QUICKTAKE: A new draft beer from Colorado and something from Moylans!

The crazy US draught list over at Oliver Twist has continued the last couple of weeks and when we finally have emptied the great but very strong Canadian Barley Wine (which took 2 weeks!) we are now finally back to the US and some great IPAs. The list has changed back and forward the last week but the selection has been great.

First is a additional new beer from Colorado in the form of the regular IPA from the Avery brewery. For me Avery is more famous and better doing strong barleys and oaked strong experiments like "Hog Heaven","Uber Schwein", "The Beast Grand Cru Ale" or "Mephistopheles Stout".

But as a regular IPA it is great anyway and a very normal beer for being from Avery.

The beers pours an orange color and with a thick hite head. Smell is the tradionally grapefruit/citrus tones, the taste is a strong an sticky hops aroma with some malt balance. At the end a bit more balanced than the rest of the big IPAs, and extremelly balanced if you compared with other beers from this brewery.

The second beer on the list, at least for me (you can not be there every day) was something that I surely was looking forward for. Moylans IPA is one of my favorite California IPA and the better breweries from the same state.

If you compare the beer with the Avery version you can summarize it simply by saying that it is not at last balanced, but in the same time that is probably not the idea.

I like it and something that you can drink loads off. It is simply a very bitter hop bomb with mild malt sweetness. Sticky grapefruit and floral hoppiness that stays around for ages.

Not the best IPA in the world, but as a hop junky this is surely a beer for me. I can agree with people saying that Moylans is often a bit to much, but in the same time it seems to be the idea of the brewery and often that is something that we hopgeeks like and something you would miss if they would turn to be a more normal brewery.

Current crazy list from OT, seems that we have more beers to look forward for.

QUICKTAKE: A master piece on a can...

What can you say, it can not be any better; A Imperial Stout from on a can from Oskar Blues Brewery, Lyons, Colorado. Bought Oct 10 over at Lyons, Colorado, which seems to be the first day this amazing beer was avaible in a can. So I bought 4 to get home (one was consumed on the bus back to Denver).

It was a great feeling to taste this beer back home and in my own living room, and just fresh from the fridge.

It can be only Oskar Blues that would come up with the crazy idea to produce a strong Imperial Stout (10% ABV) on a can. But what can you say, it can not so much better, and it surely works.

The beer pours like a very thick motor oily texture, black like the night. It has virtually no head. It has some very strong roasted coffee scent´and toffee are also present. And the great thing is that you can not feel any trace of alcohol, just some nice warmness fills you up.

We are already waiting for when this beer will be available over here in Sweden, based on the fact that we already have the current line up of OBs at severial places around the country. For example the Bishop Arms pubs has them and is practically seen as a house beer over at Oliver Twist.

Amazing to know that all these amazing beer cans are all being produced in this little barn over at Lyons (photo taken during our brewery tour in October and the same day as the stout was released as a regular beer).

A touch of colorado in Sweden: Part II

The Colorado journey continues back home in Sweden. At the usual Saturday beer crawl in Stockholm we could ad Avery to the Colorado brewery list, together with the normal OB!

So where was that? You can probably guess if you have read my entries before, simply;

Oliver Twist

GBTD-07 Special Report: Rocky Montain IPA!

This is a special announcement to the great people at Fort Collins Brewery over at Fort Collins, Colorado. We had a great time over at the brewery today and enjoyed all of the great beers you do. During that time we had a discussion about Rocky Montaint beers in Sweden, especially the IPA. Yes, it is true we actually got the beer over at Oliver Twist, Stockholm, Sweden at the end of summer, both on bottle and then later at a draught version during the US-beer draught weeks. Here is the proof (the IPA is the 2nd beer served);

And here is the same beer served at the brewery today, in a growler. Thanks for creating so great and exciting brews, and good luck in the future.

Always fun to hear that we got a beer over at Stockholm from a brewery that is so new and small that they got very surprised that the beer had travelled all over the world to a bunch of beer lovers in Sweden.

Great Beer Trip to Denver 2007 (GABF) has started!:

I and the rest of the beer crew has left for Denver and this years GABF. So it will probably be a little bit slow over here during next week. But you will never know, it might be possible to add some live updates during the trip, but nothing that is promised.

Anyway we will have a nice little beer trip in Colorado and hopefully experience some new and existing breweries and their beers. In short the trip will look something like this;

Main plan

6 Oct Stockholm – Denver – Car to Boulder
7 Oct Boulder – Longmont (pub) – Boulder (TPBC, ABC)
8 Oct Boulder – Estes Park (EPBC) -- Grand Canyon -- Fort Collins (motel i FC)
9 Oct Fort Collins (under dagen, NBB, OBC, FCB) -- Denver (hotell Denver)
10 “Boulder County Brews Cruise” (Starts in Denver) (BB, LHBC, OBGB, RM)
11 Denver tour + breweries (GDB, FDB, BBBP, RM) + The Great Divide Lunch (12.00)
12 Oct Denver (GABF I)
13 Oct Denver (GABF II)
14 Get back home again

Breweries:
Denver: Dry Dock Brewing Co (in Aurora), Great Divide Brewing Company, Flying Dog Brewery, Breckenridge BBQ & Brew Pub
Boulder: Boulder Beer, Twisted Pine Brewing Company, Avery Brewing Company
Longmont: Left Hand Brewing Company
Lyons: Oskar Blues Grill and Brewery
Estes Park: Estes Park Brewing Company
Fort Collins: New Belgium Brewing, Odell Brewing Company, Fort Collins Brewing

Bars:
Denver: Falling Rock Tap House, Breckenridge Ball Park Brew Pub, Cherry Cricket, The, Old Chicago, Blake Street Tavern, Victory American Grill And Bar
Boulder: Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery, Southern Sun Pub and Brewery
Fort Collins: Choice City Butcher Shop And Deli, Washington's Bar & Grill, Lucky Joe's Sidewalk Saloon, Pickle Barrel

And our planned route