Favorite Colorado Lagers!

Same. I love Odell Lager. I appreciate that it isn't trying to be some sort of hoppy American spin on a pils or helles. Instead it's almost like a fuller flavored take on something like Yeungling. Whatever Lagerado is, I'll hope it's similar.

Totally unrelated, if anyone is near the DTC, give Little Dry Creek brewing a shot. It's located in Grange Hall, which is the food hall concept that moved into the old CB & Potts. They have several lagers (and top fermenting hybrids) that are totally legit. Prices are a hair steep, just like at most other food hall places, but you're getting something really good. If they ever do a happy hour or something, that's a good time to go.

 

I remember enjoying Colorado Stream back in the day. O'Dell didn't keep it around too long, though.

 

Update: Bierstadt, Cohesion, and Cerebral are all amazing.

So far from Bierstadt, I've only tried the Pils. It's very good, but I'd probably say it's a little overrated. Heresy, I know. It's good but I wouldn't say moreso than many other pilsner options.

Cohesion are world-class. The Czech brewpub experience to a tee, from what I understand.

Cerebral's foeder lagers are incredibly delicious, some of my favorite Coloradan lagers.

 

Bierstadt's Pils has changed a little IMO. Initially it was very much on the dry side. Akin to Jever. They even used those little paper cuffs around the bottom of the glass like Jever does in Germany. These days it's a little rounder and more approachable for most people. Their original goal was to make their pils compete for all of the Stella taps (like Left Hand's nitro tap does with Guinness), so that's probably why. I appreciate both concepts, so I don't really have an opinion on which is better. I tend to like my pils rounder most of the time, so I'm happy.

I like some of Cerebral's lagers a lot, but the ones I want aren't available that often. Feels like 75% of the time I'm looking through the Cerebral cans it's a pile of IPA's and DIPA's. Or multiple hoppy or DH lagers...which are not my jam. Give me the foeder hell, Vienna, and schwarz all day. The others, not so much.

 

Comrade is tapping Smoke Shack this Wednesday. It's a Bamberg Style Maerzen, 5.5% ABV

 

I haven't enjoyed their ipas, but boy cryptic message is as good as it gets.

 

I like some of their IPA's (Rare Trait, especially), but they seem to make a lot of DIPA's and DDH hazy stuff that usually isn't for me. Very similar to Outer Range, actually. Both occasionally hit it out of the park with the bigger or DDH stuff, but most of the time I'd rather have a normal 'ol IPA that focuses on citric notes. On the lager front, Tactical Maneuver (the foeder helles) is my jam. It tastes very familiar to me, but I can't place it. It hits the right notes for something I'd had in Germany or Austria, but I have no idea what or where.

 

This just made me realize that the only two Maerzens I've had from there are both smoked. Mind oddly blown.

 

Last night a friend and I split a Bierstadt Dunkel and later a Cryptic Message. Cryptic message is one of my favorite schwarzbiers and I expected it to be on par with Bierstadt. This is not bagging on Cerebral because Cryptic Message was as great as ever, but the magic that bierstadt imparts in their beers with the mouthfeel and maltiness is second to none.

 

Bierstadt dunkel is probably the only US dunkel I've ever had that tastes just like the ones in Bavaria. I wouldn't say there are a lot of places making legit helles, pils, export, etc. but there are definitely examples in most major markets. With dunkel, not so much. They're usually too roasty (my most common complaint), too hoppy, or even just too bland. Bierstadt's hits the right marks. Not sure if theirs is based on a specific example, but it "tastes like Munich" to me.

On the other end of the spectrum, I got some of the Cohesion/Outer Range collab cans for Mimo 10º. It's a 3.8% pale lager brewed and dry hopped with New Zealand hops. It has that rustic note that most Cohesion lagers have, and the hops really pop...but there's no bitterness. It's a neat example of a lager that isn't trying to replicate a classic style, but isn't over the top or overly strong/bitter/sharp. It isn't quite BBQ season yet, but I can see this one being a nice beer for grilling on a hot day.

 

Glad to hear some feed back on that collaboration. I grabbed a 4x out of curiosity and look forward to checking it out. I'm looking forward to crushing some lower abv stuff this summer and this should fit right in.

 

Got a couple of cans of Boho Vibes from Ursula Brewery in the last drop from Beer Drop. I reckon that it's an excellent unfiltered Pilsner.

 

Follow up to the Cohesion Outer Range Collab. It's different. I'm not sure how I feel about it as of yet. There's a lot of lime there. It's not quite an Italian pilsner, but it's bridging into that territory and I feel like they may be encroaching on my lawn....

 

Does it contain oregano? Basil? Semolina? Tomatoes? Waste management corruption? Those are the hallmarks of a true Italian pilsner and I think it only contained maybe 2 of those things, so it doesn't count.

 

You know what we mean silly.

 

Okay, fine. It didn't taste anything like Peroni, Moretti, Nastro Azzurro, Forst, Poretti, Menabrea, etc.

 

Boooooo!. I'm not a fan of wither the name or the style, but would you say that the OR/Cohesion collab would fall into this style? I certainly get that vibe.

 

I'd say yes and no. It's dry hopped and that comes through, but the hops they're using are giving me lemon and melon notes. There's very very little bitterness and that Cohesion rustic note on the back-end. I feel like most beers people call an "Italian" pils (more like Paso Robles Pils) tend to be fairly bitter and dry in addition to having a noble dry-hop note on the back end. Some DO fall in a category like this one, but I feel like most don't.

 

I met a friend at Locavore yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by their Loggerhead. The description makes it sound like their take on something like Banquet, but I didn't really taste that. Instead it's a bit toasty and reminds me a little of FCB's 1900 lager. Remember that one? I think that was in their next-to-last branding phase before they finally gave up. Anyway, I'd recommend Loggerhead if you're in Littleton or if you see it at a multi-tap joint.