Here are Ten Beers Being Brewed Exclusively for Colorado Public Lands Day
May 20th, 2017 is the first-ever Colorado Public Lands Day. Conservation Colorado worked hard last year to designate this state holiday as a day to celebrate and honor our public lands. There will be activities across the state to celebrate the day, including many happy hours and specials hosted by Colorado breweries.
In honor of the holiday, ten local breweries are releasing limited-edition beers for our public lands! We interviewed staff at each of the breweries to learn a bit more about these special beers and why the brewers wanted to celebrate Colorado Public Lands Day.
Here are all ten beers and where you can find them, listed by region.
“Flower Power” German-style Kölsch from Denver Beer Co.
5.4% ABV | 18 IBUs
Denver Beer Co.’s Flower Power is a German-style Kölsch brewed with locally-sourced Colorado clover honey and lavender. It was inspired by Head Brewer Jason Buehler’s on-and-off pastime of backyard beekeeping, and of course, the wonderful sight of bees on wildflowers that you might come across during a hike in Colorado’s public lands.
It’s quite the honor to celebrate Colorado Public Lands Day because Denver Beer Co. was born out of passion for outdoor adventure and exploration. Co-owners Charlie Berger and Patrick Crawford say, “After a gnarly mountain bike ride, there is nothing better than a friendly place to sit and relax with friends and a pint.” They also note that it will always be important to the crew at Denver Beer Co. to celebrate and respect our beautiful public lands everyday. In fact, they’ve made it their goal to do more for Colorado’s land this year than ever before by partnering with Denver Mountain Parks Foundation in their efforts to better protect our land.
“Public Lands Quail Ale” from Cannonball Creek
5.1% ABV | 44 IBUs
Cannonball Creek in Golden will be offering a pale ale that pays homage to the foothills of the Rockies. “Public Lands Quail Ale” is a hybrid style pale ale featuring a heavy dose of American and German hops paired with British malts and English ale yeast.
The brewers say: “We figured the name would inspire a lot of questions which in turn makes it easier for us to promote Colorado Public Lands Day. The ale has an intensely fruity hop aroma which pairs well with the esters from the English ale yeast. Although heavy on hop flavor and aroma, the bitterness is relatively subdued, leaving a balanced and highly drinkable ale.”
“Alt National Parks” from Joyride Brewing
5% ABV | 30 IBUs | 17 SRM
Joyride Brewing in Edgewater is offering a Düsseldorf-style Altbier to celebrate public lands and national parks.
Dave from Joyride says, “It was important for us to brew this beer because our national parks are some of the crown jewels of this country. Without the national park system, we’d have hotels lining both rims of the Grand Canyon, and someone would probably have Old Faithful in their backyard. These are national treasures that deserve to be enjoyed and appreciated by all, and to be preserved in their natural state. We need to protect our public lands because they belong to all of us.”
The crew at Joyride explains, “We think that our national park system is one of the greatest parts of this country, which is why we wanted to brew this beer to show our support. This Düsseldorf-style Altbier has a rich bready, nutty, and biscuity malt base which overshadows a moderate hop bitterness. Authentic German yeast finishes slightly sweet and with a light cherry note. We used only Glacier hops, which provide plum & wood like flavors, and they represent the park possibly most threatened by climate change. Stand with Smokey.”
“Open Space Series” from Asher Brewing Co.
9% ABV | 30 IBU
Asher Brewing Co. in Boulder will offer a special release of their Organic Imperial Ginger Ale as part of their Open Space Series. Asher uses all organic ingredients and is powered by renewable energy as part of their commitment to sustainability. You get $1 off if you participated in a Colorado Public Lands Day stewardship event!
The “Imperial Ginger Ale” is an all-organic, imperial amber style ale brewed with fresh ginger. It won first place in the “Spiced Beer” category and came in second for overall Best in Show at the 2016 National Organic Brewing Competition!
Kate from Asher told us, “Because of the organic caramel malts that we use, it has strong, sweet-tasting malt flavors along with spiciness from the ginger. We will serve it in 10 oz pours on the 20th due to its higher alcohol content. We also sell 16 oz cans in the taproom.
“All of our ingredients and beers are organic, and are crafted with sustainability in mind. We are the only certified organic brewery in the state of Colorado!”
“Spruce Almighty” from Broken Compass Brewing Company
6.5% ABV | 60 IBU
Broken Compass Brewing Company in Breckenridge will be celebrating their 3rd anniversary with experimental and small-batch brews. They created a spruce tip IPA called “Spruce Almighty” to pay homage to the mountains of Breckenridge.
Jen from Broken Compass says, “Spruce trees are a beautiful part of our high alpine environment, and the mountain life would not be the same with out them. Spruce Almighty is our house IPA infused with locally foraged spruce tips. Pine is a natural characteristic of hops that give hoppy beers their flavor and aroma. We chose spruce to compliment the other hops being used in our IPA.”
“Get Out!” Saison from Mountain Tap Brewery
5.5% ABV | 35 IBU
Steamboat Springs’ Mountain Tap Brewery’s “Get Out!” Belgian farmhouse-style saison was brewed to celebrate Colorado’s public lands. Made with Colorado-grown malted barley & wheat from Root Shoots Malting, it’s earthy, spicy, tangy and quenching.
The brewers say, “Get Out and enjoy the land!”
“Monument Red Ale” from Kannah Creek Brewing Company
Kannah Creek Brewing Company in Grand Junction is surrounded by amazing public lands, including the Colorado National Monument. They will be offering a “Monument Ale” traditional Irish style red ale with medium malt body and a light hop bitterness.
The “Monument Ale” will be available at all three Kannah Creek locations May 15th-May 20th.
Tyler from Kannah Creek says, “We’re so excited for the first Colorado Public Lands Day! We are surrounded by amazing public land here on the Western Slope, including the Colorado National Monument which we named the beer after as well as the Grand Mesa National Forest. It is from the Grand Mesa that our pure snowmelt water comes from that creates our clean crisp beers! We owe our delicious beer to the public lands and we all make sure to appreciate all the amazing lands and activities Western Slope public lands have to offer.”
“Public Lands Pale” from Rockslide Brewery
5% ABV | 30 IBU
Grand Junction’s Rockslide Brewery has a history of naming beers after inspiring outdoor places. The “Cold Shivers Pale Ale” is named after the incredible Cold Shivers point in Colorado National Monument, while the “Kokopelli Kölsch” is named after the legendary trails found just before the entrance to Utah.
For Colorado Public Lands Day, Rockslide created a Public Lands Pale Ale. The vision for this beer is a hybrid of the two, creating a beer that is slightly hoppy, similar to the pale, while still maintaining the drinkability of the Kölsch, the lightest beer on tap. Brewed with domestic pilsner and 2 row base malts with a sprinkling of crystal and victory malt for a light sweetness and a touch of biscuity character, this beer is balanced by hops from the Pacific Northwest that showcase the piney, resinous features so commonly sought after.
Zorba Proteau at Rockslide tells us: “Being at the heart of the Western Slope with all of its incredible landmarks and outdoor recreation, we jumped at the opportunity to be a part of an event that celebrates the ability to visit them. Now more than ever it’s important for small businesses to champion this freedom.”
Grand Mesa and Colorado National Monument-inspired Pale Ale from Copper Club Brewing Company
Fruita’s Copper Club Brewing Company has made a pale ale that is lightly hopped with flavors and aromas derived from spruce & fir tips and juniper berries.
Michele and the crew at Copper Club say, “We support Colorado Public Lands Day because otherwise we would not be here. Everyone that works at Copper Club is at least partly here due to the beautiful and abundant public lands that surround the Grand Valley. We all participate in some kind of outdoor activity and we want to keep public lands open for everyone to enjoy.”
“Colorado Red Ale” from Revolution Brewing
Revolution Brewing in Paonia will be offering the Mt. Lamborn Lager to pay homage to the wonderful state of Colorado.
Eugenie at Revolution explained, “We get our water from springs at the base of Mt Lamborn and it’s public land so that’s why we named our crisp clear lager after the mountain. We’ll be serving it for several months this summer. We also use locally grown hops whose irrigation water also comes from public lands.
“Colorado Public Lands Day Beer” from the Bootleggers Society
8.25% ABV
The Bootleggers Society is comprised of all six Durango breweries: Ska Brewing, Steamworks, Carver Brewing, Brew Pub & Kitchen, Durango Brewing, and Animas Brewing. They teamed up to brew a special Double IPA as a nod of thanks to the natural areas surrounding Durango. The beer will be on tap at all the breweries in Durango on May 20th.
The beer is a Double IPA brewed with Simcoe, Galaxy, and El Dorado hops. It’s a perfect drink to have after exploring our public lands in late spring sunshine. Plus, all proceeds from the beer sales will benefit Conservation Colorado!
“Colorado public lands support our brand and our community’s passion for the outdoor active lifestyle,” said Ska Co-Founder and CEO Dave Thibodeau. “At Ska, we have access to trails in every direction right outside our door! Colorado’s public lands steward and support the lifestyle we love. Beyond just locals and natives, People come to Colorado from all over the world to play in the mountains and then reminisce about their adventures at the end of the day over a delicious Colorado craft beer.”
To join us and learn the details about Colorado Public Lands Day events, visit http://copubliclandsday.com/.
