Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project "saw the culmination" of its $3 million customized brewery — one that includes a coolship, a new hard-piped, stainless-steel fermentation cellar, twice as many wooden foeders, and new packaging equipment — in particular, a bottling line built out with cork-and-caging capabilities for 750-milliliter bottles. The brewery will use that line to begin bottling some of its flagship beers, as well as some rare and sought-after recipes, including L’Brett d’Raspberry, Persica, Surette Reserva with Palisade peaches, Mama Bear's Sour Cherry Pie and Nightmare on Brett Raspberry. Also new for 2017 is the addition of taproom-only releases that might count just 200 bottles each, and the packaging of some beers in 1.5-liter magnums.
Meanwhile, down south, Lone Tree Brewing underwent a major expansion in 2016, doubling the number of seats in its taproom and patio, adding TVs and games and creating a space for meetings. The brewery also purchased a new bottling line and began a new series called Branching Out, which includes experimental beers like Cranberry Saison and Arctic Spice Old Ale. And last spring, Lone Tree began distributing its flagship cans in Kansas and Nebraska. In 2017, Lone Tree plans to add new beers to its Branching Out series and will undergo a re-brand that includes a new logo and new artwork.
Now, here are the best upcoming craft-beer events through March 11.
Wednesday, February 8
Stout Month continues at Vine Street Pub, Mountain Sun in Boulder and the rest of the Mountain Sun breweries and restaurants in Boulder and Longmont. Mountain Sun doesn't provide days for what will be tapped, but there is a list of all the beers on the company's web site.
Platt Park Brewing will tap the Moo Lab Chocolate Milk Stout today. It was brewed with milk sugars and Belgian chocolate from Dieter's Chocolates "to create a creamy blend of stout," the brewery says. "It's name comes from our favorite stage at Coachella, the DoLab." Tacos El Huequito Family Food Truck will be on hand.
Join Station 26 Brewing for one last run of Dark Star Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout releases (which won't happen again until November). Today, they will pour a sixtel of the base Dark Star along with a sixtel of Mexican Chocolate Dark Star at 4. They will follow that up with Strawberry Balsamic Dark Star on February 15 and S'Mores Dark Star on February 22.
Girl Scout Cookie week continues at Renegade Brewing, which is giving you a chance to pair several of the famous cookies with beer. Come in any time between 5 and 10 p.m. today through Friday and all day on Saturday to try four delicious cookies paired with four Renegade beers. Tickets, $12, are required for specific nights and can be purchased at eventbrite.com.
Sour Month continues at First Draft Taproom & Kitchen, where eight of its taps will have a rotating selection of sours for the entire month. The tap list includes: The Bruery Oude Tart; Almanac Sunshine and Opportunity; Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca; Bear Republic BA Tartare Rouge; Wicked Weed Oblivion and Recurrant; Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme; Odd13 Humulus Kalecumber; Odell Dark Theory; New Belgium Fat Tire and Friends Fat Funk; Crooked Stave L'Brett d'Or; Jessup Farms Festivus Miracle.
4 Noses Brewing in Broomfield, one of the better IPA makers around, has tried its hand at a hazy, New England-style IPA, a beer that taps today.
Thursday, February 9
Alpine Dog Brewing has been playing around with a new formulation for a hazy, New England-style IPA and will tap a very small batch today at 6 p.m. The Legs and Breasts food truck will be on hand.
Comrade Brewing will tap Redshirt Red IPA today. Brewed with Citra, Galaxy and Amarillo hops, the 6.1 percent ABV beer pours "a beautiful garnet and boasts a moderate amount of caramel sweetness, layered with aromas of fresh pine, citrus and grapefruit with a nice balanced bitterness," the brewery says.
Odyssey Beerwerks in Arvada will release Woods Monk Belgian Quad today. The 9 percent ABV beer was "inspired by, and a tribute to, one of our brewers, Jordan Fink, who will soon be leaving the Odyssey crew and opening his own brewery, Woods Boss Brewing," Odyssey says. Woods Monk "is constructed of a multitude of rich imported malts to give body, sweetness, and depth to its apparent strength. Fermented with a monastic strain of yeast, Woods Monk is bursting with complex yeast aromas of dark fruit, brown sugar, and subtle spice."
Friday, February 10
Ratio Beerworks will celebrate its second anniversary today through Sunday with several events, including special anniversary beer releases, comedy and music. The weekend kicks off today with a comedy show hosted by in-house comedian Ian Douglas Terry. More details will be announced on Ratio's social media.
Odyssey Beerworks in Arvada will tap Resolute Red IPA today. The 7.6 percent ABV crowd favorite "is an IPA built for cold weather," Odyssey says. "Resolute is strong-willed and laden with resinous American hops to put some pep in your step. Enjoy piney aromas from Columbus and Chinook hops while whetting your palate with a layered caramel and roast malt bill."
3 Freaks Brewing in Highlands Ranch honors stout month by tapping Chocolate Covered Raspberry Milk Stout at 1 p.m. today. Whiskey Kate will perform at 6 p.m., and Talarico's Italian Taste food truck will be there are 4 p.m
Saturday, February 11
Ratio Beerworks will celebrate its second anniversary today and tomorrow with beer releases, food and music. At noon, the brewery will tap its anniversary beer, Continuous Thunder, a double IPA "showcasing Mosaic and Simcoe hops with bright tropical fruit aromas, and ripe mango flavors," the brewery says. Ratio will also tap a single sixtel of Loveless, "a beautiful, complex yet delicate, barrel-fermented Dark Sour Saison, which spent over a year in red wine barrels before being re-fermented with raspberries." Loveless will receive the full treatment on Tuesday, February 14, with a bottle release party, but you can get a preview today. Then, at 8 p.m., Matt Pryor, frontman for the Get Up Kids, will hit the stage, followed by Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio and a live DJ set and dance party in the taproom.
Falling Rock taps Pliny the Younger at 1 p.m. Doors open at 11 a.m., though, which is when Falling Rock will start issuing tickets to people for a glass of the beer. Fore full details, see our post on where to get the rare triple IPA from Russian River Brewing in Denver in 2017.
The beer formerly known as The Commodore returns to Diebolt Brewing today with a new name and a new look (Ballast Point Brewing in San Diego urged Diebolt to change the name of its similarly named beer last year). Now called Vladislav, the bourbon barrel-aged Russian imperial stout will be available at noon in bottles and on tap (in limited quantities). Diebolt will also tap a few different variants of the beer — including Orange Habanero, Coffee Chocolate, Raspberry Mint, Sour Cherry — throughout the day. The brewery will also tap new variants every Monday throughout February; they include Coffee in February 13; Vanilla Chai on February 20 and Double Dutch Chocolate on February 27.
The second Saturday of each month, Bierstadt Lagerhaus fills its Fässer with one of its Keller lagers directly from the lager tank. The unfiltered lager will change each time depending on what brewers Bill and Ashleigh think is tasting particularly good. It's on until it's gone which was less than five hours last release. This month, the beer is their Hoppy Rye Lager collaboration with Call to Arms.
180 Gram Imperial Stout, on tap and in bomber bottles, returns to Ursula Brewing in Aurora today, along with a Valentine's Day party featuring chocolate and live music. The brewery will also have a Tart Cherry and Chocolate available in bottles and on draft, as well as a limited quantity of 2016 180 Gram.
Denver Beer Company hosts its 6th Annual Beer, Bacon & Coffee Fest from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. "All that is required of you is to wake up, roll down to Denver Beer Co. and enjoy some of Denver’s best beer, bacon and coffee! Then go home and take a nap," the brewery says. Tickets. $40, include a breakfast burrito from Tamales by La Casita, coffee from Coda Coffee Company, a souvenir coffee mug, and as much bacon as you can fit in your belly.
Southside Bar and Kitchen hosts a second-anniversary blowout today and will be trotting out a variety of beer from specific breweries, including the Brewability Lab, which will lend its staff to Southside from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and will be pouring one of the last kegs of its Makin' Noise: Pussy Riot saison (a portion of the proceeds today will go to Brewability's chosen charity, Parillume). After that, the staffs and beers from Resolute, City Star and more breweries will take over.
Odd 13 Brewing will release its latest taproom-only can today at 1 p.m. The beer, Cultural Chameleon 2.0, is a variant of a pilot recipe with South African hops. "For this batch, we are incorporating different hops to bring you a rich, juicy, extra-hazy pale ale," the Lafayette brewery says. "Atop a velvety texture sit flavors of blueberry, lemon zest, coconut and bergamot orange." Six-packs are $11 each.
Liquid Mechanics Brewing in Lafayette will release its long-awaited 11.2 percent ABV Chocolate & Peanut Butter Russian Imperial Stout today at noon. "Dark chocolate and our signature peanut decadence melds perfectly with our new RIS base beer. We intend to release this once per year," the brewery says. There will be 250 bombers for sale, with a limit of three per person (at $14.99 each).
Sanitas Brewing in Boulder gets hot today for its 4th Annual Chili Cook from 4 to 9 p.m. Six Boulder restaurants will go head to head: West End Tavern, Verde, Kitchen Next Door, Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, McDevitt Taco Supply and defending champ Blackbelly. Tickets are $15 and include a hearty chili sample from each establishment and one beer. There will be live music by The Hop Pickers with Mark Levy filling in on drums and Eric Luba on keys (Analog Son).
Sunday, February 12
Join Epic Brewing, the Rackhouse Pub and Ratio Beerworks for a progressive Valentine's Day beer and cider dinner; there will be three courses and three locations. Course one is at Epic and includes a cheese plate paired with a beer flight. That is followed by dinner at the Rackhouse and dessert at Ratio. Get details on the RiNo Love Triangle Facebook page.
Ratio Beerworks winds down its second-anniversary weekend with a Hangover Brunch that includes Bloody Mary Beers from the Real Dill. Later that afternoon, Ratio will be part of the Valentine’s Day RiNo Love Triangle progressive beer and cider dinner with Epic Brewing and the Rackhouse Pub.
Station 26 Brewing's monthly Bluegrass Brunch returns today at 11 a.m. with beer, live music from That Damn Sasquatch, doughnuts from Glazed and Confuzed and barbecue from Turn-In BBQ.
Backcountry Pizza & Taphouse in Boulder will tap Russian River's Pliny the Younger at noon, although the restaurant will open at 10 a.m., when it will start selling a limited number of tickets, one per person, first come, first served. If you miss out, Backcountry says it will have "plenty of other delicious IPAs" on tap as well. Backcountry is donating $2 from each glass of Pliny the Younger to Sense of Security.
Sold Out: Briar Common Brewery + Eatery will host its first-ever beer-pairing dinner, serving "Our beer. Our food. Our dining room." The kitchen will prepare five courses, though you should expect some surprise pairings and tastings along the way, Briar Common says. In addition, "our brewer and our chef will be available to answer any questions and to discuss our pairing philosophy." Dinner starts at 5 p.m.
Strange Craft Beer Company
Strange Craft Beer Company will release just thirty cases of Belgian Chocolate Raspberry Love today. The beer, which honors both Stout Month and Valentine's Day, "combines massive amounts of cacao nibs and raspberries into a roasty, barrel-aged imperial stout," the brewery says. "After the initial impact of roast, dark chocolate, and fruit, notes of vanilla, oak, coffee, appear in the background. Love, at 10.9 percent ABV, will be available in bombers and draft.
Fiction Beer Company found a surprise stash of Barrel Aged Malice and Darkness in its cooler. So, in honor of Stout Month, they will release a very limited number of bottles at 6 p.m. It will go fast.
Big Choice Brewing in Broomfield will kick off a new series of small-batch, experimental and seasonal canned beers today. The first in the Brown Bag series is Cherry Cobbler Sour Brown, which was infused with tart pie cherries, lemon peel and vanilla. "Influenced by owner and brewmaster Nathaniel Miller's mother, Barb Miller, the beer is reminiscent of a cherry cobbler that was a staple in Miller's childhood," Big Choice says. "The Brown Bag Series is a play on the brown paper bag people use to conceal drinking alcohol in public places; the only consistency is seeing the brown bag, none the wiser to what beer is hidden inside. Each seven-barrel batch of the series will produce roughly forty to eighty cases that will be distributed across Colorado and for sale in the tasting room."
Tuesday, February 14
"Our greatest achievements are often those that require the greatest toil. Blend one part passion, one part craftsmanship, a touch of good fortune, and great determination. This is the beauty that exists only through lonely dedication in the creative dark," says Ratio Beerworks about its newest beer, Loveless, a dark sour saison that will be released today for Valentine's Day. The beer was barrel-fermented with saison yeast and Ratio's house sour culture for twelve months, then re-fermented in red-wine barrels with fresh raspberries for another three months. Since each barrel yielded different characteristics, they were blended together to "impart balanced tartness, tied together by a vibrant raspberry finish. As with any labor of love, this endeavor involved both radiant highs and loveless lows, but the end result yielded a most brilliant triumph." Loveless will be released at 5 p.m. in 750ml bottles; they are very limited.
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project will re-release Nightmare in Brett Raspberry today, a beer that was just rated as one of Ratebeer.com’s top five beers of 2016 with a perfect 100. The annual release event will also include custom made chocolates that incorporate the beer into the chocolate, a slew of vintage tapping’s and bottle releases including some 1.5L Magnums of the beer and 750ml cork and cage bottles.
Treat your date, your bestie, or yourself to a beer and chocolate pairing today with the Chocolate Lab and Denver Beer Co. For $30, you get five chocolates paired with five four-ounce beers. There are a limited number of tickets available for this event, which runs anytime between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Declaration Brewing will host a combination second-anniversary and Valentine's Day event today from 7 to 10 p.m. at Preamble by Declaration Brewing Taphouse. For $50 a couple, each person gets three flights of four beer tasters, four pieces of cheese from Culture Meat and Cheese, four pieces of charcuterie from Old Major, and two chocolate pieces by Deiter's Chocolates (box of four).
Alpine Dog Brewing brings back its second annual Valentine's Day Oyster and Stout Pairing today in honor of Valentine's Day. Get four oysters paired with four different versions of Blind Sherpa Stout, Mint Chocolate Stout, Peanut Butter Stout, Chocolate Raspberry Stout (from the firkin), and Maple Breakfast Stout. There are no tickets needed in advance. A la carte oysters will be available, as well.
The Post Brewing in Lafayette will tap Lovey Dovey, a 6 percent ABV "Belgian-ish-style" amber ale. it has "complex layers of herbal hop and spicy yeast rest upon a base of European Munich and Vienna malts."
Wednesday, February 15
Platt Park will celebrate the second release in its new 11th Tap Project, a series of small-batch, one-off beers. This time, it's White Chocolate Raspberry Stout, made with fresh raspberries and white chocolate.
Pavy's food truck will be out front.
Epic Brewing "goes dark and mysterious" at 7 p.m. when it pairs the beers in its Oak & Orchard dark sour series with readings from Colorado author Manuel Ramos’ "Mile High Noir” series. The unusual event is limited to twenty people who will get to try samples of the beer and hear about their complexity and why Epic's brewers chose to pair each particular beer, all aged in oak barrels with fruit, with the reading. While you sip the beer, Manuel Ramos will read the excerpts from his Mile High Noirs “Desperado" and “My Bad." Ramos will also be signing and selling copies of his books. In addition to the readings, Epic is hosting a display of artwork from Leslie A. Aguillard; all of the art was inspired by 1950s and 60s Noir television series and movies. Go to Epic's Facebook page for details on how to sign up.
Join Station 26 Brewing for one last run of Dark Star Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout releases until November. Today, they will pour a sixtel of the base Dark Star along with a sixtel of Strawberry Balsamic Dark Star at 4 p.m. They will follow that up in a week with S'Mores Dark Star on February 22.
The Yak & Yeti in Arvada will debut the new name, beers and look behind its stand-alone brewery concept, Spice Trade Brewing, today with a party starting at 5 p.m. Spice Trade will do a tap takeover at the restaurant "with a variety of new beers that embody our culinary and cultural focus of brewing. The first two beers we're announcing for the release are: Mayan Chocolate RIS: A seriously complex Russian Imperial Stout clocking in at 10 percent ABV. This beer has layers of chocolaty complexity and is inspired by the traditional Mayan Chocolate recipe, a drink for the gods. It's infused with cacao nibs, cinnamon, vanilla beans, and roasted chili peppers. Sichuan Saison: A crisp and refreshing French style Saison with a twist. Inspired by Chinese flavors this saison is infused with a house blend of Chinese 5 spice, Sichuan peppercorns and orange peel. The peppercorns add a tingling, mouth numbing sensation that pairs well with our spicier food at the restaurant."
Thursday, February 16
Help Renegade Brewing welcome its newest canned beer, 1916 Colorado Lager, today with a party and free beer. Yes, free beer. Everyone who comes to the taproom from 2 to 10 p.m. gets a free six-pack of 1916 Lager and a free twenty-ounce 1916 mug — both with the purchase of a full pour of 1916 Lager.
Friday, February 17
Factotum Brewhouse says cheers to two years with a two-day anniversary party filled with small-batch releases, food trucks and music. Today the brewery will tap Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Kentucky Common at 3 p.m. There will be music from Carnie Bums and food from Arepas House.
Join Boulder Beer at its brewpub today for the release of Irish Blessing, an oak-aged coffee stout brewed with "an abundance of black and chocolate malts for a bittersweet chocolate finish." Boulder Beer teamed up with the local roasters at Ozo Coffee Company in Boulder to select a blend for the beer, which was then aged on Jameson-soaked oak.
Saturday, February 18
Five years and a few miles away from its present location, River North Brewery opened for business. The brewery has gone through big changes since then, but has reached this milestone in grand style — and it plans to throw a fitting two-day birthday party, starting at noon, by debuting two new IPAs and tapping various rarities. In addition, there will be a crawfish boil today from Roaming Bull Brasserie (in addition to the regular menu) and live music from the Dollhouse Thieves from 4 to 6 p.m. The first IPA is Anniversary Ale 5, double IPA with Amarillo, El Dorado and Mosaic hops (bottles are $6, with a limit of one case per person). The second is Anniversary Ale 5 ¼, an "irresponsibly-over-hopped" New England-style hazy IPA, brewed with late additions of Mosaic, Citra and Idaho 7. It's only on draft, but Crowlers will be available. Rotating rare tappings throughout the day include Single Cask Mr. Sandman, Rum Barrel Quandary, Anniversary 4 ¼, Barrel Aged Nightmare Fuel and Whiskey Barrel Quandary. Then, on Sunday, River North will host a Lock Up the Cellar Sale to release other rare bottles, including God Complex, Shadowman and Father Time, Single Cask Mr. Sandman and regular Mr. Sandman. There will also be a bottle raffle benefiting Be the Change Volunteers, which builds, refurbishes, equips and trains schools and education centers worldwide. The Roadrunner New Mexican street food truck will be on hand. Oh, and if you're not sure when you can make it down, buy a ticket for $25 and reserve "two bottles of Anny 5, one Crowler of Anny 5 ¼, plus one pour of any beer on tap. Beer for ticket-holders will be reserved separately for pickup anytime Saturday or Sunday, even if we are sold out. Basically, if you buy a ticket, we will fill your Crowlers before the weekend and stash your bottles until you can get down here."
Falling Rock taps Pliny the Younger at 1 p.m. Doors open at 11 a.m., though, which is when Falling Rock will start issuing tickets to people for a glass of the beer. Fore full details, see our post on where to get the rare triple IPA from Russian River Brewing in Denver in 2017.
Factotum Brewhouse says cheers to two years with a two-day anniversary party filled with small-batch releases, food trucks and music. Today, the brewery opens at noon and will give away a limited number of glasses. Some of the featured small-batch releases include: Red Velvet Stout; Weizenbock; Honey Wheat; Black IPA; Australian Sparkling Ale; Ginger Snap Ale and Clementine Saison. There will be music from Party Shark from 2 to 6 p.m. and from The One and Only Jon Ham from 7 to 10 p.m. The Denver 808 Fusion Grindz food truck will be on hand as well.
Mu Brewery in Aurora announced earlier this month that it will close its doors for good, but not before hosting one last “Drink Mu Dry” party today for a final "cheers."
Four Noses Brewing in Broomfield brings back Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout today at 3 p.m. This year, the beer was aged with a touch of cinnamon and vanilla, the brewery says. There is a limit of two four-packs per person.
Powder Keg Brewing in Niwot will release a small number of bottles of its Palisade Reunion Batch 2, a golden sour beer aged on Palisade peaches. Batch 1 was a highly acclaimed and sought-after sour last year. Each 750ml bottle is $20. There is a limit of four per person, and there are only 548 bottles available — first come, first served, starting at noon. Here's how the beer differs from last year's batch, according to Powder Keg: "This year we took 200 gallons of our favorite golden sour wort and aged it on 1,000 pounds of Colorado-grown peaches for three months (a fruiting ratio of five pounds per gallon!). There was so much fruit that we rented a special wine fermentation tank from California for the occasion and had to punch down the fruit to keep it in contact with the beer." For more information on the beer and release, go to Powder Keg's Facebook page.
Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs presents the 13th Annual Firkin Rendezvous today from 2 to 5 p.m. at the brewery, 1604 South Cascade. The fest is a celebration of cask-conditioned ale from more than forty Colorado breweries, with a goal of benefiting the nonprofit Colorado Brewers Guild. "The cask conditioning of ales is a traditional British style of brewing that originated centuries ago, when publicans lived above their pubs and made a life’s work out of tending their beers," Bristol says. "Cask ales are fermented, dry-hopped, conditioned and served in a single cask, the firkin being the British cask size most commonly used." General admission tickets are $45 and include a souvenir glass and lunch. VIP tickets, $65, get you in an hour early and include everything above as well as a T-shirt. Get your tickets at ticketfly.com.
Sunday, February 19
Falling Rock taps Pliny the Younger at 1 p.m. Doors open at 11 a.m., though, which is when Falling Rock will start issuing tickets for a glass of the beer. Fore full details, see our post on where to get the rare triple IPA from Russian River Brewing in Denver in 2017.
Avery Brewing in Boulder will host a brewery-only release of No. 42 in its Barrel-Aged Series, Nox Reposado. "With whispers of smoke and Sweet Tarts, this dark Tequila Sour has been aged in Suerte reposado and añejo Tequila barrels from the heart of Atotonilco el Alto," Avery says. The beer will go on sale at 1 p.m., with a limit of two cases per customer (bottles are $12 each). But the line is likely to begin forming at 11 a.m., which is when Avery opens. The brewery will also have a few other cellar Barrel-Aged Series favorites from the past on sale.
Monday, February 20
Halfpenny Brewing in Centennial will kick off its five-day-long series of first anniversary tappings and events today by releasing its English Strong Ale.
Tuesday, February 21
Halfpenny Brewing in Centennial continues its first-anniversary events by tapping a new Imperial IPA at 7 p.m. There will also be trivia.
Wednesday, February 22
Join Station 26 for the last Dark Star Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout tapping until November. Today at 4 p.m., the pour will be a sixtel of the base Dark Star along with a sixtel of S'Mores Dark Star.
Platt Park Brewing will host a Ski Wax Party with Rocky Mountain Ski Tunes today; for $15, you get a ski or snowboard wax and a pint while you wait. The brewery will release its Scottish Strong Ale.
Halfpenny Brewing in Centennial continues its first anniversary releases today by tapping White Stout; you can also give their newly named Oatmeal Stout a try.
Friday, February 24
Oskar Blues Brewery will introduce Hotbox Coffee IPA, a new nationwide canned seasonal beer, today with a party at its Tasty Weasel taproom in Longmont. The 7.2 percent ABV beer "combines a burst of pine, citrus and mango from simcoe hops and blends them with a cold brew extract from Hotbox Roasters' Ethiopian beans, which bring cream, blueberry and cocoa notes to the mix. The beans were sourced from a family farm in the East African nation exclusively for this beer," the brewery says. The beer is a followup to Hotbox Coffee Porter, which the brewery made last fall. The brewery owns the roasting company. Hotbox Coffee IPA replaces Gubna as a seasonal canned beer. A longtime hoppy staple, Gubna will only be available in cans in the taproom and will no longer be distributed.
Halfpenny Brewing in Centennial will celebrate its first anniversary from 2 to 11 p.m. today with music by the Skeleton Keys, food, giveaways, commemorative beer steins and the release of their Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout.
Saturday, February 25
Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont "will crack the doors open" on its new, 4,275 event space, The Oak Room, for a free Mardi Gras-themed grand opening party starting at 3 p.m. The event will feature New Orleans Style Food & King Cake at 5 p.m. and live music from Lionel Young Band from 5 to 7:30 p.m. and the Guerrilla Fanfare Second Line Parade & Stilt Walkers from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. There will also be a costume contest, parade and lots of beads. Oskar Blues will be serving a large selection of its beers, along with those of the two breweries in owns, Michigan's Perrin Brewing and Florida's Cigar City; a couple of rare brews on tap will be Cigar City Brewing Trousseau, a barley wine winter warmer, and Imperial Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Brown Ale, and Perrin No Rules. The Oak Space, located adjacent to the brewery, feature a view of more than 1,000 oak barrels for aging beer, a private bar and big-screen TV.
Wiley Roots Brewing in Greeley will host its second annual Festival of Dark Beers from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., with more than twenty experimental, small-batch and pilot beers that the well-respected brewery has made over the past few months. They range from a New England Style Black IPA to a Russian Imperial Stout aged in a Feisty Spirits rye whiskey barrel. There will also be two collaboration beers: S’Mores Stout brewed with Cerebral Brewing in Denver, and Coconut Chocolate Stout brewed with WeldWerks, also in Greeley (several dark beers from these two breweries will be on tap as well). General admission tickets, available at wileyroots.com/fodb, are $45 in advance ($50 at the door) and include unlimited sampling, three palate-cleansing beers and a commemorative tasting glass. VIP tickets, $60, get you in the door an hour early, and also include access to exclusive beers and a meal coupon for $10 that can be redeemed at the on-site food truck. There will be live music from Troubadour Sound System.
Saturday, March 4
Avery Brewing will host its fifteenth annual Strong Ale Fest from noon to 5 p.m., bringing in beers from around the country that are 8 percent ABV or higher. This year, there will also be several special barrel tappings and a massive list of Avery beers brewed just for the event. Tickets (which went on sale February 3) are $55 each, and all proceeds benefit Get Outside and Learn Something (GOALS); each includes sixteen three-ounce pours and a commemorative glass. Food will be available for purchase.
Wynkoop Brewing will host a beer fest today called Day of Dorks. "Teaming up with over thirty breweries, we'll be pouring up some of the geekiest and white-whaley craft brew in all the land," Wynkoop says. "Nerd attire suggested but not required. And to truly encourage The Next Generation of dorks, we'll be collecting school supplies including pens, pencils, notebooks and more. Donations will benefit local area schools." Tickets are $40 at eventbrite.com and include a commemorative Day of Dorks glass and snacks. "To miss out would be highly illogical."
The Real Ale Real Love Firkin Festival returns to Loveland today at 3:30 p.m. thanks to co-hosts Grimm Brothers Brewhouse and Verboten Brewing; the event takes place behind Grimm Brothers, in the Garden Room, at 687 North Denver Avenue. The intimate fest showcases one-of-a-kind cask beers from Northern Colorado breweries and "allows the brewers to push the envelope and try new experimental flavor combinations that wouldn't be cost-effective on a larger scale," Grimm Brothers says. There are only 250 tickets, available at brownpapertickets.com for $30 each, to RARL, which allows attendees "to chat with the brewers about the beers they made and the flavor profiles they were hoping would come out in the firkins." Ge more information about Real Ale Real Love at realalereallove.com.
Saturday, March 11
The Crafty Fox Taphouse & Pizzeria will celebrate its first anniversary today with special tappings, games and giveaways downstairs starting at 11 a.m. and a ticketed event upstairs at 3 p.m., featuring rare beers and live music. The upstairs tickets are $35 (there are only 100 available), and there will be live music from Blow the Vault, exclusive tappings of Ursula Brewery’s Jefferson’s Reserve Barrel Aged Imperial Crustless (Peanut Butter and Jelly Porter), and an Ursula/Wiley Roots/Crafty Fox collaboration Vanilla Wafer Coffee Blonde Ale. There will also be an unlimited special “grown-up kids” menu.
