Stout month. It’s a Colorado craft beer tradition that dates to 1993. The celebration of stout beer traces directly to Boulder, Colorado’s Mountain Sun Brewery.
“We had a head brewer by the name of Jack Harris who wanted to do something to brighten up the darkest months of the year, and he thought the best way to do that was to convince people stouts were worth celebrating,” said Mountain Sun’s Managing Partner Paul Nashek. “So he tried to build community through celebrating a style of beer.”
Now, most Colorado breweries celebrate February as stout month with special releases, tappings and rare beer bottle releases.
“We have over 70 stouts this month. We’re brewing 30 of them,” said Nashek. “There are breweries that developed recipes just to get on our tap board and brewed special recipes just to be able to pitch us.”
The appeal to beer drinkers is obvious. But Chris Bell, co-founder of Call to Arms Brewing Company, says stout month offers a respite for brewers too.
“It gives you an excuse to brew whatever stout you want,” said Bell. “There are a lot of breweries out there that are tied to their production schedules. This is something where you can slip this really cool beer in there and try something new.”
Resolute Brewing Company plans to release six special stouts throughout February. The final release on Monday, Feb. 26 is a golden stout, designed to have all the aroma and flavor of a traditional stout but pour a sunny, golden color.
“You can impart the flavors of a stout using coffee beans, vanilla, chocolate,” said Assistant Brewer Matt Georgen. “If you blend it all the right way, it gives the flavor of a stout.”
Other Resolute releases include a latte milk stout, chocolate orange stout, rum raisin imperial stout and a coconut cream stout.