Left Hand Brewing Co. - Polestar Pilsner

Happy Tuesday people! This is a back-to-back week, one of the first in a long time. Thank you for stopping by to read today's review. The weather in Florida is reaching triple digits during the day, with the heat index, so today's review will feature a light pilsner from a brewery our of Colorado. Yes, that's two straight beers from out west, but trust me, there are some great products from that side of the Country. In fact, why don't we talk a little about the brewery: Lefthand Brewing Co. from Longmont, Colorado.

Lefthand Brewing Co.
Lefthand has quite a cool history. The story started in 1990 with a couple homebrewers - of course. In 1993, the two guys who founded the Brewery, Dick and Eric, started Indian Peaks Brewing Company, in honor of some regional geography and history. However, there was already a brewery with the same name, so they had to change to Lefthand in honor of Chief Niwot, from a local tribe. Niwot comes from the Arapahoe word which means "Lefthand". Pretty cool stuff. Anyway, in '94 Sawtooth Ale came out, and the groove kept on moving from there. In '98 the brothers merged Lefthand with Tabernash Brewing Company, based out of Denver. Fast forward to 2010, after a few sales, growth spurts, and money spending, the bro's have a massive brewhouse and have won numerous awards from their beer - including Polestar Pilsner (Bronze Medal, 2007, North American Beer Awards). So, now that you've gotten your daily history lesson, let's talk about the pils.

Polestar Pilsner
Polestar Pilsner is a great German-style pilsner. It is an American pilsner, but I say German-style because our European brethren tend to make their pilsners a bit more hoppy and bitter. Having said that, this opposite right hand offering is bitter and hoppy with smooth crisp finish. It pours a nice grainy yellow, with a thin foam head. You can see the suds raising the roof throughout. On the back end it's a bit spicy, but it's nothing to throw you back in your chair. This is a great beer, something I would highly recommend for a daily drink, or to substitute one of your favorite macro brews. And at 5.5%, it's certainly a beer that you can have more than once in one sitting.

If you're interested in more Lefthand Brewing products, I'd suggest the Sawtooth Ale (one of the first beers from Lefthand). I originally bought it to review on the site, but instead I just drank it to enjoy it. Other popular beers from the Lefthand are Milk Stout (Stout) and 400 Pound Monkey (IPA).

Great Divide Brewing Company - Colette Farmhouse Ale

Good Monday evening to my readers. I have been so terrible at updating the blog on a regular basis, so I'm thankful that you've come back for another read. Tonight's review will feature the first saison beer to be reviewed on gulp! Let's get right to it. 


What is a saison? 
A saison ale is, historically, a pale ale with low alcohol content. I wouldn't consider tonight's review a low alcohol content saison as it is 7.3% abv, which is on the higher end for a modern saison. In the old days, around 3% was standard. Anyway, saison is French for "season", in that Belgian farmers would drink the beers during the summer harvest season. They had to plan ahead though by brewing the beer in autumn or winter; and it also had to be strong enough during storage so it didn't lose to much alcohol by the time it was drinky time. Michael Jackson (no, not that MJ), a big name in the brew business, briefly describes a saison as "Seasonal summer style in the French-speaking part of Belgium. A sharply refreshing, faintly sour, top-fermenting brew, sometimes dry-hopped, often bottle-conditioned, 5.5 - 8 by volume."


Great Divide Brewing Company
I don't believe I've done a review on a Great Divide product yet, so I will indulge in a bit of history on them as well. These days, Colorado and Oregon are seen as two of the major states for micro-breweries. However, in 1994, when Great Divide was founded, such a scene hardly existed. I guess you could say that Great Divide, which opened up shop on the outskirts of Downtown Denver, helped to close the great divide. 

Photo taken with iPhone 4

Colette Farmhouse Ale
A little bit about the brew from Great Divide: "Colette is our homage to the beers that Belgian farm workers have enjoyed for centuries. Brewed with barley, wheat and rice and fermented at high temperatures with a special blend of four different yeast strains, Colette is fruity and slightly tart, with a dry finish that makes it that rarest of treats - a beer as refreshing as it is complex." 


One reason I was exited to try this beer tonight was to use my recently acquired Unibroue tulip glass. That might sound silly, but technically certain beers go better with certain glasses, and according to my "research", tulip was appropriate for this tasting. Now, up to this point, I wasn't sure if I had had a saison before. But, after I popped open the bottle and sniffed away, I was reminded of some recent beers I've had. The farmhouse ale pours a dark yellow - maybe best described as a carbonated liquid banana? The head was a fairly decent size, perhaps due to the tulip glass design. The smell is a bit sour, but fresh. On the way down it's a mix of spicy fruit and light ale. A bit spicier at the back end, but nothing overwhelming. 


Overall, this is a pretty good beer. Certainly easy to drink during our hot Florida summers. If you've never tried a saison, they're in season, so go grab a bottle and give it a shot!