The OB Story, by Marie Struckman

Well, I believe a good time was had by all at the (now annual) Oskar Blues Brewery Tour and fun night out. Sixteen of us braved the cold weather to take the Oskar Blues bus to the brewery for a tour and a nice dinner.  Only two of us had to pull the bus over and brave the cold to make a pit stop during the trip.  You will remain nameless – Scott and Rich  J

The OB bus reminds me of the Partridge Family Bus. (Use Google if you don’t know what I am talking about)  If you haven’t seen the OB bus, it is a classic school bus with the words “No Ride for Free!!  Ass, Grass or Gas” written above the bus driver (not so classic).  Just to set the record straight – the driver got Gas J.  The bus is truly colorful and fun – it just doesn’t go too fast. For those of you unable to join us, we missed you and you missed a great time.  Next time…

We started the evening with a little beer tasting during the ride. Scott Jackson shared 2 of his beers plus THE lone tasting glass that got passed around by all of us. The first was the award winning beer - Rye Dunklebock - a bock-style beer brewed with chocolate rye. The other was Imperial RyePa, very hoppy, brewed with 20% rye.  We really did enjoy those beers -  a party in our mouth J.  Thanks, Scott!  Rich Krahl shared his Bigfoot and Hercules.  Both were very enjoyable beers – if we only had more!!  Thanks, Rich!  By the time we hit Lyons, we all agreed we were ready for a full glass of beer at Oskar Blues.

The OB staff was waiting for us when we arrived at the brewery. Dale was unable to join us – he had a sports obligation to his son. We went straight to the bar for a full beer. A few of us tried the combo beer - 2/3 Dales, 1/3 Gordon’s - as suggested by a local who was sitting at the bar.  Others tried the Old Chub and Gordon.  If you are not familiar with Oskar Blues beers, here is a quick synopsis of the most popular beers:

Dale's Pale Ale:

Brewed with hefty amounts of European malts and four kinds of American hops, it delivers a blast of hop aromas, a rich middle of malt and hops, and a thrilling finish. It weighs in at 6.5 % alcohol by volume.

Old Chub - Scottish style ale brewed with copious amounts of crystal and chocolate malts, and a dash of beechwood-smoked malts.  The cola-colored beer features a dense, tawny head, a creamy mouthful and flavors of caramel, chocolate and lightly roasted malt. Complex and rich, it finishes with a whisper of smokiness that calls to mind a fine single malt scotch. Old Chub weighs in at 8 % alcohol by volume.

Gordon - Gordon is a dry-hopped, bottle-conditioned Imperial India Pale Ale (IPA) brewed with massive amounts of American hops. A hit with lovers of gonzo beer, Gordon features 90 IBUs and 9.2% alcohol by volume. Gordon is sold in corked 750 ml. champagne bottles. This beer is named after Gordon – a well loved brewer who brewed for a number of breweries in Colorado. His helicopter crashed while fighting the fire near Estes a few years back. He is probably teaching the angels how to brew REALLY good beer as we speak.

One Nut Brown Ale - This big tasting brew is only available in the brewpub. Very smooth and balanced with a deep clear brown color. Lightly hopped, 5% ABV.

Reverend Sandi's Sinful Stout - 1999 G.A.B.F. Dry Irish-Style Stout Bronze Medal Winner". A dry black Irish style draft stout. Nitro poured for a light and creamy head. Easy to drink and only 3.5% ABV.

Next, we ordered our food from a menu that included gumbo soup and other Cajun favorites as well as traditional pastas, steaks, burgers, ribs, crab cakes, steaks, pizza, etc. The good food just went on and on.  While we waited for our food, Steve the brewer gave us a nice tour of the brewery.  While many of us have seen this brewery before, it was the first time for a number of people to see the automated canning system.  Although there was a problem with the air hose and the canning system did not operate exactly as planned, Steve was able to show us how it worked. Bottom line - instead of 6 cans per minute by hand, he can output 30 cans per minute by machine.  That is 5 times faster for those who don’t feel like doing the math.!! 

If you could have seen all the cans of Old Chub stacked to the ceiling or tasted the fresh Dale’s Pale Ale right from the tank!!  Next time …..

Dinner was fabulous. I personally love their gumbo soup.  The crab cake appetizer just completed a great food experience for me.  I believe everyone enjoyed their meal.   

After dinner as the evening was winding down, the women had a little pow-wow on the comfy sofas. We enjoyed the conversation, wine, desserts and laughter. We realized that the women of KROC should get together for “girls night out” because we enjoyed each other’s company so much. What a great group of intelligent, fun, witty women we are!!

I believe it was Angie Lull who coined the phrase – KROC-ettes.  A new club is born!!  For those of you (women) who were not there but are interested in becoming a KROC-ette, please send me an email. We will add you to the email distribution list.  We would like to have a wine tasting in the near future.

In summary - Good friends, good beer, good food, lots of laughs, good conversations – that’s what this trip was about. 

We had fun and look forward to doing it again next year.

Cheers,    

Marie Struckman