Category Archives: Fort Collins

Hello again guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Fort Collins Major Tom’s Pomegranate Wheat produced by Fort Collins Brewing located in Fort Collins, Colorado.

I have seen quite a few Fort Collins brews in my area, however for some reason, I have not tried very many of them.  I’m hoping this beer gives me additional incentive to start picking them up more often.

Let’s see what the website, fortcollinsbrewery.com, has to say about this particular beverage.

Tart, Tangy, Refreshing.

Our take on an American Classic is the refreshingly crisp Major Tom’s Pomegranate Wheat.  This unique creation is brewed with real pomegranates and filtered to a bright finish.  The result is a striking straw blonde color and sweet-tart finish.  The perfect session beer.

Well, that sounds pleasant enough.  Let’s drink.

 
This brew has an ABV of about 5.1% and it comes in a 12 oz. bottle.

It poured a relatively clear golden to orange color with some yellow hues around the curves of the glass.  The cap was bright white.  It was smooth, but slightly soapy, of average size and the retention time was only “so-so”.  The lacing left behind was ok.  A few cobwebs were present after each sip. 

The nose presented a solid dose of wheat.  I thought the pomegranate was a touch light, but still aptly noticed.  Quite a bit of grain began to develop as the brew warmed.  Also, a very, very, very light “funk” and peppery spice added a bit more complexity and character.  Overall, it wasn’t very strong or robust and it actually started to smell a tad soapy towards the end of the drink.  Not too bad, however it was noticeable.  

Within the taste I, again, noticed a decent waft of wheat and grain.  The peppery spice seemed to step it up a smidgen more in the flavor than in the aroma.  It still wasn’t very strong though.  The pomegranate was easily noticed and a touch tart, however it kind of tasted like artificial sweetener.  I don’t know, it could have just been me.

The mouthfeel was medium to thin bodied.  It was smooth, crisp, refreshing and thirst quenching.  The carbonation was decent I thought.  It was quite watery though, therefore the flavor vanished relatively quickly after each sip.   

Well, I have no doubt that this would make for an excellent Summer session beer.  It just seemed a bit underscored in all categories to be considered a “top notch” beer in my opinion.  I had no problem drinking it, nor did I think it was a “bad” beer, but I was expecting something a touch better.  That’s not saying that you guys won’t find it to be a great beer.  It might suit your taste buds perfectly.  I think I will continue to seek out different Fort Collins brews though, and see how they compare to the one’s that I’ve already tried.  I’m sure I’ll find a few that I like.

Thanks for reading guys.  If you have had the opportunity to try the Major Tom’s Pomegranate Wheat leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.  I would love to hear from you.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.2 out of 5
Grade:  C+   

Hi guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying a Fort Collins 1900 Amber produced by the Fort Collins Brewery situated in Fort Collins, Colorado.

It’s been some time since I last had a Fort Collins brew and I’m starting to get thirsty, so let’s get to the website, fortcollinsbrewery.com, and see what they have to say about this Lager. 

1900 is a nod to the very things that got us where we are today – crisp, clean microbrews all from the belly of a little brewery tucked away in the outskirts of Old Town.  The result is a superbly refreshing, bright and delicately balanced amber lager.

Let’s try it.

This brew has an ABV of about 4.5% and it comes in a 12 oz. bottle. 

It poured an orangish/amber color with some burnt yellow highlights around the curves of the glass.  It had a very small, off white head that was a bit soapy in texture.  Very little retention time was had (it was gone pretty quick actually) and the lacing was very scant.  Overall, it was mostly clear with a smidge of chill haze initially. 

The nose on this beer had a bit of caramel malt with touches of toasted biscuit and grain.  Some wheat bread characteristics were also noticed.  It was lightly floral with an herbal to slightly dank smelling hop profile.  Not a whole lot going on with the aroma.  It was balanced ok, but it wasn’t overly complex or robust.

The taste brought forth some caramel and toffee malts.  Somewhat sweet with toasted bread crusts and baked biscuits.  It seemed a touch grainy too.  It was lightly hopped with just a smattering of bitterness.  The taste was mostly clean and earthy, however like the smell, it wasn’t very complicated or forceful. 

The mouthfeel was a medium to medium/thin.  Smooth, crisp, clean and snappy.  It was a tad bit watery and not a lot of flavor was left behind after the sip.

Well.  This was an ok beer I guess.  I can’t say that it was anything outstanding, although I never found anything out of the ordinary or off putting.  It was very easy to drink and would make for a decent little session brew, but I probably wouldn’t seek this out to share with friends.  I mean sure, if it was offered, I would drink it again.  I’d say if you see it, give it a try, but don’t go out of your way to find it.  With that said, if you do try or have tried the Fort Collins 1900 Amber let me know you interpretation of the brew.

Thanks for checking back in on another review.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.3 out of 5
Grade:  B- 

Tonight’s review is of a chocolate stout from the Fort Collins Brewery located in Fort Collins, Colorado.

This will be my first beer from this brewery.  I went to their website, fortcollinbrewery.com, and found that they have a nice selection to choose from.

First, a brewers description of the Chocolate Stout.

Smooth, Creamy, Irresistible.  A velvety smooth mouthfeel and impeccable flavor make this stout positively seductive as the medium body of the brew leaves you wishing your glass was bottomless.  Subtle hop bitterness rounds out the character of roasted barley and chocolate malt in this proven classic.  

Ok.  Let’s see how it is.

The Fort Collins came in a 12 oz. bottle and checked in at 5.3% ABV.

It poured a nice dark brown/black color with some faint ruby/red highlights around the bottom and sides.  The head was a tan color of well-to-do size and presentable retention.  The head was not as creamy as I thought it might be and, in all actuality, it was kind of soapy looking.  I found that to be a bit odd coming from a stout.  Either way, it left some pretty nice patches of lacing along the edges as I sipped.

The smell was rather sharp and robust notes of a burnt or roasted coffee.  Some chocolate is in there, but it’s not very prevalent.  It seems to be an afterthought really, even though this is considered to be a “chocolate” stout.  As I perused the fragrance a bit more, I found a surprising “red bean” type of aroma.  Almost like what you would find from red beans and rice.  Hmm… that’s different.

The taste provided a pronounced coffee stab coinciding with the aforementioned “red bean” flavor that, truth be told, was kind of interesting.  The chocolate seemed to be pushed even further in the background, with the taste, than it was in the smell.  Small amounts of bitterness caress the tongue to add some character.  The tone of flavor did not seem to be very well balanced to me.  I thought it could have been better.

The mouthfeel was a medium mouthfeel that actually leaned a touch toward the thin side.  It was smooth and left a scant amount of essence behind, but as the beer warmed it started to get a tad watery.

I had hoped this beer was going to be really good.  It wasn’t horrible by any means, although it paled in comparison to some of the other Stouts that I’ve had.  It was drinkable and I could have another no problem, but I found that this example was not utterly balanced as well or quite as robust in character as I prefer from this style.  It almost presented itself as more of a “coffee” stout, in my opinion.  With that being said, you may find it quite good. Pick it up and give it a try and let me know what you think of it.

As always, thanks for reading and please leave a comment if you have any questions or critiques.

Score:  3.35 out of 5
Grade:  B-