Early Morning Stout

Early Morning Spire (rt of center) from the N (across marble creek glacier)

The Name. The mountain.  Early Morning Spire is set in a magical location of the Eldorado, Inspiration, and Mcallister glaciers. It is actually situated slightly off the glaciers in Marble cirque.  Early Morning Spire offers great rock climbing in a remote place, so remote that it is best to take 3-4 days to climb (the approach is via Eldorado – nearly summiting – over a col into the marble cirque). While it has great rock routes, Early Morning spire can be done as a scramble, although getting from the glacier to solid rock might be treacherous depending on conditions.  The name derives itself from a group that had to bivy near the summit (cold, unprepared), which caused them to summit just after first light. What better of a beer style to have at first light than a stout? We couldn’t think of one.

The Beer. Early Morning Stout was brewed with the “American stout” substyle in mind.  It has a nice roast and chocolate aroma/flavor but also includes a significant amount of hops that are typically associated with our region.  The resulting beer has a pronounced chocolaty roast flavor (slightly less than its counterpart Stuart) but also includes a nice hop aroma and flavor in the background.  A smoother mouthfeel than Stuart, Early Morning stout has great flavors and not just a dominant roast character like its mountainBeer counterpart.

Malts:  Pale, roast, chocolate, carapils, wheat.  Hops: Columbus, cascade, palisade. Yeast: American ale.

Early Morning Spire and environs from Eldorado Peak