Colorado Cream Ale, Station 26 Brewing Co., Denver

Style: Cream Ale

ABV: 5.1 percent

Serving Type: Draft

Malty? Hoppy? Very light hops

Reviewed: December 2014

Whether it’s a double IPA or a barrel-aged stout with an ABV somewhere north of 15 percent, Colorado is not at a loss for big, extravagant brews. Yet sometimes we’re in the mood for something a bit more, well, simple. (To be clear, this doesn’t mean abandoning craft beer altogether and stocking the fridge with Coors Light; although we do enjoy the occasional Banquet Beer.) Recently, this search for simplicity in the world of Colorado craft brews led us to Colorado Cream Ale by Station 26 Brewing Co.

Station 26 opened two years ago in an old Denver fire station in the Park Hill neighborhood. Ever since, it’s become one of our favorite new breweries in town, though perhaps it should not considered “new” these days, considering the rate breweries open along the Front Range. The lightest of the Station 26 lineup, Colorado Cream Ale is brewed with barley from Alamosa and Cascade hops grown in Palisade. The brew is crisp and refreshing with a subtle sweetness and a light hop bite. In other words, it tastes just as a cream ale should: pleasantly simple.

Would we buy it again? Yes. When we’re in the mood this style of beer, it often seems that Genesee Cream Ale is our only option, so a local variety is a welcome sight. And while you won’t find Colorado Cream Ale on liquor store shelves, you might see it on tap around Denver; we recently spotted a keg at the terminal bar at Union Station. (Bonus: The folks at Former Future Brewing Company also have a tasty cream ale on tap.)

(Read more 5280 beer reviews)