Summit (and Eagle) Suds: Travel to Europe with Ein Prosit

As I’ve written about before, I didn’t fully appreciate beer until I had it in Europe. It was something about those German hops and Belgian yeast strains that hooked me and opened my palate to a whole new world of flavors that I wanted to explore.

Ein Prosit, with locations in Frisco and Avon, knows the value of those Old World beers, which is why it imports them to be the majority of the foamy liquid served from its 10 taps and 42 bottles. With international travel hampered due to the pandemic, people suffering from wanderlust can savor classic styles paired with exotic sausages and warm pretzels for a culinary vacation.

Prosit aims to always try and have at least six draft beers — three from Germany’s Munich region and three from Belgium — that run the gamut from light and refreshing to dark and strong. It gives the restaurant a unique niche and offers variety for patrons as they drink from specialty glasses or half- and full-liter mugs.

“The whole concept of Prosit started because there were a lot of American breweries at the time, 10 to 15 years ago, trying to copy these styles of beer,” owner Scott Pohlman said. “Because of shipping getting better and warehousing times getting shortened, we could get the originals in instead of trying to copy these classic styles of beer.”

Over the years, Prosit has carried beers from Spaten, Paulaner Brewery, Hofbräuhaus München, Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, Weltenburger Klosterbrauerei and more. Weihenstephan and Weltenburger are arguably the oldest monastic breweries in the world, claiming to operate since 1040 and 1050, respectively. Meanwhile, Hofbräuhaus opened in 1589 and Paulaner in 1634.

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“I think (Weihenstephan) is one of the best unfiltered wheat beers in the world,” Pohlman said. “And not too many places carry Weltenburger so we like that. It’s a real rare one to get in.”

To represent Belgium, Prosit frequently has a Houblon Chouffe from Brasserie d’Achouffe, a hoppy Belgium tripel that’s perfect for lovers of India pale ales. In bottles there are options like Duvel or the Trappist Chimay Brewery’s Chimay Blue.

Two rotating taps in Frisco keep the menu fresh throughout the seasons. Pilsners populate the bar during the summer, while folks can expect to see Delirium Noël from Brouwerij Huyghe or St. Bernardus Christmas Ale near the holidays. The beer hall will tap McChouffe — an 8% alcohol-by-volume strong ale — for St. Patrick’s Day.

I’ll grab Noël whenever I see it, but I’m partial to Weihenstephan’s hefeweizen for a flavorful, easy-drinking beer that’s perfect almost any time of day. However, like Pohlman, I’ll change it up depending how I’m feeling or what the season has in store. Yet Pohlman will usually go for the Andechs Doppelbock if he’s having just one beer.

“It’s a little high in alcohol and very complex,” Pohlman said. “But it really depends on my mood. If it’s a hot day, then I drink a light lager. If it’s a cold day, I’ll go for a Christmas Ale or something like that.”

Those wanting to support Colorado breweries should know that Prosit isn’t 100% imported beer. Alongside the kölsch from Cologne sits cans of barrel-aged sours from Denver’s Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project. Longmont’s Wibby Brewing, which specializes in lagers, also makes an appearance from time to time.

Prosit in Frisco occasionally serves Summit County beers like Dead Eye Dunkel from Pug Ryan’s Brewery or a schwarzbier from HighSide Brewing. For Pohlman, as long as it’s traditionally German or Belgian in style, then it has a chance of showing up on the menu.

It’s hard to go wrong picking a beer to drink among such diverse offerings. If you truly can’t decide, you can follow the masses and go with Stiegl, an Austrian lager that’s the most popular beer sold at Prosit. Even with the competition in selection, the business goes through roughly seven kegs a week.

“We’re actually the No. 1 account in North America for Stiegl beer,” Pohlman said. Stiegl also makes refreshing radlers that lower the ABV by mixing the beer with juice such as grapefruit or lemon.

The next time you’re looking to get away from Summit or Eagle county, head over to Prosit and let your taste buds take you to Bavaria.

Jefferson Geiger is the arts and entertainment editor for the Summit Daily News and managing editor for Explore Summit. Have a question about beer? Send him an email at jgeiger@summitdaily.com.