Nov. 16, 2012
Vail opens for the winter season this week, which means two
things: battling hundreds of other people to ski the three available routes
down the mountain and battling hundreds of people to belly up to the bar for
après when your unconditioned ski legs give out after a handful of turns.
Because the ratio of après hours to on-mountain hours can be pretty lopsided in
the early season, here’s a brief rundown of some places to hit to keep your
taste buds from getting bored.
Both gondolas at Vail will be running on Opening Day, but
neither will lead you to skiable terrain and only one will get your hands on a
beer. Gondola One, Vail’s newest feat of engineering, will do novelty laps that
bring you within yards of the expansive, green-marble bar at The 10th
and its taunting selection of frosty beverages. The restaurant opens for après
and dinner service on Dec. 12. The Eagle Bahn, on the other hand, will deposit
you at the cafeteria at Eagle’s Nest for a Shocktop and those snowy views of
the Gore Range you’ve been jonesing for.
Once your legs start turning into Jell-o, head down to
Lionshead to kick off your après adventure. Mine always used to start with a
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and a veggie pizza at Mezzaluna in the Lion Square Lodge
at the base of the gondola, but the restaurant has been gutted and renovated to
make room for a new Latin-inspired dining experience, El Sabor, which is slated
to open in early December. Undaunted by this setback, the next obvious choice
is Garfinkel’s. Grab a pint or, if you are a member of the mug club, a mug of
Deschutes’ new Chain Breaker white IPA, and lounge on the huge, sunny deck to
watch the last of the gapers maneuver across the skier bridge.
Once the sun goes down, the deck gets chilly — time to head
over to the Blue Moose for a slice and another brew. Try Lindsey Vonn’s
signature pizza, The Vonnderfull, with grilled chicken, artichokes, goat
cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto, and chase it with a glass of Crazy
Mountain Hookiebob IPA or Bonfire Awry Pale Ale. It’s now fully dark, and this
is where many Opening Day après swashbucklers call it a night. But you’re
really selling yourself short if you don’t get a nightcap, and the best place
to do that is The George. Climb onto the in-town bus for the short trip over to
Vail Village and a dirt-cheap Miller High Life — yes, I said High Life, the
champagne of beers — before grabbing a sober ride home to dream of your next
dust-on-crust escapade.
>> From the Fridge: Magic Hat No. 9
The first time I tried No. 9 was on a brief sojourn to
Boston about six years ago. That trip also gets credit for my first beer at
Fenway Park, my first taste of blueberry beer and my first craft brewery tour
at Harpoon’s shop on the ocean. Unfortunately, at that time, Magic Hat had not
started distributing in Colorado and it kind of fell off my radar. So imagine
my joy when, about a month ago, I wandered into Beaver Liquors in Avon and was
greeted with a display of No. 9. I celebrated by buying a case.
No. 9 is touted as a “not quite pale ale” brewed with
English ale yeast and Cascade and Apollo hops. At 20 IBUs, this beer is pretty
low on the bittering scale for a pale ale, and it has a slightly sweet finish
that’s hard to place. Magic Hat likes to keep a bit of mystery around this
brew, not divulging what creates its unique flavor profile, but if I had to
make a guess, I’d say they throw a smidge of apricot into it to create that
tiny saccharine hit. Or maybe my palate has been thrown off by drinking too
much Apricot Ale from Magic Hat’s sister company, Pyramid.
Regardless, that bit of sweetness pairs well with a variety
of dishes, from spicy chili to shrimp Creole. If you’re feeling adventurous,
try cooking up one of the recipes at http://www.magichat.net/recipes/number_9
to create a meal out of this new arrival from the East.
Krista Driscoll
Hophead
Vail Daily Weekly
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