Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).
When a bunch of guys in suits walks into a small business, it usually means one of two things: The bankers are there to repossess the place, or someone important is about to walk through the door.
On March 12, it turned out to be the second option at Ratio Beerworks in Denver.
Ratio brewer Bess Dougherty was there that day, and she watched as Vice President Kamala Harris strode into the brewery, at 2920 Larimer St. (Her motorcade was allowed to remove the barricades that have closed off the street outside since 2020.) She was in town to talk up President Biden’s agenda and to give a speech.
But after chatting with brewery owners Jason zumBrunnen and Scott Kaplan about pandemic-era small business loans, she wanted a tour of the 9-year-old facility. So zumBrunnen pointed to Dougherty and suggested she lead Harris, who became the Democratic nominee for President on Aug. 5, into the back to check out the brewing equipment and production area.
After that, Harris asked to buy (yes, buy) a six-pack of a beer that is “unique to Ratio,” and walked out with King of Carrot Flowers, Dougherty said. The cantaloupe-colored saison, brewed with elderflower and pressed carrot juice, is a Great American Beer Festival gold medal winner. The vice president’s husband, Douglas Emhoff, is reportedly a fan of craft beer, she added.
Was the experience nerve-racking? Maybe for some. But this wasn’t Dougherty’s first encounter with a White House VIP. A decade earlier, when she was working as a brewer at Wynkoop Brewing, Dougherty hung out with then-President Barack Obama, who was in Denver for a fundraiser. The two talked about home brewing and the White House home brewing system.
The difference between the two meetings? The Secret Service was a little more uptight when it came to Obama. Oh, and while he had a few sips of beer, Harris declined.
Not only that, but “she had a calming energy,” Dougherty explained. “In this job, I’ve been able to meet politicians and musicians, a lot of musicians, and really, they are all just humans.
“It’s rad to meet someone in that position,” she added.
But, back to the beer. King of Carrot Flowers has an interesting backstory. Like all of Ratio’s brews, it is named for a lyric or song. In this case, zumBrunnen, who was the Ratio’s head brewer when the business opened in 2014, had picked the name before creating the recipe. But that recipe took root in 2017 when Ratio brewed an experimental elderflower beer for a festival, Beers Made By Walking, which focuses on using ingredients grown locally.
That led to more experimentation and then a carrot and elderflower beer brewed specially for EatDenver’s Harvest Week, a dinner series highlighting independent restaurants and businesses working within Colorado’s food chain. (The 15th annual Harvest Week takes place Sept. 30-Oct. 3 at Ironton Distillery & Crafthouse; go to harvestweek.com for more information.)
King of Carrot Flowers – smooth, with a touch of sweet vanilla, and a balanced profile not often present in food-based beers – was a hit with customers at the taproom. Personally, I liked it so much that I included it in a published list of my favorite beers of the year.
It would remain a taproom specialty, however, until 2020, when Ratio began to can it once a year – then twice a year. In 2023, “that carrot beer,” as customers sometimes call it, sold so well that the brewery decided to begin canning it year-round. Last month, those cans hit Boulder (Ratio’s first market outside of Denver); it will eventually be available in more Colorado cities.
“It’s been so validating to see how popular it is,” said Dougherty, who was one of the first women to work as a brewer in Denver’s craft beer industry and who worked her way up through the industry over the past 10 years, creating recipes and leading projects for several companies.
So, while Harris may not be thinking about King of Carrot Flowers during the convention this week, a lot of people in Denver will no doubt be voting for it as one of their favorite beers.
