Nothing makes me happier than trying a new Colorado brewed IPA. This one is extra special. This one is from New Belgium, Colorado’s finest craft brewery. I didn’t think it was in New Belgium’s DNA to make an IPA. But low-and-behold, as I walked into the liquor store tonight to purchase my favorite beer (Modus Hoperandi), there it was — Ranger, the long awaited New Belgium IPA.

Ranger is delicious. An immediate jump into my Top 5 favorite India Pale Ale’s brewed in Colorado. New Belgium claims there are 3 pounds of hops per barrel, and I’m thinking that’s accurate. Ranger is very hoppy. There are three hops used in the beer: Cascade (citrus), Chinook (floral/citrus), and Simcoe (fruity). Although the beer is extremely hoppy, Ranger finishes dry. It’s fantastic!

Ranger hits you hard with lots of insanely bitter citrus hops, and then — bam! — it dissipates as soon as it’s off the tongue.  It’s a fun beer.

The packaging for Ranger is different than anything I have seen from New Belgium. For a very long time, looking at a bottle of New Belgium was a bit like playing Where’s Waldo?.  In this case, replace Waldo with Horsetooth Rock, which towers above Fort Collins west of town.  You could spot Horsetooth Rock in most of New Belgium’s marketing efforts, including their beer labels, but there’s no such imagery in the new packaging.  A new look for New Belgium?

The alcohol content in Ranger is 6.5%, which is about average for an IPA.  Beer, in general, tends to have more flavor when the alcohol content is lower.  Ranger is no exception.  New Belgium’s website states Ranger will be available “where good beer is served and sold February 1, 2010.”  But trust me, it’s January 24th, and it’s on the shelves.  Got to your favorite liquor store and indulge today!

Walking Stick is the most happening Trick or Treatin’ spot I have ever seen.  Walking Stick is an affluent neighborhood on the North Side of Pueblo that attracts about half the town on Halloween.  Minivan load after minivan load of kids come piling out on the side streets to rummage the neighborhood for candy.  The “candy gettin’” is fairly competitive.  I witnessed a few parents in minivans screaming words of motivation and heard a few horns honking at kids to pick up the pace.  It was fascinating.  Especially since they can buy buckets of the same candy the day after Halloween at a significant discount.  Ahhh, but sometimes it is the thrill of the hunt…

The residents of the neighborhood get into it, too.  Not only is there quality goodies for the kids, but each house tries to out “spook” each other.  When all is said and done, though, there is always just one house standing.   The Castle, as I heard someone in a minivan yell to their kids, is probably the epicenter of “spook” in Pueblo on Halloween.   Every year they bring out new decorations.  This year there was an Area 51 aspect to their lawn complete with aliens, spaceships, and government operatives.

The kids had fun Trick or Treatin’ in the neighborhood.  I think they had just as much fun handing out candy as they did receiving it.

I posted more pictures on the Stafford Picture site.

Last week we went pumpkin pickin’ at Cottonwood Farms in Boulder.  It was very crowded, but there were a bunch of good pumpkins and gourds to choose from.  They provided wheel barrows to carry the pumpkins, which were very heavy, and had barnyard animals for the kids to pet.  There was a great corn maze, too.   There are a whole bunch of good pumpkin pictures in my picasa.

Fall is my favorite season in Colorado.  It rarely rains, the temerature is mild, and the colors just take your breath away.   I will take some more pictures over the next couple weeks and post them.