Name: Telluride Brewing Company
Location: Telluride, CO
Website: http://www.telluridebrewingco.com/
Type: Production brewery
Available in DC Market: No
What you need to know: Telluride. Skiing. Rafting. Grateful Dead. But most of all, BEER brought best friends Chris Fish and Tommy Thacher together. The pair first met at a local bar in Telluride. Now, more than a decade in the making, Fish and Tommy have set out to make their quest for that perfect beer a reality. In May 2011, Fish and Tommy partnered with Telluride real estate broker Brian Gavin and local graphic artist John Lehman to form the Telluride Brewing Company. The team has spent the past year working to build their brewery and fine tune their brewing process.
Beer #1: Face Down Brown (Brown Ale / 5.7% ABV)
In Their Own Words: A beautiful hybrid of an English and American style Brown that explodes with toffee, chocolate, and nut flavors… don’t be afraid to get down with the best Brown around! This beer has already made its mark as a two-time award winner, taking both the Gold Medal at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival for “American Style Brown” and also nabbing the Gold Cup at the 2012 World Beer Cup!
Food Pairing: Pork belly brioche (Toasted brioche topped with pork belly braised in orange and cinnamon. Served with cabbage, radish and apple slaw)
Our Thoughts: At SAVOR, it’s de rigeur to bring the biggest, booziest, and/or kookiest beer in your lineup. Telluride decided here to zig where others zagged. Face Down sounds like a steady brown with little in the way of flair or gimmick. I imagine it’ll work really well with the pork’s sweet/savory combination. Hit it early to appreciate the subtlety.
Beer #2: Bridal Veil Rye Pale Ale (Pale ale, 5.5% ABV)
In Their Own Words: Brewed with a generous amount of German Rye malt and an abundance of American hops, our ale embodies an earthly flavor and finishes with a hint of spice. This powerhouse of an ale excites even the most dormant of tastes buds.
Food Pairing: Pecan hushpuppies (Finely textured cornmeal studded with pecans and lightly fried.)
Our Thoughts: There are a bunch of pale ales coming to SAVOR this year – eleven, to be exact, making it one of the most popular styles – but the addition of rye here should set Telluride apart. If the balance is right, the peppery, spicy rye should play well with the cornmeal while the hops will wash away the frying oil.
This profile is a part of the DCBeer.com SAVOR Brewery Profile series. For more information, follow the link to see profiles of all 2014 SAVOR participants.
