Glenwood Canyon Brewing, Glenwood Springs CO

Summer Trip 2022, Day 6

The hotel may be nothing to write home about, but Glenwood Canyon Brewing just about made up for everything else! They’re proud of all the beer awards they’ve won, and for good reason based on my tastings.

The place is quite large; I’m only in the bar area and there’s a much, much larger area that’s all tables as well as the outside area you can see in one of these photos.

As usual, I started off with a flight of four:

Because you can read about the beers in one of the photos above, I’ll just give my impressions of them:

Hanging Lake Light Lager – this is billed as a Mexican-style lager, but I didn’t quite get that; I’d expected a distinctive maize flavor that wasn’t quite there, but that didn’t stop this one from being one of my favorites in this flight.

Grizzly Creek Raspberry Wheat – I loved the first few sips! By the time I finished the sampler, I knew I’d never want a pint of this one, but it certainly was well done and refreshing.

Diamond Jack Pilsner – I can go hot or cold on pilsners, but this was one I really did like. It might have been a bit hoppier than I would prefer, but it really hit the spot today.

Vapor Cave India Pale Ale – truth be told, I read this one as just a Pale Ale so was surprised by how similar it was to an IPA … doh! It’s definitely assertive, but without being obnoxiously so, and it would have been a contender for a pint had I been so inclined. But no, first food and then a second flight …

I was debating what to get to eat but this was the special today and it sounded like a good bet! It’s a “cowboy flatbread” with BBQ sauce, onions, peppers, marinated sirloin sliced thin, and cheeses, and it smelled SO good when the waitress brought it. Plus, it came with that pretty little side salad, which was just what I wanted. The flatbread didn’t disappoint, and I was very full from it – it’s a lot more food than it may appear in the photo!

St James Irish Red – I couldn’t point at anything wrong with this one, but it just wasn’t what I was in the mood for today. If you think of a typical Irish Red and double it, that’s what this was – double the flavor. In the Fall, it would probably be my first pick.

Desert Morning Cold IPA – This may have been my favorite of the two flights overall! Well-balanced, flavorful, not too hoppy … just a beautiful, easy-drinking beer.

GCBPxComrade Cold Fusion IPA – The pineapple really came through in this one. The white wine, I’m happy to say, didn’t. It was good, but not great to my taste.

Coloradough King – My waitress hadn’t had a chance to try this one yet as it was very new, but she planned to try it out as soon as she ended her shift today. I overheard the bartender telling one of the regulars that this was “a dollar an ounce” for whatever size you want. It was … big … in a very BIG sort of way, and yes, the glazed donut flavor was there as well. I didn’t dislike it, but I think sharing the sampler size with someone else would have been even better.

There’s no brewpub where I’m staying tomorrow evening so I’ll just be trying some beers at a regular pub. Oh well!