The nose of this beer hits you as soon as the cap is off, and it is a delight. Yeah, there’s hops in there. Along with a shocking amount of alcoholic hotness. In fact, most of what I get on the nose is that nice heat and a touch of grassy hops. The high presence of Centennial hops gives this beer a great smell.

Rampant pours a gorgeous honey-gold color, with an almost amber hue compared to a lot of IPAs. It’s as attractive to the eye as it is to your nose, and the high carbonation is visible, rushing along the sides of the glass. The taste is sharp, clean, and it’s certainly a tasty if not a tad underwhelming beer. It’s definitely hoppy, but not overwhelmingly so. It’s not heavy on the citrus notes like a lot of imperials, and it has a really pleasant, silky mouthfeel. At first sip, you wouldn’t guess that it’s 8.5%.

The fact that this beer packs 8.5% ABV into a shockingly cheap bomber ($5 at Mondo Vino!) makes it more than worth the purchase. Even if it’s not as mind-blowing as something like 120 Minute, who cares? It’s cheap, it’s local, and it’s delicious.

Overall: A high-middle shelf beer at bottom shelf price. You really can’t beat that. Again, I picked up a 22oz bomber for $5 at Mondo Vino, which makes Rampant a no-brainer. If this beer was $10-12, I’d say your money might be better spent elsewhere. But at this price point, you’d be stupid to not stock up.

The source of all happiness.

This is one of the most wonderful places on earth. @ New Belgium Brewing, Ft. Collins, Colorado.

I finally made my way over to Pizza Alley last weekend, hoping to at last find inexpensive, irony-free NY-style pizza in the Highlands. As it turns out, Pizza Alley is my jam.

The story

Legend has it that Pizza Alley was purchased from the original owners in 2007 by a pair of regular customers, patrons of the establishment since childhood. Thanks to the brains and – dare I say it – gumption of these 2 entrepreneurs, Pizza Alley remains a landmark in Highlands Square. Pizza Alley can also boast that they were in Highlands Square before it was cool.

The Pizza

Pizza Alley serves hot, floppy NY-style pizza – the kind of pizza that should really just be called “Pizza” because other styles are just a joke in comparison. The pizza came out quickly, with that perfect, floury, thin crust with just the right amount of crisp. The best part about Pizza Alley’s pizza is that no one’s “riffing” on pizza here. The pizza is unpretentious, unassuming, and delicious.

The beer

Pizza Alley may pride itself on having $1 PBR all day on Tuesdays, but why wouldn’t they? I realize this is a “craft-beer blog”, but it’s beer. For $1. If that’s not good enough for you, then don’t go to Pizza Alley. Thankfully, PBR is not the only cold-brew option at Pizza Alley. They’ve got a nice selection of cans and bottles, including some choice selections from New Belgium and other craft beer purveyors. Don’t go if you’re hoping for tap selection, but do go for pizza and beer.

Go to Pizza Alley

Swing by for a slice and a beer and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed, unless you hate great pizza and small business.
Check out their website at
pizzaalley.com for hours and location info, and be sure to follow them on Twitter, @pizzaalley

__
Sean

+ Couldn’t help but notice healthy supplies of Bitches Brew and Theobroma from Dogfish Head, and the BB is a steal at $17. I’d grab a few to age were I a beer lover. Oh wait…
+ Oak-aged Yeti has arrived from Great Divide, along with the barrel-aged Old Ruffian, which I highly recommend for aging.
+ Odell’s Mountain Standard has made a full return and is in strong supply.
+ The supply of Magic Hat beer is increasing, and MV now has the Heart of Darkness, Circus Boy, and the #9 not-quite-pale ale.
+ It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as winter ales are rolling in. New Belgium’s Snow Day has arrived, along with Deschute’s Jubelale, Abita Christmas, Session Fest, Alaskan Winter, Bristol’s Winter Warlock, and Avery’s Old Jubilation. I also have it on reasonable authority that Bridgeport Ebenezer’s Ale should be hitting the shelves in the next week or so.

Those were the notable shelf-beers that stuck out to me, hopefully you feel like dropping in and giving Mondo Vino some business. Let me know what else you see popping up around town in the comments!

*First impressions:*
The beer pours a beautiful amber-orange in the glass, and smells more of nutmeg and brown sugar than pumpkin. The mouthfeel is much less “fizzy” than a lot of pumpkin ales I’ve tried, although more astringency than I typically like. It tastes great, with a really nice pumpkin pie aftertaste. It’s got a nice nutty profile complementing the pumpkin, so it’s not syrupy or overwhelming.

*Overall*
This is a great pumpkin ale, and at $5 a bomber, it’s a steal compared to a lot of other autumnal offerings. I’d recommend picking up a bottle of Night Owl from Mondo Vino ASAP. It’s perfect for a nice cold day inside.

Oh, and the beer is delicious, too. I had a rather healthy serving of the Dunkel, and could have gone back for more had someone not bought me an Oktoberfest. They also have Jenga, in case you weren’t sold on Prost quite yet.

I’ve been drinking Devil’s head on tap at Parry’s Pizzeria in Highlands Ranch, and love the way it pairs with pizza and wings. It’s not the best match with super spicy foods as it doesn’t quite have the hops to cut all the way through more intense flavors, but that’s a good thing. It makes the beer more drinkable. It’s hard to not order 3 of these at once just to cut down on the time wasted between pints.

The color is a gorgeous deep amber, and the beer pours with pretty minimal head and lacing. The nose for me is pretty grassy and malty, and hides a lot of the surprises this beer has on the taste.

Devil’s Head is an exciting take on the red ale, managing to add a delightful amount of complexity and hoppy flavor while remaining easily accessible for the non-hop-heads among us.

Devils Head comes in at a toasty 7.2%ABV, and is one of my favorite new beers I’ve had this year.