Eddyline Brewery Canning Logos and Sample Tray

The first blog entry on this blog was about Eddlyine Brewing in Buena Vista. They had just released some information regarding their decision to can their beers (their canning line will be open in June) and they had released a few logos for their cans as well. Just a couple weeks ago I was back out there and decided that I would repost that original entry because only a few people saw it then and I have a lot more readers now. Once again I was very happy with the beer I tasted and am very much looking forward to seeing their beer in my local store later this year. The first section of the post was the original entry and the second portion is from my latest visit:

Eddyline Brewery in Buena Vista, Colorado announced early this morning that they are expanding and are [currently] moving their brewing operations to a new location. They decided they will be canning their beer, and I assume this is part of their commitment to being as green as possible while maintaining a distribution in Colorado. Canning beer helps cut the
carbon footprint of transportation, and by recycling one aluminum can you save enough energy to power a television for three hours (I read this in Fermenting Revolution, a book that was published in 2006). So, I'm hoping that we'll be seeing Eddyline's beer over in Colorado Springs. I visited the brewery when I first moved to Colorado and their beer is really fantastic. I didn't take my notepad with me, but I remember I drank a pale ale, and it was very fresh tasting, nicely balanced, with what I'm assuming were Pacific NW hops. I look forward to going back someday and to keeping some cans in my fridge.

They commissioned local artist Katie Henderson Carl to create "old school hand drawings" that relate to the outdoor activities found in the area. Eddyline has announced the first three beers they will can are: The Drag Bag Lager, Kickin’ Back Amber, and Crank Yanker IPA.

I pulled this information about their three [to-be] canned beers directly off their site:

Kickin' Back Amber:
Most of the times we are out enjoying everything Colorado has to offer: biking, hiking, skiing, boating, fishing, KICKIN’ BACK! This amber lager and is very smooth and is perfect for enjoying the Colorado scenery. This is the perfect beer for enjoying that kickin’ back time with your friends around a camp fire.

Drag Bag Lager:
What kind of beer do you throw in the drag bag? I think the Arkansas Valley favorite is PBR, but we hope to change that. This lager is light, refreshing, and smooth, just what you need on a long trip down the Arkansas.

Crank Yanker IPA:

What kind of person does it take to snap a chain? A crank yanker!!! Anyone that has ever ridden the Monarch Crest Trail realizes that the mountain biking in Arkansas Valley is something very special. Well it takes a big beer to meet those expectations and that is exactly what the Crank Yanker IPA brings to the table. This IPA isn’t any ordinary IPA it’s over 7.5% ABV and enough hops to make a nice balanced finish



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I visited Eddyline again just a couple weeks ago and ordered a sample tray. The beers included the Drag Bag Lager, a Pumpkin Pale Ale, Midland Trail Pale Ale, Crank Yanker IPA, Kickin' Back Amber, and a Porter. All the beers were good. I often like to test out the Pale Ale at a brewery because I feel like if they get that one right, they are probably doing good, and if they have a pale ale, they are probably inclined to be slightly hop heavy because they'll also likely have an IPA on the menu, that's two hoppy beers right off the bat. So yes, Eddyline has a Pale Ale and to be honest, it's one of my favorite Pale Ale's that I've had. It's light and crisp with a subtle malt backbone and while it's not as high in the bitterness department as the IPA, the fact that it's not as malt heavy as the IPA makes the perception of hoppiness much stronger than normal. It's floral, it's slightly bitter, it's appearance was cloudy (which was a nice change to most pale ales), and it's super refreshing. Reminds me of some of the best hoppy beers I used to drink in Oregon. It would fit right in. I would have guessed it to be a slightly light Pacific NW IPA.

The IPA is good as well, but this day I appreciated the Pale for not have as much of a malt balance. I really hope they can that Pale Ale for distribution. The Pumpkin Pale I also thought was special. The pumpkin contributed quite a bit of a smooth thick texture and made the beer somewhat rich, pumpkin spices, but surprisingly light for it's texture. The lager is nice and biscuity, quick crisp finish and very drinkable. The amber tasted close to an American Brown Ale to me but was still good. The Porter was great, really roasty with some coffee notes. In fact, this is one of the more roasted porters I've had. So, in general the amber was my least favorite, although it definitely was not a bad beer, just not my favorite, the Pale was my favorite, I ordered an extra pint of the pumpkin and really I enjoyed each beer. Watch out for Eddyline, we should see their beer in stores this year.