Last updated on November 26th, 2018 at 07:05 am
Yesterday we finally got round to visiting the Brewhouse and Tap Room at Grimm Brothers of Loveland.
It was a nice surprise to find that of the 5 beers they had on tap…
- Snow Drop – Honey Wheat Ale
- Little Red Cap – Alt Style Ale
- The Fearless Youth – Dunkel Lager
- Master Thief – German Porter
- The Owl – Smoked Porter
Not 3, or 4 – but all 5 were GREAT tasting beers – not one was a “dud” – or a watered down sell-out to what I have come to consider the “American norm” – and if you want to know what I mean, try tasting a “Fat Tire” – a decidedly mass-produced “micro” – or … mass-market, not a great seller.
The team at Grimm Bros (Don Chapman, Aaron Heaton and Russell Fruits) have embraced German brewing, and German OLD-STYLE brewing (prior to the German law – Reinheitsgebot – or “Purity law” – requiring only 3 ingredients in beer: water, barley, and hops).
I digress – back to the beer… they had 5 of them – remember?
We sampled all 5 – Grimm Bros offer a flight of sampler for $4 – and it’s a good deal – about the same (from memory) as ODell’s – so you can get an idea of the depth of flavors that eminate from these wonderful brews…
We liked their wheat – but I often reserve hefes for the summer season – their red was smooth as reds go – and it was flavorful with a great tune of flavors. Where I got really excited were the darker beer – their Dunkel was rich and a delight to drink… but as the brews got darker, they got more intense in their profiles… this is where great beers live…
When I reached “Master Thief” – a German Porter style beer, the flavor symphony was in full swing – the oboes and tubas were really starting to play – rich notes and a grandstand of flavors dancing across the palate – pre-and post notes abound… it was a delight.
All hell broke loose when I got to the final taster.. “The Owl” – a smoked porter – where deep chocolate and coffee notes brought this tune to a roaring crescendo… the fact that this ale has a 7.6% ABV means that along with flavor, some serious alcohol “heft” comes to the party as well!
So while the palate calmed down, we took a quick tour of their brewhouse – it’s a simple arrangement, but I was somewhat surprised (pleasantly so) – that they lager all their beers (meaning they brew cold and then temper at a low 35 degrees). This helps with the massive flavors and I began to understand how they manage to coax such notes from their wonderful ingredients!
Of course this is a new brewery – their brewing system is sophisticated, but small – they have a 10 gallon system – it’s not large – and with such a small system, they’ll never reach “sell out” stage … I want them to grow – but keep the character… let’s hope they do… 😉
Meanwhile – back to the tap-room – Dianne orders a pint of little red cap (which surprises me – she doesn’t normally like red style beers – this one hit a note – it wasn’t astringent – but smooth and complex).
I ordered a pint of “The Owl” – the kick-butt smoked porter.. mmmMMmmm… could I have had a 2nd? Without a good meal, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea – that 7.6% ABV would put you on the wrong side of the DUI laws I think… oh well, that just means I have to get a growler to take home … lol
Their growlers are reasonably priced $13 to start and $9 to refill… nice price, great beer… you can’t go wrong!
So… will we go back? Heck yes… $4 pints of some seriously tasty brews… it won’t be long and we’ll be back…