Fort Collins Incredible Hop Imperial India Pale Ale

I picked up a bottle of Fort Collins Incredible Hop Imperial India Pale Ale from the brewery and brought it home to share with friends. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy off-white colored head that leaves a nice lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of lemon, tangerine, orange, pine, and spruce. The taste is smooth and creamy with a huge caramel base. The finish actually makes the beer with a spicy pine and spruce bite that brings out the citrus flavors of tangerine, orange, and grapefruit. The alcohol content is 10.8% ABV. I’d say this beer is a little too malty and sweet, but at least the finish is somewhat redeeming and gives it some bitterness.

Brouwerij St. Bernardus Tokyo

My buddy Ed brought over a bottle of Brouwerij St. Bernardus Tokyo to share with friends. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty white colored head that leaves a lacing on the glass as it subsides. The aroma consists of lemon, caramel, wheat, toffee, and grass. The taste is light and wheaty with a refreshing lemon zest. Some pepper, grass, and earth flavors dry out the finish and the carbonation leaves a lasting impression on the tongue. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. This was a nice and refreshing wheat beer that was very light on the spices. Overall, it was an easy drinking beer that was quite satisfying.

Williamsburg Alewerks Brewmaster's Reserve Grand Illumination

My buddy Matt brought over a bottle of Williamsburg Alewerks Brewmaster’s Reserve Grand Illumination Ale. The beer pours a caramel color with a thin bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists raisin, malts, caramel, grass, pepper, and toffee. The taste is smooth and very sweet with a large caramel and toffee flavor. A light spicy and peppery bite kicks in with a raisin finish. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This was a wonderfully complex, well balanced, and quite flavorful barley wine. Earthy tones provide a nice balance to the bold and sweet flavors that come along with the barley wine.

Troegs Scratch 78- Fresh Hops Ale

I picked up a case of Troegs Scratch 78- Fresh Hops Ale from the brewery. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass as it subsides. The aroma consists of orange, tangerine, hop oil, funk, and grapefruit. The taste is funky and hoppy with tangerine, orange, and grapefruit. There is a peppery spice on the back of the tongue with a nice caramel backbone. The alcohol content is 7.7% ABV. I loved the citra hop flavors that were complimented very nicely with the nugget hops, hinting that it is only a few month away from Nugget Nectar.

Twisted Pine Hoppy Boy IPA

I picked up a four-pack of Twisted Pine Hoppy Boy IPA from the brewery and tried one at my friend's apartment in Denver. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of hop funk, tangerine, orange, lemon, and pine. The taste is dry, hoppy, and oily with plenty of citrus flavors including tangerine, orange, and grapefruit. On the finish, a hop funk, with fresh hop oils and lemon and spruce accents arrive. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I enjoyed how fresh tasting this beer was and also enjoyed that it comes in tall-boy cans for easy transport. It was nice not to have to worry about these vessels breaking in my suitcase on the way home.

Prost Brewing Company Altfränkisches Dunkel Bier

My friends and I stopped in to Prost Brewing Company in Denver during GABF to check out the new brewery and I ordered a Altfränkisches Dunkel Bier. The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, raisin, and malts. The taste is very smooth and sweet with raisin and sweet malts before a dry German hop finish. The alcohol content is not available online but I would estimate it to be about 5.5% ABV. As far as dunkel beers go, this was accurately on style and had a great overall finish. It would be worth ordering one of these beers if you get the chance to stop in to the brewery.

Denver Beer Company Project X 1635 IPA

The final beer I tried at Denver Beer Company was the Project X 1635 IPA. The beer pours an amber color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, tea, and lemon. The taste starts with lemon and tea with some caramel accents. Overall, it is not too hoppy and mostly had a German hop funk and grassy accents. The alcohol content is not available online but I would estimate it to be approximately 6.0% ABV. I'm not sure if it was the beers drank before this one or not, but I can't say that I was a fan of the Project X 1635 IPA. I was expecting something else and was disappointed in the delivery.

Denver Beer Company Hey, Pumpkin

Another beer I ordered at the Denver Beer Company was Hey, Pumpkin. The beer pours an amber color with a thin filmy white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cloves, and graham cracker. The taste is sweet and smooth with light cinnamon and nutmeg accents. Clove and graham cracker provide some accents, but what was notable was the great pumpkin finish. It provided a nice flavor and impeccable smoothness. The alcohol content is not available online but I would estimate it to be about 6.0% ABV. This was a solid performer in the pumpkin beer category and the addition of cloves and graham cracker helped tie all of the flavors together nicely.

Denver Beer Company Neighborhood Hop Swap

At Denver Beer Company I ordered a glass of Neighborhood Hop Swap. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of fresh hops, tangerine, orange, and lemon. The taste is dry and hoppy with plenty of hop oils and a, funky finish. The hops absolutely tasted fresh and gave off nice tangerine, grapefruit, and orange flavors. The alcohol content is not available online but I would estimate it to be about 6.5% ABV. I enjoyed this beer greatly and definitely would want to order another, as it was so fresh and citrusy, just the way I love my IPAs.

Denver Beer Company Mayor Mike's 5280 Brew

For GABF and Denver Beer Week, Denver Beer Company collaborated with the mayor of Denver to create Mayor Mike's 5280 Brew and I tried it at the brewery. The beer pours an amber color with a thin bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, cinnamon, pumpkin, and nutmeg. The taste is dry with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice with hints of pumpkin, ginger, and graham cracker on the finish. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. This was a nice fall-inspired beer with nothing overdone. However, I can't say that it was too memorable either.

Denver Beer Company Graham Cracker Porter

I was upset last year at GABF when I didn't get to try Denver Beer Company's Graham Cracker Porter, so I made it a point to return to the brewery to try it. The beer pours a dark brown color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, chocolate, coffee, and graham cracker. The taste has coffee on the front end with lots of toasted malts. Graham cracker arrives in the finish and has a touch of sweetness to it from vanilla. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. I am glad that I was able to try this beer finally. I liked the addition of graham cracker flavors to the typical porter flavor, making this beer more dessert-like and exquisite.

Crooked Stave Chardonnay Barrel Aged Surette Reserva

While at the Crooked Stave barrel room, my friends and I ordered a glass of Surette Reserva Chardonnay Barrel Aged to share. The beer pours an orange-tinted golden color with almost no head. Some white bubbles did appear, but they were few and far between. The aroma is tart and consists of vinegar, lemon, and chardonnay. The taste is also tart with a light pucker. Lemon, wheat, vinegar, oak, chardonnay, and white grapes all find their time on the tongue. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. This is one of the better beers that I have ever tasted. The grape and chaddonay flavors the infused the lemony and tart beer played so well with the oak flavors. I'm glad I have a few bottles of this to let aged and see how it develops.