Beer in Australia: Melbourne Pt. 1

This is a continuation from Beer in Australia: Sydney.  Please read that post before reading this one.After wringing out our clothes from the apocalyptic deluge, we put Sydney in our rearview mirror and set our sights on Melbourne.

The first thing we did after arriving at our accommodations was to get our bearings.  Melbourne is little more difficult to navigate than Sydney because of its lack of prominent landmarks: no giant bridges, no pointy opera houses, no large bodies of water.  However, downtown is on a simple grid system and the tram system is pretty straightforward so it didn’t take long to procure a basic understanding of the city.

Our first stop in the city was the Portland Hotel, a historic, downtown hotel that houses, among other businesses, the James Squire Brewhouse—one of several breweries in Australia with the James Squire designation.  Yes, it is a chain brewery but chain breweries aren’t necessarily bad.  There is merit to the argument that chains lessen the uniqueness of the beer due to the fact that it is available in several locations and it is true that chain breweries do not have a local vibe but, if the beer is of high quality, do these complaints really matter?  Actually, even I can’t fully convince myself that it doesn’t matter at least a little but, in truth, the buck stops at the taste buds; good beer is good beer.  Besides, even though James Squire has a set line-up of beer that is the same throughout the country, each location also has one or two unique beers that are brewed in-house and are only available at that single branch.  I’ll also give the brewery kudos for naming their company after something as cool as a beer-brewing convict.

Portland

The first beer I had was one of those unique, in-house beers: Portland Pale Ale.  Portland is a clear, pale yellow.  Due to this paleness, at a glance, one might think they were looking at a Belgian wit.  One whiff would certainly dispel any confusion, though; the faint floral hints present in this beer are standard in the average Aussie-style pale ale.  Also keeping in line with the style is the light hop flavor.  There is a little hoppiness to the beer but it is hardly the punch in the face that we American beer geeks are so used to.  Furthermore, what hints of hop the beer does have are fleeting; you can’t taste them ten minutes after your last swallow like in an American version.  The malts are also quite effective in cowing the hops.  This particular pale ale also featured some sweetness to accompany the bitterness.  As per the Aussie pale ale norm, Portland finishes dry.
 
The next beer I ordered was Speculator American Pale Ale.  In Colorado, we make beers that reflect cultures from around the world.  We have English pale ales (e.g. DPA from Great Divide), Scottish ales (e.g. 90 Shilling from Odell), Mexican ambers (e.g. Mañana from Del Norte), and Belgian ales (e.g. most of the offerings at New Belgium).  I ordered Speculator because I was curious to see how another country did our beer.  Speculator is a clear copper color and it is a little bit hazy.  So far, it’s on par with what I know about American pale ales.  The hop aroma is perhaps a tad bit weak but it is close enough to make the grade.  The hops have a grapefruit essence to them.  It is in the taste where things start to go astray.  Speculator, in my opinion, is too malty; it deteriorates the bitterness.  The hops are there, though.  They’re just not in-your-face; it’s a hop love tap rather than a hop punch.  The bitterness does, however, have a tendency to stick in the drinker’s mouth for awhile like so many an American pale ale.  Speculator doesn’t exactly make the drinker slobber but it’s certainly wet when compared with Portland’s dry finish.  The verdict: it’s a darn decent beer but it couldn’t go toe-to-toe with its U.S. counterparts.  Maybe I’m being too nationalistic and propagandizing my country’s beer but I’m sure I’m not the only one.  Tell me how many Irish will admit that Left Hand Milk Stout is as good as Guinness.  That’s what I thought.

Speculator

In addition to great beer, James Squire also has great bartenders.  One was a fellow from Albuquerque (small world) but he wasn’t our main server so we didn’t get to talk to him much.  However, we were able to chat with the Aussie bartender for quite some time.  It was he who explained the fundamental differences between an Aussie pale ale and an American.  He was also kind enough to give us some local tips on other local breweries and craft beer bars.  Best of all, he had 2010 version of The Beer Lovers Guide to Australia that he flat-out gave to us for free because he knew we were beer geeks.  Thanks, mate.  Whatever they’re paying you aint enough. 

After James Squire, we walked around the city with no particular purpose.  We ambled about looking for neat architecture (and a bathroom for me) and eventually found ourselves at the train depot and Etihad Stadium where they play Australian-rules football AKA “footy.”  When I was studying in New Zealand, I caught about a five minute glimpse of footy on TV and, although I had no idea what was going on, I was intrigued.  Before we left for Australia I tried to research any games that might be happening when we were in town but I wasn’t having any luck; I wasn’t even sure if the sport was in season.  Nonetheless, we walked to the stadium to at least get a few pics. 

Along the way we happened upon a sidewalk stand selling North Melbourne Kangaroos gear.  Well, if we couldn’t go to game we could at least get a souvenir shirt.  Footy is Australia’s most popular sport so a shirt with a team logo is a more authentic souvenir than, say, a Hard Rock shirt or something with a koala on it.  I got the retro logo shirt because it looked a lot like my retro Colts shirt.  After purchasing my shirt I turned to leave and heard the cashier say, “Enjoy the match!”

Eh?  There’s a match today?

We scurried over to the ticket booth and, sure enough, the game was in the middle of the second quarter.  Again, footy is a very popular sport in Australia and I wanted to be a part of something uniquely Aussie so we purchased two cheap seats and hurried up the ramps.

At first, we still had no idea what the hell was going on down on the field but we still enjoyed the action.  Eventually, we asked some other spectators what it was, exactly, that we were watching.  After getting the basic concepts down, we enjoyed the game a whole lot more.  I won’t bore you with an explanation but it’s basically a sport unlike any other sport because it is a combination of all sports; it’s rugby, soccer, basketball, and volleyball all mixed into one.  The ‘Roos won the match so I guess you could say they’re my favorite footy team (I did buy the shirt, afterall).  But, I guess I’ll count the opponents—the Brisbane Lions—as my second-favorite team since it was Lions fans that explained the game to us.  So, if you like nonstop action and athletic men in shorty-shorts then give footy a try.  Of course, I still like my American-rules football the best:  bigger hits and some semblance of strategy (footy looks like pee-wee soccer what with everybody on the field fighting over the ball like it’s a greased pig).

Roos V. Lions

Using our newly acquired book, we looked up Saint & Rogue, a craft beer bar and restaurant.  There I had Little Creatures Pale ale (5.2% ABV), a clear, Jurassic Park mosquito-trapped-in-amber colored beer.  Based on the aroma, I could tell that this was the hoppiest Aussie pale ale I have had to date.  It was a bit piney on the nose.  Alas, the aroma misleads for, on the tongue, the hops are very mild: no kick, no bite, no fire breath.  There is, perhaps, a bit of malty sweetness to the beer as well.  Little Creatures Pale ale leaves the mouth salivating after each sip.

Little Creatures Pale Ale

We did a lot of stuff in Melbourne.  Stay tuned for Melbourne Pt. 2.

Prost!

Chris

I have one last note about Sydney that I forgot to mention in the last update. What goes through your mind when you walk into a bar at 11 am and see a man dressed as a pirate? Well, this is what happened when we arrived at Lord Nelson’s. The fun continued when a group of four walked in looking for this pirate as part of a team-building scavenger hunt. They proceeded to sing a crazy song, dance around, shake their booties at us, bribe us with chocolate money, and ask us to rate their dance.

When we first arrived in Melbourne there was a brief break from the rain. As we walked to the James Squire Brewery in the Portland Hotel, we passed a store called Lorna Jane. They sell workout clothes for women and will be opening a store in LA soon. Of course, I had to stop and take a picture and buy a gift for my mom, Lorna Jane. It is rare to see the name Lorna except for the Lorna Doone cookie.

James Squire Cider

Once at James Squire, I looked at the chalkboard with the list of brews. I found something that is not common on tap in the US (or maybe I just never noticed): cider. As we went to more breweries and bottleshops AKA liquor stores, I noticed that locally brewed cider is a main staple. So, I decided that, for the remainder of my time in Australia, I would focus on cider rather than beer. I didn’t write down the name of the cider at James Squire but I do remember that there were two. If you go, have both as I am sure they are both delicious. The cider that I had was tart with a taste like a white wine. It had no distinct aroma. It was clear in color with a light haze and lots of bubbles. I came to the conclusion that I was going to enjoy my cider critiquing experience. I paired my drink with some fish and chips which was pretty tasty. Another thing that I learned about Australian breweries is that they offer glass sizes other than the pint. They have a smaller glass called a port (also called a schooner) that is about half the size of the pint glass. This is perfect if you want to try multiple brews, but don’t want consume so much liquid.

Nicole

Nightscape of Melbourne

Beer in Australia: Sydney

A little over two weeks ago I was perusing the statistical data of my blog e.g. how many hits per post, when they’re being read, and, most interestingly, which countries are reading them.  Of course, being located near the geographical center of the United States, I draw most of my readers from America.  A distant second (but also a mile ahead of third place) is Malaysia.  God bless ya, Malaysia; I have no idea what intrigues you so about alcoholic beverages in an internationally obscure U.S. state but I appreciate your readership nonetheless.  Somewhere towards the bottom—below Germany, U.K., Canada, and even Iran—were our dear mates from down under: Australia.  Something had to be done about this lack of Aussie readership.  So, Nicole and I packed our bags and flew south to become ambassadors of beer by tasting the local brews and spreading the good word of beer in Colorado.
 

First stop: Sydney.  If you’ve never been then an analogous American city might be San Francisco: a bay, a famous bridge, and a few hills in the city.  We putted around on a harbor cruise, took a walking tour with a local guide, and just generally moseyed about the city and took pictures of the local landmarks.  Well, we did those things the best we could seeing as it was raining harder than Noah’s deluge.  Given that we were walking everywhere, we sought out indoor activities to escape the meteorological Niagara Falls.

Our first brewery (and asylum from the weather) was The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel—Sydney’s oldest hotel and brewpub.  Located in The Rocks (with its hip residences and trendy bars, The Rocks is sort of like Denver’s LoDo), Lord Nelson exudes Olde World charm: gray stone walls, timbered ceilings, and a crackling hearth.  We cozied up to the bar and I ordered Three Sheets Australian Pale Ale (4.9% ABV). 

Before I get into tasting notes, a few words on what it means to be an Australian pale ale as opposed to an American pale ale.  An American pale ale is very much in-your-face with explosive hop aroma and flavor.  This is due to the excessive amount of hops as well as the ultra-bitter American style of hops.  Conversely, an Australian pale ale is much more aligned with an English pale ale; the hops are slight and the flavor doesn’t linger like those in an American.  There’s also a perceptible dry finish to a lot of Aussie pale ales.  Matilda Bay Brewing Company’s Fat Yak (4.7% ABV)—the go-to craft beer in Australia like Fat Tire is in America (I never made the “fat” connection until just now)—is the most ubiquitous of the style.  It’s also the beer I had when I’d had everything else on tap at restaurants and pubs.  Now, back to Lord Nelson.

Three Sheets is colored like a typical pale ale: clear and darkish yellow.  It has a powerful lemony scent and there is a quick hop strike at first sip but it quickly subsides.  An underlying sweetness rounds out the flavors and a typical-for-the-style dry finish completes the drinking experience. 

The next beer I ordered was Victory Bitter (5% ABV), a golden beer with a malty aroma that overshadows the hoppy hints.  The flavor is quite peculiar.  It is spicy but not hot spicy: spices like those you’d find on the spice rack in your mom’s kitchen.  To me, it tasted peppery.  It’s like black pepper and hop bitterness. 

Three Sheets (I forgot to take a picture of Victory)

The day after Lord Nelson was even rainier.  It was absolutely torrential at times.  Nonetheless, we walked around the bay, through the botanical gardens, and into the Woolloomooloo suburb.  There, we got some yummy, yummy meat pies from Harry’s Café de Wheels and we popped into the Catholic church to admire the architecture i.e. escape the weather.  Doing anything outside was out of the question and the other brewery we looked up prior to departure—Redoak Boutique Beer Café—was on the other side of the city.  So be it.  We ran from one overhang to the next, enjoying our moments of dry respite, and walked into the place sopping.

 

When you hear a name like Redoak Boutique Beer Café what words and images come to mind?  Chic?  Fancy?  Country club?  French?  That’s what you get at Redoak.  It’s just so metrosexual and not at all what I think of when I think of a brewery.  Personally, I like my breweries with stickers slapped on the walls, raucous customers, and the bartender in a wort-stained t-shirt.  At Redoak, you get chandelier lighting, uniformed wait staff, and a Gordon Ramsay wannabe yelling at his employees in the kitchen.  Still, this is a brewery and its merit should be assessed on the beer it makes and not aesthetics.

First up was Belgian Pale Ale (4.5% ABV) which is a clear, light copper in color.  The fruity esters are obvious; it definitely has the quintessential Belgian beer smell.  The bitterness of the hops hit not just the back but everywhere in the mouth.  At the same time there is a fruity undertone that is not too difficult to notice.  This beer is aptly named; it is very much a bitter pale ale and it is also very much a fruity Belgian.  It’s an equal mix between the two.  If you’d like to try its American counterpart, try a Raging Bitch from Flying Dog Brewery and imagine it a little milder.  You’ll then have some approximation of what Belgian Pale Ale is all about.

Belgian Pale Ale

Next in line was Belgian Chocolate Stout (5% ABV).  In its round snifter glass, this dark beer almost looks like a plum with light brown foam on top.  It is pitch black all the way through until most of it has been drank.  Then, when there isn’t so much beer for the light to penetrate, brown highlights start to appear.  The aroma is absolutely exquisite: so rich, so flavorful.  It’s like melted dark chocolate in a glass.  They ought to concentrate this stuff and make cologne out of it.  The taste is equally scrumptious with its smooth, mocha flavor and nutty undertones.  I would almost have proclaimed this the best stout I’ve ever had until Nicole reminded me of one thing: the mouthfeel.  Indeed, Belgian Chocolate Stout is much too thin for the style.  The viscosity just isn’t there.  A stout needs to feel like a milkshake; this one was a little watered down.  Still, it’s a tasty beer and worth a try for anybody stumbling in from the rain.

Belgian Chocolate Stout

  I had a third beer to fortify myself for the next wet leg of the journey: Special Strong Bitter (5.6% ABV).  Special Strong Bitter’s color is clear mahogany or a deep cherry red and the aroma is that of caramel malts and hops.  The hop aroma is, however, somewhat misleading since the flavor of the beer hardly features any bitterness.  Instead, toffee and cherry flavors predominate.  The cherry flavor is similar to the flavor gained through oak aging but I saw no indication that this beer underwent that process. 

Special Strong Bitter

We slogged from Redoak to The Hero of Waterloo, a pub that is said to be the oldest in Sydney.  Like Lord Nelson, Hero is located in The Rocks and it, too, has the Olde World charm.  It feels like an old pub on a dark, English moor (the adverse weather certainly helped create this ambiance).  If Hero was anything other than a bar, I wouldn’t go in it; it looks like a dungeon.  However, jovial blokes and sheilas enjoying a pint and wood burning fireplace made the atmosphere festive and welcoming.  Hero isn’t a brewery but I did enjoy some Aussie beers namely the Four Wives Pilsener from James Squire.  You’ll hear a lot more about James Squire in later posts but all you need to know now is that it is basically the Aussie version of Rock Bottom.  That is, they are a chain brewery but each link in said chain brews small batches that are unique to that location.  Four Wives is one of the flagship beers found at all locations.
 

We had dinner at The Opera Bar that night and took some night photos of its namesake landmark.  While there, I enjoyed an Opera Bar Organic Pale Ale which, at the time, I didn’t know was brewed by Redoak (actually, I didn’t know until ten seconds ago when I looked it up).  Honestly, I didn’t take meticulous notes on this beer because we were seated outside (under an overhang, of course) and it was dark.  Plus, I was captivated by the bayside scenery.  The notes I did take say that this beer is clear gold in color like a good pale ale ought to be.  The aroma is light on hops and considerably yeasty.  Like most Aussie pale ales (RateBeer calls it an American but I don’t believe it), the hops are mild and fleeting.  The yeast gives the beer a pretzel-like taste.

Opera Pale Ale

Australia is a big country and it necessitates big updates.  I’m going to separate my posts by city so check back soon for the word on Melbourne beers.

Prost!

Chris

P.S. Thanks to our networking with Aussie beer geeks, Australia is now home to my third largest base of readers.  Thanks for reading, mates.

P.P.S. Foster's is not Australian for beer.  It is Australian for "cheap crap we export to America."  You won't find that swill at many Aussie bars or liquor stores.

From the moment I started walking around Sydney, I had a feeling that I would really like the city. Chris said it reminded him of San Francisco but to me it feels more like Seattle. Of course, the gray, rainy weather made it feel like the Pacific Northwest. We walked to the King Street Wharf, the Rocks, the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, the Circular Quay, Mrs. Macquaries’s Road, the Government House, a couple of breweries and bars, and some good restaurants.

We did our best to find fun things to do indoors that were not too touristy. But, we did go to Sydney Wildlife World and the Sydney Aquarium. We saw a bunch of spiders including the most poisonous spider (Funnel-web) in the world. The glass between us and them was really not enough. Look up the Huntsman spider and the Redback spider. Let’s just say that I am still having nightmares from staring at those eight legged creatures. In addition, we saw several snakes including the most poisonous snake (Inland Taipan) in the world. They also have a 5-meter male saltwater crocodile. Because it is winter he is being starved so we didn’t get to see a feeding.  And, of course, they have traditional Australian wildlife: koalas, kangaroos, wombats, and cassowaries. The excessive amount of rain made the koalas look especially grumpy. However, there was only one smart enough to sleep in the tree that was under the overhang. The aquarium had two areas with underwater glass tubes that gave a great view of sharks, rays, colorful fish, and a manatee. They had some of the biggest rays I have ever seen.

I used my navigating skills to get us around the city. We made our way to Woolloomooloo—with a few stops to avoid being washed away by the deluge—where we enjoyed a lunch at Harry’s Café de Wheels. Chris told me about the meat pies he had when he was studying abroad in New Zealand so I wanted to see for myself what meat pies are all about. I enjoyed my chicken and veg meat pie so much that I bought a cookbook full of pie recipes.

I did a little research on breweries before we left. One that I came across was Lord Nelson’s Brewery. After a tour of the area of Sydney called The Rocks, we asked our local guide to drop us off at Lord Nelson’s. After looking through their list of brews, I decided on Nelson’s Blood (5% ABV). Nelson’s Blood is a robust porter that is advertised as a cold weather porter. After walking in the rain for the last two hours, this sounded like a great beer. The color was a really deep mahogany red with a tan/beige foam. The description says that espresso and dark chocolate flavors dominate. However, I only found hints of these flavors. The aroma had a light roast aroma, with light roast and malt flavors. The mouthfeel was slightly creamy. Although the flavor didn’t match the description, Nelson’s Blood is quite enjoyable. We snacked on some crisps (what we call chips) until we were hungry enough for a lunch of fish and chips made with barramundi. This is the fish they usually use to make fish and chips and is quite tasty. Lord Nelson’s also has a beer called the Quayle Ale that was named in honor of Vice-President Dan Quayle’s visit.

Overall, I really enjoyed Sydney. I wish we had more time to explore, especially without the rain. There were a lot of parts of the Sydney that I would have walked to but wet shoes, wet clothes, and chilly weather is not too comfortable. I would have also liked to take the ferries to other harbours. For example, we could have taken the Manly Ferry to a suburb of Sydney called Manly or perhaps a trip to Bondi Beach.

Nicole

The Harbour Bridge AKA The Iron Lung AKA The Coat Hanger

If you don't know what this is then you need to get out more

Yes, that is Col. Sanders eating above Nicole's head.  The whole wall was of famous people who ate at Harry's.

            

Star Bar's Beer Cocktails

I find myself in a rush to write this blog update because I’ll be catching a plane and leaving the country for two weeks (expect a "Beer in Australia" post soon).  Forgive the brevity of my writing; the subject matter deserves much more than I’m giving it.

The long and short of it:

·         Star Bar in LoDo had a beer cocktail event in which representatives from Colorado bars and restaurants concocted mixed drinks using Avery Brewing Company beers and liquors from Peak Spirits.

·         Nicole and I met a lot of great people there including the owner of Star Bar, possible new yoga instructors for Nicole, and some of the upper brass from Denver off the Wagon.  The best part?  I learned that my name has been getting around in craft beer circles.  Very, very cool. 

·         We had a lot more fun than we expected.  We were both pretty tired going in to it but we perked up right away.

·         Bacon and corn rice bowls from i-Fish are delicious.  They had a table set up at the event.  Nicole had their Asian-style hot wings.  Helliemae's Salt Caramels also had a table set up and the lady running that was very friendly.  We chatted for some time. 

·    For more a lot more info (such as recipes), click here.  

Prost!

Chris

This post definitely doesn't do this event justice. It was a great event and I had a lot of fun trying new drinks and meeting new people. Another mention is the bartender at the Paramount Cafe that told us about some great events that he will be hosting during GABF week. Perhaps if I can remember details about this event when I get back, I will add more to this post including info about some of the drinks that we had.

Nicole

The Economic Viability of Being a Renegade

I believe I got a C- in high school economics but even I know that if a lot of business selling similar goods exist in the same confined area then, chances are, the smaller businesses will struggle and eventually die out.  It’s economic Darwinism.  However, there is a phenomenon in the Denver area that eschews this seemingly common sense assertion.  When it comes to breweries, the big, the small, and everybody in between coexist in perfect harmony with nary a one stepping on another’s toes.  Is it a miracle?  Has economic Darwinism given way to economic intelligent design?  At a glance it may seem so but level-headed reasoning reveals that the explanation is quite earthbound.

Exhibit A: Colorado loves beer.  If it didn’t, why does this blog exist?  Getting a little more detailed, Denver loves beer.  If it didn’t, why does it host the Great American Beer Fest?  Having a population of beer loving citizens equals a high demand which necessitates a high supply.  What other metro area can claim to have more breweries than Denver?  Milwaukee?  They’re known for their big breweries (Miller, Pabst, and Schlitz) but how many craft beers do they have?  A few, I know, but I doubt it comes close to Denver.  Los Angeles?  New York?  Perhaps they have more breweries but that is due to sheer number of people in general not number of beer lovers.  It’s a matter of per capita.

Exhibit B:  Craft breweries are not cutthroat.  At any given tasting room, the bartender will readily admit how much he or she likes this other beer from this other brewery.  Pasted on the walls of the bathroom or in the back offices are stickers from other breweries—even ones from the same market.  Being a craft brewery does not put you in competition with other craft breweries; it inducts you into a prestigious club.  Budweiser and MillerCoors constantly bash each other like politicians during election year but the craft breweries don’t undermine each other because they’re not in competition with each other—they are, as a group, in competition with the big boys.  Every time a customer chooses a craft beer over Miller Genuine Draft, a brewmaster gets his wings.

Exhibit C:  Denver is not a very big city but it is a city and it has neighborhoods.  Numerous breweries can exist in one metro because there’s almost always a tiny area of the city that doesn’t have a brewery thus making it possible for similar businesses to exist without encroaching too far into the other guy’s customer base.  It used to be that Olde TownAravada didn’t have a brewery until the soon-to-be-opened Arvada Beer Company set up shop.  The Platte River Valley, likewise, was dry until Denver Beer Co. bought an abandoned repair shop and started installing kettles.  And what about the Art District on Santa Fe?  Well, that neighborhood is the recent recipient of…

Renegade Brewing Company.

Renegade just opened late last month and it has been killing me that I haven’t been to it yet.  Killing me, mostly, because it seems everybody I know went there before I could.  When a new brewery opens up nearby I like to be among the first to go so that I can give advice to other people who have yet to go.  When it comes to things that confuse me like trigonometry and the reason why girls wear UGG boots and knit caps when it’s 90 degrees, I’ll take advice.  However, when we’re talkin’ beer—something I know and love—I like to be the one giving advice.  Thankfully, my internal torture was short lived for Nicole and I visited Renegade this past Wednesday and finally had ourselves a taste of Denver’s newest beer.

Renegade is housed in a re-furbished adobe building with a domed, wood trestle’d ceiling giving the brewery the feel of an old-time airplane hangar.  The inside décor consists of concrete floors, exposed brick walls, corrugated steel wrapped wherever possible, and industrial tract lighting over the bar.  It’s very factory chic.

Nicole and I had a seat at the bar and the bartender/brewmaster came by and took our order.  I instantly liked Renegade brewery when I saw they offered their beer in 12 oz., 10 oz., and 4 0z. glasses.  These smaller sizes allowed me to sample all the available beers without lightening my wallet or heavy-ing my gut.  I believe every brewery should offer their beer in multiple sizes; sometimes you want to taste a lot of beer without getting rip-roaring drunk.

The first beer I had was their small-batch-brewed Hookah Smoked Rye IPA (8% ABBV, 100+ IBU).  Hookah is hazy orange in color and the aroma is, likewise, like an orange.  Hop aroma is present but not as strong as a lot of other IPAs.  Hookah tastes earthy and doesn’t have a huge hop bite but it does give the drinker a little bit of the hop fire breath.  As the beer warms, it actually does take on the qualities of hookah smoke.  I felt like I should exhale slowly after each sip and sink into a beanbag chair. 

Hookah on left, Another Thrill on right

The second beer I didn’t order but, knowing that I was a beer geek through my meticulous tasting notes and “Beer Journalist” business card, the brewmaster comp’d me Another Thrill Imperial Baltic Porter (10% ABV).  Another Thrill wasn’t technically ready to be sold to the public as it wasn’t yet fully carbed but—always loving special treatment—I graciously accepted the offer.  This beer is dark, dark brown with red-brown highlights and a coffee and caramel aroma.  The viscous, velvety Another Thrill tastes of roasted coffee malts.  When this beer has a full head of foam it will be a real contender in the porter genre. 

Renegade brags that it “defines itself not by what the craft beer world is doing, but by what our creativity drives us to do. Our ales will be made to satisfy our tastes and curiosities.”  If you know my homebrewing style then you know that this philosophy is right up my alley.  Una Mas Roasted Pepper Mexican Amber (6.5% ABV, 35 IBU) is far and away the beer that best exemplifies this commitment to the new and weird.  Una Mas is a clear copper color with hints of red in the foam.  True to its name, Una Mas’s aroma is chockfull of roasted pepper smells.  A malty sweetness undertones these domineering pepper aromas.  The flavor is very much like the aroma: full of peppers. But a Ghost Face Killah this beer is not.  Yes, there is a spiciness to the beer but the flavors of the actual peppers also come through; it’s as flavorful as it is hot.  We picked up a growler with which to make beer cheese soup.

Una Mas

Next up: Ryetous Rye IPA (7% ABV, 100+ IBU), a beer that is clear marigold in color.  Beyond that superficial description, Nicole and I differ as to what the smells and tastes are.  I’ll let her state her case in her section of the blog but, for now, this is my take.  It smells like a big juicy orange with hints of floral.  One might say it smells like an orange blossom.  It also smells sweet and sugary which, combined with the citrus, reminded me of a margarita.  The taste is also orange-y and sweet but with non-penetrating bitterness.  Being as it is an IPA, one would certainly expect a fair amount of hop bite but, as it is, the hops are present but fleeting.  They toot it and boot it. 

Ryetous

Renegade is certainly worthy to be counted among the great breweries of Denver and I hope that the local beer geeks feel the same way.  When you want to take your taste buds on an adventure, keep Renegade in mind.

Prost!

Chris

The final beer that Renegade offers is the 5 O’clock Blonde Ale. At 5% ABV, this beer is light and easy to drink. The 5 O’clock Blonde is a light gold color that is a little hazy. The aroma is light and crisp, with a hint of sour. The flavor is pretzel-y and yeasty. Overall, this is a great summer beer. It seems that Renegade is drawing customers from the neighborhood. When Chris and I first sat down, we were the only ones in the brewery. After five minutes, there were about 6 other people that came to try the beer. As I tried the beers, I also enjoyed looking at the hand-crafted beer pulls and the wood countertops made from different colors of wood. The custom touches at the brewery make it a great place to hang out with friends.

Nicole                 

Beer in America

With Independence Day fast approaching, true patriots reflect on what it means to live in America.  After drying your eyes over the realization that we share this great land with slimy politicians, ruthless criminals, and Michael Bay thoughts turn to the positive aspects of this country: beautiful landscapes, diverse and intermingling cultures, and the finest beer you can find on this planet.  Being teachers and having the privilege of summer break, Nicole and I took the opportunity to roadtrip a large section of the country taking in the sights, sounds, and—most importantly—tastes.
 

Day one consisted of getting through Kansas as fast as possible until we reached Kansas City, MO.  After devouring half my weight in that famous KC BBQ and washing it down with some Boulevard Brewing Company beer, riding a few coasters at Worlds of Fun, and touring the Royals stadium, we headed east to St. Louis where visiting Busch Stadium and the Gateway Arch were on the agenda.  Eventually, we made it to Louisville, KY where we visited our first brewery of the trip: Bluegrass Brewing Company (BBC).

Bluegrass Brewing

BBC is located at the bottom of a business building in downtown Louisville and, when the weather is as hot and moist as Kevin Smith’s armpit, you can be sure patrons are thankful for the coolness of the half-subterranean, stone barroom.  My drink of choice was the Kolsch (4.5% ABV).  Normally, I go for more flavorful beers but, weather being what it was, I needed something light and simple that I could Louisville Slug down my gullet with reckless abandon.  The BBC Kolsch is a clear yellow-straw in color and the aroma is very sweet and honey-like with whiffs of floral.  And the taste?  Well, it isn’t much to make the beer geek stand up and take notice but I can say I’d rather have this beer than a mint julep on Derby Day.  The BBC Kolsch is quite yeasty with weak bites of bitterness noticeable in the back of the mouth.  A crisp, slightly wet mouthfeel rounds out this summertime beer.

BBC's Kolsch

We headed north, visited my old Indiana homestead, met up with our friends from Geeks Who Drink (GWD), and headed to Cedar Point in Ohio.  We parted ways—they going back to Denver and we going Michigan to visit Jamesport Brewing Company in Ludington. 

Unlike Louisville, Ludington, with its constant mist and low hanging clouds, looked like a Tim Burton set.  This made it a little easier to enjoy a fuller-bodied beer.  So, I had the Mocha Java Porter (5.5% ABV) brewed with French cocoa, Guatemalan coffee, and Scottville, MI honey.

Mocha Java Porter is exceptionally black with only a few red highlights visible when viewed through a strong light.  The coffee in the beer takes center stage in the aroma with chocolate providing background support.  The beer smells like a café’ brewing up a fresh pot.  The smell of the beer is misleading as it is the chocolate flavor that is most noticeable while coffee takes a backseat.  The chocolate flavor is that of dark cacao.  Mocha Java Porter has a thin, light mouthfeel (considering its genre) and drinking it causes a bit of spittle to form. 

Mocha Java Porter

We made a U-turn and started south passing through Louisville again to get to Nashville, TN.  There awaited Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery where I had Nut Brown Ale which, on sight, looks like Coca-Cola or stained cherry wood.  On nose, it smells very malty and sweet.  This velvety and viscous beer has a light hop bite and a rich, malty flavor on the tip of the tongue.  This beer is more about the malts than the hops but both play a role in the overall experience.

Blackstone's Nut Brown Ale

After walking around downtown Nashville for a spell we were on our way to Memphis and Boscos Squared: a link in the short chain that is the Boscos Restaurant & Brewing Co. family.  Despite the instant condemnation many people give to chain breweries, Boscos Squared actually had some innovative beers including a style I’ve never heard of: steinbier.  Apparently, steinbiers are a German creation exemplified by their unique brewing process in which stones are superheated in a wood fire before being placed in the wort thus giving the beer a caramel character.  At least, that’s what the menu said.  I didn’t detect much in the way of caramel in this clear, slightly dark yellow concoction that went by the elongated appellation of Boscos Famous Flaming Stone Beer.  The aroma and the taste were both yeasty and mellow with no obvious hop presence and the overall experience was like drinking a liquefied soft pretzel.  The mouthfeel is interesting—it’s dry and crisp and one might even say a bit chalky.  I do mean that in a positive way, though.  It is hard imagine how “chalky” can be a compliment but this beer manages to pull it off.

Boscos Famous Flaming Stone Beer

We had just enough time to walk down Beale Street before a torrential downpour ended our time in Memphis.  Next stop: Dallas.  In actuality, Dallas was just a stopping point between Memphis and San Antonio.  Still, we had time to kill after setting up camp so we hitched up and headed to a local watering hole: The Barley House.  It isn’t a brewery but it is a GWD venue and, having missed our usual quiz date at the D-Note in Arvada, we had to scratch the trivia itch.  It may have been best not to pick at it; Nicole and I have been to many GWD quizzes at many venues and have been subjected to the various stylings of the different quizmasters.  Some are very good and some are very bad but, at The Barley House, you get something very, very different.  First of all, yes, everything is bigger in Texas and that includes the quizmaster’s ass.  But, hey, that’s okay because fat guys are fun and jolly, right?  Not in Texas.  Then they’re just slovenly nerds who take out their geek angst on all the wrong people i.e. the paying customers.  Of course, being snarky is part of the job but it gets a little much when you are denied points for correct answers just because the quizmaster doesn’t like you.  Needless to say, I did mess with Texas that night.  Luckily, we teamed up with two very cool local guys who made up for that other bastard’s inadequacies in social exchange. 

We hightailed it to San Antonio to mosey alongside the canals and visit the site of Ozzy Osbourne’s most famous public urination.  We also had the pleasure of visiting Freetail Brewing Co. where I had La Rubia (4.9% ABV) which I ordered because it shared a name with one of my homebrews.  La Rubia is a slightly hazy, pale yellow and it smells slightly of citrus and yeast.  The taste is that of watered-down lemon juice with yeast added.  It’s a great hot weather beer—very refreshing and light on the palate.

La Rubia

We gave GWD another chance and lucked out; the quizmaster there was super friendly and, as it turned out, he works at Freetail.  I gave him my card and I hope he’s reading this blog now. 

After a long, long drive from San Antonio we finally got back to Denver weary, stinky, and with a better understanding of what beer in America is all about.  Beer, no matter where it was made, is a wonderful drink that ought to be enjoyed without zealous nationalism for beer should unite the world—create camaraderie over a pint.  It wasn’t meant to tear people and nations apart.  Still, The Fourth is upon us and there is no better time to support the local economy.  That is why I ask you—whether you’re at a BBQ, watching the fireworks, or bayoneting a redcoat—to be a true patriot over this holiday weekend and drink American.     

Prost!

Chris                        

When Chris and I planned this trip almost a year ago I added states to our itinerary that I had not had the chance to visit. I planned our trip around coasters, baseball parks and—to keep Chris in supply of writing material—breweries. In order to get to our first destination we had to cross the state of Kansas. Thank goodness our time in Kansas, which included pit stop for lunch at a Wendy’s, was brief.  My impressions of Kansas are as follows: flat, grassy, lots of corn, and lots of wind turbines. I am sure Kansas has a couple of redeeming qualities, I just didn’t get the opportunity to see them. Maybe on my next trip.

Our next stop was Kansas City, MO to ride some coasters and eat some BBQ. After finding a campsite for the night at Lake Jacomo, we set out to find some food. Using my smart phone that I am so addicted to (I have upgraded from my BlackBerry to a Droid), I searched for the best BBQ places nearby. Of course, the first one I found that seemed promising was closed that day [A good thing since it sounded like a Bible-thumping, holy roller place.  It didn’t even serve beer for crying out loud! ~CB] So, we settled for some other place that did not leave much of an impression because I can’t remember the name. It wasn’t bad, it was just ordinary. We returned to our campsite and chatted with the friendly guy at the neighboring campsite. If you are ever driving through this area and need a place to camp, give Lake Jacomo a chance.

In the morning we made our way to Worlds of Fun. Since it wasn’t open yet I thought it would be nice to pass our time at a park. I looked at the GPS and found a park. There definition of park doesn’t match mine. The “park” was a parking lot where there was possibly a drug deal taking place and a dirt trail that lead nowhere. We quickly made our way back to Worlds of Fun to ride the coasters. While Chris is on a mission to reach a milestone of 300 coasters I am just trying to get to 100. We were able to squeeze in eight coaster rides (six different coasters) in about one hour and 45 minutes which made Chris and me a little woozy.

I was able to check out a couple more baseball parks: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and Busch Stadium in St. Louis. I was struck by how similar Coors Field and Busch Stadium look alike. I was disappointed by the fact that all of the baseball teams in the places that we visited were playing away games. So, I guess I will have to wait until next summer’s roadtrip to see some teams actually play at other parks. I did, however, get to see how Louisville Slugger bats are made and I got to see the type of bat the Troy Tulowitzki uses.

When we arrived in Michigan the clouds put a damper of our thoughts of playing cornhole and lounging by the lake. So, I used my handy dandy GPS to see what our options were in Ludington. My first search turned up a yarn shop. Looking at all the different yarn is to me what beer is to Chris. Luckily, my search also revealed that there was a brewery two blocks away from the yarn shop. If you ever visit the Jamesport Brewing Company in Ludington, I would recommend the onion rings. Whatever spices they used were delicious. I would also recommend the JBC Cheese Ale Soup, which had a little bit of spice from some jalapenos. Another rainy day adventure was to the local wine and beer shop in Pentwater. Chris was able to pick up a lot of Michigan brews. Chris made his decisions by reading the labels to learn about the content inside the bottles. I made my decisions based on the label art. There is something to be said for having interesting art work. I guess I judge the book by its cover.

Next we made our way to Tennessee for some sight-seeing. I used my phone to try to find the “best” places to eat in Nashville. My search turned up lots of restaurants serving high priced meals. So, I changed my search criteria to local breweries. We settled on Blackstone Restaurant and Brewery. The brewery was surprisingly not busy for lunch time. I don’t know much about Blackstone but the lack of customers in such a large space gave me a negative vibe. The artwork on the walls were boring maps and flowers that looked like they came with the gaudy gold frames. Nothing about the artwork showed that this was a brewery. On my next trip out that way I hope to find a brewery that has a more cozy feeling with more beer lovers present.

Boscos Squared in Memphis definitely had a positive vibe. The locals were hanging out on the patio. I was very happy inside, away from the 99 degree heat and humidity. One of the first things I noticed was the artwork for the beers. I meant to take a picture of the Isle of Skye Scottish Porter poster which included a pint glass with mountains inside. The other posters were similar—all with a pint glass (or other type of glass) with skylines, mountains, or landscapes inside the glass. If you visit the website you can see the artwork.

Our last stop on the trip was the state of Texas. We were able to camp at three nice state parks: Cedar Hill in Dallas, Guadalupe River in San Antonio, and Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo. We were also able to experience the wildlife waking us up at all hours including deer munching on some leaves right outside our tent, a conversation between a bull frog and a bird, and many other birds trying to sing us a song. Fortunately, we did not encounter the tarantulas or rattlesnakes that were on the list of wildlife at Palo Duro Canyon. Chris may have seen one but would never tell me knowing that I would never get out of the car again. The giant daddy long legs clustered above the bathroom door in Guadalupe River were as close to any arachnid as I wanted to get on this trip.

As Chris mentioned, we were able to participate in two Geeks Who Drink quiz nights. The first night was in Dallas at a bar with a fountain made of beer pull handles. I will also add to Chris’ description of the Dallas quizmaster that he was eager to mention his girlfriend’s cleavage. Since it was only his second time quizzing, he strictly followed the answer sheet provided to him by Geeks Who Drink. He has a long way to go before becoming a good quizmaster and perhaps should take some time to back to quizmaster training school. We all make fun of Texas but the quizmaster couldn’t handle some good natured fun. The guys we teamed up with didn’t seem to mind our jokes about Texas.  In fact, they gave us some pointers about the state and places to avoid. I will not describe my annoyance with the Dallas quizmaster any further because giving him anymore time on this blog would be a travesty. The second night was at a chain restaurant (just because it was a chain restaurant doesn’t mean the food wasn’t good…the fish and chips were pretty good) in the smoking section. The quiz was fun and the quizmaster was friendly but my lungs did not approve. I will stick to quizzing in Colorado where our restaurants are smoke-free and d-bag free.

Nicole


And a few more non-beer pictures:

St Louis: Home to the World's Largest McDonald's

The Louisville Slugger

Kick-ass fountain in Dallas

Unlike Pee-Wee, I actually went to the basement of this place