It was a small cast of characters, drawn to Colorado’s newest public offering of beers.
Nate, from Kansas. Nursing a Blonde on Nitro.
Heather, the Homebrewer. Pondering an Apricot Ale.
Jim. Looking for a Nut Brown.
Nick, the Brewer. Filling kegs.
Chris, self-described Beer Bitch. Cleaning up the bar.
Duane Lujan was at center stage, pouring beer. Duane has been serving homebrewers and wine makers in one way or another for decades, but this was different. As he pulled on one of several taps, dispensing beer into tall pint glasses, Duane was smiling. “27 years in the making,” he said, as he presented me with a rich, creamy-looking beauty that portended great things.
As of the third of May, Rocky Mountain Brewery is officially open. Beer is flowing and customers are buying kegs, growlers and pints at the low-key brewery, located at 625 Paonia on Colorado Springs’ eastside. You’ll find it alongside Wine-Crafters, a homebrewing and winemaking supply store that Duane has run for many years. Not surprisingly, his DIY customers are a good base for his new ITAPP (or I’ll Take a Pint, Please) business. Heather, who stopped by to pick up supplies for her next brew, took a few minutes to sample a new beer, and went back to buy more supplies. Nothing like a good beer to get you thinking about more beer.
Head Brewer Nick Hillborn has his work cut out for him. At RMB, they brew beers in batches from five gallons to 20 barrels at a time, and demand for some exceeds supply. The Nut Brown was gone on my visit. I drank the last drops of Apricot in the keg. But Nick was busy working on his day off, and already planning to make more.
They serve about eight or ten beers at the brewery, and for now it will be a fluid, changing selection. I sampled the Blonde on Nitro, the Apricot Ale, Amber #2, and Smoked Hefe - I could tell which tap was which by the scraps of paper taped to each one. Duane has been brewing beer since 1979, and he promises that variety will be a staple of the beers available at Rocky Mountain Brewing.
“We going to serve different beers, and see what sticks on the wall”, said Duane. “It’s simple, really - we’ll share the same beer we’re passionate about with other people. And whatever people buy the most of will become our flagship beers.” He has plans for at least one series, which will be available soon: Rocky Mountain Blonde, Rocky Mountain Redhead, and Rocky Mountain Brunette.
“He better get to brewing”, said Jim at the bar, who came looking for his favorite Nut Brown but settled for a pint of Amber. He liked it. Nate from Kansas had another problem. “I’m really torn. I can’t really choose just one, but that’s okay, I like them all so far. I feel like I’m in flavor country.”
Chris, the volunteer taptender, had sage advice: “Better sample them all again.”
For me, the beer at Rocky Mountain Brewing was a refreshing change. The Smoked Hefeweisen had subtle flavors, with nice character in the glass. Not too smokey, not too wheatey - just right. The Apricot, too, had just enough fruit to make it interesting without overpowering the beer. The Blonde on Nitro had the characteristic smooth bubble performance in the glass and on the tongue, with a pleasing blend of sweetness and just a hint of hops.
All the beers I sampled could be summed up with one word: refined, balanced, and very sociable. Okay, four words, but there wasn’t a dog in the bunch, and although they weren’t serving up any big hop bombs or malt assaults, I was happy. There’s new beer in town, and it is good.
Rocky Mountain Brewing is open from 10am to 9pm or so (depending upon the crowd), from Wednesday through Saturday. In addition to pints @ $3.75, you can buy their beer to-go in growlers, 5-gallon kegs and 15-gallon kegs, and you can also find it on tap at Slaton’s BBQ and Guthries’ Bar.
Nate, from Kansas. Nursing a Blonde on Nitro.
Heather, the Homebrewer. Pondering an Apricot Ale.
Jim. Looking for a Nut Brown.
Nick, the Brewer. Filling kegs.
Chris, self-described Beer Bitch. Cleaning up the bar.
Duane Lujan was at center stage, pouring beer. Duane has been serving homebrewers and wine makers in one way or another for decades, but this was different. As he pulled on one of several taps, dispensing beer into tall pint glasses, Duane was smiling. “27 years in the making,” he said, as he presented me with a rich, creamy-looking beauty that portended great things.
Mike Laur © DG2C
The Blond on Nitro.
Head Brewer Nick Hillborn has his work cut out for him. At RMB, they brew beers in batches from five gallons to 20 barrels at a time, and demand for some exceeds supply. The Nut Brown was gone on my visit. I drank the last drops of Apricot in the keg. But Nick was busy working on his day off, and already planning to make more.
They serve about eight or ten beers at the brewery, and for now it will be a fluid, changing selection. I sampled the Blonde on Nitro, the Apricot Ale, Amber #2, and Smoked Hefe - I could tell which tap was which by the scraps of paper taped to each one. Duane has been brewing beer since 1979, and he promises that variety will be a staple of the beers available at Rocky Mountain Brewing.
“We going to serve different beers, and see what sticks on the wall”, said Duane. “It’s simple, really - we’ll share the same beer we’re passionate about with other people. And whatever people buy the most of will become our flagship beers.” He has plans for at least one series, which will be available soon: Rocky Mountain Blonde, Rocky Mountain Redhead, and Rocky Mountain Brunette.
“He better get to brewing”, said Jim at the bar, who came looking for his favorite Nut Brown but settled for a pint of Amber. He liked it. Nate from Kansas had another problem. “I’m really torn. I can’t really choose just one, but that’s okay, I like them all so far. I feel like I’m in flavor country.”
Chris, the volunteer taptender, had sage advice: “Better sample them all again.”
For me, the beer at Rocky Mountain Brewing was a refreshing change. The Smoked Hefeweisen had subtle flavors, with nice character in the glass. Not too smokey, not too wheatey - just right. The Apricot, too, had just enough fruit to make it interesting without overpowering the beer. The Blonde on Nitro had the characteristic smooth bubble performance in the glass and on the tongue, with a pleasing blend of sweetness and just a hint of hops.
All the beers I sampled could be summed up with one word: refined, balanced, and very sociable. Okay, four words, but there wasn’t a dog in the bunch, and although they weren’t serving up any big hop bombs or malt assaults, I was happy. There’s new beer in town, and it is good.
Rocky Mountain Brewing is open from 10am to 9pm or so (depending upon the crowd), from Wednesday through Saturday. In addition to pints @ $3.75, you can buy their beer to-go in growlers, 5-gallon kegs and 15-gallon kegs, and you can also find it on tap at Slaton’s BBQ and Guthries’ Bar.
