Bruz Beers in Midtown, just northwest of Denver proper, is pumping out some delicious, true-to-style beers. With several medal wins in brew festivals including one at GABF this year, they are aiming to brew high-quality beers across all Belgian beer styles. Quads, Saisons, bottle-conditioned Sours, and everything in between keep brewers Charlie Gottenkieny and Dave Olson (formerly of Ursula Brewing), and Brewery Operations Manager Ryan Evans very busy!

Inspired by Belgian breweries, where each community has their local brewery, Bruz is filling this role in Midtown by producing excellent Belgian-style beers. They are also working to open a second tap room on Colfax and York.

A stand-out seasonal beer Bruz produces is the Hellraiser Golden Strong. This beer pours a hearty golden color with a thick head and smells like Belgium—traditional coriander and orange peel with a bit of yeast-spice on the nose as well. Packing a 10.2% ABV, two of these could surely inspire the drinker to raise some Hell.

Each small sip gives away the fresh and dry mouthfeel, and the spice experienced on the nose is accentuated on the tongue. Breathing out through the nose after a taste opens up the nasal passages and allows the beer to really show it’s true spiced and complex flavor, attributed to specialty lighter malts, Belgian hops, and primarily Belgian yeast.

Hellraiser is bottle-conditioned, just as are many Belgian beers. Traditionally, bottle conditioning requires some priming sugar solution to be mixed with beer (which still contains yeast particles) and then closed into a bottle (traditionally corked) to restart fermentation. This leads to natural carbonation, and provides the consumer with an extremely fresh and unique drinking experience, as no bottle will be exactly the same.

In the case of Hellrasier, the beer is conditioned for drinking inside each keg, and the process of adding priming sugar and allowing the yeast to naturally carbonate the beer is the identical to the traditional process. This allows the Bruz patron a chance to try an authentic Belgian-style beer on tap.

Regarding the many styles of beer Bruz is producing, Brewery Operations Manager Ryan Evans said “When the beer is ready, it tells us.” By being attentive to what the beers are saying, and creating a true-to-style environment for each beer, Bruz is making some fantastic Belgian-style beers. Stop in and check out Hellraiser before it hibernates until next winter!

Cover Photo provided by Bruz Beers

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