Favorite Colorado Lagers!

That's the magic with those guys. The beers they brew still fall into style but somehow are unique compared to their competition.

 

Let me know what you think of Sunken Stars if you could. Been wanting to buy some but wasn't sure if it was a sour or something.

 

So it definitely IS sour. I wasn't sure what to expect since it was a "mixed-culture lager," but it tastes almost lambic-like. Sour up front, but with a bready back-end and a slightly clipped finish. I really enjoy it. Many (most?) New Belgium sour beers begin as lagers, so I'm assuming that's how this one worked.

 

Yeah, so for this beer we pulled off some Cold and added one of our mixed cultures (not our house culture...we have 3 other cultures in foeders and use them depending on how they’re developing/what we think will be cool). We then added some honey-comb (pieces of wood that have been drilled to allow maximum surface contact for shorter wood aging without using a barrel) esque pieces of red oak to the tank and let it sit. I learned of a place in Minnesota (when I was up making a beer with Surly a little while back) that has a variety of different wood to use in this manner and had planned to do a whole series of these beers pairing various base beers and mixed cultures and wood varieties throughout the year. I had Sunken Stars and Shifting Forms in process before Covid, so we decided to finish those out and hold off on other beers like this until after Covid. Anyway, just a bit more info on that one.

 

Couple of Darwin reviews for Wild Provision Czech Lagers. I've had many of them. My personal preference is:

1. Half Dark Lager 13P
2. Premium Pale Lager 12P
3. Dark Lager 13P

 

I just had a WP pils tonite, and have had the dark lager. They are both good.

 

I picked up a sixer of Wibby Volskbier tonite, and it is as good as I remember from having it on draught.

 

Is Wild Provisions doing any distro? As much as I love my pilsner urquell I'd love to get some fresh Czech in my life & Boulder is a bit of a trek.

 

I had to head up to Boulder over the weekend, so I grabbed some more Wild Provisions lagers.
Something worth noting that they barely mention anywhere - they actually have two Czech dark lagers. One is the standard 11° that they had when they first opened. It's 4.2% ABV and is relatively dry on the sweetness scale. They also have a 14° version under the same name that's 5.2% and definitely sweeter/different. Both are available right now and the labels are basically the same except for the tiny ° listing and ABV on the back. The can lid is also silver (vs. light gold) although I dunno if that's always the case.

I figured it was worth a mention because it would be pretty easy to think the beer was inconsistent if you weren't paying attention. Both are fantastic.

 

The Andechs Doppelbock is on tap at the Bull & Bush right now. That stuff is a taste of heaven. It, obviously, isn't as fresh as at the source, but it still has that essence that makes it world class. Easily one of my all-time top 5 beers.

 

Bought a four-pack each of those earlier this week. They are so good.

Y'all need to try 4N's foeder lagers if you haven't. The pils they just released is fantastic, and the maibock may legitimately be my favorite beer I've tasted from that brewery.

 

Really enjoying this new Ska dark Mexican lager. Getting flashbacks to drinking huge negra modelos at Benny’s.

 

I need to get some of this. Haven't seen it on shelves in my area yet. I absolutely love Negra Modelo, so it's right up my alley.

 

Comrade tapped True Level Italian-Style Pilsner last week. Hopped with Saphir and dry-hopped with more Saphir. Lagered for 9 weeks and left this batch keller, so it's very slightly hazy. Name is a Rick & Morty reference

 

I finally got some of the Ska Dark Mexican Lager. Honestly, it isn't what I expected. It tastes like an American-style brown ale to me. It's lighter texturally, but it the flavor profile is in no way subtle. There's a pretty bold roasty/hoppy combo that you're simply not going to get from Negra Modelo, Indio, Noche Buena, etc. If anything, it's almost like a "session" Face Down Brown to me. It's absolutely good, but it's very different from what you're probably expecting.

 

I'm enjoying Fiction Alternate Present, a Schwarzbier. Good notes of chocolate, roasted malt, some light fruitiness and light smoke.

 

Living the Dream Premium Lager is legit in my book. The hop character is what I particularly dig.

 

Trve has a new black lager called Strange Gateways. Haven't tried it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Also, this is a sneaky way to tell you that you should get their Dunkelweizen ASAP. Bought two 4-packs of it in the last month or so. It's fantastic. Close to saying it's as good as the big German boys, but I don't want to start anything--haha.

 

Considering how few dunkelweizens make it here (3-4 maybe? ...and Erdinger's only barely counts), I'm game for one that's simply "good." The Bull & Bush didn't make one this year, so I'm kinda fiending.

 

Tmavé 13 from Bierstadt is so f'n good! From Beer Drop.