I’m still groggy from a long weekend in Denver, where I stopped by my fair share of breweries, and experienced some great brews that I can’t get back east.
Among the stops along the way: New Belgium, Odell, Fort Collins, and Great Divide, and brewpubs Bull & Bush, Wynkoop and Coopersmith’s. It was an abbreviated trip, and there are plenty more I’d like to knock off the list, but it was an action-packed weekend, and I think my breath still reeks of beer. I also dabbled in chili beer for the first time.
The best chili beer came from Wynkoop, a brewpub co-owned by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper in the LoDo neighborhood. The aroma was so fresh, you’d think you were smelling a garden full of Anaheim Peppers. At the same time, the taste was pleasantly mild, and it didn’t leave that funky tingling in the back of your throat like a certain Rogue draft that’s made several appearances in New York.
Meanwhile, the best line of beers I’ve never had the privilege of sampling here in New York had to be from the Odell Brewing Company, whose presentation of the sampler alone was reason enough to enjoy it:
The samples were a bit too small to pick up a good aroma, though. For that, I had to buy some Odells myself before I left the brewery.
The most annoying part of my journey was the bad habit of many restaurants and bars in Denver not identifying the particular brewery associated with a beer on draft. With so many breweries in Colorado – let alone across the west, it was hard to keep track of what I was ordering. At one restaurant, they labeled two Boulder Beer Company beers as simply “Sundance” and “Pass Time,” with no identification that they’re from the same people that brought you Hazed & Infused and Mojo. At one bar, a menu offered was “Mirror Pond Pale Ale,” with no indication that it’s from Deschutes. This was annoying to me, and might be of some concern for a brewer trying to attract a following to a full line of microbrews.
Regardless, though, to bask in the high-altitude summer sunshine with a fresh, cool brew made me question why I live in New York City. If only New York was blessed with cheap real estate, loose regulation, and the great inspiration that helps guide Colorado brewers, I’d be a New Yorker for life.
