Ski. Bike. Drink.

As a state internationally recognized for natural beauty, rich history, and extensive cultural attractions, Colorado can now boast as the Nation’s leading state in beer production. Today, Colorado claims one of the largest concentrations of microbeweries in America and many referring to the region as the ‘Napa Valley of Beer.’ As a nod to the state’s impressive brew presence, the Great American Beer Festival, the largest domestic beer festival in the United States, is held annually in Denver — which draws more than 46,000 beer enthusiasts and 400+ breweries for three days of pure frothy goodness.

Denver has pristine mountain water at its fingertips, 74 breweries in 100 miles of downtown, and is home to the country’s first CBO (Chief Beer Officer) with Four Points Sheraton. Colorado brewers respect their resources and many are developing homegrown alternatives in brewing for environmental sustainability. Breweries like New Belgium, are devoting great resources towards the development of energy and water conservation techniques, reusing byproducts and waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, establishing comprehensive recycling programs, and supporting environmental organizations around the country.

In addition to Breckenridge and Great Divide, a few of my other top of Colorado favorites include: Avery, Flying Dog, Left Hand, New Belgium, and Oskar Blues.



Hercules Double IPA
Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver. Colorado
Greatdivide.com

Hercules pours deep orange with golden highlights and displays a massively stacked two-finger ecru head, leaving a spider web of lacing. Aroma is highly piney oiled hops, toasted nuts, and pineapple. Taste is sweet and quite earthy with strong grapefruit at the beginning then gooey hops lingering through each sip. The malt and hop flavors impeccably balance and last long enough to be complex and ultimately inviting. Mouthfeel has a medium to full body with a smooth carbonation while resinous hop oils flow across the palate. It's the quintessential balanced DIPA in that it compliments its malt side as much as its hop side. Thank you to Tony Tortorice Jr. for this superb recommendation – amazing brew!


Appearance: 4.5
Smell: 4.5
Taste: 4.5
Mouthfeel: 4.5
Drinkability: 4.5
Overall = 4.5

Style: American Double IPA
Alcohol By Volume : 9.10%
Availability : Year Round
Sample Size: 22oz. bomber / brown bottle
Pairings:
Cheese: Sharp Blue, Strong Cheddar, PepperJack
Cuisine: Grilled Portabella mushroom caps (see blog for brew baste), chips & guacamole
Glassware: Pint glass
Price: $6.79 each



Avalanche Ale
Breckenridge Brewing & BBQ
Denver, Colorado
Breckbrew.com

Avalanche pours deep amber with golden tones that leaves quickly dissipating foam. Smell is light of sweet malt with a hint of fruity notes and little hops. Taste is subdued with nice toasted grain, quite smooth and somewhat light with a slight hop tinge. Nice mouthfeel with a sticky sweet coat and is medium bodied. At right around 5% Alcohol By Volume, Avalanche makes a great session beer. A session beer is typically deemed as being around 5% ABV, featuring a balance of both the hops and grain with a clean finish to allow the drinker to enjoy more brews in a reasonable amount of time. Session beers don’t have to lack flavor – Avalanche is recommended.

Appearance: 4.5
Smell: 3
Taste: 4
Mouthfeel: 3.5
Drinkability: 4.5
Overall = 3.9

Style: American Amber / Red Ale
Alcohol By Volume : 5.41%
Availability : Year Round
Sample Size: 12 oz. brown bottle

Pairings:
Cheese: Aged Gouda, strong Cheddar
Cuisine: Sweet Barbeque, Mexican
Glassware: Pint Glass
Price: $7.99 six pack



Recipe: Grilled Double IPA Portabella Mushrooms

Ingredients:
Serves 4
¾ cup of Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
3 Tbs. light teriyaki sauce or soy sauce
4 large Portobello mushroom caps, brushed clean (do not rinse)
4 minced garlic cloves
2 Tbs minced ginger
1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup. olive oil
1/2-tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Pour the Great Divide Hercules into bowl and whisk in everything else except the mushrooms.
2. Place mushrooms in a non-reactive pan, preferably glass or ceramic (DO NOT use plastic ziplock bags to marinade - it will release toxins in your food)
3. Cover the pan and refrigerate for 1-2 hours
4. Fire up your grill to medium. Have a brew.
5. Once the fire is ready, debag the mushrooms and the grill them grill-side up for 5-8 minutes, pouring on half of the marinade, until the bottoms are brown.
6. Turn, then cook for about 5 minutes more, basting with the remaining marinade, until the centers are tender when poked.