Yeah, Magic Hat's #9 is kind of an entry beer for the craft movement, tastes like perfume to me, but some people like it. It might be going for an apricot flavor, but I think it's terrible. That Dundee is not good either. You're doing much better with the Green Flash stuff. I don't know if Dark Horse or Bell's is distributed down there? Crooked Tree and Two Hearted are both killer IPA's that are not in the West Coast style.

If I was a megaswill drinker and I tasted that Magic Hat shit, I'd run a mile and never go near "craft" beer ever again. Horrible stuff. Sometimes "craft" brewers are their own worst enemies.

Never seen or heard of Crooked Tree out here, but I'm pretty sure you can get Two Hearted through one of the specialist shops.

Picked up a Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye and another Green Flash Hop Head Red (amongst others) tonight. Right now, these beers are my absolute favourites. It's very odd that my first ever all grain homebrew came very close to imitating the malt bill in both of these beers, despite being rubbished by a few people on the homebrew forums. Should go with the gut instinct every time!

I remember my friends back in CT used to drink a lot of that Magic Hat #9 back in the day. I don't think I have ever had that beer myself but knowing their tastes and reading about yours, not surprised you didn't like that one.

There's a few beers that we don't get in Colorado that I am dieing to try. Bell's Two Hearted is one of them. Limited distribution sucks. Also really really really want to try some of Troegs beer, specifically Nugget Nectar and Java Head Stout. Sounds like NN is hard enough to keep in supply in the markets it does reach, so adding new additional markets isn't going to happen but I would love to see some samples of Two Hearted and Java Head Stout make it out here. Even if they only offered them on draft at a couple select bars I would be okay with that. Just want to try them.

Adam,

Bell's is completing a $52 million expansion of their production brewery and it should be online in May. Not sure if they're going to come to Colorado or not - I heard rumors years and years ago that it was going to be "next year" - but I'll believe it when I see it. Oddly, they are in Arizona - their only state out west.

I'll be out in AZ in a few weeks for Spring Training so I'll have to keep an eye out for it when I am there.

I am sure competition for sales in Colorado is pretty strong given the strength of the market but it does seem like if you make a good product Colorado will support it, like they have upon Firestone Walker entering the state. And if the market is big enough for stuff from Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing to survive, than Bell's should have absolutely no problem. Right?

Had my first Pliny the Younger last night.



No 3 hour wait for me... I won 3 pints in a charity raffle at Library Ale House in Santa Monica. Gave one winning ticket to a friend and we split the third.

Citrusy, resiny... smelled like someone smoking chronic through a grapefruit. Beautiful amber color, minimal head. Not nearly as much alcohol taste as you'd think (even at 11% ABV), and not as sweet as the Elder. It embodies pretty much every benchmark characteristic of west coast IPAs and cranks 'em up to 11. Does it live up to the hype? Well, it wasn't life altering, but definitely one of (if not the) best IPA I've ever tasted. If you like Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig, this is better.

Lot of love for both Pliny's out here but I have yet to to try either. I had a bottle of PtE in my hand the other week when I was at a liquor store and contemplated purchasing it but just wasn't in the mood for a DIPA that day. Probably should have bought it just to know what the hype's about but but ended up spending my money elsewhere.

Pliny The Elder seems like it would be more up my alley so haven't had too much interest in pursuing The Younger when 10 oz were going for $10 and you had to make it to one of the bars within a small and specific window of time, but those who have tried it seem to share your sentiments towards it so its clearly deeserving of the love.



I absolutely love that aroma but my taste buds just aren't on the same page yet. Once in a while the stars align and that can hit the spot but 9 out of 10 times I am just too much of a pussy to be able to enjoy that.

There's a guy who lives in California, and is a drummer in a Toledo band. They're playing tonight. Several weeks ago he posted to my wife's facebook he would trade Pliny for Hopslam. I had 3 bottles of Hopslam in the fridge, so he's supposed to be bringing 3 bottles of Pliny for me. I'll make that trade all day long. I've had Pliny at their brewery, and it was good, not earth shattering, but I plan to put it up against a couple of our "west coast inspired" IPAs, specifically Columbus Brewing Company IPA and The Brewkettle White Rajah.

Just went to the liquor store to grab a 4 pack the just released Deviant Dales tall boys but saw them priced at $13 and couldn't do it. Hopefully I'll be able to find a store selling them as singles. It'll still be expensive though ($4-$5 I'd guess) but I probably only need one of those tall bays at a time anyways.

Tried a couple new (for me) beers from Funkwerks this weekend, their Saison and Helter Spelter (an amber saison brewed with spelt). Both were good but I really enjoyed the Helter Spelter. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, and was actually more excited to try the regular Saison, but found Helter Spelter really hit the spot.

Was kind of surprised in a hipster bar last night - had a pleasant local ale, nothing fancy, then someone else was buying the drinks...

Ended up with a Brooklyn dark lark, very tasty if a bit fizzy, and then some kind of crazy Czech(?) lager that tasted like it was blended with mead!
Had a Metal goat logo too \m/

I am drinking a Rayon Vert from Green Flash Brewing and it is fantastic.

That is all.

Ok, it's a brett/belgian/pale, and it's damn good.

Last time I was up in Boulder and stopped by Liquor Mart I saw that for sale as a single and thought long and hard about picking it up. I didn't but guess I should have.

If you like Brett, you'll dig it.

Magic Hat #9 and Pete Wicked Strawberry Blonde are for getting college girls drunk

all educated people know this

I like Brett when done right. Too much funk can be overpowering though. I'll have to give it a shot, next time I am up in Boulder I'll make sure to stop by Liquor Mart and pick up a single.

Currently enjoying some Mirror Pond from Deschutes. Hadn't had it for a long time and rediscovering it tonight, I am finding it to be so much better than I remember. Deschutes really is a pretty great brewery, solid beers all around.



Also tried Deschutes Inversion IPA and He'Brew (schmaltz) Genesis Dry Hopped Session Ale. The Inversion was a pretty simply IPA but I enjoyed it, though wish the bitterness to it was lowered just a tad (its an IPA, I know, comes with the style, and its not even abig aggressive bitter, just a consistent, prickly one). The He'Brew beer I enjoyed too, it definitely grew on me the more f it I drank. Seemed like a fusion between an Amber and a Pale Ale, quite sweet and bready with some hops in the finish. Not sure how many of those I could drink at a time, not enough balance between sweetness and hops, but one bottle of it did hit the spot.

If you're headed to Boulder, stop by Total Beverage (95th & Sheridan, just off Hwy 36), killer beer selection and you can get singles of lots and lots of beers. Liquor Mart is good, but this place might be better. Plus it's closer.

Also, stop by Backcountry Pizza and Tap (on Arapahoe just west of Folsom, right where Arapahoe turns into a one-lane). I'm painting a mural there and the tap selection is killer and the food is great too.

I always stop by that Total Beverage in Westminster. Argonaut might actually be a lot geographically closer but with traffic, stop signs, and lights it probably takes close to the same length of travel time to get to Argonaut than it does Total Beverage. Argonaut is still quicker but its not that big a difference. And since I always build my own 6 packs that Total Beverage is the store I generally go to. I was just there yesterday and saw that they have started to sell that Rayon Vert, so maybe they'll offer that in singles in good time. Also hope they eventually start selling the Devianrt Dales as singles.

For singles, though, I have yet to find a store in Colorado that can match Liquor Mart's selection. If they sell the beer its available as a single. Total Beverage has a very nice, large selection but it is still probably only 2/3's the size of Liquor Marts Selection. Main issue with Liquor Mart is that their singles aren't cold. I generally only stop by when I go up to Boulder since it is such a trek but now that Spring is around the table I will head be heading up more frequently as I like to take the dog up there and hike. And I'll check out that pizza place too.

Drinking some Odell's Red right now and its absolutely delicious. I think it just might have overtaken their IPA as my favorite thing from them and I'd put it as a contender for my favorite Colorado beer (not sure if it would win but its in the discussion). Seems to hit all the same notes that Deschutes Red Chair with the hops being a maybe just a touch more in the forefront. Too bad this is only a seasonal.

Man, the colour of that is making me salivate. I'm starting to get very thirsty indeed!

I've got a bunch of beer pics and reviews from the past couple of weeks to chuck up here, but I won't do it tonight, because I've just cooked a 6 course meal for 8 people, and I'm pretty knackered.

Anyways, My latest Motueka/Pacifica IPA is a cracker, even after only 7 days in the bottle. Next one will be a Red or Rye IPA in the style of a Green Flash Hop Head or Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye.

Tonight, it's Zombie Dust, and Walking Dead...

Zombie Dust...yet another midwestern beer that skips Colorado. I should add that to my list of beers I want to try....hopefully its out in AZ and I can get some next week.

Guinness "Black Lager" is not good. Very underwhelming. No big surprise.

Just finished the mural I was painting at Backcountry Pizza and Tap House in Boulder, CO.

Kind of a hop family tree of different beer styles. It ends where it does on the lower right because that's where they're going to put in more taps, etc.

Wow. Thats really cool. Nice job.
Out here in San Diego most breweries that I go to tend to be in industrial parks. I like that and I love that they don't have TVs but...they need to do something like this to make their places look more interesting. Most of them just have bare walls.
Good job SL!