Quick Beer Question(s)

[diaBECKtic]

Ok, so I'm in the Denver area for a summer internship until mid-August and I would like to know a bit about some of the beer "culture" here. Since I don't see some types of beer that are available here at home, I was wondering what type of "local" brews some of you would suggest I try. Off the top of my head, I've had the sample pack of the Flying Dog Brewery and a variety of the Shiner beers (last I checked, only Shiner Bock was being sold in Chicago and that wasn't until VERY recently); I've also done the Coors Brewery Tour. The liquor store I go to has this wonderful "make your own 6-pack" deal, so I'm using that as my main vector to try local beers because I can basically try "one of each" for a decent price. My most recent haul includes the following:

New Belgium Brewing (Colorado)
Blue Paddle (Pilsner lager)
Abbey (Belgian style ale)
Sunshine (Wheat beer)

Breckenridge Brewery (Colorado)
Dark Oatmeal Stout (this should be obvious)
Remarkable Vanilla Porter (see above)

Big Sky Brewing Co. (Montana)
Scape Goat (Pale ale)

I'm kind of on a budget, so I abstain from going out to the microbreweries too much, but feel to suggest anything! The Shiner beers were quite good, though I didn't like any of the Flying Dog ones too much. As of me typing this, I'm sampling (and writing a review for) the Blue Paddle.
:D

[mikebandw186]

I'm not really much of a beer drinker, but New Belgium is the only thing i drink, mostly Fat Tire, occasionally Sunshine Wheat. The only other beers we can call our own are Coors, and Budweiser. Neither of which i like, although Bud is better.

Sorry I couldn't help more, but the Total Bev sixpack is a great deal. Better than buying a sixpack at a regular store.

The best bet might be to drop by an old chicago and just write down all the colorado brews from their world beer tour list

[mrappraisit]

I'm not much of a beer drinker anymore, but I have loved the New Belgium beers since I lived in Durango more than 13 years ago. I haven't had a beer from them that I didn't like. I also noticed when I was younger, and drank more beer, that for a small brewery the quality they turn out is very consistent. Enjoy your time in the rockies. :D

[Jenner 515]

If you can find it...Boulder Beer Company out of Boulder, CO Makes a wonderful Porter...Planet Porter I believe it was called...I like it they also make lots of other ales and the like. And I know I got them from My Liquor Store here in Denver.

[rlw1979777]

Being from Montana, I am biased so I can give no opinion...

[Piercieve]

The beer Fat Tire is REALLY good. I've only seen it in Colorado and Utah really.

[DRod]

I stick to Shiner Bock. But then again, Im biased, being born and raised in Texas. :)
George Killians is another one I crack open frequently. If all else fails though, Bud Light is ok. Ive seen Fat Tire on the rack but haven't quite brought myself to picking some up. I might make a run here in a minute and check it out. I need some ice anyway. My coolers running low.

[EarthDog]

I've been happy with Boulder Beer Cos Hazed and Infused, a flavorful pale ale.

[diaBECKtic]

I was thinking along the lines of things available only in this area. In Chicago we get Shiner Bock (but not the others), Fat Tire (but not the other Breckenridge brews), Killians (not a bad "college beer" - pretty cheap and actually worth drinking), Bud Light (*shudders*), etc. I've gotta check for Hazed and Infused, though. One of my buddies from school says that they sell it at the beer distributor place where he works in New York, but I haven't seen it around where I live (maybe I just didn't look hard enough).
:D

[FLYcrash]

I'm also a Chicagoan, and in my opinion the best microbrew we get here is Great Lakes (based in Cleveland). They are very versatile, offering both lagers and ales, and their Irish ale is a show-stopper in my opinion. New Belgium's beers and Fat Tire are both readily available in Chicago, both in pubs and liquor stores.

The analogous go-to brewery when I lived on the West Coast is Stone Brewery (based in San Diego). They are more aggressive on the hops and alcohol as a rule of thumb, but they have things as tame as the Levitation (a superb pub ale) and as insane as the Ruination Double IPA (which is every bit as bitter as straight hops pellets, which I know from experience). I haven't ever tasted a beer with a clean, floral hops bouquet that rivals Stone's. I really miss Stone now that I live in Chicago; it isn't available here due to distribution quirks.

(Then again, in Pasadena where I lived there was a tiny little brewery called Craftsman. It was so small that they don't bottle their output. They just sell it to pubs directly. When we went there to get a keg of Craftsman for Ditch Day at Caltech, we had to wait as they filled it on the spot. They don't take credit, so we had to pay with a C note! What Craftsman can do on the canvas of a wheat beer still brings tears to my eyes.)

Stone does make it as far as Texas, so you might have some luck with them in Colorado.

As you can tell, I love talking about beer, so sorry if I got a little carried away. :o

[diaBECKtic]

I'm also a Chicagoan, and in my opinion the best microbrew we get here is Great Lakes (based in Cleveland). They are very versatile, offering both lagers and ales, and their Irish ale is a show-stopper in my opinion. New Belgium's beers and Fat Tire are both readily available in Chicago, both in pubs and liquor stores.

The analogous go-to brewery when I lived on the West Coast is Stone Brewery (based in San Diego). They are more aggressive on the hops and alcohol as a rule of thumb, but they have things as tame as the Levitation (a superb pub ale) and as insane as the Ruination Double IPA (which is every bit as bitter as straight hops pellets, which I know from experience). I haven't ever tasted a beer with a clean, floral hops bouquet that rivals Stone's. I really miss Stone now that I live in Chicago; it isn't available here due to distribution quirks.

(Then again, in Pasadena where I lived there was a tiny little brewery called Craftsman. It was so small that they don't bottle their output. They just sell it to pubs directly. When we went there to get a keg of Craftsman for Ditch Day at Caltech, we had to wait as they filled it on the spot. They don't take credit, so we had to pay with a C note! What Craftsman can do on the canvas of a wheat beer still brings tears to my eyes.)

Stone does make it as far as Texas, so you might have some luck with them in Colorado.

As you can tell, I love talking about beer, so sorry if I got a little carried away. :o

Me too - hence the post :D . I'm actually partial to the Goose Island beers. I think their brew-pub/breweries are actually right downtown. I think one is either on or near Goose Island itself (never been there, but so I've heard), and their main pub is near Clybourne or something like that. They make some great beers at a good price; I haven't seen 'em out in Denver (yet) but I can wait 'til I get back until I savor again.

[DRod]

I picked up some Fat Tire today. Great beer, but cant see it kocking out my beloved Shiner anytime soon. Its got a little more sharp heft than I like in a every day drink. But I can see myself knocking some down on a cool summer night out side. Mmm... Sounds nice doesn't it. Next weekend it is. BYOB.

[McBain]

I thought a year ago or so that the Coors Co. bought out Goose Island. Their website still says "Goose Island Brewing Co." tho. The Pub on North and Clybourne is the main, awesome place to get some VERY fresh beer, and some great food. I love their strong Christmas Ale!!! Here are the states they say they ship to:
Arkansas
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
South Dakota
Wisconsin

and also the UK !!

About a month ago I found New Belgium Springboard at a market around here, it was very good!!! Whole foods has a decent selection of Belgian beers, although very pricey.

[diaBECKtic]

I thought a year ago or so that the Coors Co. bought out Goose Island. Their website still says "Goose Island Brewing Co." tho. The Pub on North and Clybourne is the main, awesome place to get some VERY fresh beer, and some great food. I love their strong Christmas Ale!!! Here are the states they say they ship to:
Arkansas
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
South Dakota
Wisconsin

and also the UK !!

About a month ago I found New Belgium Springboard at a market around here, it was very good!!! Whole foods has a decent selection of Belgian beers, although very pricey.

Their 312 Wheat is a great one to have on tap, and a lot of their others are freakin' awesome too (most notably their Oatmeal Stout). Of those 6 that I listed at the top, I've had the Blue Paddle and the Abbey - I'm going to work on the Sunshine tonight. I'll say this; the Abbey is simply phenomenal. You owe it to yourself to try it if you haven't already.
:D

[MountainManJim]

Hi, I'm a Chicago transplant now living in Boulder County, CO. As required by my Chicago heritage I love micro-brews.

I'm actually not crazy about Fat Tire's more common brew (Amber Ale). But, they have a winter brew (2 deg Below) that is great!!

I've not been drinking a lot lately (I now buy knives vs beer) so I haven't tried all of the local brews, but my favorite hands down is Hazed and Infused (Boulder Brewing Co). My second choice is Blue Moon's weiss beer (Belgian Style Wheat), it's great, but I would not recommend Blue Moon's other offerings. I experiment with another of theirs and it was foul.

Have fun sampling the local brews, but first get some Hazed!!

Jim