If you asked Bryan Selders, head brewer and partner at The Post Brewing Company, what makes a well-crafted beer, he would likely tell you drinkability and balance. Actually, he would probably tell you how drinkability is going to save the world, and that it can only be achieved through balance.
Drinkability and balance are the main focus for the new brewpub in Lafayette, Colo. The restaurant and 15-barrel brew house are located inside a former VFW Post, that has been remodeled with rustic, yet modern, furnishings very fitting for its Rocky Mountain location.
Specializing in sessionable beers that pair well with “Colorado comfort food,” The Post delivers the ultimate dining experience for both beer nerds and food enthusiasts. Their menu offerings like fried chicken or wood-fired pork shoulder are best enjoyed with one of the core brews like the Post IPA or Meathooks Dark Mild Ale. You’ll also find rotating taps including a single hop pilsener series, seasonal releases and collaboration beers like Luyu, a Belgian-style golden ale brewed with the winners of a homebrew competition held by The Post.
As a way to introduce you to their libations, The Post has curated specific flights for their guests. “The flights are planned so people experience flavors in a certain order to get them to taste what we need them to,” explains Selders. “The flights get them ready for the meal just as an appetizer does—they are a part of the whole experience of drink, food and place.”
The concept of uniting the elements of drink, food and place is at the core of the new company’s mission. The attention to detail needed to make sure both food and beer provide a cohesive experience is a main priority to the folks at The Post. As craft beer continues to gain more respect in the culinary world, it’s companies like The Post that are helping to make that connection.
The segments of beer and food have become so intertwined at The Post that many of the beers have been designed around specific dishes. It is the collaborative effort of Selders and Chef Brett Smith that bring guests a full-circle experience.
On Valentine’s Day 2014, a Belgian-style amber ale, coined Lovey Dovey, was brewed specifically to pair with a lamb dish to form a marriage only proper for the holiday. Emersum Oyster Stout, a 4.2 percent dry stout was brewed to compliment fresh oysters, and has been a hit at The Post’s sister restaurant Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar.
Selders, previously famous for his innovative and experimental concoctions as head brewer at Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales, has decidedly made his brewery’s focus on simplicity in order to create an experience that is complete, effortless and incredibly enjoyable. He cites his time spent working in web design as being a lesson in this simplicity.
“In design, a great experience does not demand hard work from the user, it’s quickly understood and is one that is returned to again and again,” said Selders. “It’s immediately enjoyed and is unobtrusive. It just feels right.”
Apparently, it just feels right to many people. The young brewpub has seen a staggering amount of people come through their doors in just a few short months, and has received many positive reviews from local publications like The Denver Post.
Their success can be attributed to their devotion to quality products and the growing trend of craft-brewed, sessionable beers. Selders admits his purpose in creating session styles—beyond their ability to compliment food—is to allow the consumer to enjoy more beer and more time to socialize, because after all, drinking beer is a social event.
So whether you’re looking to have a few well-crafted beers on their sunny patio, or staying for dinner with the family, The Post is one place you should check out. Don’t forget to check PostBrewing.com for upcoming events like beer dinners and homebrewing competitions.
Grant Puza is the current Craft Beer Program Intern at the Brewers Association. A Certified Beer Server and homebrewer, Grant spends most of his time educating himself further in the world of craft beer while working at The Post Brewing Company. If not visiting a local brewery, you might also catch him somewhere in the woods backpacking, rock climbing or snowboarding.
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