Aug 5, 2013

We woke up in Laura's living room and packed up our things before heading out in the chilly morning of Vail. We still had a bit of a drive to Denver. Going over the Vail Pass was much nicer without snow and ice. It was a longer ride than I remember. When we got into town I tried to plan out a route for hitting several breweries downtown. I wanted to try some new places, but it's always difficult to figure out where to go based on subjective reviews. I usually just go by the tap list and how good it sounds.

I wanted to try new places, but I remembered really liking Wynkoop last year so I dropped in there first. They had a new selection and changed the way they do flights, so I picked out a few to try. The Orchard Wheat was very good, as was the Thrills and Spills pale lager, which was my favorite. The chile beer wasn't nearly as good as I remembered unfortunately. We next headed over to Pint's Pub, which is a proper British pub, and it really has dark ambience that seems very English. They don't do flights, but the gentleman bartender offered me samples and I got a pint of course. Everything was good but not great. The best part was the conversation with our bartender about the climate and living in Denver. Very encouraging.

Our next stop was Renegade Brewing, a small operation with an opened garage bar. The bartender was great, and she gave me suggestions on what to try. The 5:00 Afternoon Ale was a great, fresh beer that would be a good happy hour beer. The [Redacted] IPA was a great, lightly hopped beer. Finally the Elevation Triple IPA was an immediate, eye-popping explosion of flavor. The hop flavor was full and forward, and it finished smooth and full. I was sold on the spot on getting a growler to take home.

Our final stop for the day was Strange Brewing. They have a small little pub with seats and a water jug with paper cups. I got a big flight of their beers and got started. There were a lot that I found average, but several others that really stood out. The 1000 Barrel Imperial IPA was great, but the Strange Pale Ale was amazing. It had that "sticky" taste to it that I can only describe by comparing it to weed. It's a great hop flavor and super aromatic. This is one that I want a candle scent made with. Unfortunately, the Grapefruit IPA (an idea that I always thought I'd like to try if I ever start brewing) wasn't that great.

We picked up some food on our way out of the city and headed up to Steve and Jamie's place for the night. Steve and I got a Bridgeport Brewing sampler pack, but I wasn't feeling like drinking much more so I only had one. We ate on the couch, watched The Daily Show and Colbert, and played some video games, laughing all night and having a good time.