January Beer Tasting – Pilsners and Thai

Last night, Tibor, Chris, and Dennis came over for a night of tasting Pilsners and Thai food.  The Thai food was obtained from one of my favorite Thai restaurants in Colorado, Wild Ginger in Littleton, CO.  I picked up Pad Thai Chicken, Panang Curry with Pork, Pad Prik Khing, egg rolls, and peanut sauce.  Chris also brought over some veal brats in sauerkraut and I had some hot wings too.  We had a number of Pilsners from various brewers and the pairing of Pilsners and Thai food was excellent.  I had earlier read the food pairing section for Pilsners in Garret Oliver’s The Brewmaster’s Table and he suggested spicy ethnic food (Thai, Indian, and Mexican) and any variety of sausage.  Mr. Oliver’s recommendations were perfect and I highly recommend Pilsners with Thai food.

The beers sampled in order were as follows:

Pilsner Urquell (4.4% ABV) – This is the one that started the Pilsner style in 1842 from the Czech town of Pilsen.

Pug Ryan’s – Pali Pilsner – Is named after a ski run in the Arapahoe basin and is a Bohemian style Pilsner.  Pug Ryan’s is based in Dillon, CO.

Left Hand – Polestar Pilsner (5.5% ABV and 33 IBU) – From Left Hand Brewing in Boulder – I enjoyed one of these after a long bike ride last year and it is tasty.

Bristol – Yellow Kite (5.25% ABV and 25 IBU) – Bristol is located in Colorado Springs and Yellow Kit is a European-style Pilsner.

Lagunitas – Pils (6.2% ABV and 38 IBU) – Lagunitas is a very good brewer from California and Pils is a Czech-style Pils.

Oskar Blues – Mama’s Little Yella Pils (5.3% ABV and 35 IBU) – Oskar Blues is based in Lyons, CO and is one of my favorite brewers.

Unita – Tilted Smile Imperial Pilsners (9% ABV and 35 IBU) – Don’t let anyone tell you they do not brew beer in Utah.  This was everyone’s favorite of the evening.  It was just a tad sweeter than the others and was very easy to drink.  One cannot taste the higher alcohol in Tilted Smile.

The evening was great and it is always great to be able to spend time with good friends, food, and tasty brew.  Next month, we will be going to Tibor’s for a trip to Belgium. 

Bristol - Winter Warlock

Bristol is a small brewer based in Colorado Springs and their winter seasonal offering is Winter Warlock (6% ABV and 25 IBU).  Winter Warlock is an Oatmeal Stout that pours black with a small head.  The aromas are very nice and one can take in chocolate, coffee and some notes of caramel / toffee.  The oatmeal gives a creamy mouthfeel with a nice finish.  This is a very easy drinking beer and is very good for winter.  This would go great with rich foods and chocolate deserts.  Another nice offering from Bristol and I plan to visit this brewery next year. 

Website description – “Chock full of highly roasted barley malt and 100 lbs. of flaked oatmeal, the Warlock is a dark and satisfying winter elixir. Smooth, rich and exceptionally comforting. An annually-awaited winter seasonal, and one of our award winners.  Winner of the Silver Medal in the Foreign-style Stout category at the 1998 Great American Beer Festival®.”

Bristol – Red Rocket, Yellow Kite & Compass

The next beers I tried from Bristol over the past weekend were Red Rocket (5.1 ABV and 21 IBU) an Amber Ale, Yellow Kite (5.3 ABV & 25 IBU) a summer seasonal Pilsener, and Compass (6.5 ABV and 55 IBU) an IPA.  I did not capture photos of Yellow Kite or Compass, a photo of Red Rocket is below.  I really enjoyed Red Rocket and Compass and it just reinforces my favorite styles – American versions of the ales of the British Isles.  I like and enjoy the UK versions, I just like the hoppier U.S. versions a bit more.  Red Rocket is dark for a pale ale and has a nice balance.  Compass is a very good tasting IPA and I enjoyed it.  Yellow Kite was a fine pilsener too.  I am spoiled after Odell’s Double Pilsner that is one of my favorites for a pilsener.  Bristol makes some good beer and they are a small brewer is CO Springs.  I need to stop by the establishment sometime. 

Bristol Brewing - Mass Transit & Beehive

Bristol Brewing is based in Colorado Springs and I have tried and liked Laughing Lab – Scottish Ale and Old No. 23 Barley wine.  I think both of these have won awards over the years.  Bristol is a small brewer and they offer a variety pack of six different styles or two each.  Mass Transit Ale (5.1% ABV and 21 IBU) is an American Amber / Red Ale that pours a cloudy reddish tan with a two-finger head.  Bristol describes Mass Transit Ale as, “Based on the amber style, this is a dependable session beer that simply delivers superb flavor. Crystal, Carapils, Victory and Vienna specialty malts give this ale its rich auburn color and easygoing nature.”  Mass Transit is easy to drink and would go great with BBQ and Hamburgers.

Beehive (4.06% ABV and 16 IBU) is an American-Style Wheat Beer and pours cloudy orange yellow with a small head.  Follow the pouring instructions on the bottle to pour the beer with the yeast as the brewer intends for this beer to be tasted.  Bristol describes Beehive as, “Definitely sunshine in a glass. Beehive is a joy to drink, with its beautiful honey-gold color and refreshing, full-flavored body. For our version of the classic American Wheat, we use less two-row and more Munich malt for depth, and soften the edges with the lightness of wheat. Local Black Forest honey adds character without sweetness.”  For comparison, my wife enjoyed a glass of Chocolate Wine with an ABV of 14%.  I would need to drink 3.5 glasses of Beehive to equal one glass of that particular wine.  Beehive is a nice beer and you could literally drink these all night with the low ABV.  I was thinking it might be too sweet with the honey, but this was not the case.  This is definitely a “session” beer and I think would be a good beer for the non-beer drinker.

Bristol - Laughing Lab

Bristol is a small brewing in Colorado Springs and they took home two medals from the 2010 GABF.  No. 23 Barley wine won silver in the Barley wine-style ale and Laughing Lab - Scottish Ale ( 5% ABV and 19 IBU) was awarded a bronze in the Scottish-Style Ale category.  I had tried No.23 previously and I wanted to try Laughing Lab.  Being a Scottish-Style Ale, I knew Laughing Lab would be focused on malt sweetness with little to no bitterness from hops.  This is also (per the website) the most awarded beer at GABF with 9 medals - "Nine scottish ale medals since 1994 make Laughing Lab the most decorated Colorado beer at the Great American Beer Festival.® A careful blend of specialty malts gives Lab a nutty, roasted flavor that’s mildly sweet, but not too rich. Smooth and luscious!"   Laughing Lab pours an amber / tan / deep red and has a small head that quickly recedes.  It has a good malt aroma and is very drinakable.  This is a very good beer and I understand why it has won so many medals.  So far, I have enjoyed all that I have tried from Bristol.

Grand Cru and Old No. 23

I had two great beers last and these were fantastic.  Great Divide – Grand Cru is a Belgian-style Dark ale with an 11% ABV.  Great Divide has the words “Elegant” and “Exquisite” on the label and these two descriptors are spot on.  Great Divide describes Grand Cru as “our very special Belgian-style dark ale. Imported malts give it a round malty richness, and the fruity complexity and slightly spicy character come from brewing with a proprietary Belgian yeast strain. Don’t let the name fool you; while it may be a special occasion beer, this medium-bodied, elegant incarnation is anything but snobbish.”  This beer is a seasonal release (Jan. – March) that is released in 22 oz. bombers and this is a sipping beer that you just need to sit back, relax, and relish in the deliciousness. 

Old No. 23 Barleywine won a silver medal for American Barley Wine-style Ale (ABV – 9.14% & IBU – 34) at the 2010 GABF.  Bristol Brewing is based in Colorado Springs and is a brewery I want to visit this year.  No. 23 is a limited release and is available in a 4 pack of 12 oz bottles throughout Colorado.  Bristol describes No. 23 as “an annual Bristol tradition, Old No. 23 revives an English farmhouse brewery practice of making a complex ale to set aside for special occasions. Our version, while painstaking and time-consuming to brew, rewards the connoisseur with an ale that has the depth and complexity of a good brandy or single malt scotch. Massive quantities of malt and hops, a long aging time and limited availability make this a special ale worthy of its reputation.”  This pours a tan / orange and with a nice head and it is just a pleasure to partake.  This is another beer to just sit back, relax, and slowly enjoy this beauty.  I will be buying more if it is still available.