5 from Ft. Collins Brewery

Ft. Collins Brewery distributes the “Brewer’s Lunchbox” that has a selection of many different styles.  Five that I have recently sampled are Red Banshee (5.3% ABV and 33 IBU) an American Amber Ale, 1900 (4.7% ABV and 31 IBU) an Amber Lager, Rocky Mountain IPA (6.4% ABV and 80 IBU), Major Tom (5.2% ABV and 34 IBU) a Pomegranate Wheat, and Chocolate Stout (4.9% ABV and 33 IBU).  I am estimating on the ABV and IBU as the site shows thes on a sliding scale - I am very close on these.  Personally, I like it when the brewery offers a variety pack for the purchaser to sample different style brewed.  I am not a fan of fruit beers and I was not a big fan of Major Tom.  I really liked Rocky Mt. IPA, Red Banshee and Chocolate Stout; as well as Z and The Kidd from a previous post.  Ft. Collins Brewery has some good offerings and the “Brewers Lunchbox “ is a great way to sample their products.  Below are pictures of the 5 from Ft. Collins Brewery. 

Red Banshee (5.3% ABV and 33 IBU) an American Amber Ale

1900 (4.7% ABV and 31 IBU) an Amber Lager

Rocky Mountain IPA (6.4% ABV and 80 IBU)

Major Tom (5.2% ABV and 34 IBU) a Pomegranate Wheat

Chocolate Stout (4.9% ABV and 33 IBU)

Abbey and Twilight

Deschutes Twilight (5% ABV and 35 IBU) is a summer seasonal Golden or Blonde Ale.  This is not one of my favorite beer styles, but I wanted to try it since it was from Deschutes.  Twilight pours golden amber with a lacey two-finger head.  Twilight has good flavor and it is mellower than some of Deschutes other varieties – it has a good malt base with light hop bitterness to balance the beer.  I am also thinking they tried to tweak the color to match what it would look like at twilight across the Deschutes river as captured on the label.  The web site description of Twilight is, “A lighter, yet full-flavored, aromatic Ale for the long days of summer. Twilight’s solid malt foundation pairs with distinctive Amarillo hops for flavors every bit as intriguing as bigger, heavier ales. A back porch, lingering sunset wonder.”  This is a nice summer beer. 

New Belgium is best known for Fat Tire but they make many other styles.  One of my favorites is Abbey (7% ABV and 20 IBU).  Abbey pours cloudy dark tan with a two-finger head and has an aroma of a Belgian-style ale.  The aroma comes from the yeast used by the brewer and Abbey smells really good.  New Belgium describes Abbey as, “Winner of four World Beer Cup medals and eight medals at the Great American Beer Fest, Abbey Belgian Ale is the Mark Spitz of New Belgium s lineup - but it didn’t start out that way. When Jeff and Kim first sampled the beer at the Lyons Folks Fest, reviews were mixed at best. One of founder Jeff’s first two Belgian style homebrews (along with Fat Tire), Abbey is a Belgian dubbel (or double) brewed with six different malts and an authentic Belgian yeast strain. Abbey is bottle-conditioned, weighs in at 7.0% alcohol by volume, and pairs well with chocolate (or boldly served by itself) for dessert.”  Abbey tastes great and I understand why it has won the number of medals it has garnered over the years.  This is one of my favorites from New Belgium and my list from New Belgium is Abbey, 1554 and Ranger.  These are all very good.

Z and The Kidd

The Ft. Collin’s Brewery is located in Ft. Collins and one of their offerings is the “Brewer’s Lunchbox” that provides a selection of different styles from Ft. Collins.  I fixed a dinner last evening of sausages that were spit roasted on the grill and some sautéed vegetables.  I thought a lager would pair well with this dinner and since there is some “smoke” in Z, I opened up one to enjoy with dinner.  Z (5.4% ABV and 30 IBU) is a Rauchbier – smoked beer – and is a smoked amber lager.  Z pours amber with a two-finger head and a smoky aroma.  The smoke is just a hint and not overpowering and Ft. Collins did a very good job of using the smoke to give Z a nice complexity.  This may be the perfect BBQ brew as the smoke and the malt sweetness go well with grilled dishes.

Z is described on the website as, “Rauchbier dates back to the 1500’s in Bamberg, Germany when malt was often dried over the flames of a beechwood fire.  Our Z Lager was crafted to be smoky and palatable.  Slight caramel undertones and a bright amber color compliment the lingering smoke flavors.  The perfect companion to a good meal.”  Z also won a Gold medal at the 2010 Open Beer Championship. 

The Kidd (4.5% ABV and 24 IBU) is a Schwarzbier or black lager.  The Kidd pours black with a small head.  Another very tasty brew from Ft. Collins and this goes down easy.  I would consider it a session beer because of the low ABV and it is a real treat.  I usually drink ales, but I must say that I really enjoyed these two from The Ft. Collins Brewery.  I think they are doing a great job and I appreciate these offerings as they are different and I am sure it helps The Ft. Collins Brewery differentiate itself from the bigger guys in Ft. Collins.  I look forward to sampling the other brews from the “Brewer’s Lunchbox” next weekend.

The web site describes The Kidd as, “Schwarzbier was crafted to taste much lighter than it looks.  Chocolate malt lends Kidd its color while German Tettnang hops create the minimal bitterness of this brew.  We’ve added a dash of smoked malt to make our Schwarzbier slightly more complex.” 

Ska - Mexican Logger

Ska’s Mexican Logger (4.2% ABV and 18 IBU) is a Mexican-style lager and should be considered a session beer due to the low ABV.  Mexican Logger pours clear and yellow with good carbonation and a lacey two-finger head.  On the label, the word Saaz is written that I am assuming is referring to the prominent hop variety used in Mexican Logger.  The Ska website plays Ska music, but it is not real easy to navigate.  The description is, “The perfect Mexican Lager.  Light and refreshing, it really hits the spot after a long day of brutal chainsaw work.  Soul Mates: Delicious with cream soups and green salads with cream dressings.”  This is not a bad beer and is better than the macro brews; however, I would make other selections from Ska.  Modus Hoperandi and Buster Nut Brown are my favorites from Ska.

Great Divide - Hercules

Hercules (10% ABV) is a Double IPA produced be Great Divide Brewing in Denver.  The descriptors on the label are Mighty and Revered and this is a big beer.  There is a very good hop aroma when on pours this orange beer with a two-fingered lacey head.  This is a hoppy beer and the emphasis is on the hops, but there is some good malt sweetness too.  Another really good one from Great Divide – Yeti is not the only really good beer they make.

Great Divide describes Hercules as, “not for the faint of heart. It is, however, fit for the gods.  HERCULES delivers a huge amount of hops from start to finish. Its hefty backbone of nutty, malty sweetness balances its aggressive hop profile.”  Suggested food pairings are: “Grilled fish tacos and aged Dutch cheese.”

Great Divide - Rumble

Rumble (7.1% ABV) is an Oak Aged India Pale Ale that is seasonally available May – October.  The descriptors on the label are Exemplary and Balanced and these words describe Rumble very well.  Rumble pours gold / orange with a small head (depending on how you pour) and has great carbonation.  You can pick up the hops and know this is an IPA.  Rumble has the taste of an IPA and I could detect oak in Rumble.  This is another nice offering from Great Divide – another great Colorado brewer. 

Great Divide’s description of Rumble – “Rumble IPA is an American IPA with subtle nuance. Brewed with heavy handed additions of Pacific Northwest hops, this beer is gently aged on French and American oak resulting in a wonderful balance of bitterness, caramel sweetness, vanilla, and undertones of pine and citrus. Very inspiring. 7.1% ABV.”  Suggested Food Pairings are “Marinated skirt steak, grilled sweet potatoes, ripe Brie or Talleggio cheese, apple crisp with creme friache ice cream.”  Great Divide is located close to Coors field, so if you are in Denver, this is an easy brewery to visit.

Avery - 18

Avery is my favorite brewer and I have sampled everything that is available.  One I had not tried is the newest anniversary edition – 18.  Avery brews a special anniversary edition each year, and this year it is a Dry-hopped Rye Saison Ale.  The Dry-hop is a hop addition added during the fermentation stage of the brewing process and per the web site description below, Tettnang was the aroma and dry-hop selection.  Rye is used today in a number of brewers and Roggenbier is the name of Rye Beer that was brewed in Germany.  Rye increases the complexity of a beer’s flavor and adds a crisp and slightly spicy finish.  This goes well with a Saison Ale as there are spicy flavors with this Belgian-style ale.  The Belgian yeast also adds distinctive flavors to the beer too.  18 pours tan / burnt orange with a lacey three-finger head.  18 has a very nice aroma from the hops and the Belgian yeast.  18 is a pleasure to drink to and the description encourages the drinker to take the time and smell and taste the complexities, that I totally agree with.  18 is a great beer and it is one that I will appreciate again before it is gone, as this is a “one and done” edition.

The web site description is:

Beer Style: Dry-hopped Rye Saison Ale
Hop Variety: Bravo, Hersbrucker & Tettnang (aroma + dry-hop)
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, rye malt, chocolate malt, acidulated malt, caramunich malt
Yeast Variety: Proprietary blend of five Belgian yeasts.
OG: 1.069  ABV: 8.12%  IBU: 40
Color: Tawny  Availability: Bottled in May 2011. One and done.

For this year’s celebratory brew, we decided to focus on the characteristics that certain yeasts bring to the party.  Each of the five Belgian yeasts selected adds its own unique aspect to the flavor and aroma of this saison.  The hefty addition of rye helps dry this beauty out and lends another spicy component to the flavor.  And for added fun, we dry-hopped it, too!  Take your time and smell and taste the complexities that Eighteen has to offer. 

Food Pairing: Try pairing Eighteen with wild game, diver scallops with pineapple mango chutney, or a potato lentil soup.

Peace to all and follow your dreams!