Hello Beer Friends Nation!
Traveling through Southwest Color
ado you’ll be amazed with the beautiful surroundings. On our trip to the good old mile high state we heard about these crazy sand dunes and on the way to see them we took a little time to stop off in Alamosa to try the San Luis Valley Brewing Company. (more…)
Hello Beer Friends Nation!
Beer is a beautiful thing – often times the Beer Friends are caught up in how great it is and the far reaching effects of good beer and the industries it supports. If you’re laughing you haven’t drank enough craft beer because this is a conversation I overhear more and more as people are moving from the Sam Adams and Harpoon‘s (the most popular craft breweries) to the Bear Republics and Oskar Blues (up and coming breweries). There are more choices today then ten years ago and 1,700 more then 30 years ago, and the number of new breweries applying for licenses is growing daily. The spirit of American entrepreneurial-ism is alive and well in craft beer. While some are growing, some are just fine doing what they do and enjoying the craft. An example of one such place I stumbled upon on my recent Boston Area Brewery tour is John Harvard’s Brew House.
Hello Beer Friends Nation!
Asking any Beer Friend what their favorite brewery is has proven to be a dangerous endeavor. Expect hours of conversation as the Beer Friend presents information and opines about the brewery and it’s beer, then retracts some of the more outlandish statements, and then may even pass out from beer conversation overload. Once he wakes up and has a coffee, ask what his top five are and you’ll be much better off. In this Beer Friends top five is Bristol Brewing Company in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Hello Beer Friends Nation!
For you avid twitter followers out there, you’ll notice that the Beer Friends checked into a few Boston area Breweries earlier this week, this was part of our Boston Area Brewery Tour 2011 (Working Title), the first stop – appropriately enough – was the Harpoon Brewery off the Silver Line (you know, the weird bus line that goes underground in Boston). Harpoon was actually the first brewery issued a license in the state of Massachusetts, and proudly display their 001 Brewers License on merchandise.
C’mon with me for more and follow along with my tour…
As a peace offering to the West Coast, The Stag Head has graciously hosted an Oregon Beers night here in NYC! At least one of us is SUPER excited for the possibilities, let’s see what we have in store from Rogue, Dick’s and Elysian Breweries:
Phil’s 1st – Elysian Men’s Room Red: a good staple kind of red ale. A little coppery on the aftertaste, but was an excellent way to start the evening, a good malty ending helps bring the flavor forward.
Brad’s 1st – Elysian Jasmine IPA: This was a bit of a surprise because I was expecting a more flowery hop because of the name (I’m a native male). This brew was good but could’ve been better… However I’ve had other Elysian stuff so I’m looking forward to more.
Phil’s 2nd – Dick’s Danger Ale: a good choice for the second round. A good showing from he malts involved, but I missed the hops that were supposed to round out the taste. The feel was a little on the thin side, but definitely worth a try.
Brad’s 2nd – Full Sail IPA: a decent IPA, although I enjoy a hoppier IPA. When your favorite IPA’s are Bengali Tiger and Pale Ale is Dale’s a lighter hopped IPA just doesn’t do it… The thrill is gone.
Phil’s 3rd – Full Sail LTD 05: I had high hopes for this one, and it came close to my hopes and dreams. A good middle range ale, gets a little bread-y I’d you let it get warm. Maybe good for a first round, but I think better could be found.
Brad’s 3rd – Elysian Immortal IPA: This is cheating but I’ve had this beer before and I really like it. It’s a hoppier IPA (see above) and that’s the way, ug huh ug huh I like it!
Hello Beer Friends Nation!
Deep in the heart of Old Town Fort Collins you’ll find one of the most famous brewpubs in Colorado, Coopersmith’s Pub and Brewing. As the story goes, Coopersmith’s was founded in 1989 after John Hickenlooper had started the Wynkoop brewery in Lower Downtown (LoDo) Denver, and using that same formula created Coopersmith’s in Old Town, which was struggling to attract businesses and customers the same way LoDo was at the time. Coopersmith’s has a large fermenting tank outside and they do a lot of their brewing in the basement which is a self guided tour when you walk in and head down the stairs. Overall the beers are good, nothing outstanding but drinkable and the atmosphere was a little too family friendly. We did enjoy what they were trying to do in creating a brewpub with good beer and avoiding the Coors Light on tap to keep the highheels and popped collars out.
I had the Horsetooth Stout, and being a big stout fan, it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had. It had good flavor, slightly watery but didn’t really pick a style – not creamy enough for a milk stout, not dry enough for the Irish Dry style, no texture or flavor for a Oatmeal stout, and not enough roasted malts to create a bitter Coffee stout flavor.
Graham had the Punjabi Pale Ale that claimed to be a IPA, but Graham being a huge hophead felt the beer was too heavy on the malts and not enough hop flavor… To each their own I guess.
Phil had the Sigda Green Chili beer. This beer was a bit of a novelty for us New Yorkers visiting the Wild West. After each of us tasted it we felt it was too strong on the Green Chili taste and light on the beer taste.
Coopersmith’s Brew Pub is located in the heart of Old Town Fort Collins at 5 Old Town Square, Fort Collins, Colorado. The Brew Pub serves food and is open from 11am to 11pm Sunday through Thursday and 11am to 1am Friday and Saturday.
View Larger Map
Hello Beer Friends Nation!
Central City is a small Colorado Gambling town with a big heart. Located 45 minutes West of Denver, Central City is often over-shadowed by Blackhawk which is a slightly large gambling town down the road, before you get to Central City, but one thing that Blackhawk will never have is the Dostal Alley Brewpub and Casino. Dostal Alley is a casino, family dining establishment, and brew pub – but just like the hills of Colorado – there’s some hidden gold, you just have to pan for it. Dostal Alley offers a variety of beer styles including their own Root beer and cream soda which are worth the in-between of a stout and porter. The brewmaster Buddy Schmalz discusses the history of brewing (with Dave Thomas) in Gilpin County and continues the tradition while also adding to it. (more…)
Hello Beer Friends Nation! We’ve had some crazy competition this year to get here, the Final Four beers that will battle it out! Our two matches are Founders Brewing VS Nebraska Brewing and Speakeasy VS Cape Cod! Just for you we have a video with the four of us summing up the last few rounds and making our predictions for the Championship! If you’re good, we’ll show you the new “Hash Tag” dance move brought to you by The Beer Friends. Take a look and don’t forget to vote!
 | BFF4 Champion! … on Beer Review 104: Founder… |
 | Kevin on Beer Review 113: New Belgium F… |
 | ChiSox Fan Steve on Beer Review 111: “Can… |
| ChiSox Fan Steve on Beer Review 111: “Can… |
| Beer Review 113: New… on Colorado Brewery Trip 2010… |
Corporate Kerouac
Phil
Brad
Graham
Paul