A staple of the Boulder craft beer scene since 1995, Twisted Pine Brewing Company has been winning awards for their amazing beers since 1996 at national and international festivals and competitions. Yet, I have been remiss in having not visited their brewery and ale house. That is, until today.

As I like to do when I visit a new brewery, I opted for a taster flight. Twisted Pine lets you choose any 5 of the 25 beers on tap. To get my variety, I selected the Basil Instinct saison, Alternative Facts Imperial Brown Ale, Secret Handshake wheat-based pale ale, Agaveras IPA, and Ghost Face Killah dry-peppered wheat ale.

The Basil Instinct and Secret Handshake both proved to be light and refreshing, though the Basil Instinct in particular had me longing for a sunny summer afternoon rather than todays cool rain. The Agaveras IPA included Madhava agave nectar that cut the hop profile and added a very subtle sweetness. The Alternative Facts Imperial Brown certainly proved to be the sweetest of the five flight beers and left the taste of toffee lingering on the palate.

The Ghost Face Killah was the most memorable experience this time around. Now, I handle heat pretty well in spicy foods. To give you some reference, I typically go for a 3 or 4 out of 5 on the spicy scale. Enough heat to build a burn but not so much that it overwhelms the flavor. The Ghost Face Killah on that same scale was around a 7 out of 5. One sip and my throat burned for several minutes It even smells hot. For comparison, I got a taster of the Billy’s Chilies brew, which is the same beer, just with the omission of the ghost peppers. This packed a light heat and lighter golden color while tasting and smelling of a chile bouquet—pleasant and sip-able. The Ghost Face Killah is as it’s name implies and not for the faint of palates. The photo below gives you an idea of just how slowly I needed to sip it.

There are another 19 beers on tap right now that I didn’t have the chance to try so I’ll have to come back soon to round out my Twisted Pine education before the taps change. Don’t be like me and wait years to visit. Your potential new favorite could be there now!

Need another reason to visit? Tonight, 10% of the day’s sales will be donated to Boulder County Arts Alliance to kick off Boulder Arts Week. Everybody wins!

Cheers!

Krista Davis

Krista is a native of Nebraska who left all that corn behind for the Rocky Mountain lifestyle. She graduated from the University of Denver with BAs in English and Anthropology and is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing from CU. In the ceaseless search for inspiration, her passions for writing and culture led her to another great love: Colorado microbreweries. When she’s not trying the new IPA on tap, Krista can be found hiking Chautauqua, running the Boulder Creek Path, or curled up with a good book