HOPS Pagosa

Hi Home Brewers!!!

Spring is in the air! St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. I saw my first robin, snow banks are melting, what a great way to welcome the warm weather.

We are seeing spring seasonal beer show up from many breweries. New breweries have come to town, and as always, my hunt for more great beer has produced a few gems! Without further ado, I will share some of the fun stuff going on here at Star.

We have done a major cooler reorganization that has provided room for more great beer. The main reason for the reset was to create a whole door for ciders. Ciders are the fastest growing portion of the beer world right now and we are trying to stay ahead of the curve. We now have 25 different ciders, ranging from specialty ciders, to the mass produced 6 packs.

NEW BREWERY NEWS: Marble Brewing from Albuquerque, New Mexico has landed on the shelves. It is a solid all-around brewery. All 6 packs are in bottles and at $ 8.99. A brief flavor profile;

·         Wildflower Wheat – good, unfiltered wheat with a nice light and creamy yeast flavor with a hint of floral sweetness. Refreshing! Not overly carbonated, I found this to be a tasty beer. I will drink this again in the summer.

·         Amber – The weakest of the line in my opinion. I found it to be thin with an unimpressive amount of flavor. Very light malt with a soft hop bite. It didn’t have the hollow mouth feel that would have truly knocked it off the shelves, but still reminded me of hot summer weather. It may not be here long.

·         Red – Probably the best beer in their 6 pack line.  Big, toasty malt notes were followed up by a well-balanced hop bite that married together for a long flavorful finish. Very enjoyable.

·         IPA – A solid IPA. Cascade piney hops take the forefront with an adequate malt profile to balance it. Good carbonation and a nice amber color. An IPA that is nice to look at and drink. They got this beer right.

·         Oatmeal Stout – Not a huge stout. It hits all the right notes. The roast was there with a flash of oatmeal in the middle. Very dry, for an oatmeal stout, with a long roasted bitter finish.

·         Imperial Red Ale – All of the qualities of the red ales but more! The hops lend themselves to citrus and pine. The malt bill is fitting with a 9% ABV. It shows with a bitter sweet body and finish. Balanced and flavorful enough to mask the alcohol burn. They offer it in a 22oz bomber at $5.49.

Mad River Brewing is a new addition from Blue Lake, California. Their Steelhead series is one of three lines Mad River produces, in business since 1989, this California brewery got its start from buying Sierra Nevada equipment after Sierra’s first expansion. We are trying them out and have picked up two different 6 packs.

·         Steelhead Double IPA 6 pack bottle is a pricey $ 11.99.  Supported by 8.6% ABV, this hoppy monster is well worth the price. Citrus and apricot dominate the hop profile and is held up by nice caramel malt.  Amber color, with affair amount of sediment, it is a little lacking in aroma. Overall, I thought this was a solid beer.

·         Steelhead Scotch Porter – 6 pack bottles at $9.99. Peated malt and roasted barley lend themselves to a unique twist on an old favorite. Chocolate comes out on the nose but not the pallet, a flavor of caramel, hints of smoke and full bodied.  With little carbonation, At 6% ABV, this beer get a kudos from me, welcome Mad River!

Telluride Brewing has appeared on our shelves the middle of last month. They hit the ground running and have not looked back! They have the Bridal Veil Rye Pale Ale 6 pack and 12 pack cans. They have them priced competitively at $7.99 and $15.99. This is a great example of mountain microbrew done right. The Bridal Veil is a hoppy pale ale that showcases pine and grapefruit.  The rye gives it a nice smooth finish with enough carbonate to roughen up the edges.  A day of work in the yard or playing at the lake, this beer hits the spot. I have many repeat buyers and if you would look for a beer to drink, this is it.  Not deep and complex, just down to earth. Telluride tells us we will be seeing two more beers in cans in the next few months and I personally look forward to the next page in their book.

ON TO THE SINGLE BEERS;

Made by some of our favorite breweries and some old world greats.

·         New Belgium – Lips of Faith La Folie 2012 has been released, and we have quite a bit of it. This great offering is a sour barrel aged brown with lots of kick!  If you have ever had one before, you know what I mean. A beer that will continue to be released by New Belgium year after year.  A must try by any self-respected beer geek.  Its price keeps going up, this year it is $16.49. I recommend treating it like most treat a bottle of wine. Share it with friends, and family.  Talk about it and revel in its unique characteristics. Ratebeer.com rates it as 100! Rightfully so. Tons of sour notes on the nose, with barnyard, cherries, wood, and acidity fade into a barnyard pucker. A balanced finish, dry and acidic with wood lingering on the tongue.  This bottle will age well at 6% ABV the bret profile will bloom with time, but some of the other subtleties will fade. This is a bottle worth watching on the blogs to see when it peaks.

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 Aecht Schlenkeria - A Bamberg Germany beer is an old school brewery. This beer is aged in a 700 year old cellar and responsible for the first Rauchbier (smoked beer). We have picked up the Rauchbier Marzen in a 500 ml bottle for $5.29. A dark, bottom fermented beer, smoked malt and oak barrel aging inspired a modern category of beer. Roasted malt and smoked bacon, a little sweet malt thrown in with a dash of salt, finishes dry. This is a must try beer. If nothing else put the bottle on your shelf as proof you are a true beer aficionado.

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  Full Sail – Limited release of their bourbon barrel aged imperial porter. We only have a couple cases.   If I were to guess – the only cases in the area.  Pours a deep black with a small tan head, aroma of bourbon, coffee, roasted malts and vanilla. WOW! The flavor carries many of these characteristics and more. Sweetness marries together with wood and vanilla, coco, and bitterness. All held together by a nice bourbon flavor that finishes with wisps of wood. Lightly carbonated and fantastic. This reminded me more of a stout than a porter. $11.49 for this beer. This price for the flavor sounds like a deal to me.  I will definitely be fighting for more cases of this next year.

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The Lost Abbey’ Deliverance – A monster at 12.5% ABV, a little .375 ml, for a big $16.49. Buy 2, one to drink and one to put in the cellar for later.  A blend of bourbon barrel aged Serpents Stout with brandy barrel aged Angels Share. This is a GREAT beer! The bitter stout and the sweet barley wine blend together to create one of my personal favorites. Nose of bourbon, brandy, sweet malt, chocolate, and vanilla. The flavor is hot and boozy with bourbon and brandy dancing across your tongue. Chocolate and raisins show with a woody vanilla on the finish.  There is so much more to say about this beer, I just don’t have the space! Its flavors are more complex then I have time to write. Love this beer!

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Odell’s Footprint – Creative brewing at its best. ONLY ONE CASE! Brewed right here in Colorado! This is a unique idea from Odell’s.  Each 10 states of distribution got their own beer based on regional flavors. Colorado got Footprint! Which means; 50% of this ale is brewed with honey, 10% brewed with honey and aged in wine barrels, 40% brewed with honey and natural flavors. It is sweet with a bit of fruit and a hoppy bite. Possibly some chili, and vanilla, moderate carbonation. An interesting beer. I think this will be a love or hate beer. One thing I do know is it was heavily allocated. A cork and cage .750 ml for $12.49.

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Jolly Pumpkin – A wild Yeast Machine, I have yet to try a beer from this brewery that did not have a sour bite to it. This was no exception. The Oro De Calabaza is a 22 Oz bottle for $11.99. Brewed in the Franco-Belgian tradition of special golden ales. Aged in large oak casks, bottled re-fermented. This lightly yeasty offering shows sour cherries and citrus. Spices and barrel characteristics tickle the pallet but are not dominating. Vanilla and well hidden booze round out this sipper. A great beer for a beer drinker expanding his/her horizon, still a sour but not one that will knock your socks off. Great Starter Sour.

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  Last but Not Least, an offering from Fort Collins Brewing.  The Incredible Hop Series Imperial Black IPA has been released for the second year.  This is a great beer, roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate and hops battle for your attention in this beer.  A blast of hops up front with roast and coffee on the finish.  Balanced with a hint of sweetness in the middle.  10% ABV is well masked by the tornado on your tongue.

As always, any beers you hear about that we do not have at Star, I would be happy to try to get for you.  Have a happy March and keep trying new beers!! Push the envelope. Good Brewing!

Cheers,

Oliver