January Newsletter Beer of the Month:
Breckenridge Brewery Back in the 1980s Breckenridge Brewery’s founder, Richard Squire, had a dream -- to ski all day and drink great beer every night. Since he lived in the snow-kissed Rocky Mountains, fulfilling the skiing portion of his dream was easy. But the great beer part -- at a time when a "microbrew" was a rarity -- that was another story. So Richard started brewing his own, more flavorful beers for himself and his thrill-seeking ski pals. His homebrewed creations were a hit, and soon Richard was spending more time brewing than skiing. So he chased after another dream -- making exceptional beer for a living. In February, 1990 that dream became reality when Richard opened the original Breckenridge Brewery & Pub in the town of Breckenridge, Colorado. Richard's ski bum days were over, and so were the days of bland beer for the folks in Colorado's ski country. Today Breckenridge Brewery continues to work hard to satisfy the thirsts of discerning beer drinkers. Richard's original recipes -- and a handful of seasonal creations -- are now handcrafted at our three Breckenridge Brewery locations in Colorado. In 1992 they opened their sister brewpub in downtown Denver, at 22nd and Blake Street. Just a block from Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, their Denver brewpub is home to locals, baseball fans and Denver visitors who seek a quality meal and craft beer with character. In May 1996 they expanded their family again with the opening of their brewing and bottling facility in Denver's historic Golden Triangle neighborhood. Here their brewmasters and staffers craft and package the bottled and kegged versions of their nationally acclaimed beers. An adjoining tasting room allows guests to savor their brews in a cozy setting, in full view of the brew kettles and bottling line. Sure, their growth means they’re spending a little less time on the slopes and in the high country. But they’re not complaining. In the past fifteen years they’ve grown from a small 3,000-barrels-a-year brewpub to one of the most successful craft beer companies in the nation. They now handcraft nearly 30,000 barrels of fresh beer each year and sell it across Colorado and 22 other states.
Breckenridge Beers that you can find at your local Westside Liquor stores include:
Hefe Proper:
Breckenridge Brewery's Hefe Proper is an American rendition of a classic German style, brewed with 50% wheat malt and hopped sparingly. Their Hefeweizen combines handcrafted excellence with domestic beer drink ability.
Beer Style: American Wheat Ale with Yeast
Flavor: Light, refreshing, yet interesting
Yeast: American Hefeweizen
Malts: Pale, White Wheat, Torrified Wheat, Carapils, Caramel
Hops: Fuggles, Cascade
Color: Golden Opaque
Bitterness Units: 9
Alcohol By Volume: 4.0%
Alcohol By Weight: 3.2% Oatmeal Stout:
Rich, round and roasted, their Oatmeal Stout is satisfaction in a glass. It's a bold, smooth-bodied concoction that oozes dark-roasted coffee aromas and flavors of espresso and semi-sweet chocolate. They round out these heady pleasures with a dose of flaked oatmeal for a creamy body and a semi-dry finish.
Beer Style: Specialty Stout
Flavor: Chocolate coffee maltiness, round oatmeal mouthfeel with very slight hop character
Yeast: Top Fermenting Ale Yeast
Malts: Two Row Pale, Caramel, Roasted Barley, Chocolate, Oat Flakes, Black
Hops: Chinook, Perle
Color: Black
Bitterness Units: 31
Alcohol ByVolume: 4.95%
Alcohol By Weight: 3.96% Summerbright Ale:
The brewmaster's goal: the perfect ale for summertime quaffing, nothing more. Breck Brew's SummerBright is the result. The craftsman's touch combines white wheat, two row pale and munich malt with the pacific northwest's most intriguing hops to create a bright, clean ale ideal for picnicking, evenings on the screen porch and enjoying the whims of the summer breeze.
Beer Style: American Wheat Ale with Fruit
Flavor: A refreshing wheat ale with a hint of citrus flavor
Yeast: Top Fermenting Ale Yeast
Malts: Two-row Pale, White Wheat Malt, Carapils Malt, Munich
Hops: Fuggles, Cascade, Willamette
Color: Golden
Bitterness Units: 15
Alcohol ByVolume: 4.5%
Alcohol By Weight: 3.6%
Availability: April - August Trademark Pale Ale:
Demanding beer for demanding beer drinkers -- that's their Pale Ale. They craft this American pale ale with hearty amounts of pale and Munich malts, then balance it with lofty amounts of hops throughout. It's a finessed version of hop-head fun -- a black diamond beer without the bumps and dangerous curves.
Beer Style: American Pale Ale
Flavor: Moderate maltiness with sweet floral hop character
Yeast: Top Fermenting Ale Yeast
Malts: Two Row Pale, Munich, Caramel
Hops: Perle, Wilamette, Bramling, Fuggle, Czech Saaz
Color: Deep Golden
Bitterness Units: 40
Alcohol By Volume: 5.7%
Alcohol By Weight: 4.56%
Avalanche Ale:
Subtlety. That's what makes their Avalanche amber ale such a treat. They blend pale and caramel malts -- and just a kiss of bittering hops -- to create a refreshing-but-flavorful, any-time beer. Aromas of pale grains, a semi-sweet middle and a clean-as-Colorado-snow finish make this their best-selling beer.
Beer Style: American Amber
Flavor: Caramel maltiness with slight hop character
Yeast: Top Fermenting Ale Yeast
Malts: Two Row Pale, Munich, Roasted Barley, Chocolate
Hops: Willamette, Chinook, Tettnang, Hallertau
Color: Amber
Bitterness Units: 19
Alcohol By Volume: 5.41%
Alcohol By Weight: 4.33%
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