Dueces Wild (T-Gap) October 2019 Visit

October 22, 2019October 22, 2019 Jesse

A few months ago, Mike and I decided to order the Colorado Springs On Tap Craft Brewery Passport which, for a few bucks, entitles the recipient to a free flight of beer at ten local breweries. Well, between trying to finish off our list and going to breweries to partake of some special taps, we’ve been neglecting using the free flights so we’ve decided to remedy that. Since Dueces Wilds is one of the participating breweries and we haven’t been to the new taproom, it seemed like that was a no-brainer. Check out a “new” place and have some free beer? Sign me up. Bill was able to join us this evening as well and he seemed to be getting more adventurous in his beer sampling. He didn’t care for all of the beer he got in his flights (but some he liked quite a bit) but I give him kudos for expanding his boundaries.

As I hadn’t been to the taproom when it was 1876, I can’t really comment on how the decor of the place did or did not change, but it was inviting and promoted a sense of community (a euphemism for them having a few large tables). It was a bit smaller than I was expecting, however. The service was awesome as was the beer. I was remiss in taking pictures for some reason while we were there. Not certain why, but it is what it is.

The Joker (IPA) – 6.5% ABV, 70 IBU – I really like this beer. It’s clearly an IPA based on the hop profile, but it’s nicely balanced. Hops are present at the finish, but don’t overpower the beer. I definitely would have a pint of this.

Knuckle Dragger (Scotch Ale) – 7% ABV, 30 IBU – This is the beer that has been getting much deserved press lately. DW won gold for this beer at the GABF 2019. Obviously, this is a fantastic beer. However, I remember Scotch Ales as having more of a sweet maltiness and heavier mouthfeel than this beer has.

[Mike] I too really liked this beer. Caramel and fairly sweet, it finished with a really pleasant grainy flavor that I really enjoyed.

Drivers Seat (Barleywine) – 9.5% ABV, 98 IBU – Barleywines might not be for everyone, but I’m becoming more of a fan. This one is certainly one that I would recommend to anyone wanting to give them a try. Sweet at a the start and, of course, finishing with quite a bit of warmth but not as much as one might expect from a nearly double digit beer. The thing that set this one apart was the hint of licorice throughout.

[Mike] Like Jesse, I’m becoming a big fan of Barleywines, and this one was really good. Heavy dark sugar flavor, maybe hints of molasses. Low to moderate boozy finish. Having the boozy flavors in beer is something that I used to not enjoy, but I’m working my way into appreciating them, so I may be a little more sensitive to it than Jesse is.

Funky Gnome (Belgian Pale Ale) – 5.3% ABV, 25 IBU – I was happy to see that there was a Belgian beer on the menu. This one does have a Belgian character to it, suggesting to me that some Belgian yeast variant was used, but it was also a lot more bitter at the finish that I would expect. I feel that if it were a more dry than bitter finish, it would really do wonders for this beer.

Blood Orange (American Pale Ale) – 6% ABV, 56 IBU – I cheated on this one, I’ve had it before and loved it so I couldn’t resist getting it again. It was as before, a dominant blood orange flavor throughout with some bitterness at the finish. Bill pointed out that he thought it was more of a grapefruit flavor than blood orange. I can see that, but blood orange is still what leaps to mind for me. Really a fantastic beer.

Mike’s 2 bits

When we were headed to Dueces Wild, I knew that I hadn’t had the Knuckle Dragger yet, and of course we knew it took gold at GABF this year, but I thought I was going to be pretty familiar with the rest of the lineup. Well I was pleasantly surprised to run across two of their beers that I hadn’t heard of, and I’m glad that we ended up there because they were absolutely delicious.

Summers Amber – Amber Lager – 5.2% ABV, 25 IBUs. According to Dueces Wild’s website, this beer was inspired by the brewer’s ancestor, Leonard Summer of South Park Colorado. It’s similar to a Maertzen or Oktoberfest style beer. If you find a typical Marzens being a bit too sweet and heavy for you, I suggest you give this one a try. It’s light and malty, with a really nice corn or grain flavor in the finish. It’s lighter in body than most Marzens, except when it comes to flavor.

Time Warp – Pre-Prohibition Style Pilsner – 5.8% ABV, 31 IBU – This one was a big surprise for me, I’m not real familiar with the style, but if they’re anything like this, I’m going to have to seek them out.
Light and flavorful, slightly bitter, but with a smoother, less crisp hop finish than a Czech Pilsner, it has a nice corn flavor with just the smallest hint of sulfur to it. It’s really easy drinking and pleasing to the palate, and light enough that you could really have several in a single sitting.

Full List of Duece’s Wild Beers we’ve reviewed: