Beers Tried in 2023

I like going around to all of the different breweries in Colorado and trying new and different flavors of beer. The weirder the better, but I still want them drinkable. Here's some of the beers I tried in 2023 and where you can find them.

Dry Dock Brewing

Raspberry Fields Sometimes

Menu Description: "Belgian Blond Ale 6.0% ABV." This was a light drinking beer that had just a hint of raspberry. This is one of those beers where you could easily drink a lot of them and it was very good. Tried November 2023.

Pumpkin Spice Bligh's Barleywine Ale

So the normal Barleywine here is kind of gross and this flavored one is not much better. There really wasn't any pumpkin or spice flavor. It just tasted like they watered down the normal version of the ale. Tried November 2023.

Spice Trade Brewing

Crouching Tiger (Blue Berry and Pomegranate)

One of the best beers we tried at Spice Trade Brewing. The blueberry flavor hit first then it ended with a little pomegranate skunkyness on the back end. In this case the skunkyness was good and just added a tang. Tried May 2023.

Chi Milk Stout

Menu Description: "2013 Silver GABF medal winner. This Milk Stout is brewed with our house blend of Nepalese chai tea spices. Drinks rich and chocolaty with a refreshing chai spice forward finish. 5.2% ABV" This beer was supposed to have hints of ginger and cardamom with a little chocolate. For the most part it tasted like a standard stout and the other flavors were very weak to the point that I was questioning if those flavors were there at all. For a general stout it was smooth and I would say good. Tried May 2023.

Palm Springs (Arnold Palmer)

This one at first reminded me more of a lemon drop, but then you got the tea flavor as an after taste. Tried May 2023.

Scottish Ale

A nice amber that had a slight chocolate smell. Very smooth. One of the best ambers I have tried at a brewery. Tried May 2023.

Blueberry IPA

Had a much stronger skunkyness then the Crouching Tiger, but this was expected since it is an IPA. The flavor was in general sharper and there was no question that it was blueberry. Tried May 2023.

Spa Sidekick (Cucumber Lemon Sour)

Menu Description: "This ultra refreshing Gose style sour is brewed with freshly juiced cucumber, lemon, coriander & Utah rock salt. 5.2% ABV" I thought that the cucumber would get lost in the beer, but it was really there. It was as if you took a lemon War Head and wrapped a cucumber around it or you took cucumber water and dropped a War Head in it. The flavor messed with my head, but in a good way. Tried May 2023.

San Luis Valley Brewing Company

Alamosa Amber

Menu Description: "A Classic Colorado Red with a balanced malt to hop profile, and beautiful crimson color. 5.5% ABV" This beer was super bitter and nasty tasting. I normally really like ambers, but this one tasted as if the whole batch had spoiled. I've never had this bad tasting of an Amber and I hope I never taste it again. Tried May 2023.

Hefe Suave American Wheat

Menu Description: "A very smooth, unfiltered, easy drinkin' American style wheat beer. 4.8% ABV" Very easy drinking because it tasted like water, aka nothing. It was so bland and boring that I would say skip it.

Grocery Stores

Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Oktoberfest

In the top of the worst beers I have ever tasted. Super bitter, skunky, and drying. Avoid this beer. I grabbed it as one of the make yourself packs at King Soopers. Tried November 2023.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Just kind of a basic plain beer. Would just give it an average score. This is the kind of beer that you may just get out of the fridge at a friends or neighbors house where you just sip it as you chat. Nothing really to it. Tried October 2023.

Top Picture From: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-much-alcohol-is-in-beer