DEDRICK: Secret's out on brew

By Jay Dedrick, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Steve Presley brewed Ascent 54 to be Colorado's little secret, a traditional German-style dunkel weisse destined for taps in adventurous beer halls around the state. It won't be our secret for long.

Brewed in Fort Collins as one of Anheuser-Busch's limited-release regional beers for the past year, Ascent 54 is, ahem, ascending to the national level this fall. It'll be sold in bottles as Michelob Dunkel Weisse.

With its dark brown color and challenging assortment of flavors - chocolate, malt, clove and banana - the brew seemed a long shot to join the Michelob lineup. But Presley recounts conversations with skeptics won over after trying Ascent 54 and expects that to happen across the country.

Andy Goeler, A-B's vice president who oversees Michelob and other brands, credits word of mouth for alerting him to the beer's potential, too.

"One of our draft managers, who focuses solely on selling and servicing draft beers, called me and said, 'You have to try this beer.' That was the start of this whole thing," Goeler said.

Michelob Dunkel Weisse should arrive on store shelves in late September.

* The shortage of hops - that crucial flower that gives beer its spice - has made for tense times at smaller craft brewers. Reconfirming its roots as a craft brewer, the Boston Beer Co. recently freed up a portion of its hop supplies and offered them to brewers in danger of not finding - or not being able to afford - enough of their own.

A lottery determined the lucky recipients, including Denver's Bull & Bush. The Cherry Creek brewpub gets two 88-pound boxes of Tettnang Tettnanger hops - enough to go into a year's worth of its pilsner - at Boston Beer's cost, $5.42 a pound. Erik Peterson, Bull & Bush's minister of progress (aka brewery and restaurant manager), recently returned from a trade show in San Diego where the same hops were selling for $29 a pound.

"I definitely applaud (Boston Beer)," Peterson said. "Everybody's in this together, and if everybody makes better beer, the whole segment is looked upon as having more value to it."

Still, the hops pinch means higher prices on hoppier beers. Peterson's customers are paying 25 cents more for a pint of Tower ESB and 50 cents more for a pint of Man Beer, an English- style IPA.

* Louisville-based Rock Bottom recently opened its sixth Front Range location at Westminster's Orchard Town Center. A new prototype interior for the rest of the chain, it boasts lots of cozy booths, craftsman- style lighting and eye-catching, cobra-style tap handles at the island bar (think Cheers).

The beer lineup at launch was impressive, especially the Red Rooster, an imperial red concocted by master brewer Jack Johnson for the opening. If you've been to any of the other Rock Bottoms, you likely know the familiar beer names: Lumpy Dog, Molly's Brown, Red Rocks. What you might not know: Most Rock Bottom brews vary slightly from one location to another. So while Red Rocks is an Irish red at Westminster Promenade, it's an amber at Orchard.

"For as big a company as this is, we really let the brewer try what they want and get creative," says spokeswoman Caitlyn Stauffer.

* Rock Bottom and Bull & Bush were among 22 Colorado medal winners at the World Beer Cup in San Diego last month. Among U.S. states, the total was second only to California's 35. Coors' Blue Moon Brewing Co. took honors as the champion brewery among large companies. Odell in Fort Collins earned state bragging rights by winning three medals, including a gold in the American style India Pale Ale category for its IPA.

For a list of winners at the event, held every two years by the Boulder-based Brewers Association, go to beertown.org.

* Among the judges at the World Beer Cup: Londoner John Keeling, brewing director of Fuller's. He stopped in Denver before heading back across the pond.

"There's a great friendship of brewers around the world," he said, pointing to brewer swaps his company makes with U.S.-based Victory and BJ's Brewing. "I encourage all my brewing staff to understand the world of brewing."

Fuller's beers, including London Pride ale and ESB, are imported by Littleton-based Distinguished Brands International. Keeling's crew is experimenting with ales aged in whiskey barrels and with a new brew called Honey Dew, which contains 20 percent honey. Watch for those to make the trip here in the months to come.

* American Craft Beer Week runs Monday through May 18; watch for events at your favorite tap room or watering hole. And head to the hills on May 24 and 25 for the Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival at Beaver Creek. Saturday's centerpiece is billed as the largest Colorado-only microbrewery tasting, running from 1 to 5 p.m. Tickets to the tasting are $35 in advance, $40 at the door; call 970-949-1234 for details. And for more on the festival, go to beaver creek.snow.com.

What's On Tap runs the first Wednesday of the month. dedrickj@RockyMountainNews.com

Beer of the Month: Reunion '08 Organic Red Rye Ale

* The story: Longtime friends and colleagues Pete Slosberg, Alan Shapiro and Virginia McLean launched Reunion Beer last year as a fundraiser for the Institute of Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research after McLean was diagnosed with myeloma. She died a few months later; the beer returns this year in tribute to her.

* The taste: The three met during the early days of Pete's Brewing Co. Slosberg is the Pete; in Reunion '08, his red recipe gets tweaked with the addition of rye and caraway. The result is a nutty, malty brew with a dry finish.

* Food pairings: Garlic chicken, pork, spicy entrees

* On sale: In 22-ounce bottles, $4.99

* Alcohol by volume: 6.5 percent

* More info: reunionbeer. com