Rock Bottom Visit January 2020

January 6, 2020 Mike

This week, we started back on checking off stops on our Colorado Springs on Tap Craft Brewery Passport, and one of the stops that we hadn’t haven’t been to was Rock Bottom. So it was an easy choice on where to go for our first brewery visit of 2020. Of course I’m sure by now that you know the Colorado Springs on Tap Craft Brewery Passport has a whole list of breweries on it, and you get a free flight of beer at each of the breweries listed. We don’t have any relationship withe the makers of the passport, but I have to say, it’s worth every penny.

In episode 5 of our video, “Gift Suggestions for Beer Lovers“, we mentioned Rock Bottom, and there was a bit of a discussion on whether or not it was an independent brewer or not. Well, we found the answer, according to the Brewer’s Association directory, not only is Rock Bottom an “independent brewer”, but they are also a Brewer’s Association member.

That was great news, because I’ll be honest, Rock Bottom has some great beers. I remember a time when the bar was full of chalk boards with special releases and all sorts of variety, and I don’t know what happened to them, but they still have a pretty respectable tap list, and although we didn’t partake of any food, I’ve always been impressed with their menu items.

Jesse and I were the only one of our brain trust to make this visit, the holidays had all sorts of family and friends visiting our normal crew. It was still good to catch up a bit more after the holidays, even though we had just seen each other on New Years Eve 🙂

Chili Kolsch – No idea on the ABV or IBU of this. Rock Bottom always has a chili beer on tap, and they rotate it through various styles, and this time, it’s on their Kolsch.

As you would expect from a Kolsch, it was light, and clear, I was a half expecting the chili flavor to be a bit overdone, but that absolutely wasn’t the case. Chili Aroma and flavor were there, but they were very light and really complimented the beer. There was a little bit of spiciness as well, but nothing to be off putting. I seriously enjoyed this iteration of the chili beer.

The Haze (East Coast IPA) – 7.2 ABV, 70 IBU. Really fruity IPA, I picked up a lot of tangerine in the aroma, and very nice tropical flavor that carried through to the finish. Really a great Hazy IPA. The only thing I can find fault with is that it wasn’t in fact hazy.

Interestingly enough, the menu said that no hops were boiled when this beer was brewed.

Tank Buster Brown Ale – Me and tank buster go way back. It was the first beer that I remember having at Rock Bottom years and years ago. Named in honor of the A-10 Warthog, this is just a delicious brown ale.

This time around, I picked up a lot more chocolate in it than normal, and I quite enjoyed it. The expected maltiness was there, and it still maintained it’s light body and medium mouthfeel. I’m a big fan of browns in general, and this beer in particular.

Strawberry Tart – 4.5% ABV, 10 IBU – Many examples of kettle sour beers that I have are pretty darn tart. I mean makes your jaw hurt tart. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy those quite a bit. Strawberry tart wasn’t one of those, it had a medium tartness that was really gentle and very tasty.

The strawberry flavor is a bit too understated for me. Barely discernible, and even then, more of a general berry flavor. It was still a very tasty beer, and I would be pleased to have even more.

Dark Beer (Stout) – 6.2% ABV, 55 IBU – The tap list says it’s brewed with a non-traditional grain bill, and although I don’t know what exactly that entailed, I do know that I quite enjoyed this beer. The hops and roasty note combined at the finish in a very interesting flavor. Medium mouthfeel, and somewhat dry finish. I ordered this after we finished out flights, and I was pretty happy with my choice.

[Jesse] Rock Bottom is one of the places that my wife and I can easily agree on if we’re trying to decide on a place to go for dinner. The food is excellent and, as Mike mentioned, the beer is typically top-notch.

Normally, I really like to go to locally owned breweries (or any business, to be honest) if given the option and I was a tad disappointed when I saw that Rock Bottom was on the Brewery Passport, assuming it was part of a giant conglomerate, but apparently there was no need for worry. Additionally, I had heard that, while Rock Bottom is a franchise with locations all over the U.S., each location is given some leeway in what they brew which lets me see it as the craft brewery they seem to be. It’s nice to know that the brewer is given some control and artistic license over what they brew. That seems like a positive work environment to me.

Oast House IPA – 6.9% ABV 70 IBU – A good west coast IPA, this. I’ve been taking a break from IPAs the last few months, but this is the second or third IPA I’ve had recently that is making me rethink my self-imposed hiatus.

It started somewhat sweet and finished with a nice hop bitterness, but it wasn’t too bitter.

Proletarian Munich Helles – 5.3% ABV 18 IBU – One of the styles I found that I liked quite a bit from the 2019 German Brewers Advent Calendar are the various types of helles style beers, so I thought I’d give this one a try.

With a malty, sweet start, it finished slightly dry and very clean. Nothing here to discourage me from pursuing my new found interest in helles.

Imperial Yendor Stout – 9.2% ABV 50 IBU – Definitely an imperial stout. It had a great, rich mouthfeel and a hint of chocolate with a roasty finish.

I would not have guessed that this was as big a beer as it is. There is no boozy or hot finish.

Raspberry Ralphie Red – ?? ABV ?? IBU – To be honest, not my favorite beer of the night. I didn’t get any raspberry flavor. I don’t even know if I would have pegged this for a red if I hadn’t seen it listed as such on the menu.

That said, this isn’t a bad beer – just not what I was expecting. I would recommend getting something else if someone asked me for a recommendation.

Belgian White Ale – 6.4 % 20 IBU – This is usually my “go to” beer when I come here with family or friends. With a slight Belgian character that you would expect and distinctive orange and coriander flavors.

It may not be a classic representation of the style but it’s quite good and pairs well with a good meal.

List of beers we’ve had at rock Bottom: