A mixed review of a mixed 12 pack of Breckenridge

As you might imagine, I buy a lot of new beers. These are generally hit or miss. You find some real gems and some real crap. When I see a mixed 12 pack from a new brewery I generally jump on it simply because it is more cost effective to sample their wares that way. A few weeks ago I picked up a mixed 12 pack from Breckenridge Brewery in Denver, CO. Here's what I found:

Lucky U IPA -

This was by farthe best of the lot. The bottle s

ays it is an homage to the Tivoli Brewery. It pours a rich orange color with citrus and floral hops on the nose. The first sip is orange zest and grapefruit. It is somewhat dry and acidic, but it has a refreshing hop bite. Sweet caramel malt balances this of well. A solid IPA.

Avalanche Amber Ale

4.4% abv. Pours dark amber. Clean malt aroma.

Some citrusy hops. Fruity notes including apricot and pear. Has an English ale finish. Made with an English yeast. A decent BBQ beer that is certainly sessionable.

Vanilla Porter -

An homage to the Tivoli Brewery. Pours a rich orange color. Citrus and floral hops on the nose. First sip is orange zest and grapefruit. Somewhat dry and acidic, but it has a refreshing hop bite. Sweet caramel malt balances this off well. A solid IPA.

Oatmeal Stout -

Pours pitch black. Sweet malt, coffee, and molasses on the nose. Lots of malt gives it a slight astringency. Sweet mocha flavor with a solid hop backing. Milk ch

ocolate and citrusy hops toward finish.

It is not just for breakfast anymore...

My thanks to my good friend Jeff for giving me a couple of bottles of this hard to find brew. 8.3% abv 60 IBUs. Pours a dark black color with a thin tan head. Smells like fresh coffee grounds. More coffee aroma than just about any beer I have ever sniffed. First sip is black coffee, 85% plus cacao chocolate bar, and the slightest tinge of citrusy hops. No real alcohol esters to speak of. Hop profile increases with each sip. Somewhat acidic with hop and big malt profile astringency toward finish. Sweet and then bitter and sweet and bitter. Slight warming in the belly after a couple of sips. This is a really interesting beer. It jumps from hops to sweet malt to something in between. Very dry at finish. Touches of anise, oak, sweet oatmeal, and more chocolate and maybe subtle berry flavors. If this is what coffee tastes like, I might just start drinking it. This is a truly great beer.

I don't drink coffee, but beers with coffee flavors...

I am one of the few people on the planet who have never had a cup of coffee. I grew up in a tea drinking household and never really had an interest in coffee. I do know that if I did drink coffee, I would probably take it black and very strong. Now beers with coffee flavors on the other hand, I absolutely love. I picked up a Troegs Brewery 12 pack recently and tried the Java Head Stout.

Here is my review:

7.5% abv. Pours black with a half inch tan head. Coffee and roasted nuts on the nose. Great espresso and dark chocolate flavor. Silky smooth mouthfeel with good carbonation. Slighest bit of tootsie roll. Some citrusy dry hops at finish. Excellent lace. Dark cocoa flavors similar to European sipping chocolate. Excessively drinkable. Finishes extremely well with a pleasant lingering chocolate flavor. I really like this one, especially as a dessert beer.

Murray Macumber's Abbey Ale Homebrew

I have to thank my good friend Phil for hooking me up with this one. Pours dark brown with a thick creamy tan head. Sweet bready aroma with hints of cloves and fig. Nice natural carbonation creates a good mouthfeel. Dark fruit, lemony citrus, and mild black pepper flavors. Some warming in the belly, but alcohol presence is nicely masked. Decent lace throughout. More and more citrusy hops as I make my way through the glass. This is an excellent abbey dubbel for a home brew. I am going to guess that it weighs in at about 8% abv. Hop and yeasty spice tingle on the back of the tongue. This would pair well with cheese, chocolate, or a mildly spiced meat dish. Very nice, Murray please keep beers like this one coming!

A beer that was worth the wait...

This one weighs in at 11.5% abv, but you would never know it. I cellared this for 5 long years, resisting the urge to pull it out of the cellar at least a few times. I had this on my daughter's first birthday. It pours a murky, unfiltered brown color and has a peaty oak aroma. You know this beer is different on the first sip. I has an viscous mouthfeel and a sweet, but not quite cloying maltyness. The wide range of flavors include raisin, oak, rum, honey, chocolate mousse, fig, caramel...the list goes on and on. Immediate warming on the back of the throat. This is a beer to be taken seriously. Some very mild citrusy hop flavors sneak through, but this one is really all malt. Wow, this beer is really delicious. The dark fruit flavors are amazing and it goes down so smoothly with virtually no alcohol esters at all. I am so glad I let this one sit for a while. I have to say that I am a huge fan of Lagavulin Whisky and this beer may not be for everybody. I am about halfway through at this point and the peat and caramel flavors are still dominant. This is one of the best beers I have tasted in a long, long time. Dare I say this beer is worthy of the celebration that I saved it for.

One of the best beers in the world...

Weihenstephan Hefe-weissbier
This is certainly one of the best beers in the world. It weighs in at a super sessionable 5.4% abv. This beer is gorgeous. It pours orangish yellow with a marshmallow head that takes forever to dissipate down to about one inch. It smells amazing--dominant cloves with a sweet lemony aroma with touches of coriander and banana. This beer is the standard for all hefe-weizens. It is incredibly smooth and thirst quenching...each sip invites another. Cloves, lemon, black pepper, and doughy wheat bread flavors. The smooth mouthfeel and slight hop and spice bite at the end are a great combination. Slightly dryish lemon and wheat cracker finish. I could drink one of these every day. I am so glad that I added it to my Beer Necessities in 2011. Ein, Zwei, Drei, G'Suffa!

There is no place like home...

A brewery in my hometown...and it will specialize in Belgian beers. This is great news. Good luck to the folks at Mystic Brewery. I look forward to the first batch.

http://www.chelsearecord.com/2011/03/03/new-brewery-on-its-way-to-chelsea/