Greenbush Brewing Company, Sawyer, MI

Greenbush Brewing Company, visited 10/9 (and 10/11 and 10/13!) (http://www.greenbushbrewing.com/)

I mentioned Greenbush back in my early September post about summer travels and brewery visits. We were back in MI for our honeymoon and Greenbush is about 10 miles from the lake house. Needless to say, we went to GB three times last week. They rock a killer pulled pork sammich with delicious sauces, really tasty pub cheese, and other good eats. They also rock outstanding beer, including seasonals and in-house specialties. Here are some tasting notes:

Unicorn Killer Pumpkin Ale - 7.4%abv; copper color; great frothy head; slightly sweet on the nose; consistent lacing down the glass; well-balanced up front; malt-forward; good, soft and subtle pumpkin flavor; sessionable fall beer; a little 'bitey' on the back end.

Unicorn Killer

P. Tenera Brown Ale - 7.6%abv; made with nori and shitake mushrooms; ordered up by a Japanese chef in Chicago; dark in color; very small head; minimal lacing; bitter brown in the nose; slightly sweet in the nose too; smooth, almost sweet in flavor...which is odd for a beer made with mushrooms; tastes like it'd go great with sushi actually...mild and complimenting.

P. Tenera Brown Ale

Felt Board Messiah Belgian Trippel - 9.9%abv; made with Vignole Grapes from Domaine Berrien Winery; golden in hue; real sweet in smell; described as a beer with Welches grape juice; tastes wine-sweet in flavor; well-defined sweet/grape up front; hidden ABV which makes this dangerously delicious and accessible to traditional wine-drinkers averse to beer.

Mr. Hyde Sumatran Coffee Cream Stout - 7.8%abv; light head; solid lacing; dark brown in color; coffee bitter on the nose; slightly caramel too; really solid coffee flavor; malty, bitter, all about the dark roast/Sumatran coffee blend flavorwise; I believe this is GB's answer to the ever-popular Founders Breakfast Stout, if only unintentionally.

WIPA - 7.8%abv; wheat IPA; light gold in color; frothy head; strong lacing; light, fruity hop nose;  hoppy wheat or wheaty IPA...can't say which trumps the other, but this fact at least makes it a well-balanced beer; tasty sessionable with a solid ABV punch. 

1825 Belgian Strong Ale - 9.3%abv; considered a Belgian golden ale; the beer is absolutely a nice golden hue; the lacing is solid, with a minor head; the beer smells fruity but still very strong and boozy; it's easy to taste the sugars in this beer; at 9.3%, it's serious business when it comes to consumption, and I think our waiter at the time (while totally overwhelmed w/ other patrons on a very busy Saturday) mistakenly poured me a pint of this when I had asked for a 4 ozer...no worries! This is a VERY strong offering in both flavor and alcohol.

I also picked up a four-pack of Brother Benjamin, GB's Imperial IPA. According to their site, here are the following specs. I tried one of these singularly at the house in MI and picked up a four-pack for home in CO:

Prepare to be Mystified

Be prepared, be prepared I say, to receive the mighty powerful taste of this truly heavenly Imperial India Pale Ale! It is a true force of nature my children! It's a mystification!

Grain: Maris Otter Pale, Belgian Munich, Belgian Aromatic, Caramel Malt 60, Honey Malt, Honey

Hops: Columbus and Cascade

Yeast: House yeast

Extras: Clover Honey and Beet Sugar

Specs:

114 ibu

alc. 10.1% by vol.

15º Lovibond

I ALSO grabbed a six-pack of Memento Mori, GB's Oktoberfest Ale, to share with friends and family. Here's the description, and I'll update the blog with tastings notes of both bottled beers in the coming weeks:

A perfect way to pass the time

Ahhh, Fall. Time for contemplation, time for relaxing, time for… a Greenbush Oktoberfest ale. German noble hops linger like summer days past before the end of yet another season. Enjoy one now before it's too late.

Grain:Maris Otter, Munich, Crystal 40L, Honey Malt, Chocolate Malt

Hops: Hallertau

Yeast: house yeast

Specs:

alc. 6.3% by vol.

27 ibu

Cheers! And thanks Greenbush for all the good food, great beer, and time well-spent in SW MI. We'll absolutely be back! 

Twisted Pine, Boulder

Twisted Pine Brewing, visited on 2/4/12  (http://www.twistedpinebrewing.com/)

Following our stop at Avery, we decided to hit up the nearby Twisted Pine Brewing. We went for a sampler here of six beers and got a free taster of a special beer that will melt your face. The brew pub is smallish, cozy, and was pretty busy. The feel was definitely one of a 'local's brewpub'...we felt welcome, and they were celebrating the launch of their Imperial Indian Black...a black IPA. The pub had a very friendly vibe and there were parents with infants enjoying tasters...the parents, not the infants. Below are the tasting notes for the beers we tried:

Billy's Chilies - 5%abv; light head, solid lacing; "the most interesting beer I've tasted", says Holly..."where's the breakfast burrito?"; Indeed, the breweries site recommends this beer with a breakfast burrito; we both felt like some hot pepper jack cheese and a butter cracker would be a great compliment as well; distinct almost burning nose; very noticeable, although not intense, chili flavor all down the throat; full flavor..."it's fun", she says; great accessible experimental beer; four days after we tried it, I still find myself craving this beer.

Raspberry Wheat - 5%abv; low to little head; little lacing; light raspberry nose; very wheaty; very light in flavor; from Holly: "like drinking raspberry sparkling water with alcohol"; good, easily sessionable fruit beer.

Hoppy Boy - 5%, although I'm not sure; small head; exceptional lacing; lightly hopped; easily sessionable; light in color, prob. light abv w/o knowing; guessing under 60IBUs as well; expect more of a hop-forward flavor from TP's primary hop beer.

Honey Brown - 6%abv; amber to brown in color; light head; serious lacing; tastes like cocoa, but not over the top; easy to drink; made with local honey, but honey flavor kind of hard to find; good slightly sweet flavor

Big Shot Espresso Stout - unsure of the abv; little head; no lacing; dark; probably a great paring with cheesecake; smells like a cup of coffee; slightly espresso bitter; tastes as if a porter and a cup of coffee were poured in to one glass; good beer!; I believe I have a 22oz. of this upstairs...and didn't know it when we tasted

Imperial Indian Black - unsure of abv; this beer was launched the day we visited; dark!; small head; solid all around lacing; very fruity on the nose; hoppy and dark; very good balance; light grapefruit; love the dark/fruity combination; prob the best beer I've tried here; will be looking for a bottle down the road; tasty!

Ghost Face Killah - I have no idea what kind of abvs are in here...and it really doesn't matter; you aren't drinking more than a few sips; I saw a $4.50 12oz bottle at Bubbles last week and almost pulled the trigger; made with a blend of Ghost Chili; almost a metallic pepper smell on the nose; burns my throat immediately; my good lord that burns; this is the hottest beer (or drink!) I've ever or will ever taste; I almost can't type as I'm taking notes; instantly feel like I'm breathing fire; NOT for the faint of heart, fun experimental beer to share with friends.

And that's it! We enjoyed TP and I think Holly counts it among her favorite breweries visited thus far. It looks like there's a light menu of pizza, sammiches and snacks, although we didn't indulge. We'll certainly be picking up a 6er of Billie's Chilies with some good cheese. Yum.

Elk Mountain Brewing, Parker

Elk Mountain Brewing, visited on 1/31/12  (http://www.elkmountainbrewing.com/)

After cancelling a gym membership in Parker (oh the irony), I felt the distinct need to visit the town's only brewery. Elk Mountain is a simple little brewpub tucked away in an obscure commercial strip in Parker. The place still manages to feel like a neighborhood bar. There's no food offered but there is a little popcorn machine, games and several mounted TVs for 'sports-watchin'. Elk Mountain, at about 4PM on a Tuesday, had a row of 8 or so men and women enjoying their brews. There's a blue-collar feel here despite the fact Parker isn't really all that blue-collar. The barkeep was friendly and I chatted up a man sitting next to me who's son works back east in small-arms training/physical security in MD. Small world.

I tried three beers, all of which were quite good. I walked out with a growler of the last one I tried, and after finishing the growler last night with Holly, vowed to return for a fill or two of the same beer. Or another...

Wild Wapiti Hefeweizen Wheat - 5.5abv; good yellow/golden hue; cloudy, but not full of sediment...I imagine this is not unfiltered; good quarter inch head, light lacing; as with many hefes, there is a VERY noticeable banana flavor; crisp taste; smells a little bitter, doesn't taste bitter at all; smells 'wheaty'; good beer, very easygoing; lack of overall complexity, but a great summer beer I'm sure. Despite always trying hefes, and usually never being overtly impressed, this was an impressive beer to session for the lighter-palate crowd.

Elk Horn Oatmeal Stout - 7.2abv; debated on this or Vanilla Caramel Porter for a second pint; this beer is dark; there is no head, almost no lacing; coffee and cocoa on the nose; strong oatmeal flavor; a touch of sweet that almost goes unnoticed; a little bitter on the back end; I'm curious about any hops used; hardy beer perfect for winter; I'm almost instantly full; overall a great stout flavor with an abv wallop you can't even taste. Good beer, great oatmeal stout.

Vanilla Caramel Porter - 6.3abv; I took town a 2 oz taster of this and LOVED it; ultimately left with a 64 oz growler; growler was a reasonable $5, fill of this winter season was $12...worth it! Good quarter-plus inch head; again, very dark; companion at the bar says 'dessert beer'; smells exceptionally like caramel and vanilla; great nose overall; heavy on caramel in flavor; despite the flavor and color, this beer isn't overly heavy; repeat sips really brings out the caramel; delicious beer. Not quite dessert, but certainly sweet and yummy, perhaps nonetheless an 'apertif beer'. H and I really enjoyed the growler...and I think I've found a beer lineup she can really get behind: slightly sweet, but definitely dark...she's a porter/stout girl.

Good stuff Elk Mountain...I'll be back for a growler fill soon!

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!