Crazy Mountain Brewing Company - Mountain Livin' Pale Ale

This pale ale pours an attractive coppery-amber color topped with an ample crop of foam that laces the glass as it recedes. Fruity hop aromas are apparent right away, including citrus, tropical fruit, and stone fruit overtones. Hints of caramel malt peak through. On the palate, we felt the malts offered plenty of backbone, offering some caramelized, lightly toasty notes. The very American duo of Simcoe & Citra hops works real well; expect fresh notes of citrus zest, pine, and tropical fruits amidst a moderately firm bitterness that doesn’t climb as high as IPA territory, but still clings on in the finish with a lingering caramel malt and citrus zest note. Crazy Mountain recommends pairing with aged white cheddar, juicy burgers, or bananas foster, which all sound good to us too. 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 five 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. Their choice to embrace canning has paid off, as it’s a natural fit for the outdoorsy Colorado lifestyle. The brewery currently produces seasonal beers in addition to their eight year-round offerings. For more info, contact them at 970-926-3009 or visit www.crazymountainbrewery.com.