Seasonal sensors in Colorado’s South Metro report a recurring signal, now in its tenth orbit.
Lone Tree Vanilla Caramel Amber is back for its 10th year. Lone Tree Brewing Company’s fall amber ale, brewed with vanilla beans and caramel malt, is on draft and in six-pack cans at both of the brewery’s Colorado taprooms, with statewide distribution through Elite Brands. No exact release date was given.
What is Lone Tree Vanilla Caramel Amber?
According to the brewery’s announcement, carried by MyBeerBuzz on Oct. 20, 2026, it is a 6% ABV amber ale brewed with vanilla beans and caramel malt “and no other added sugars.” Lone Tree says it “gets a generous addition of hops that balance its rich malt and toffee flavors.” Those descriptions are the brewery’s; the Bureau has not tasted this year’s batch.
The “no added sugars” note is worth a second look. Vanilla and caramel usually read as sweet, but here the caramel comes from malt, and the vanilla from beans, not syrups. Whether it drinks sweet or balanced is something you’ll have to judge at the bar.
Ten years of the same beer
Per the announcement, Lone Tree Vanilla Caramel Amber was first brewed on draft in 2016 and has been canned since 2019. Co-owner and director of brewhouse operations Jerry Siote said: “Ten years later, Vanilla Caramel Amber is still one of our most talked about seasonal beers. It’s a great beer for the transition of seasons— 6% ABV and full of flavor, yet still incredibly drinkable.”
A decade is a long run for a seasonal. Plenty of fall beers come and go in a couple of years as breweries chase new flavors. Lone Tree has been sending this one up on schedule since 2016, which suggests the regulars keep asking for it. The Bureau first logged Lone Tree’s autumn lineup in its earlier fall seasonal report.
Where to find Lone Tree Vanilla Caramel Amber
- On tap and in 12-oz six-pack cans at both Lone Tree taprooms: the original near Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree, and Lone Tree Brewing Parker
- On draft and in cans across Colorado, distributed by Elite Brands
- Release date: not specified; the brewery says it is “now tapped”
- Price: not announced
The Parker taproom is the newer one; the Bureau covered the brewery’s plans to open in Parker when they were announced. Lone Tree’s company description says it was the first brewery in Lone Tree, Colorado, opening in 2011, and that its cans are sold in Colorado and Kansas. The Lone Tree Vanilla Caramel Amber announcement only mentions Colorado distribution, so Kansas drinkers shouldn’t count on seeing it.
Elsewhere in the Lone Tree lineup
The brewery’s core list includes a Mexican lager, IPA, blueberry blonde, red ale and double IPA, per its own description. Readers who liked our look at Lone Tree’s lime Mexican lager will find Lone Tree Vanilla Caramel Amber a very different beer: darker, maltier and built for cooler evenings. And for the hop side, see the brewery’s first year-round IPA.
The Bureau’s read on Lone Tree Vanilla Caramel Amber
Amber ale isn’t the trendiest style on Earth right now, with hazy IPAs, fruited sours and non-alcoholic options taking up shelf space. That makes a 10th-year amber something of a statement. At 6%, Lone Tree Vanilla Caramel Amber sits above a session beer but well below a winter warmer, and the brewery is pitching it squarely at the season change. If you’re in the Denver South Metro this fall, it is an easy one to find.
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