With Chris and Kate in town for a long Memorial Day weekend visit, we trekked up to Estes and elsewhere for some gorgeous mountain vistas and general exploration. After stopping at the Stanley Hotel and deferring our planned drive up to Rocky Mountain National Park, we took the Peak-to-Peak Highway to Nederland where we all decided we were in desperate need of some beer. A stop at Wild Mountain Brewery did the trick.
Nederland is a pretty rugged and crunchy town, first and foremost, but one with enough amenities and beauty to live in full-time. The town's seemingly sole brewery fit the description of the town itself, with a cozy atmosphere, full food menu, and a gorgeous back deck that while pretty windy on most days, serves as a great outpost for enjoying some afternoon brews. There's a front deck as seen below that's great for enjoying a couple pints and people watching, the latter activity seemingly well-fulfilled given the town's inhabitants.
Holly and I shared a sampler as I was driving and she's a lightweight...and yes, I realize samplers aren't really the ideal way to go when trying to enjoy a brewery's beers to the fullest. Sure you can try near everything made, but you can't really enjoy 3 ounce pours as well as you can a full pint. That said, here's an image of the sampler we enjoyed:
The Otis Pale Ale (middle, I believe) was a decent, sessionable pale with a solid balance and a generally clean mouthfeel. I favored the Hop Diggity IPA, Wild Mountain's "biggest ale", but it wasn't overly hoppy or boozy. I can't quite recall what the other beers were all about, which isn't necessarily a good sign, but a couple pints of Hop Diggity might justify a future visit. We'll think about a return in the fall when the gorgeous surrounding terrain changes and the brewery becomes that much more cozy.
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