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Thursday, September 28, 2006

GABF: Wynkoop Brewing Co.

No visit to Denver -- especially during the GABF -- is truly complete without a stop at the Wynkoop Brewing Co. Located at 18th Street and Wynkoop, this place fueled the rebirth of LoDo. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper founded Wynkoop in 1986. Just a couple of blocks from Coors Field, it made the perfect stop for a pre-game beer.

Mike, Darrin and I ordered a number of 5 ounce samples, which at $1 each, is one of the best beer values you will find anywhere. It's also the only way you can really attempt to take on the long list of regular and seasonal brews the Wynkoop has on tap.

We had several favorites during this visit. The Ba Dunkel Dunk, is a 5.2 percent alcohol by volume dark weiss that has a mild roasted malt character and a great banana flavor profile.

The St. Charles ESB, a very mild extra special bitter using Brewers, Willamete and Cascade hops, reminded me of bitters I enjoyed while spending time in England during college.

Adulterator Dopplebock was a very smooth dark lager and a 6.6 percent kick.

The two most interesting brews we tried was actual a single beer finished two different ways. Tripel Sixes, a Belgian style brew made of 6/6/06, had an interesting nose as a result of the use of three sugars, two malts and two yeasts in the brewing process. At 10.1 alcohol by volume this was big beer, but it did not fully prepare us for Tripel Barrel. Starting with the Tripel Sixes brew, it was finished in used Woodford Reserve Bourbon barrels. This beer was very different than most you will ever taste. It has a sweet taste that finishes with a touch of tart green apple. I'm not sure if I'd like to down more than one pint, but the five ounce sample was a treat.

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