Forget those light lagers, pilsners, and, gasp!, lite beers of summer. Come winter, you want something hearty to replenish those lost carbs from trying to stay warm. For that, no beer has more clout than a stout for keeping Old Man Winter at bay. Here’s a look at town’s best.
Mountain Tap: Cliffed Out Imperial Stout
“Stouts definitely sell better in winter,” says Mountain Tap’s Wendy Tucciarone, touting their Cliffed Out Imperial Stout. “It’s dark, strong, big, bold and aged on cacao nibs, adding a complex chocolatey taste and aroma.” This baby clocks in at 8.5% as a winter sipper and is on tap from late November through winter (and available at select liquor stores). The only thing better, she says, is the Whiskey Cliff. “We age this one in a Mythology Distillery whiskey barrel,” she says. “The beer’s bittersweet mocha taste and aroma harmonize with the oak’s vanilla character, and both mellow the whiskey heat. It’s recommended to be a one-and-doner, registering at 10.6% ABV.”
Storm Peak: Zomb Brown Ale
While Storm Peak has a new stout coming out this season, it still hangs its hat on its year-round Zomb Brown Ale, a mainstay featuring roasted malt, caramel and chocolate aromas and flavors with low bitterness and hop presence. It clocks it at 5.5% ABV with 28 IBUs, and is available at both its westside brewery and Bus Stop location on the mountain. Order it and you’ll see why it garners such comments as, “A little more creamy than expected for a brown, but delicious nonetheless,” and “Enjoy this very nice brown ale with some delicious bison lasagna!”
Yampa Valley Brewing Co.
While you now need to drive to Craig for this delicious elixir with the closing of the Hop House downtown, Yampa Valley Brewing hangs its hard hat on its Coal Miner Stout, a classic dry Irish stout that “softens its dry roasted notes and mild espresso aroma and flavor from roasted barley with a smooth flaked barley and oat creaminess.” Yummm. Full of body and roasted flavor while lacking the heaviness of other stouts, in Ireland this 4.6% ABVer was the “working man’s beer” designed for long drinking sessions.
