Microbrews in the Backcounty

Hiked in 9+ miles to your base camp and craving a cold one?  Yeah, tell me about it!  My pack is already busting at the seems with gear on my outdoor exploits, so hauling a six pack in to the backcountry doesn’t quite work from a weight/functionality standpoint.  This is where the Denver-based microbrewery geniuses, Pat’s Backcountry Beverages, fills my world with unicorns and rainbows, oh AND BEER.  I’m actually quite certain they have a more interesting man than Dos Equis’ most interesting man.  Let me explain.

Pat’s Backcountry Beverages uses vacuum-distilling to transform beer into syrup, a 1. 7 oz packet, 10% the volume of a pint. The magic happens when you combine their 1.7-ounce magic syrup packet, filtered H2O, and a CO2-producing catalyst to their Carbonator Bottle—a heavy duty plastic water bottle reminiscent of a nalgene with a few bells and whistles making the whole carbonation process possible. A few shakes and two minutes, you have a frothy cold microbrew in your dirty paws. And it tastes better than many microbrews I’ve ordered out at popular LA or Portland brew pubs.  The carbonation is it’s only downfall, while it is carbonated, I have not gotten it as carbonated as a cold one you just popped the top off, but this is nit picking and doesn’t dock any awesome points off Pat’s Backcountry Brews.

How It Works

What you need:

• The Hard Goods – Carbonator Bottle and Activator Packets

• Backcountry beverage of choice

The Process:

1. Add water to carbonator bottle (~6oz), the colder the better
2. Attach cap (sans blue reaction cup)
3. Turn sealed carbonator bottle upside down
4. Unlock lever and pump to 45 degrees until a water stream shoots up (~6 times)
5. Lock lever back in place and flip carbonator bottle back upright
6. Empty contents of brew concentrate into carbonator and fill with water to 16oz mark on bottle
7. Open and dump contents of activator packet into reaction cup
8. Securely reattach reaction cup to carbonator bottle cap and then that to the carbonator bottle
9. Unlock lever, pump it about 6 times to 45 degrees, re-lock lever
10. Shake magical beverage side to side for about 2 minutes and then set aside for 1 minute
11. Unlock lever, lift lever beyond 45 degrees to near 90 degrees releasing pressure
12. Unscrew cap and enjoy your backcountry brew!!

The Process in Pictures:

The first few backcountry beer making attempts have a bit of a learning curve to conquer, but have no fear – Pat’s Backcountry Beverages has an easy to follow video on how to use their set-up to make your very own backcountry carbonated brewskis. Two beer concentrates are currently available, a sweet ale, Pale Rail (5.2% ABV), and a malty Black Hops (6.1% ABV), with the latter being my go-to backcountry brew. The packets are $10 for a set of four, so each beer costs about as much as a Bud Light during happy hour. Pat’s also makes all-natural soda concentrates for those purveyours of the non-alcoholic pop variety.

---

Bottom Line –  Pat’s Backcountry Beverages brings the ol’ pub to the backcountry without muling in a keg on ye ol back.  

Addict Disclaimer – Thrillseekers Anonymous was provided with Pat’s Backcountry Beverages for this review. The opinions expressed above are my own and reflect my experience with Pat’s Backcountry Beverages.  No one can buy my love!