Whilst I made it around a long list of breweries and bars on my first trip to Colorado, time was limited, so I didn’t find the opportunity to make it up into the Rockies. This October, thanks to the generosity and hospitality of hero amongst men, Frank Curtis, I was able to spend the best part of a week in Fort Collins, leaving plenty of time for a good day’s hiking.
Since Frank had the Tuesday free, he offered to take me on a hike up Horsetooth Rock.
Before we headed for the trail, we had to take care of the important tasks of taking a beer out of the fridge, and picking up a sandwich to share when we made it up to the highest peak. The beer of choice for the day was a can of Juicy Haze, from New Belgium Brewing’s Voodoo Ranger IPA series, straight out of Frank’s fridge. The sandwich was an absolute monster of deli meats, cheese and salad, from the local Safeway.
A few hours later, after a leisurely hike up to the top of Fort Collins’ most iconic landmark, it was time to celebrate our workout by sharing the aforementioned beer. I would have happily drunk it warm, even in the mid-October Colorado heat, but Frank had kept our beer at fridge temperature in his can insulator. A handy little stainless-steel contraption if I ever did see one!
Juicy Haze is fantastic beer on any occasion, but at 7,200ft, surrounded by immense views at all angles, the tropical fruit and citrusy sweetness and refreshing bitterness of this IPA were on another level altogether… AND THE BEER WAS STILL FRIDGE COLD.
I can’t think of a better way to share a beer. Thanks Frank.
