Denver Detour: Comrade Brewing Company
Editor's note: After a little thought (and a couple beers), we'd like to introduce our new Denver series of brewery features: the Denver Detour. Thanks to Dane and his wife Jessica for the great writeup and photos!
We had President’s Day off, and figured a beer was in order to celebrate the day off. Our immediate thought was: Comrade Brewing Company. (If you don’t get the irony, ask your parents.) We busted in the doors at about 3, and had a tough task in front of us. Comrade has 13 beers on tap. We had them all.
Each taster we had was between $1.50 and $2.50. Not bad considering the sizable pour we got from the staff. Each beer we had was one we would recommend, for a wide range of palates.
To shrink the list (and to give you more time to get to Comrade), we picked some of our favorites.
- Yellow Fever: An American blonde rating at 5.6%. It’s light and crisp and based off their Yellow Card blonde. The difference? Jalapenos. Yellow Fever gives off a sweet jalapeno flavor that isn’t too hot that it chases away the masses. The bartender was nice to point out that this beer is a regular, because it is based off a flagship beer, but each batch is not as consistently available. I’d just hurry in and get one because it is really good.
- Putsch: A putsch? In a beer hall? Must be a first. This 7.3% black IPA is a hop lover’s dark beer wish. Very hop forward, with Nugget and Simcoe hops. There isn’t a big hop bite because of the faint malt back-end, so be careful with this.
- Single Hop 06277: Comrade makes a good session IPA (Yank Tank), but this beer is the better bet if you only have time to try a few. It’s listed at 5.4% ABV, so just slightly more than the Yank Tank at 5.1%, but gives off a taste that resembles Juicy Fruit gum.
- Koffee Kream: A special milk stout at 4.7% ABV. Kaladi Coffee Roasters roasted a special bean for Comrade and it paid off. A smooth and sweet stout without relying on too much of the coffee flavor to “make” the beer. As a good friend of mine would say “IWDTHOOTB!” (I Would Drink The Hell Out Of That Beer!”
- Quit Stalin: A funny name for a great beer. At 10.5%, the Russian Imperial Stout smells largely of toffee and chocolate. There is a slight boozy aftertaste (what Russian Imperial doesn’t?) but isn’t too off-putting to introduce to your friends who haven’t had a Russian Imperial.
- Superpower: Comrade’s 7.4% American IPA. Malty on the front end, but kicks in with pine and grapefruit flavors at the end. It is Comrade’s #1 selling beer, and it was the day’s best beer…until:
- Hop Chops: IIPA. Slightly copper in color, this one is for the hopheads. 8.5% that is hidden behind the hop aroma and taste. The beer has a hop bite to it, but don’t be afraid. It’s a great beer. (My notes from the beer include: “great beer” three times.)
Aside from the great beer, the taproom is large and welcoming. Reservations are available for special parties, and dogs are welcome in the taproom. Music is playing and WIFI is free.
Comrade welcomes you to bring in your own food, or something from the food truck. (Share with the masses for full effect.) Beers range from $5-$6, and you can fill your growler on premises as well. Parking is plentiful and the staff is there to help.Overall, Comrade is a great place to sit and enjoy a beer. Their 2nd anniversary is April 23rd. We’ll be there to celebrate. (Wouldn’t May 1st be more appropriate?)That said: Ваше здоровье!