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Newton Motion Stability Performance Trainer

May 1, 2013 in beer, brewery, colorado, Gear & Beer, hops, IPA

The Newton Motion Stability Performance Trainer is a a structured lightweight shoe. The Motion is a great everyday shoe for runners looking to some tempo, speed training or shorter distances.

Newton has also included a medial posting to offset pronation. At first I didn’t enjoy this, however, as an over-pronator with fallen arches, I can feel the medial posting help strengthen my arches and ankles.

However, I do not recumbent this for longer distances. At about 7 miles into a 10 mile run, the ball of my feet were on fire.

After a 10 mile run, I enjoyed a nice sampler of a pale ale, IPA, imperial IPA and a brown from a local Denver brewery, Our Mutual Friend.

Buy now: $175.00

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Black Shirt Brewing

February 24, 2013 in ale, beer, brewery, colorado, craft beer, hops, microbrew, pale ale, sour

With a plethora of breweries opening in Denver in 2013, breweries have to set themselves apart. Some may focus on sours, or organic or heavy metal theme, or, like the most recent brewery I’ve sampled, red beers. Black Shirt Brewing in Denver set themselves apart with a unique and fantastic take on reds.

A bit of a breakdown. Pale Red (5.2% ABV, 35 IBUs) clean and crisp pale with citrus aromas and just enough hops to intrigue you. BSB Red (6.5% ABV, 42 IBUs) their original beer – with coffee, caramel and dark chocolate, with citrus and fruity undertones. The Red Saison (6.5% ABV, 42 IBUs) has a balance of coriander, clove and pepper spices, and a bit toffee and caramel finish. Red IPA/Chinook (5.5% ABV, 85 IBUs), as always,

I’m a hop head and love IPAs. This IPA has a nice floral aroma with earthy spice and a touch of pine (yum yum!), but it’s not an IPA that will punch-you-in-the-face-hops, it’s well balanced. The BSB Sour Marsh Red Saison (6.5% ABV, 10 IBUs) is quite interesting, not a typical tart sour. Light sours notes, with the sweetness of toffee and spice. The Red Porter (6% ABV, 40 IBUs) is also a fantastic treat. Black coffee and dark chocolate notes with a bit of caramel and a slight bitter finish. On a cold snowy night, I finished my evening with a glass.

3719 Walnut Street
Denver, CO 80205
(303) 993-2799
www.blackshirtbrewingco.com

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Bristol Brewing Company

March 17, 2012 in ale, beer, brewery, colorado, craft beer, hops, IPA, porter, Uncategorized

I don’t venture to the Springs too often (for those of you outside of Colorado…Colorado Springs), but I did so happen to. Not only does the Springs have a phenomenal view of Pikes Peak but it also has Bristol Brewing.

I got a sampler to get the whole Bristol gambit. Let’s break it down starting with their regulars: Compass IPA is a big hops beer with a nice malty finish. It’s an American-style IPA at 6.5% ABV. Laughing Lab Scottish Ale giving you a malty, mildly sweet but nutty smooth ale at 5% ABV (its even got a few metals under its belt). Next, Red Rocket Pale Ale, yes Bristol is named for a lab, you get the picture about the naming scheme. Red Rocket is a malty pale ale with a nice, crisp finish dry-hopped with four different hops.

Now a bit darker of the regulars Winter Warlock Oatmeal Stout, made with roasted barley malt with 100 pounds of flaked oats. Although

it technically is winter, although 65 deg. at the time, it’s a great smooth, rich winter stout. 6% ABV. Next is the Smokebrush Porter, a nice rich porter with a bit of a smokey finish with notes of caramel, chocolate and smoked oats. Very drinkable at 6.1% ABV.

Now let’s get on to the winter seasonals. I’ll mention the Parental Disorder with black malt liquor, flaked oats, malts and chocolates. If you’re familiar with my beer tastes, you know I’m not a fan of Belgium style beers. However the Black Fox “Som” is a phenomenal Belian Saison made with Ghiradelli chocolate, caramel and vanilla beans. I thought it was truly fantastic. Yes, I liked a Belgium style beer! I actually bought a growler to savor at home.

Bristol Brewing Company
1647 South Tejon Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
(719) 633-2555
www.bristolbrewing.com

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New Belgium Cocoa Molé – Lips of Faith

February 20, 2012 in ale, beer, brewery, chili, chocolate beer, colorado, craft beer, Fort Collins

The big VDay, I had an hankering for some chocolate-style beer. I’ve had my eye on New Belgium’s Lips of Faith series, Cocoa Molé for a while now. It was the perfect occasion to indulge my chocolate desires .

I’ll simply say, when Cocoa Molé hit my lips, my knees went weak. It was love at first taste. It’s immense flavors of cocoa, chili and cinnamon swirled in my mouth. This delicious dark ale is full of cocoa, and three types of peppers: ancho, guajillo and chipotle. You can taste the peppers, but it has quite a bit of caramel and chocolate malts for a fantastic fusion of flavor.

I enjoyed it so much, I polished off the bomber bottle, and a couple days later shared another with a couple of friends in the ski condo.

New Belgium Brewing Company

500 Linden Street
Fort Collins, CO, USA
(970) 221-0524
www.newbelgium.com

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Ghost Face Killah

February 9, 2012 in ale, beer, Boulder, brewery, chile beer, chili, colorado, craft beer, hops, twisted pine

I like beer. Hoppy beer, dark beer and even…hot beer! I recently tried the Ghost Face Killah from Twisted Pine Brewery in Boulder, Colo.

I’ve heard rumors about this beer; it’ll burn all the way down, you may not survive the first sip, and for most, that may be true. Gost Face Killah is brewed with 6 peppers (some may call crazy hot!): Anaheim, Fresno, Jalapeno, Serrano, Habanero and Bhut Jolokia – aka Ghost Pepper. The Ghost Pepper punches 200 times the heat of jalapenos, sitting at over 1 millions Scoville units (Jalapenos, Anaheim and Poblano between 3,500-8,000 and Serrano’s at 10,000-23,000, you get the picture!). The Guinness World Records certified the Ghost chili as the hottest peppers in the world. The brewers even had to wear masks and gloves to cut them up! Yikes!

You think I’m hyping the beer up? Go ahead, try it yourself, I dare ya! I’m a Southwestern girl, and I can burn my face-off with chili’s, hot sauce and go for more, I’m not going to lie, Ghost Face is a Killah! Upon my first sip, I was really anticipating the chili pepper taste to be as strong as its aroma. It has a nice, light wheat flavor, then the temperature rises and the heat kicks in. It’s burn lasts throughout your mouth and the back of your throat. How’s the finish? HOT! Although, it’s a well balanced beer. Truly, if you dig chili-style beer, as I do, and can handle heat, you’ll enjoy all 12 ounces of it.

This beer is seasonally available in CO, NE, NM, FL, MO, TX and LA.

Twister Pine Brewing
3201 Walnut Street, Suite A
Boulder, CO 80301
(303) 786-9270
twistedpinebrewing.com

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Palisade Brewing—Beer That Makes You Smile

June 15, 2011 in beer, colorado, craft beer, western slope

I was on the Western Slope of Colorado and stopped by Palisade Brewing in Palisade, just outside of Grand Junction, Colo. Palisade Brewing, “Beer That Makes You Smile.” Now I like that. It’s true, beer does make me smile.

It was a fantastic 80 degree day, and just happened to be the day of the Palisade anniversary shindig. Live, outdoor music, smoked meats and of course good beer.

I tried a sampler to get a complete taste of Palisade beer. High Desert Red is a nicely hopped red ale at 5.8% ABV. This red has an earthy hop flavor and caramel flavors. It’s a great, refreshing ale, and of course a great red ale color. Dirty Hippie is a dark wheat. Typically I don’t have a taste for wheat beers, but the Dirty Hoppie is quite refreshing—probably because it has hints of chocolate and caramel malts…a light, dark beer, and I enjoyed it with a slice of orange. Also sitting at 5.3% ABV. Now I like this name, Laid Back Blonde (I wonder why?). Though, I’m not too much of a fan of light, lager brews, it is the lightest beer brewed at the Palisade, and a good ‘transitional’ beer for new beer drinkers.

Let’s get to my favorites. Paw Print Porter has typical flavors of porters: chocolate, coffee, caramel and hops. Great for late Fall or Winter, or just about any time, 6.85% ABV. On to the S’ O. B. Pale. I’m a hop lover. And the S’ O. B. is a true pale, nice and smooth and generously hopped, 6.1% ABV. And on to the best—On Belay IPA (which also feeds into my love of climbing). I don’t know what else to say, awesome IPA. 7% ABV.

Palisade Brewing Company

200 Peach Ave.

Palisade, CO 81526

Ale House

2531 North 12th Street

Palisade, CO 81501

(970) 242-7253

palisadebrewingcompany.com

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Dry Dock Brewery

September 22, 2009 in ale, beer, brewery, colorado, porter

Dry Dock Brewery, located in Aurora, Colo., has

by far the most amazing, delicious, fantastic, delectable and flavorful beers to ever hit my lips

. And I’m not exaggerating one bit.

I was referred to Dry Dock Brewery by a patron at Breckenridge Brewery on Kalamath. My friends and I were on a four day, 10 brewery tour and decided to try Dry Dock (Dry Dock was our 8th brewery of the weekend).

…by far the most amazing, delicious, fantastic, delectable and flavorful beers to ever hit my lips…

Dry Dock is in a strip mall, typically I would avoid these types of breweries because, perhaps I’m biased, but I feel they just don’t have the space to make good beer. Boy oh boy was I wrong.

Paragon Apricot Blonde, Urca Vanilla Porter, Naked Porter, U-Boat Hefeweisen, Double IPA (wow!), just to make a few. Every sample I had, I loved even more. Even a friend who before, (gasp), only drank Miller Lite, (gasp), now is a fan of porters.

Dry Dock is a quaint little brewery, they are not yet large enough to bottle their beer, the seating area is on the small side, but the atmosphere truly adds to the experience. Locals enjoy this place and you can run into the same friends on a weekly basis. Bartenders are nice and generous.

Oh, and don’t expect to order food there, it’s a BYOF establishment (bring your own food). They have a menu from local food places that will deliver your food to the brewery.

Dry Dock
15120 E. Hampden Ave.
Aurora, CO 80014
(303) 400-5606

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