Crazy Mountain Brewing Company - Horseshoes & Hand Grenades

Pouring a deep amber hue and topped with a head of khaki foam, this ESB presents an intriguing aroma; we picked up some caramel and toffee notes along with a lightly sweet impression of biscuit, plus fruity esters akin to stone fruit and apple. There's a grainy earthy character here, as well, and it comes through in the flavor too, along with a rich caramelly and bready maltiness, and those yeast-driven fruity notes which add a very English impression. The hops offer a dash of herbal and lightly citric character in addition to a rising bitterness that builds across the palate, providing a drying counterpoint that lingers in the finish. We could drink ESBs all day long, especially with a snack of pub cheeses and a bowl of nuts. For other pairing options, Crazy Mountain likes fig balsamic roasted pork loin, English-style golden beer-battered fish and chips, or wine-braised beef short rib shepherd’s pie with toasted mashed potatoes. Cheers!

Crazy Mountain Brewing Company was founded in January 2010 by Kevin Selvy and his wife Marisa, and it is the Vail Valley’s first production brewery. A Colorado native, Kevin had worked in finance after graduating from Colorado State, living in Europe and California while pursuing that career, and developing a taste for great beer. It was while he was in California that he got his big break in the brewing industry when some of his homebrew crossed paths with an Anchor Brewing Company employee – leading him on a new path that would take him to positions at several California breweries.

One day in 2007, Kevin got off his shift at Anchor and went to have a beer in the tasting room. It was here that he met Marisa, who had just finished a tour of the brewery. Three short years later the pair would find themselves married, relocated to Colorado, and the owners of their very own brewery. Named after the Selvy family’s Crazy Mountain Ranch, the brewery demanded a ton of hard work to turn it into the success it is today. In the early days, the husband and wife team did everything, including brewing, packaging, remodeling, running their tasting room, and delivering beer to their local accounts via an old pickup truck. While Kevin leads the brewing operations, Marisa leverages her extensive experience working with marketing and advertising agencies in her position as VP of Marketing. The last seven years have delivered tremendous success, with the brewery being expanded twice to meet increased demand, and the tasting room becoming a popular destination for Vail tourists. The brewery currently produces about ten year-round offerings and four seasonals, as well as their limited-run "Local's Stash" beers in corked and caged 750-ml bottles. For more info, contact them at 970-926-3009 or visit www.crazymountainbrewery.com.