Boulder Beer Co. - Mojo IPA

While it's not often advertised, brewers have a tendency to tweak and adjust their recipes over time due to changing availability of hops, malts, customer tastes, or their own need to simply tinker. So, we were a bit surprised when we compared this beer's current specs to the last time we featured it almost 10 years ago. ABV, IBUs, malt bill, hop selection—they were all the same. It's something we've rarely seen after so much time, but it goes to show how dialed-in Boulder has this classic beer. And we suppose after winning IPA Grand Champion at the 2010 US Beer Tasting Championship, why change a thing?

Mojo IPA pours an attractive coppery-amber hue with good clarity and a head of off-white foam that persists nicely before dropping to a lasting collar. In the aroma: look for pungent notes of pine resin and big, zesty citrus tending towards grapefruit. The hoppy story continues on the palate where the hops come through bold and direct, and with plenty of bitterness. This is a classic IPA with no smoke and mirrors, just a core hop profile of juicy and zesty grapefruit and orange citrus notes with a dollop of resinous pine, supported by a malt backbone that's robust, offering a caramelized underpinning to bolster those high-flying hop notes without overstepping and trying to be the star. As the beer warms, a touch of booze pops through now and then, augmenting the sharper hop tones and adding a bit of a spicy vibe. For food pairings, we recommend well-spiced and meaty fare such as Indian curry dishes or shredded beef enchiladas with a spicy sauce. Cheers!

Boulder Beer Company became Colorado’s first microbrewery when it was founded in 1979, blazing a trail for all of the other great breweries that have sprung up across this famous beer-loving state in succeeding years. At the time, they were only the 43rd brewery in the U.S. (there are well over 4,000 now, not counting brewpubs). Founded by two Colorado University professors, David Hummer and “Stick” Ware, the brewery was originally situated on a small farm outside Boulder. Their single barrel brewing system was famously forced to share space with the resident goats! (The brewery itself notes that “When a company is founded by guys named ‘Hummer’ and ‘Stick’ in a goatshed, you know it’s gonna be crazy.”) Within five years, Boulder Beer’s following had grown dramatically and they had outgrown the capacity of the farm, so a proper brewery building was built in Boulder to house their expanding business.

The company went public in 1983, but by 1990 it had fallen on hard times. Out of bankruptcy it came into the ownership of a private group of investors, including Rock Bottom Brewery’s owner, Gina Day, who brought on brewmaster David Zuckerman from Portland, Oregon’s well-regarded Bridgeport Brewing Company. Various upgrades were implemented throughout the brewery, including the transformation of their diminutive tasting room into a full-scale brewpub and restaurant. New beers were introduced, old recipes were tweaked, and brewing methods improved. In 1993 the company changed its name to Rockies Brewing Company, but they embraced their roots in 2005 by switching it back to Boulder Beer Company. It was also in that year that they introduced their annual “Goatshed Revival” beer festival, an outdoor summer celebration that is equal parts company birthday party and charity fundraiser, and celebrates their very humble origins among the nation’s first craft breweries and their contributions as one of the most influential breweries in Colorado’s rich brewing culture.

To learn more about the brewery, the brewpub, and scheduled tours, call 303-444-8448 or check out their web site at boulderbeer.com.