It’s that time of year where EVERYONE is swept up in the madness… yes – Beer Friends Final Four Beer Bracket is BACK!
Forget Louisville in the First Round and bubble teams, we’re talking ales in the First Round and drinking the suds…
This year we (kinda) followed a regional bracket match up instead of the style like last year.
Brad’s Bracket includes beers from Colorado and the Michigan area (somehow Great Lakes snuck in there…). Vote your favorite brew through and pick that Cinderella team, sorry, stout. Pick the winner and hold it over your friends heads until the next year (Brooklyn’s Dark Matter anyone?) Beer! Voting!
The 1 vs 16 match up pits Last Years winner, New Belgium’s Fat Tire against a stout from Boulder – Avery’s Out of Bounds Stout. The Out of Bounds was delicious when infused with coffee, but Fat Tire seems like the fan favorite – should be interesting. See more of this entry for voting!
Today we begin our Winter Beer reviews with Boulder Beer Companies Never Summer Ale. While we did this review slightly before Thanksgiving, there is a lot of Winter Beers (warmers, Christmas Ale, etc…) out there to review so we started early to help you find the perfect beer to take home for the holiday, or to the first holiday meeting with the significant other’s parents, or to be the most popular one at the company holiday party! Holiday beer!
30 minutes Northwest of Denver lies the liberal central of Colorado, Boulder. Home to University of Colorado, the majestic Flatirons, and Boulder Beer Company. Boulder Beer Company is Colorado’s First Microbrewery, which is pretty impressive given the number of breweries in Colorado. The Beer Friends traveled to Boulder on their recent Colorado Brewery Trip on route to beautiful Red Rocks Amphitheater and had a few samples. Are are a few highlights:
Cold Hop was fantastic out (t)here. We can find this beer in NYC and really enjoy it, but always think it can be a little something more. Direct from the brewery was fantastic.
There was nachos in the middle…
Mojo IPA is a good beer, but having it on the sampler platter close to the Mojo Risin Double IPA is unkind and unfortunate for regular Mojo. Mojo Risin is everything us “hopheads” want out of a beer – drinkable and hoppy – but not over spiced. Mojo is a good introduction IPA for people and Mojo Risin is a good IPA for us veteran drinkers out there.
Obovoid Stout is a delicious stout by any means. This is creamy enough to have hints of a milk stout but is a oak-aged Oatmeal Stout instead. Always a delicious pour and a excellent beer for the upcoming fall and winter seasons.
Our Colorado Brewery beer review continues… we got a lot of breweries to get through! This week we tried Boulder Brewing Co. Hazed and Infused. This is a unfiltered (hazed) and dry hopped (infused) and delicious. Beer!
Located in a industrial park off Arapahoe in Boulder, unless you know Avery tap room and brewery is back there, you’ll miss it. Bad decision. Avery brewery has been doing some powerful stuff over the last few years and being recognized for it in the awards they rack up each year. Year after year Avery produces big flavors and excellent beers, and these Beer Friends all the way out in NYC get excited for every time it pops up on our radar. Upon visiting we tried some fantastic samples are have a few quick thoughts.
Brad:
The Seventeen Dry Hopped Black Lager was fantastic. Lately I’ve kept my eye open for this “new” style (I say new only because I haven’t seen a lot and I’m assuming it, otherwise I’m way behind the times… oops) of Black Lagers and Black Pilsners. As soon as I saw Black lager I was sold and soon there after wasn’t disappointed. Bottled in May 2010, this was a one and done series so if you’re in the Boulder area, find Arapahoe Road and Avery Tap road for this one time offering.
The Out of Sight Stout is a take off their Out of Bounds Stout with Malawi coffee beans added to the brewing process. This was one of the more “coffee” stouts I’ve ever had, much like the 2010 Sixpoint Gorilla Warfare offering. This is a bit too acidic for me, but I enjoy a smoother coffee stout, much like I enjoy a little sugar and milk in my coffee.
Dry Hopped IPA this style is a new favorite of mine as well. The flavor change from a regular IPA that happens with the “dry hopping” is a welcome one in my book. A delicious take on a IPA from Avery.
This week we’re showing the first (filmed) Beer Friends review in October… so we figured we could continue our Colorado Brewery theme AND do a delicious Imperial Oktoberfest beer – enter Avery Brewing Company The Kaiser. This is available in bombers out here in NYC and that’s a good thing, at 9.73 ABV, you don’t want a six pack available. Beer! Prost!
dingerc
Brad
Corporate Kerouac
Phil
