I never used to be a beer drinker. Never. Ask anyone who I ever went to a party with in college and every one of them will tell you that I was a "fruity and girly" drink kind of girl. Now, if you know me, you know that there's nothing fruity or girly about me, so why have I never been a beer drinker? Just never had the taste for it. I have gotten better over the years. I managed to find a few beers that I like out of New Belgium Brewery, and, as a Colorado State alumna, I proudly support any brewery in Fort Collins. But I have always been searching for something else...
So back in the middle of last year, I kept getting requests on Facebook to "like" this new brewery in Loveland called Grimm Brothers. Now, I'm all for supporting local breweries and it was the first brewery in Loveland, but I kept wondering why all of my college friends kept "liking" it. So I went on Grimm's fan page and read an article that had been written about the brewery. And there it was in black and white..." vice president and business manager of Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, Aaron Heaton (http://www.reporterherald.com/news_story.asp?id=25651)." Oooohhhhh, now I get it. You see, Aaron and I were friends in college, even short-time roommates, so you could say that we ran with the same crowd back then. I hadn't seen him in like 10 years, but that was one of the best things that I had ever read. I mean, it's not everyday that you read about someone you know starting a brewery.
So I went up last October with a friend of mine, not really knowing what to expect. After finding the tiny taproom hidden amongst the industrial buildings off of Denver Ave., I nervously walked in the door, only to be greeted by a very loud, "Hi, Robin!!!!" Oh good, he remembered me. After catching up with Aaron and his wife Emily, whom I also know from CSU, my friend and I sat down (in a crowded taproom) with our taster trays of Grimm Brothers brews. And you know what? Every single beer was AWESOME! And remember, this is coming from a non-beer drinker. But I loved them. And the staff was very knowledgeable (Ok, so the "staff" was just Aaron at the time, but it hasn't changed), and to someone who knows nothing about beer, that was a great thing. Now, I may be biased because this is my friend's brewery, but I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't truly believe in the beer or the brewery. And I truly believe in both, as do Aaron and his co-owner, Don. Aaron gave the friend of mine and I a tour and even though I had no idea what he was talking about, he was so excited about it that I got excited about it. His energy was contagious. And I love seeing people love what they are doing. I just giggled all the way home because I was so happy for him and so proud of him. I went again last weekend because Grimm released its first bottle. Yes, BOTTLE, just a mere eight months after opening its doors. It's a hefeweisen called Hare's Bride (oh, and all of their brews are named for Brothers Grimm fairytales - how cool is that?), and it's just as good as everything else they've come out with, maybe better. I got my two bottles and I plan on giving one to a friend to try, to introduce someone else to Grimm.
And that is also the purpose of this blog. You all need to check out www.grimmbrosbrewhouse.com to see what else they have in store. Coloradoans (and if you went to CSU with Aaron and I, then I'm looking at all of you especially... ), get your butts up to Grimm in Loveland. You will not be disappointed. After all, they converted this self-professed non-beer drinker into a beer aficionado. Guess I finally got my taste for it. And I'm completely grateful for it...and not biased at all.
