3 Freaks Brewery (Highlands Ranch, CO) - 9 DEC 2014

3 Freaks Brewery wasn't on my list of possible places to visit.  It didn't even show up on my original google search of breweries near in the area.  However, how could I not stop by since it was just up the street from our hotel, was right next to the Chinese restaurant recommended for dinner by the hotel desk clerk, and had such a cool name.  

3 Freaks is a small place.  A few seats at the bar and a few tables near the store front windows typical of a strip mall location.  The bar looks directly back into the brewery which consists of a couple of closely packed fermenters in one of the most cramped brew spaces that I've ever seen.  The picture below doesn't do it justice.

View of the brewery from the bar.

We sat at the bar and directly in front of us was the sink used by the brewer for cleaning up from brewing.  Because of that, he was pretty much a captive audience for my many questions.  He was pleasant to talk with and proud of what they had accomplished in such a short time - they opened in June of this year.

Their web site states "We love the idea that we can be freakishly creative" and freakishly creative is what I got with the Saasquash English Brown.  This fruit beer, made with butternut squash that had been charred with a blow torch, was a little odd at first, but slowly grew on me.   You could almost imagine a creme brulee taste from the blow torch carmelizing the sugars - and how many times can someone say they've had a beer made with butternut squash.  From my perspective they've still got a few kinks to work through, but they are definitely on the right track and they are definitely forging a path few others will tread.

Neon sign on the front of the brewery. 

Neon sign inside 3 Freaks.

Neon is big at 3 Freaks Brewery.