Nipple Mountain and Holy Mole

Nipple Mountain Nip (left) and Holy Mole
Pagosa Brewing Company
Pagosa Springs, Colorado

In an attempt to taste test ALL their beers, I spent another day at the brewery for lunch.  But this time was better because my sister accompanied me.

According to the brewer, "Nip is our richest and most full-bodied beer to date. An American Barleywine, it's aged for months. The luscious velvety texture is balanced with a huge amount of classic America hops, which includes dry hopping for a heady hop aroma. At 10.5% ABV it's meant to be slow-sipping, but is also dangerously drinkable & smooth."  I'm normally not much of a barleywine fan - but I didn't realize this was a barleywine until after I already had a glass in front of me.  I must admit - it was quite delicious.  It was smooth and it was heavy but not syrupy.  It was heavy but light.

The Holy Mole is a Mayan influenced brown ale.  Ale is brewed with real chocolate, red chilies and special spices.  This was not my beer so I only had a few sips of it.  It was full of flavor, that's for sure.  I couldn't quite tell what was going on, but it was good.  Not great, but good.  I would certainly give it another try.

Liquid Colorado

Burnt Toast Brown Ale
Three Barrel Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado

The Reverent - Belgian-Style Quadrupel Ale
Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado

Big Shot Seasonal Ale
The Fort Collins Brewery
Fort Collins, Colorado

The proof is in the powder: these are my tracks from 2 runs earlier in the day...

Ski-Trip Friday Night

Stranahan's Well Built ESB (7.8% ABV) - Bottle No. 6828
Breckenridge Brewery
Breckenridge, Colorado

After a day on the slopes for most of the gang and a day running around trying to find an Urgent Care clinic in a small mountain town and then trying to fill a new antibiotic for the munchkin at a grocery store where I've never filled a prescription before, we were all eager to crack open a few of the fantastic beers my sister had been stockpiling in her house waiting to bring on the trip to share.

First up, Stranahan's Well Built ESB.  Produced and bottled by Breckenridge Brewery (coincidentally one of my least favorite breweries in the world).  According to Breckenridge Brewery, "This extra special brew was well built intentionally. In team effort with our neighbors and Colorado's own, Stranahan's Whiskey Distillery, we combined the warming malt notes and pronounced hop characteristics of our Small Batch ESB with their ambrosial whiskey flavors to create the first ever collaboration of its kind. Aged for 6 months in Well Built Oak Whiskey Barrels."

Normally I think that the aftertaste of an ESB reminds me of the aftertaste associated with the first few bites of bubble gum.  Not Trident bubble gum -- I'm talking about legit Bubble Yum Bubble Gum.  But this ESB was different and much better than most I've had.  You definitely taste the whiskey, but not in a bad way. And not in a hits-you-in-the-face kind of way either. In a good way.  A very good way.

On The Sly Again #21
Ska Brewing Company
Durango, Colorado

Tropic King Imperial Saison (8% ABV)
Funkwerks
Fort Collins, Colorado

Fireside Powder Day

Powder Day IPA (6.7% ABV)
Pagosa Brewing Company
Pagosa Springs, Colorado

If any of you read this blog on a somewhat regular basis, you may recall that over the years I have developed a love-hate relationship with Pagosa Brewing Company.  And for those of you reading this who don't read this blog regularly, please know that I have a love-hate relationship with Pagosa Brewing Company.

The love part obviously stems from the fact that, I love local breweries.  And well, they make a wide variety of good-to-great beers.  And they are the only brewery in town.

The hate part stems from their silly growler refill rules (which I understand are a result of having a small bar and a limited bar staff, but jeez -- please brainstorm a way to make it easier for thirsty people to buy your product) and the one or two snotty waitresses I've had to interact with during my infrequent wintertime visits.

But the love part always wins and I always pay them multiple visits to the brewery during our annual vacation.

There are always so many beers - and such a wide variety of them - on tap and I always want to try them ALL.

As I mentioned in a previous post, while I was at home playing in the snow with my daughter (I should add that this was her first snow experience) on a perfect powder day, the rest of the crew was shredding it up in knee-deep powder.  After making a trip to the brewery for lunch, we brought a growler of the Powder Day IPA home to share with the group.  We made a fire and sat around on the lumpy couches in the awkwardly arranged family room and killed the growler in no time.

Seriously.  I wasn't lying about the powder that day.  A good friend of ours took the picture below of The Husband making first tracks off the top somewhere. Amazing.

A powder day lesson in parenting

Great Pumpkin Ale
Pagosa Brewing Company
Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Being a parent is by far one of the coolest things...until you are on vacation in Colorado and it is snowing by the bucket outside and you are the one who has to stay home because your kid is too young to hit the slopes with you. 

<sigh>

For a very brief minute, undoubtedly right as everyone else is heading out the door for the day, you imagine yourself flying down the mountain (with much better skills than you actually possess) with said small kid stuffed in a backpack with a million blankets and hats wrapped around her.  She is so warm and cozy and even wearing the extra pair of ski goggles you happened to bring along.  But then you laugh at yourself because you remember that your life is not a cartoon and that things like that only work in cartoons because in real life -- it would actually be very, very stupid.

So while everyone else is out enjoying the 12+ inches of fresh powder on the slopes, you make the executive decision to pack up the youngster into the trusty all-wheel drive family truckster and head for the nearest brewery.

By the way -- for those of you who live in areas of the world that require your kids to wear coats -- how the hell do you deal with the coat + carseat combo on a daily basis?!?  OMG -- what a pain!



You and your munchkin, who happens to look a lot like Ralphie's little brother Randy in her snowsuit, arrive at the brewery 5 minutes after the brewery opens (it's magical how these things work out) and select the warmest table in the corner farthest away from the door.  It has a window so you can continue to watch the buckets of snow fall outside.

The super friendly waitress appears and delivers some crayons and a coloring book.  AWESOME.  You order up a beer, a milk and a few grilled cheese sandwiches.  While you wait, you color a few pictures in a coloring book that is 99% full provided by the brewery using the remnants of a bucket of the super-cheap brand of crayons from approximately 10 years ago.  You gaze out the window and know that the snow is amazing on the mountain.  You turn back around and tend to your munchkin who looks at you and says "love you mommy" and then you realize you don't care what the snow is like on the mountain because you're on the best lunch date ever.

So you pick up a growler of Powder Day IPA to take home to share with the rest of the group who has been making fresh tracks and sailing through knee-deep powder all day when they get home.  You aren't jealous anymore because you get to hang out with a very special little person ... the little person you created. 


Score : 3.5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system. I'm a pumpkin beer snob though so I'm not sure that this is a fair or accurate assessment and rating of this beer.

Let the 5th annual powdercation begin!!

After 9 hours in the car with two kids and a styrofoam cooler rubbing against the back of the car (the noise styrofoam makes when rubbed, twisted or slid across any surface = nails on a chalkboard for me), it was so wonderful to arrive at our destination only to find wonderful friends and family members already there with chilled beers in hand and plenty to spare.  And so begins our 5th annual Colorado powdercation.

While driving from Denver, my sister noticed the San Luis Valley Brewing Company along the way.  And because she is 100% awesome, she stopped and picked up a growler of their seasonal smoky red to share with the group.  It was delicious - although admittedly it was somewhat light on the smoky flavor.

Seasonal Smoky Red
San Luis Valley Brewing Company
Alamosa, Colorado

Recommendations : take a powdercation.  Just don't hog all the powder on the slopes.

Score : 3.5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system.

T'was the night before Christmas...

T'was the night before Christmas, and all through the house,

I sat on the couch with my beer and my spouse.

While stuffing stockings, and hanging with care
 I lost my bottle of beer and didn't know where.
I found it eventually, but now it was warm,
so I got out a bowl, which caused quite a storm.
He knew what was coming, but didn't dare fuss --

He sat very still until I said "go get it GusGus."

Jubelale (6.7% ABV)
Deschutes Brewery
Bend, Oregon

As always, Deschutes produced a great winter beer.  I didn't think that there was anything spectacular about this beer, but it was good and easy to drink.  Didn't get the "winter warmer" vibe that it advertised, but none-the-less, another solid beer.


Score : 4 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system.