Six Colorado Springs IPAs You Need To Try
Today's a holiday. Yep, that's right, the sixth day of August holds a spot deep in every beer lover's heart whether they know it or not. What day is it? It's IPA day, silly! We won't bore you with any out-of-state beers though...we could have gone out and picked our favorite national IPA's that are spread all over the country, but we set our sights locally. Colorado Springs is nearing ever closer to having thirty breweries in the area, so there's a lot to choose from.Here's our local suggestions right now. These are not ranked or awarded any places. We did some research and as of posting these were on tap, so get your butts off the couch and drink some local beer!
Nano Brewing Company: Mango Pineapple IPA
Keith and the guys at Nano brewed a ton of this fan favorite this year. They've been showcasing it at every festival since, and for good reason. Using tons of Citra, they then rested the beer on fresh cut mangoes and pineapple. If you're looking for a reason to head out to the East side of town, this could be the ticket.
Smiling Toad Brewery: Chem Trails or Orange Blossom IPA
Ok, we're fudging the numbers a bit here because Smiling Toad has 4 awesome IPA's on tap. The Toad has been setting its sights on being an IPA brewery for most of this year. Biff, Fred and Mark have definitely made it a mission to concoct amazing hop-forward beers in their new location off of 8th Street. As of right now, the IPA's they have on tap are four very different beers from their standard go-to IPA Freely to a wildly interesting Orange Blossom IPA. We suggest you try them all.
Bristol Brewing:
You can really tell that Bristol is loving their new brew system. With a brand new hop-back and a workhorse centrifuge, their beers are coming out cleaner and tastier every day. This year's RyePA is no different. Bursting with Simcoe and Citra hops, the spicy flavors of the rye create a balance you have to try. If you can't find it on tap, it's easy to find in bombers around town.
Trinity Brewing: 45th Parallel IPA
While we may not always see things eye to eye with Trinity's Jason Yester, he sure knows how to make a damn good IPA. Mildly reminiscent of a heady West Coast IPA, 45th Parallel has all the hops and then some. Trinity hops this the entire time through the beer's brewing process with extremely fruity American hops and pairs them with a malt that doesn't get in the way of the hop experience. This beer is hard to find, (Trinity can barely keep it on tap) and we're lucky to have Trinity in our backyard. Get a taste while you can.
Storybook Brewing: Grapefruit IPA
While some hops can give beer a grapefruit-esque flavor, Pete from Storybook prefers to use grapefruit zest to up the grapefruit flavors in this beer. Coupled with ample additions of Amarillo hops, the overall experience likens itself to a glass of juice. Make sure you get a pint of this before it's gone. Pete assured me that it's only a summer seasonal.
Pikes Peak Brewing: Elephant Rock IPA
Chris couldn't help telling us about their tweaked hopping for Elephant Rock at this year's 719 Brewfest, and it makes sense. Using the experimental grapefruit hops he used in their uber-popular seasonal High Angle IPA, Elephant Rock now has a bit more citrus and bite, while still presenting a nice malt balance. If you've moved on from 'The Rock' recently, it's worth a revisit. Chris will be happy to tell you about it if you're willing to listen too.What are your favorites?
