Bristol Brewing November 2019 Visit

November 12, 2019 Mike

This week, we found Bristol’s tap list a bit too intriguing to pass up, so we headed down to the historic Ivywild location.

We’ve had a couple of posts about their 25th Anniversary Birthday Boxes, to include the Beehive Honey and Compass IPA boxes, but we realized that the only visit we’ve blogged about was way back in October of 2018, and although our friends Scott and Bill were with me, Jesse was off in a far away land for business. As luck would have it, Scott and Bill were able to join us again for this visit.

It also so happened that it was National Stout Day, and November is the release of the Winter Warlock Birthday box, so there were a whole plethora of stouts on the tap list. We’re planning a review of that birthday box soon, so stay tuned.

You know how light and refreshing lemonade tastes on a sunny day? Well, this is not lemonade. But when Mike Bristol got together with brewer Mateusz Gulej at Browar Stu Mostow in Poland to collaborate on this beer, that’s the vibe they were going for.
Oatmeal Hoptart Description – Bristol Brewing website.

Oatmeal Hoptart Berliner Weisse – 3.8% ABV – This is an interesting interpretation on a Berliner Weisse. It’s only barely tart, and has a lemon flavor to it from the late hop additions. I chose the flight, which included the original in a sampler, and a choice of syrups for the other three, I picked raspberry, tangerine, and blueberry.

It’s really quite tasty, and I have to admit, if you gave me a glass of the syrup added version, and didn’t tell me what it was, I don’t know that I would have identified it as a beer. It’s fruity and sweet, maybe a little more fruit syrup than I would have added, but it’s really refreshing and tasty.

Cheyenne Cañon Piñon Nut Brown Ale – 5.7% ABV – I think I’m in love. If you’re looking for a nut brown, I suggest giving this one a try. It’s malty and balanced, with the pinon nuts providing a light, nutty flavor addition. It may be brown in color, but don’t make the mistake in thinking it’s thick and heavy, it’s light and approachable, like many brown ales. Love the flavor, I could see myself drinking this regularly. As a bonus, it’s one of Bristol’s community beer series, and 100% of the profits go to “Friends of Cheyenne Cañon”

[Jesse]
I have lived in Colorado Springs for most of my adult life, for almost — well, let’s just say I got here juuust before Bristol started operations. So it’s not surprising to me that I can’t remember a time where I couldn’t go to a store or bar in town and get a Beehive Honey Wheat, a Mass Transit, or, one of my favorites, a Laughing Lab. Such is how I think of Bristol Brewing, kind of like the place that started the craft beer industry in Colorado Springs. Maybe not the father of the local breweries, but at least the big brother. My impression my not be accurate, but that’s how I see them, anyway.

So, with it having been quite some time since our last visit, and our Thursday outing coincidentally falling on International Stout Day, it seemed like Bristol was a a great place to go. Once we arrived, getting a flight of mostly stouts seemed like the most obvious thing to do. International Stout Day? The Winter Warlock Box was released just days before (so they had a bunch of stouts on tap)? Perfect! However, as I was sampling the beer and dutifully taking tasting notes so I could write a thoughtful, intelligent and insightful post, Mike mentioned on important detail to me: Three of the six beers I was sampling are in the Winter Warlock Birthday box we are planning on sampling that box and posting about in the very near future. Well, that took the wind out of my sails, but I persevered. I will share my thoughts on the beers I sampled that are not in the Winter Warlock Birthday Box with you, gentle reader, today and plan on providing my views on the box beers, and some insight to the differences between the draft and bottle variants of the boxed beers, when we discuss those in the near future. Onward.

Jesse’s Bristol flight
(L-R) Cherry Sour, Cherry Warlock, World Peace Death Ray Imperial IPA, Wireless Warlock Barrel Aged Stout, Winter Warlock Nitro, Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

Cherry Sour – 5.6% ABV 20 IBU – This is a pleasantly refreshing sour. Sour enough to actually be considered sour, in my opinion, and not simply “tart”. I enjoyed the way the cherry flavor played with the sourness. It wasn’t simply a cherry flavored beer that was sour at the finish, it was reminiscent of the sour cherry candies I’ve had in the past where the sourness was derived from the cherries but without the cloying sweetness. If you’re a fan of cherries, specifically sour cherries, be sure to give this one a try.

World Peace Death Ray Imperial IPA – 8% ABV 89 IBU – This seems like an IPA for the non-IPA drinker. It certainly made me rethink what an “Imperial IPA” was, for sure. Usually, I translate “Imperial IPA” to palate-destroying, mouth-puckering hop-bomb. But, not in this case. It starts with a malty sweetness that really lures you into the beer and finishes with a definite hoppiness with a hint of pine. Clearly, the 8% ABV is the imperial part of this beer, but it’s so smooth, one wouldn’t guess that it’s packing that kind of punch.

Winter Warlock Nitro – 6% ABV No IBU – I’m normally a huge fan of beers on nitro, but lately, I’ve been having an issue with them (all beers on nitro, mind you). I’ve noted that rather than the nitro giving the beers a smooth, creamy mouthfeel, I find that it’s making them seem to be too watery and thin and makes me think the beer is under-cabonated (at best) or downright flat (at worst). That’s doubly troubling when the beer is a stout; a beer in my mind that it supposed to have a heavier mouthfeel. Unfortunately, this beer was no exception to my recent experience. It tasted great, but the nitro just made it thin. I was a bit disappointed.

As mentioned previously, I made a strategic error in my choice of beers during this visit so I am going to simply acknowledge that I also sampled Cherry Warlock, Wireless Warlock Barrel Aged Stout, and the Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. Since they are included with the newly released Birthday Box, I’ll wait until that post to share my thoughts. (Spoiler: I’d happily order a pint of any of them)

I hope that it’s not too long until our next visit to Bristol, but , with so many fantastic breweries in Colorado Springs, I fear it may be.

Beers we’ve reviewed at Bristol Brewing: