Alcohol in the news; Aspen Brewing Company, Aspen's first brewery

From the Buzz

Aspen Brewing Company, Aspen's first brewery; Three of this young brewery's beers

Aspen, Colorado was without a brewery in all the years of its existence until March of 2008. The only other brewery to be established in Aspen was the craft beer Flying Dog. However, they moved to Denver shortly after their opening and success. Coupled with the gorgeous mountainous atmosphere, Aspen Brewing Company brew-pub is one of the premier nightspots in downtown Aspen.

what? So there was a brewery at one point?

The brewery aims to be a sustainable business and therefore invests their time and effort in wind power, biodiesel, water recycling, bottle recycling and used grains.

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Their Conundrum Red Ale is a fantastic beer that walks the line of being a real bitter (IPA like) beer and a sweet, malty and flavorful beer proving it to truly be a conundrum for your taste buds.

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They recently added a Scottish Ale to their repertoire that tastes great with all the bitterness of a 10% alcohol infused ale but the finish of a sweet, malty, almost wheat, beer.

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the Smuggler Wheat Ale. Weighing in at 6.6% coupled with the sweet, malty flavors and refreshing finish, this beer is by far my favorite.

Aspen Brewing Company is in Aspen.

(from the brewery)

Fresh, local, small batch microbrews at 7822 ft.

It’s been awhile since the fine residents of Aspen have had a brewery to call their own—and now we’re proud to stake claim to offering the freshest beer and gear in the local high-country. With a decent cache of microbrews and some great seasonals, there’s always a reason to keep the growlers full and the glasses cold.

We invite you to come by the tasting room and learn about our beers and the brewing process. The brewery is open for tasting and tours every day. We’ve got sampler trays, pints, growlers, merchandise and beer-to-go 7 days a week. Our tasting room hours are Monday through Saturday from noon to 9pm, and Sunday from noon to 6pm.

We look forward to seeing you here—cheers from Aspen’s Brew Crew!

It doesn't look like their beer is available outside of Aspen. There do seem to be some 32 ounce bottles (that's an odd size) of their beer in some places around Aspen.