Gold Camp Turns One

Last year, we were all just barely recovering from New Year's when Gold Camp Brewing Company opened their doors on the South end of Downtown Colorado Springs. This year, we were able to plan a bit more to be ready for their one year anniversary party.We arrived to see their patio area filled with bikes thanks to Henry Guzman and his crew of Pedals and Pints. If there's ever an incentive to put in bike racks at your brewery, these people create it. They filled the patio area with bicycles that spilled over into the parking lot!It wouldn't be an anniversary without some anniversary beers. Ben Wilder, Gold Camp's brewer aficionado, looked at all the small batch tests he created during their first year, and pulled out some gems.Their star-studded taplist included a bourbon oak-aged Phoenix Phire, their award-winning double IPA, a one year-aged firkin pin of Ben's crazy-good wee heavy, and our favorite from the party, a dulce de leche porter — creamy and caramel-flavored. Gold Camp's Sarah Shaver made specific mention of their three new taps, bringing their in-house total to nine, with every line filled for the occasion.One thing that Gold Camp's anniversary help solidify for us (and you'll hear more about it soon) is the need for breweries to make quality beer. Every single thing on tap was solid, from their "kitchen sink sour" to a juicy, aromatic Citra IPA, to their Choco Coco[nut] Porter. With so many breweries opening up, the market is getting saturated, so breweries need to be putting their best foot forward with every beer they produce! Congratulations to the whole Gold Camp Brewing crew for their first year in the biz; we look forward to the years to come!