Crosby's Kitchen & CocktailBeer

This light, easy drinking summer beer is brewed with fresh strawberries for a fun and refreshing taste. NEW - One of our customer favorites is returning soon! For this refreshing summertime ale, we start with our popular Burks’ Blonde and add 120 pounds of real strawberries! It is sure to please with it’s refreshing yet subtle aromas and flavors of Strawberries.

Next up, we present Scratch Beer #11-2008, a Bitter. Back in the day, we used to brew a little number called Tr�¶egs ESB. Even though this beer was retired almost six years ago, we still get numerous Tr�¶egs old-schoolers (Martha) begging for its return. Well hang onto your boot straps because Scratch #11 is about as close as we can get to the original ESB without firing up the old brew kettle. The Scratch #11 recipe originates from Chrisâ�� stint at Englandâ��s University of Sunderland brewing program. After returning to Colorado the brothers drew on Chrisâ�� experience and brewed pilot batches tweaking that recipe. The ESB production recipe has direct bloodlines to these pilot batches. The Thames Valley ale yeast and the roasted barley create a biscuit flavor with nutty undertones. Combining these flavors with the earthiness of East Kent Golding hops creates one hell of a fine session beer. Take in the deep mahogany beauty of this beer and breathe in the full hoppy nose. Itâ��s not the ESB, but itâ��s damn special.

In our never-ending pursuit of answering the burning question of what�s new, we present Scratch #12-2008, an IPA. The IPA is a fickle beast; too much malt and you veer into a high-octane hopbomb, while too little hops can question a beer�s virility. In these chaotic days of shrinking hop harvests, balance is key to a proper IPA. Scratch #12-2008 delivers an intense pine nose married with a subtle wildflower aroma. The Thames Valley yeast adds an earthy nod to traditional English IPAs, while the American hops provide a bold contrasting bitterness. Breath deep, relax, enjoy.

Scratch #15-2008 is our first collaborative beer in the Scratch series. We teamed up with St. Thomas Roasters of Linglestown to create a Double Espresso Oatmeal Stout. The double in the name refers to the espresso (not the alcohol). Scratch #15�s espresso blend is a medium city-type roast featuring beans from three continents. St. Thomas Roasters roasted and ground the beans; we used them in our hopback. At the end of the boil the hot wort passed through the espresso beans to give a lush coffee espresso nose and hints of coffee flavor. Chocolate, roasted and caramel malt flavors stand out, while the addition of oats gives Scratch #15 a full, round mouth feel. Galena and Ken Goldings hops are added to balance the overall flavor and not drive up the bitterness. The head retention diminishes quickly because of the oils from the espresso beans.

Scratch #16-2008 combines the bitterness of two aroma hops, the lush sweetness of honey and malt and an earthly yeast taste creating a Winter Warmer designed to ward off the coldest days. The dark, rich amber color comes from a combination of molasses and crystal malts; the Thames Valley brings a distinct earthly flavor; white the blend of hops creates fruity (Amarillo) and piney (Cluster) bitterness. The Winter Warmer ends with a slight warming sensation from the elevated alcohol content. Enjoy this one throughout the winter months. Cheers.

We started with the same grain bill as Scratch #12 (IPA) and substituted 25% rye for the base malt giving Scratch #18 a creamy mouth feel and a full-bodied taste. Mount Hood and Chinook hops are combined here for flavoring and aroma, and Warrior hops are used for overall bitterness. The rye plays off the Mount Hood hops, with both ingredients releasing an herbal, spicy flavor. Cheers.

Scratch #20 has been dubbed Apollo Imperial Ale because of our experimentation with a new hop variety. Apollo hops are high alpha acid with an intense aroma. Married with other high alpha hops, with almost two pounds of hops added per barrel produced, AIA has an intense staying power in the back of the throat. After a long discussion between Chris, John and the brewers, they dubbed this hop flavor stinky grapefruit with a hint of perfume. The dark color might lead you to believe the some malt may shine through; but no, the hops are the true player in this ale. Scratch #20 has a dual role, also serving at The Drafting Room�s Anniversary Ale for 2009. We brewed a bit more to serve the brewery and The Drafting Room, but get it while when you see it. Before this intense hop flavor subsides, this beer will be sold out.

Scratch #21-2009 is an exercise in deconstruction and minimalism. This Belgian Ale has distinct roots in The Mad Elf minus some key components. The cherries? Gone. The honey? Gone. The chocolate malt? Gone. Wait, this sounds familiar. It almost sounds like a naked version of The Mad Elf. Coming in just under 8% ABV, this unfiltered golden beauty shows off the pronounced yeast flavor that made The Mad Elf famous as well as a touch of alcohol and some mellow malt flavors.

In honor of Oktoberfest, we give you Scratch #23-2009, Kellar Fest. This unfiltered lager features all German malts and noble hops. Fermented with the Augustinerbrau yeast strain, Kellar Fest is a blend of Bohemian Pils, Munich and Vienna malts. The Magnum hops provide a crisp bitterness and the Hallertau noble hops impart a slight earthy taste. Kellar Fest finishes crisp and dry with hints of fruit. Grab a lamb handle and savor this Kellar Fest.

This mahogany ale packs a lingering, earthy hoppiness. The addition of more than 20% rye to the grain bill gives a creamy mouthfeel and hints of spice that compliment the bitterness of hops. Subtle fruitiness come through from the Bravo hops added during the boil, but the Cluster and Liberty varieties used in dry-hopping this beer are the true flavor drivers in this spicy ale. Dark in color and intense is flavor, Scratch 25-2009 finds true balance in a beer that could have easily gone way over the top. Enjoy.

The hop "research" continues in the Scratch Series with #38, our second of four Imperial Pale Ales. Featuring Centennial and Chinook hops, #38 adds a heavier malt bill and pours a brilliant golden amber with a creamy off-white head that leaves abundant lacing down the side of the glass. Unfiltered like nearly all of our Scratch beers, #38 has stunning clarity: even our lab guy thought we filtered this one! Due to some serious dry-hopping, #38 has a predominantly grassy citrus nose, and the flavor follows suit, overwhelming nearly all the bready Munich malt used in this brew. #38 leaves a lingering grassy bitterness on the tongue, making sure you know a lot of hops were sacrificed for this brew. Hops: Centennial, Chinook

For Scratch #44, we were determined to break our mold of recipe formulation by taking a homebrewed beer and scaling it upward to make a Scratch beer. Scratch #44, a Belgian-Style Quad, is based on the winning recipe by Team America from the semi-annual Troegs Metal Brewer competition; truly one of the funniest brewery events we hold. For Metal Brewer we divide all our co-workers into teams and ask the teams to brew a beer using a secret ingredient – this year was dried fruit – and develop a marketing presentation for the beer. As an added incentive, the winning team got a Scratch Beer made in their honor, which you have the pleasure to enjoy. Scratch #44 comprises of a complex variety of malts featuring Special B and CaraBelge that gives this beer a rich red hue and thick caramelized sweetness. Once this uber-high gravity wort made it to the kettle, we added a combination of Magnum hops for bittering, and Saaz hops for an herbal contrast to the caramel malts, along with Demararra sugar. For a unique twist on this style, we used a combination of Saaz whole-leaf hops, and more than 40 pounds of Zante currants in the hopback. We pitched Westmalle yeast for a complimenting spicy balance and after a long fermentation, we give you Scratch #44—an interesting spin to a style that’s been enjoyed for centuries. O.G.: 21.1 Malt: Pils, Munich, Melanoidin, Special B, CaraBelge Hops: Magnum, Saaz Yeast: Westmalle Juju: Demararra sugar, Zante currants Code: Team America (Metal Brewer Champions!)

Naked Elf is an exercise in deconstruction and minimalism. This ale has distinct roots in The Mad Elf minus some key components. The cherries? Gone. The honey? Gone. The chocolate malt? Gone. Coming in just under 8% ABV, Naked Elf is an unfiltered golden beauty that displays a pronounced yeast flavor that made The Mad Elf famous as well as a touch of alcohol and some mellow malt flavors. O.G.: 22 Malt: Pils, Munich, Crystal Yeast: Belgian Hops: German Northern Brewers, Czech Saaz

In honor of Oktoberfest (and our German friends building our new brewery) we give you Scratch #48-2011, Fest Bier. This gorgeous lager features German malts including floor-malted Bohemian Pils, and generous amounts of Vienna and Munich malts which add a nice body and a slightly darker color than a traditional fest beer. All noble hops provide a hint of grapes and a subdued “German stink.” The Magnum hops add a crisp bitterness and the Tradition hops impart a slight earthy taste. Ich möchte einen Toast auf BrauKon ausbringen! O.G.: 15.1 Plato Malt: Bohemian Pils, Munich, Vienna, Special B Yeast: Weihenstephan Lager Hops: Magnum, Tradition

Scratch #52 – T2 Ale – is the beginning of a great adventure and a grand experiment. The first brew through the new brewhouse was designed to research yield and extraction rates, test our new boiler system and dial in the hop dosing system and hopback. The results? Our fermentable extraction rate was higher than expected meaning T2 Ale is a bit higher in alcohol than planned The hop dosing system and new boiling system were equally efficient creating an intense, lingering bitterness stronger than expected. Malt: Pils, Munich Hops: Cascade, Nugget Hopback: Whole Leaf Nugget Codename: T2 Ale Scratch #52 will be served two ways – filtered and unfiltered – so try them both. It was 100% naturally carbonated and we are excited to share this first brew with our customers.

Our goal when playing with non-traditional ingredients is to find balance between the ingredient and the beer. For Scratch #54-2011 – our third foray into cocoa – we wanted to design a drinkable (under 6%), subtle and satisfying beer. Starting with a base recipe for a mild porter, we added cocoa powder from Ghana and Ivory Coast to the brew kettle during final hop addition. The powder, made from “dutched nibs” typically used in baking, adds a slight bitterness and a rich chocolate aroma. After fermentation, we aged #54 on Ghanaian vanilla beans and medium roast Ghanaian cocoa nibs for ten days. The malt has a slight roast but is designed with a lighter body to let the cocoa flavors show through. The addition of lactose gives a smooth mouthfeel. The vanilla emerges in the aftertaste and the beer reaches room temperature and hints of chocolate linger in the finish. OG: 14.0 Malt: Pils, Crystal, Chocolate, Roast Hops: Warrior,Cluster Juju: Cocoa Powder, Cocoa Nibs, Vanilla Beans, Lactose Codename:Cocoa Porter

Here’s another Scratch test batch designed to delight our customers. Due to a minor flaw in a brewing program, we lost some of the mash when it was transferred to the brew kettle. A quick-thinking brewer modified the hop-load and created our first-ever single hopped beer. Bronze in color with a dry finish, the lead flavor is intense grapefruit and a fruity backbone derived from Simcoe hops. OG: 14.2 Malt: Pils, Munich, Crystal Hops: Simcoe Yeast: House Ale Yeast Codename: SHPA1 (Single Hop Pale Ale 1)

Old world brewing techniques combine with Noble hops for Scratch #6-2007. This Export Lager features a single stage decoctionâ��a first for Tr�¶egs Brewery. After combining barley and water we transfer a portion of the mash to the brew kettle for a quick boil. The heated mash is then returned to the mash kettle and the brewing process continues. This process deepens the malt character and adds a subtle toffee backbone to this delicious lager. Weâ��ve added Magnum hops for bittering and Czech Saaz hops for aroma to create a classic European Noble hop flavor. Scratch #6-2007 is unfiltered, so there will be a slight haze to the beer.

Red and white wheat combined with darker malts add body to this hazy, unfiltered ale. Fermented with the same yeast as DreamWeaver Wheat replicating the pepper, clove and all-spice flavors found in our year-round beer.