June 22, 2012
There are few things that rank as high on my enjoyment scale
as beer. These include riding a Paco pad through a wave train, trolling for new
books on my Kindle, hitting freshies on a powder day — and the food-coma
feeling you get after a really satisfying meal. When I head out to sate my lust
for epicurean delights, there’s nothing more frustrating than walking into a
restaurant and being presented with a 200-bottle wine list and a selection of
five lack-luster beers. Why does beer get the shaft?
Fortunately, some establishments in the Vail Valley are
discovering that a well-crafted, flavorful beer can be as good or better a
companion than wine or cocktails to thoughtful dishes and, as a result, are
beefing up their beer lists. It is my mission this summer to put your
discerning beer noses on the scent of these places so you can sniff out some
new favorite watering holes.
So I am setting out to discover where to go in the valley to
find the best selection of beer — on tap or in the bottle, from Colorado or
beyond. And I need your help. Nominate a bar or restaurant with a baller beer
inventory by shooting me a line at kdriscoll@vaildaily.com.
I’ll go survey the goods and give each spot an objective score based on
criteria ranging from total number of beers available to whether the menu lists
beer pairings for particular dishes. The top three will throw down in a future
column where you, my fellow hopheads, will be the final judges.
You have until July 31 to send me your recommendations.
Include your reasoning for why a certain locale should be included on my list.
Does your selected venue carry a beer that can’t be found anywhere else in the
valley? Does it have particularly comfy bar stools or a fancy glassware
collection dedicated to serving beer? Do you have fond memories of being
introduced to a favorite brew there? Bonus points for your suds stop if you
have a great anecdote that sets it apart.
There are a few parameters for this contest: Nominees must
be public drinking establishments (perhaps you’re a collector and your fridge
boasts a killer variety of beer, but until you get a liquor license, it doesn’t
do the rest of us any good), liquor stores are ineligible (we’ll get to you at
a later date) and the site in question must be within the borders of Eagle
County.
Don’t be shy; enlighten me. You owe it to your fellow beer
drinkers to tell them what they’ve been missing.
From the Fridge: Oskar Blues Deviant Dale’s Pale Ale
Oskar Blues started canning its first 16-ounce offering
early this year. Deviant Dale’s is the hop-sloshed companion of one of the
brewery’s staples, Dale’s Pale Ale, and was birthed at the brewpub in Lyons.
“It’s got four hop additions, plus the dry hopping with
Columbus (hops),” said Chad Melis, beer peddler for Oskar Blues. “It’s a really
similar hop mix to Dale’s; it’s just that dry-hopping with an excessive amount
of Columbus that sets it off.”
Deviant Dale’s is a rosy sienna color with a floral aroma
and an easy-drinking flavor that belies its 8 percent alcohol by volume
content. The beer’s coming out party occurred at the 2011 Great American Beer
Festival in Denver, where it won a silver medal in an India pale ale category
that was inundated with worthy competitors.
Good brewers don’t make something twice if they don’t really
love it, and this delightful deviant is a great addition to the Oskar Blues
stable.
“We make beer that we love and sit down in our restaurants
and listen to feedback,” Melis said. “That beer has continued to have a growing
following in our restaurant, and it’s a beer that we really love.”
Krista Driscoll
Hophead
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