Longmont

There are several reasons why I should love this beer. I love Weizenbocks, they might be my favorite style of beer. I like putting tea in my beer (although I don't like tea on its own, I always find myself adding it to homebrews). I'm also left handed, so I kind of have to like this beer, right? I've heard some really mixed reviews on this TNT Weizenbock from Left Hand so I figured I'd pick up a bottle and spend a few minutes giving it my undivided attention. As I've gotten more adventurous with my drinking I've noticed that the Left Hand beers I had enjoyed previously just weren't holding up to the competition. With TNT Left Hand has gotten more adventurous with their beers, so I'm anxious to see if this is some kind of turning point for a brewery I'd love to see succeed as a first class craft brewer.

My first impressions of Oskar Blues were less than ideal. As a guy who doesn't like overly hopped or bitter beers, it probably isn't the best idea to get acquainted with a brewery by trying their hoppiest and most bitter beer... Well, hindsight is 20/20 and I have since gained more respect for Oskar Blues' beer. I've been holding on to these cans of Gubna for a while now, knowing that an Imperial IPA isn't something I want to jump right in to. After drinking the One Hit Wonder last week I'm anxious to try the Gubna to compare the two and see what all the hype is about with the Gubna.

One Hit Wonder is a limited one time release Imperial IPA from Oskar Blues in Longmont, Colorado. I happened to be in the Longmont area over the weekend when the One Hit Wonder was released and made it back home with a few cans. One of the cans didn't make it all the way home, it was enjoyed back at the hotel in Boulder. My memory of that first can of One Hit Wonder is a little fuzzy, it'd been a long day. I remember it being a very solid IPA, fruity and very resinous. Now that I'm back home and I've got a couple cans all to myself I figured I might as well give this beer my undivided attention.

My first experience with Ten Fidy was... different. Last fall I took a trip out to Denver, Longmont, Fort Collins, etc. I was making my way around north central Colorado, stopping at as many breweries as I could, when it came to my attention that Oskar Blues has a Firkin Friday even each week. Since I was in Longmont and it was Friday, I figured I should at least stop by and see what the big deal was. This week it was a blended barrel of Oskar Blues' Dale's Pale Ale and their Ten Fidy Imperial Stout. Interesting, a Pale Ale blended with an Imperial Stout? Sure, I'll try that at least once...

Old Chub. It just sounds familiar, not to mention hilarious... Oskar Blues is yet another brewery that doesn't distribute to my neck of the woods. I had to make a trip out to Longmont a couple months ago in order to get my hands on their beer. I've heard a lot of good things about Oskar Blues and I was really looking forward to picking up some of their beers. I'd heard a few people say Oskar Blues' beer is pretty pricey so I planned on only picking up a few of their more highly regarded beers. The first Oskar Blues I bought on this trip was a case of Old Chub.

Left Hand released Fade to Black in the late fall of 2009 to rave reviews. I was a little ambivalent toward this beer at first because, well, it was Stout season and I'd already had my fill... I'd gotten an early start and ended up burning out on dark beer much earlier than I would have liked. As the calendar rolled over to 2010 I realized I'd still not had this beer and it seemed like it might be too late to pick any up. As luck would have it, I found several six packs at a local hole in the wall liquor store along with some other old seasonal releases. Now that my affinity for Stouts is back, I thought I'd give this beer a long overdue review.

This isn't my first 400 Pound Monkey and it probably won't be my last. I first sampled this beer during a Left Hand Beer School event a little over a month ago. The brewer introduced it as a true English style India Pale Ale. He wanted to make it clear that this beer shouldn't be written off as another American IPA, this beer was made with English ingredients following an English recipe. After having my first sip I could tell this beer was quite different from the IPAs I was used to.

The St. Vrain Tripel is one of Left Hand's bomber sized specialty beer that seems to be a little harder to track down in my neck of the woods. I was finally able to get my hands on a bottle last week and have eagerly awaited its opening. After throwing the football around on a nice early spring Sunday afternoon, I figured this is as good a time as any to crack open the St. Vrain. What awaited was a golden bodied Tripel that smelled a little like funky oranges and begged to be consumed.

Rye beers are more popular than ever. It seems like most breweries use malted rye in at least one of their beers. I tend to glance over most ryes I see on the beer list because a good deal of them are Rye IPAs, not the kind of beer I'd choose to showcase my rye malt. This bottle from Left Hand is a Rye Bock, a Bavarian style Bock that's been brewed with malted rye instead of barley. There's nothing off the wall about this beer but it still stands out in a crowd. What makes Left Hand's Rye Bock remarkable is it's quality and flavor.

Left Hand's Milk Stout is a creamy textured, creamy flavored chocolaty Milk Stout. At 5.2% alcohol this is a beer you could drink a six pack of over the course of a cold winter's night without being sidelined the next morning. A very manageable ABV isn't this beer's selling point though, this is a great mellow stout with a fantastic flavor profile. The Milk Stout has a really mellow aroma, like chocolate milk with a hint of roasted barley. The appearance of this beer is fairly pedestrian as well, it's pitch black with a very thin tan colored head. It's easy to be underwhelmed when you have your first Left Hand Milk Stout.