“Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system.” Bruce Lee
Yes, we just quoted Bruce Lee…our intention is to make beer that is enjoyable first and adhering to particular style guidelines last. We like to look at our “style” as “New American Brewing”, and much like our culinary counterparts that we stole part of the term from, we draw on the rich brewing history of other countries, sometimes reformulating styles, or just putting a new spin on things…call it the great “Melting Mug” of beer if you will.
CORE BEERS
We are always experimenting with new recipes (after all, isn’t that half the fun of owning a brewery?), so tap offerings may change. The following are the core beers that will typically be available in our tasting room and periodically at the locations in and around Denver that carry Wit’s End:
Jean-Claude Van Blond
What?
Jean-Claude Van Blond is inspired by the action hero in all of us. It features a Belgian yeast strain and is built on a lighter malt profile with just a touch of oats for a silky body and some additional depth. You will find this beer intriguing and hard to define—which is just the way we like it.
Why?
The yeast provides some fresh dough, banana, pineapple and clove aromas to dazzle the senses. The lighter malts give this beer its color and soft grainy flavors. It is mashed longer and at lower temperatures to produce a dry yet complex beer. Although easy drinking, there is soft and surprising intensity just like the ancient Dim Mak technique!
Super FL i.p.a.
What?
Super FL i.p.a. is a no nonsense Black IPA—can you dig it? This bad-ass beer features nine different malts, as well as a combination of Columbus and Cascade hops. After the fermentation, it is then dry-hopped and rests on just a touch of real cedar wood chips. The game it plays it plays for keeps!
Why?
A small amount of dark grains provides color and just a hint of roasted flavor. This blends in perfectly with some of the deeper caramel notes found in the other grains. The citrusy bitterness of the hops joins the party and balances things out while the cedar chips just lay back and provide a subtle earthiness to keep it real...
Green Man Ale
Inspired by the malty and hoppy beers of the Great Northwest, Green Man Ale is a rich and layered beer that lies somewhere between an IPA and a Red Ale—not exactly radical, but not quite the conformist, Green Man Ale just is.
Why?
An Eclectic blend of malts and plenty of northwest hops have come together, not worrying about fitting in, and simply being content in walking their own path of malty hoppiness (always need a good hop pun). Green Man is excellent when paired with wild salmon or as an inspirational elixir during your favorite pagan ceremony.
Kitchen Sink Porter
What started out as a basic porter recipe evolved by adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that, using a wide variety of malts not typically seen in a porter. This includes various types of rye and a dash of smoked malt. The result—a roasty, spicy, chocolaty glass of goodness. We just threw in the Kitchen Sink moniker for good measure.
Why?
The darker roasted malts lend some coffee aromas and chocolate flavors. The rye adds some unique spicy and fruity notes throughout the tasting experience. The smoked malt adds just enough of its character to bridge everything together—not dominate the structure as in a “smoked” beer. This beer is also deceivingly dry and pairs with Middle Eastern food particularly well.
EXPERIMENTS
After 1000s of hours of research, study, deep thought, and...OK, maybe these are all more of a whim, perhaps just a passing fancy. Much like a double rainbow, you have to enjoy these while they last, and although they may appear again, you just never know when and where...
What?
Ever stumble to the kitchen and pour yourself a cup of ambition but wish there was beer in it? Us too…so our cup of Ambition is a coffee stout that gives equal attention to coffee as it does beer. This results in a wonderful blend that is truly good to the last cup…er…pint. Although this beer is perfect anytime, for some reason, it seems to taste best from 9-5?
Why
Rather than adding cold steeped coffee to the beer, we wanted to do what was best for coffee and integrate that into the brewing process. Fortunately after the boil there is a window of temperature just right for brewing coffee, so we took advantage of this and love the results. The coffee is prominent, but not bitter, and backed up by rich chocolatey and roasty malts. Is it a great cup of coffee with beer, or a great beer with coffee? You decide, just don’t forget the doughnuts!
Dim Mak
What?
Inspired by many of Belgium’s devilish golden ales, we decided to add a touch (some might say death touch) of using Chinese rock candy sugar to help boost the gravity. Just like the ancient technique, Dim Mak is shrouded in mystery and legend. Golden and opaque, one has to rely on all their senses when navigating through this beer.
Why?
The Belgian yeast gives off aromas of lemon rind and licorice that pierce through its meringue-like head. Although excitingly dry from the use of the Chinese rock candy, the silky body and sweet lemon-pepper notes prevail. Like an iron palm breaking the bottom brick, the alcohol warmth is delayed and hits you in the chest, which of course by then it is too late…welcome to the Dim Mak!
Wilford
What?
Introducing the Belgian Oatmeal IPA! Flaked oats play a major role in this Belgian-American porridge. Pungent spicy noble hops, citrusy American hops, and a Belgian yeast all wrapped up in a silky blanket of oats--yes please! We will not make any claims as to the health benefits of using oatmeal in beer, but if there are any, then…it’s the right beer to drink, and the tasty way to do it!
Why?
This beer gets its clove aromas and spicy flavors from the Belgian yeast. The combination of tettnang and cascade hops create a lemon-orange pith tartness which finds balance with the caramel malt sweetness. The large amount of flaked oats used in this beer helps tame all of these robust flavors creating a very unique flavor profile. Its frothy head will make a beer mustache that Mr. Brimley himself would be proud to wear!
Ambition
What?
Ever stumble to the kitchen and pour yourself a cup of ambition but wish there was beer in it? Us too…so our cup of Ambition is a coffee stout that gives equal attention to coffee as it does beer. This results in a wonderful blend that is truly good to the last cup…er…pint. Although this beer is perfect anytime, for some reason, it seems to taste best from 9-5?
Why
Rather than adding cold steeped coffee to the beer, we wanted to do what was best for coffee and integrate that into the brewing process. Fortunately after the boil there is a window of temperature just right for brewing coffee, so we took advantage of this and love the results. The coffee is prominent, but not bitter, and backed up by rich chocolatey and roasty malts. Is it a great cup of coffee with beer, or a great beer with coffee? You decide, just don’t forget the doughnuts!
Dim Mak
Inspired by many of Belgium’s devilish golden ales, we decided to add a touch (some might say death touch) of using Chinese rock candy sugar to help boost the gravity. Just like the ancient technique, Dim Mak is shrouded in mystery and legend. Golden and opaque, one has to rely on all their senses when navigating through this beer.
Why?
The Belgian yeast gives off aromas of lemon rind and licorice that pierce through its meringue-like head. Although excitingly dry from the use of the Chinese rock candy, the silky body and sweet lemon-pepper notes prevail. Like an iron palm breaking the bottom brick, the alcohol warmth is delayed and hits you in the chest, which of course by then it is too late…welcome to the Dim Mak!
Wilford
Introducing the Belgian Oatmeal IPA! Flaked oats play a major role in this Belgian-American porridge. Pungent spicy noble hops, citrusy American hops, and a Belgian yeast all wrapped up in a silky blanket of oats--yes please! We will not make any claims as to the health benefits of using oatmeal in beer, but if there are any, then…it’s the right beer to drink, and the tasty way to do it!
Why?
This beer gets its clove aromas and spicy flavors from the Belgian yeast. The combination of tettnang and cascade hops create a lemon-orange pith tartness which finds balance with the caramel malt sweetness. The large amount of flaked oats used in this beer helps tame all of these robust flavors creating a very unique flavor profile. Its frothy head will make a beer mustache that Mr. Brimley himself would be proud to wear!
Slam Dunkelweizen
Put together various wheat malts, a classic German yeast, mostly adhere to the Rheinheitsgebot and you got yourself a Slam Dunkelweizen! A Slightly more seductive and deeper version of its more popular counterpart the Hefeweizen, Slam Dunkelweizen is like a piece of banana bread with honey and chocolate chips!
Why?
We use three different types of wheat malt to create a layered complexity of malted wheat flavors and a delicate clean sweetness. To balance these soft wheat flavors, we ferment at higher temperatures as well as intentionally stress out the yeast (ask a beer geek) to create a beautiful bouquet of banana and clove aromas. Strap on your lederhosen and enjoy this treat—prost!
Ugly Sweater
Ugly Sweater is a random mixture of things that appear to be working together in some kind of plan. But instead of a catastrophic garment one pokes fun at, it is a unique holiday ale that can bring a bunch of people together to poke fun at said garment. Loosely based on an English brown ale recipe, we throw in some knick knacks like roasted pumpkin seeds, palm sugar, and peace on earth.
Why?
This beer is not filtered (much like that relative we all see during the holidays) and has a slight ethereal haze. The appearance paired with its rich caramel maltiness is like drinking a Sugar Daddy®. The roasted pumpkin seeds create a creamy nutty texture, and thanks to a Belgian yeast strain, the huge cinnamon and clove notes come through and balance the sweetness. So bundle yourself up in an Ugly Sweater and have a happy holiday season!
The Mad King
What?
Enigmatic, genius, insane? The Mad King is all of these and more. Based on a weizenbock, this dark wheat beer goes the extra mile, fermentationally speaking. Inspired by the misunderstood king’s passion to build fairytale castles, obsessions about swans, and other whims, we too have been called mad for following our passions. Sit back and enjoy this regal beer, just be careful, you may want to chase down a dream or two after a glass.
Why?
The German yeast and malt profile create a beer full of unique flavors like kola nut, chocolate, and dark fruits. Thanks to the decoction mashing process, there is a soft yet present malty backbone that balances these flavors out. Throughout all this mania, The Mad King still possesses an understated intensity. This beer is not as crazy as we are, but if you feel compelled to take a leisurely stroll around the lake with your therapist after drinking one, we recommend against it--Hail to the King, Baby!
The Mad King
Enigmatic, genius, insane? The Mad King is all of these and more. Based on a weizenbock, this dark wheat beer goes the extra mile, fermentationally speaking. Inspired by the misunderstood king’s passion to build fairytale castles, obsessions about swans, and other whims, we too have been called mad for following our passions. Sit back and enjoy this regal beer, just be careful, you may want to chase down a dream or two after a glass.
Why?
The German yeast and malt profile create a beer full of unique flavors like kola nut, chocolate, and dark fruits. Thanks to the decoction mashing process, there is a soft yet present malty backbone that balances these flavors out. Throughout all this mania, The Mad King still possesses an understated intensity. This beer is not as crazy as we are, but if you feel compelled to take a leisurely stroll around the lake with your therapist after drinking one, we recommend against it--Hail to the King, Baby!