Today is the third in the series of the New Belgium Reviews (Dig – Belgo). New Belgium has recently announced a new $175 million dollar brewery in Asheville, NC and the Beer Friends are terribly excited about it – so we decided to find and review some of their brews to get the East Coast (mainly New England and NYC Area) ready! Fat Tire is certainly the most popular brew from New Belgium and the name was inspired from the “fat tires” on the mountain bike that the founder Jeff Lebesch rode through European village on his career-inspiring beer tour. History! Colorado Beer Tour! Expansion for Delicious Beer!
You know what makes this a Good Friday? Another review from the Beer Friends! We return to our New Belgium Series with Belgo, a Belgian style IPA. This is part of the Explore Series which also features favorites like Ranger IPA and the new Shift (Pale Lager). This week Greg Avola from Untappd joins us again – giving great insight and fitting in nicely at “the table”. If you are interested in joining us at the table email us and we’ll see what we can do – we’re always looking for new (beer) friends! Fort Collins! Belgian beers (Thank God Phil wasn’t here…)! New Friends!
New Belgium is a legendary brewery on the East Coast. We’ve all met that friend that grew up out West and Fat Tire was more available than Sierra Nevada – or have that East Coast buddy that went to Vegas on a bachelor weekend and came back telling of a magical beer… Growing up in Colorado, I didn’t know what I had until it was gone. By the power of motor vehicles and some well planned traveling – the Beer Friends were able to get their hands on some of the New Belgium line for samples. This week we review Dig the spring seasonal offering taking the place of Mighty Arrow, and this Beer Friend likes the change. Enjoy this review in our New Belgium series (yeah we bought a couple six-packs back!) Beer Road Trip! New Belgium! Spring!
Full Disclosure -last week we mentioned we liked beer, a lot, this week we mention we like Colorado Beer, a lot. This week’s SPotW is Odell Brewing CompaniesCutthroat Porter. Odell is located in Fort Collins, Colorado and was a excellent stop (twice in fact!) on the Colorado Brewery Tour. Odell currently has a smaller distribution range (8 states and they mentioned something about England soon with their traditional English style brewing techniques) so if you find it, get it. Small Distribution! Big Delicious Taste! Rare Beer!
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.
While almost everyone has heard of New Belgium Brewery, Fort Collins has another major player in beer brewing and sales, Odell’s Brewing Company. A little lesser known, but the quality of everything they do is outstanding. The Beer Friends visited on a Saturday and they happen to be setting up for a party that started at 2pm – which every Saturday they have a party that starts at 2pm! We tried a few beers and then had to run, look back in the future for Odell’s to be the Beer Friends Brewery of the Week and read below for the few taste we did get in!
Phil:
1st: Cutthroat Porter is fan-freaking-tastic! Off a Nitro Pour it has a wonderful smokey flavor that has just a hint of coffee if you look hard enough.
Today we revisit our Colorado Brewery Trip and try out Odell Brewing Companies 90 Shilling. A shilling is a unit of coinage and 90 was the tax Scotland used to put on beer. 90 Shilling is a lighter Scotish Ale, red in color and delicious in taste (so says this Beer Friend). History! Coinage! Beer!
Are you tired of your current wardrobe? Are you jeans somewhere between Brooklyn-Too-Tight and Too-Baggy-To-Be-Cool? Have no fear, the Garb Stylist over at www.uncrate.com have answered your prayers:
From a comfy shirt to a swanky set of shorts, not to mention a few good selections of our favorite beverage from Fort Collins, Odell, and New Belgium, they’ve got you covered. don’t be surprised if you see one of us sporting the whole ensemble…alright be surprised, but it would be cool wouldn’t it?
The Fort Collins Brewery scene is controlled by Odell’s and New Belgium, and the locals all know to go to Coopersmith’s Pub – but there is a new player in the world of Northern Colorado brewing, Equinox Brewery. Located within miles of New Belgium, Odell’s and Coopersmith’s, Equinox is a young brewery (opened in April) and hidden down Remington Street. There is a great local brewery feel when you walk in, much like a coffee house but for beer. Everyone there knows why they’re there – not to impress with flashy clothes, or get wasted - but to enjoy good beer. High top tables fill the left side of the room with the bar straight ahead, to the left of the bar is the merchandise and in front of the bar the board games(!). Journey to the right and the room opens up to extra seating, bathrooms and a hallway to their recently opened Beer Garden. We enjoyed this place because of the freshness, and the possibilities abound. As for the beers:
Corporate Kerouac
Phil
Brad
Graham
Paul
