Brian Hutchinson (provided by Cannonball Creek).
As 2014 comes to an end, 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 series features Brian Hutchinson of Cannonball Creek Brewing in Golden, which has racked up an impressive medal haul in just two years – including a GABF gold for its Black IPA and a World Beer Cup bronze for Featherweight Pale this year. Expect a big anniversary party Jan. 17 (including a new anniversary beer and specialty tappings) and more beer on draft around town thanks to a new fermentation vessel. Hutch’s picks:
Favorite beer of the year: I’m not picking just one. Here are three that come to mind: Blakkr from Three Floyds, Real Ale and Surly. A flawless execution of a difficult style to nail. One of the best Black IPAs I’ve ever had. A close second goes to Comrade Brewing Company’s Superpower IPA. Honorable mention goes to Bull and Bush’s Grapefruit Pale Ale. Creative non-traditional, sessionable and delicious.
Colorado brewery of the year: Way too hard to pick one so I will cop out and mention a couple breweries that I think have done an amazing job this year. Funkwerks continues to impress with everything they put out. I have really enjoyed their single-hop saisons. These guys definitely understand balance. Another brewery that I don’t think gets enough credit is Twelve Degree in Louisville. They are putting out some high quality Belgian inspired ales and their taproom is an awesome place to enjoy their wide selection of creative beers. Hogshead and Station 26 continue to shine as well.
New Colorado brewery of the year: Comrade Brewing Company. Top-notch beers across the board from day one, and one of the best American IPAs on the planet. Nice work, David and Marks.
Colorado brewery to watch in 2015: Call to Arms Brewing Company. These guys are incredibly passionate about craft beer, come from an amazing pedigree, and are doing everything right from the planning stages. I am also really looking forward to seeing what comes from Avery once their expansion is complete. They are already crushing it with a solid line-up of core beers and a killer barrel aged series. I can’t wait to see what happens when capacity increases.
Most notable craft beer news or trend of 2014: Well-made session beers getting the respect they deserve! Not only have there been some fantastic new session IPAs, but I have also seen pale ales make a bit of a comeback. In addition to this I’ve seen some excellent examples of sessionable stouts, sours, hoppy wheats and fruit beers.
Craft beer trend to watch for in 2015: Small breweries continuing to open at an alarming rate. This goes hand in hand with with more educated consumers and the need to focus on beer quality. Also, mid-size craft breweries will continue to go through significant expansions as demand continues to grow.
Previous installments in this year’s series:
