Favorite Colorado Lagers!

Melvin has delivered and Zeus is chilling

 

I know it's been mentioned previously in this thread but Crooked Stave's Von Pilsner is a great new option. Just having it for the first time and quite enjoying it. Very excited to try Hey Zeus soon too.

 

While I probably need some time away from lagers, I need to try the Bierstadt Vienna. Based upon descriptions of it, it sounds a whole lot like what's now called an Austrian Märzen. That's a far more typical beer than what we usually think of as a Vienna lager.

 

Just had Bierstadt's Vienna Lager, Pils, and Maiboch. Holy crap. The Maiboch was the worst of the three and I'd still call it 'excellent'.

I've noticed Prost's Dunkel seems to have changed for me. I feel like it's more subdued and less flavorful now, but it could be in my head.

 

It's very possible. Prost has gone through multiple brewmasters, each putting their own spin on things. Probably the best once since Bill opened the place left recently, so that could be the culprit.

 

I can't figure Prost out - it seems like everytime I revisit one of their core beers (Pils, Dunkel, etc.) it's entirely different than I remember it, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

I recently picked up a sixer of the Dunkel and it was way sweeter than I recall it being. Anyone else with similar experiences?

 

Yes - it's funny that two mentions of the Prost Dunkel have already been made, but I had the same experience last week. Picked one up as it is a favorite and I got a distinct feeling of more "cola sweetness" and also a weaker body and less crisp finish than I've had in the past. I had no idea that they lost yet another brewmaster, but if true that would be a good explanation. I have really enjoyed most of their stuff over the past year as well, so I hope they can get move forward on a positive note.

 

Here's the story behind this (for those of you who hadn't heard about it like me). I already like several offerings from The Post, so I'll be interested in following Brad's work there.

http://www.westword.com/restaurants/denver-brewer-brad-landman-jumps-from-prost-to-post-9281491

 

This is a perfect way to explain what I noticed (way better then how I explained it, haha). It's too bad as it used to be an excellent Dunkel; probably the best I've had brewed in the states.

 

Speaking generally, I've noticed that even really high level dunkels (like Ayinger, Paulaner, Mahr's, and Augustiner) still have varying levels of sweetness to me. Nothing quite like a sudden cola-level sweetness, but sometimes they can taste much dryer than other times. I've never been able to tell if it's a palate thing or if it's a style variance thing or what. I can usually bounce it off my wife (she'd know, too) and it seems like we usually agree when something is sweeter than usual.

Either way, the one from Prost is/was one of the better examples I've had in the US and the Bierstadt one (obviously) is too. Grimm's is a little different stylistically, but it's also up there, too. Kind of neat to have all 3 so close by. I've always wondered why more German breweries don't send one. Since Spaten yanked theirs I think the only major one we get is Ayinger's. Every full-range brewery within an hour of Munich has one. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

I'm surprised not much mention of old Aggie from new Belgium .im killing it and I'm not big lager fan but I drink beer all day and it has come thru .. I'm mixing in other brews but Idont get a bad spot ..the millions they gave csu and got tax break and killing it

 

Couldn't think where else to post this because it's technically not a lager but Bierstadt's Baltic Porter (like all the rest of their beers) is fantastic. Just had it for the first time today and it's so smooth. Drinks almost like a dunkel but has the ABV of a stout...dangerous.

 

Their version IS a lager. Baltic Porters are a weird style where some are top fermenting and some are bottom fermenting. Most of the "real" ones brewed in the Baltic region are lagers, and so is Bierstadt's. To me they're almost like a doppel-schwarzbier.

 

Good to know and thanks for the information! No wonder it drank like a lager.

 

Von Pilsner is pretty fanfreakingtastic.

 

Had Von Pilsner this weekend. I enjoyed it, but its hard to fall in love with after drinking Bierstadt's Pilsner.

 

To be 100% honest, after having a bunch of south-German pilsners I struggle to love any of those super-dry northern types. Both Bierstadt's and VP head down that road. Hunt down some Ayinger pils (without dust on the bottle) and taste the other side of what pils can be. Locally, the Billsner at Hogshead is more along those lines. Very soft texture (almost like cask/nitro) and a finish that isn't bone dry.

 

Pardon this Minnesotan's intrusion into the Colorado forum, but was curious to know whether or not you get Hacker Pschorr Dunkel or Hofbrau Dunkel? H-P dunkel is draft only in the US, and it's available at a few places here in the Twin Cities, along with Hofbrau Dunkel (available in bottles and on draft).

We've been getting Prost beers for the past few years and I've tried several, including the dunkel and pils. Dunkel was very unimpressive to me, while the pils was solid. I also bought a 4-pack of the doppelbock, which tasted like a shitty Belgian quad. This was a couple of years ago, so the brewer may not have been that good at the time. But after that 'doppelbock', I haven't bought any of their products since. I have access to many other good German and American made lagers and have no interest in gambling my dollars on who their latest brewmaster is.

 

We see the occasional Hofbrau Dunkel, but stock is typically old. Green bottles don't help. The last time I bought more than a bottle, I ended up buying a full case that was sealed/dated. The store ordered it for me. Based on the condition most bottles are in, that's the only way I'd buy it again.

We don't get the H-P Dunkel out this way. At least not anymore. The Falling Rock has an old handle for "H-P Alt Munich Dark" but I have never seen it actually on.

I have seen places claiming to have Paulaner's dunkel (which is probably distro'd similarly to H-P's) on tap, but I've never been in position to order one. Never seems to last long, either. If that were a regular tap or bottle option I'd probably go to it a lot. It's probably the one Paulaner beer I really, really like.

 

I've come across older six packs here and there, but it seems to move well enough at the couple of stores I regularly shop at. It's on draft at several places and tastes fine.

Really surprised since the importer for H-P and Paulaner is based in Littleton.

That's one I've never seen available here in Minnesota or Wisconsin. Funny how distro works. We do get the Paulaner Pils quite regularly at certain spots (draft only).