| |
Brews
Brews | Seasonal Brews | Soda Pop | Mug Club | Beer Tips | Fine Wines & Top-Shelf Spirits
Read our newest reviews:
"Nipple Mountain Nip awarded 3 of 4 stars by the Ale Street News"
"I'm a beer girl and I can tell you that these are some of the best brews in CO..."
"From high school locker brewer to master brewer"
Pagosa Brewing™ is Your Hometown Mountain Brewery®. Our philosophy and passion is to produce the best, freshest, and exceptionally smooth-drinking microbrews and homemade soda pops. All of our brews are hand-crafted in small batches to assure the highest quality. We use only choice ingredients: Water from our pristine mountain rivers, finest malted barley and malted wheat, fresh hops, and cultured yeast garnered from famous breweries throughout the world. Whether you like a crisp and light summer beer, a hoppy and balanced IPA, a full-bodied roasty stout, or something a bit historical, Pagosa Brewing™ has the beer for you.
Brews
Wolf Creek Wheat®
Our unfiltered, British-style wheat beer is light-bodied and smooth with a mild bready, biscuit-like aroma and flavor. Wolf Creek Wheat® is a crisp and refreshing beer, especially on a sunny day in our beautiful, tree-covered Beer Garden. Quaff it by itself in the British tradition or, alternatively, add a fresh wedge of lemon or orange. Some customers even order it with a splash of Chambord® Black Raspberry Liqueur making it into a custom Raspberry Wheat!
 |
Kayaker Cream Ale®
Inspired by the legendary German light Helles lagers of Bavaria. Our Kayaker Cream is golden in color, light in body, with subtle malty aromas. It’s flavorful, but not too filling. Perfect for paddling and kayaking through town. Heck... it’s great after any outdoor activity. A sparkling fresh brew that goes down easy... Almost too easy!
|
 |
Eagle ESB™
Our ESB is brewed in a classic English Ale tradition with imported British ingredients. Eagle ESB strikes a perfect balance between a complex malty flavor and solid hop background. It has a light copper, medium body, and a rocky, off-white head. The nose is slightly malty, with a wonderful English hoppiness. It's the kind of beer you look forward to quaffing when you head to the local pub. Eagle ESB goes great with all kinds of cuisines, especially spicy, cheesy, and creamy dishes. It’s one of the local favorites!
|
 |
Pagosa Pale Ale™
Our American Style Pale Ale is light in color and big in flavor. It has a medium body and a dry refreshing finish. We dry-hop twice with fresh Cascade hop flowers for a heady hop aroma. A tasty pale ale that goes with just about anything! |
 |
Powder Day IPA®
Bronze Medal Pale Ale – Colorado State Fair ‘07
Gold Medal Pale Ale – Colorado State Fair ‘06
Our IPA is crisp and fresh like a fine local Powder Day. The anticipation alone can bring a knowing smile. Powder Day IPA™ has a balanced hoppy character with the distinctive aromas and flavors of true American hops, which gives it a lovely fresh hop finish. It’s unfiltered so that the hoppiness can be fully appreciated sip after sip. After a Powder Day, you’re in hop heaven!
|
 |
Rodeo Rider Red™
Brewed in the style of German Red Ale, which is the old-school method.
Rodeo Rider Red TM has complex aromas of rich German malt and noble hops.
The flavor presents a full malt character with a biscuity and light caramelly highlights.
Yet, it has a medium dry, nutty finish. An easy-drinking pint. |
 |
Timber Wolf Amber Wheat™
Silver Medal Dunkelweizen – North American Beer Awards ‘07
Our Dunkel Weiss bier is a spicy, fruity, malty, and refreshing wheat-based ale. Based on a classic German recipe over 950 years old, the flavors are deep, supple and mellow. And, for an American twist, it try it with a wedge of orange or lemon. A great combination and a local favorite!
|
 |
Poor Richard’s Ale™
THE commemorative brew for Ben Franklin's 300th Birthday!
This Colonial-style beer is a modern interpretation of a beer that Benjamin Franklin could have savored in his lifetime. Our award-winning, ORIGINAL recipe was brewed by over 100 professional breweries throughout the nation (including including Anheuser-Busch!) It's a great tasting amber/brown ale thanks to American ingenuity of using an indigenous New World ingredient, corn. During the brew, we also add a touch of molasses (the everyday sweetener of the Colonists) to give it a slight spiciness and to offset the documented hop shortage of the time. One of our most popular flagship beers!
|
 |
Soaker's Stout™
Silver Medal Oatmeal Stout – North American Beer Awards ‘07
Our Soaker’s Stout™ is exceptionally smooth and drinkable. Based on the classic Oatmeal Stouts from England, its rich and silky tastes are perfectly balanced by a roasted dry finish without being too bitter. It’s the kind of beer you want to savor over and over... perhaps while enjoying a relaxing soak. Even if you've never been a fan of dark beers, give Soaker’s Stout™ a try. You won’t be disappointed!
|
Seasonal Brews
 |
Honeymoon Ale™
Silver Honey Beer - North American Beer Awards '09
Gold Medal Mead - Colorado State Fair '08
Silver Medal Honey Beer - Colorado State Fair '07
It's the return of a VERY special offering to celebrate the anniversary of our Brewmaster (Tony) and our Lead Brewer (Julie). Made with Orange Blossom Honey from our dear friends at Redstone Meadery, it's defined as a Braggot - an ancient beverage that is part ale and part mead (honeywine). Our Honeymoon Ale™ is similar to a wine, but still very much a beer. Notice that the delicate flavors of honey and ale balance nicely with the subtle hop finish. And, you would never guess that it hides a surprising 8.3% alcohol content. As such, it's only served in our elegant Draws. A must-try at the brewery. Congrats again Julie & Tony!
|
 |
Classic Pils™
Our first Pilsner Lager! Brewed in the style of a Classic American Pils... the way Pilsners used to taste BEFORE prohibition. This style was originally brewed in the USA by immigrant German brewers who brought the process and yeast with them when they settled in America. A very crisp and refreshing beer, with underlying malt and hops that stand out when compared to modern, mass-produced American light lagers.
Specifically brewed for our upcoming Classic American Car Show (May 15, 2009).
Brewery food pairing... Classic American Chili Burgers and Chili Dogs. |
 |
Fire Stoned Irish Ale™
A very special release for St. Paddy's Day. We crafted a classic Irish Red Ale and then Fire-Stoned it. This means the we took chunks of granite stone, super heated them to about 550F, and then threw them into the kettle. The malt sugars caramelized on the stones and infused the beer with wonderful caramel notes that you can't achieve any other way. It's got great flavor complexity and yet, a dry finish, which makes it very quaffable. Fired Stoned Irish Ale goes with our classic pub foods like Corned Beef & Cabbage, Burgers, and Beer Brats. Sláinte! (Cheers!)
|
 |
Smokey The Beer™
Another lager for us... Smokey The Beer™ is a Helles Rauchbier, which translates from German to Smoked Light Lager Beer. A VERY special creation with imported smoked barley malt from Bamberg, which is located in Franconia, Germany. The city of Bamberg specialize in a variety if smoked beer, where the barley is smoked over an open beechwood fire, giving it a unique smoked flavor. It pairs wonderfully with smoked meats and cheeses. For our Mardi Gras Party, we've got Smoked Andouille Sausages and Smoked Cajun Gumbo. Stop by for this special event & beer experience!
|
 |
Chimney Rock Chocolate Stout™
In honor of Valentine's Day, we crafted a special, limited edition version of our nationally award-winning Soaker's Stout™. Chimney Rock Chocolate Stout™ is smooth and tasty with rich, dark chocolate flavors from the use of REAL chocolate in the brewing process. Yet, it still tastes like a Stout. Stop by on Valentine's Day for a glass or sample, because it won't last long!
|
 |
Western Slope Amber Ale™
Brewed in the style of a easy-drinking American Amber, this is the FIRST recipe creation from our Brewery Team of Ken Rogers & Jamie Eichmann. They've been honing their skills in the brewery and put together a recipe designed to appeal to microbrew drinkers. It's got a great amber color with a smooth caramel flavor, nicely balanced with American hops, and comes in at a very quaffable 4.5% ABV.
|
 |
Alpine Abbey 10™
Our Strong Dark Belgian is the third in our series of authentic Belgian biers. Brewed with imported Belgian ingredients and special yeast from one of the Trappist Monasteries. Heck, we even copied their water profile. Alpine Abbey 10? has wonderfully complex flavors of dark fruit, pears, and rich malt. Yet, it finishes dry and is deceptively drinkable. 9.25% ABV. Served only in brandy-style snifters. Special food pairing at the brewery: Belgian Lamb Carbonade Stew.
|
 |
Highlander Scotch Ale™
A Strong Scotch Ale with an incredibly rich and smooth flavor. It's a malt-focused beer, yet not too sweet, thereby making it very quaffable. It's similar to an Imperial version of our award-winning Poor Richard's Ale... and a makes for a great taste comparison between the two. 7.75% ABV.
Special food pairing at the
brewery: Traditional Shepherd's Pie.
|
 |
Pumpkin Porter ™
Bronze Medal Herb/Spice Beer - North American Beer Awards '09
For a seasonal treat, we've added hand-roasted pumpkin and spices to our award-winning Pack-It-In Porter ™. It's got wonderfully rich aromas and flavors of pumpkin pie and yet, finishes snappy like a porter should. And, our Farrago Market Cafe has created awesome food pairings including... Pumpkin Porter Short Ribs, Squash Mashers, and Pumpkin Porter Cheesecake. Happy Halloween!
|
 |
Summer Hop Ale ™
A special treat for hop heads. Summer Ale™ is brewed with a single variety of American hops. It's a cross between Pale Ale and IPA with a fresh hop aroma, malty flavor, and solid bitterness. This summer, ask for a 3-taster flight of our Pagosa Pale Ale™, Summer Ale™, and Powder Day IPA® for a fabulous comparison of aromas and flavors across the entire hop spectrum. Summer Hop Ale™ is easy to quaff and goes great with our pizzas! We only made one batch a year, so stop by before it's gone!
|
 |
Alpine Abbey 8™
The second in our series of authentic abbey ales - Alpine Abbey 8 - Brewed in the style of a Belgian “Dubbel”, which originated at monasteries in the Middle Ages, and was
revived in the mid-1800s after the Napoleonic era. Amber in color, this Dubbel has an heavenly balance of rich, complex malt with hints of chocolate, caramel, and dried fruit. Even with all that flavor, it has a dry finish that makes you pray for another glass. À votre santé! (To Your Health!)
|
 |
Alpine Abbey 6™
Bronze Medal Strong Belgian - Colorado State Fair '08
Our new Alpine Abbey 6 is the first in our series of genuine Monastic Abbey biers... These world-class bier styles are brewed by Trappist Monks in Belgium to support their Abbeys and Monasteries. For authenticity, we procured our yeast from one of these Abbeys, copied their water profile, and imported specialty malts and hops from Belgium. The first born is our Alpine Abbey 6 - a Strong Blonde Ale. It has a wonderfully complex aroma of light fruit and subtle spice, yet it finishes exceptionally dry and smooth. À votre santé! (To Your Health!)!
|
 |
Nipple Mountain Nip™
Gold Medal Strong Ale - Colorado State Fair '08
“NIP” is our richest and most full-bodied beer to date. Brewed in the style of an American Barleywine, it's a special holiday treat that's been aging in our cellars for months. The luscious, velvety texture is balanced with a huge amount of classic American hops... this includes multiple dry hoppings for a heady hop aroma. At 10.5% in alcohol, it's meant to be a slow sipping beer... something to be enjoyed around a fire. Shame that it's so dangerously drinkable and smooth, you'll want to quaff it faster. Served only in draws. Limit two glasses per customer. Special "Brewer's Vintage" bottled versions will also available. Cellarable for up to three years.
Nipple Mountain Nip was awarded three of four stars by the Ale Street News.
 Ruby red color, poured with a big head. Aromas of apples, blueberry muffins, sour cherries, alcohol. “Good balance. Slight woody character, nice smooth finish. Hops and malt play well together. Mellow malt sweetness mixed with some tartness. Interesting — almost like a barleywine/Flemish red combination.”
2nd Place Winner in the
Beer & Cheese Challenge at Big Beers Festival!
|
 |
Coconut Porter™
Gold Medal Specialty Beer - North American Beer Awards '08
To our very quaffable Pack-It-In Porter™, we've added 50 lbs. of hand-toasted flaked coconut - kudos to our dear friends at Pagosa Baking Company for the use of their ovens! Our Coconut Porter™ is black in color with red ruby highlights and a creamy off-white head. It has amazing aromas and flavors of toasted coconut, along with malty silkiness and subtle dark chocolate. Yet, it finishes smooth and dry like a porter. It just screams for a Luau – Aloha!
 All About Beer Magazine Reviews
"Silky smooth in texture and packed with dark chocolate, black licorice, dark pit fruit, toasted coconut, a dusting of cocoa powder and lingering espresso on the finish. Surprisingly drinkable!"
John Hansell - creator, publisher & editor of Malt Advocate
"Overall, this porter balances its various elements to near perfection, creating an attractive and flavorful aperitif or Thai cuisine accompaniment in so doing."
Steve Beaumont - International beer author
|
 |
Mill Town Mild™
The perfect beer if you're having more than one. Introducing Mill Town Mild™... Brewed in the style of Dark Mild Ale from the Midlands of England. It's big on flavor with imported amber and brown malts, but yet, light in alcohol. This makes it VERY drinkable. At 3.2% ABV, it's a true, "Session Beer" and the kind of beer workers would quaff in quantity after a hard day at the mine or the mill. To add to the wide range of beers styles we already offer... from light to dark... and from mellow to hoppy... we can now offer beers from low alcohol to the high octane. And, it’s only available at Pagosa Brewing!
|
 |
Wassail Ale™
A real holiday treat! To our Chocolate Porter, we’ve added subtle holiday spices, real Madagascar vanilla, and touch of hazelnut. The kind of beer that's worth packing-in to the backcountry. Customers describe it as:
“Delicious!”
“I’ve never had a dark beer like that before!”
“I’ll have another!”
And, it goes GREAT with Holiday Cake... specially made for us by Pagosa Baking Company.
Stop by for a sample before it’s gone!
|
 |
FallFest Bier™
Brewed as a traditional German Oktoberfest-style bier with imported Vienna and Munich malts, noble German hops, and a special Pagosa Brewing touch. FallFest Bier™ has an rich toasted malt complexity, with a firm enough hop bitterness to provide a balanced finish. It’s been lagered for weeks and weeks, which has made it drinkably smooth. Perfect for those cooler fall evenings. It goes great with German sausage, crisp sauerkraut, and classic potato salad under our festival tent! But, like the fall colors, our FallFest Bier™ is only available for a limited time this season. Prosit! (Cheers!)
|
 |
Ranch House Ale™
Our Ranch House Ale™ is a light-colored and unfiltered Belgian-style Saison. Originally, this was a seasonal beer brewed by farmers and ranchers to last through summer and into autumn. Ranch House Ale™ is dry and refreshing with spicy, citrusy, earthy, and peppery notes.
Some have called Saison a cross between a Belgian Pale and a Belgian Wheat with a definite handcrafted touch... A beer with real terroir!
As such, our Ranch House Ale™ pairs wonderfully with all kinds of foods. It can lift a simple barbecue foods to angelic heights and can transform sausage in ways you just wouldn't believe. Try it out yourself!
NOTE: A percentage of our Ranch House Ale™ sales will be donated to the Southwest Land Alliance's Helping local people preserve local lands. Look for their 3rd Annual, "Save the Ranch" event September 12-13, 2008. Cheers! |
 |
Pow Pow Imperial IPA™
Our BIG beer is back... And, yes, it's way bigger than our Powder Day IPA®. Think of it like this... More than just a powder day in the mountains, it's like one of those BIG, legendary snow dumps we often get here in Pagosa. However, in this case, Pow Pow Imperial IPA™ is all about BIG hops... with well over 200 IBUs! That means tons of hops for bitterness, gobs of hops for flavor, and pounds and pounds of hops for aroma. It's also got a wonderfully BIG long-lasting, lingering hop bitterness in the taste. And yet, Pow Pow is surprisingly smooth, especially given it's 8.5% strength. And, this year, we've opted to serve it in full-sized pints and mugs, which should guarantee you a very Hoppy Day!
|
 |
Pack-It-In Porter ™
Our Porter is a dark and bold American-Style Robust Porter. It differs from a stout in that there are no roasted grains, making it smooth and very drinkable. The kind of beer that's worth packing-in to the backcountry. It’s also a very versatile beer that we often customize...
For this Spring, we obtained some special smoked barley malt and crafted Smoked Pack-It-In Porter™! It’s a real seasonal treat and one of Tony’s favorite beer styles to judge. Stop by for a sample. It’s SMOKIN’! |
 |
Big Bad Wolf™
Our strong wheat beer is a special offering... One that’s hard to find in this country. Big Bad Wolf™ is based on the world-class weizenbock bier, Aventinus, from Schneider & Sohn in Germany. Our Brewmaser, Tony, was lucky to sample it nearly every night during German Brewing School. Our Big Bad Wolf™ has a complex malt aromas with dark, rich fruit flavors of plums, prunes, and raisins. At over 7.5% alcohol by volume, it’s also served only in Draws (11 oz. pilsner glassware)! Sorry, no growlers.
|
And, more to come...
Listen to Tony Simmons describe how he researched his award-winning Poor Richard's Ale™ on Basic Brewing Radio!
Top of page
Soda Pop
 Mutton Buster Root Beer®
Our root beer is flying out the door! Some customers tell us it’s the best they’ve ever had. We make Mutton Buster Root Beer™ in small batches and use NO corn sugar. It’s a blend of pure cane sugar, brown sugar, and honey.
Stop by for a sample!
Top of page
Beer Tips
BEER TIP #1
 Keep your beer cool... And, not too cold!
Beer benefits from storage in a consistently cool environment away from direct sunlight. The ideal storage temperature is usually around 50-55 degrees F. Higher temperatures risk shortening the lifespan of your beer and degrading its flavor.
When serving high-quality craft beer, don't serve it too cold. The colder the temperature, the less flavor it will have. An ice-cold beer may sound great on a hot day, but it will have almost no taste!
The right temperature is essential for ultimate beer enjoyment. Here are some general serving guidelines:
• Fruit Beers at 40-50 F.
• Wheat Beers and Pale Lagers at 45-50 F.
• Pale Ales and Amber or Dark Lagers at 50-55 F.
• Big Beers, Barleywines and Belgian Ales at 50 -55 F.
• Brown Ales, Porters and Stouts at 55-60 F.
BEER TIP #2
A cold beer tastes great on a hot day...
And for best flavor, keep it out of the sun!
When subjected to UV or florescent light, beer gets a skunky aroma and flavor due to the hop oils reacting with light. Yes, really! That's why most beer is sold in brown bottles... to filter out the harmful light.
Test it out for yourself... First, get yourself a tasty beer. Pagosa Beer would be a good choice... But, for this experiment, most any beer in a brown bottle will work.
As you enjoy the first few sips, notice both the aroma and flavor. Then, let it sit in direct sunlight for 5-15 minutes. No need to let it get warm. Now, re-test the aroma and taste of your new "lightstruck" beer. It will have a noticeable flavor of skunk!
So, for the best flavor, keep your beer out of the direct sunlight. And remember, one of THE best places to enjoy a skunk-free beer will be under the shade of our lovely Pagosa Brewing™ Beer Garden!
BEER TIP #3
Beer and Food parings:
Yes, our handcrafted beers pair wonderfully will all kinds of foods!
There are over 100 recognized styles beer. Because of this diversity, beer has a HUGE range of flavors to marvelously compliment all kinds of foods. Also, the carbonation of BEER cleanses your palette after every sip. This is why beer is often better than wine in food pairings (yes, really!), especially when it come to cheese. Since they were historically made on the same farms, beer is a PERFECT match with cheese. Even desserts pair amazingly well with beer.
Try some of these well-tested Pagosa Brewing™ ideas -
* Wolf Creek Wheat:
Asian Foods, Fish, Salads - Feta & Goat cheeses.
* Kayaker Cream Ale:
Teriyaki, Spicy Foods, Pizza - Muenster, Havarti & Monterey Jack.
* Poor Richard's Amber Ale:
Burgers, Bean Dishes, BBQ, Nuts - Colby & Cheddar cheeses.
* Powder Day IPA:
Mexican Foods, Guacamole, Pizza, Gumbos - Sharp Cheddars.
* Soaker's Stout:
Beef stew, Blue Cheeses, Chocolate Mousse - yes, Stout Floats!
Top of page
|
|
