Denver & Colorado Sanity Thread

$9.99 is a great price. Especially for a brewery of that size. Most Cerebral Lager 4-packs are $12. Not $14-$15.

The craft lager trend is here to stay. And Thrive. Hoping Bierstadt continues packaging after lockdown. Thankfully we will be able to enjoy their canned offering for at least the next two years.

 

I'm not sure I want the lager trend to stay (there are a lot of bad ones from high profile breweries), but I do hope people continue to embrace the elite examples. There's a reason most of the places doing them well focus on them so much.

 

I can deal with more crappy lagers to sort through if it means more quality lagers to chose between and drink.

 

I really like Jack's Abby. A lot, even. I don't know if I've ever had a lesser beer from them, although I personally consider all IPL's and the like (Bierstadt's included) to be a mess. JA has a fair number of hoppy lagers.
What makes JA really good is that they're a little bit experimental, but they still have that unmistakable attention to detail and quality with everything. Even the adjunct Baltics and big beers. They don't make a ton of straight-up German retail beers like Bierstadt is focusing on, but the ones they make are all excellent.
I'm not sure there are a ton of places that are doing what Bierstadt. Especially only making a handful of lagers. Even in Germany most places have a weiss...although a lot of them are apparently secretly contract brewed. I'm actually curious how many places in the US are similar to Bierstadt. Wild guess, there might be some places in TX, WI, or PA, but I don't honestly know.

 

Heavy trommel was a game changer. Too bad it was so limited here.

 

I would absolutely love to try they straight up Framinghammer.. the description has drool emoji written all over it. Sure the BA ones are tasty, but I wanna try the real deal.

 

I’ve had most of the variants and the straight BA version has been the best. IIRC I think framminghammer is available in pounders from JA.

 

I didn't know there was a normal version. I also like the "plain" BA Framinghammer best, although the PB&J one surprised me. Haven't seen it lately, though.

 

Yeah I’ve had a few of the variants, but that’s the thing- I couldn’t really tell a big difference between a BA stout and a BA BP.. the uniqueness of a Baltic Porter gets muddled by the adjuncts imo

 

@Domingo have you checked out transformative from Dry Dock? Picked up a crowler for the weekend. Not sure what to expect from it.

 

I haven't yet. Likely going to grab some this tonight or this weekend, though. I trust the guy who made it, so I bet it's well made even if it isn't my thing.
Somewhat related - DD is in the middle of a brand refresh and their cans should really stand out now. As a long time fan, I always felt like their stuff kinda got lost and looked dated. The new cans look terrific. I can't tell you how many times I've walked past vanilla porter (a fave of mine) just because I didn't even notice it. Those days should be over now.

 

The Transformative Pils is pretty crazy. It isn't what I thought at all. I was expecting an IPL, but it's far more subtle and nothing like one. Initially I thought it tasted just a normal pils, but with a little more fruity character and less bitterness. As it warmed up a little, it's almost like it began to taste like a Koelsch...but with the white grape kicked up to a 7 or 8 (rather than the usual 1 or 2). Still zero bitterness, though. Not much of a nose, either. I dunno if there's anything like it out there. I liked it way more than I expected and hope it's revisited as a draft offering once things normalize.

 

I had the opposite experience. I appreciate what they were going for but the amount of lime I was getting immediately reminded me of bud lite lime. The more I drank the more the lime expressed. I gave up on the second pint and went for the coconut b bomb instead.

 

any timeline on tap rooms reopening (at limited cap)?

 

I would assume around the same time as restaurants. If you watched the original Polis safer at home PSA his PowerPoint images had a September date on them. Don’t quote me on that, but it seems to coincide with schools etc. I would be surprised if schools went back AND restaurants opened at the same time. I suspect this is going to be a situation where we bring one section of society back online at a time and monitor for spikes in COVID cases.

 

Here in Texas brewpubs (and restaurants) will be opening at 25% capacity this Friday. I'm interested in seeing the level of confidence by which patrons visit their favorite restaurants brewpubs etc but am getting the sense that while there is a certain population that will most likely not go out till a vaccine is widely distributed or at the least testing is ramped, a large demographic is eager to go out and support these establlshments while adhering to CDC guidelines while visiting these restaurants/brewpubs etc.

In a state like Colorado where the craft beer industry is such an integral part of the consumer economy, i'm very curious to see how this will be handled.

Hope everyone is safe and healthy. Cheers.

 

I'm going to be using the Bull & Bush as a barometer. They were among the first to close and they aren't in a position where they have to re-open immediately. Better safe than sorry and the last thing I want is a rebound after discovering we all went out too soon.
When they re-open, I'll probably start heading back out normally. Until then, I'm going a little stir-crazy, but I luckily have access to most of the same beers and food...and am supporting the hell out of my faves.

 

Agreed @Domingo, let Texas be the guinea pigs if they want to. No offense intended Sabzi. I certainly hope it goes well for Texas. I just have my doubts.

I've heard rumors CO is looking more like July-ish, but that's very hearsay.

 

I'm guessing it'll be awhile. I saw where Country Jam (finally) cancelled for this year which is a huge $$$ bust for the Grand Valley area. I'm guessing that GABF will be a no-go, as well as numerous concerts. This is gonna be the new norm, I think. Covid aint no walk in the park, for sure.