Brewery Snapshot: Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project

The Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project brings a new and innovative approach to Denver by brewing internationally-inspired beers. Some beers originate from unique foreign styles, others use foreign ingredients, and some are inspired by international flavors. The genesis of this super-experimental approach is the head brewer’s foreign travels along with his interest in foreign cultures and history. Based on our group’s reaction during our visit, some of the experiments are hits and others, well, not so much. But I guess that’s the whole point of experimenting!

BEER LINEUP: The menu runs the gamut of foreign styles from familiar Czech Pilsner, to lesser-known ones such as Finnish Sahti. The brewery also features beer and food combinations like a Garlic Amber, Chamomile Hefe-Wit, and Basil IPA. Chances are you’ll find something comfortable and familiar, but you are assured of finding a bunch of interesting and unusual flavors as well if you feel adventurous.

ATMOSPHERE: The taproom is furnished in the typical Colorado-outdoorsy style and features loads of games along with travel and cookbooks to help complement the theme. On the evening we were there it was pretty quiet with a handful of people in the bar at any one time. Intrepid Sojourner also offers a patio. Check their calendar for occasional food trucks and frequent beer specials.

SERVICE: With only a few patrons the service was fast and attentive and the server was seemed pretty happy chatting everyone up. She also provided helpful thoughts on the beers as we contemplated our orders.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Intrepid Sojourner is in the same artsy S. Santa Fe neighborhood as several other breweries, along with art galleries and restaurants so you can certainly make an afternoon or evening out of strolling around. After dark it feels a little deserted, but not really dangerous and regardless of the hour you can generally find street parking on a side street or in the brewery’s small lot. Note: On the First Friday Art Walk all parking hopes go out the window!

STANDOUT BEER:  Garlic Amber. Perhaps not strictly the best beer, this one stands out for innovation. Garlic in a beer is so unique I had to try it. The end result is a beer with the amber/copper and light/medium body represented the typical amber style, but it seemed like the garlic accentuated the hops rather than standing out much on its own.

Weekend Beer Update

Time to get out of the post-Thanksgiving food coma and drink some (more) beer! The weekend’s a little light on events but still a reason to get off the couch and back out to the real world.

Friday 24th: Try out the first annual Black Friday Invitational at Station 26 Brewing Co. featuring releases of their Dark Star series  along with a number of other guest breweries and munchies. Ticketed event.

Saturday 25th: Dance off the Thanksgiving calories at Dry Dock’s Ugly Sweater Swing Dance at the South Dock from 5:00-10:00. Or just come to marvel at the sheer ugliness of it all . . .

Sunday 26th: Jump right back into the turkey-based feasting with Halfpenny Brewing Company’s Turkey Day Leftovers Potluck. Bring leftovers to share and get a discount on beer, or just show up and extend the Thanksgiving feast one more day.

Wits End Moving to Strange

Reminder that this coming weekend Wit’s End Brewing Company will be closing their 2nd Ave location to move in with Strange Craft Beer. They anticipate celebrating the completion of the move the following weekend. Given Strange’s already-cramped taproom I have difficulty envisioning how the combination will play out, but I suppose that’s just one more excuse to stop in and enjoy a few beers!

Brewery Snapshot: Woods Boss Brewing Company

Tapping into Coloradans’ love of the outdoors, Woods Boss Brewing Company brings an outdoors-themed taproom and beer menu to a formerly rough area of downtown that is under transition. The busy taproom serves up a wide variety of beers – some traditional, some unusual – that seem thoughtfully brewed and which, for the most part, deliver in the area of taste.

BEER LINEUP: The menu features a broad range of beer styles including many standard-style offerings like an IPA, ESB, red, etc. along with a number of styles with slight twists like a juniper wheat and oatmeal brown. There didn’t seem to be anything too far-out – just tweaks to the standards.

ATMOSPHERE: The taproom features lots of wood – tree trunks, split-log tables, beer-menu signs – which would seem at odds with the urban, industrial building but actually works to create a fresh, modern look. It seems like a place for the young professional crowd to get together and catch up or play some of the games on hand. They do not serve food.

SERVICE: Bar service only,  but the servers were attentive, informed, and helpful in making difficult choices among the numerous tasty-looking offerings.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Woods Boss is just a little north of the downtown business district in a  former urban wasteland of trash-strewn parking lots and empty warehouses. Now the area is slowly filling with small businesses and the patrons they bring. However it still feels rather sketchy, especially at night, with homeless staggering around like zombies, but free street parking is reasonably close to the brewery. There aren’t yet a lot of other businesses to keep you in the area, but it’s building up fast.

STANDOUT BEER: The Enrosadira pink peppercorn saison has quite a bit going on aside from the usual Belgian-yeast saison flavor. The peppercorn added spicy and savory flavors including sage, reminiscent of Thanksgiving stuffing (in a good way). The golden appearance had a slight brown tint and touch of haziness typical of a saison. Overall it seemed a good fall/holiday beer – interesting but not overwhelming.

Weekend Beer Update

It’s definitely a weekend to think of others, starting Friday with the support for the endangered Yeti, followed up Saturday by the Day of Darks that supports multiple nonprofits. Day of Darks is truly one of my favorites of the year due to the small crowd and the awesome beers.

Friday 17th: Cap off Yeti Awareness week with Yeti Day at the Great Divide Barrel Bar with over 10 varieties of Yeti on tap, Yeti + food (Yeti ice cream float anyone?), plus raffles.

Friday 17th: Cerebral Brewing starts their 2nd anniversary weekend festivities with a few beer releases, then pumps it up Saturday with live music, raffles, and chocolate giveaways. Sunday features an egg drop contest – pick up kits at noon, drop at 2:00.

Saturday 18th: Join over 30 local breweries for the Day of Darks at Wynkoop Brewing Co. where they will be pouring some of their stash of dark beers for pairing with chocolates. From past experience this a great event with no lines, easy brewer access, and lots and lots of tasty beer! Note: This is a ticketed event.

Saturday 18th: Come watch the lighting of the star on Castle Rock at 105 West Brewing. The brewery is arranging daycare next door ($5) so the taproom will be an adults-only affair.

Brewery Snapshot: Bruz Beers

In addition to the tasty Belgian beers, you gotta love the promotions that Bruz Beers puts on for their customers. Monday is Customer Appreciation Night, Tuesday is buy a draft and get a crowler at 1/2 price, and Wednesday-Friday feature Happy Hour from 3-6. However even without the promos Bruz stands out for its beers and energetic atmosphere.

BEER LINEUP: Bruz clearly focuses on Belgian-style beers in the saison/dubbel/tripel family but also offers a few beers that may appeal to hop-lovers by supplementing traditional Belgian flavors with W Coast or New Zealand hops.

Manneken Pis from Brussels guards Bruz’s medals

ATMOSPHERE: The evening we visited, the mostly-full taproom had a great energy with a lively, younger crowd. I didn’t see any families but the taproom is VERY dog-friendly with pooches all over the place. The layout showcases the clean, industrial space with lots of concrete, metal, and glass decorated with interesting art for sale on the walls. There is also a patio.

SERVICE: The bar seemed very well staffed and despite the flurry of activity the servers were fast and friendly but still took time with each customer. They happily and successfully guided undecided members of our party to beers they loved.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Located in the recently-invented “Midtown” neighborhood at 67th and Pecos in northwest Denver, the area is an outpost of sparkling new residential construction in the midst of an industrial landscape. Aside from the brewery there’s not much of a draw, although the restaurant next door will deliver food to hungry drinkers and Bruz generally has a food truck. If you don’t see street parking, Bruz has a large lot behind the building too.

STANDOUT BEER: Dubbel Trubbel hits the spot on a cold fall day. The appearance is dark and reddish and though there’s not much nose on the beer, the flavor comes bursting through on the first sip. A complex mix of roasty malts, raisin, candi sugar, mild hops and spicy Belgian yeast flavors keep your palate busy.

 

Brewery Snapshot: Locovore Beer Works

Locovore Beer Works bills itself as a small business, neighborhood brewery and that’s pretty much what you get when you visit. Friendly staff and customers, a comfortable taproom, and familiar beers. There’s nothing experimental or edgy here, but the large high-quality beer selection and low-key atmosphere make this a great place to hang out for an afternoon or evening.

BEER LINEUP: Diverse. The long taplist covers a lot of ground from light to dark and should satisfy most any taste from hophead to fruit-lover to high-gravity freak.

ATMOSPHERE: Locovore has the typical relaxed suburban strip mall taproom and crowd. On a weekday Happy Hour a number of people still worked on laptops while others met for a beer after work. The spacious west-facing taproom and outdoor patio fill with sun late in the afternoon and open to the brewing tanks. The brewery is dog-friendly and serves food from an attached catering kitchen (order from kiosk at front of brewery). 

SERVICE: The service was hit or miss, but friendly when it happened. Occasionally a server would swing by the table but often the best bet was to go to the bar where the servers generally seemed to group up in a protective huddle. Once at the bar, the servers were efficient at dispensing beer.

NEIGHBORHOOD: The neighborhood about a mile west of downtown Littleton is the stereotype of suburbia, with a few strip malls and many spacious homes. There isn’t much to keep you in the immediate area but downtown Littleton is quaint and a several other breweries are closeby if you want to make a crawl of it.

Fresh off the nitro

STANDOUT BEER: Corker English Bitter. Locovore serves it on nitro so the mouthfeel is silky-smooth and thick-bodied, which seems a bit surprising for the golden-copper color. The beer gives off a slightly unpleasant nose at first that seems heavy on English hop flavors, but a taste gives way to a rich malt flavor with light bittering.

Weekend Beer Update

It’s a weekend of 3’s, with three breweries – Alpine Dog, Locovore, and Fermaentra – all celebrating their third anniversaries by collaborating on a triple IPA. The only downside is that Saturday is absolutely packed with exciting beer events so at some point you have to make the sad choice to leave something off the list.

Friday 10th: Kick off weekend of anniversary fun at Alpine Dog Brewing Company with new beer releases running through Sunday.

Saturday 11th: Locovore Beer Works anniversary party all day with beer releases, beer pairings, and live music.

Saturday 11th: And to complete the brewery trifecta, Fermaentra Brewing will have beer releases with a barrel-aged focus along with merchandise giveaways all day.

Saturday 11th: If you want to skip the in-town anniversaries and go for a drive, the All Colorado Beer Festival will set up in Colorado Springs, showcasing 69 breweries from 33 cities across Colorado. Note: This is a ticketed event.

Saturday 11th: Just in case you need some motivation or a break heading to or from the All Colorado Beer Festival, 105 West Brewing Company will be wrapping up their anniversary week on Saturday with their final special tapping, although special beers from earlier in the week may still be on tap. It’s a quick jaunt west off of I-25 in Castle Rock and as an added bonus for Veteran’s Day, the first pint is free for veterans.

Brewery Snapshot: Wit’s End Brewing Company

UPDATE: As of the end of late 2017 Wit’s End has combined forces with Strange Craft Beer Company. The flagship beers and brewer are the same but now produced and served at Strange’s location near 13th and Zuni.

A lot has changed at Wit’s End Brewing Company since my last visit a couple of years ago. On the positive side they have broadened and deepened their beer menu by adding a number of darker beers, high gravity beers, and barrel-aged beers. They truly offer a curated menu where most beer drinkers will find a sweet spot. On the other, bittersweet, side they will shortly be closing their brewery/taproom and moving in with Strange Craft Beer Co. so while they will continue to brew and pour, they won’t be doing it in their own unique space. In recognition of that I’ve truncated the review below to focus mainly on the beer.

BEER LINEUP: Very broad and comprehensive with good variety of light, medium, dark, IPA, and barrel-aged. All the beers I tried were very smooth and easy drinking, sometimes dangerously-so on the high-gravity beers. Everything seemed very solidly-produced and true to style.

ATMOSPHERE, SERVICE, and LOCATION:  Wit’s End is currently buried deep among growhouses in an industrial park off of 2nd and Federal, which may contribute some to its sleepy vibe. The small taproom sits in the same space as the brewery, giving the whole place a stripped-down industrial look. The service was great and the bartender happily guided our party through the variety of selections to help us make our selections. If you want to visit this location, you better hurry and get there before Thanksgiving!

STANDOUT BEER: Scotchy Scotch Scotch – 2015 and 16. You really need to have both of these Scotch Ales to appreciate them, although I would heartily recommend either on their own. Obviously from the dates they have been barrel aged, though surprisingly the 2016 has a much smokier and Scotch-like flavor.  Both beers have a thick consistency and very smooth, sweet, and syrupy base. They feature big, intense hits of roasted malt and almost woody flavors. In the 2015 the sweetness wins out to the point that I got some marshmallow undertones occasionally. In contrast, the woody and smoky flavors dominate the 2016. Scotch-lovers would be all over 2016.

Weekend Beer Update

It’s Anniversary Saturday this weekend with three Denver-area craft brewers celebrating, not to mention some spooky post-Halloween beer-related events!

Friday 3rd: Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project brings the south of the border holiday Dia de los Muertos to life during the monthly Santa Fe Art Walk by tapping some of their Mexican-styled beers along with guest taps, tacos, and music.

Saturday 4th: Enjoy a barrel-aged quad tapping and their 4th anniversary celebration at Jagged Mountain Brewery downtown.

Saturday 4th: Not to be out-done, Mockery Brewing Co. in RINO will celebrate their 3rd anniversary with a block party featuring 20+ beers, food, music, games, special releases and more.

Saturday 4th: To round out the anniversary trifecta, Grist Brewing Company will celebrate their 4th anniversary at both locations in Highlands Ranch with hourly beer releases and a beer bus ($10) running between the locations. 

Saturday 4th: Fiction Beer Company keeps the Halloween spirit going with their Descent Into Darkness featuring  a simultaneous tapping of 10 of their dark beers at 5:00 plus a bonus mac & cheese cookoff.

Saturday 4th: If you feel like getting out of town, Estes Park is holding the Fall Back Beer Fest with 30 Colorado craft brewers, demonstrations, brew clubs and of course food. Note: This is a ticketed event.