Colorado Cou Cou, a hazy IPA from Outer Range
Sitting nearly two miles above sea level, with an elevation of over 9,000 feet, is the small town of Frisco, Colorado. And on the north side of the city you can find the world renowned Outer Range. They are known far and wide for the amazing hazies and Belgian-style brews.
How do I know they’re known around the world? Well…because their second location isn’t even in America. It is located at the base of the French Alps…in France. That’s right, their second brewery is located in Sallanches, France and those Europeans – much like us Americans – can not get enough of these guys.
I used to see their brews more often when I lived back in Chicago, and have even featured them on BBG once before, back in 2020 (almost exactly four years ago), but, since moving out West, I haven’t been able to find them at all. Until last week.
I got my hands on a single can of their Colorado Cou Cou.
Colorado Cou Cou is one of their newer hazy offerings, first being released back in late 2023, and was brewed with Kohatu, Mosaic Cryo, and Nelson hops. The 16-ounce can features a higher ABV, at 7.2%, and cost me $7.
This IPA poured a very hazy, very vivid, bright orange color with some golden and straw hues towards the top and bottom. There wasn’t too much head that built up, just about a finger of pure white foam. The bubbles were very light and airy and quickly fizzled down to a thin ring around the edge of the glass.
The scent was mostly sweet and tropical with some grainy and hoppy undertones. Pineapple, mango, and guava led the way with some lighter notes of melon and lychee also appearing. There’s the usual flaked wheat and oat smell that adds a touch of breadiness but it sits well underneath the hops and yeast aromas.
Each sip begins rather soft and light. It’s a very easy to drink brew and on the watery side when it comes to the mouthfeel.
Those juicy fruits dominate the flavor. The pineapple adds a lot of sweetness without that acidic bite and the mango and guava follow closely behind with their juiced up flavors.
The lychee hits next, bringing a small floral, rose water quality and adding some pear-like sweetness. It’s complemented nicely by some honeydew and melon flavors that don’t last too long.
A touch of hoppy bitterness does begin to appear towards the back end, bringing with it a slightly dank flavor and just a dash of pithy grapefruit rind. The bitterness is very, very low and doesn’t even appear on sip, making for a very crushable hazy.
On the back end, the beer ends a touch dry – that pithiness lingering on for a few moments – and with a tropical fruit quality sticking around a bit longer than the rest. It’s mostly melon and guava but there’s a hint of the pineapple too.
Overall, it’s a great hazy IPA. The 7.1% ABV is nowhere to be found and the beer drinks insanely easily. The hops add a bunch of flavors with no bitterness and the grist adds enough to compliment the beer without being too noticeable in the taste.
I’m going back for more. So good.
