An unspoken agreement around the Mr. Beer HQ office seems to be that if you get the opportunity to travel, you bring back tasty local beer from wherever you were. Recently, our Sales Manager, Robert, took a trip to Colorado, and brought several delicious picks for the office to taste. We had so many choices that we did two tastings! This first round is focused on the ales of the lineup, Buffalo Gold, Hazed Hoppy Session Ale, and Moirai IPA, plus our own Big Red One DIPA recipe, and a batch of Bohemian Lager from our BrewArt for good measure. The second round boasted a Brown Ale, Porter, and Gose with our own Lock, Stock, and Barrel Stout as the closer.

Buffalo Gold – Boulder Beer

Appearance Just as the name suggests, this one pours clear, gold, and topped with a diminishing head. Aroma Biscuit malts hit the nose first, followed by leafy, herbal hops. Great balance. Flavor At first sip the malt gains a grainy character and slight sweetness, while the hops taste more citrusy, spicy, and bitter. Mouthfeel We detected light body, and moderate carbonation. Overall Tasting Notes "Very crisp", "not bad", "mild but not boring", "mild grain taste", "great clean tasting beer", "grainy with a high note, bright and just enough flavor", and "really nice golden ale, almost lager-like, clean finish".

Bohemian Lager – BrewArt 

Appearance This one pours a hazy gold with a soft, lasting head and some lacing. Aroma Smells of sweet malt and herbal/earthy hops. Flavor Malt tastes of biscuit, grain, and sight sweetness with green, floral, citrus, herbal hops. Mouthfeel This lager has a medium-to-light body, and moderate carbonation. Overall Tasting Notes "Great beer!", "smooth malt taste, grassy hop aftertaste, hazy appearance", "awesome end result", "great classic beer balance", and "slightly estery, but great flavor".

Hazed Hoppy Session Ale – Boulder Beer

Appearance Hazed is, fittingly, a hazy copper with a diminishing head followed by some lacing. Aroma Floral, citrus, grassy, piney, herbal, earthy hops meet light, sweet, biscuit malt. Flavor Herbal hops with some floral and citrus notes dominate, followed by grainy, sweet malt. Mouthfeel This session ale has medium body, and moderate carbonation. Overall Tasting Notes "Not as hoppy as the name implies, good anyway", "mild hoppiness in both aroma and taste, decent citrus notes", "I loved it but the beer doesn't match the description", and "earthy hops, nice malt backbone."

Big Red One – Mr. Beer

Appearance Though it's called the "big red one," it definitely pours more of a hazy root beer/caramel color with a diminishing head and slight fizziness. Aroma Malt smells very caramelly, followed by herbal/earthy hops and slightly estery yeast. Flavor Tastes like dark stone fruit, grainy malt; herbal, slightly leafy hops; and seems a bit oxidized. Mouthfeel Our DIPA has medium body, and moderate-to-high carbonation. Overall Tasting Notes "Whoever brewed this is obviously a great dude" (hahaha, nice Tim), "dark stone fruit taste, earthy aroma, tobacco notes", "great tasting with great mouthfeel, could be a thick beer but the additional CO2 makes up for it", "oxidized", and "a bit oxidized, but not bad, malty and warm."

Moirai IPA – Fate Brewing Company

Appearance Moirai pours a slightly hazy gold/copper color with a diminishing head. Aroma The citrus, grassy hops hit the nose first, followed by biscuit malts. Flavor As with the smell, the citrusy and floral hops come across first, then the grainy biscuit malt. Mouthfeel This IPA has a light-to-medium body, and moderate carbonation. Overall Tasting Notes "Great beer!", "hoppy but not bitter", "mild bitterness but yummy citrusy resiny taste", "liked it, great hoppy aftertaste", and "good IPA, but they could have focused on just a few hops instead of 6".

Part II

Face Down Brown – Telluride Brewing Co.

Appearance This brown ale pours a clear, root beer brown with a diminishing head. Aroma The malt here smells of caramel, biscuit, and nut accompanied by earthy hops. Flavor We tasted biscuit, and slight sweetness, chocolate, grain, and toastiness to the malt. Mouthfeel This one has a light-to-medium body and moderate carbonation. Overall Tasting Notes "Not bad for a brown", "hoppy for a brown", "mild brown, caramel notes with grassy undertones", and "excellent brown ale, great combination between American and British styles."

Graham Cracker Porter – Denver Beer Co.

Appearance Pours a root beer brown color with a slight haze and diminishing head. Aroma Chocolatey biscuit malt, with slight nuttiness, caramel, and smokiness to it, followed by earthy, leafy hops. Flavor Tastes like sweet, chocolate, biscuit nutty malt; and leafy, herbal, resinous hops. Mouthfeel Creamy, medium body and moderate carbonation. Overall Tasting Notes "Smooth, sweet", "mild all the way around", and "a bit light in body, but creamy mouth feel, subtle smoke compliments the chocolate and graham cracker flavors."

Lime Gose – Big Choice Brewing

Appearance Clear, pale, and fizzy with no head. Aroma First thing you'll smell is fresh lime, then biscuit, slightly sweet malts; leafy, piney hops; and sour yeast. Flavor Citrus, then sweet, dark stone fruit malt; and slightly sour yeast. Mouthfeel This Gose has a light body and a crisp/dry finish -  it's very champagne-like. Overall Tasting Notes "Great sour beer!!!", "lime pairs well with sour wild yeast, bright finish", "looks and feels like Champagne", and "very limey, but the salt balances it out - I really like this one".

Lock, Stock, and Barrel Stout – Mr. Beer

Appearance Our barrel-aged stout has a hazy, black color with a diminishing head. Aroma Smells like chocolate, sweet, caramel, roasty, smoky malts; and earthy hops. Flavor Roasty, chocolate, biscuit, smoky malt; resinous, herbal, leafy hops; and warmth from the alcohol. Mouthfeel Full body with a long finish. Overall Tasting Notes "Big, bold, black, malty, stout - cloying finish - delish", and "dark, rich, and smooth - notes of bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, and oak."