Oasis Brewing Company

When we went: October 4th, 2021

Where: 3257 Lowell Blvd, Denver, CO 80211

Oasis brewing company is located in Denver, inside an old church that was built in 1931 and looks like it came out of medieval England. But there is a new/old god in town, and his name is Anubis. Oasis prides itself on its Egyptian god theme with Anubis being the logo for the brewery. Anubis is the god that judges those in the afterlife, and he must of had good time at Oasis because he brought them back from the dead. Oasis was founded in Boulder in 1991 as Oasis Brewer Pub, but shut its doors in the early 2000s. With the rise of craft beer, Oasis was brought back to life in 2015 and moved into their current location in 2017. Nick and I visited the brewery in the fall of 2021. Despite its old church exterior, it has a very modern décor on the inside. There is plenty of space both inside and out for seating, and they have their own food menu. Oasis is definitely a unique experience that blends old with new.

Nick: While I was at Oasis, all I could think about was one of Chris and my favorite shows, Stargate, a Sci-Fi show whose alien bad guys go heavy on the Egyptian theme. And the Egyptian theme of Oasis definitely stands out from most breweries. Judging by their most popular beers on Untapped, I expected them to have more of a variety of beers, but when we went, it was mostly IPA’s and ales. I thought the Blood Orange Saison was fine, but neither the Scarab Red or the St. Bernard Saison stood out to me. I loved the aesthetic, but I wish the beer had interested me more.

Chris: I may be biased, but it seems the farther west you go in the United States, the more dominant IPAs get and the fewer dark beers you see. When we went to Oasis, I did not see a single dark beer, and I strongly believe that breweries should have variety. But that is not to say that Oasis only had IPAs, as they had a number of ales. The first beer I had was their Cherry Pie Red Ale which had a nice mix of cherry and graham cracker, but it could have been more flavorful. Next I had the St. Bernard Saison which is described as having a hint of citrus, but it was really not even a hint of any flavor whatsoever. Finally, I had the Blood Orange Saison which was very refreshing and had a much stronger flavor than the other beers. Overall, I would say I did not have any bad beers, but the beers seemed like those of a different era, when crisp and refreshing were the only things people wanted.

Other cool stuff:

  • Lots of events
  • Food trucks
  • Live music
  • Merch
  • Beers to go

What we drank:

Chris: Blood Orange Saison (Farmhouse Ale) 6% – 4 out of 5

Chris: St. Bernard Saison (Farmhouse Ale) 6% – 3 out of 5

Chris: Cherry Pie (Red Ale) 5.5% – 3.5 out of 5

Nick: Scarab Red (Red Ale) 5.6%- 3 out of 5

Brewing persuasion: 3.5 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

Outer Light Brewing Company

When we went: November 19th, 2021

Where: 266 Bridge st, Groton, CT 06340

Outer Light brewery company (OLBC for short) opened in Groton in the spring of 2015 and has been a favorite of the community ever since. Unlike all the other breweries near Mystic, you can actually get parking when you arrive at the taproom. That has to do with their location being in an industrial park and next to the now closed Galaxy Roller Rink. Like many breweries that are in this type of area, the outside isn’t much to look at, but the inside has some surfing themed decorations. While the taproom isn’t large, there is a good amount of outdoor seating and a decent amount of indoor seating. During the warmer months, the garage door that acts as one of the walls of the taproom opens up to let in some fresh air.

Chris: This was not the first time I had been to Outer Light, but I have never been particularly impressed with this brewery. I have visited four different times, and I have never seen a sour on their menu, and their online tap list doesn’t show any either. I understand that every brewery doesn’t need to make every type of beer, but sours are so popular that it seems weird not to make any. That isn’t to say their beer isn’t good, but I have not personally liked many. I did like their Bluebird Blond Ale made with blueberry, pomegranate and lactose. I am a sucker for anything with a good blueberry taste to it, and I have liked the trend of adding lactose to beers. While I do not like IPAs, I do like when breweries work with local businesses and communities to come out with specialty beers. OLBC is coming out with Walk Your Horses NEIPA to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Mystic Bascule bridge. Maybe trip number 5 will change my mind about the place.

Nick: Craft brewing as a business is just as much about building a following and establishing yourself in a community as it as about making beer. OLBC has done a lot to build its brand in the Groton area and has a strong following with the workers at Electric Boat. They have certainly been able to build that into success as they purchased the old roller rink next door with the intent of expanding their business there, although Covid seems to have delayed or possibly changed those plans. However, I do not like OLBC’s beer. Some of the people my wife works with love this place, but I do not find any of their beers to be particularly good and none stood out to me. I do not typically like Coffee Stouts, but I thought the Libation Propaganda wasn’t bad. And I wanted to like the Bluebird and Orange Rainbows more than I actually did.

Other cool stuff:

  • Trivia nights
  • Merch
  • Cans to go
  • Food trucks

What we drank:

Chris: Bluebird (Blonde Ale) 5% – 4 out of 5

Chris: Peanut Butter Pitch & Roll (Stout) 8.8% – 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Orange Rainbows (Sour IPA) 5.7% – 2.5 out of 5

Nick: Libation Propaganda (Coffee Stout) 5.5%- 3 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 2.5 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

Stem Ciders

When we went: October 4th, 2021

Where: 2811 Walnut St #150, Denver, CO 80205

Stem Ciders was founded in 2013 and they have two taprooms, one in Denver and one in Lafayette. We visited their Denver location back in 2018 when Nick used to live in South Dakota. Denver was the closest large city to him, so I’d meet him there when I came to visit. Back then, neither of us were big beer fans, but we loved cider, so naturally, we had to try all the cideries in Denver.

Our most recent visit to Stem Ciders was in the fall of 2021, and not much had changed. The inside of the taproom isn’t too large, but there are plenty of high and low top tables. They have a large outdoor space with tents set up so you can enjoy your cider in the shade. Stem’s Denver location is conveniently located in the River North Art District which is fantastic if you want to try different breweries or cideries as there are several others close by. There are always some great food trucks in the area, as well as street art if that’s your thing.

Chris: Stem prides themselves on doing a more traditional dry style cider, which was most of what they had on tap when we visited them. My preference has always been for sweet and semi-sweets ciders so it was hard for me to find a drink I liked. I tried their Lava Flow, which is a strawberry and pineapple off-dry cider. It had some nice fruity flavors, but it was still too dry for me. I was a big fan of their Cocoa Caramel Cider. You don’t run into many chocolate ciders, but since I am a sucker for chocolate and cider, I was sold. Even with the rich description, the cider was not overly sweet and had a nice balanced mix of caramel, chocolate, and apple.

Nick: Like Chris, I also enjoy the sweet ciders more than a dry. But I really enjoyed the Lava flow. If a cider has strawberry or pineapple in it, there’s a good chance I’m going to like it, and this one had both. I think pear cider’s are my absolute favorite, and Stem had one that I enjoyed. But it was still too dry for me. There are some great cideries in Connecticut that are more my style.

Other Cool Things:

  • Trivia nights
  • Food trucks
  • Cider pairing nights
  • Cider slushies

What we drank:

Chris: Lava Flow (Off-dry) 5.8% – 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Cocoa Caramel (Sweet) 5.8% – 4 out of 5

Nick: Pear (Sweet) 5.3%- 4 out of 5

Nick: Lava Flow (Off-dry) 5.8% – 4 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 3.5 out of 5

Feeling Persuaded Yet?