The form has changed, like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly – the creature’s life is the same but the purpose and look are different. The beauty has a divergent style, flow, energy, production. Change is inevitable. It happens to everyone. And hopefully, it does so for you in delightful and exploratory new ways. Black Project: Spontaneous and Wild Ales embraced their metamorphosis, by way of GABF awards and diving deeper into their niche passion. They occupy South Broadway in the same place after shedding the skin of Former Future Brewing for a new and “secret” venture. Now, something predominately sour remains, let’s explore.
The ambiance of Black Project is simple with old school bar chairs lined up and black paint accenting the corners and walls. There is a taproom-length-bar illuminated by the bright sunlight. On the wall facing the bar “Embrace Good Taste” is written in thick black and gold letters. There isn’t anything serious about this scene. Only the beer.
My friend Nick and I sat down by the beer taps and started talking to Sarah. She explained that the origin of Black Project: Spontaneous and Wild Ales was derived from her husband James’ successful side venture during their Former Future days and it is an itch that James and her needed to scratch. I can appreciate that sentiment. The Denver Hopper is a salve for a cut I failed to take care of – James and Sarah were faster at fixing what they needed. We should all be attuned to our environments and needs.
A line of stunning glasses sat in front of us with an interesting and weird array of colors. Almost all of them were sour beers with all-natural, non-lab yeast which is Black Project’s specialty. These types of beers were a little foreign to me even though I have been drinking more sours, goses and Saisons of late; I didn’t really understand the nuance. Sarah offered to show us how they put these magical beverages together.
They brew on a small four-barrel brewing system but have 100 wooden barrels in a temperature controlled room. They can’t whirl up as many yummy sours and goses in the summer because the temperature at night is too high. That adds a limited edition feel everything they make. Instead, they brew their Imperial stout called Tom Cat and others to get variety in the mix. The batch of sour beer is left in the open air over night to allow for all the natural microbes to join the wort. It is perfectly safe and adds rich complexity to those tasty beverages you are looking for. Every batch is different. Every new creation takes on it’s on a life of its’ own.
Nick and I rotated through the different beers like their Magic Lantern and Shadow Factory. I had to follow up with Sarah about what makes these beers tick and make sure I get it right. And she said, “Both have the same base but the Shadow Factory is a gose (so we add a bit of pink Himalayan sea salt). It is a 100% wheat beer made in a stainless solera with 100% coolship caught microbes. Low alcohol, slightly tart.” I think that sums it up nicely.
We also had a beer called Cyungus. It was a mixture of 1,2 and 3-year-old beers that are served at cellar temperature. My world took pause when I sipped the smooth but mighty drink. The feel of the beer was different. It sat on the front of the tongue and coated my mouth differently than most brews. They only bottle this beer but I think you should run by and grab one and explore the unknown.
When I started drinking craft beer about 10 years ago the selection paled in comparison to the abundant craft beer scene of today. This was true empirically and anecdotally – many breweries that exist today simply weren’t around and I was a young lad with no really drinking experience. But now it seems there is every conceivable brewery out there. Black Project is a wild one of these additions to the craft brew landscape.
Black Project: Spontaneous and Wild Ales is a for the adventurous beer drinking Colorado resident and for the connoisseur of refined sours and Goses. But they aren’t taking the life too seriously or being pretentious about these unique fermented elixirs. Sarah explained that it all a bit of a joke about the exclusivity that can envelop craft beer culture. Black Project pokes fun at the concept of being a beer snob or secret brewing societies. Instead of excluding people, they are helping patrons experience something you can only get in a beer scene like Denver’s and having fun while they are at it. They are helping us all change our tastes in glorious new ways.
The Denver Hopper Notes:
They have bottle releases all the time. Check out the website below and follow them on social media to find out when. Cheers! FB: @blackprojectbeer, Instagram: @blackprojectbeer, Twitter: @BlackProjectAle
Black Project: Wild and Spontaneous Ales
Website: blackprojectbeer.com
Address: 1290 S Broadway A51, Denver, CO 80223