Favorite Colorado Lagers!

Had a Modelo Negra with my para llevar comida this evening, and honestly it was delightful.

Just interesting that this thread would reference it. Art imitates life, or something or other. Carry on.

 

Everyone get yourself some of Trve’s Maibock and then hop across the street and get Baere’s. Trve is my favorite of the season so far, somewhat lower abv (6.5) and tastes like grain in a glass, loved it. Baere’s is not to be missed either though.

 

Had a Prost Pilsner this weekend. Anyone else had one recently? It's like they dumped all the hops in at the beginning on accident. Or doubled em up. Super bitter. Bracingly bitter. The Station 26 craft lager I had earlier in the day was more hop forward but less bitter. It was a sad surprise.

 

I think 100% of Prost beer is contract brewed at Red Truck in Fort Collins

 

I was in Salida this past weekend and had several nice lagers from Tres Litros Beer Co (which is new to me). In particular their "Prox" maibock and their beach-smoked Baltic porter were excellent, and they had a solid kellerbier and Mexican sea salt lager as well. The ales were more of a mixed bag, but it's a place that is worth a stop if you are in the area.

Lots of good beer to be had along the Arkansas River these days...

 

I drink Prost Pilsner pretty regularly and have never noticed it being overly hoppy. Haven't had one in a little bit, but maybe it was a bad batch? I hope they haven't changed the recipe. Their lagers have been consistently on point over the last couple of years. I'll have to try one soon and see.

 

Why do you think this? Here is new article about Prost's BIG expansion plans. The quote from the article indicates brewing is still happening on location.

"Prost also plans to eventually build a production facility where it can focus on brewing, leaving more space in LoHi for customers. If that happens, the brewery is likely to replace its massive copper 1960s-era brewhouse with a modern system."

Article"
https://www.westword.com/restaurant...u-cocktails-and-a-big-third-location-11993379

 

I just read it as they have a 1960s-era brewhouse, not that they are brewing on that system

If you look on the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) Public Certification/Exemption of Label/Bottle Approvals (COLA) Registry:

PROST PILSNER NORTH GERMAN-STYLE LAGER
PROST DUNKEL GERMAN-STYLE DARK LAGER
PROST WEISSBIER GERMAN-STYLE WHEAT ALE
PROST MARZEN OKTOBERFEST-STYLE LAGER
PROST PORTER BALTIC-STYLE DARK LAGER
PROST MAIBOCK BOCK-STYLE LAGER
PROST DOPPELBOCK DARK LAGER
PROST RADLER GERMAN-STYLE GRAPEFRUIT LAGER
PROST VIENNA LAGER AUSTRIAN-STYLE AMBER LAGER
PROST HELLES MUNICH-STYLE GOLDEN LAGER
PROST KOLSCH KOLN-STYLE GOLD ALE
PROST HOPPY LAGER
PROST HEFEWEIZEN

Every one of these COLAs Plant Registry is:

If you look on the can, it's printed with "Brewed and Canned by Prost Brewing in Fort Collins, CO."

That copper brewhouse is in Denver, not Fort Collins.

"For starters, Prost plans to begin distributing cans into other states at some point this summer. After that, DeLine and his father, who helps him operate the brewery, will explore the idea of building their own canning facility in a separate location so they can package the beer themselves."

Article from May 7, 2020: https://www.westword.com/restaurants/prost-brewing-launches-new-can-lineup-11706566

Says Prost isn't packaging the beer themselves

 

Huh. So is Prost basically just a brand if they aren't brewing in that crazy German brewhouse? Or are they still using it for draft items at the Denver location? Seems like a pretty big waste with all the trouble it took to get it here.

 

Interesting stuff. It sounds like they had a lot of issues with Bill's system and decided they needed a band-aid until they can open a new brewing facility. What a cumbersome process, though! You'd think Prost would want to first invest in the brewing facility before the restaurant and rebranding, but I guess they are pleased with Red Truck as a brewery for now. I wonder if it is a contract brew or if Prost brewers are working in the Red Truck location. From what I can see (Google Reviews), Red Truck has not been operating as a brewery in a long time - like two years.

 

Dry Dock has a new smoked helles that's absolutely killer. It's along the lines of Schlenkerla helles, but with a little more smoke. It's still dialed way back compared to normal rauchbier, though. It's the best new lager I've had this year.

 

Finally got some cryptic message and Holy shit is that a perfect beer.

 

I agree Cryptic Message is pretty special. It's one of those beers that tastes so "effortless" that you don't always pick up its brilliance. Almost like the Andechs stuff in that "easy, but WOW" way....

 

Never had Cryptic Message before, but it sounds like I need to find some. I'm generalizing, but I'd say that schwarzbier is probably the German style that American brewers are best at. Even having 'em at the source isn't the crazy enlightening experience that helles, dunkel, pils, alt, etc. tend to be. Outside of Klosterbräu's, which is definitely something special, I've had plenty of US examples that are in the ballpark of what's popular in Germany.

 

Did you nab any Heavy Trommel when it dropped a couple years ago? Very similar.

 

Hey how would you all rate these pilsners....Bierstadt, Bilsner, Barmen?

I thought they were all excellent and this might just be my personal tastes but I kind of liked Bilsner the best...followed by Bierstadt.....Barmen was top notch too but perhaps a bit drier? reminds me of what a Pilsner might have tasted like when my Grandpa was drinking them back in the day... Is Bilsner Czech and the others German?

 

Bierstadt's is most definitely German. Back when it first came out, it was patterned after Jever. I think it has been tweaked to be less dry over time, but that might also be a palate thing since pils has become so widespread. It's more of a mainstream German pils rather than the driest and hoppiest example. Draft Barmen is pretty similar. I've never done a head to head, but both hit the same flavor notes for me. Locally, there's a little bit of friendly debate over which is better, but I think they're both pretty great. Avoid those Barmen cans, though. It's a different beer, simple as that. I'm not so sure canned Barmen isn't just a tweaked Batch 19. Granted, I haven't had the draft version since those cans hit, either. Hopefully they didn't change it!
I haven't had this year's Bilsner yet, but the last few I've tried have been Czech style. Earlier versions were German. It is/was rounder and less dry than either Bierstadt or Barmen.

 

Not had Barmen, but your comparison between Slow Pour and Bilsner is on the mark, Domingo. I drank a couple Bilsners a couple weeks ago, and I didn't ask anyone or see any information, but it tasted like Bohemian Pilsener to me, which I prefer.

 

I wonder if the copper pot is too tricky for a lot of brewers.