Gordon
Being the bad boy on the block can get expensive. Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons stood the microbrew world on its ear when it marketed its beers in cans in 2002.
Last week, the tiny brewery released two limited-edition winter beers, Gordon and Leroy, in cans but not until it figured out a way around the minimum order of 250,000 cans, way more than they needed. The solution: Buy a limited number of blank cans (they made only 400 cases of each beer), glue paper labels on by hand.
Gordon, named for Colorado brewing legend Gordon Knight, who died in a helicopter crash two years ago, is a dream beer for hops fans. Made with six malts and three kinds of hops, it is “dry-hopped,” given additional hops late in the brewing process to add hop aroma to the beer. It is a hearty 9.3 percent alcohol (by volume).
Gordon is available only on the Front Range in Colorado in four-packs for $10.99. It was sold in bottles in previous years.
– Dick Kreck
