Happy New Years Eve everyone! This is the first of many posts that I will be writing to catch up on my winter vacation beerventures. I must admit that I have been suffering from classic #westcoastproblems, too much good beer and too little time to catch up with writing.
Last week I was lucky enough to visit Denver, Colorado the only city that comes close to the beer culture of my beloved Beerlandia. I only had one afternoon in Denver before heading up to the mountains, so I had to pick the most essential parts of any trip to a new city, beer. My handsome host showed me around 16th Street before our plans to go to the Denver Mint were foiled by a four PM closing time. Am I the only one who thinks that tours of a government facility is the perfect way to start a happy hour? (yes.)
After wandering the sunny streets of downtown Denver and stocking up on vitamin D before my trip to the Pacific Northwest. Eric and I wandered to Denver Beer Company to quench our thirst. The Denver Beer Company taproom had twelve beers on tap ranging from Fresh Hop IPAs to one brew concerningly named “Nipple Pincher”. I sampled the Graham Cracker Porter and Eric tried the Stem Cider Collab Graff. I tried my Porter and found it to be slightly too sweet but not cloying, then I took a sip of the Graff and confiscated the Graff immediately.
A “graff” is a cross between a beer and cider. Usually the cider is mixed with the beer any they are left to ferment together. The resulting taste is a slightly hoppy cider with the crispness of a beer. The Denver Beer Company worked with local cider company Stem Cider to make my new favorite beverage. Full disclosure – I am not a cider girl. I would rather drink a PBR than have my teeth rot out of my skull with a Strongbow. This Graff however, has made me second guess everything about beer and cider and what I want to drink on a crisp, cold, sunny Colorado afternoon.
Stem Cider Collab Graff by Denver Beer Company
? % / ? IBUs / Graff
An apple aroma from a refreshing beer with a hoppy aftertaste. The flavor is dry, not too sweet and insanely drinkable.
Final score 5 out of 5 cold ones. While the drink had some flaws, it deserves a prefect score for introducing me to a new style of beer and causing me to pilfer from good looking strangers.
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