Like most of you, we here at Elevation Outdoors love good beer. Nothing is better than a crisp cold one after a day outside playing in the wild wilderness we get to call home. With over 400 breweries now calling Colorado home, plus a myriad of choices from out of state, the choices are endless. Here are five that are perfect for sipping right now.
It seems that the Mile High state will be associated with legal marijuana perpetually, so it only makes sense that we also have the best pot themed beers too. Dude’s Brews Dank India Pale Ale is brewed with Cannabaceae Humulus Lupulus the hop that is first cousin to Cannabis. Rumors are if you smoke the hop you will feel fine. We can neither confirm, nor disprove, that, but what we can tell you is it makes a damn fine beer. Expansive, stinky, and sticky this is the perfect brew to sip while smoking a fatty in the Colorado sunshine.
With the temperatures rising it’s time to leave the big stouts and porters of winter behind. Something lighter is called for. But sometimes you might still yearn for a maltier beer to sip in the evening. Luckily Finkel and Garf has just the barley pop for you. Their Mai Bock has just enough flavors to keep you happy, but is light enough to enjoy after a day sweating. At 8% alcohol it is perfect for sipping on the porch as the sun slips behind the mountains.
Every year Sierra Nevada brings a group of lucky individuals to their brewery in Chico, California to create some beers. Nothing is off the table; it is a veritable collection of mad scientist brewers, aficionados, and others. Months later each participant is sent their beer to share with friends and family, and the best creations are featured each year in their annual Beer Camp release. This year’s selection is Tropical IPA. Packed with Amarillo, Mosaic, Citra, Comet, and El Dorado hops it is bursting at the seams with flavor and might be the best release yet.
With the white stuff beating a hasty retreat and bike trails reappearing it is time to break out the MTB. It only makes sense after a day spinning the sprockets you want a beer, what better way to replace the carbs? That’s when you want to reach for a 16 oz. can of Eddyline Brewing Company’s Crank Yanker IPA. It’s big—7.5%—and bold with a floral aroma that will satisfy the biggest of hop heads.
Lastly every cooler should always have a sixer of Coors Banquet in it. It was the beer that put the state on the map and motivated the Bandit and Snowman to visit (obscure Smokey and the Bandit reference for all the Millennials).
So there you have it. Go stock up and get ready for the best time of the year here in the Rocky Mountains…after winter, summer, and fall, of course.
