Ophelia

We are warming Caleb's new home with some cleaning, moving boxes and good beer. After a hot day this sweet and bitter combo is a real refresher.

Autumn Ale

When the farmers start harvesting beans and corn around here, my allergies flare up. I have this constant tickle in my throat and I am constantly looking for the perfect medicine to sooth it. Currently I am trying this seasonal offering from Breckenridge. It's not the best I've had from there. It is dark and fruity as promised, but there is something tart here that makes me wonder: Was there some infection in this batch? Or are they intentionally trying to get in the fad of sour beers? For the moment, my ailment is cured.

Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout

Of course you have to have beer with a bratwurst. What else would you drink? Milk?
Arnold Schwarzenegger says, "Milk is for babies. When you grow up, you have to drink beer."

Furthermore, I've come to like dark malty beers with brats. Notice how Breckenridge Brewery clearly labels their Oatmeal Stout as "Dark" so as not to surprise any of us consumers. Funny!

The roasted malt flavors in this beer were the excellent paring for the brat and the roasted broccoli Sandy prepared as a side dish for this yummy meal.

Breckenridge 471 Small Batch

In the middle of my chore of putting away all the groceries my wife got tonight for the upcoming holidays, I paused to enjoy today’s pull from the Advent beer calendar, #6 is Breckenridge’s Small Batch Double IPA.  Exceptionally bitter, yet some malt sweetness is also appreciable. Good for hopheads or those of us who sometimes feel a little extra hoppy.

Vanilla Porter

Sifting through the trick-or-treat treats of the evening, I struggled with what to pair them. It takes a carefully produced and selected beer to cut through the sweetness and excessive chocolatiness that in these last years has become the main point of Halloween. Breckenridge offers up this greatest possible answer, describing it on their website in these words: “Deep in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and Madagascar grows the perfect ingredient for an extraordinary Porter brewed in Colorado. Breckenridge Brewery’s Vanilla Porter. An ale that has all the chocolate and roasted nut flavor of a classic Porter, with an enigmatic surprise thrown in for good measure.”

 

Summer Bright

Great pizza and good beer!

Avalanche Amber Ale

Breckenridge’s Avalanche Amber Ale is near perfect in my book.  Nutty and caramel malt flavors with just enough hops to keep things interesting and refreshing.

In the background you can see the bouquet that was our gift for Julie Allen's big birthday.

Lucky U IPA

I had a  Lucky U as I read the recent issue of Beeradvocate ("Respect Beer").

This IPA has a predominate flavor of citrus peel, with some evergreen and a subtle hint -- so subtle mind you, that I only get it on every second or third swallow -- a subtle, faint undertone of puke. Not so bad overall that I won't someday finish the other one in the fridge.

Agave Wheat

Agave Wheat is very refreshing and easy going, leaving me wishing for another. Breckenridge’s website has the best description of this sample: Agave complements the refreshingly light quality of our wheat and adds a subtle note of flavor that expands this beer’s uplifting taste profile. It is familiar, yet creative.

Pandora's Bock

Pandora’s Bock is full of delicious sweet maltiness. I picked up one of these at the Oneota Food

Co-op in Decorah last weekend. I wish now that I had bought a six pack.

This is a very enjoyably good example of the bock style of beer. The only criticism I can think of is that the label, while cute, is goatless.