Crowds honor the hops in Manitou Springs

They detected clove and banana, caramel and nutmeg.

They celebrated delicate balances, unlikely pairings and unexpected encounters, like the surprise bite of a red chile complementing the bitterness of hops.

At the 7th annual Craft Lager Beer Festival on Saturday, beer drinkers in Manitou Springs were beside themselves.

The two-day festival — which continues from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. today, in Manitou Springs’ Memorial Park — features a bewildering variety of craft brews from nearly two-dozen beer makers, several of them local.

The $35 admission earns festival-goers unlimited, 1-ounce pours.

Jason Walker and Chris Horner brought Camelbaks loaded with water to keep hydrated in the 80-degree heat and prevent them from getting loopy as they hopped from one line to the next in search of new flavors.

Horner, of Commerce City, extolled an early favorite, Durango Blueberry Wheat Ale, but Walker wasn’t about to tie himself down.

“There’s so much variety anymore that none of these beers tastes anything like the others,” he said.

Jason Yester, a local brewer, counted on passionate drinkers when he organized the first festival in 2002. The idea behind soliciting lagers was to put a brewer’s skill on full display. Unlike ales, which can be brewed in 10 days or so, lagers can take as long as six weeks, and small mistakes can tarnish a batch.

“We’re trying to force people to bring their more unique beers,” he said.

The dozens of beers on tap included Schmaltz Brewing Company’s Coney Island Albino Python, a white lager brewed with orange peel, crushed fennel seed and ginger, and Rocky Mountain Brewing Company’s Lemongrass Lager, flavored with a spice commonly used in Asian cuisine.

“I do more of a cooking-type approach to the tastes,” said Nick Hilborn, the 23-year-old brew master at the Colorado Springs-based Rocky Mountain, who is also a culinary student at Pikes Peak Community College.

All the fancy talk and grand ambitions raised an interesting point: Is beer going to the snobs?

“We’re not like the wine people, where we hold a pinky up,” said Nickie Smith of Colorado Springs, who was volunteering at the festival.

On the other hand, she joined a half dozen other beer enthusiasts in recoiling at a reporter’s mention of Bud Light.

“It depends on what you mean by snobs,” said Linda Hargis of Widefield.