Day 2 Colorado Beer Trip

Friday, May 22nd, 2009 We get on the road relatively early. The coffee at the hotel was pretty crappy (seriously, I wasn't thinking about the coffee's proximity to the toilet when I wrote this - I just laughed at my own unintended joke ha ha). So, about as quickly as we got on the freeway we get off. Guided by the towering golden arches we followed our eyes to better coffee. We got our coffee (black, no McLattes for us) and off we went. Anyone who’s made this trip knows there ain’t much to look at in Nebraska. Eventually we made it into Wyoming and then Cheyenne where we took a left and headed to Fort Collins. We were pleasantly reminded that we gained an hour somewhere near North Platte so we arrived earlier than expected. We checked into our hotel, freshened up and headed to brewery number one, Odell!

Being from Minnesota we’re not accustomed to breweries selling beer like bars. We didn’t get there in time for the tour but were able to walk right up, order some beers, sit down, drink, repeat. We got two different samplers, one was house beers and the other was some specialty brews. There were so many that were so good, they really know what they’re doing at this place. The Cascadian Dark Ale had a nice American hop aroma and complex flavors including toasted and roasted malts. The Rocky Mountain Goat Red Ale was very hoppy, had a creamy head and nice amber reddish color. The hops were the star of this show. The Cutthroat Porter was also very good with the right combination of dark and delicious malts providing some great melanoidin flavors. Like I expected, I enjoyed the Odell IPA I had heard so much raving about. In this day and age it seems IPAs have to be “Imperialized” or “doubled” to be exciting. It’s nice to have a straight up IPA knock one out of the park. Very bitter and full of flavor, I had to pick up a sixer of this to take home.

One of the more comical moments of the afternoon occurred when we tasted the Cherry Stout. I picked it up and gave it a little sniff. I couldn’t swirl it to wake up the aromas because it was filled all the way to the top. I said “I’m not getting any cherry in the nose”. Carolyn took it from me and proceeded to inhale, but only after she had submerged her nose in the overfilled glass. She came up for air in a bit of a panic… “I breathed it in, I breathed it in!” Not knowing what to do, I told her to blow her nose which I assumed meant a napkin and maybe a trip to the ladies room. Well, during her hastened non-thinking state she just turned and blew between us. Inky liquid splattered everywhere; her leg, my leg, the vinyl booth seat. That seemed to do the trick alright. I couldn't resist, I had to say "Looks like you got some cherry in the nose". All we could do was laugh. It was probably to most idiotic scene ever made and it all happened so fast. I didn’t dare look around to see who was watching us. After we got cleaned up and the samplers were finished I tried the Buffalo Bourbon Stout. This was fantastic. I’ve recently been getting into the whiskey barrel aged beers lately. I like them more subtle than over the top and this was just that. A great rocky head and its opaque jet black color complimented this big bodied malty monster perfectly. At 10% and a lot of day ahead of us, I was both glad and sad that I only ordered a half pint. We wandered the grounds for a little while, taking in the fresh Front Range air and really enjoyed ourselves.

Literally right down the street was another local brewery, Fort Collins Brewing Company. We didn’t spend a whole lot of time here, Carolyn cut herself off since she was driving and she was getting bored drinking just water. The (Billy the) Kidd Lager was nice. It was a Schwarzbier but had more fruity esters than I expected. This dark beer was spot on in color and drank nicely. The other two beers I enjoyed here were also dark. The first, their Double Chocolate Stout, was an Imperial Stout. Nice roasted and chocolate malt undertones as well as a subtle sweetness. Exceptional compromise between the hop and chocolate in the aroma, very nice. And finally, the Barrel Licked Bock. Yum another barrel aged beer. This is their Doppelbock aged 12 months in Whiskey barrels from Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey in Denver. This beer packs a punch of superb maltiness and terrific whiskey flavors and aromas. My mouth is watering for it again. Their “single” Chocolate Stout and Rauchbier were also pleasant on the palate. But, after seven hours in the car we were wiped out so we headed back to the hotel to catch a few Z’s before supper.

After a well deserved (IMO) late afternoon nap we awoke a little famished. So it didn’t take us long to get ready and head out to CooperSmith’s. This place was a neat little venue in the bustling downtown area. It was the end of the school year for Colorado State so the town was busy with students and parents alike. It was a nice vibe. CooperSmith’s is unique in that it’s separated into two areas with a sidewalk and patio between. The Pubside and the Poolside. Both serve food and fresh brews, but the Pubside was more restaurant-like and the Poolside was more bar/pool hall. We ate in the restaurant and sampled some nice beers. I liked the Not Brown Ale (“not” a typo), very dark, sweet and malty. It reminded me of Bell’s Best Brown. I also enjoyed the Horsetooth Stout which was opaque, thick and oatmeal smooth. I also enjoyed the Sitzman’s Steam although this one was made with Cascade hops (one of my favorite), instead of the typical woody Northern Brewer variety. It was a nice twist. Very mellow and easy drinking. The food stood out as well. I ordered the Mesa Verde Burger which consisted of a large green chili, roasted and peeled, placed atop the meat. On top of that was a generous topping of pepperjack cheese and chipotle bbq sauce. Mmmmm, mmmm, is your mouth watering yet? I definitely will be trying to replicate this at home. I don’t think I’ve ever been so full in my life. Downtown is a really neat busy area full of energy. We took a stroll for about a block or two before retiring for the evening.