THE SCIENCE BEHIND
CEREBRAL BREWING By Erica Buehler
A
popular brew spot since its infancy in 2015, Cerebral Brewing just seems to know good beer. Constantly winning among a plethora of competition in Denver, and surviving a pandemic that took aim at bars and breweries, Cerebral is clearly sticking around for the long haul. You might already be familiar with Cerebral’s intriguing and varied tap list, comprising everything from New Englandstyle IPAs, barrel-aged porters and smoothie-esque sours. But if you haven’t yet made it to the 1477 Monroe St. taproom, you’re in for a treat.
Owner and head brewer Sean Buchan.
32 ThirstColorado.com
May-June 2021
As the name suggests, the brewery takes “a scientific approach” to every one of its beers. Two of three founding members — Head Brewer Sean Buchan and Founding Member Chris Washenberger — initially started out as a doctor of physical therapy and a microbiologist, respectively. While running the brewhouse became their primary objective (Washenberger is no longer with the brewery), most of the beer names pay homage to the field of science. “No matter what style, we take a scientific approach,” says marketing manager Matt Mendini. “We’re very calculated with our yeasts and have our lab, which we utilize to check our beers and propagate in-house yeast.” This uber-technical approach to highquality (and good tasting) beer certainly makes for an interesting tap list. “[It’s a] pretty varied list. We are IPA heavy, with Rare Trait being our house IPA,” Mendini says. “Our Here Be Monsters double barrel-aged stout is also a big hit. Whether it’s a lager
or something sour, there’s something for everybody. We aim to serve beer that’s approachable for everyone.” One of the most interesting Cerebral explorations is its dual approach to sour beers. The popularity has grown exponentially in the last several years, prompting many breweries to take notice and take a shot at their own versions. For Cerebral, that means highlighting both the “wild side” and the “clean side” of sours. “There’s quite a bit of variation in the sour realm and two main sides of sours: the wild and the clean. So we really explore a lot of both of those,” Mendini says. “We’re releasing one of our single barrel wild ales. We have an off-site storage area with a bunch of different barrels where we go through and test for taste. (The) single barrel bottle series (is unique) as a lot of sours are blended. Single barrel means a lot of specific notes.” It also means a lot of work. Recently, Cerebral featured the Hereditary Title Fruited Wild Ale. If it sounds a bit complicated, it is. Here’s part of the brewer’s description: “Brewed with spelt and wheat and hopped with Citra and Nelson Sauvin. Aged on second-use Palisade Viognier grapes, third-use Colorado apricots, and third-use California nectarines for four months. Notes of Meyer Lemon, Peach Blossom, Hay, and Sweet Tarts.” As for the “clean side” of sours, the team in the Cerebral lab continues to figure out a selection of different series. In mid-March, they released Ultra Modern as part of the Smoothie Sour Series, which includes
