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.

Surly Brewing Co. (Brooklyn Center, MN)

Much like many nano and microbreweries, Surly is located amid a small industrial complex, with a portion of the brewery devoted to a taproom and gift shop. Do not let the spartan exterior fool you though, there are some seriously creative beers being made here. Once you pull around the back of the complex and park, and then walk up to the metal facade, the feeling of a faceless building that sits next to a screw manufacturer quickly evaporates as you see groups of smiling faces with full pints in their hands.

Despite having an in-your-face brand that is bent on exuding an attitude of “shut up, and drink a full pint of beer”, there are no employees here with pretentious airs. Although I was a bit disappointed that they only do full 8-16oz pours of their eight available beers in the taproom, I do have to say, Surly might be one of the few breweries in the country where you can enjoy a full glass of 10% abv beer, as well as several wild and sour ales for only $5.

After explaining to the bartender that I had never visited before, he quickly grabbed a glass and poured me a Furious, one of Surly’s American India Pale Ales, and said, “you have to have the Furious then to start with.” Furious uses mostly West Coast, high alpha hops, however isn’t as big as I expected, and is highly hopped beer that won’t put you on your ass. It is also available in cans, and is one of their year-round options.

My second pour was Misanthrope, a Belgian saison aged in white wine barrels inoculated with brettanomyces (wild yeast). It is extremely tart and fruity, and true to a saison, quite dry and finishes very crisp. The beer paired well with the ahi fish tacos I purchased from the outside food truck, a rotating fixture available each evening while the taproom is open.

Several other brett options were available, from another Belgian aged in red wine barrels, to a Brett IPA collaboration with 3 Floyds of Indiana. I expect big things, and big beers, to come of Surly, and absolutely recommend it as a place to explore new beers, as well as kick back for a casual beer or light dinner after work.

Sawtooth Brewery (Ketchum, ID)

While on a recent trip with several friends to Sun Valley, Idaho, we stopped in for a post-dinner drink at the Sawtooth Brewery taproom. The five-person bar area and about twenty-person seating area is perfect for a quick brew after a long day of skiing, or in our case, a long day of fly fishing. It seemed only fitting that we go local after several hours of taking fly lessons from a local legend who went simply by “the Dude”.

About eight Sawtooth taps are pouring the local beer at any time, in addition to four guest taps of craft brew. I went with the Ketchum Cream Ale on nitro to quench my thirst on this unseasonably warm 90+ degree day. It has a very full and thick body with very little carbonation and is made even smoother coming out of the nitro tap. This ale is also made with both ale and lager yeasts, something I’m not sure I’ve seen before with a cream ale, however it does make sense when compared to the similar California Common or “Steam” beers which are made with lager yeasts and fermented at ale temperatures.

A full line of other classic ales were on tap, including the very nice Freeheeler Rye IPA. It’s a big floral and citrus IPA, with just enough rye spiciness to balance it out.

All in all, Sawtooth is a nice place for locals to unwind in a simple environment or for the casual tourist to find something they’ll enjoy from the full range of classic beers. It just goes to show how something as simple as some well made craft beers and not much of anything else but a place to gather is really all you need to have a good time. Ketchum is a pretty small community, and Sawtooth fits it well. I hope that this is the trend for the future as far as small town breweries go. Not every start-up needs to have ambitions of becoming the next Dogfish or Sierra Nevada, but just being able to cater to your neighbors is often not only good enough, but preferable to truly have a locally brewed beer and call it your own.

Hill Farmstead Brewery (Greensboro, VT)

Beautifully crafted beers surrounded by beautiful country. Hill Farmstead brews out of an old family barn and is set up more like a winery than a brewery. Samples are handed out on a small pavilion, and when you’re ready, bottles are sold from a counter in the barn. There really isn’t much else to say about Hill Farmstead as it’s beauty lies within its simplicity. You won’t find too many wild concoctions here, just good, well-crafted ales.

This simplicity is highlighted in their single hop series, consisting mainly of popular fruity, resiny American varieties such as Citra and Amarillo, and the very much en vogue hops of New Zealand.

The brewery sits on what was head brewer Shaun Hill’s grandfather’s property, and acts as an inspiration for many of the brews, as a majority of the beers are named after ancestors including both Hill’s grandfather (their flagship Edward) and great-father, Abner. The farm property does more than enhance the bucolic atmosphere, but produces several key ingredients. Some of the ‘wild’ ales are aged in barrels inoculated with the local microflora and Hill attributes the soft flavors of his beers to well water sourced directly from the farmstead.

Hill Farmstead has created several collaboration beers with some of the best breweries and brewers on the planet, including Cigar City of Tampa, FL, and famed Danish gypsy brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergsø of Mikkeller.

I was able to try several of the more hoppy beers available, including a session pale ale, and several imperial and double IPAs. What stood out among all of them was their consistent clean flavors and balance. The flavor components are recognizable and none of the ingredients overwhelm each other. This seams to be Hill’s goal, as recognizing and being able to bring out the best qualities from a few select ingredients oftentimes results in the best examples of craft.

White Birch Brewing (Hooksett, NH)

Only a few words are necessary to describe White Birch Brewing: zero pretension, flavorful beer. As one pulls up to the brewery/tasting room, you could easily mistaken it for a medical supply company or some other innocuous establishment with about as much inventive facade as a stucco garage. If you asked founder and brewmaster Bill Herlicka though, I’m guessing he’d say he hadn’t put too much thought into it as he was busy making amazing beers. In speaking with him during a tasting it’s easy to see why his beers are so complex and varied. When working on a recipe he says he likes to try a bunch of other commercial examples of similar style, then brew to his own taste. His berliner weisse is a perfect example. Even though I didn’t get a chance to sample it, I saw that it was several percentages higher than what is ‘standard’ for that style. When I asked him about this he simply replied, “it tastes better”. He went on to explain that the flavors of this style are often lost by making it too sessionable, as many are typically flavored with artificial syrups.  To showcase it’s full flavor potential he makes it about twice the strength as outlined by ‘beer judges’.

Don’t try and pry Bill on what goes into his recipes, as he’s staying hush hush. Acknowledging that I was an aspiring homebrewer, he suggested, “just try a bunch of different things and brew what you like.” This philosophy has served him well, as within his first year of production in 2009 White Birch quadrupled, going from brewing a half barrel a day to two. Today, they brew on a seven barrel system according to their website.

A majority of White Birch’s brews are made using Belgian yeast strains. The complexity of Belgian yeast is evident in most, if not all of their offerings. For the geekiest of beer geeks, White Birch also offers several ‘wild’ brews, aged in wine barrels and using brettanomyces yeast. Bill is obviously a fan of big beers as well, with wheat and barleywines also available in the portfolio.

The building may not be pretty, but damn, the beers sure are, and well worth a visit. And in case you still can’t get over the spartan digs, buy a couple of White Birch ales and head ten minutes down the road to Lake Massabesic:

Prism Brewing Co. (North Wales, PA)

Prism Brewing Company is located in North Wales, PA, about 45 minutes north of Philadelphia. I came across this funky brewery/brewpub a few weeks back while on a brew tour of Eastern, PA through the use of the always handy ‘Good Beer Maps’ provided by the good folks at Brewing News. What initially caught my attention was their unique variety of beers, but what made me fill a growler was the charasmatic staff and amazing flavor combinations the brewers not only pulled off, but enhanced their beers with. 

The first beer I tried was their Love is evoL, a brown ale loaded with 100lbs of strawberries and 10lbs of jalapenos. I’ve seen and tasted chili beers in the past, but mostly in darker brews like stouts and porters, so it was nice to try one where the heat is definitely up front and not afraid to hide. The strawberries add a hint of sweetness to balance the whole thing out.

The growler I left with was filled with Shady Blond, a wheat beer hopped with Summit and Cascade, and fermented with juiced blood oranges. Most recipes call for orange rinds to get that citrus flavor, but I’m glad the guys at Prism didn’t heed that advice, as the fresh citrus notes make this an extremely refreshing beer, without being overly sweet. This is definitely a great substitution for that orange wedge garnished Blue Moon offered as “craft beer” at your local sports bar.

I wish I’d had more time to stick around and try out their other concoctions like their ParTea Pale Ale (made with whole leaf China black tea leaves) or “Big Black Wheat” ChemoSabe (with hints of wasabi, and whose partial profits go to help families fighting cancer). Shout out also to my bartender who shared half of her Philly Cheesesteak egg roll (yes, it was goddman delicious) with me…  well, I say “shared”, but after asking me if I’ve ever had one and replying no, she pretty much force fed it down my throat claiming it was “fucking amazing”. From the locals and staff I spoke to, they share the same exuberant and irreverant passion about their beer as they do for strange takes on Philly’s most iconic food export. If you’re in the area (or can find their beers, from what I can gather are mainly distributed in Eastern PA and New Jersey) definitely drop in for a pint with the local crowd.