Phantom Canyon, Colorado Springs

Phantom Canyon, visited on 1/21/12  (http://www.phantomcanyon.com/)

Following our stop at BierWerks, we made our way to downtown Colorado Springs for a stop at Phantom Canyon. From what I know of the brewery, now-Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, whom I've toasted with at Brew at the Zoo, purchased the historic railroad office building back in the early 90's. It's on a little strip of neat 'old-town' feel CoSprings on Pikes Peak Avenue. They've got one helluva selection of on-draft beers at all times it seems with a list of upcoming and 'in the tank' beers viewable, as indications of hopes for planned future visits. I couldn't stop thinking about the Oatmeal Cookie beer that's "upcoming". The Phantom IPA is apparently PC's flagstone beer, but we were a little pressed for time and enjoyed two others instead:

1877 Strong Ale - 9.5%abv, obviously this was the one that I picked to try. Some might call this a strong ale, some might call it something else, I call it delicious: a copper red in color, not too cloudy but somewhat dense looking; thin head, light lacing around the sifter lips; seemingly served cool, not chilled; complex flavors, like sweet earth w/o the dirt feel; tastes like baked fruit, both apples and pears (mentions a taste of sugar cookie, but I didn't taste that); real good overall and would easily get your drunk after 2-3.

Railyard Ale - 5.2%abv; good medium amber hue; very drinkable session amber; easy fall ale; light on depth; light head, little lacing; like an Oktoberfest brewed w/o anything bitter; not amazing, but I also tasted AFTER the Strong Ale (woops!).

The brewery is huge, with a 2nd level pool hall and a third level 'party room'. Full menu of food; we ordered soft pretzels with beer cheese and course mustard; pretzels were delicious and both the cheese and mustard were great dips. Will be back here as well to expand on the menu for a longer session of consumption. Good stuff.

BierWerks, Woodland Park

BierWerks: visited on 1/21/12  (http://bierwerks.com/)

After a 2.5 mile hike at Horsethief Falls just south of Divide, Holly and I and the pups stopped by BierWerks, an old tire store in Woodland Park. The 'drinking room' doesn't actually have a bar, and the brewing room is seemingly obscured, but these are arbitrary complaints: the venue is cozy, encourages outdoor drinking, is dog-friendly, and will make for an awesome day spot in the summer. They've got a garage door frontage, suggesting the summer vibe is a lot of fun. We were thirsty, and enjoyed the following beers. We have to come back though as there is a lot we didn't try. I guess samplers are great for this reason, but it appears they only do samplers in twos.

Double Red IPA - 8%abv; good red IPA; can easily taste the German-style elements involved in this brewing process; while I don't really know what that means, it makes me think this is what a big beer would taste like if made by Iron City; good light pine flavor; smooth finish; def BierWerks German-infused take on a hoppy red. I was buzzed after one!

Apfelbier - an apple cider beer; 5.5; good snappy bite; sweet, but not too much so; not cider, not apple beer...different; could session, good! Holly really dug this one and suggested how several out front in the summer sun would be ideal.

Light snacks that look real good...cheeses, meats, hummus, soft pretzels. They had a bbq food truck that looked like they produced some delicious food, including brisket. Fun place, real friendly vibe, cute barmaids...will be back in the summer when the garage door is open!

Colorado Mountain Brewery, Colorado Springs (ish)

Colorado Mountain Brewery: visited on 1/2/12  (http://www.cmbrew.com/)

As a continuance of our 1/2/12 brewery tour, we stopped at Colorado Mountain Brewery in the North Springs, and learned something: a surplus local tax is levied here because the Springs doesn't consider Interquest Parkway a part of their town. I sure hope they aren't paying Springs taxes!

UniBrau Hefeweissen - quite good; perfect spring/summer beer for this patio w views of Pike; citrus and easy; banana love!

Panther India Pale Ale - deep amber hue; almost like an amber w hops; not entirely pale ale to the palette; tastes like a macro IPA, a little generic.

Legit restaurant; ate ketel chips w blue cheese and wing sauce; family style place to go; could be chain; also ate a sub-par Chicken Philly. This is a decent place to enjoy amazing views of the southern part of the Front Range with a legit patio and endless views, including Pikes.

Bristol Brewing Company + Black Fox Brewing, Colorado Springs

Bristol/Black Fox: visited on 1/2/12  (http://www.bristolbrewing.com/) and (http://blackfoxbrewing.com/)

Bristol, as far as I know, was a stand-alone brewery. Black Fox piggy-backed as a brewed-on-site entity from a former/current employee/brewer. I dragged Holly along on a beautiful Monday after New Years Day. Suffice it to say, I still had alcohol coursing through the body a day after NYE. I've learned that samplers are the way to go, although I still haven't done one through my first 3/4 brewery visits. 3-4 pints at every stop makes a fat man drunk. Here are the notes:

Beehive Honey Wheat - light! Wheaty and smooth, kinda looking for more honey. Smells honey-heavy; Holly says tastes plain...flat in favor.

Black Fox Diablo - black cherry and NM red chili; lil chocolate feel; like a sweet and spicy stout, almost numbs the tongue; great complex nose; 6.9abv.

Laughing Lab Scottish Ale - good; although not a Scottish Ale lover, this beer is sessionable, has great color and taste, and well-rounded; I understand the medals, but look for more hops (only 19 ibus) in my beer.

Winter Warlock Stout - tasty oatmeal goodness; sweet nose, great dark stout flavor; another well balanced beer; great for winter; will buy again in bottle.

Theres a shuffleboard table in here! Industrial vibe. Lil rugged. Mini pretzels in a dog bowl!

Trinity Brewing, Colorado Springs

Trinity: visited on 12/30/11  (http://trinitybrew.com/)

For my first brewery stop, I picked Trinity because it is pretty close to home and I knew exactly where it was located, having driven by a few times on trips to Garden of the Gods. The locale is in a mini strip, the bar table made of beer bottle glass, and a relaxed vibe for a Friday afternoon before New Years. Here are my tasting notes:

Emma's Coffin - pumpkin saison; light on flavor, but good; expected more from both pumpkin and saison.

Flo IPA cask - cask IPA; 6.3abv; real good, hop forward but still entirely potable; cask style great 'mouth feel'; velvety; subtle citrus; could session

Bacon mac n cheese was great! Solid menu of slow and vegan options.

Tried a shot of Libidinous; feels like a 'buzz' on the newness of flavor; no hops!

I'll be back when I'm not blog-driven, perhaps after a future hike at GoG.

Flo IPA Cask

The first one is always the best

Hello and welcome! This is a beer blog. That is, a blog about breweries in Colorado, the beer they produce, and my experiences visiting them all. As I make my way to each and every oasis of hop deliciousness, I'll post some information about the beers I try, any snacks I take down, and a picture or two to enlighten your visual senses.

I'm no beer expert despite knowing that I love drinking good beer. I'm not really a 'beer snob' either; slugging a cold Banquet or a Bud at a baseball game is perfect. I don't usually buy anything macro for home consumption though, mostly because my palate craves high abv, hops galore, and unknown flavors.

This blog is simple and will serve as a driving force to get me out in exploration of the Napa Valley of beer. I'm also hopeful my beer haunts will push me to finally start brewing at home. So enjoy the blog and join me in a toast, whether virtual or personally, as I explore Colorado breweries with an unquenched thirst for more.