Boulder Beer Company - Emergent White IPA

This spring seasonal celebrates our emerging from winter’s gloom, and it sure is a bright, expressive way to do it. White IPAs have become a very popular mashup of IPA and Belgian witbier, delivering a ton of flavor from hops, expressive Belgian yeast, and typical witbier additions of coriander and orange peel. This hazy golden brew checks all the boxes. Spicy aromas from both the bright coriander and a light touch of yeasty phenolic notes jump out right away. Look for these notes to come though bold and fragrant on the palate too, with intensely floral hops backed by citrus from both the hops and the orange peel. Amidst the bright fireworks from the hops, yeasty esters & phenols, and the spice & citrus additions, it’s easy to forget about the malts – but they’re robustly realized here, offering plenty of sturdy backbone to hold the whole thing up, while contributing a satisfying medium body. One of the best white IPAs we’ve sampled in many moons, Emergent makes a great pairing with fresh, spicy dishes; try grilled prawns with a spicy citrus glaze, or fresh Mexican dishes such as chicken, fish, or shrimp tacos with tomatillo salsa, a dash of lime, and a touch of cilantro. 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 2,000 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 www.boulderbeer.com.