{"id":534,"date":"2015-08-26T21:58:34","date_gmt":"2015-08-26T21:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/isobaresoffit.com\/?p=534"},"modified":"2015-08-28T15:35:17","modified_gmt":"2015-08-28T15:35:17","slug":"colorado-craft-beers-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isobaresoffit.com\/2015\/08\/26\/colorado-craft-beers-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Craft Beers #1"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’re fortunate to live in the state that has well over 150 different\u00a0microbreweries and brew pubs.\u00a0 It would probably be ambitious of us to think that we can visit them all, but we’re willing to give it a try :).\u00a0 Just to be clear, a microbrewery is a traditional brewery brewing craft beers for wholesale on a limited scale and a brew pub is where beers are brewed and served\u00a0on the premise of a pub or restaurant.\u00a0 We enjoy going to both, but our focus is going to be on visiting the microbreweries.\u00a0 This past week we visited Bristol Brewing Company<\/a> in Colorado Springs, which is definitely a slightly different experience than other microbreweries that we’ve visited in the past.<\/p>\n

\"Bristol<\/a>
Bristol Brewery Beer Vats<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Bristol<\/a>
Bristol Brewery and Pub<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bristol Brewing Company is now located inside of an elementary school called Ivy Wild<\/a> that was built in 1916.\u00a0 In 2012, Bristol Brewing Company and several other businesses including a delicatessen called The Principal’s Office,\u00a0The Old School\u00a0Bakery, and an espresso\/cocktail bar took over the school to create a unique eating and drinking environment.\u00a0 As with most microbreweries, Bristol has a pub on site where you can enjoy a flight tasting of all of their beers or simply enjoy a pint of your favorite craft beer.<\/p>\n

\"Ivy<\/a>
Ivy Wild School<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Old School Bakery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a quick bite at The Principal’s Office, we went over to the pub for a flight of Bristol’s beers.\u00a0 Several of Bristol’s beers are widely distributed, so they can be found at many establishments and liquor stores throughout Colorado, but there were several that we’ve not had before.\u00a0 Bristol brews several IPA’s and Pale Ales, but they have enough variety for anyone to find a beer that is right for their palate.\u00a0 One of the nice things about microbreweries is that they will often feature a couple of seasonal beers that are available for a limited time, which gives you the chance to taste something unique for every season.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Principal’s Office<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Brew<\/a>
Brew Master at Bristol Brewing Company<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For our tasting, we tried the Laughing Lab Scottish Ale, which is their signature, award winning, craft beer.\u00a0 We also tasted the Beehive Honey Wheat, the Mass Transit Ale, the Bristol White IPA, the Belgian Pale Ale, the Red Rocket Pale Ale, and the Compass IPA.\u00a0 As is typical, craft beers can be a little more hoppy than traditional beers, but these didn’t leave that bitter after taste and our favorite was the Mass Transit Ale, which is more of an amber ale.\u00a0 Another benefit that microbreweries and brew pubs offer is the ability to buy growlers, which are bottles that hold\u00a0five or six pints worth of beer and can be brought back in for refills throughout the year.<\/p>\n

\"Beer<\/a>
Beer Flight at Bristol Pub<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Growlers<\/a>
Growlers and Bombers at the Bristol Pub<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Bristol Pub is definitely a fun place and one that we’ll return to again in the future.\u00a0 We were there during the day on our last visit, but by the time we were ready to leave, it was already starting to fill up with a young and vibrant crowd.\u00a0 With so many microbreweries and brew pubs to choose from, we’re already starting to think of where we want to go next.<\/p>\n

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