6 RANDOM BEERS FROM SW COLORADO SPRINGS KING SOOPERS, JULY 13, 2019

Moral Panic Bruit IPA
Ska Brewing Company, Durango CO
Description on label: “Independently hand-crafted Durango ale.”
Website info: A “wealth of galaxy and citrus hops” to create a “tropical flavor [and] refreshing champagne-like brew.”
Alcohol: 5.75 percent.
IBU: 30
Taste: One of the lowest IBUs I've run across for an IPA. Is that why I found it one of the best I've ever tried? No, because I was ignorant of the IBU when I drank it; furthermore, I was pre- biased against Moral Panic, because of its ostentatious name, the champagne comparison and the fact that it looked very light when it was being poured.
Would buy again? Yes.

Helo Hefe Hefeweizen
Red Leg Brewing Company, Colorado Springs CO
Description on label: None, except info about the military background of the brewery (same as for Red Leg's Twin Tail IPA.) See write-up under June 7, 2019 heading.
Website info: : “This brew's name is to pay homage to all the branches and the helicopters within their ranks. Helo is a term commonly used and is just a shortened version of the word helicopter. And who doesn't love a good helicopter?” Regarding the beer itself… “Pale, hazy… German-style wheat beer… banana and clove yeast.”
Alcohol: 5.4 percent.
IBU:Not provided
Taste: Hefeweizen felt a little light at first, but seemed to get more hefty and flavorful in ensuing swallows. No bitterness in the aftertaste, which is nice. But I did not detect the banana or clove “character.”
Would buy again? Yes.

Drumroll APA
Odell Brewing Company, Fort Collins CO
Description on label:Nothing specific about the beer. But note that the product name on the can may have changed over time. See Website Info just below.
Website info:At the time of my “taste test” here (July 2019), the Odell website still showed a photo identifying this beer as “Drumroll APA,” with a different label saying nothing about haziness. Also, the website then gave the IBUs as 42. A more recent website check (December 2020) found that the photo has been updated (showing the same label as on the can I'd taste-tested). Another noticeable website update is that Drumroll's IBUs are now shown as 51. I also found interesting that in 2019 the website did not use the word "hazy." It did specify that the brew contained the flavors of pineapple, orange, mango, and grapefruit, and “the complex fruit character is the result of the careful combination of our favorite current crop year hops with no fruit or juice addition necessary.” There was also a how-it's-made video explaining that Drumroll includes a “blend of seven different hop varieties.” I found no such video on the website in December 2020 - just a fluffy summary that “each year we select the rock-star hops of the harvest to craft this bold, juicy, tropically hop-forward brew, drumming up a citrus-inspired rhythm for what's to come.”
Alcohol: 5.3 percent
IBU: 42
Taste: Went down pretty easy, although the much-advertised citrus flavors are pretty darn subtle. Probably why I liked it.
Would buy again? Yes. If only.

Denver Pale Ale
Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver CO
Description on label: The term, “American Pale,” appears. The beer is part of a brewery promotion called the “Great Divide Artist Series 3.”
Website info:“Big citrus and pine notes… faint toasted malt character and dry, slightly bitter finish.” The site also says the brewery is looking for artists to design what their cans look like - hence, the Great Divide Artist Series. What's “American Pale” mean? Craftbeer.com summarizes that the “American pale ale beer was inspired by the English pale ale, replacing its English counterpart's earthy, herbal hops with generous additions of boldly citrus and pine-like American varieties.”
Alcohol: 5.0 percent
IBU: Not provided
Taste: Pretty good, but the advertised bitterness (which is noticeable in the back of the mouth) was hard to overlook. The taste was somewhat similar to that of Odell's Drumroll (see the write-up just above), as a pale ale with that citrus thing happening. But from my subjective viewpoint, Great Divide's brewers overdid it with their Denver Pale.
Would buy again? No.

90 Schilling Ale
Odell Brewing Company, Fort Collins CO
Description on label: "Our smooth and complex flagship beer. A medium-bodied amber ale… The name 90 Shilling comes from the Scottish method of taxing beer."
Website info: Same summary as on the can.
Alcohol: 5.3 percent
IBU: 32
Taste: One of the very best amber ales I've tried. It has that strong but clean flavor I like in that type of beer, without any bitterness to diminish it.
Would buy again? Yes (and I have).

Face Down Brown Ale
Telluride Brewing Company, Telluride CO
Description on label: It's brewed at 8,750 feet; it's won three serious beer-tasting competitions, it's made with “snow melt, malted barley and American and German hops”; and it's a “hybrid of English and American brown ale that explodes with aromas [luckily they didn't explode on me!] of toffee, chocolate and nut.”
Website info:Basically the same as on the can, but it identifies the hops as Magnum, Tettanger, CTZ, and Cascade. The site also defines Face Down as an “American Style Brown Ale.” Seeking a definition for this genre, I found that both craftbeer.com and beeradvocate.com had identical summaries (don't know which one had it first): “American-style brown ales have evident low to medium hop flavor and aroma and medium to high hop bitterness. The history of this style dates back to U.S. homebrewers who were inspired by English-style brown ales and porters. It sits in flavor between those British styles and is more bitter than both.” I'd really like to try a British brown one of these days to see if I can pick up on the difference.
Alcohol: 5.7 percent
IBU: 37
Taste:The website claims it's the the “best brown around.” Quite a claim… but it might be true! I've been a fan of Newcastle for many years, but Face Down (great name) seems even better. This is one craft brew that I actually think might be worth the exorbitant cost of modern times.
Would buy again? Yes.

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6 RANDOM BEERS FROM SW KING SOOPERS, COLORADO SPRINGS CO, JUNE 7, 2019

Colette Farmhouse Ale
Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver CO
Description on label: Nothing substantial. But we do get a silhouette graphic of a hat- wearing woman holding a pitchfork in a stylishingly farm-like way. We're told that the Farmhouse Ale part of the name is taken from an ancient European tradition where farmers brewed beer for consumption on the farm from their own grain.
Website info: Colette is described as a saison beer. (Side note: Saisons were historically brewed with low alcohol levels, but modern brewers have figured out how to make them with moderate to high levels of alcohol - e.g., this one with 7.3 percent.) Colette is “brewed with barley, wheat and rice and fermented at high temperatures with a special blend of four different yeast strains,” the Great Divide website explains. As for the “farmhouse ale” designation on the product, an article at vinepair.com says that “a beer that falls under the farmhouse ale designation will have a bit of a funky flavor, kind of like wet hay or earth. It will also be tart, like an unripened strawberry, and leave your mouth crisp and dry.”
Alcohol: 7.3 percent.
IBU: Not provided
Taste: Drinkable, though not overwhelmingly so, and followed by a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. The alcohol level was impressive, but left me feeling like it was almost too much for a beer… at least one as essentially lightweight as this one.
Would buy again? No.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico CA; and Mills River NC (North Carolina? Isn't that a long way from the High Sierras?)
Description on label: Nothing about the beer itself, but there is this note at the top - “Family owned, operated and argued over.”
Website info: Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman created its Pale Ale in 1983, giving the new beverage “intense aromas of pine and citrus.” These come from its hop, Cascade, which was new at that time and “named after the mountain range.”
Alcohol: 5.6 percent.
IBU: 38
Taste: I'd drunk this before, about 15 years ago (when 6-packs of quality beer cost about $4.99 instead of $9.99 and up), and I recall the taste being enjoyable then. And I certainly did not recoil from it this time. But I couldn't overlook a slight but undesirably bitter back-of-the-mouth aftertaste (maybe from the citrus?) that was just enough to detract from the otherwise refreshing flavor.
Would buy again? No.

Twin Tail IPA (NOTE: THIS BEER HAS SINCE BEEN DISCONTINUED; THEY MUST HAVE FOUND OUT I LIKED IT.)
Red Leg Brewing Company, Colorado Springs CO
Description on label: None, except a summary about Red Leg, that it is a “veteran- owned brewing company and that the name stems from the Civil War, when “artillery soldiers wore a cardinal stripe on their pant leg to denote their location on the field of battle.”
Website info: Some military insights, i.e., “A twin tail is a specific type of vertical stabilizer found on some aircraft. These were used in a wide variety of World War II multi-engine designs that saw mass production, especially on the American B-25 Mitchell bombers.” Of the beer, the website says Twin Tail is a “hop forward” type. “Cascade, Amarillo, and Centennial hops give piney, floral, and orange citrus aromas and flavors, supported by a lightly toasted malt character ending in a dry finish and pleasant lingering bitterness.”
Alcohol: 6.5 percent
IBU: 60
Taste: Very enjoyable. A refreshing flavor that reminded me of Sierra Nevada (I know, it's a different type of beer, but both use Cascade hops). In any case, this IPA had less of an aftertaste than I expected, despite the website warning about "bitterness" and Twin Tail's relatively high IBU amount.
Would buy again? Yes. If only.

White Rascal Belgian-style White Ale
Avery Brewing Company, Boulder
Description on label: “Ale with curacao orange peel & coriander.”
Website info: “Unfiltered and… spiced with coriander and Curaçao orange peel.”
Alcohol: 5.6 percent
IBU: Not provided
Taste: Kind of bland. Yes, there was zero bitterness (which I understand is a feature of Belgian ale), but this may have been why it also lacked any real zing. If the advertised orange or coriander flavors were present, I did not detect them.
Would buy again? No.

Breck Lager
Breckenridge Brewing Company, Littleton CO
Description on label: None.
Website info: Mostly fluff - “Soft, malty, sweet aroma that's grounded by hints of grains and earth… light maltiness... subtle hop character.”
Alcohol: 4.5 percent
IBU: Not provided
Taste: As a former fan of Breckenridge Brewery's Avalanche Amber Ale (I enjoyed many a 12-pack back in the days when the package included point-building coupons that in my case built up to free lunches and beers at the brewery/restaurant in Breckenridge, as well as a T-shirt and a shot glass). I was understandably looking forward to tasting this lager concoction. It wasn't bad, but just did not have that little bit “extra” to truly separate it from traditional lagers, such as, for example, Budweiser.
Would buy again? Yes.

Colorado IPA
River North Brewery, Denver CO
Description on label: “Hoppy, joyous, juicy.”
Website info: "American IPA featuring Cascade, Columbus, Azacca, Amarillo and Citra hops."
Alcohol: 7.1 percent
IBU: Not provided
Taste: Quite good, which was surprising considering how high the IBU is. The comparison came to me that drinking this IPA was like finding myself reading something at length and not even realizing how I got into it because the product (in this case, the beer in the can) was being presented in such an unassumingly pleasing way. And, at 7.1 percent ABV, Colorado IPA also leaves a happy (hoppy?) glow. But I think calling it “juicy” is a bit of a stretch.
Would buy again? Yes.

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6 RANDOM BEERS FROM CHEERS LIQUOR STORE, COLORADO SPRINGS CO, MAY 10, 2019

Leinenkugel's Watermelon Shandy
J. Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Chippewa Falls WI
Description on label: “Weiss beer brewed with honey with natural watermelon and other flavors.”
Website info: General Leinenkugel background is provided, including an explanation of how all shandy beers are made. However, Watermelon Shandy is not on the brewery's shandy beer list (not even as a seasonal), so no individual specifics were available.
Alcohol: 4.2 percent.
IBU: 11. (Note: All of Leinenkugel's shandy beers are 4.2 ABV with 11 IBUs.)
Taste: Bland. Kind of a gimmick flavor. Not bad by itself on a hot day, but not so great with pizza.
Would buy again? No.

Insane Rush IPA
Bootstrap Brewing Co., Longmont and Niwot CO
Description on label: “Made with crazy hops [and] “Rocky Mountain glacier water.”
Alcohol: 7.2 percent (shown on can); 7.6 percent (shown on website).
IBU: 51
Taste: Good, without an overwhelming aftertaste. And the alcohol content (whatever Bootstrap decides it is) doesn't hurt.
Would buy again? Yes.

Kua Bay India Pale Ale
Kona Brewing Co., Portland OR; and Portsmouth NH
Description on label: “Piney hoppiness… caramel malt.”
Website info: Malts are pale 2 row premium, aromatic and caramel. Hops are centennial, cascade and millennium.
Alcohol: 7.3 percent
IBU: 60
Taste: Right up there with Insane Rush as an IPA. Great balance of that essential beer kick and IPA “tang.”
Would buy again? Yes.

Dale's Mountain Pale Ale
Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont CO; Austin TX; Brevard NC
Description on label: Nothing of substance.
Website info: “Pale malts and citrusy floral hops.” Claims to be “America's first craft-canned mountain pale ale,” dating back to 2002.
Alcohol: 6.5 percent
IBU: 65
Taste: Certainly not awful, but a little too tart (citrusy?) for my liking.
Would buy again? No.

Red Rocket Pale Ale
Bristol Brewing Company, Colorado Springs, CO
Description on label: Nothing substantial.
Website info: Dates to 1994. Received bronze at 1996 World Beer Cup. (Do you suppose Bristol celebrated by drinking a Red Rocket out of that cup? It seems like that would have been a fun thing to do.) “Specialty malts” are caramel malt and Vienna; hops are Perle, Willamette and cascade.
Alcohol: 5.1 percent
IBU: 43
Taste: This ale is a long-time favorite of mine. No disappointment in the current batch. I can even truthfully quote the marketing fluff on the bottle: “lively, hoppy, crisp finish.”
Would buy again? Yes.

Pils
River North Brewery, Denver CO
Description on label: Website info: "German-style lager. fermented low and slow in the old world tradition. No yeast character." Alcohol: 5.3 percent
IBU: 35
Taste:
Website info:
Alcohol: percent.
IBU:
Taste:
Would buy again? .

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6 RANDOM BEERS FROM CHEERS LIQUOR STORE, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, MARCH 30, 2019

Scrimshaw Pilsner-style Beer
North Coast Brewing Company, Fort Bragg CA
Website info: The name, Scrimshaw, honors "the delicate engravings popularized by 19th century seafarers." It's brewed in the "European tradition" using Munich malt and Hallertauer and Tettnang hops.
Alcohol: 4.7 percent
IBU: 22
Taste: Bland. Not really much taste at all.
Would buy again? No.

California Lager
Anchor Brewing Company, San Francisco CA
Description on label: There's an image of a Grizzly bear, which, according to the website, is from a woodcut by Durbin Van Vleck (1833-1898), which in turn was based on an "original illustration by Charles Christian Nahl (1818-1878)… Nahl's bear served as inspiration for the design of the bear on California's modern state flag."
Website info: This beer is a "re-creation" of "California's first genuine lager," sold by the Boca Brewery in 1876. It uses two-row California barley, 2- row pale malt, cluster hops ("the premier hop in 19th century California") and a proprietary lager yeast. First brewed in 2013.
Alcohol: 4.9 percent
IBU: Not provided
Taste: Not bad, but no "wow" flavor (the great history notwithstanding). Hard to believe people pay top dollar for a lager that (to my mind) is scarcely distinguishable from brands that don't bill themselves as "crafty."
Would buy again? No.

Full Sail Amber Ale
Full Sail Brewing Company, Hood River OR
Description on label: “Ridiculously tasty.” (Update, fall 2020: This slogan was removed on the 2020 label; now it just says “Oregon's original amber.”) The abbreviated year, “'87,” is also shown in the smaller of the bottle's two labels. But nothing is written about the beer itself. There's not even a picture! (Other than Full Sail's logo of a sail.) The larger of the two labels does use space at its bottom for several cryptic, stand-alone words: “environment… ingredients… geography… heritage… taste.”
Website info: It's asserted that this was the first amber made in Oregon, as well as the state's first bottled craft beer; also that it has won “25 gold medals and was named 'World's Best Dark Beer' at the World Beer Awards.” Full Sail first made this beer in 1989. Elsewhere on the Full Sail website, we learn that 1987 was the year the brewery started. Brewed with 2-row Pale, Crystal and Chocolate malts, hopped with Mt. Hoods and Cascades.
Alcohol: 6 percent
IBU: 31
Taste: Lives up to the (abandoned as of fall 2020) “ridiculously tasty” slogan. Nice, full flavor, and the amber “punch” is just right with only a scant aftertaste and a pleasing one at that.
Would buy again? Yes.

Mama's Little Yella Pils
Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO
Description on label: No useful detail. We do learn that it's a "mountain pilsner" and "Mama tried."
Website info: The target taste is that of "the great pilsner beers of Bavaria and Bohemia… built on pilsner and honey malt, then hopped with Saaz and Aramis hops."
Alcohol: 4.7 percent
IBU: 33
Taste: "Tried" is the operative word. Tastes (and looks) yellow, if that's possible. Not awful, but…
Would buy again? No.

Bohemian Pilsner
Patagonia Brewing Company, Fairfield CA (that's what the bottle said, but there seems to be a copyright lawsuit against Anheuser Busch).
Description on label: Nothing substantial.
Website info: No information - maybe related to the lawsuit.
Alcohol: 5.4 percent.
IBU: Not provided.
Taste: Pretty good for a pilsner. Noticeably less bland than others I've tried. And yet…
Would buy again? No.

Primadonna German Pilsner
Rockyard Brewing Company, Castle Rock CO
Description on label: "World Beer Cup Gold Award."
Website info: "100 percent German Malted Pilsner and 100 percent German-grown hops."
Alcohol: 5.5 percent.
IBU: 30
Taste: This one, similar to the Bohemian just above, was also far from the worst pilsner I've ever had. But I'm realizing that a lot of pilsners don't have quite enough "density" to suit my taste buds.
Would buy again? No.

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Hi! I'm Swiftbow's dad. Swiftbow has a dad? Isn't that just a website name? It doesn't matter. The only reason I'm here (in this spot, on this page) is to talk about beer. Swiftbow isn't a big fan of beer. It's not my fault. I raised him right. I waited till he was almost 12 to see how he could handle binge- drinking. OK, that part isn't true. But I did give him tastes from the time he was small. I sure wasn't going to wait until he was of legal age. That would surely have meant strangers introducing him to the potentially perilous world of alcohol before me - his trusty old dad. And now here we are, with him preferring cider and mead. Well, a father can only do so much. But I am grateful for his technical prowess and willingness to let me set up my little beer blog here on his website.

A quick background: The whole reason this blog happened was my growing curiosity about the explosion in craft breweries over the past 20 years. It's also become possible, at least at some liquor stores, to buy 12-ounce beer as singles. That makes it more affordable for someone outside the brewing industry to taste-test different varieties. So that's what this blog is - my reports on various beers I've tried. No, I'm not a drunk. I'm just a retired writer, and no, that is not the same thing.

Note 1: All these write-ups/reviews were written by me, Kenyon Jordan, except where otherwise indicated. If there is anyone else, it'll probably be my younger son, Brogen, who (unlike Swiftbow) seems to have inherited the beer DNA from his pop. I'm pretty sure my zest for suds stems from my dad, who in his later years liked Molson's. I don't know about any of my other ancestors, although my late cousin Henry (on my mother's side) once told me that our lineage included “jolly Germans” whose frequent reunions involved tossing down cold ones.

Note 2: These commentaries appear in chronological order. On my first few tastings, not thinking yet about posting my comments, I did not yet scrutinize each can or bottle for information. I later found that the labels can be a great source of information, or at least amusement.

Note 3: If you're interested in beers that are particularly sweet or have added flavors like peach. mint or raspberry, forget it. You won't find that here. I also got tired of lighter beers after awhile, chiefly goldens and (most of the time) pilsners. But I have to admit, I am a sucker for peanut butter. Life is not always easily explainable.

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