Happy July Beer Lovers and Home Brewers!!!
The summer is slipping by quickly and with the warm weather and cloudy afternoons I find myself drinking all sorts of beers. Lagers, ales and lambics, oh my! Here at Star we are featuring cans from many different breweries as the beer of the month. Mostly Colorado breweries and all perfect for camping, hiking and playing in the water. All Ska cans are featured at $6.99, which is hard to beat. A few great new beers have found their way onto the shelves here at Star so without further ado I will tell you about these tasty offerings.
Odell has released a one off with British brewery Thornbridge. Pond Hopper is being touted as a Double Extra Pale Ale. Brewed with English malts and American hops, Pond Hopper brings together the best ingredients each country has to offer. Sweet malt is countered by a mild apricot and citrus hop note. A light sweet finish with a lingering bitterness, this beer has great balance. .750 ml $12.49
Stone Brewing has reached a new level of palate destruction with the 10th Anniversary release of Ruination. Rated 100 on Ratebeer.com this 100 IBU beer really takes hops to the next level. 5 lbs of hops per barrel and 10.8% ABV creates a citrusy, piney booze bomb that hints at balance but is pretty hop dominated. Great beer to pair with big strong foods, 22oz is a reasonable $6.49.
Avery rereleased Samaels, an oak aged English Style Strong Ale a roaring 15.53% ABV makes it a monster. Caramel and raisins blend with vanilla and oak notes to make a great after dinner sipper. The price for 12oz of this decadence is $7.49.
Mikkeller is at it again with Beer Geek Brunch aged in Calvados Barrels, nicknamed “the weasel” this oatmeal stout brewed with coffee then barrel aged, is an amazing beer. But that is not all, the coffee brewed in BGB is one of the most expensive coffees in the world as stated by Mikkeller. “This imperial Oatmeal stout is brewed with one of the world’s most expensive coffees, made from droppings of weasel-like civetcats. The fussy Southeast Asian animals only eat the best and ripest coffee berries. Enzymes in their digestive system help to break down the bean. Workers collect the bean-containing droppings for Civet or Weasel Coffee. The exceedingly rare Civet Coffee has a strong taste and an even stronger aroma.” Then they age the beer in apple brandy barrels called Calvados. This is a very unique offering with limited quantities, a true special occasion beer 8.5 oz is a hefty $14.49, but worth every penny.
Unibroue has rereleased their 17th anniversary Grande Reserve. First released in 2007 this amazing dark strong ale was met with such success that Unibroue had to continue to make it on a yearly basis. Touted as the best Dark Ale in the world with at least three years of age this is a beer that must be cellared. Sweet and spicy with the usual Unibroue yeast, white pepper, oak and a dry finish, this beer will evolve in the bottle to reported epic flavors. A .750ml is a reasonable $12.49, my recommendation is to buy two, drink one now, take notes and cellar another for as long as you can stand it (at least 3 years) then try it again and look over those original tasting notes.
Last this month is Posca Rustica by Dupont, this Belgian Ale is a throwback to the old school, spiced with old world ingredients. Posca Rustica is a “Cervoise” beer spiced with gruit (an old-fashioned herb mixture used to bitter and flavor beer that was popular before hops became predominate). Sweet woodruff and bog myrtle are but two of the dozen spices used. This is truly a unique beer. Earthy and a little funky, some sweet notes with bitterness this is a beer for the adventurous. .750ml $11.49
Well that’s all I have for you beer lovers this month, really some great stuff. Everything I wrote about today is limited and I doubt I will be able to get any of them again this year so if something sounds good come down to Star and get it. As always if you are hunting for that new favorite beer and can’t find it, let me know and I will try to track it down for you. Good Brewing!
Cheers,
Oliver Gamble
-- Oliver Gamble Beer Manager Star Liquors, Durango, CO. 970-247-2258 oliver@starliquorsdurango.com www.starliquorsdurango.com