Written by Brandon Marcus, Christopher Birtch, Julian Dalh, and Julian Dahl
This Week’s Brewery:
Field House Brewing Company
Field House Brewing Company opened its doors in 2014, the first new brewery in downtown Colorado Springs in over 20 years since Phantom Canyon began operating. Field House has 14 taps in its facility on Tejon Street, and is dedicated to providing gluten-free options, with three taps of gluten-free-beer. The Company strives for high-quality beer and continuously rotates new and fresh seasonal options. We tasted two of the four flagships and sampled other styles on tap. Field House is a great place to bring homework, a group of friends, or even a date to enjoy many delicious beers.
This Week’s Picks:
Topher’s Pick: Mosaic IPA
This beer is a rotating tap, although they have two IPAs as part of their regular production. This beer is 6.4 percent alcohol by volume and a 67 on the IBU scale. The relatively low IBUs make it easy to drink, while not affecting the flavor. This beer has a clear golden color and a very powerful aroma of hops.
It has a straightforward taste and not too many flavors accompanying the hops. The flavors linger and thus we consider this beer to have two stages to it. First a refreshing citrus IPA flavor but then the bitterness lingers on the palate. While it was not the best IPA, it is a very good representation of the citrus character of Mosaic Hops.
Julian’s Pick: Fist Pump
Another of Field House’s flagship beers, this milk stout was surprising. It is 6.5 percent alcohol by volume and a 42 on the IBU scale. It has a rich mahogany color with toffee and malty aromas. It is characteristic of a milk stout, brewed with lactose, and has excellent flavor.
Initially mellow, it becomes strong at the end of the sip. Burnt and toasted flavors are apparent and these toasty/smoked malt flavors linger in the aftertaste.
It is light compared to many stouts and we think it’s definitely worth trying even if you do not usually like dark beers.
It does not overwhelm with too many coffee flavors, nor is it too heavy or dark, thus we definitely give this beer our seal of approval.
Brandon’s Pick: Sticky Paws
This golden honey wheat beer is dangerously smooth and brewed with local Colorado honey. The color is a clear yellow/orange, lacking the typical haziness of a wheat beer. It has a strong scent of honey yet bold flavors for this style of beer. The first sip greets you initially with a sweet honey flavor yet the beer finishes with a lingering spice taste, perhaps peppercorn. It is a multidimensional beer and progresses through the senses very nicely. It is 7.5 percent alcohol by volume, relatively high for this style, and 19 on the IBU scale.
While not a typical example of this style, it is a delicious beer that would pair nicely with light fare. We do not recommend trying to put down too many of these despite its drinkable character.
Other Field House Beers to Try:
Paralysis by Analysis IPA (flagship #3), Up a Creek IPA (flagship #4), Black IPA, Bravo IPA, and Nother Amber, and many other delicious beers.
Where to Buy/Drink:
We recommend checking out the taproom downtown located at 521 S. Tejon St. They have affordable pints, flights, and you can even get your growler filled. On a Wednesday, they test out new beers.
You can find their bombers in 12 local liquor stores including Weber Street Liquors while supplies last, as they are switching from a bottling to canning system in the coming months. Keep your eyes peeled for this new and growing brewery!