Favorite Colorado Lagers!

I keep seeing BA sibling maker on shelves still. How was that?

 

Everything I've had from Jack's Abby has been really good. From the more traditional stuff all the way to the IPL's and "pastry bocks." I'd love to see them in our market, but I don't know if they'd really do well outside of the seasonal stuff. Especially with their shelf lives.

It would be interesting to see a place like Bierstadt try some of that sort of stuff. I know it's definitely not their M.O. but it's not like they didn't make some zany stuff at Dry Dock. I don't see it happening, but it would be a fun departure from tradition.

 

I'm a little bit afraid to echo the "love fest" for Jack's Abby too much, only because their products have has been some of the easiest for me to pick up the last 2 years during GABF and I'm hoping that I'll continue to be able to get as much as I want in future years. Thank goodness they don't seem to be one of the major "hype machines" at this point.

@SFACRKnight - I've got a BA Sibling Maker at home that I haven't cracked open yet. Maybe I'll try it this weekend and see how it goes.

 

Not to open a can of worms as I realize there could be some politics to this, and I know these guys are not on the same level as Bierstadt, but hasn't Saint Patricks been riding that boat?

 

Yup, that's their thing. Their stuff is okay to good, but I wouldn't put it into the same ballpark as Jack's Abby. Wibby has dipped their toe into that pool as well. I like their stuff. I suppose Grimm Brothers have too, kinda sorta. I don't know if they've really done many zany lagers, though.

Bierstadt (and Zwei) just seemed like the kind of places that could really take that concept and give it wings. Jack's Abby has what I'd consider to be an "old world" attitude first. I think you can take their base beers and get a flavor profile that would be right at home in southern Germany. Their experiments are a little over the top, yet the flavors blend and work seamlessly. Nearly everyone else's lager experiments have some level of disconnect, even if they taste good.

 

Since 2014, Saint Patrick's Brewing in Littleton shifted away from the lagers-only thing.

 

No kidding.

And 2014? Never would have thought it had been THAT long since I last checked them out.

 

Grimm Bros did that 13th door german barleywine that was phenomenal. I'm unsure if the beer is/was lagered, but it was a departure from what I had come to expect from them over the years. I'm not big on buying multiples of bottles, but after having one bottle I went back for five more. 750 of a barleywine that's on par with vermillion for less than $20 each? Yes please.
as for JA, I think if they did what bells was doing they may do well. Their shelf beers are solid enough, and I think craft is finally going for those beers.

 

Ditto. It doesn't feel that long ago, but my last visit was in the summer of 2015. They were still all lagers at that time. I went twice around that time and had a decent experience both times. Thing is, the Pint Room and Jake's are now down there. They win if I'm on that side of town. Obviously their weird grocery store crusade hasn't made me any more eager to go back, either.

 

What do you consider the best view in Bamberg? My guess is Griefenklau, the beer was nothing to get excited about last Sept. The time before it was pretty good.

Special Keller’s view is great, and the Rauchbier was flawless last time.

 

Yup, I really like the view and atmosphere at Greifenklau. It's the only one of the breweries with a large biergarten like you'd find near Munich. Friendly staff and good food, too. The beer is still good, but it's probably my least favorite flagship beer in town. Never had an off one, though. I can't say the same about a few others, so I guess there's that. If it were available fresh over here I'd probably drink it by the gallon, but over there it's average by comparison.
Spezial Keller and the Cafe at Michaelsberg have equally good views. Both have beers I prefer, too (Spezial rauchbier and Herren Pils).

 

I have never been to Gieffenklau’s Biergarten. It is always closed when we stop in. Rain, cold, and so on when we are in Bamberg.

Wilde Rose doesn’t have a view, but it has good food, a good beer selection, and a great atmosphere.

 

Greifenklau is an odd one because they've been closed multiple times when I've tried to visit, too. Beyond their limited hours, they were closed for some random other reason on one of our trips. We must've climbed that hill 3 different times that weekend. No sign or notice until the 3rd day and it mentioned something about a kitchen remodel. Plus, because most of it's open air, I'd imagine they probably have to close in any kind of below-average weather. The beer's okay, though. It's essentially an amber lager that's dry and hoppy almost like a pils. It has a weird bite at the end that I'm not a huge fan of, though. I think they also had a bottled weissbier, but that lager was the only draft option when I've been.

I've never actually been inside the Wilde Rose before. On my first trip I took some pictures of the building because it said "brauerei" on the sign. I just figured it was an old closed brewery someone made into a hotel. On my last trip we planned to stop in, but ended up missing their operating hours by a little bit thanks to a train delay. I've still had minimal luck in finding out who is brewing for them. I've read that it could be Keesmann, Kaiserdom, or Lorenz Bauer but there doesn't seem to be anyone who is 100% sure.

 

New Terrain has a kickass view. I've never been in there before, but I sometimes work over there, and that is primo real estate. No idea how their lagers are, lol.

 

I picked up Firestone Walker lager and it’s a good helles

 

I'm looking for a good Vienna Lager since I'm attempting to brew my first Lager (which will be a Vienna style) tomorrow AM. I am headed to Denver later today and wondering if there are any great representations of the style on tap anywhere?

Has anyone been to Bierstadt recently and know if they have their Vienna on?

Anyone else appreciate that style and can give me some tips?

Cheers!

 

Come down to Albuquerque, La Cumbre has a great one on tap right now.

 

I think that one is long gone. They've gone through 3 seasonals since. TRVE had a good one on about a month ago, but I think it's gone, too.

Zwei has a fantastic Vienna as one of their flagships. It's probably the best one you'll find in CO. Their website implies that it's always on. Snake River has a really good one, but you might have to go all the way to Wyoming (or at least far Northern Co.) to buy bottles. Most of the high profile examples like Elliot Ness and Devil's Backbone don't make it out this way.

As far as the style goes, it seems like the American examples are far more prevalent than the local ones. Most beer sold in Austria is Austrian Maerzen, which is it's own thing. Seems like the few Vienna lagers being made there have no more history than the ones being made here.