If I know you are going out of town, you can count the fact that I’m going to ask you to bring me back some beer, hopefully, beer I can’t find in St. Louis. Earlier this summer, my colleague Jim embarked on an annual trip into the Rocky Mountains, but for my purposes, he was going on a 2,000-mile beer run, and Jim did not disappoint. So, as the air tonight in St. Louis appears to have a bit of a fall nip to it, I thought I’d break this brew out the old beer fridge. Tonight’s writing beer is
1916 Colorado Lager | ABV: 4.5% | IBU’s: 25
Like any beer, it tastes better if there is a good story to go along with it, and this 1916 has one heck of a story attached to it.
The beer was brewed to just as a lager would have been in Denver around the time of Colorado prohibition which went into effect at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1915. According to Renegade founder Brian O’Connell, lagers were the predominant beer style at the time. Denver beer culture was heavily German influenced in the early days of the city.
However, American lagers were distinctive in their addition of a premium ingredient, flaked corn. “We have done our best to recreate what we think a lager brewed in Denver at the time would have been like,” writes O’Connell. “Our 1916 lager is based on a German Dortmunder beer. The water would have been fresh from the Rockies and full of minerals prior to modern water filtration and treatment systems, so we added minerals to our water to simulate the water composition.”
Lastly, he added premium flaked corn for a truly American experience. Now, I’m enjoying this 1916 from a can, but if you venture out to Colorado and visit Renegade, you’ll find that this beer is served in a 20oz mug!
“When my twins were born, they spent three weeks in the NICU,” writes O’Connell. “It was a stressful time and when my wife and I would get home late at night after spending the day with them we would split three cans of beer between two 20oz mugs that we have at home. I realized the beauty of the big mug during this time. So, if you like this idea, you have my children Emmett and Gracie to thank.”
Cheers to Colorado and Renegade Brewing Company. I look forward to clinking mugs with you all soon.
Color & Clarity
Pours a nice golden yellow.
Carbonation & Head
Frothy head with a nice medium carbonation.
Aroma
Malty. Honey and bread.
Flavor
A good lager, clean and crisp. Some sweetness too. Toasty from the breads or biscuits.
Mouthfeel
Medium body
