ELEVATED BREWING
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I F T H E R E A R E T WO T H I N G S P E O P L E I N C O LO R A D O LOV E , I T ’ S C R A F T B E E R A N D TA L K I N G A B O U T E L E VAT I O N . S O W E ’ V E R O U N D E D U P S O M E O F T H E H I G H E ST I N D E P E N D E N T C R A F T B R E W E R I E S I N T H E STAT E
PERIODIC BREWING | LEADVILLE 10,157 feet
Top of the list and practically on top of the state, Periodic Brewing was founded in the fall of 2014 and opened its doors on November 2015. Periodic has grown rapidly and plans are already in place for expansion. As for the beers, sales in Leadville are dominated by Hope Pass, their flagship IPA. The most sought after beer in Leadville and their Northglenn taproom is their tripel which so far has only been brewed in very small batches. Brews that beer lovers can expect in the near future include the first release of a coffee milk stout; the second release of the Belgian Strong Dark; the aforementioned and sought after tripel; a second run of their chocolate porter; a Sierra Nevada Resilience IPA clone with proceeds going to Camp Fire relief efforts; and three barrelaged versions of their beers: Night Run Russian Imperial Stout, Tourmaline Black Ale and Sugarloaf Amber - Tequila Chili Amber. For winter, give the Night Run Russian Imperial a try. Dark, rich and chocolaty, it is strong (at 10 percent) but smooth.
SOUTH PARK BREWING | FAIRPLAY 9,852 feet
Paul Kemp and Megan Sebastian opened South Park Brewing in September 2014 after five years of working on the perfect business plan and finding a suitable location. The 5,200-squarefoot space is divided between the taproom and restaurant and the brewing operation. They also have a small distillery operation in the taproom that currently produces vodka. They brew several styles of beer, with the Ranch Hand ale, Cherry Blonde ale and Mad Juicy IPA being the three best sellers. They also have an Imperial S’mores Stout. Their winter ale, an Imperial Ginger Stout aged in rum barrels from Montanya Distillers in Crested Butte, was released Dec. 1 and a Raspberry Cream Stout should be available in late January. As for what to drink in the depths of winter, Paul recommends the Buffalo Peaks Brown, a malty British-style brown with roasted coffee and hazelnut notes.
BROKEN COMPASS BREWING CO. | BRECKENRIDGE 9,390 feet
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GOLDEN BLOCK BREWERY | SILVERTON 9,308 feet
When Silverton was in its heyday all of the town’s wealthier merchants were concentrated in one area. That area became known as the Golden Block. Today, Golden Block brewery stands on that block. Floyd and Molly Barela opened Golden Block just over three years ago. Floyd was a home brewer for two decades and Molly ran a jewelry store on the site where the brewery now is. Molly suggested they sell the store and open a brewery and the rest is history. Their Kathouse Kolsch is probably their most popular brew. Crisp and light with a hint of blackberry, it is served with a fresh blackberry in the glass, while according to Molly, their most interesting beer is the Madame Brown, an Englishstyle ale with a hint of hazelnut and maple. As for winter warmers, the Whoop Arse, a big Scottish ale with a malty body and a hint of brown sugar, is what to opt for. Floyd is currently working on a strawberry lemonade kettle sour which should be ready sometime in February.
AVALANCHE BREWING COMPANY | SILVERTON 9,295 feet
Avalanche Brewing has been brewing beer in the San Juan Mountains since 2011. Having undergone a few renovations over the last seven years, Avalanche now serves six of their beers as well as a menu of pizzas made to order, salads and wraps. As for beers, Avalanche’s Sultan IPA is a good place to start. Brewed to evoke the aromas that pervade the air around hop farms, this IPA uses six different hop varieties — citra, mosaic, super galena, chinook, crystal and meridian — to create a complex hop flavor that is balanced yet powerful. For something lighter on hops and alcohol, the Treasure Mountain Pale Ale features late aroma hop additions and a crisp malt background resulting in a dry pale ale with a creamy mouth feel. Avalanche also has a Baltic Porter. The 8.2 percent Shackteaux Reserve Baltic Porter has a hefty grain bill that is tempered by 90 pounds of cherries. It also contains vanilla beans and is aged in oak.
PARADOX BEER CO. | DIVIDE 9,163 feet
Established in February 2012, Paradox Beer Company produces Broken Compass is proud of the community vibe they’ve cultivated beers that honor the uncertainty of nature, and as such they at their Breckenridge brewpub. Their beer is pretty good too. It is harvest, propagate and inoculate their beers with their own probably a combination of these two things that has led to Broken house-grown yeast. Experimentation is central to the Paradox Compass being one of Yelp’s top 10 breweries in the country for philosophy which is perhaps why they don’t have what you would the last three years and, at the time of writing, the top brewery in call flagship beers. In fact, Paradox never duplicates a release, Colorado. As for the beer, the Coconut Porter (the brainchild of but they do occasionally revisit concepts. As for interesting brew master Jason Ford’s wife Jo) has been a well-loved brew at brews, they use a shallow, open cooling vessel to make a variety Broken Compass since it was first brewed, medaling at the Great of beers. Some are fully spontaneous, where yeast and bacteria American Beer Fest in 2015, which, the team say, only increased naturally inoculate the open vessel as the wort cools, while its popularity. As for what to expect this winter, Broken Compass others are inoculated by the addition of organic fruits and plants. is bringing back one of its original six beers, a hoppy brown ale These beers take much longer to make, sometimes years, and called the Fabulously Delicious Finely Hopped Brown (or FDFH exhibit complexity from both fermentation and the long-term Brown for short), for the first time in almost two years. They will aging. Paradox have at least three new canned releases that also be releasing a black IPA as well as several collaboration beers are either out or will be out soon from their mixed fermentation over the next few months, too. For an apres-winter-activity beer, series. To warm yourself up during winter, Paradox has the the Imperial Bourbon Barrel Aged Brown is the direction to go. Big Bonafide Series. Based on popular cocktails like the Old and bold, with rich, complex flavors stemming from a hefty grain bill Fashioned, Blood & Sand and the Maple Manhattan, they are only and up to a year aging in Breckenridge Distillery bourbon barrels, available at the brewery, so pop in and try one while sitting next to it clocks in at a whopping 12.5 percent which gives it a warm the outdoor fire. full-bodied finish. WESTOF105.COM
