Blue Raven Brewing, Cheyenne WY

20 June 2023

This is exactly the kind of place I wish was in my neighborhood. I didn’t go here first because they don’t have food (you can bring your own in), but it was my favorite by far.

I wish I’d thought to get a photo of the outside when I left. The brewery/taproom is in an 1883 Queen Anne Cottage in an historic district of Cheyenne. Here’s a photo of the place from back in the day:

They’ve created a large outdoor space but I went inside (out of the heat!) and took a seat at the bar. That worked to my advantage for sure as the young bartender turned out to have moved here from eastern Massachusetts, and a local who came in later and sat next to me had also moved here from MA. What a small world!

The inside space isn’t huge, but not small either. Even better, they do flights of 6 so I had a great selection of their beers which again are described left-to-right:

Corson (4.5%, German Pilsner) – Now this is a Pilsner! Put this one side by side with the one from Accomplice and I can’t imagine why anyone would drink the Accomplice version.

Golden Eagle (5%, British Golden Ale) – I think this is only the second example of this style I’ve ever run across but this is certainly the better of the two. They will do 10oz pours as well and that’s what I did for this one after finishing the flight (even though I really didn’t need another beer).

Floof Monster (6.1%, Brut Rosé) – OK, this is a style I’ve never seen before so I’m just going to quote verbatim their description: “In memory of a loving pup nicknamed ‘Floof Monster’ for his ultra fuzzy hair, this stellar beer with sparkling white wine flavor qualities will definitely provide some warm fuzzies. It features the sweet yet sour notes of raspberry and a touch of hibiscus, providing a hint of cranberry-like flavor.” It wasn’t my favorite, but I did rather enjoy it. It was certainly creative without yelling in your face.

Copper Heart (4.5%, Amber Ale) – They got this one just right, I think. It was such a close contender for that followup 10oz glass.

Habitat Impact (6.1%, Hazy IPA) – This is one of their best-sellers and it’s easy to see why. This was another close contender …

Blue Raven (6.7%, IPA) – Of the six, this one was my least favorite. The flavors were good but the hops overpowered things a bit for my taste.

The bartender, the local (an ex-military veteran with extensive tattoos who is now a custom cabinetmaker and butcher), and I had a great time talking about life and families and all sorts of things. It was the kind of conversation that just makes you feel like you belong even though you have virtually nothing in common with the other people, but you all just get along anyway.

If I’m back on this route in the future, I’ll be back at Blue Raven.