Marks Lanham and David Lin of Comrade Brewing give us their answers to Beer in Review 2014.
As 2014 comes to a close, we’re once again asking leading figures on the Colorado beer scene to reflect on the past year and look ahead to next. This next installment in our 4th annual Beer In Review features David Lin and Marks Lanham of Denver’s , which is in its first year of existence and already is blowing away the city’s craft beer community by its outstanding brews. A fresh hopped version of the brewery’s Superpower IPA won a silver medal in the 2014 Great American Beer Festival and by some of the state’s best brewers as the premiere Indian Pale Ale brewed in the state. Those are pretty heady compliments, making beer enthusiasts thirst for more from this little brewery on Denver’s southeast border.
Here are David’s and Marks’ answers:
Favorite beer of the year Marks: Fresh Hop Pallet Jack. I was feeling good about our fresh hop beer, until I drank this on Friday at GABF. Great beer and amazing crew at Barley Brown’s.
David: Runoff Red IPA. I bought cases of it while we were trying to get open, a midst the construction, permitting and all that fun stuff. Cannot wait to buy more when it is back on the shelves again next month.
Colorado brewery of the year: Marks: . Cask beer was pretty much dead to me until I started going to Hogshead. They really know how to make a proper cask beer.
David: Hogshead. No one else is making so many flavorful and authentic English-style beers on the level that Hogshead is. and are tied in a very close second place.
New Colorado brewery of the year: David and Marks: Excellent quality beer, really shows that there is a professional brewer at the helm.
Colorado brewery to watch in 2015:
David & Marks: Loved the beers that Bill Eye and Ashleigh Carter have made in the past and cannot wait for the lagers Bierstadt will be brewing next year.
Most notable craft beer news or trend of 2014: Marks: New brewery openings. An average of 1.5 new openings a day is astounding.
David: The acquisition of by Anheuser-Busch InBev generated many responses from the craft beer community.
Craft beer trend to watch for in 2015: Marks: Brewery closings.
David: Brewers leaving to start up their own businesses. This year you saw this happen to , , and . I think we will see more brewers leaving to do their own projects and opening. Looking forward to Spangalang and .
In addition, David and Marks wanted to add … For Comrade happenings, there have been a lot of requests for a Double IPA. We have been making sure that we have enough hops to get through the brew year, so we will be releasing an IIPA near the end of January/beginning of February. We have done two brewer collaborations so far, Kirk McHale and with Bill Eye & Ashleigh Carter, but our first brewery collaboration is coming in March. Details to come.
Previous installments in this year’s series:
