Fort Collins Brewery – Common Ground

Greetings all.  I have been on a bit of a hiatus over the holidays but now I am back in the saddle.  There was much drinking going on and I do apologize for being a bit selfish and not sharing my tastes.  Last night snob Rob’s wife, snob Rob and I attended a beer tasting at The Market (for more info we have a post on this wondrous occurrence), after which I purchased a bottle of Fort Collins Brewery’s Common Ground, popped the cap and began to partake.

This brew comes in the 22 oz size with 5.6 abv and will run you 6 bucks at The Market.  Question – will a coffee infusion with a malty amber ale work as well as with a stout?  My answer? Hells Yess.  As soon as the golden brown nectar hits the glass you can smell the coffee followed by a subtle hint of cocoa.  I was surprised by the color and I’m not sure why, I was just ready for a darker beer.   Too many coffee stouts I suppose.  The taste was fantastic.  Coffee, cocoa and hints of vanilla abound on this easy drinking beverage.  If only I could replace my morning cup-o-joe with this bad boy.  There is a nice bitter balance of hops to accompany the sweetness of the cocoa with a medium amount of carbonation.  Normally I can only enjoy one glass of these sweeter beers.  I believe this is due to my overwhelming internally occurring sweetness clashing with an external sweetness source.  Oops, one moment, I believe my wife is choking on her beer for some reason.  The post sip brings you a nice cocoa and light coffee aftertaste.

Final Snobs – Surprisingly this brew is not very filling and the flavors are very well balanced.  At 5.6 abv you could enjoy the full 22 oz bottle with nary a problem (or maybe I just have quite a bit of practice).  Grab one and let the snobs know what you think.