Summer of Pubs, Part Two - Trinidad, Where Beer & Bud Unite

Trinidad Recreations - A Tale of New & Old

A Conundrum

So I was thinking about how to proceed with my entries for this trip.  I could do it chronologically like it did in May but since I genuinely have no idea which breweries I went to on which days- at least not for my stays in Denver and Colorado Springs- I'm rejecting that notion for the next few entries after this one.  That said, July 2nd is stuck firmly in my mind, at least as firmly as it can be after drinking and writing about beer for the last two weeks non stop. As I sit here in my Wenatchee, Washington hotel room at the end of week two, I realize I must have been to well over 30 or 40 breweries by now as well as at least three or four distilleries.  The mind can flummox one after infecting it with that many hops in two short weeks so I'll just say this.  July 2nd is one of very few days where I only went to ONE craft brewery and that was in the most unlikely of places:  yes, that's right.  There's craft beer in Trinidad.  

A Tale of Two Trinidads

Now before I start writing about Dodgeton Creek Brewing Company, I should note that it is no small task to even find this brewery as it is located at the far north of town, down another road slightly to the east and then down another very obscure road heading back south leading into a weirdly Deliverance kind of area.  John Deere seems far more at home in this part of Colorado than Adolf Coors, which is particularly ironic since the local recreational pot dispensary is a giant green warehouse easily seen from I-25, with easy on and off for the casual stoner tourist or local ready to get his buzz on.  

Higher Calling as Viewed from I-25

It's fascinating to see how much things have shifted in the world of recreational substances when a classic small brewery is relegated to the outer stretches of town but a blazing warehouse of skunky bud is such a prominent business.  Naturally, as a curious tourist, I had to go to both.  NOTE: please note, by talking about recreational weed here, I am in no way condoning its consumption, especially outside of Colorado where it continues to remain illegal.  Still Trinidad's Higher Calling U, LLC is a fascinating study in consumerism and may explain a great deal about why Colorado doesn't have the same tax revenue problems that New Mexico does.  With sales tax coming in at a whopping 21%, Colorado coffers are happily being filled by the curious and the red-eyed, eager to sample the fragrant wares.  And Colorado takes this business seriously:  big, burly security guards greet people as they enter the warehouse, even as your nostrils are impaled by the sweet, heady aroma of a hundred strains of cannabis, whirling around the building like stoned green pixies.  Once satisfied that you are of legal age and that the "budtenders" within can service your needs, the stoic guard lets you into the sales room, where one of the earnest young men or women greet you and ask you what you're looking for. As a tourist, I was mostly curious about kind of offerings you could get in these halcyon days of cannabis production, far removed from the days of $25 a 1/4 oz Mexiweed days of latter day grad school.  And yes, they have everything, from vape pens to ointments to candies, to CBD oils (for those who use it for medical reasons without getting high), to traditional but high grade smokables to even atomizers that work like THC-laced breath mints.  The mind simply boggled at this place.

But it was beer that I sought and killing time at the pot warehouse allowed me to wait until Dodgeton opened their doors.... an hour later than I expected.  No matter.  That's the wonder of small breweries. Even if you arrive 30 minutes before they technically open- I did this along with a fellow beer fiend from Tucson- they open early for you, eager to pitch their wares to the early birds.  The tasting room is a rustic but comforting place, with a small bar, the requisite burly bearded brewmaster and red-headed co-owner, and a sitting area for playing games or generally having a good time.  As for the beers, I tried only five of them but I liked all of them, a rarity for me. For example, there was the Extra Pale Ale, which reminded me of a Czech Pilsner: dirty, earthy, and feral, like a rabid malt monster jumping down your throat.  Then came their ESB, an almost smokey beverage with a pronounced hop finish.  Next up was their so-called English-style Pale Ale, which would almost certainly be considered an IPA across the pond. Their admitted IPA was a massive beer, oozing with piney resin, a result of a chaffing massive amount of Cascade hops in the kettle.  I finished with their strangest beer, their Red Ale that resonates with smoke and an almost tart sourness.  All in all, Dodgeton is a great place to stop if you're traveling between New Mexico and Colorado.  Next time:  dive bars and a massive number of brewpubs in the anachronistic world that is Colorado Springs. Stay tuned!