From porters to IPA’s, to stouts to lagers, there is no shortage of fermented malts and hops (and many brewed with various herbs, spices and other special ingredients) to satisfy your beer hungers over the coming months. Below I review ten seasonals to consider for your enjoyment.
Boulder Beer Company
“Shake” Chocolate Porter (5.9% ABV, 39 IBU)
Colorado’s first craft brewery established in 1979 Boulder Beer continues to churn out fine quality brews. “Shake” uses five different grains, including chocolate wheat, with cocoa nibs to achieve an excellent chocolate porter. Its nose is rich in chocolate and creamy with a hint of sweetness. Coffee notes emerge with time. It drinks with a similar profile, is full-bodied and deep but is lively as it glides over the tongue. Lucky for us, “Shake” has been added to full time list.
Breckenridge Brewery
Imperial Express (2013) “Hoppy Imperial Red Ale” (10% ABV, 70 IBU)
This beer is a collaboration with Never Summer Industries created to celebrate opening day of the ski season. Breckenridge Brewery and Never Summer Industries engaged in a joint project. Never Summer created an inaugural “Artist Series” snowboard. John Vogl, a Denver artist with a small studio called The Bungaloo, created the artwork, which is a drawing of an elk seemingly rising up from the mountains. For its part of the collaboration, Breckenridge crafted this limited release named after the highest chairlift at Breckenridge Ski Resort, reaching an elevation of 12,840 feet. The hops show in the citrus and spice notes jumping out of the glass. This assertive character continues in the mouth and is completed with a peppery finish. The draft-only beer will be available throughout Colorado while supplies last.
Ska Brewing Co.
Hibernal Vinifera Stout (8% ABV, 53 IBU)
I was really intrigued by the idea of using wine (actually wine grape juice) in a brew. But, frankly, I was skeptical. Hibernal Vinifera Stout is the second beer in the Durango based brewery’s “Seasonal Stout” series. It is oak aged and brewed with malbec grape juice. All this contributes to a flavor profile that shows creamy malt, fresh green herb, and lemongrass aromas followed by a very intense palate, with a resiny quality and hints of tannin and pleasant bitterness. This beer/wine experiment definitely is successful. And the creative packaging for the Hibernal Vinifera Stout features Ska’s True Blonde character as the Sumerian goddess of grapes and the cold season, Ngeshtin-ana.
Deschutes Brewery
Red Chair NWPA Northwest Pale Ale (6.2% ABV, IBUs 60)
Over the last few years, Deschutes’ Red Chair (named for the oldest operating ski lift lift at Mt. Bachelor) has become a favorite of mine. Whenever I’m looking at a beer list and can’t decide what I want, if “Red Chair” is on the list, I always know I can count on it to satisfy. The beer basically is Dechutes’ attempt to produce a balanced beer drinking experience – malty but not too and hoppy but not too. Deschutes says they have taken the IPA style and rounded out the edges. And mostly they are correct. In this year’s model, I pick up a malty entry followed by hoppy notes. In the mouth, the play reverses. The hops open up and the malts follow. It all finishes clean with a citrusy finish.
Samuel Adams
I am constantly amazed at the variety and depth of Sam Adams production. And even more impressed with the consistently high quality. With so many choices, no one is going to like every release but there is no question they all are well made and most are just plain good. It’s no different with this group. You may not find every one to your liking but you I bet they all will find their fans.
Winter Lager (5.6% ABV, 22 IBUs)
Heavy on the malt, light on the hops, this has a much darker color than I expected from a lager (but then the company’s press material describes it as a wheat bock). Brewed with orange peel, ginger, and cinnamon, the nose is malty with spicy herb notes. The palate follows a creamy head with tangerine, spicy herb, malty notes, and a slightly bitter finish.
Cherry Chocolate Bock (5.8% ABV, 11 IBUs)
With this special seasonal release, it’s the cocoa nibs and cherries that play a starring role. The beer opens with dramatic cherry followed by the expected chocolate notes all accompanied by hints of vanilla sweetness. It drinks to a similar flavor similar profile but shows more tart cherry and rounds out with rich chocolate.
Juniper IPA (5.8% ABV, 50 IBUs)
Another special release, the name pretty much says it all: aromas show nice spicy and forest notes (gotta be the juniper berries) and citrus. The flavor is similar with a refreshing finish.
“Merrymaker” Gingerbread Stout (9.0% ABV, 25 IBUs)
Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger generate intense aromas that compliment the roasted stout character, while it all is lifted with a citrusy close. For me, the mouth shows more of the roasted and coffee notes while the spices recede to the background and are welcome with a cherry-like finish.
Cold Snap (5.3% ABV, 7 IBUs)
Here’s where I ran in to a hurdle, two actually. I have never been much for Belgian or (Belgian-style) white ales but, regardless, I tend to think they are much better on a warm spring day. Cold Snap, though, created more interest as it is brewed not just with wheat but Grains of Paradise, anise, hibiscus, orange peel, coriander, and dried plums. I picked up notes of citrus, clove, and found it drank dry and crisp. Guess what? It actually would be great on a warm spring day!
Rebel IPA (6.5% ABV, 45 IBUs)
And now back to more hops. Rebel IPA celebrates founder Jim Koch’s and Samuel Adams’ revolutionary (beer) spirit. According to the brewery, Rebel is the first IPA brewed with all-American hops. But it is not an overpoweringly hoppy beer, unlike many these days. I sniffed a pleasant citrus opening followed with some spice and pine notes, then hints of malt nicely wrapping up. It drinks nicely fresh and dry with tangy grapefruit.