Creative Minds Drink Alike

Creative minds drink alike
Local breweries announce new brews for the upcoming seasons
Emma Marshall
Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Coloradans sure love their craft beer, and now a few area craft brewers have announced some new brews.
An uncommon duo-espresso and beer
Two local companies partnered to provide a beer with a kick … a caffeine kick. The Great Divide Brewing Company and Pablo’s Coffee created an Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout that will be served in 22-ounce bottles and on draft through mid-April.
Brian Dunn, owner of Denver’s Great Divide Brewing Company, 2201 Arapahoe St., said the espresso complements the complex character of the already present coffee undertones in imperial stout beers, and goes well with the vanilla oak character of the Oak Aged Yeti.
“We’ve been playing around with the beer for a long time, trying to get the right balance of espresso to beer,” Dunn said. “Once we got it ready for commercial release, we knew we wanted to partner with a local supplier for the espresso. Pablo’s makes the best coffee in Denver, so the choice was easy.”
Pablo’s, at 630 E. 6th Ave., has been brewing and blending coffee for more than 12 years. The coffee beans come from three different countries and are roasted in-house to provide the highest quality coffee. With signature blends like “danger monkey” and “two stroke smoke,” the creativity can’t hide anywhere on the menu.
The small business owner was excited to partner with Great Divide.
“We have very similar business models — our companies are both committed to quality over quantity, and to serving our local communities in a way that large corporations are unable to do,” said Paul Conner, owner of Pablo’s Coffee. “And just as in the beer world, most of the best, most award-winning coffee comes from small roasters like us.”
Great Divide Brewing Company opened in 1994 and prides the balanced and assertive flavors creatively and carefully brewed to perfection in each beer.
New Belgium’s new line
New Belgium Brewing Company announced the production of four small batches of Lips of Faith beers, four new Loose Lips beers, and The Trip Series — consisting of four collaborative beers made with Elysian brewing in Seattle. The Fort Collins-based company created the signature Fat Tire Amber Ale. The new brew campaign will enter North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, South Dakota and Wisconsin all by the end of summer.
“It’s a fairly aggressive program for 2009,” said Joe Menetre, New Belgium sales director. “We’re reaching the eastern seaboard for the first time, we’ve got a very dynamic portfolio, and we’ve expanded our capacity to meet demand.”
In addition to seven year-round beers and four seasonal releases, the new beer brands will focus on collaborative creativity. The Lips of Faith program launched in February will feature fruit, spiced or wood beers in 22-ounce packages. The brewery also has released a Dark Kriek (cherry) beer. With plans for Biere de Mars and a beer brewed with dandelion leaves scheduled to be released during spring, the brewing creativity abounds.
“Lips of Faith will allow us to tap the creative root that is Belgian brewing,” said Grady Hull, assistant brewmaster. “The collaboration with Elysian is a new source of inspiration, and the Loose Lips beers are a complete free-for-all, so the energy is high around all these programs.”
The two breweries joined forces in 2008 to share facilities, inspire creativity, and reduce environmental impact. The Trip series. New Belgium announced the first in the series of four brews to be released throughout 2009 as Trippel IPA. They describe it as a Belgian twist on a northwest version of India pale ale.
The Loose Lips line is an exclusive set of brews based solely on a company-wide internal drink-off. According to New Belgium, the employee able to name all three beers blended in their glass is awarded the chance to brew whatever beer he or she can imagine.
New Belgium Brewing Company is the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., after beginning operation in a small Fort Collins basement in 1991.
Organic Odell
Fort Collins-based Odell Brewing company plans to make a new “all Colorado hopped brew,” using Paonia hop grower Glenn Fuller’s cascade and chinook hops. The crops are organic Colorado grown hops secured Feb. 19, just in time for the limited fall release, which will be available in liquor stores.
“We are very excited to have a supply of sustainable local hops to work with,” said Brendan McGivney, production manager for Odell Brewing. “It’s great to have the opportunity to be creative with quality home grown ingredients.”
Fuller’s crop yielded an estimated 1,500 pounds of five different hop varieties in 2008. The sustainable, green micro brewery in Fort Collins has a tap room for beer tasting, featuring handcrafted and small batch beers that include pale ales, stouts, pilsners and porters.