Big Choice Brewing (Broomfield, CO)

Drinkability with uncompromising flavor. That’s what you’ll find at Big Choice Brewing in Broomfield, Colo. Eight taps line the downstairs taproom, ranging from a light wheat beer to a big, bold American amber. In addition to your typical taproom with a few tables and stools at the bar, Big Choice has a second level, complete with vintage pinball and arcade games that compliment the ’90s punk vibe.

The best deal is a sampler of all eight offerings for $10. The Disconnected Red is their biggest seller, however there is a beer for everyone, from the dark beer lover to the biggest hop head. Ollie-Weizen is a German Hefeweizen, light in body, with the characteristic banana and clove flavor derivatives of the yeast, but not overwhelmingly so.

Another yeast-forward beer, 10,000 Summers Saison, is a farmhouse ale with a mild, spicy character and dry finish, which makes it a good choice as a summer beer with complex flavors.

Big Choice offers plenty of hoppy varieties, including the extremely approachable Rail Side Extra Pale Ale, with its high level of mellow, citrusy hops and low alcohol. Two other heftier, hoppy brews include the Type III IPA, an American Style IPA, and Disconnected Red, an American Amber Ale.

Type III has a medium level of bitterness, combined with the resiny qualities typical of many West Coast IPAs, balanced with a malty backbone. Disconnected Red has notes of toast and caramel, balanced with spicey, citrusy hops. For those looking for a big, creamy body, Big Choice brews Hemlock Double IPA, clocking in at 9.5% abv, and100+ IBUs, compliments of several varieties of American hops.

The welcoming surprise of the bunch is bar far the #42 Poblano Stout. Without the burn of most chili beers, the poblanos add an additional note of roastiness to this very drinkable oatmeal stout. There is a noticeable hint of smoke on the nose, and like a well-made stout, finishes thirst-quenchingly dry.

Big Choice embodies everything you look for in a local microbrewery: well-made, approachable, and unique beers, a convivial vibe for locals and travelers alike, and a personality all its own.

Fat Head’s (North Olmsted, OH)

I don’t know what it is with these no-name towns on the outskirts of major cities, but I think that’s the beginning of a formula for great brewpubs: be in the middle of nowhere, but within driving distance of a well-known city + have a great name + a penchant for the ridiculous + an obsession with quality = absurdly good beers.

Fat Head’s is brewed in both PA and OH, and this particular brewery and saloon is located just outside of Cleveland in North Olmsted, OH. The exterior (and even interior) is no different than your typical sports pub, but once you start reviewing the chalk board of taps and reading their respective descriptions in the menu, you quickly develop tunnel vision (or rather, tunnel “taste”) for a wide variety of extremely well-made beers.

I’ve always thought that the mark of a great brewery is one that can handily make a standard and seemingly simple beer like a bitter or pilsner, as well as create complex fruit, aged and other distinctly unique brews. Fat Head’s does the former, latter, and everything in between in droves.

Their Head Hunter IPA has gained accolades at several international beer festivals, but outside of being a classical example of the style, this beer packs an amazing punch of fruity/resiny hops that will surprise even the most jaded of hop heads. The tried and true hops of Simcoe, Columbus and Cascade dominate this ale, with just enough added sweetness and body to allow for the hops to shine through. The lighter body masks that fact that this is a pretty big beer at 7.4% abv. An absolute must try if you visit Fat Head’s.

Duke of Lager, a self-described German Fest Bier, begins with a touch of honey-flavored malt, and finishes dry to make this a great summer beer to enjoy on a hot day.

The Bumbleberry Honey Blueberry Ale is another good summer drinking beer. It tastes of a light lager with a hint of blueberry, dowsed with a dollop of honey, without the cloying or artificial flavor of most commercially brewed blueberry beers.

I saved the heavy Bourbon Barrel Aged Battle Axe Baltic Porter for my final Fat Head, and am glad I did. This is an absolute palate wrecker (and delight), which begins with a big waft of Bourbon, which is also noticeable in the flavor, along with other common whiskey barrel-aged flavors such as vanilla and oak. The beer has a alcohol hotness to it, but is nice, as it reminds you of a snifter of a hearty, quaffable whiskey, but is also balanced with plenty of dark chocolate and roasty coffee notes.

There were no less than eighteen Fat Head’s taps available, not to mention a treasure trove of other craft brews from across the nation. Both widely recognizable brands such as Stone and Troegs could be enjoyed, as well as beer-cult rarities such as 3 Floyds Gumballhead, one of the first American Wheat Wines.

Fat Head’s is one of those brewing rarities that enjoys both commercial success (they now brew in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and have won multiple International awards) as well as a distinguishing itself as a unique and distinctly local saloon.