HOPS Pagosa

Hello Beer Lovers and Home Brewers!!!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and pairing beer with food is an alternative to the traditional wine.  Light wheats and lagers to start the evening, pale ales and blonds with dinner and finishing the night with a hearty coffee stout, that’s my kind of turkey dinner!  Enjoy friends and family and break out the cellared beers to wow the guests.  Home brewers, I know you have that special beer you have been working on and watching bubble for the last few weeks, may your creation tantalize your taste buds.  Today we will walk all over the world to discuss some new treasures I have found.

Hommel Ale brewed by Van Eecke in Belgium is a hoppy golden bronze ale that blends winter, summer and aromatic malts to create a wonderfully hoppy Belgian ale.  Cereals and yeast blend together to form a caramel sweetness that finished with a hoppy bitterness.  Lovely esters of pepper, honey and grass merry together to make this a very drinkable Belgian ale.  I typically don’t buy European hop heavy beers because they lose a lot of the hop quality, but I went out on a limb with this one and do not regret it.  A .750ml bottle is a great $9.49. 

Just across the English Channel in Scotland we pay a visit to Brew Dog and their Hardcore IPA, 22oz of this quaffable beer costs $6.99 and that’s a great price for Brew Dog.   Floral notes and grapefruit with a caramel sweetness on the nose carry over to the pallet.  Green pine cones, grapefruit and a moderate malt body followed late with a big long lingering hoppy bitterness, all around a great Double IPA, highlighting the huge 150 IBU’s.

Traveling several thousand miles to Juneau Alaska we visit the Alaskan Brewery. Their limited production Pilot Series Baltic Porter hit a home run.  22oz of this dark ecstasy is only $6.99.  A porter brewed with dark cherries and vanilla beans create a winter warmer that was right up my alley.  Smooth dark chocolate notes with hints of cherries and vanilla blend together with a semi sweet roasted malts.  Finishing off dry with a mild heat this beer was delectable and kept me warm all night long.  Great for an after dinner drink or a whole evening sipper, the flavor evolved as it warmed.

Back from around the world we end up in Colorado and head up to Denver to see our buddies at Odell Brewing Company.  They have been doing great things with their limited releases and The Meddler Oud Brune is no exception.  A blend of several generations of brown ale aged in oak barrels for 18 months with Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces added create a beer with depth and complexity.  This sour has an aroma of wood and dark fruit with hints of vanilla and vinegar.  Flavors of earth and tobacco blend with tart dark fruit, wood and toasted malts.  Not a bracing sour like some, The Meddler has balance and masks the 8.9% ABV nicely, a cork and cage .750ml run $14.49.

Just to prepare you for more of the holiday season and a house full of guests we have gotten our hands on some St. Bernardus Abt 12 in 3 liter bottles.  The label is a one-time release that is sure to turn into a collector’s item.  $39.99 for this giant bottle is a great price for making you the guy to know at a holiday party this year.   Next month will be all about winter warmers and holiday beers.  With that I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers,

Oliver

-- Oliver Gamble Beer Manager Star Liquors, Durango, CO. 970-247-2258 oliver@starliquorsdurango.com www.starliquorsdurango.com