Denver Beer Week

In honor of the Great American Beer Festival which starts Thursday the 24th, Denver is having a beer week. There are events every night at local restaurants and bars all week ranging from 5 course beer inspired dinners to keg rolling races. Breweries from across the country are bringing special limited release beers to bars and having special release parties and chances to meet the head brewers. Elise and I attended an event on Friday at Great Divide. They unveiled their Claymore Scotch Ale which was aged in Stranahan's Whiskey barrels for about 6 months. Stranahans is a local whiskey distillery only a few blocks away from Great Divide. The whiskey barrels will impart a whiskey-like aroma to the beer, as well as a subtle bourbon taste. The barrels also impart a nice blend of vanilla and oak flavors to the beer. The beer was dark, sweet, and fairley strong at ~9% abv.
Next week they are also unveiling a Sour Whisky Bourbon Barrel Aged Claymor Scotch Ale. The "sour" comes from the addition of lactobacilus, a bacteria that is usually thought to spoil beer, that is innocculated into the barrel and imparts a sourness to the beer.