Day 1 Colorado Beer Trip

(click on pictures to make 'em bigger)


Thursday, May 21st, 2009 Again, due to my limited vacation days this year, I was forced to work a half day on Thursday morning. Not ideal, but doable. The clock struck 11:00 and we were off! Or so we thought. We fought the Marq2 construction downtown and finally made it to 35W. Remember that TV commercial where everyone is tailgating and having a good time and then they pan out and you realize they are all on the freeway? Well this was just like that except without the barbeque grills, beers and happy people. I knew there was major construction on 35W south and should have avoided it altogether but I wasn’t thinking. Half an hour behind schedule and the Civic was finally in 5th gear.

We made some time up on the road and arrived in Des Moines at 2:45. First stop was at The Court Avenue Brewing Co (or CABCO). Most people were still working so when we walked in it was pretty quiet. Naturally we sauntered over to a table by the glass separating the brewery from the dining room. As I did throughout most of this trip I started with the sampler. This was about the coolest (and heaviest) sampler rack as I had ever seen. It seems that about as much creativity as goes into the beer goes into how various brewpubs serve their samples and this was no exception. See picture. I usually sample beers from lightest to darkest in color with the exception of really hoppy beers. They usually do a number on my taste buds so I save those for last. I really enjoyed all of the beers I tried as each of them was unique and all its own. So many times I’ve been to brewpubs and besides color they were all really similar. Not here. I especially enjoyed the Belgian White (Wit). It was brewed with Curacao orange peel and it really added a nice citrusy punch, very refreshing. We got to speak with brewer Mike Gauthier later and he mentioned it was much sweeter than previous versions and more so than he likes it. I thought it was great but would love to try a drier version someday. I also enjoyed the Kaplan Hat Hefeweizen. More clove than banana than most American Hefes and a nice grainy malt backbone. It was a very clear beer so I asked if it was the Krystal style… no, just nicely flocculating yeast. That might also explain the unique yeast flavor characteristics. I really enjoyed talking with the brewer and learning some of the joys as well as the challenges of being a brewer in a brewpub. He talked about the pressures of keeping production up with demand; a constant battle between brewer and bar manger. He also talked about how frustrating antiquated beers laws can be. For example, in Iowa you can’t brew beer stronger than 6.2% ABV but you can sell it stronger. So it’s hard to compete with the Belgian Beer bar down the street which often has beers on tap 15% or higher. After visiting for a while he took off for the bar rather quickly. I assumed there was a question that needed addressing or something, but no… he went up to grab a specialty beer. 21st Amendment Ale. This brew named in honor of the Volstead Act is their Rye Pale Ale aged in rye whiskey barrels from Iowa distiller Templeton Rye Whiskey. A 2008 barrel aged beer festival Silver medal winner. What a barrel aged treat, the whiskey really shines through. Low in carbonation and very smooth. One of my favorites on the trip. Had a great time at CABCO but alas, on to the next!


Thanks to the great crowd of beer gurus on BeerAdvocate I was introduced to a beer bar in Des Moines with over 100 beers on tap, El Bait Shop! It’s located right by the Iowa Cubs stadium and there was game that evening so it was beginning to get busy. This biker bar (think spandex not chaps) boasts one hundred and five beers on tap. How do you decide? I went with a recommendation and tried the Rogue Imperial Pilsner and I really liked it. It was high in alcohol, very fruity in aroma, clover and honey and a rich powerful noble hop aroma blurring the line between floral and spicy. Mmm I could drink a few of these. The last beer I tried when we were there was Raccoon River’s IPA. Raccoon River is another brewpub in downtown Des Moines that didn’t quite make our short list. I was happy to get the chance to try one of their beers but was disappointed once I did. It could have been old, but it seemed very dumbed down. The hops had all faded and the malt presence was a bit more than it should have been. I also detected a little butter. Oh well, it would take more than a diacetylic amber to bring me down. This eclectic place was really comfortable, the taps were just begging for the camera and the food was awesome. I am a big supporter of the “When in Rome” menu theory* so I had to try El Garlic Bait Burger. This minced garlic infused burger topped with American and Gouda cheeses and barbeque sauce melted in my mouth AND in my hands. What a delectable gooey mess, yum. We finished our beers, licked our fingers, polished off every last crinkle cut french fry and hit the road. Omaha or bust!

BEER THIS! DA

*If there is an item on the menu that features the establishment’s name I tend to lean toward it. When in El Bait Shop, do the El Bait Burger.