Hello readers! We are back this week with a promise to visit local breweries for our last two blocks (six articles to be exact) of Beer for Babes. As seniors, we believe it is necessary to embark on a tour of the breweries in The Springs. Don’t worry, we are crying too. Claire and Megan already began this journey informally this past summer, but we will be logging and visiting as many as possible in these next two blocks in a more official manner. We will also be talking heavily about the vibes of each brewery. As we all know, setting plays a major role in the experience of a beer tasting.
This week, we were blessed with the opportunity to visit Fossil Brewing Company. Located next to the scenic Extra Space Storage facility off Highway 24, the vibes upon arrival were questionable (and not bike-accessible). When entering, the vibe rose only slightly. While the decor was cute, with a very large merch section and some nice wall art, we still felt a little off.
This was perhaps due to the presence of dozens of men who had just finished a run club, or the fact that it smelled like beef stew. Sometimes these breweries smell interesting from the hops, but we can assure you that it was in fact the large gaggle of men and women aged 30 to 60 who smelled strongly of sweat and wore CrossFit shirts. This took away from our pleasure only slightly, for the drunker we got, the less we noticed. There was also a plethora of dogs present, which greatly enhanced our enjoyment of the space, along with the amazing sink in their bathroom. They even had free dog treats for all our dog-owning readers.
Now, onto the beer! We tried their New Zealand Pilsner (5.4% ABV), a collab with Phantom Canyon (shoutout the pool tables), and their Mammoth West Coast IPA (6.2% ABV). Much to our dismay, but mostly to Haley, who hates hops, they were out of their blonde ale, and zero sours were to be found. Already, we were a little disappointed, especially for our girls who are not super into the hoppy beers. The pilsner was light and refreshing; however, the bitterness from the hops did not linger in your mouth after a few sips. In the wise words of Claire, it tasted “soft.” Haley notes that the longer she drank this brew, the more it began to taste like the sweat from our run club participants. We are all for organized activity among millennials, but this was reaching the breaking point.
Their West Coast was also light and chill, leaving no lingering hoppy taste. Claire noted that the hops did not overpower the smooth finish of this beer, which Megan agreed with. It was slightly sweet and not cloudy, unlike the other West Coast IPAs we’ve seen. Haley did not like it and didn’t participate due to the hangover from day drinking and playing die. Die is so worth it, but at what cost? Perhaps next week we will go to a brewery, procure their beverages and take them back to our wonderful backyard to finally have outdoor frolic time that we have been dreaming about the entire year (this includes stump, grilling and maybe die if Haley locks in on her table construction skills). This schedule is not for the faint of heart.
As the first article in the last two blocks of CC (you will understand these justification powers once you, too, are a senior), the girls were sad, yet overwhelmed with love. We discussed how much Fossil Brewing Company paired well with new friends, the end of democracy and our college careers. If you have any amazing ideas that should be squeezed into our last five articles, please let us know. We have greatly appreciated the contributions from our dear readers that have sparked many brewery trips.