Pikes Peak Brewing's Barrel Room
Monday night was a great night in Monument. We headed north to visit Pikes Peak Brewing for Monument Beer Week and the grand opening of the Barrel Room. When we first got their the place was packed and we stuck around long enough to talk briefly with Chris Wright and to enjoy a few beers. This was perhaps one of the most memorable beer nights of memory as we were celebrating what should prove to be a top-notch space where beer is presented as art.
The brewery celebrated this grand opening by bringing in all sorts of barrel aged beers, ranging from the biggest dark Russian Imperial Stouts in bourbon barrels to soft and delicate sour and Brett beers. We bought a bottle of Crooked Stave's Batch 01, which was their first brew aged for a while with raspberries, and I also had an oak aged Ten Fidy from Oskar Blues. Other highlights included The Bruery's Oud Bruin, the Scaldis Prestige, Jolly Pumpkin, AC Golden, and many many others.
We asked Chris (pictured on the right) what his plans were for the Barrel Room. For now, he said this will be a place to hangout as an overflow for the taproom on the weekends. It will also be a place for special events. He'll hang on to specialty bottles of beer that are meant for aging and he'll use the space for occasional sour and barrel aged beer tappings. The room itself is full of beetle-kill pine furniture and ornaments. The chandeliers are made of barrels, the bar is made of red and white wine barrels. The room is a bit dark and good for long and deep conversation. There's a window where you can peer into a room that currently holds a handful of barrels, although Chris hopes to soon have upwards of 30 barrels. Also there will soon be a glass door that leads outside to the patio. The space is nicely thought out, very comfortable, and extraordinary.
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| The face of the bar, made of alternating red and white wine barrels. |
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| Our pal Oren enjoying an Apricot Sour from AC Golden |
I'm very much looking forward to the next event in this space. I really wish PPBC was closer to my house as this space is truly unique, special, and well thought out. I hear that Paradox Beer Co. is having a grand release party tonight in that space...
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