Taste Tease 2018: Volume 2
Every September, 56 of America’s best craft breweries travel to Telluride Town Park to showcase their beer at the Telluride Blues & Brews Grand Tasting. Each of these breweries and their beers are unique, showcasing distinct flavors, colors, smells and personalities. Every craft beer is a work of art taking months and sometimes years to perfect. Just as our artist lineup showcases a variety of distinct music masters, our craft beer lineup showcases a variety of brewing masters.
The Telluride Blues & Brews ‘Taste Tease’ series is our attempt at giving you a look at some of the 170 beer styles you’ll be able to sample at this year’s Grand Tasting. Leading up to the festival, the Blues & Brews Staff will be sampling six beers a month and reporting on our findings. We hope you find this series as informative and fun we do!
The last blog featured Sierra Nevada’s Hazy Little Thing IPA, Big B's Lazy Daze Hard Lemonade, Telluride Brewing’s Whacked Out Wheat, Ska Brewing’s Rue B. Soho Grapefruit Lager, Uinta Brewing’s Mango Lime Pilsner and Crooked Stave’s Sour Rosé.
This blog features Sierra Nevada’s Otra Vez Lime & Agave, Bonfire Brewing’s WtFO, Stem Ciders A Salted Cucumber Apple Cider, Boulder Brewing Due East New England-Style IPA, Ska Brewing’s Oktoberfest and Avalanche Brewing’s Gose.
Sierra Nevada- Otra Vez Lime & Agave
Gose | 4.9% ABV
Gose style beers were traditionally brewed in Germany and in recent times have seen a surge in popularity due to their easy drinking, slightly tart taste. We found Sierra Nevada’s new Otra Vez Lime & Agave sessionable and unique with plentiful carbonation, a lively mouthfeel and one-of-a-kind tangy taste. This craft beer is perfect for a summer day and as the “Otra Vez” name implies always good for one more! Make sure to stop by the Sierra Nevada craft beer bars, including the special High Altitude Lounge for a variety of their craft beers during the festival.
Double IPA | 8.4% ABV
For the past few years Bonfire Brewing has been a great addition to the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival House of Brews serving up tasty beers all weekend long! Bonfire’s WtFO is everything you’d want in American Double IPA with a strong hoppy aroma, a rich hoppy flavor and a golden complexion. It’s strong taste kicks off with a slight zing leading to fruit flavors of grapefruit and tropical fruit. Where the WtFO really shines is in its uniqueness. The folks at Bonfire use a variety of hop strains for this beer so no two batches are ever the same.
Hard Cider | 6.7% ABV
Hard ciders are really complex and exciting these days! Many cideries have branched out from traditional flavors, delivering unique styles. Using fresh pressed apples from the Pacific Northwest, Stem Ciders is cidery helping lead that charge. We were blown away by Stem’s a Salted Cucumber. It drinks smooth, is not over sugary and has a unique mouthfeel, yielding a really refreshing drink. The cucumber flavor is a great compliment to keep the drinkers taste buds on their toes. Try a few of Stem Ciders offerings during the 2018 Grand Tasting.
New England-Style IPA | 6.9% ABV
Like it or not, New England-Style IPAs are here to stay. It seems just about every brewery is dabbling in this hazy style and for a good reason- the juiciness overpowers bitterness tasted in traditional IPAs. We found Boulder Brewing’s Due East New England-Style IPA to be an outstanding craft beer. The juicy hops pack a delicious aroma off the front, pack a punch and leave a pleasant aftertaste of citrus. The vibrant orange color of this beer is beautiful, we highly recommend for any IPA fan. Boulder Brewing is Colorado’s first craft brewery make sure to try their beer during the 2018 Grand Tasting.
Ska Brewing Company Oktoberfest
German-style Lager | 6.1% ABV
Prost! Ska’s Oktoberfest is a beer to have a few of! This beer to very authentic to the German style. It’s malty, but not too malty and really crisp, with a taste that’s easy on the mouth. It’s rich brown color transported us to memories of Munich, dirndls, lederhosen and schnitzel. This is the perfect fall beer and is an Oktoberfest done right. Try Ska’s beers during the Grand Tasting and all festival long in the House of Brews.
Avalanche Brewing Hardrock 100
Strawberry Rhubarb Gose | ABV
Avalanche Brewing is a Silverton, Colorado institution! The brewery, owned by a young couple, produces beer that will keep you coming back to the small town and wanting more. Their bright Hardrock 100 Strawberry Rhubarb Gose, named after the world famous endurance race, is bursting with flavor and color. Flavors are tart and salty, staying true to the Gose style while twisting in a strong fruity taste. This beer is a great post activity choice, if you find yourself in Silverton after a high alpine ski or hike adventure be sure to stop by.