Periodic Brewing | Brewery Review

Location: Leadville, Colorado

The Scene: Leadville isn’t exactly on the way to anywhere unless you are looking to get away in the mountains. This is what makes it great – it’s not just off of I-70, although there is nothing wrong with that, but it’s a journey. Now I will admit I hadn’t been up to Leadville in over 10 years – can’t believe it was that long and I was surprised at what I found. It has grown and it’s still growing. It’s more than just a cute little mountain town, although don’t worry it hasn’t lost its charm. Part of that growth is that Leadville now supports a brewery. Periodic Brewing is just off of the main drag and has taken over what can be assumed to be a significantly older building. Walking in feels like meeting a friend for a beer at their house. The staff is friendly and there are any number of great seating set ups to allow you to enjoy the company, to people watch or to just enjoy the best of Leadville.

The Beer List: The first half features in-house beers from Periodic Brewing but they also have multiple guest taps to increase the variety. On this trip, I stuck with the house brewed beer. The styles ranged from Pilsner to Amber to Double Black IPA and even featured a Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout. No matter your beer preference there should be something for you. I got the vibe the beers rotate quick and there something new all the time. Enjoyed what you had? Take home a crowler.The Best: I enjoyed my flight but I will have to say that the beer that stood out to me the most was the Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout called Barrel Aged Night Run. Even though it was 9.6% it wasn’t hot from the fresh barrel that stored it and the flavor was rich and layered. Perfect for a “chilly” summer day in the mountains.

What am I going back for? The escape – the ambiance and the overall vibe. It was just different than your average brewery and I am not sure if that’s because it’s in a small town or perhaps one of the highest breweries in the state? It was different, the beers were enjoyable and since it was part of my way home to Denver I didn’t feel like I got to spend enough quality time.

Overall Brewery Rating:     8 spades out of 10