKEAjwg_afBRD3rpChlqiKt1ESJACwY6NkBu8mBrpDhbO2uQ5DxVc8KJjoX_ghSvngVmjD02VESRoCFwnw_wcB" target="_blank">vintner hose</a> (don't actually do that, though; I don't want to be blamed for your impulsive behavior). <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNrYQBeej6UuNNCyvk4GwXBPOseNakgNjgrDUfolGbhP7tRJ-KBiHIM6xkTTiYRCERHuhDZ7oTRVLBG96Uu-8LD-9nWV7849qc6dvP-Nmon6MFeJdaizfanLvauq1A7J4mUBwr_wQuLft/s1600/IMG_8099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNrYQBeej6UuNNCyvk4GwXBPOseNakgNjgrDUfolGbhP7tRJ-KBiHIM6xkTTiYRCERHuhDZ7oTRVLBG96Uu-8LD-9nWV7849qc6dvP-Nmon6MFeJdaizfanLvauq1A7J4mUBwr_wQuLft/s1600/IMG_8099.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenbush Brewing Co.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
My faith in the brewing community was restored an
hour up the road in southwestern Michigan.
From what little we saw of Sawyer, it is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Rockwell" target="_blank">Norman Rockwell</a>’s wholesome imagination
come to life. A pastoral paradise. A bucolic wonderland. Drive about half a mile off I-94, past the travel
center and chain restaurants, through a scarcely-populated, forested
neighborhood, over the train tracks, and a rustic community amid the fields reveals
itself. It’s so quaint with mom n’ pop
shops and rural churches it makes your summer cottage in the mountains look
like a crack house. Railroad adjacent is
<a href="http://www.greenbushbrewing.com/about/index.htm" target="_blank">a former auto shop/plumber’s shop/Laundromat/video rental/garden store/coffeehouse turned brewery</a> and, might I be as bold as to say so, among my
favorite non-Colorado breweries in America: <a href="http://www.greenbushbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Greenbush Brewing Co.</a><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Uxhu3W1LbeWGlNr3T8YsWbEthWzwqpwtbQP8O_Ggt5HC5OVM0hxaEMHkRhOIdUIILZOxTj4aXGfiMNwUIJa6-MenLKDrUMH1VyQHJGZa1eksscuAT45Ku9y6YrW4TErb_97cYwf24YBL/s1600/IMG_8103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Uxhu3W1LbeWGlNr3T8YsWbEthWzwqpwtbQP8O_Ggt5HC5OVM0hxaEMHkRhOIdUIILZOxTj4aXGfiMNwUIJa6-MenLKDrUMH1VyQHJGZa1eksscuAT45Ku9y6YrW4TErb_97cYwf24YBL/s1600/IMG_8103.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior at Greenbush</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNDYTGWI9yDrFB2bN_Jh61ZsU8ciqEJkjMr48-8Onk3F0Y1xbl34FWIJjLa4IKnLWVWpameRZ21bsYtSyjT_fmkVIyGcwVmRImempk0fJqvodEejRwMv8Qf7SaQhLh9fAqtPT-GWIc_4g/s1600/IMG_8120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNDYTGWI9yDrFB2bN_Jh61ZsU8ciqEJkjMr48-8Onk3F0Y1xbl34FWIJjLa4IKnLWVWpameRZ21bsYtSyjT_fmkVIyGcwVmRImempk0fJqvodEejRwMv8Qf7SaQhLh9fAqtPT-GWIc_4g/s1600/IMG_8120.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior at Greenbush</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Greenbush is a meeting of industrialism and the
respectable demeanor of a country gentleman.
There’s corrugated metal on one wall, wainscoted, dark wood panels and
doors on the other wall. Open ceilings with
exposed steel girders and timbered boards soar overhead as <a href="https://www.1000bulbs.com/category/antique-light-bulbs/?gclid=CjwKEAjwg_afBRD3rpChlqiKt1ESJACwY6NkBe7CjnoZhKGXzvbOFND-NCNReGwVI5XIko4PFwRiRxoCnm_w_wcB" target="_blank">Edison bulbs</a> sway languidly
over the bar top. Storefront windows adorn
the street-side of the taproom as brewing vessels sit stoically in the back. As if the interior wasn’t intriguing enough,
there’s also the side patio overlooking a small meadow of flowers both wild and
cultivated. Oh, and the staff was very, very pleasant.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gx5HZwa0FzEpDOdatPprcpPqAxUaE0GQTcRFpwKipTYnTDe_SBdPk9bcYXmQO6LMDH-jdSO-Hm9WfuBBTCiJGfEuWfoLpt3p_XOGwV1QO8fsoPSfiH8mMdLpQA-K0j554QVGSD73qsMO/s1600/IMG_8109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gx5HZwa0FzEpDOdatPprcpPqAxUaE0GQTcRFpwKipTYnTDe_SBdPk9bcYXmQO6LMDH-jdSO-Hm9WfuBBTCiJGfEuWfoLpt3p_XOGwV1QO8fsoPSfiH8mMdLpQA-K0j554QVGSD73qsMO/s1600/IMG_8109.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Mulehead, For Pete's Sake, & Distorter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
And the beer?
Divine. I’d already been
impressed with Greenbush’s bottled beer but drinking at the source was an even
more gratifying experience. <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25937/133057/?ba=JohnnieNepal" target="_blank">Mulehead</a> was
a refreshing and peppery saison, <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25937/106524/" target="_blank">For Pete’s Sake</a>, a pale ale infused with basmati
rice, offered an inventive twist on a classic style, and <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25937/74614/" target="_blank">Distorter</a>, a rich and decadent
porter, embodied the rare instance in which a dark beer’s so good it can be
enjoyed in the heart of summer. Nothing
from Greenbush disappointed and it’s a wonder more people aren’t talking about
them. That’s a good thing, actually; I
prefer if Greenbush remains a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangri-La" target="_blank">Shangri-La</a> of craft beer, hidden not in the Himalayas
but rather in the farmlands of Michigan where only the devout, determined, and
deserving beer geeks may seek it out and drink of its elixirs. <o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Reluctantly, Nicole and I left Greenbush, merged onto
the highway, and, heading <i>up</i> the
shoreline instead of down, made tracks towards our week-long layover in Grand
Haven where my parents’ 40<sup>th</sup> anniversary party would linger from a
Sunday to a Sunday. The fun’s just
begun! Stick around for more posts about
what else happened on our Lake Michigan voyage. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriVSwNWH0thLj7k-umEPcMqg7_gkXeU2edyPrFvpEVlGSSOSjI_fYYY-s2LsDWzT88OOkNtG33j2UXYwbrVQaTs6e8tEnH4noslbYm2w-d2LfIDso9gzE28mu9ZFZ_y5baVcadW6t78zV/s1600/IMG_8046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriVSwNWH0thLj7k-umEPcMqg7_gkXeU2edyPrFvpEVlGSSOSjI_fYYY-s2LsDWzT88OOkNtG33j2UXYwbrVQaTs6e8tEnH4noslbYm2w-d2LfIDso9gzE28mu9ZFZ_y5baVcadW6t78zV/s1600/IMG_8046.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shedd Aquarium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lj0gaJhL36M6ZhMQN_fblads7jc9qKbQftCYMP1RLWChqS_Ld0zC4kmM1H37a8Vkf7kh7dQ2U9QYWGzUnXID_PSxcUpF77Q-0HgjQg7DpN3YUyE-seqPYMO1FDssjSf600HaqmiccTyE/s1600/IMG_8068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lj0gaJhL36M6ZhMQN_fblads7jc9qKbQftCYMP1RLWChqS_Ld0zC4kmM1H37a8Vkf7kh7dQ2U9QYWGzUnXID_PSxcUpF77Q-0HgjQg7DpN3YUyE-seqPYMO1FDssjSf600HaqmiccTyE/s1600/IMG_8068.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shedd Aquarium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JTCxWN4KBZVTIWp1mabC26rizKvO6JRUUoZzI6WaIyx11UYQvllAmqbu2ofMjrx6HF9GeEH1l5COgwn-pX3ayhUZbWy0cptrLNUz0t8DKsz-EvNv1Ire4P0OLEOdOQNhWXQJrZmXW5rx/s1600/Sawyer2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JTCxWN4KBZVTIWp1mabC26rizKvO6JRUUoZzI6WaIyx11UYQvllAmqbu2ofMjrx6HF9GeEH1l5COgwn-pX3ayhUZbWy0cptrLNUz0t8DKsz-EvNv1Ire4P0OLEOdOQNhWXQJrZmXW5rx/s1600/Sawyer2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behind the scenes at <i>Beer in Colorado</i>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQGztkLDiby9GKAhtwKZMOoM_Yleyy6Gz_BFfIOBsXrl_6Nv1nf-DWaFGcZhyHTfzVnTrWPKrjONy7w40sMJNtOgB8d4Z6MITCD6YBPTyXt83ijwOBiFXpCDclFKrUYvWIhTzESDnyhcX/s1600/IMG_8098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQGztkLDiby9GKAhtwKZMOoM_Yleyy6Gz_BFfIOBsXrl_6Nv1nf-DWaFGcZhyHTfzVnTrWPKrjONy7w40sMJNtOgB8d4Z6MITCD6YBPTyXt83ijwOBiFXpCDclFKrUYvWIhTzESDnyhcX/s1600/IMG_8098.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near Greenbush; see how damn cute this town is?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-10322730966038516122014-08-25T06:56:00.002-07:002014-08-25T06:56:19.416-07:00Great Lake, Great Beer: Pt. 1<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
What a frenetic summer! First, in early June, <a href="http://www.denveroffthewagon.com/2014/06/04/brew-hosting-craft-beer-wedding/" target="_blank">Nicole and I got hitched</a>; all the planning and rehearsing and bachelor(ette) partying made for a
whirlwind of a time. Then, we had a
week’s rest before jetting across the Atlantic for our fortnight-long <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/07/newlyweds-in-old-world-dublin.html" target="_blank">honeymoon in Ireland and Scotland</a>. Flying back
home to Colorado, we had 16 days (unless you count the weekend wedding we
attended in Alamosa) before once again leaving town and hitting the road, this
time heading to Lake Michigan for my parents’ seven-day 40<sup>th</sup> anniversary
party. As is our M.O., Nicole and I made a
beercation of the journey.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMU0l8keKZMdFI4Or6JX3qYhDerLQzGlmSLjjDVMKw1-mMt6GhtIJEgbSBs_J4f4lNTkUhZEttUVO0MJEcqgRSnupBYT89zCOSPCq7exRsTeNNru686sqzJhcouP3p3_MCB8sWr6UjufM/s1600/madison1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMU0l8keKZMdFI4Or6JX3qYhDerLQzGlmSLjjDVMKw1-mMt6GhtIJEgbSBs_J4f4lNTkUhZEttUVO0MJEcqgRSnupBYT89zCOSPCq7exRsTeNNru686sqzJhcouP3p3_MCB8sWr6UjufM/s1600/madison1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
One-and-a-half days of driving took us across the
prairies of Nebraska and Iowa from Denver to Madison, Wisconsin and our first
brewery of the trip: <a href="http://www.vintagebrewingcompany.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Brewing Co.</a>
A standalone building in a shopping center, one expects a brewery in such
a pedestrian location to serve anything but the unusual; how adventurous can
the nearby suburbanites be? Appearances
can be deceiving. How often is a
sarsaparilla-spiked strong dark Belgian ale on the menu? A root beer beer, if you will? I’ve only seen it once and it was at
Vintage. A well-balanced beer, the sarsaparilla
in <a href="http://www.vintagebrewingcompany.com/brews/" target="_blank">Sarsaparilla Killa</a> didn’t overpower yet still lent its unique flavor to the
otherwise traditional ale defined by dark malts, dark fruit, and exceptionally
high alcohol volume (9.8% ABV). <o:p></o:p><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuH7_ldtK0M1JnAVYFTsKp7SH4Rit7uSwMpzSwydoxPpcdMQbOG5FPfUupUqvxggRBfyoI4yCSnH9urb7qSGq-ySaQf3nQV0UkSMTzI10EiqlgizN6x4uWDR3upEfB_mX5AN3IvzVin37e/s1600/madison2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuH7_ldtK0M1JnAVYFTsKp7SH4Rit7uSwMpzSwydoxPpcdMQbOG5FPfUupUqvxggRBfyoI4yCSnH9urb7qSGq-ySaQf3nQV0UkSMTzI10EiqlgizN6x4uWDR3upEfB_mX5AN3IvzVin37e/s1600/madison2.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarsaparilla Killa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Also, the chicken and waffles at Vintage were
phenomenal! Living in Colorado is the
best, I’ll never move away, and I appreciate the fit and active lifestyle of
its citizens but, once in a while, I need to get my hands on some downhome,
fatty Midwestern comfort foods. I’ve had
fried chicken in the mountains and I’ve had fried chicken in the flatlands—the
former’s got nothing on the latter. Our
meal at Vintage was a welcome reprieve from the healthy. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiArDqYLvN9KLzYsOr9jgfwM4XI1yhWkthqJCckSCJEB3M2pZ3_Ut8_bP97wa4rFnBn95J8veMmXdUD6ryh4bWxSzJW9NyVbtl6rd3MTNHT7jOLJfrEsdFHWmYoDIq2uZnSiwS69A2LGw/s1600/madison4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiArDqYLvN9KLzYsOr9jgfwM4XI1yhWkthqJCckSCJEB3M2pZ3_Ut8_bP97wa4rFnBn95J8veMmXdUD6ryh4bWxSzJW9NyVbtl6rd3MTNHT7jOLJfrEsdFHWmYoDIq2uZnSiwS69A2LGw/s1600/madison4.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beer here's good but, dang, the building looks so contrived</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Our next beer stop in The Badger State capital was
<a href="http://www.greatdanepub.com/" target="_blank">The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co.</a>
Although the brewery has four locations around the Madison area (we were
at <a href="http://hilldale.greatdanepub.com/" target="_blank">the Hilldale one</a>), not every beer is available at every location; to drink <i>everything</i> Great Dane makes, beer geeks
must circulate through all four incarnations.
It’s a clever ruse ensuring each of the Great Danes is, if even by an
iota, distinctive; a strategy preventing the feeling of homogenization. It’s good they did that, too, because the
ambiance at Great Dane was a little too cookie-cutter, too faceless for my
liking; it didn’t appear as though blood, sweat, and tears went into its construction,
it looked like somebody with a lot of money simply plopped it down in a
shopping center, pre-built. Instead of collecting
curious taproom gewgaws by scouring garage sales and consignment stores, it
looks like they randomly picked mass-produced faux-antiquities from the same
catalog <a href="https://www.tgifridays.com/" target="_blank">T.G.I. Fridays</a> uses to adorn their trash heaps of walls. That’s how it <i>felt</i>, at any rate.
Regardless, the <a href="https://untappd.com/b/great-dane-pub-and-brewing-company-munchen-saison/734816" target="_blank">German-style saison</a> (an innovative idea, at the very
least) and <a href="https://untappd.com/b/great-dane-pub-brewing-company-tangerine-dream/556089" target="_blank">Tangerine Dream</a> (a blast of fruity flavor like a whole orchard
stuffed in your mouth) were decent.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijS0kZeZwr5ZzdP8hSbxXWjzgQDaPm0cqEbKghoHnUQsDh_Rko9jIuYwFqyxWkWFLCaACBwXByVlDSojPibHJOvQnIEDliHe3Y83ZJOfgmLX-MsfJQtHOLMKaO9MOtDOgqk5AnVWqDH4ib/s1600/madison6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijS0kZeZwr5ZzdP8hSbxXWjzgQDaPm0cqEbKghoHnUQsDh_Rko9jIuYwFqyxWkWFLCaACBwXByVlDSojPibHJOvQnIEDliHe3Y83ZJOfgmLX-MsfJQtHOLMKaO9MOtDOgqk5AnVWqDH4ib/s1600/madison6.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
The best Madison brewery we appropriately saved for
last. <a href="http://www.onebarrelbrewing.com/" target="_blank">One Barrel Brewing Company</a>, a nano-brewery
(if you couldn’t surmise that fact by its name) with a glass cubicle for a brew
room, is nestled in a space once belonging to the old neighborhood grocery
store. With exposed brick walls, dollar
bills pinned to the ceiling, and trendy art adornments, One Barrel’s taproom is
an authentic beer geek destination, nothing pre-fab here. It has personality both in terms of atmosphere
and clientele. This isn’t the corporate
brewpub where businessmen congregate for happy hour and guzzle training-wheel beers;
it’s where the true disciples of craft go for suds of a more adventurous nature. I ordered the tart and tingly <a href="https://untappd.com/b/one-barrel-brewing-company-falcor/447225" target="_blank">Falcor</a>
blackberry sour and, before it was poured, I took a quick restroom break. When I got back, the bartender told Nicole,
“Yeah, I didn’t card him because no underage drinker would knowingly order a
sour beer.” That’s a pretty airtight
policy, actually.<o:p></o:p><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOX-rSrDKf_ga41rQAzglNil7u2AaKu1mBwBjN4Mb3GuXPQjU8kSWMStqseQoCTRS0xFNVMG70ZM_fr_xHEFl8QKH5ydLHIODocIdqZ5pfaUnUHRWwYu2desr4cCdEUHl6qDNBz5N1qXzh/s1600/madison7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOX-rSrDKf_ga41rQAzglNil7u2AaKu1mBwBjN4Mb3GuXPQjU8kSWMStqseQoCTRS0xFNVMG70ZM_fr_xHEFl8QKH5ydLHIODocIdqZ5pfaUnUHRWwYu2desr4cCdEUHl6qDNBz5N1qXzh/s1600/madison7.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside One Barrel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Before moving on I’d like to note that, while Denver
loves its bicycles, Madison has an even more passionate pedal-powered culture. Sure, everybody in Denver rides a bike but <i>where</i> do they ride? On the sides of busy streets, weaving through
traffic, hopping the curb and riding the sidewalk, and thoroughly pissing off
motorists and pedestrians alike. This is
not the case in Madison. There, they
have <a href="http://www.cityofmadison.com/bikemadison/" target="_blank">an extensive trail system</a>, reaching from the center of town out to the
rural outskirts, making the dangerous and fury-inducing practice of road biking
completely unnecessary. Half the bridges
we drove under were bike overpasses and, as we cruised through neighborhoods,
nearly every block sported a bike crossing that poked out from the woods behind
people’s backyards. The trails spider-web
the entire city so only the most oblivious cyclists, unknowing of safer, more
convenient options, can be found on the streets of Madison. Share the road? Pfft!
Get your own road! In Madison,
that’s a reasonable request.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Nicole and I bade adieu to Madison and continued
eastward, allowing the fishy aromas of the Great Lakes to be our guide. After an hour and a half on the interstate,
we arrived at what was once the premier American beer city, the doyen of our
nation’s brewing scene, the original slaker of the working man’s thirst. It’s nicknamed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_city_nicknames_in_Wisconsin#M" target="_blank">Brew City</a>, an appropriate appellation
and perhaps the only municipal epithet cooler than Denver’s own Mile High City. I speak of none other than Milwaukee.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMKMz5FegQZ85-L77obabNDEP8BqZbtzQsfl-lYdpdy1HWTmmLeib7UrQsCTIMhIGnsZY5K3F1-8pKqLcN_xDYJY3McJdQorqenI1BbLk8BWcpLGUi1hySlGfTl6OWzAJsvfWLariJXt6/s1600/IMG_7913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMKMz5FegQZ85-L77obabNDEP8BqZbtzQsfl-lYdpdy1HWTmmLeib7UrQsCTIMhIGnsZY5K3F1-8pKqLcN_xDYJY3McJdQorqenI1BbLk8BWcpLGUi1hySlGfTl6OWzAJsvfWLariJXt6/s1600/IMG_7913.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a>I used to live in the Midwest and I don’t want to move
back there but, if I’m forced to, I could stand to live in Milwaukee. I predict that statement took a few
Milwaukeeans aback; the people most disparaging of Milwaukee, it seems, are
those who live there. The locals had a
difficult time assimilating the fact anybody’d <i>choose</i> to visit Milwaukee. They
had to make sense in the face of the illogic: <i>Vacationing outsiders? Does not
compute. They’re probably locals, too, beholden
to Wisconsin by work, family,...etc.
They’re not actually here because they </i>like<i> it. </i>We met this frame of
mind several times. For example, when
Nicole went to purchase the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Starbucks-Wisconsin-Mug-Here-Collection/dp/B00H5FDA8C" target="_blank">collectable Wisconsin mug from Starbucks</a>, the man behind
the counter supposed we bought it for a visiting relative, not for ourselves as
a vacation keepsake. Once, a bartender
saw Nicole’s Colorado shirt and said something to the effect of, “Oh! I love Colorado! Do you get out there to visit much?” No, we live there! And we, like you, also love it there. However, we’re travelers and we enjoy seeing the
world—even Milwaukee. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Don’t be so hard on yourself, Milwaukee; you’re a
fine city. You’re big but not too big, you’re
alongside the majestic shores of Lake Michigan, and, heck, you got breweries! Not just the Big Four of <a href="http://www.mgd.com/" target="_blank">Miller</a>, <a href="http://pabstbrewingco.com/agegate/?backto=/" target="_blank">Pabst</a>,
<a href="http://schlitzbrewing.com/agegate/?backto=/" target="_blank">Schlitz</a>, and <a href="http://www.blatzbeer.com/" target="_blank">Blatz</a> (yes, it still exists), either—just as smaller Colorado breweries
eke out a niche in the shadow of <a href="http://www.coors.com/agegate/" target="_blank">Coors</a>, so, too, do Wisconsin craft brewers in
the town made famous by your granddad’s favorite domestic brands. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAp2ShNFSybyZFuz05HYYaeSMScEWYOdUx24xR8JsPy3gzRaMq5fFFx6fj4PUsNhYtLxZDKFVojxoRvG0-PsqCJ3SJUbougYiG2payeIkC94Juhtcvl4oXKe_v-N-7mLGZFm57TjXmN3K/s1600/milwaukee3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAp2ShNFSybyZFuz05HYYaeSMScEWYOdUx24xR8JsPy3gzRaMq5fFFx6fj4PUsNhYtLxZDKFVojxoRvG0-PsqCJ3SJUbougYiG2payeIkC94Juhtcvl4oXKe_v-N-7mLGZFm57TjXmN3K/s1600/milwaukee3.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our flight at Water Street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Our first sudsy stop in Brew City was <a href="https://www.waterstreetbrewery.com/" target="_blank">Water Street Brewery</a> which, while adequate, didn’t stick out in my mind as exceptional. We ordered a flight and most of the beers
were decent enough; the <a href="https://www.waterstreetbrewery.com/index.php/the-beer/on-tap" target="_blank">Raspberry Weiss</a> was tart and refreshing, the <a href="https://www.waterstreetbrewery.com/index.php/the-beer/on-tap" target="_blank">Old World Oktoberfest</a> fit the style guidelines expertly, and the <a href="https://www.waterstreetbrewery.com/index.php/the-beer/on-tap" target="_blank">Belgian Peach Ale</a> was
loaded with the eponymous fruit. There
were certainly stand-outs but, in the end, most were neither bad nor good—only acceptable. Pretty good jambalaya there, though. I did like the curb appeal of the place with its brewing equipment situated up front in the picture windows near the
entrance. The process of making beer is
on full display at Water Street and I’ve always applauded that sort of
transparency in craft brewing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOkVMC4sU6KzQw11YSK1BG_ABEJiOM11h9qqzbjENybmOrWsc0YsvmRERyN65wTPif_fAYH8rL_jYfCb7mR91zhDfHn_2mYNxZzM9XbSNDP3sPSpgMxhCrF57_zxvddX4eFdF43aScWrX/s1600/Milwaukee1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOkVMC4sU6KzQw11YSK1BG_ABEJiOM11h9qqzbjENybmOrWsc0YsvmRERyN65wTPif_fAYH8rL_jYfCb7mR91zhDfHn_2mYNxZzM9XbSNDP3sPSpgMxhCrF57_zxvddX4eFdF43aScWrX/s1600/Milwaukee1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Lakefront's riverside setting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
The brewery that <i>really</i>
impressed was <a href="http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/" target="_blank">Lakefront Brewery</a>.
Lakefront is readily available in Colorado, I don’t need to explain
their beers to you, merely go out and buy a six-pack for yourself. It <i>is</i>
exceptional beer, of course, but what makes Lakefront extraordinary is the
building itself. For one, it should be
called “Riverfront” since it sits on the banks of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee_River" target="_blank">Milwaukee River</a>, abutting
a walkway that skirts the water for miles in both directions. Furthermore, Lakefront is halfway under the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/undertheholtonbridge" target="_blank">Holton Bridge</a>, an
iron trestlework monster which, in a feat of clever engineering, has suspended
under it a smaller bridge for bikes and pedestrians <i>plus</i> <a href="http://www.jrn.com/tmj4/news/11-new-swings-installed-under-Milwaukee-bridge-268261192.html" target="_blank">a bunch of swing sets</a> using the sooty, crisscrossed, metal underbelly in ingenious ways
(check out the pictures). Lakefront was
once a decrepit coal-fired power plant until the brew crew moved in and
revitalized the space. Signs of its
former self are easy to spot; Milwaukee’s industrious past lives on in
Lakefront. The taproom is wide open with
soaring ceilings and exposed HVAC, old brick walls cocoon drinkers in old-timey
comfort, windows look out over the river and suspended walking bridge close
enough to shout salutations at passing cyclists, and a stage set up and ready
to host the next polka band—it’s the perfect beer hall for an Oktoberfest
celebration or, really, any party.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfyJ-_STGUkFGHTn8FJWDMNh2jcSF_j_QE4uWSPeoBIYzIyWj98NJrR3cW5azIcvfZ1o_HPUdEkHwjBo1_aMn1lGfebwszIz2KXYhNlhpRmKwtamC_aSLh0KjLD25Y1hMYla9A5CfrfWB/s1600/IMG_7967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfyJ-_STGUkFGHTn8FJWDMNh2jcSF_j_QE4uWSPeoBIYzIyWj98NJrR3cW5azIcvfZ1o_HPUdEkHwjBo1_aMn1lGfebwszIz2KXYhNlhpRmKwtamC_aSLh0KjLD25Y1hMYla9A5CfrfWB/s1600/IMG_7967.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bridge under the bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEDal_-VfZEcMttmtGQZHWqaapmtVXbCYBmptNuq8Dku7w2ibveApCVjWQkrLGjRWacqmG1pdgDznKxgHGFHa_a4wiw5NYTmfcEj8ScI4iEmUv2aAVVGJnR64oa8Le0Zy-EVfTvnxj708/s1600/IMG_7979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEDal_-VfZEcMttmtGQZHWqaapmtVXbCYBmptNuq8Dku7w2ibveApCVjWQkrLGjRWacqmG1pdgDznKxgHGFHa_a4wiw5NYTmfcEj8ScI4iEmUv2aAVVGJnR64oa8Le0Zy-EVfTvnxj708/s1600/IMG_7979.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome swings under the bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_NeCwc0g5WnBWC-EG1uMQn5_DFw7zV_cyKTWimCQ_D82C0Fuzu7tXR1jFuZpFbnITFuHUpesqtvOC6ccrCZ__T6kF-A-_0SqPiig57KRf5Uxd7oLgRklnavHeiEgnWjZtaUJ1aXrFGCP/s1600/IMG_7989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_NeCwc0g5WnBWC-EG1uMQn5_DFw7zV_cyKTWimCQ_D82C0Fuzu7tXR1jFuZpFbnITFuHUpesqtvOC6ccrCZ__T6kF-A-_0SqPiig57KRf5Uxd7oLgRklnavHeiEgnWjZtaUJ1aXrFGCP/s1600/IMG_7989.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Nicole and I didn’t get out to Glendale to visit
<a href="http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/index.php" target="_blank">Sprecher Brewing Co.</a> but Sprecher was kind enough to visit us in Milwaukee. <a href="http://www.parkmilwaukee.com/destinations/80-red-arrow-park" target="_blank">Red Arrow Park</a>, a half-block of sod surrounded
by pillars of glass, steel, and concrete, was a tour stop on Sprecher’s
<a href="http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/imgpdf/Traveling_beer_garden_2014.pdf" target="_blank">Traveling Beer Garden</a>, a German festival on wheels. The brewery parks a blazing-red, old school,
beer dispensing fire truck on the grass, sets out a couple of Porta Potties and
benches, and lubes up local passersby for two weeks at each location. When two weeks are up, Sprecher packs it up
and drives to the next place. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyKDYXynuI_NzYm9LL0ExWgwn4daxMbhzztavAJHTBfKfceFnfwHqiHWIS7oyNae4uVmsolE7KhjeyVbMa5hKZipWkl9KwALwc7210qr1uYZrKcD7x-mgRS1k7F_UxTqSUMINKBwsZaOLc/s1600/IMG_7931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyKDYXynuI_NzYm9LL0ExWgwn4daxMbhzztavAJHTBfKfceFnfwHqiHWIS7oyNae4uVmsolE7KhjeyVbMa5hKZipWkl9KwALwc7210qr1uYZrKcD7x-mgRS1k7F_UxTqSUMINKBwsZaOLc/s1600/IMG_7931.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
I have no idea what kind of permits needed to be pulled
to make the Traveling Beer Garden a reality but more breweries should take
Sprecher’s idea and run with it. Who
doesn’t love a beer garden? The sun, the
booze, the camaraderie—it’s everything that’s right in this world! In Germany, in both the past and into present
day, the beer garden is more than an outdoor pub, it’s where the community
gathers to celebrate life and attain a sense of belonging. In this ever-alienating world of technology,
when we’ve all got our noses buried in smartphones, Sprecher transports us to a
time before social media when people were plain <i>social</i>, a time when it wasn’t weird to <i>prost</i> a total stranger, it wasn’t uncouth to spill a few globules of
beer on yourself and others, when the commonality of relishing the moment connected
people with more strength than their differences could separate them. I’m nostalgic for a time that, truthfully,
passed before I was born but, all the same, I yearn for the good ol’ days. Denver breweries? City of Denver officials? I put it on you; any one of the city’s 240
parks can be improved with a traveling beer garden.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQ5943S0NiAygAfANFA4SeeBzuf3BoCZRNcxrFGoctHDY7605_RS__7XkjYNDoSeGrDYsX8v2-kFnRVm-L6og5xnEdHibXJPzw6i5bwwkcSKiLdUy3E5qItlVsIi_trfCGcxb62IvJY_d/s1600/IMG_8008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQ5943S0NiAygAfANFA4SeeBzuf3BoCZRNcxrFGoctHDY7605_RS__7XkjYNDoSeGrDYsX8v2-kFnRVm-L6og5xnEdHibXJPzw6i5bwwkcSKiLdUy3E5qItlVsIi_trfCGcxb62IvJY_d/s1600/IMG_8008.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire truck taps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
We visited one more brewery on our way out of
Milwaukee, <a href="http://stfrancisbrewery.com/SFB.php" target="_blank">St. Francis Brewery</a>, and then pointed south on our reverse J-hook
path to the other side of the lake. Stay
tuned for more on our Midwestern exploits.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlruno-GLYtdlzfIpWUBAbRoCqvvdPrYY9Mhmb2Sk8YNJ7n4TEphnPBzavNjdDn4bUr027LTnOiHwEhDRULzgBrTSAt-3FKaKH6Nc9RfyJWRg2iB07DJ3exkB86vWIxcuSktpLORNG1Gky/s1600/IMG_7918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlruno-GLYtdlzfIpWUBAbRoCqvvdPrYY9Mhmb2Sk8YNJ7n4TEphnPBzavNjdDn4bUr027LTnOiHwEhDRULzgBrTSAt-3FKaKH6Nc9RfyJWRg2iB07DJ3exkB86vWIxcuSktpLORNG1Gky/s1600/IMG_7918.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milwaukee Art Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNGq4XWoLiGBojrQAfamYapdlbd6U89vNHXHywdLUtX0_Y7gV1e7fXOQG1ubW-jOdfc5Dx4k8XX-wQoXp4TMsckVmr4062Ah1d7kq-adgbQpwcFVwhxdDR9O8VzehOU3VHHb6FEJbALV9/s1600/IMG_7962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNGq4XWoLiGBojrQAfamYapdlbd6U89vNHXHywdLUtX0_Y7gV1e7fXOQG1ubW-jOdfc5Dx4k8XX-wQoXp4TMsckVmr4062Ah1d7kq-adgbQpwcFVwhxdDR9O8VzehOU3VHHb6FEJbALV9/s1600/IMG_7962.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside Lakefront's front entrance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCuwUsVgMZ0WoZ7HpQ8PzeNnIFM65vZZqVUo2BtZ4E5ccJzA4R2qaaQAeSs15Fh3ht6r3iEOrjP15uK3tGXz5TRzt37US3kuTGQ-nQORQsGrJG0QtO080e3CyHKCRLuBFhvOqI6mmRiRW/s1600/IMG_7903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCuwUsVgMZ0WoZ7HpQ8PzeNnIFM65vZZqVUo2BtZ4E5ccJzA4R2qaaQAeSs15Fh3ht6r3iEOrjP15uK3tGXz5TRzt37US3kuTGQ-nQORQsGrJG0QtO080e3CyHKCRLuBFhvOqI6mmRiRW/s1600/IMG_7903.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coors Field's brewery in the right field is better but Miller Park's level-to-level slide is cool, too</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsws8gTzXJ1h4QwW8LCZ8zxlXuwlsRgSNOtEfhuPPqIOxrvazeuGXmRR0T3H43b-xFslZEN4cvakhT3qD_pCRtUul2EqRb1BRjCeoVFTQQPPXLx9JKOxiAgjklcsFbIovkFROna2Submj3/s1600/IMG_8014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsws8gTzXJ1h4QwW8LCZ8zxlXuwlsRgSNOtEfhuPPqIOxrvazeuGXmRR0T3H43b-xFslZEN4cvakhT3qD_pCRtUul2EqRb1BRjCeoVFTQQPPXLx9JKOxiAgjklcsFbIovkFROna2Submj3/s1600/IMG_8014.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Traveling Beer Garden in Red Arrow Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEg1X3pG4yjwWhgI882BEGvjwjqRqg-gqVBGT1NKzy-MtuHWYKszAmRcgFKmAwBQ5EHCyglgCs6dY-6xm8MJ3cOI4zKr6QqkvZrneeaZrluDA7Qq2n13DaAU091mU4Qyuymj_I-qligTRp/s1600/IMG_8010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEg1X3pG4yjwWhgI882BEGvjwjqRqg-gqVBGT1NKzy-MtuHWYKszAmRcgFKmAwBQ5EHCyglgCs6dY-6xm8MJ3cOI4zKr6QqkvZrneeaZrluDA7Qq2n13DaAU091mU4Qyuymj_I-qligTRp/s1600/IMG_8010.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hearty <i>prost</i> from the beer garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323156202010825815.post-8089669976191515922014-08-17T07:46:00.003-07:002014-08-17T07:46:46.115-07:00Newlyweds in the Old World: Edinburgh<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<i>To read about
the previous leg of our honeymoon, Glasgow, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/07/newlyweds-in-old-world-glasgow.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>Edinburgh<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Finally, after a week and a half of boozing across
the Emerald Isle and Caledonia, Nicole and I hopped our last train, careened across
the countryside to our honeymoon’s final destination: Edinburgh.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRdFEf9ThnHQx_X-p9Hj0Lj4nz8CjmuY815uqUxZj7iA5KLB5CVMlj0_hxMhXWuA1LvuJnlzyjon41GnUWt-HkkfPumq1zF2cODe8m42AZ-o7vSM8nE_-okxWB6sqAKq81ePp5cZPvICy/s1600/IMG_7428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRdFEf9ThnHQx_X-p9Hj0Lj4nz8CjmuY815uqUxZj7iA5KLB5CVMlj0_hxMhXWuA1LvuJnlzyjon41GnUWt-HkkfPumq1zF2cODe8m42AZ-o7vSM8nE_-okxWB6sqAKq81ePp5cZPvICy/s1600/IMG_7428.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edinburgh Castle from the foot of Arthur's Seat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
In Scotland’s capital city, we visited nary a brewery
but an ample number of beer bars and pubs.
The first of which was <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g186525-d2278663-Reviews-Malt_Hops-Edinburgh_Scotland.html" target="_blank">Malt & Hops</a>, a miniscule real ale pub on the
banks of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_of_Leith" target="_blank">Water of Leith</a> near Edinburgh’s northern coastline. A “watering-hole-in-the-wall,” Malt &
Hops is dark, cramped, and timeworn—exactly what I want in a traditional
pub! Enough spaciousness, bright lighting,
and newfangled décor! A pub reminiscent of a refugee camp is best because, in a
way, that’s what pubs are, a refuge from the weather, from work, from life in
general. Leave your worries at the door,
<i>frein,</i> they’re not going
anywhere. </div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Having polished off our pints at Malt & Hops , we
headed to the adjacent <a href="http://www.leithbeerco-edinburgh.co.uk/" target="_blank">Leith Beer Co.</a>, another beer bar (albeit more modern
than the previous one), this one hosting a pub quiz. Longtime readers know Nicole and I are
semi-avid <a href="http://www.geekswhodrink.com/" target="_blank">Geeks Who Drink</a> attendees and, not to pat ourselves on the back,
we’re pretty good at it. Pretty good at <i>American </i>pub quiz, at least; at Leith
Beer Co., where the questions skewed towards a U.K. audience, we floundered like
a three-legged dog in a vat of Jell-O.
What are the ten top-ranked high schools in Edinburgh? Name the British soap opera character based
on the picture? Och! I don’t even know soap opera characters from
the U.S.! Needless to say, we blew
it. However, the night wasn’t a total
loss. We <i>did</i> enjoy one particularly astonishing beer from <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/" target="_blank">Williams Bros. Brewing Co.</a>: <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/beerboard/bottles/fraoch-heather-ale" target="_blank">Fraoch Heather Ale</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ygUReMNvVlL8fpOpCCEV3onZlO1bvOE4QuPrqTywRhxbtpjece1YZOMU83gyk1cVZGn3xDxZiCPexZl_1kuwiJRkzhxNY8SSNH-6OfnblHONYiSSJwcaVB7sxZ_49srE6uZ_3Hg6VUb1/s1600/IMG_20140626_223535_893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ygUReMNvVlL8fpOpCCEV3onZlO1bvOE4QuPrqTywRhxbtpjece1YZOMU83gyk1cVZGn3xDxZiCPexZl_1kuwiJRkzhxNY8SSNH-6OfnblHONYiSSJwcaVB7sxZ_49srE6uZ_3Hg6VUb1/s1600/IMG_20140626_223535_893.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Name <i>one</i> of these characters off the top of your head and I'll give you a dollar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Oh, sweet nectar of the Celtic gods! In past posts, I decried the lack of true,
original Scottish ales on our honeymoon.
<i>German </i>lagers? <i>American</i>
IPAs? Pshaw! Certainly, I had a few Scottish/Scotch ales
up until this point but <i>this</i>, this
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruit" target="_blank">gruit ale</a>, this style predating Christ by at least 2,000 years, <i>this</i> is real Scottish beer! Okay, fine, Williams Bros. unquestionably
took creative and contemporary liberties with their take on this ancient ale
but the soul of Fraoch still lies in tribal Scotland. Full of natural, local ingredients such as
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calluna" target="_blank">heather flowers</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrica_gale" target="_blank">sweet gale</a>, and little (if any) hops, Fraoch is sweet like
honey, grassy like a fresh-cut lawn, and peaty like a fine Scotch whisky. It’s a beautiful and enduring beer. The flavor is uncommon to the American palate
and that’s what makes it a true Scottish original. An equivalent to Fraoch isn’t easy to come by
stateside. It was my favorite beer of
the trip—until I tried Alba from the same brewery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzN93K4gCUGnKOjl8hSpDzNdmwN2iynhiaMn9Notg2EpRIiYnZE0Lf5eRzFa177irpoj1nyKR4YmUeA7rMmqMCcgv3_uZaC1T-b4Ue8QtiXdhVFjJTR5p9tt6195KSky5Sim0_t15v0XE1/s1600/IMG_20140626_221357_531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzN93K4gCUGnKOjl8hSpDzNdmwN2iynhiaMn9Notg2EpRIiYnZE0Lf5eRzFa177irpoj1nyKR4YmUeA7rMmqMCcgv3_uZaC1T-b4Ue8QtiXdhVFjJTR5p9tt6195KSky5Sim0_t15v0XE1/s1600/IMG_20140626_221357_531.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Additional information on Fraoch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
But I’m ahead of myself. Before I talk about Alba, allow me to speak
on the venue in which I imbibed it.
<a href="http://www.wildestdrams.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wildest Drams</a>, on the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mile" target="_blank">Royal Mile</a>, is an underground establishment
devoted to local game meat, artisan whisky, and craft beer. The ambiance is stark but the employees are
friendly, knowledgeable, and, if it’s not too busy, eager to talk beer. We actually went to Wildest Drams on two
separate occasions we were so impressed with the place and, on the second day,
our server took a seat at our table and chatted us up. In one humorous exchange, Nicole mentioned
her affinity for darker ales to which our server replied (and I paraphrase),”I
got the perfect beer for you! It’s
called <a href="http://odellbrewing.com/beer/cutthroat-porter/" target="_blank">Cutthroat Porter</a> from a place called <a href="https://odellbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Odell</a> in Colorado.” Nicole and I smirked, gave each other a
knowing glance. Indeed, Cutthroat is a
phenomenal beer <i>but</i> it’s also
available at every bar within a 50 mile radius of our house; we’d prefer a
local favorite and, telling our server as much, he substituted his first suggestion
with <a href="http://www.highlandbrewingcompany.co.uk/beers/orkney_porter/" target="_blank">Orkney Porter from Highland Brewing Co.</a>, which turned out to be my <i>third</i> favorite beer of the entire honeymoon. It’s rich, chocolate-y, earthy, oily black,
and the ABV is so high it burns the back of the throat. It’s quite the robust porter, bordering on <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/84/" target="_blank">Russian imperial stout</a> territory. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
But Alba stole the show. We told our server we wanted an inimitably
Scottish beer and, after
dismissing everything we’d already tried, we eventually came to <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/beerboard/bottles/alba" target="_blank">Alba Scots Pine Ale</a> from Williams Bros. Oh, mama!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUmqhsc67XLCRaRu1hOiLERRc8hyphenhyphenvvVwML6lQf4-pQ2mmshJWJVo6ugxawjP4C4dM__CQuke9HOysr025b_cib6biRIUs9qnTauVJ_5Qs6xd1UX8QJV0wPTKdINEE5pGNivGZHZtktMb8/s1600/IMG_20140628_201011_174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUmqhsc67XLCRaRu1hOiLERRc8hyphenhyphenvvVwML6lQf4-pQ2mmshJWJVo6ugxawjP4C4dM__CQuke9HOysr025b_cib6biRIUs9qnTauVJ_5Qs6xd1UX8QJV0wPTKdINEE5pGNivGZHZtktMb8/s1600/IMG_20140628_201011_174.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is good beer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Spiked with spruce shoots and bog myrtle (another name for sweet gale), the pine
beer was initially brought to Scotland’s shores via Viking marauders. If you’ve ever gnawed on a spruce tip or, if
camping, ever made pine needle tea, you probably think you know what Alba
tastes like: bitter, resinous, dank, astringent. You’d be wrong. I can’t explain it but, far from being harsh,
Alba is mellow, herbal, and—believe it or not—fruity. I couldn’t help but taste blueberries when I
drank this beer. As far as I know, not a
single berry made its way into the brew but, nonetheless, that flavor pops up. It’s a wonderful, wacky beer, something not
readily available in the U.S. and something not easily replicated. Should you find yourself in Scotland, don’t
leave before ordering an Alba.</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUN-d664ZqKqLmR-nbrywum-YnvxHIRSdf6O55IWQxI4rBwl0BSzE2AhzI5lq4QJNxNt7wRm8-KdMv9L-j-YpeigqerYVft2ugktUExUJtxlzpDUA8OUvbPX0jyrqWpUCSckOWTtnqJD6w/s1600/IMG_20140628_205525_129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUN-d664ZqKqLmR-nbrywum-YnvxHIRSdf6O55IWQxI4rBwl0BSzE2AhzI5lq4QJNxNt7wRm8-KdMv9L-j-YpeigqerYVft2ugktUExUJtxlzpDUA8OUvbPX0jyrqWpUCSckOWTtnqJD6w/s1600/IMG_20140628_205525_129.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is <i>great</i> beer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Although it didn’t produce any “Holy cow; that’s
amazing!” beers for me, <a href="http://www.thehangingbat.com/" target="_blank">The Hanging Bat</a> beer bar is also an advisable stop
while in Edinburgh. A tri-level taproom,
the bar’s at street level, there’s an elevated seating area a half-flight up
and, below the elevated section, the “cave” of the Hanging Bat a half-flight
down. There are windows between the
upper and lower levels so people can look down/up on other customers as they
enjoy their respective ales. At the very
back, one can stumble upon cutest damn biergarten in the world: about the same
area as a large closet, blanketed with AstroTurf, and whimsically-painted kegs
as seats. The Hanging Bat proffers a
healthy dose of both cask and kegged beers so traditionalists and modernists
alike have many quaffables from which to choose.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
We also had a pint or two at <a href="http://www.thesheepheidedinburgh.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Sheep Heid Inn</a>,
Edinburgh’s oldest pub (so they claim), and <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g186525-d189001-Reviews-Bow_Bar-Edinburgh_Scotland.html" target="_blank">The Bow Bar</a>, a premier cask ale pub
serving old-fashioned, hand-pulled beer in a quaint and comfy Old World
setting. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>General
musings on Edinburgh<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Of the four major metropolitans we visited on
our honeymoon (<a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/07/newlyweds-in-old-world-dublin.html" target="_blank">Dublin</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/07/newlyweds-in-old-world-northern-ireland.html" target="_blank">Belfast</a>, <a href="http://beerincolorado.blogspot.com/2014/07/newlyweds-in-old-world-glasgow.html" target="_blank">Glasgow</a>, and Edinburgh), <a href="http://www.ewht.org.uk/auld-reekie" target="_blank">Auld Reekie</a> was my
favorite. There’re several reasons but I’ll
concentrate on the big one. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuc8CybGSscs2BicaYh-iXsKG3P-6Tj4Pw9fy9FO5z2R3TSoe4GPOG8tMyLmfRGodqUQpkLB97e-O5tID58RiR7HR5Szlu_NF1oAIfDO-iythGLZdyBWw32j76n6Mwi-fI56BrT8JA1qDg/s1600/IMG_20140627_140659_172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuc8CybGSscs2BicaYh-iXsKG3P-6Tj4Pw9fy9FO5z2R3TSoe4GPOG8tMyLmfRGodqUQpkLB97e-O5tID58RiR7HR5Szlu_NF1oAIfDO-iythGLZdyBWw32j76n6Mwi-fI56BrT8JA1qDg/s1600/IMG_20140627_140659_172.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hanging Bat's biergarten</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<i>Every</i> city was saturated in history,
medieval architecture, and world-famous sites so, in that regard, all four were
comparable. Likewise, each lied near the
coast and, while neither Ireland nor Scotland boasts an avid beach culture, the
ocean spray and sea-faring lifestyle were a component of each
municipality. Where Edinburgh pulls ahead
is in the terrain. Dublin’s flatter than
Oklahoma. Belfast, like Denver, enjoys
mountain views on the outskirts of town but not much topography downtown. Glasgow is home to a few steeply sloped
streets but it’s all rolling hills—nothing juts up in any dramatic
fashion. </div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NvxzPIWCqMOEA2TJh4fz9LyMdSsFlnE1aQiU4zik1s3VMllbRG9DXZjBFN9-jK8OVs7DhAs_hGAmp3l3MYnLVIXeaTEzWyAkq4Vvz0OjwbokRYs6wjs5txzlNsE6GI6KUYtE4MRM6NOt/s1600/IMG_7349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NvxzPIWCqMOEA2TJh4fz9LyMdSsFlnE1aQiU4zik1s3VMllbRG9DXZjBFN9-jK8OVs7DhAs_hGAmp3l3MYnLVIXeaTEzWyAkq4Vvz0OjwbokRYs6wjs5txzlNsE6GI6KUYtE4MRM6NOt/s1600/IMG_7349.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermitage on Arthur's Seat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
Edinburgh,
on the other hand, is home to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Castle" target="_blank">Edinburgh Castle</a> which sits precariously atop a
260’ cliff-face, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calton_Hill" target="_blank">Calton Hill</a>, a
monument-specked rise affording awe-inspiring views of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town,_Edinburgh" target="_blank">Old Town</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Town,_Edinburgh" target="_blank">New Town</a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firth_of_Forth" target="_blank">Firth of Forth</a>, and, most impressive of all, a towering 822’ extinct
volcano known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur%27s_Seat" target="_blank">Arthur’s Seat</a> surrounded by suburbs and neighboring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holyrood_Palace" target="_blank">Holyrood Palace</a>, The Queen’s home away from home. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->It’s a bit unhip to partake in a guided excursion
whilst visiting a foreign city—it’s such a tourist thing to do. Still, I can’t speak highly enough of
<a href="http://www.neweuropetours.eu/" target="_blank">Sandemans New Europe</a> tours. The basic
tour is free but they also offer specialty tours at a cost (usually, it’s a pub
crawl but Nicole and I opted for “<a href="http://www.newedinburghtours.com/daily-tours/the-dark-side-edinburghs-murderers-and-monsters.html" target="_blank">The Dark Side</a>” tour which covered murders,
folklore, and other spooky stuff) and the information they dole out is a
smidgen more interesting than what’s in a high school history textbook. I can’t remember <i>every</i>thing I learned on the tour but here’s a smattering of the
most fascinating:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->In the city’s medieval buildings, one might
notice stairways with one off-kilter step—an ancient alarm system. Welcomed guests would be warned of the tricky
riser and tread upon it accordingly.
Thieves and home invaders, however, oblivious to the trap, would misstep
and take a tumble which, at the very least, would make enough noise to warn the
homeowner (at the most, the intruder would break their neck).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3EXAX31zFygpn6riVqag-l6cLOWaAGSMZ3VCzNgBrjPBl0-V4G6IaxklrKuO2_M-1t3vl2i8jo1jmZqkaTpkJgrY81XBHY6evCjPiUX-FzEfDT4xISMKAMYCSb3zhDxqUFNSRtCj0IrS/s1600/step2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3EXAX31zFygpn6riVqag-l6cLOWaAGSMZ3VCzNgBrjPBl0-V4G6IaxklrKuO2_M-1t3vl2i8jo1jmZqkaTpkJgrY81XBHY6evCjPiUX-FzEfDT4xISMKAMYCSb3zhDxqUFNSRtCj0IrS/s1600/step2.jpg" height="320" width="178" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the white step, the heights of the risers change</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->J.K. Rowling wrote her first Harry Potter book
in an Edinburgh coffeehouse. That
coffeehouse was owned by her brother-in-law thus she’d sit all day, drink free
java, and write her eventual best-seller.
Apparently, Rowling drank her helpful relative out of business because
that coffeehouse closed shop prior to Potter hitting it big. But, even today, that doesn’t stop every
coffeehouse in Edinburgh from claiming, “J.K. Rowling wrote here!”<o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6gJ4MoeVSyNV_zNk8j2vcB34bvPl-tYPQ19WYMDIOBBB50uCptLmN2hqkeXiX3j5SKfWnQiJhz1NP05hsvtojFP6T6uBv5xc82TXLNGof4TX2Tx56mVuUo0UsDz_KrUVC5pHTfU5ByOF/s1600/IMG_20140627_100114_502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6gJ4MoeVSyNV_zNk8j2vcB34bvPl-tYPQ19WYMDIOBBB50uCptLmN2hqkeXiX3j5SKfWnQiJhz1NP05hsvtojFP6T6uBv5xc82TXLNGof4TX2Tx56mVuUo0UsDz_KrUVC5pHTfU5ByOF/s1600/IMG_20140627_100114_502.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least one coffeehouse is tired of the B.S.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Have you seen the Disney movie <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054944/" target="_blank">Greyfriars Bobby</a></i>? Well, that actually happened and<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Bobby" target="_blank"> a life-sized statue</a> of the loyal Skye terrier sits outside the graveyard walls where his
beloved master’s interred. Amongst the
castles and soaring spires of Edinburgh, this diminutive dog effigy remains the
most photographed object in town.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYPAGNkr_-JY2VAUMYBWAellPyy0tQKXsmKdi8p4JxpNpWJSQ8C_hFSE9rVfkxKIUl6lHdDhYUcUzvxWH4Ow745nZU2zDyzgLUcDDZxeZIsmv6nRpWZ-8ScQ2l6fvrLy6HEO5GG7Kq2qI/s1600/IMG_20140627_095656_282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYPAGNkr_-JY2VAUMYBWAellPyy0tQKXsmKdi8p4JxpNpWJSQ8C_hFSE9rVfkxKIUl6lHdDhYUcUzvxWH4Ow745nZU2zDyzgLUcDDZxeZIsmv6nRpWZ-8ScQ2l6fvrLy6HEO5GG7Kq2qI/s1600/IMG_20140627_095656_282.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Greyfriars Bobby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis" target="_blank">Haggis</a>: chopped sheep liver, heart, and lungs
mixed with onion, oatmeal, suet, and spices.
It’s the national dish of Scotland and, along with kilts and bagpipes, the
international stereotype. It’s also really
good. Not tolerable, good, tender, and
juicy. I indulged in haggis on three separate
occasions, once in Glasgow and twice in Edinburgh (it was a hot dog topping at
The Hanging Bat). Granted, I never had
it served in the customary fashion i.e. encased in a sheep’s stomach but,
regardless, I ate haggis and I’d do it again in a minced-meat heartbeat. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWO9yI-1UgrLtEuceODsAiBqC1aucLDdAeyKbHBYyz6zes4PJ1vVDsv21pTKJ4HkKTGQHbLBOK_XcK68dxKIv7D_N9N7ziHeUE3XUHTAIC_Wcef-GUvHTZ6oAC_O0ASEWwIZNDSfvbfKy/s1600/haggisdog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWO9yI-1UgrLtEuceODsAiBqC1aucLDdAeyKbHBYyz6zes4PJ1vVDsv21pTKJ4HkKTGQHbLBOK_XcK68dxKIv7D_N9N7ziHeUE3XUHTAIC_Wcef-GUvHTZ6oAC_O0ASEWwIZNDSfvbfKy/s1600/haggisdog.jpg" height="320" width="178" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haggis dog!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>Musings on
Edinburgh’s beer scene<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->According to our Wildest Drams server, Scottish
beer geeks are none too fond of <a href="http://www.brewdog.com/" target="_blank">BrewDog</a>.
They take umbrage to the fact that, as BrewDog grew from a homegrown
operation to a multinational brewing giant, they lost their high standards of
quality and abandoned their most loyal supporters. Apparently, the BrewDog flagship line-up once
tasted much better in the days before they started getting weird and <a href="http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article/341" target="_blank">putting beer in dead squirrels</a>. I have nothing
with which to compare this opinion; I’ve only had recent incarnations of
BrewDog beer, never the supposedly superior versions from times long past. It’s a viewpoint most American beer geeks can
understand, though; we all know at least one craft brewery that’s grown a
little too big for their britches. <b><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqiqFta-wHDziybl5-qhrv5UeYmVCNUxxDG7hhB7_afncMw9wrtU3m1xXDJ0nzngeHyHqudifcwaZRAB-muyFCSTyFUfKredOYDxR3l9dN1h-guYRe6c1vLfh3svEmwlmuofAobQQJvN_/s1600/arthursseat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqiqFta-wHDziybl5-qhrv5UeYmVCNUxxDG7hhB7_afncMw9wrtU3m1xXDJ0nzngeHyHqudifcwaZRAB-muyFCSTyFUfKredOYDxR3l9dN1h-guYRe6c1vLfh3svEmwlmuofAobQQJvN_/s1600/arthursseat.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arthur's Seat from Calton Hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Somebody once asked me how real Scottish ales
compare to American interpretations. The
simple, honest, and cop-out answer is it’s impossible to tell, I drank mostly
cask ale in Scotland and, since U.S. breweries/bars usually serve from kegs only
(with exceptions, of course), to compare cask to keg is a fool’s errand. They’re too dissimilar to make any worthwhile
appraisal. Tweaking temperature and
carbonation makes a single beer completely different from even itself. However, I <i>can</i> comment briefly on the reverse: how well does Scotland imitate American
beer styles? I downed a few American-style
IPAs and, since such beer isn’t native to Scotland, it wasn’t served in the
usual Scottish way, cask. Ergo, a more
exact side-by-side comparison can be made.
In short, the best Scottish-made American-style IPA equates to a pretty
good American-made American-style IPA; I felt most of them were either too
stingy on the hops or, on the opposite end, showcased more hop bitterness than
hop flavor. Close, but lungs shan’t be
marred by cigar smoke. <b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<b>Favorite beers
from Edinburgh<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvbJ9GnMstBOtyiPmg9fI5VqkKQTCqvO_SfeY2PyRUwdjmT8g-G6HYYpXy020BrWL-pwhH9pKBpgjM5YuXhw2f8LodqJBC1xPvA0NDhCg6Onk8X3H4z7FB9RSS2SzfimLjE6PhyphenhyphenSF0zMx/s1600/IMG_20140627_150711_114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvbJ9GnMstBOtyiPmg9fI5VqkKQTCqvO_SfeY2PyRUwdjmT8g-G6HYYpXy020BrWL-pwhH9pKBpgjM5YuXhw2f8LodqJBC1xPvA0NDhCg6Onk8X3H4z7FB9RSS2SzfimLjE6PhyphenhyphenSF0zMx/s1600/IMG_20140627_150711_114.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Punk IPA infusion tower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The aforementioned Fraoch, Orkney Porter, and
Alba.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://harviestoun.com/our-beers/schiehallion" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Schiehallion<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: blue;">Harviestoun Brewery</span></a>. A spiced and herbed beer. Very pleasant and easy to drink. Enjoyed at the Leith Beer Co.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/luckie-ales-scotoberfest/209838/" target="_blank">Scot-oberfest by Luckie Ales</a>. I just like the idea of a Scottish-made
German lager served on cask. Enjoyed at
The Hanging Bat.</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.brewdog.com/beer/punk-ipa" target="_blank">Punk IPA</a> infused with shortbread, whisky-soaked
oats, and toffee by BrewDog. I appreciate
infusion towers; they’re a fun means of altering familiar beers without having
to completely re-brew it. Enjoyed at
<a href="http://www.brewdog.com/bars/edinburgh" target="_blank">BrewDog: Edingurgh</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/beerboard/bottles/kelpie" target="_blank">Kelpie Seaweed Ale by Williams Bros.</a> I was expecting a more briny flavor but,
actually, it’s just a rich, dark ale. Its
name has a double meaning, too. To the American
reader, the connection between “kelp” and “seaweed” is obvious but, to the Scottish
mind, the word “kelpie” conjures more fantastical imagery such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelpie" target="_blank">a malevolent, shape-shifting, water horse, faery thingy</a>.
Enjoyed at Wildest Drams.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOQU0y-Gu9mttr3GqSF5CX02zChwadrKaP5RAmbfOBaukXsyQLLCg1iKkQjSI1y1Sbta0JLFQdFLBfVRCV8zw4xvAk-Ep7WCaHaChVoRIf0gvh15f1RubOknO0HY5-Lk1KvtaG15GSVPh/s1600/IMG_7284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOQU0y-Gu9mttr3GqSF5CX02zChwadrKaP5RAmbfOBaukXsyQLLCg1iKkQjSI1y1Sbta0JLFQdFLBfVRCV8zw4xvAk-Ep7WCaHaChVoRIf0gvh15f1RubOknO0HY5-Lk1KvtaG15GSVPh/s1600/IMG_7284.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/beerboard/bottles/r%C3%B4isin" target="_blank">R</a><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/beerboard/bottles/r%C3%B4isin" target="_blank">óisin</a> was also very good.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Alas, the honeymoon is over. Nicole and I have settled into our regular,
old married life. The adventure behind
us, the ordinary day-to-day drudgery awaits.
We trekked the wilds of The Highlands, we biked the coastal beauty of
Northern Ireland, we walked the hallowed aisles of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Patrick's_Cathedral,_Dublin" target="_blank">St. Patrick’s Cathedral</a>, and
we explored the authentic pubs of Ireland and Scotland. But now?
Now we’re back home. Back home in
the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Back home where the sun shines as often the rain falls in Dublin. Back home where rustic escapes can be had
after but a few minutes’ drive from my front door. Back home where the beer flows more
abundantly than the great river from which our state derives its name. Back home again in Colorado. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Yeah, I think we can keep the good times
rolling. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
Prost!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpLast">
Chris<br />
<br />
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<span style="color: red;">Chris covered the beer part of
the trip pretty well so I’ll share with you what else we did in Edinburgh such
as our hike on Arthur’s seat. The peak
offered gorgeous views of Edinburgh including Edinburgh Castle in the distance
and Holyrood Palace at the base of the mountain. It was a fairly easy hike, it could only be
made more difficult by navigating the hills on a unicycle, something one man
happened to be doing. During our entire
hike there was a guy flying by on his one-wheeled contraption and I was plenty
amazed—it takes a lot talent to keep balance on a bumpy dirt trail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Chris1CxSpFirst">
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyPvzLV2LkMcTtFzPLw3QZD07BBy7arbiDcOH27hUPF7mVKWvc9elwUqFahuc1v5J-yKnANopIwX_qWsNK9rl8UzoYorGz7WO9ey23YxGTZaimhVSVihgyev1C4ACs2nGcA5uDvPBVDNj/s1600/unicycle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyPvzLV2LkMcTtFzPLw3QZD07BBy7arbiDcOH27hUPF7mVKWvc9elwUqFahuc1v5J-yKnANopIwX_qWsNK9rl8UzoYorGz7WO9ey23YxGTZaimhVSVihgyev1C4ACs2nGcA5uDvPBVDNj/s1600/unicycle.jpg" height="205" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Away he goes!</td></tr>
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<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: red;">Just as I have a passion for
beer, I also have a passion for yarn. On
every trip I find locally produced yarn to use in future projects. As we wandered the city, I found <a href="http://www.kathysknits.co.uk/" target="_blank">Kathy’s Knits</a>
which had a great selection of yarn from Scotland and other parts of the U.K. I found a few skeins (which nicely cushioned
the bottles of whisky we were bringing home) and we went on our way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="Chris1CxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: red;">Lastly, once, when we were out
and about one afternoon, I found a shop peddling some cute clothes. I decided to leaf through their selection but,
as I was looking at the shirts hanging on a rack, a giant spider ran across the
shirt at lightning speed. Without saying
anything, I turned and speed-walked right out of the store. I tried to explain to Chris that the spider
gave me a dirty look as he ran by, but he didn’t buy it <i>[ I tried to explain to her that, without spiders, there wouldn’t even
be a Scotland; it’s true, <a href="http://www.showcaves.com/english/explain/History/Bruce.html" target="_blank">read about it here</a> ~ Chris</i>]. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">Nicole<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0b4KXAsQepD8XmK7VdKKeReVQdkjtlfBGxGYfNXpCqKZcHhRbHMiJUhAAE-AfUgrjrt-_ZRRWdfuRl8VggxR9P-M9U3tdk7SZlwYpWTWmn4FBC_ssm_Sq11drvtwrN2zlCAntFUHH-sYa/s1600/IMG_7247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0b4KXAsQepD8XmK7VdKKeReVQdkjtlfBGxGYfNXpCqKZcHhRbHMiJUhAAE-AfUgrjrt-_ZRRWdfuRl8VggxR9P-M9U3tdk7SZlwYpWTWmn4FBC_ssm_Sq11drvtwrN2zlCAntFUHH-sYa/s1600/IMG_7247.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Heart of Midlothian, the entryway to a now-nonexistent prison/execution site. It is customary to spit on the heart for good luck or to show disdain for the former place of incarceration. It is the only place in Edinburgh where it is legal to spit on the streets. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZ_08jcL5vZL4e7hkBD1r8b435_MXYcgaBy6a8qY7n4MBWbFtnzeCetlu3nrUqV7AlaYRevkfM7yrJYGd3yPIoYfDXsrFzqEhDgAwEoPntWv-ucHT1GmR6PC9xxuKR7tTw1gtBsvG-yV4/s1600/IMG_20140627_101036_282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZ_08jcL5vZL4e7hkBD1r8b435_MXYcgaBy6a8qY7n4MBWbFtnzeCetlu3nrUqV7AlaYRevkfM7yrJYGd3yPIoYfDXsrFzqEhDgAwEoPntWv-ucHT1GmR6PC9xxuKR7tTw1gtBsvG-yV4/s1600/IMG_20140627_101036_282.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This crap is Scotland's "Second National Drink" after whisky. It tastes like bubble gum, it has more sugar than Coca-Cola and, in Scotland, it outsells Coca-Cola. And it's terrible.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-anwSU9EaAwxfSLO_BeylBsacUw3I03Q25wPevS8-6a9GoJDN1-5-_q7RCH4ilykV7ztX8BjSFSf73U13wewF_F1Zp8eHbc60kGrHow1ocrfi4eJgeef2u3RWm5MPw10RT5adi9-cODM/s1600/IMG_7271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-anwSU9EaAwxfSLO_BeylBsacUw3I03Q25wPevS8-6a9GoJDN1-5-_q7RCH4ilykV7ztX8BjSFSf73U13wewF_F1Zp8eHbc60kGrHow1ocrfi4eJgeef2u3RWm5MPw10RT5adi9-cODM/s1600/IMG_7271.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edinburgh is the birthplace of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the world's most famous detective. References to his work can be found all over town including a pub called <a href="http://www.moriartysbar.com/" target="_blank">Moriarty</a> that's next door to The Hanging Bat. This statue stands somewhere near where the author was born but nobody is <i>exactly</i> sure of the true location (not even Sherlock Holmes).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDxr9BDiwLC7O2OyaaGB0yopPV6wu7aywNc_qVPA2fugvPzcGa1sJIMYQOVaIhJJ1lAE5LrXT3thvsfeBGVJNYPj8XUCuSJWFhJhqfqPbK7ZBgpLs2XE_n9AO-G-_G_V3DWK4ZjJ2ouH4/s1600/IMG_7330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDxr9BDiwLC7O2OyaaGB0yopPV6wu7aywNc_qVPA2fugvPzcGa1sJIMYQOVaIhJJ1lAE5LrXT3thvsfeBGVJNYPj8XUCuSJWFhJhqfqPbK7ZBgpLs2XE_n9AO-G-_G_V3DWK4ZjJ2ouH4/s1600/IMG_7330.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queen's Edinburgh getaway, Holyrood Palace. She was actually staying there at the time of our visit.<br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04739910173249934172noreply@blogger.com0