Craft Beer Enlightenment

Have you ever sat down and really contemplated the beer in your glass? Gone beyond your banal routine of look, sniff, taste then swallow, to the point where pontification and partaking blend into one giant smile of contentment? And no, it's not as simple as trading your fizzy-yellow-schwill for a chewy stout, but read on and find out good friend!

At Avery Brewing Company, we believe that this thought process--or to push the boundaries, this "high"-- is the pinnacle of a beer drinker's ascent into the glorious realm of American Craft Beer. Call it Craft Beer Enlightenment.

And oh how glorious it is! So glorious actually, that we are committed to introducing folks across the country to this wonderful experience, one beer at a time. We think it's a shame that there are so many Americans out there that don't have a clue what they are missing out on, and we want to enlist you to fight the good fight and spread the word about craft beer!

Enough waxing poetic over beer. Below are our five steps to Craft Beer Enlightenment. Learn them and teach them to all who will listen!

1. Educate - Take the time to learn about the brewing process. It will tell you a lot about the flavor of the beer you are drinking. Next, learn what process is unique to the beer you are drinking. Is it dry-hopped? Does it contain wild yeast? A chain reaction of thought is sure to follow.

2. Slow Down - We make BIG beers. BIG flavors are present in all. The Reverend is 10% ABV, and 2009 Mephistopheles' Stout is pushing 17% ABV! They're not made to quaff and gulp, or meant as a quick fix to a sober Friday night! Rather, we set out with a flavor profile to achieve, and modify ingredients to get there. So: Sip. Let the flavors work out. Let the beer warm up in your hand. New flavors and aromas will work their way out and you will appreciate the beer.

3. Understand - Think about the whole process. The beer in your hand is the culmination of thousands of hours of work by myriad number of craftsmen. From hop farmers and malting scientists all the way to Brewmasters and the Assistant Brewers who put the beer in bottles, your beer represents a nexus of thought and effort from many people.

4. Revere - Sit back and let everything drop out of your head except for the flavor. Does it remind you of a past place or time? Or does it define a new time or event even? Flavor, just like sounds or smells, can be a mechanism by which old memories are recalled. What will this flavor call forth from your mind 20 years from now?

5. Share with friends - Like anything, beer is better when shared in the good spirit and company of close friends and family. If they don't appreciate good beer, maybe you ought to make it your quest to show them the light?

Share this with less than 10 friends and your next beer will be labeled "XXXX light" and you'll be telling your waiter you ordered a beer not water. Share with more than 10 friends and a case of our duganA IPA will magically appear on your doorstep! (Just KIDDING!)

Onward! (with a beer in hand)
C.V. Howe and the rest of the Avery Crew

duganA IPA meets critical acclaim: Daily Camera article written by Aubrey Laurence.

duganA IPA Release Party

After two years of experimentation, numerous test batches and countless tasting sessions, Avery Brewing Company is proud to announce the release of our much anticipated duganA IPA. Brutally bitter, dank, piney and resinous, this 8.5% abv monster offers a mystical and divine hop experience with 93 IBUs of hop goodness.

In the summer of 2007, as fervent devotees of hops and preachers of the profound art of the IPA, we found ourselves in the pleasant dilemma of wanting an IPA to drink that was somewhere in between Avery IPA and The Maharaja Imperial IPA. Enlightened, a test batch commenced immediately, and our two-year quest to create a truly transcendental hop experience was born.

"duganA IPA stemmed from our need for a more sessionable version of The Maharaja Imperial IPA. We wanted to capture the huge hop flavor of Maharaja and package it in a form that could be drank with more regularity," said Adam Avery, President and Brewmaster of Avery Brewing. He added, "We're just beer lovers who can't stop ourselves from making new beers. Quest is a bit cliche, but yes, that's the only way to describe it: a maniacal quest for hop perfection."

This quest comes to a most fruitful finale on Friday, October 2nd, when the first pints of duganA IPA will be served at the duganA IPA Release Party at the Avery Tap Room in Boulder from 4-7 PM. $15 gets you three pours of duganA (or other Avery brews!), light food and a belly dance demonstration courtesy of the Hamsa Studio, all in reverence to the Goddess of the Ganges River, who graces the label of this dank new brew.

Single Hop Beers, Localvores and the 2025 GABF

I just finished reading a nicely written article - Single Sippin' - by California based beer writer Alastair Bland. If you're a beer lover you'd do well to follow this gentleman in his travels through the beer world, as he is always putting out well informed and intriguing articles on all things beer. After reading his article I thought it would be fitting to share some opinions on single hopped beers:

1. We love them.
2. Yes, Simcoe does smell like cat-urine if used in large quantities. Avery Brewing does not recommend it.
3. As for Columbus, well, let's just say that if we were smarter and better with plants we'd be trying to breed a strain that is even more "dank". In the meantime, we're sticking to brewing and crossing our fingers that the hop powers that be in Yakima share our sentiments.
4. Single hopping has the potential to make indelibly unique beers (See Hog Heaven Barleywine Style Ale for a case in point). True, you may narrow your audience of potential drinkers, but if you like it then who is to say that it's not worthy of a bottle?
5. A long overdue renaissance in single hopping may be gripping the industry (yeeeeaaaa!), but surely it is not a new thing. We've been brewing Hog Heaven for 11 years now, and never once has a hop variety other than Columbus been thrown into the kettle or the fermenter. So far sooooo good. If you don't like it don't drink it, that means more for us!
6. Single hop brews are an invaluable way to boost your knowledge of individual hop characteristics, not to mention a great way to figure out which varieties you prefer. Once you know what you like, you can pick out new brews to hunt down based on their hop profile.

All this hop talk begs the question: How will the craft beer world address hops--and other ingredients-- going forward? In this country to date, the brew sheet and hop schedule seem to have been a quiet casualty of the "industrial" stigma traditionally associated with the domestic light lagers everyone used to drink. That is to say, beer has always been viewed as a highly processed product, and consumers paid as little attention to the hops and malt in their Budweiser as they did the tomatoes in a can of Campbell's Tomato Soup.

As the craft beer movement continues to evolve, will brewers and consumers grow more interested in agricultural inputs like hops and malt, with an emphasis on variety and region akin to the wine world? Some are sure to point out that the beer industry--with its vertically oriented supply chain wherein hops are grown and processed (albeit minimally) by entities separate from the brewery--will never achieve the same level of regional identity as wine. Maybe, but widen your focus and look at some other food trends in this country, notably the localvore movement and the growing popularity of sustainably harvested products, and local hops seems a lot less of a pipe dream.

Local or not, I hope that single hop brews prove to be more than just a trend. But who knows, maybe Hog Heaven (with Columbus hops grown in Boulder, CO) will have the chance to be entered into the "Columbus Hopped" style category at the 2025 GABF. Even if the GABF category doesn't pan out, I'll be quite content so long as I can continue to be "single sippin'" well into the future.

Now for a Hog.

C.V.

The Molecular Gastronomy of Beer

We had a terrific time on Monday evening at the Avery Tap Room for the August gathering of The Society for the Pursuit of Hoppiness. The theme was The Molecular Gastronomy of Beer, and we definitely went off the deep end having fun mixing liquid nitrogen with our brews. A few of the successes were Caviar du Beer, Avery IPA foam cheetos and some KILLER sorbet from White Rascal Belgian Wheat and our Ellie's Brown Ale. As usual, the food was cool, but the dry-hopped IPA and Maharaja on tap were the highlight of the evening! Here's the photo documentation courtesy of Dan Rabin.

We had a great time pouring at the 2nd Annual Rocky Mountain Bike show a couple of weeks ago in Denver. Just our cup of tea: bikes and beer! See the whole story at http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=7473&status=True&catname=Latest%20News

Currently talking over the dry-hopping methodology and final hop schedule for Dugana IPA. How can you make something that is nearly perfect even better? How do you make a killer hop aroma just a little more interesting? A little more intense? Brewing beer is the coolest thing ever!

Dugana is our new IPA that will release in the next month or two. Long time coming, but we're stoked to be releasing it soon (Mostly because that means we'll get to drink it on tap each evening after work)!!

Currently mashing Old Jubilation Ale in the mash tun. FIVE different delectable specialty malts in this brew. This is seriously one of the best smelling mashes in the world!

Dugana IPA. We can't wait for this beer to release. Here's the new label (pending Fed approval of course).

Brad Queen, Avery fan and mountaineer extraordinaire sent us this photograph of him cracking open a bottle of Maharaja IPA on Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. We're stoked for Brad's accomplishment, but we can't really figure out why he went all the way to Africa to do it? It's just that Maharaja tastes so good right here stateside. Ya know? Thanks for the pic Brad!

Bottling 2009 Beast Grand Cru today! Unofficial release party tomorrow night (8/12) at 5 PM at the Avery Tap Room. Be there to taste!

2009 Kaiser and 2009 Beast

After two days of successful bottling and kegging, we are thrilled to announce the arrival of 2009 Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest Lager at the Avery Tap Room. We'll be tapping the first keg around 5 PM tonight (8/5)! Stop by and sample the Kaiser, we guarantee it won't taste like any other lager you've ever tried.

Additionally, 2009 Beast Grand Cru will be bottled early next week, and we'll be holding the unofficial Beast Release Party next Wednesday, 8/12 at the Avery Tap Room at 5 PM.

Back to makin' beer....

People seem to think the president should drink Avery: http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=104880964681&h=yqYeX&u=vXy9q&ref=mf We agree!

Avery Anniversary Party
Celebrate 16 years of Avery beer at this annual Boulder Summer ritual!

Sunday, August 2nd from 12-6PM

This summer marks our sixteenth year of business, and we want you to stop in and enjoy some beers, barbeque and bands with us! We'll have your favorite Avery brews pouring from stations all around the brewery, a huge pig roast (with vegetarian options too), a VIP area with our rarest beers, a vertical tasting (tickets sold separately) and the tunes of SIX bands.

Here's how it's all gonna work. Spread the word!

General Admission: $20 at the door for beverages, barbeque and bands
VIP Admission: $30 gets you the benefits of GA along with access to 5 samples from the VIP area full of our rarest brews
Designated Driver: $10.00 Includes BBQ buffet and soft drinks

Featuring specialty tappings every hour of beers like 2008 Beast, 2008 Kaiser, aged rarities and our special blends. And the sounds of...

Felonius Smith Trio
Acoustic Hotfoot
Lost Alamos
Cari Minor & Ray Smith
Chris and Bardusco of Meniskus
The Alltunators

No advance ticket sales - doors open at Noon

Please partake responsibly!

Call a cab at 303-777-7777 or take a bus from the end of our driveway!

All proceeds from the party will go to benefit Avery Warehouse Manager Billy Phillips, his wife Nina, and their fight against breast cancer.

Day 4!

Day four on the road saw the SkAvery Crew climbing over Cottonwood Pass and descending fourteen miles on DIRT roads to the shores of Taylor Reservoir, where we regrouped and continued to race down Taylor Canyon until meeting up with several riders from The Brick Oven racing team. The plan was for the Brick Oven guys to serve as a wind break and pull us into Crested Butte over the final 30 miles. But, as plans often do, it went slightly awry: somehow all the SkAver riders had a bit of energy left in the legs and it turned into a fast, 30mph paceline ride the whole way into Almont. Tons of fun but it sucked up every last bit of our energy. After a bit of regrouping and catching of breath, the guys got back on the bikes and headed UP the final 15 miles to CB in what was a decidedly slower--and might I say more painful (looking)--pace.

While the ride definitely sapped a lot out of all the guys, it was nothing that the mountain eden of Crested Butte couldn't fix. The Brick Oven Restaurant (which, I must add, pours a prime and educated selection of craft beer from its 20+ taps) was the perfect place for us to recharge. Surrounded by a mix of jagged peaks while sitting under a towering Spruce tree and its ample shade, we were treated to pitchers of our Karma Ale by our friends Dan, Andy and Ben from the Brick Oven Cycling team. The combination of brews, food and friends was so energizing (note that I use that descriptor with some amount of forboding and irony!) that many of us stayed right there until long past sunset. Come on, everyone knows that an Avery brewer can't resist a fresh keg of Maharaja...

CB crew, thanks for everything!

And please rest assured that after our evening there we've got our priorities straight....................RIDE > TALK!!!!

Day 2+3: Idaho Springs to Breck to Buena Vista

Two more days in the saddle and still going strong!

We spent Sunday evening in the carport of The Columbine Inn, talking over--and preparing one anther for-- the long climb up to the top of Loveland Pass the next morning (there may have been a few beers drank there somewhere along the way too, along with what seemed like a growing number of tall tales about the difficulty of climbing Loveland). A few hours of riding on Monday morning put everyone's fears of eternal suffering in the saddle to rest, as the climb above 10 thousand feet to the top of Loveland was not quite as painful as was expected and we were blasting down past A-Basin in no time.

But we've come a long ways since then...

After Loveland came Swan Mountain Pass, shorter and less steep, but decidedly more painful accoring to the crew; all because no one really expected it to be much of a hill. We were greeted upon our arrival at The Breckenridge Brewery by Tebo and Sarah, with pitchers in hand! Both lunch and dinner with the Breck folks was a blast, with our dinner being highlighted by that classic Colorado mountain weather: after sitting down on the back porch of Kenosha Steak House, we were blasted by a 5 minute downpour with the sun shining over Peak 9 down at us the entire time. Sarah and Tebo, thanks for the brews!

The first 11 miles of todays ride were spent climbing Hoosier Pass in the shawdow of 14,000'+ Quandry Peak. We stopped for a bit on top (see inset pic) and then sped off for Fairplay, where we hopped on 285 and played chicken with big rigs for 40 miles to Buena Vista. One quick note to readers: Eddyline Brewpub (only recently opened in the new South Main neighborhood in Buena Vista) makes a solid pie and a clean, crisp Pale Ale that is PERFECT after a long ride.

Next Stop: Crested Butte! Come join us Wednesday afternoon at The Brick Oven.

See ya'll on the road....

Day 1: Boulder to Idaho Springs

Sunny skies and 85 degree weather ushered all 14 SkAvery (Ska / Avery) brewer-cyclists over Lookout Mountain, Floyd Hill and into Idaho Springs today, escaping only slightly worse for wear after 46 miles in the saddle. Although I'm not sure I can say the same about the longboarders we saw going down Lookout Mtn. in the opposite direction. Man. THOSE guys were out of their mind!

After hydrating (yes, with WATER) for the past couple of days to prepare for our 6 days of riding, we promptly realized that sudsy sustenance would be necessary to power the engines up to Idaho Springs. With that in mind, the sag wagon was turned into a suds wagon only minutes before we departed from the Avery Tap Room as Matt "Handtruck" Thrall filled the coolers with Ska's Modus Hoperandi, True Blonde, Avery IPA and a limited release batch of our Piglet Purgatory (a 1/2 batch of our Hog Heaven Barleywine that is hoppy, dank and extremely sessionable).

With a van stocked full of brews we were set to depart, and it didn't take long for the Colorado sunshine to dry things out and necessitate a beer break. After climbing Lookout Mountain we rewarded ourselves with a brew and then pedaled onwards towards Tommyknocker Brewing Co in Idaho Springs.

One day down, 5 more to go, and one thing is for sure: brews, bros and bikes are a great combo, no matter what anybody else tries to tell you. Many thanks to the kind folks at Tommyknocker for your hospitality, and props to Eric from The Sink and John...it was a pleasure riding with you fellas today!

Onward

Avery/Ska BrewersTour of BoulDurango

Hello Blogosphere! Avery Brewing Company has arrived!

We've been meaning to start our own blog for some time now, but to be perfectly honest, there have been some more pressing needs on our plates. Namely, brewing beer and "tasting" our creations! Give us a break, you know you'd be doing the same if you were a brewer. But with the start of our first ever Brewers Tour of BoulDurango starting this Sunday morning (Avery brewers and Ska brewers will be riding our bikes 426 miles from Boulder to Durango!!) we needed to find a place to post updates, pics and videos of us all suffering over the long climbs, blazing sunshine and hailstorms that lie in front of us.

Look for nightly blogs from us next week as we labor our way on our bikes towards the oasis of Ska Brewing Company in Durango. Once we arrive on Friday, July 24th we'll be tapping into kegs of Wheelsucker Wheat Ale, a Mountainous 7.2 % abv Bavarian style hefe that we brewed with Ska Brewing. Everything will go down at the Finish Line Release Party at Ska Brewing at 5 PM on 7/24. Boulderites: get in your cars and road trip it to Durango for the weekend!

See ya'll on the road.