Summer of Pubs IX - Mini Road Trip

A Series Begins

So it was 6 miles again this morning with another late start and 90+ degree temperatures by the time we finished. What better way to finish my time in Colorado than a long, hot, sweaty walk followed by a mini pub crawl road trip through the northern metropolitan Denver area? Oh, and a shower in between.

Today would be the first of a series of geocaching events because caching is also a social sport so event caches are a wonderful way to encourage the community to meet and talk about their favorite hobby. Over the next few days as I made my way to a rendezvous with my friend Ivan in Seattle, I would host six such events in six different cities, covering 1800 miles on a rather indirect route to the West Coast. The first of these would be in the little northeastern municipality of Brighton, county seat of Adams County and home to exactly ONE brewpub, an innocuously named little place called Something Brewery right on the old-fashioned main drag of town. As usual, accompanying me on this journey would be my brother in brews, Kevin, who once again agreed to hurl himself in front of the beer so I could just taste and continue to chauffeur us around.

As we arrived at the doors of Something just before they opened at noon, the temperatures approaching the century mark, a strange conglomeration of people began to make themselves present. Many were adorned by odd shirts, strange buttons, carrying odd trinkets and glyph-festooned coins. Yes, the geocachers were arriving in force, some 24 in all, ready to talk caches and drink beer. The very nice brewmaster who opened the doors for us was clearly overwhelmed at the enormous number of people arriving at opening, telling us that he usually gets that many people all afternoon on a Sunday. But it didn’t matter much; he was very friendly and geocachers are a patient bunch so we took over the front of the pub and dove into our flights as they arrived, most talking about their latest finds. Sitting at the bar with Kevin and I was a geocaching “widower”, his fanatical wife being the one far more interesting in our ridiculous hobby than him. Like us, he was more interested in sampling the beers so we befriended him, the three of us splitting a huge flight of every beer they had to offer.

The first thing I should note about Something is their unique mode of experimentation, which is to introduce tea into the conditioning process to enhance fermentation and to infuse different flavors into their beers. This best comes out in two of their IPAs: the incredible Savory IPA, which uses Vanilla Bourbon Black Tea to give a robust and sweet finish, and their White Out IPA, which is wonderfully tropical, floral, and citrusy. While I have subsequently seen a few places that use tea in fermenting their brews, Something was the first I came across that used it in virtually all of their beers, some to excellent effect and others not so much (the Blackberry Wit, for example, uses blackberry tea but it’s barely noticeable). Despite a few setbacks, the beer here is overall quite strong and they received huge bonus points for giving us an impromptu tour of the facilities, despite how busy they were.

A Longmont Pilgrimage

Kevin and I parted company with the geo crowded shortly after 1:00, eager to meet with another friend, my mate Peter’s son Mark and his lovely wife Becky, who amazingly I had never met prior to this meet up. And we were converging on a beer Mecca of sorts, the headquarters and taproom for Oskar Blues in Longmont. One of the newer breeds of craft brewers who have made a mark across the country, Oskar Blues is known for their fabulous Dale’s Pale Ale- one of the best of the type I’ve had- and their equally incredible Pinner IPA, a sessionable hopfest that comes in at only 4.9%ABV, making it a fabulous quaffing beer year round. Now, a quick caveat about the tasting room; it is NOT air-conditioned, a fact that amazes me. How could anywhere on the Front Range NOT be air-conditioned, given that 90+ and 100+ days are pretty common in the summer? So I wasn’t really going into this tasting with the right attitude, I have to admit, since my sweat is not a savory mix with flights. Still, there were standout brews and knowing that Mark & Becky would lead us to another, air-conditioned tasting room after this place make the visit more tolerable.

So about the beers: despite the heat and my usual dislike of heavier beers in hotter weather, their Smidy Fingers Molasses Stout was marvelous, it’s smoky and sweet goodness balanced by a remarkable drinkability. But the real find here was a variant on the Pinner IPA, a new version infused with passionfruit that was canned and ready to distribute far and wide (hopefully to New Mexico soon!). The addition of fruit to this elixir gives it a tropical quality that balances well with the hoppy goodness and the low alcohol makes this a near perfect brew on a hot weather day.

Small & Large

After one flight, Mark & Becky suggested that we drive to the little town of Niwot, home to Bootstrap Brewery, nestled in a difficult-to-find location in the tiny town, so difficult that our GPS couldn’t even locate it, forcing us to rely on our friends to find it. Bootstrap has a ways to go to match up with the big players in the area, with many fine but unexceptional brews on tap. The notable standouts, however, are their Flagstaff Amber, a hoppy red and their Boomer’s Brown, a lighter brown ale that is quite sessionable and chocolatey. Needless to say, I was happy we came and look forward to seeing what they have to offer in the future. After all, my local was pretty mediocre for its first year and now it’s my posse’s usual haunting place for their great beer and food.

After we finished our tasting at Bootstrap, Mark & Becky had to make their way back to Longmont seeing as how they actually had to return to real life and prep for the work week ahead. Kevin and I, however, wanted to hit one more stop and the location presented itself almost immediately: Avery Brewing Company. This is one of the better of the new breeds of craft brewers that have made their mark on the international scene, distributing and bottling mainstream varietals as well as some remarkable cask-aged and wild marvels. Just recently celebrating their 23rd year, Avery was a clear and present choice, resting on the fringe of Boulder en route back to Broomfield and Kevin’s house. The headquarters is a massive affair, an enormous all-in-one facility of production, bottling, fancy restaurant, hipster tasting room w/ fabulous (and pricey) nibbles and an enormous outdoor area for trendy dog-lovers everywhere.

We tasted ten of their beers and, apart from an overwrought raspberry sour that was just a bit too much on the sour side, I universally loved their beers, 4+ stars the lot of them. That is a remarkable statement as I can't say it about any other places I went to this summer. So I present to the four most interesting, memorable, and generally incredible beers we tried here, from least alcoholic to most.

• Eremita IX, a dark wild ale aged for half a year in tequila barrels, tempering the sour and bringing out the pepperiness of the tequila like a fine Añejo. Delicious! And at only (?) 7.5%ABV, this was the least alcoholic of the barrel-aged brews we tried.
• Certatio Equestris, a bourbon barrel aged “sour” that is far more tart than sour, quite reminiscent of a mint julep, largely due to the barrel aging and the introduction of spearmint to the fermentation process. And at 8.9%ABV, this one packs a wallop.
• The weirdest beer of the my whole trip was probably their Dionysian Series #3: Erato, a beer/wine hybrid that introduces Malbec grapes into the fermentation process and finished in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. I had tried a couple of beers like this out in Buellton in the heart of wine country back in May but this probably exceeded those in terms of complexity, with tannic qualities shining through. And this is far closer to a wine in ABV, topping out at 12.5%!

The last two beers I’ll talk about here are also some of the heaviest, each clocking in at a whopping 17.5%ABV! These are also two of the finests brews I’ve ever had, which should be tempered by the fact that they are sipping beers, exclusive $12 a 12 ounce bottle wonders that should be savored throughout the evening like a fine wine or brandy. In both cases, the flavors notably and wonderfully change as the glass temperature increases, giving them real staying power. And they genuinely pull off the high alcohol without the taster being overwhelmed by too much alcoholic fizz. That also makes them exceedingly dangerous.

• Tweak is a bourbon barrel aged, spiced coffee stout, a dessert beer that is like a glass of very fine Kentucky bourbon mated with Turkish coffee, cardamom and coffee shining through the jet black elixir. I happily plonked down 12 bucks for a 12 ounce bottle.
• Callipygian, named appropriately for a well-formed backside, is as close to sex as you’ll ever find in a glass, a candy-in-the-glass wonder of cocoa, vanilla bean, bourbon, and coffee. This is a slow drinking wonder and one of the first beers I’ve ever had.

It pleases me tremendously that I ended my Colorado adventure at this remarkable place and I think Kevin was too, although he was a too tipsy to reveal too much other than giddy laughter.

Parting Shots

As I reflect on my time in Colorado, I want to acknowledge and give thanks to Carl, my gracious host, who tolerated by beer & geocaching obsessions and forced me to work some of those sudsy calories every morning. Kevin was also a fabulous companion as he has been for the 30 years I've known him. And I should also acknowledge my fabulous host Morland in Colorado Springs, who showed me the "shady" side of the Springs, which I enjoyed as much as any brewpub. Finally, I want to thank the fabulous Denise and Roger; sibs of extraordinary awesomeness. Not only did they roam far and wide to try Springs beers, they also helped me get Guinevere fixed up and served up a right mean salmon as well. You lot are the best!

Next up, the big six days of driving occurs, 1800 miles of fun, brews, and bucket list visits. The first day: Mt. Rushmore, Rapid City, South Dakota and my first introduction to the Pokemon Go obsession. Stay tuned!

Summer in Pubs VIII - Big Choices as we Nose into the Night

Work Before Play

As I write this latest entry, I sit in a brewpub called M. Special in Goleta, CA, thousands of miles removed from my time in Colorado. Nestled amongst a flight of four brews, it is perhaps time to reflect on my process of writing about this journey. My tools are simple: I post iPad notes on Untappd, which I refer back to in order to write these entries and then I compose on my laptop. The former is a much needed tool when you're sampling hundreds of beers. And it's pretty obvious that I have gotten behind on my efforts. No wonder. Driving thousands of miles, visiting friends, making time with them a priority... all of these go into making daily blogging nigh impossible. But as I recall the latter days of my visit to Colorado, I feel compelled to discuss this process, not to make excuses for my tardiness but to give you some idea of how many miles I've clocked on this trip. No easy feat, I assure you. Which reminds me...

My route, July 1 to August 5, 2016

Did I mention that Carl is a taskmaster? July 8th it was 5 miles; July 9th it was nearly 6 and by the time we ended our treks through the backwaters of Thornton, it was topping 90 degrees.  Despite resembling a heavy metal sponge afterwards, a shopping run followed to pick up supplies for BBQing that night and apparently some binging of the show Orphan Black. I disappeared short thereafter to kill a bit of time before once again meeting up with Kevin to finish off our run of all the remaining breweries in Broomfield. This is a favorite activity of mine, driving back roads to explore unusual locations and perhaps find a geocache or two, such as the one nestled in the fallen tree below.

A geocaching lies here!

And Now the Pubs

At the risk of getting repetitive, I'll keep my discussion of the remaining three Broomfield pubs short and sweet suffice to say that Kevin once again mercifully threw himself in front of the beers and lapped up the flights that I would only sample. Naturally, I drove.

Big Choice Taproom

First on the docket today was Big Choice Brewing Company, one that had been recommended to us both the folks at Wonderland and Kokopelli. General impressions: with the state of construction in Broomfield this summer, this place was nearly impossible to access, the main roads into the area closed for construction. We finally found a back way in and discovered the locals clearly know the secret route because the place was packed! The space is small inside, with a equally small space outside near the fermentation vessels. The beer? Mostly quite good, including the fabulous Pinhead Pilsner, a perfectly fruity antidote for the 98 degree temperatures outside. Equally refreshing but very different is their fantastic Lime Gose, a beer that tastes like key lime pie crossed with a wedge of salt. I grabbed a six pack of this one. But the most unusual beer was their "unbeer", the very appropriately named Chocolate Orange Cream Ale, an incongruously light beer that tastes like those chocolate orange wedges you get a Christmas. Amazing stuff, this one. Too bad it wasn't in bottles or cans. There were a few mingers too, most notably the undrinkable Poblano Stout (did I mention that I largely loathe chile beers?) but overall, the quality is high here and the craziest aspects of experimentation are left on the sketch pad and out of the mash tuns.

Next up was Nighthawk Brewery, a retro dark, Irish pub style taproom that is also hard to get to, a trend that I was starting to think would curse all of the pubs this day. Thankfully, their beers largely made up for it, chief among them being their fabulous Anvil Slammer American Pale Ale, an earthy and complex brew with just a hint of black tea on the palate. But on a day approaching the century mark, my favorite had to be the low alcohol, big taste Randy's Candy Berliner Weisse, a tart session drink (ABV3.8%) with notes of pear, pepper, and a hint of sweetness. It's also worth mentioning that everything here was at least palatable, even their wheat beer, and that's saying something coming from a diehard IPA and dark beer fan like me.

Our final stop of the day was also one for our four legged friends, Four Noses Brewing Company, a very crowded hipster establishment that allows people to bring their canine friends right into the taproom with them. In fact, I tripped over at least one dog bowl while finding my seat at the bar. As a dog owner, I appreciate their commitment to dogs but that doesn't forgive the fact that their beers are largely mediocre, with one notable exception. In fact, at least one of the brews, the Vier Neuzen Belgian Tripel, is completely undrinkable with the only prominent taste being an off putting alcohol fizz. Sadly, this was one of my lowest rated beers on my whole trip this summer. Thank goodness that the final beer I tried here was also the best, their fabulous Ritual Rivers Cocoa Coffee Porter, a near miracle in porters in that the chocolate actually genuinely shines in this brew. Despite this final exemplary brew, I'm not sure I would return for more, given the amazing number of beers one can find in the area. And their prices were higher than any other brewery we went to in Broomfield, another strike against it.

Next up, my final day in the area, where Kevin & I do a mini road trip to Brighton, Longmont, Niwot, and Boulder and sample brews from four different breweries, including two that are prominent names in the craft beer world. Stay tuned!

A magnificent parting shot for July 9th

Summer of Pubs VII - Miles, Views, Pubs, & Curry

History & Views

This is perhaps a good time to tell you a bit more about Carl, my host for my visit to the Denver area. As already mentioned, he doesn't drink apart from a possible excess of caffeine. He is also one of the more fit people I know, usually jogging about 5-6 miles every morning. Like many of my friends, I've known him for nearly 30 years and this realization makes me feel very blessed; when I talk to newer friends, they are frequently amazed that I have managed to maintain friendships with people for so long. 

2011 Nukestock - Pumpkin Display

Bret, the Nukestock Bartender

I attribute this in no small part to our annual homecoming/family gathering/Halloween party Nukestock, which naturally takes place towards the end of October every year and has done so since 1987; of course, back then in my college days, it was a small and drunken party as college parties are wont to me. These days, the focus is more on community, games (including geocaching), Mexican food, and top shelf booze as well as length (it now runs from Thursday evening until brunch on Sunday). In other words, quality time, not quantity excess. Carl is a regular, usually showing up and leaving a day early so he can focus on time with close friends rather than the larger masses that tend to arrive on Saturday. Admittedly, these are frequently my favorite times during the whole weekend, the quieter gatherings of small groups who have known each other for decades. It's about history, something we tend to forget about in these days of immediate gratification and short attention spans. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy the big nights as well, even taking my turn behind the bar to mix some ridiculous concoctions for those crazy enough to try them, but it's the quieter groups that feed the soul.

A huge gather of geocachers for Nukestock 2015

Carl is a reminder of those quieter times and an even bigger reminder that I better start cracking at this year's invitation. Anyhow, my first full morning with Carl dawned not nearly early enough because we were slated to follow one of his usual routes for a 5+ mile walk near his home in Thornton, CO, a northern suburb of Denver just east of I-25. Not early enough because Denver is HOT in the summer and my visit this time around would be no exception, with temperatures expected to reach the high 90s. So when we set out on the trails, it was already pushing 80, which meant I would sure be a massive, bloated sack of perspiration by the time we were done. Sure enough....

Kevin wasn't available until later in the day so Carl and I agreed to drive up to Boulder, where we do some shoe shopping for him, beer sample for me, and a bit of hiking/geocaching for both of us. Turns out that Carl's shoe store was right next to Southern Sun, a gastropub and brewery that I went to last year and thoroughly enjoyed. Perfect! I took advantage of the time to sample several of their wares, which they were more than happy to pour in abundance and for FREE if you were just getting samples (the bartender was quite generous, by the way). Guilt and general appreciation meant I was going to buy at least one pint as well but as long as I was tasting and blogging about beer, I was happy to take advantage of their generosity. 

Now about Southern Sun: they only accept cash so come prepared but it's well worth it if you do. First up was their fabulous ESB, the Colorado Kind Ale, another uniquely Rocky Mountain brew with it's distinct smokey malt and slight bitter, dank finish. Both of their IPAs I tried, the Illusion Dweller and the Mountain Sun FYIPA, illustrated the best of both worlds in the hoppy beers, the former reflecting a more English style while the latter being a more fruit forward West Coast style hopfest. The standout here, and the one which I later ordered a pint of, was their remarkable Ciel Sauvage, a Belgian style wild ale which brings out hop bitterness, spice, tartness, and unbelievable balance. Much less sour than most wild ales, this one is in the top ten I tried on the entire Summer of Pubs tour, and that is truly saying something given that I tried over 200 beers by July 8th alone! 

Carl finding a geocaching

After Carl had secured his shoes and he patiently waited for me to finish my pint, we decided to do some geocaching, both in town at the local library and on the overlook roads above Boulder. The library cache was a great way to indoctrinate Carl into the fine art of caching, given it's "scavenger hunt" nature of combing through books and researching old school Dewey decimal catalogs. After we happily secured the find, we worked our way to Flagstaff Drive which meanders well above Boulder into the mountains, stopping first to do a cemetery cache, which i subject Carl to the stupidest joke every created. "hey did you know this cemetery is super famous? yeah, people are dying to get in!" Thanks for that one, Bret. The trip up Flagstaff was well worth the distraction, the spectacular views of the city below a beautiful reminder of why this area is so popular. The refrain of The Eagles admonishment that to call some place paradise is to kiss it goodbye comes to mind here.

Boulder Overlook - Flagstaff Road

Pubs & Curry

We returned from our Boulder adventure, ready to rejoin with Kevin and my friend Victoria, who would meet us at Westminster Brewing Company before we headed down for dinner at Yak & Yeti, the aforementioned Indian restaurant that also brews their own beer. Vic is a master pub crawler, coming by it honestly from her dad, my mate Peter who I walk and drink with regularly in Las Cruces. Peter is a Liverpool boy, born and bred, so the man knows his beer and curry; Vic clearly inherited his predilections, meeting her future husband at a pub in Denver and developing an expertise in local beers and ciders. So a short pub crawl and curry had to happen, a moral imperative even!

Weirdly, Westminster was almost dead... and on a Friday night! This incomprehensible lack of customers certainly wasn't because of their top quality beer. Maybe it was the strange, almost rural setting.  Maybe the stars weren't aligned properly. Who knows? In any case, it was a pleasant reprieve from the usual pack houses so we spread out and enjoyed the brews for a leisurely tasting prior to dinner. Westminster earns top marks for their relaxed atmosphere and excellent beers, starting with their fable bitter called 1066, a beer I could drink all day with its low alcohol (ABV4.7%), slight bitterness, and smokey, citrusy finish. Delish! A step up in alcohol and bitterness came in the form of their hybrid Quetzal IPA, a spicy, almost saison like IPA. They also appealed to my latest obsession, the sour, with their fantastic Veruca Sour, a tart wild ale infused with cherries to balance the sour. It was a great way to finish our visit here and a perfect aperitif before Indian.

Yak & Yeti proved to be a great finish to the day and was a strangely deja vu experience; in fact, this particular location used to be a different Indian restaurant that I went to back in the 90s when I briefly lived up here. Back then it was slightly mediocre. Not so today; their buffet was one of the best, thoughtfully divided into vegetarian and meat sides and with no shortage of options to please even the most discerning curry fan. An endless stream of naan contributed to the awesomeness. Did I mention they also brew their own beer? In fact, I sampled both their Himalayan IPA and their Chai Milk Stout, both of which shined in their own ways. The former is huge and bold, perfect for a curry. The latter, however, was even better, a super spiced black brew that resonates with burnt brownie batter. Yum!

Next up: finishing off Broomfield brewpubs. Stay tuned!

Summer of Pubs VI - Wherein I Explored Broomfield Brews... Or, Two Breweries and a Polish Restaurant

Kevin's Lair
A bit about Bob. And when I say Bob, I mean Kevin. Or @nirik. Or Satan. Whatever you wish to call him, I first met Kevin back in 1986 in our freshmen physical geography class, which convened at the unfortunate hour of 8:30 am, MWF. Within a year, we were rooming together. This of course meant drinking together and complaining about why we didn't have girlfriends. But I digress.

Suffice to say, I have known Kevin a long time and so when he moved up to the Denver area- specifically Broomfield between downtown and Boulder- I decided that visiting would have to happen whenever possible (I even moved in with him briefly back in '98 when jobs weren't happening in New Mexico). And while we have had our ups and downs, I count Kevin as one of my best friends and a right fine chap all around. He also makes some fabulous beer, with his browns and porters right up near the top of list.

It is in that vein that I write about him now, both as a good friend and as a fine beer companion. Turns out he actually hadn't been to many of his local pubs that have popped up during Craft Beers Halcyon Era, Circa 2012-present so when I arrived at his house after my visit to Colorado Springs, it was a no brainer that we would sample some of his local fare. Turns out that little old Broomfield- which is really just a middle class suburb of Denver with endless rows of tract houses and a serious prairie dog problem- is now home to at least five craft breweries and maybe more besides by the time you read this. So today we would try two of them, Kokopelli and Wonderland, before meeting up with my host and comrade Carl after he was done with work for the day.

Carl's, Mud Runner

Carl, in Character

Carl is my Yin to Kevin's Yang; a teetotaler, Carl is also a rabid fitness junkie, who agreed quite nicely to walk five miles a day with me instead of his usual jog. This, in turn, is a step down from his usual athletic proclivities, which include mud runs, 5Ks, 1/2 Marathons, and of course the Bataan Death March. He also saved my ass back in 200, making the 8 hour drive up to Raton, NM swhen my stupid Bronco II decided to die. So he's a mate, to say the least.

Kevin, by contrast, is a semi reclusive computer nerd (he works from home on networking or magic pixie dust or some such), beer aficionado, and greyhound enthusiast (the rescuing kind, not the racing kind).

Pub Time
So it was agreed that Kevin and I would hit pubs before I dropped off stuff at Carl's, then both of us picking Kevin up later to go to dinner, the latter of which is one thing that all of us have in common, the desire to eat interesting food that doesn't pop out of a microwave or require sitting in a queue for soggy fries and burgers.

First up was Kokopelli, which Kevin and I timed nicely for lunch, since Kokopelli also has an extensive lunch menu (full disclosure: we were good boys and had their awesome grilled chicken salads. You know, for health and stuff).

Kokopelli gives me hope in the future. Not only a friendly and vibrant place with great food and fine beer, they also gave me us a tour of the facilities, something that always garners a free star from me. It shows several things: 1). that the servers actually know something about the pints they're pulling, 2). they are well-staffed enough to allow one of them to leave on a quick, improvisational tour with enthusiasts, and 3). the brewmasters themselves are present in the room, frequently ready to do the tours themselves.

Surprisingly, Kokopelli specializes in a variety of stouts, usually variants on their usual Milk Stout which are accentuated by the addition of extracts of other flavors. And while I'm usually a fan of stouts, the warm weather and even better lighter beers steered me away from the black stuff in favor of some other brews. I'll have to return when the weather is cold and taste buds shift into winter mode.

Part of the Tour - Kokopelli Brewing Company

On this visit, I found myself gravitating towards their more amber brews, including their fabulous Red Moon Red Ale, a fabulously toasted red that resonates with dark chocolate and yum! On the same footing is their excellent Angel Rye'PA, a hoppy collaboration with Barley's Angels (apparently Canadian home brewers) that surprisingly also bursts with chocolate in spite of or perhaps enhanced by the heavy hop presence. But the overall winner of the day came in the form of the the Copper Road ESB, a bitter where the English malts combine with the hops to form an also dark chocolate bitterness rather than the usual astringent sharpness of the hops. In any case, it was a fabulous brew that should be spread far and wide to the whole world. Please bottle this, guys! You won't be sorry.

Satisfied and sated, we consulted with Carl, who needed to wait for some appliance or other to be delivered, we knew we had about 90 minutes to kill. So Kevin, now slightly tipsy from mercifully throwing himself in front of the beers so I could still drive, we agreed to head over to Wonderland Brewing Company, an Alice-in-Wonderland themed warehouse of non-air conditioned excess a scant half a mile from Kevin's house.

Please note: not air-conditioned. In the Denver area, where it frequently gets above 90 and not uncommonly hits the century mark. Hmmm... well, fortunately that wasn't huge problem today since the temps would stay in the sultry 80s but still guys... that's a strike against you. Fortunately, your beer and the overall vibe makes up for it. There are video games, ping pong, foosball, and other retro play things that give this place the feeling of some rich tech geek 20 something nostalgia parlor, not just a nestle-down-and-drink pub. The place has a very western feel, a millennial paradise where console and kinesthetic games of my youth are now novel, hip and just slightly camp, where the next generation can go to wax poetic about a time they can't remember. For us old farts, it was a blast from the past, twisted ever so slightly to a newer crowds aesthetic but ever so amusing to observe.

As far as their beer is concerned, their is a trifle bit of that Colorado conceit that was so present at Jagged Mountain, best displayed by the over-the-top excess of their Anniversary Barleywine, a 9.5% ABV monster that tastes too much of alcohol and red wine that's gone off.

Ping Pong Tables - Wondering Brewing Company

Fortunately, the rest of their beer is far more restrained and in some cases exceptional, such as the fantastic Probably Probable Porter, a rich porter that screams chocolate and coffee. Next up was a beer that could probably only legally be produced in Colorado, Oregon or Washington, the Rye of the Beholder, a dank rye IPA that tastes and smells of cannabis. While I'm quite certainly there was no actual THC introduced to this brew, it did remind me of both the special botanical relationship of hops to pot as well as the changing times of 2016, when craft brews AND buds are now cohabiting in an uneasy truce in three of our western states, all of which I was conveniently visiting on this trip.

And finally, as if to extend a casual middle finger to Jagged Mountain and their loathsome Black IPA, Wonderland's Big Black IPA does everything right that Jagged Mountain did wrong, producing a deliciously hoppy brew that finds burnt orange, caramel, and a hint of vanilla lingering on the palate. It was the best beer of the day and a great way to finish off our visit to Wonderland, where we mercifully avoided the gaze of both the Red Queen and the Mad Hatter, the latter of whom would likely have kept us there for hours, drinking sour beers and playing cornhole until our bodies withered in pain.

A First in Beer
So it was time to bid Kevin adieu very briefly while I went by Carl's, who had texted that his appliance had finally been installed and he was ready to receive guests. I unloaded my stuff, chatted with him for a bit and then we left together, this time with Carl driving, giving me a much needed respite from the steering wheel. We retrieved Kevin and decided to go experimental for the evening, checking out Westminster's one and only Polish Restaurant, Cracovia.  In addition to enjoying a feast of delectably spiced pig parts, subtly soured cabbage, and multiple mustardy mustards, I sampled two Polish beers, the first such brews I'd ever experienced. First up was the Okocim lager, a fruity and refreshing old world brew that's part of the Carlsberg conglomerate. I also sampled the Zywiec Porter, a coffee porter that tastes almost salty, like the Baltic Sea. In both cases, I can't say that I enjoyed these as much as their neighbor's beers in Germany but still found them refreshingly old world, not reliant on the spirit of experimentation that permeates the American scene.

Next time, walking the trails, meeting old friends, and trying an Indian food place that also brews beer. Stay tuned!

Summer of Pubs V - Mission Impossible

THE IMPOSSIBLE MISSION: GEOWOODSTOCK 14ER
A mega event, a geocaching event that has over 500 registered to attend.  In the case of this event- the 14th of its kind and the first in Colorado- there were substantially more than 500 (more like 2000-3000 from all over the world).

THE DATE: JULY 3RD, 2016
A mere hours drive from Colorado Springs, where I would be staying until the 6th. Morland, my host, happily accompanied me on the assurance that we would not do any heavy hiking. Does 4+ miles of walking count?

THE GOAL: TO ATTEND A MEGA AND GO TO PUBS
Turns out the mega included a set of Lab Caches that required us to attend seven different brewpubs in Denver. SCORE!

THE PARTICIPANTS: 
Morland, myself and, as it turns out, GoArmyMo (aka Jim, beer

Kevin (aka Nirik, aka Bob, aka Satan)

guzzler extraordinaire) and Whackadew (aka Heidi), my geo friends from El Paso, the latter of whom was VERY pregnant with twins. This would be interesting. Cameo appearances by my grand nieces (see below) and a late arrival by Kevin (@nirik99), a friend of some 30 years, former roommate, and all around great guy who also happens to be fabulous at throwing himself in front of the beers. This would come in very handy the following week, when we sampled MANY pubs in the north Denver suburbs and outer environs. More on that later...

THE EVENT:
GeoWoodstock was a mess, a big beautiful mess, taking place in an admittedly beautiful state park called Chatfield Lake, southwest of Littleton. Organization was willy nilly, parking was ridiculously convoluted & complex and the lines to get badges and "intro packets" made absolutely no sense, lacking even basic concepts like signs to say where to go. Rampaging hordes of cachers stood in endless lines to sign logs at park geocaches and coordinates on handouts that supposedly led to lab caches at the park sent us to the completely wrong places.

Me Signing the "Log sheet"

We did eventually find the lab caches in the park as well as find out the rest were in downtown Denver at brewpubs. I found a few pathtags, traded another, saw the original can of beans, and had a few very quick hellos with fellow caches I knew. After taking in the carnage for a mercifully short time and having the foresight to leave Guinevere along the narrow road leading into the park instead of traversing the chaos of the unguided field parking for the event (think Renaissance Faire only less coherent), we signed the enormous GeoWoodstock sign as proof we were there and bumped into Jim & Heidi near another long line of cachers signing a Letterbox. 



We all agreed that the place was hot, crowded and chaotic whereas brewpubs would have caches, air-conditioning and beer. So we caravanned into downtown Denver, ready to enjoy the froth and avoid the crowds. Imagine that: going to downtown Denver to AVOID crowds. Let that sink in for minute. It turns out, we were 100% right.

There were NO games, NO special events, and surprisingly very few crowds in Denver on this day, perhaps because people were out of town for the Independence Day weekend, perhaps because the stars aligned properly... whatever the reason, it was great to escape the crowded and enjoy some proper suds.

THE PUBS:

Jim mopping up the remains of flights

So we picked our locations based entirely on whether they had made arrangements with the GeoWoodstock organizers to set up codes for the Lab Caches. That worked something like this: since lab caches were only up for about ten days- a few before and after surrounding the day of the event- we had to go to a special website to input a special coded word at each location. When we did, the logged find would appear automatically on our geocaching profiles and we could move on to the next location. Of course, since they were nice enough to offer there space for the event, we patronized each of the establishments as well, to mixed results. Thank god for Jim, who threw himself in front of even the worst beers on the journey. More on those later.

PUB #1: Denver Beer Company. Sitting right off of I-25, this pub is yet another example of brewery that defies my expectations, in that my favorite beers here are usually varieties I find uninteresting. For example, their beer called El Guapo is a pilsner but no ordinary one. It's actually aged in tequila barrels and as such resonates with pepper and other spice just like a good Añejo. Their porter, one infused with graham cracker spices, is biscuity, sweet, smokey and delicious. Other beers I normally like? Not so much. Their Raspberry Kolsch, for example, displays almost no fruit taste, much needed for the slightly boring Kolsch style.

Pub #2: Prost Brewing Company. I had little hope for this brewery, which rests on just the other side of the interstate of Denver BC. They specialize in German style beers, which Americans usually make very badly, turning them into tasteless pap like Budweiser. Wrong again! These guys actually know how to do beer in the European style. Of course, they fall back on some standard tropes with some of their lighter beer to cater to the bland American palate but their Helles shines on the lighter end of the spectrum, displaying a sweet and summery palate that also resonates with the traditional banana and biscuit flavors so archetypical of this style. On the darker end of things, their Weizenbock and Dunkel are both fabulous, boozy, slightly sweet, and exactly the perfect accompaniment for sausage, kraut and other traditional German fare. It is also here that Kevin joined us for the rest of our drinking endeavors, which would help to stem the inevitable tide of Jim's drunkenness. 

Pub #3: Diebolt Brewing Company. Easily my favorite brewery up to this point, this place had at least two incredible saisons and one of the better pale ales I've had. The pale, called Mariposa, reminded me of one of my favorites, Dale's from Oskar Blues, but with a bit less malt and a slightly lemony finish. The two saisons were called Perk and French "Pale Ale", the latter being a complete misnomer as it was anything but a pale ale. The Perk, so named because of its infusion with coffee, tasted a bit of Turkish coffee with a slight hint of cardamon. But the French will go down in my lexicon as an all time favorite beer, a spicy saison with prominent cinnamon, mint and pepper notes. Imagine my surprise when the brewmasters told me that they actually added tarragon to the fermentation and that no cinnamon was present at all. My taste buds were fooled, that's for sure. If they ever bottle this wonder, I'll buy a case.

Pub #4: A pause for lunch was followed by a journey into deep downtown, where we stood before the Gates to Hell, otherwise known as Jagged Mountain Brewing Company. After escaping from it, I was left with the distinct impression that brewers here are obsessed with the "more is more" philosophy of beer making. Apart from a very nice barrel aged oatmeal stout called Splitboard- which at 7% ABV actually resembles a drinkable beer and which resonates with subtle sweetness- everything here is an undrinkable, highly alcoholic mess. The Ubermountain Barleywine, for example, tastes of nothing but alcohol. No subtly at all. The story continues with the Devil's Abyss Russian Imperial Stout, a variety I usually like but which in this beer results in nothing but an alcoholic fizz (ABV 17.5%!!!) that drowns out any other light from the hellish pit from whence it was spawned. Their "special" 2nd Anniversary Belgian Quad is no better, which at 10.2% ABV tastes like nothing but rotten barley. But the absolute worst of all was their ridiculous Black Lupulin, a supposedly 350 IBU, 12% ABV (WTF?!?) black IPA that tastes like you're sucking a moldy hop straight from a black bear's ass. And that's the problem here; these beers have no subtly, no grace, and no sense of style at all. Honestly, the beer here made me MAD so I was more than happy to leave and never come back. Thankfully, the next place we went more than made up for it.

Pub #5: After the last debacle, we all agreed that the next brewery would be out last for the day; besides we had already gathered the rest of the lab caches available today, include two not discussed here on a mediocre distillery most distinguished by the presence of homeless people lingering outside and a brewery that was having a private event that day. So last up was Mockery Brewery, which in sharp contrast to Jagged Mountain, didn't try to up the alcohol to absurd levels, instead concentrating on producing many honest pints worthy of a fine craft brewer. In fact, there wasn't a single beer here that I found bad and many that I found exceptional. First up with the Lemon Zest Pilsner, a delightfully refreshing summer beer that was even better than their already excellent standard pilsner. Next up was their Oaked Hefeweizen, with the oak given this wheat beer some vanilla and woody high notes. Hopheads would also find themselves at home here with their fantastic Session Red IPA, which is citrusy, easy drinking, and mercifully low in alcohol (ABV 5%). Even more distinct was their spin on a rather uninteresting varietal in my mind, the Scotch Ale, which here they infuse with salt, giving it a salted caramel character unlike anything else I've ever had. And once again, they kept the alcohol at a reasonable 5.2%. And finally, the most remarkable beer here is the Ultimate Session, a 4.95% ABV, barrel aged Old Ale which has flavors like oak, vanilla, and bourbon that are usually reserved for much more alcoholic beers.

In all, we had a marvelous time and we drove our separate ways after leaving Mockery, Jim thankfully not driving as he was my surrogate drinker of the many beers we had today (I only tasted each one, remember?). Satisfied that we had done Denver proud, we parted company. But Kevin would return to my story again on July 7th, when he would accompany throughout Westminster, Broomfield, Boulder, Longmont, Brighton and other places over the next few days. 

The story of that journey will appear in the next entry here. Stay tuned!

Me and the grand nieces, mugging for the camera before I left Colorado Springs