A trip to Dry Dock Brewing Co.

Dry Dock Brewing Company is a small craft brewer that is located in Aurora, Colorado.  I met my friend Aaron and his mother-in-law’s friend Carl to taste a few samples from Dry Dock.  Dry Dock has a sampler that you can choose 6 – 3 oz. samples of the beer they brew and I had the following:

Coffee Milk Stout (5.3% ABV and 30 IBU) – incredible coffee aroma and a really nice sweet stout that had a solid coffee taste.

Two Tasks American Stout (6.5% ABV and 65 IBU) – a bigger stout than the previous stout, more alcohol, more hops, and most roast.

HMS Bounty Old Ale (6.9% ABV and 35 IBU) – a really nice old ale with a sold malt base tasting of toffee and caramel.

Three Heavy Wee Heavy (9.5% ABV and 30 IBU) – a very tasty Scottish Ale – I am fond of Scottish Ales and this is a good one.

USS Enterprise IPA (6.4% ABV and 63 IBU) – very drinkable IPA.

Double IPA (8.5% ABV and 90 IBU) – excellent double IPA with a citrus hops aroma and bitterness on the finish.

+ Vanilla Porter (5.5% ABV and 33 IBU) – very enjoyable and I would love to do a side-by-side with Breckenridge’s Vanilla Porter.

I was impressed with all of these beers and I can easily understand why Dry Dock won the Small Brewer of the Year at the 2009 GABF.  Dry Dock has won awards for various beers and I think they won 5 in 2010.  If you are in the Denver area, take a trip to Dry Dock and enjoy a sampler.

Great Divide – Claymore

Great Divide’s Claymore is a Wee Heavy Scotch Ale (7.7% ABV) and has a malt focus as Scotch Ales do.  From a historical perspective, the Scotts only wanted to pay the Brits the minimum required for whatever they were purchasing from the Brits.  In the case of beer, the Scotts purchased hops from the Brits and they only used what was needed to preserve the beer and provide slight aroma and bittering.  The two word descriptors on the label of Claymore are “Hardy” and “Noble” and these words describe Claymore very well.  This pours dark reddish brown, almost – not quite, black and has a great aroma from the malt.  Good mouth feel and has an emphasis on sweet malitness aligned with the style.  Great Divide describes Claymore as “Named for a medieval Scottish sword, Claymore Scotch Ale is our tribute to the legendary “Wee Heavy” beers of Scotland. This malty, deep-ruby beauty features lots of caramel sweetness, a reserved hop profile, and a subtle warming character. Unlike its namesake, this beer only requires one hand, but it’ll still make you feel like nobility.”  Suggested food pairings are “Pot roast with roasted vegetables, seared lamb shank with white beans, bread pudding.”  Another nice one from Great Divide and I am looking forward to the Great Divide Triple Release Party on April 8^th.