Liquor Stories:
Our tribute to local liquor stores that like beer - and not just crap beer, I mean Real Beer! Not all of them are cool enough to contribute to our kick a$$ club, so be sure to treat the ones that do with some extra business. You might even get a discount!
Silver Dollar
New 6pks
*summer beers are beginning to show!
New Belgium Somersault
-An easy drinking summer ale, with hints of apricot and ginger
Odell Brewing St Lupulin
-Extra Pale Ale named after the archetypal hophead
Breckenridge Brewing Imperial 72
-Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout
-Low alc. for a imperial Stout at only 7.2% but it is tasty
Grand Teton Brewing Howling Wolf
-An Unfiltered Baravian Hefe
Sweetgrass
-American Style Pale Ale made with columbus, Galena, simcoe and cascade hops, than dry hopped with Bravo.
Bitch Creek
-Extra Special Brown
-”Like the Stream from which it is named, our Bitch Creek is full of character.”
New Bombers
Marble Brewing Double White Ale
-A Belgian style Pale Wheat Ale
Port Brewing Old Viscosity Ale
-Blurs the boundaries between Porter, Stout, Old Ale and Barleywine. A blended beer with 80% from this seasons beer and 20% from the previous batch that has been aged in bourbon barrels
6pk of the Month (always $1 off)
Paulaner -Hefe-Weizen
Bomber of the Month (always $1 off)
Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca
-Artisan White Ale
Hefe’s in Stock
Paulaner Hefe, Howling Wolf
From Star Liquors in Durango:
Hello Homebrews and Beer Lovers!!!
Summer will be here before we know it and beer drinking is all the rage. Cold crisp beers for work in the yard and richer beers for after dinner, Yeah Beer! This month we are looking at a wide spread of styles. One of my favorites, barrel aged ales, to the craziness of Rogue and their Voodoo Doughnut maple bacon beer. Without further ado let’s hop into some great beers.
Breckenridge worked with our own Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory here in Durango to brew Imperial 72, an Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout. On draft and in 12oz 4 packs for $10.49, I really enjoyed this beer. An opaque black color with a light tan head, the nose is milk chocolate with roasted malt. The palate delivers much of the same, roasty up front with a milk chocolate mid-palate and a bitter-sweet finish. Roasted malt and darker chocolate hang on for a long finish, definitely sweeter and creamier than most, but a great after dinner sipper.
One beer I’ve been excited about is the .750ml Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien, an Abbey in Switzerland that has a strong brewing history. This sour ale is brewed year after year with a label change that shows the vintage. After a fair amount of looking I determined the 2007 was the most interesting and got a case of six bottles. At $25.99 I thought that only true beer aficionados would be interested in trying the spectacular beer. Barrel aging provides woodiness on the nose with dark fruit and wisps of tropical fruit with a vinegar backbone. The palate is vinegar that is balanced by sour fruit, vanilla, and caramel notes from the barrel. Prunes and raisins make themselves known, sweet tones swirl around, but the finish is dry. An awesome beer that really has a huge amount of complexity, worth trying with friends, this beer will also cellar well for years.
Rogue recently released Voodoo Doughnut outside of Oregon, and we got our hands on the only cases in the territory. This is a unique offering, maple and bacon are the dominate flavors and boy do they ever dominate. Voodoo Doughnut is a doughnut shop in Portland Oregon that is famous for their quirky doughnuts and most noted is the bacon maple doughnut. A standard maple doughnut with a couple of slices of bacon on it, Rouge was inspired and made the beer happen. To the horror of some and love of others this beer really captures the doughnuts true intent. Maple syrup dominated the nose, a heavy smokiness hits your tongue hard followed by sweet malt. The smoke really lingers and the beer finishes with more maple. Unique in its bright pink bottle, this offering comes in a 22oz bomber for $11.49.
Right here in Colorado we have Great Divide Brewing which has created a great Double IPA Hercules. I tasted this beer when it was first released as a four pack of 12 oz beers and was not impressed. But they have quite clearly tweaked the recipe and have created a truly lovely DIPA. Hercules has beautiful amber copper color with a grapefruit, pine and sweet malt nose, good balance with a hearty malt bill and pungent citrus hops. Tropical fruit shows on the finish with strong lingering bitterness. Good balance makes this 22oz bomber for $7.49 a very easy price for a great beer.
Another personal favorite Jolly Pumpkin released their E.S. Bam, Farmhouse style with nice barnyard flavor is countered this time with a hearty dose of hops. Citrus and brett combine with a peppery flavor that leaves a long tart bitter finish with barnyard animals dancing around. Not a beer for everyone, this example of a bitter is mixed with a sour and will stick with you a while. 22oz of this summer sipper is $10.99
Funky Jewbelation has been blended together by Hebrew brewing. A blend of six ales aged in 73% rye whiskey barrels and 27% in bourbon barrels. The blend consists of of 3-month Jewbelation 15, 9-month Vintage Jewbelation, 1-month Bittersweet Lenny’s RIPA, 14-month Origin, 7-month Reunion Ale ’11, and 14-month Messiah. Wow! What a blend, dark fruit, sour sweet, carmel, vanilla and bourbon all mix together to create a fantastic beer. 22 oz is $11.49 and I am almost positive we have the only case in the area. The bottles a keeper too, it just looks Funky!
Irelands Porterhouse brewing has a beer I have been after for years. Most people look at me like I am crazy, and even beer partners here at Star won’t try it. Oyster Stout, a stout actually brewed with oysters. I tried this just last week and found it wonderful; the oysters added a fresh ocean brine flavor that married with the roasted malt very nicely. No fishiness or off flavors, the finish was roasty and slightly salty. If you have not tried an oyster stout, this is one of the best ones made and I would say, go for it! .330ml for 4.49
Last but not least this month we will discuss Harvistoun Old English Oil Engineer’s Reserve. An old ale with a rich dark color and little head, roast, chocolate and coco with a hint of grass on the nose. Burnt malt, chocolate, licorice and coffee blend together to create a full flavor, all this and the beer is still surprisingly smooth. A little sweet on the finish with smokiness lingering, 11oz of this import is only $6.49 and a great after dinner drink.
A few other things before I go, our beer of the month is Unita Brewing out of Salt Lake City Utah, I know who would have thought Utah would have a thriving microbrewery, but surprise surprise they do! 6pks are 6.99 and going fast. Hoodoo is a Kolsch, Wyld a Pale Ale, Hop Notch an IPA, Baba Black Lager and Hyve Summer Honey Ale are rounded out by a variety 12pk for $13.49. We also still have the ever popular Ska Mexican Lager 6pks for $6.99 and Durango Brewing has just released Blueberry Wheat, for $8.49 but I hear a rumor it’s going on sale for Memorial Day Weekend.
That’s about all I have for you today beer lovers, as always if you have any questions, comments or cool beer to hunt down, I am available at Star, email or the phone. I have also listed our other new beers in the store below for your enjoyment.
Cheers!
Oliver
John Smith 4pk 16oz can $6.99
Pyramid Hefeweizen pk btl $7.49
Alaskan Summer 6pk btl $7.49
Avery Karma 6pk btl $8.99
Stone Imperial Stout 22oz btl $6.49
Marble Brewing Reserve Bourbon Barrel Ale 22 oz $12.99
Sam Adams Summer Ale 6pk btl $7.99