Beer Calendar: Roll Out the Barrels This Week at Your Local Brewery

Kim Jordan, who co-founded New Belgium Brewing and turned it into the third-largest craft brewer in the nation, announced this week that she will step down as the CEO of the industry-leading Fort Collins company. Christine Perich, a New Belgium exec since 2000 and the current chief operating officer and president, will take over the top job. She will "focus on short-term strategy, leading the executive team, industry leadership and running day-to-day operations," according to a statement from New Belgium. Jordan, meanwhile, will become the executive chairwoman of the brewery's board of directors, focusing on "long-term strategy and vision." The change takes place in October.

Wednesday, August 12
It's exotic cask month at the Copper Kettle, and the beers have been inspired by "the tropical fruits and beverages we all wish we were enjoying on a beach," the brewery says. Today's is Guava Berlinerweisse, a tart German wheat with guava added. The Pavys food truck will be on hand serving gourmet sandwiches.

Thursday, August 13
Ratio Beerworks, which just opened for business in February, will host its first bottle release today at 6 p.m. The beer, Wild in the Streets, is a farmhouse wheat ale that was fermented with different strains of wild yeast. Brettanomyces Claussenii, Brettanomyces Bruxellensis var. Drie, and French saison house yeast were each added to different California oak red=wine barrels. "After five months of aging, the barrels were sampled and blended," the brewery says. "The flavor profile includes a dry farmhouse earthiness with notes of tropical fruit including pineapple and a crisp effervescent finish." This will be the first in Ratio’s artisan bottle series. Wild in the Streets will be available in 750ml bottles at the brewery and in a few liquor stores around Denver. All bottles were hand-labeled — but the first 75 people who show up to today's release can get a bottle, a limited-edition Wild in the Streets glass and a pour of the wild ale for $20. Or they can get two bottles, a glass and a pour of the wild ale for $30. Packages are limited to one per customer. Bottles will be available for purchase for $16 once the packages have sold out. The beer will go on tap for everyone else tomorrow.

Upslope will release the fifth installment of its Lee Hill Series, a Belgian Style Quadrupel Ale, today at 5 p.m. at the Boulder brewery's original Lee Hill taproom. Inspired by traditional monastic brewing traditions, Upslope made the beer with a select strain of Belgian yeast and Belgian candi syrup and then let it age for six months to "mellow and soften its character. With layered notes of flambéd bananas foster, black currants and hints of clove, this fine ale will continue to develop and transform over time." Heirloom will be serving up food-truck eats. The 19.2 ounce cans will be available for $13 (limit four per person).

Dry Dock Brewing will release its 2015 Signature Series Whiskey Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout in 22-ounce bombers today at 2 p.m. in the Canoe Room at the brewery's North Dock facility. It will also be on tap and available the following week in liquor stores. The beer "is a robust ale with pronounced roasted bitterness that is balanced by chocolate undertones and a dark fruit backbone," the brewery says. "This velvety textured beer ages in whiskey barrels for eight months, adding vanilla and coconut nuances to its flavor and aroma. This beer was first brewed by Dry Dock Brewing’s Director of Brewery Operations Doug Hyndman for the annual brewers’ Ho Ho Ho Slapdown brewing contest in 2012. It took second place in the contest, and the beer was so popular that it gained a place in Dry Dock’s seasonal tap lineup."

Epic Brewing will release the Gourdian, its new pumpkin beer, today at 7 p.m. at the taproom. Made with orange peel, star anise, cinnamon, cacao nibs, and "plenty of hearty pumpkin flesh," the beer is one of only a few Colorado pumpkin brews in a can.

Friday, August 14
Wit’s End Brewing will tap its first-ever barrel-aged beer today at 2 p.m. The Manhattan Project, a Belgian-style Quad aged in Laws Whiskey House barrels, was brewed as an auction-item fundraiser for the elementary school where Wit's End owner Scott Witsoe's kids go. The winning bidder, Scott Landers, was able to collaborate with Witsoe to create the beer. In describing the beer, Wit's End says: "With a nod to the four-grain bourbon recipe that made Laws famous, we used malted barley, wheat, rye, and a touch of flaked maize. After barrel aging, we briefly rested the beer on Luxardo cherries to add just a hint of deep, rich pitted fruit flavor and round out the beer. The Manhattan project rings in at 10.5 percent ABV, with a complex fruity and spicy base, finishing with some soft oak and whiskey notes from the barrels. If a Manhattan cocktail wished it was a beer (and why wouldn’t it?), then this would be the one!"

Saturday, August 15
Cannonball Creek Brewing in Golden and Call to Arms Brewing, which just opened last week, have brewed the second beer in their Peace & Assist collaborative project, this time in conjunction with Beryl's Beer Company in Denver, which will host a tapping party beginning at noon today. The series is a cheeky play on the cease-and-desist letters that have become commonplace in the past few years in the craft-brewing industry concerning beer names and trademarks. In addition to Peace & Assist Collaboration Brew No. 2, Beryl's will tap several other special beers throughout the day. There will also be food trucks, live music and outdoor games.

River North Brewery will release Grand Unified Theory, a new barrel-aged beer, today at 1 p.m. on tap and in bomber bottles to go ($15 each, half-case limit). The beer is River North's oak-aged imperial witbeir, Unified Theory, which was then matured in Boulevardier cocktail barrels – formerly holding whiskey, vermouth, and bitter liqueur.

Sunday, August 16
Barrels & Bottles in Golden will hold The Sour Incident #2 starting at 11 a.m. today. The mini-sour fest features 22 pucker monsters; there is only one keg of each, so once they kick, they are gone. Offerings include beers from Almanac, Crooked Stave, Mikkeller, Monarchy, Russian River, AC Golden and Paradox, among others. No tickets required.

The Craft Brew Races is a 5K road race (run and walk) followed by a craft-beer festival, all of which takes place from noon to 4 p.m. today at Boulder Reservoir. The beer fest features more than twenty breweries. Get info at craftbrewraces.com/boulder.

Thursday, August 20
Upslope Brewing will release a new limited-edition canned beer today from 5 to 9 p.m. in conjunction with the Reel Rock Film Tour. The beer, a Session IPA, was made to commemorate the film tour's tenth anniversary and celebrate rock climbing and "vertical adventure" in general. The party takes place at Upslope's large Flatiron Park location in Boulder. The beer will be on tap and available in 19.2-ounce cans to go ($6 each). LuLu's BBQ will be on site serving up delicious barbecue.

The Denver Bicycle Cafe will host a beer-and-cheese pairing featuring gourmet cheeses hand-picked to match a selection of four beers from Denver Beer Co. For $20, you can try four five-ounce pours and four different Whole Foods gourmet cheese while discussing and learning from DBC's cheese expert, Nate Cougill. Find tickets at imbibedenver.com/beercheese.

Friday, August 21
Oskar Blues will hold an official release party at 2 p.m. today in the Tasty Weasel taproom for its brand-new beer, IPA, which is made with four kinds of Australian hops. The beer will be a year-round offering, available in cans. There will be live music from Interstate Stash Express, food from Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids and Solids "and some good ol' ColoRADo outdoor activities like a rock wall and zipline," the brewery says. 

The Cook Street School of Culinary Arts will host its $99 Bites N' Brews class at Alpine Dog Brewing today from 6 to 9:30 p.m. "The Cook Street chefs believe beer is just as delicious as wine in cooking and they guide students through a menu catered directly to a selection of craft beers. A complete meal with beer is included with each class," the class description reads. Sign up in advance.

POSTPONED: The Post Brewing is releasing two of its flagship beers in canned six-packs this summer — Howdy Ale and Townie Ale — and celebrating with a series of parties, but the bashes originally scheduled for this weekend have been postponed. Find out more from The Post Brewing.

Saturday, August 22
Snowbank Brewing in Fort Collins will celebrate its first birthday today from noon until 9 p.m. and again tomorrow from 10 a.m. til 6 p.m. by closing down the parking lot for a day of partying. There will be special beer releases as well as Austin Taco and Mac'N, along with games like cornhole, slow bike races, raffles and giveaways, and live music from One Way Ride. 

Sunday, August 23
Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, which is a part of Former Future Brewing, will host its latest bottle release today at noon with Dreamland Sour Golden Ale. The 750 ml wax-dipped bottles cost $18 each, and if you are in line before noon, the brewery promises you will be able to buy at least one. For other details and warnings about the release, go to the Facebook page.

Thursday, August 27
The fifth annual Save the Ales beer tasting and fundraising event returns today to the EXDO Event Center. There will be beers from forty Colorado breweries, including Naughty Pine, a beer aged in Breckenridge Bourbon barrels exclusively for Save the Ales by Crazy Mountain Brewery in Edwards. "Colorado’s water: it’s some of the best in the nation, and it makes some of the best beers in the world. And it’s limited," says the organization Conservation Colorado, which hosts the fundraiser. General admission tickets are $35 (or $30 for Conservation Colorado members), while VIP tickets are $60 (or $50 for members). The event starts at 7 p.m. (although VIPs can get in at 6 p.m.).  All attendees will enjoy unlimited beer tastings, drawings for beer swag, live music, and access to food trucks. All proceeds benefit Conservation Colorado. See more details and buy tickets at ConservationCO.org/SavetheAles.

Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen is once again hosting a series of "intimate" craft beer dinners leading up to the Great American Beer Festival in late September. Each dinner will have a menu crafted to pair with the particular brewery and a brewery expert will be on hand to discuss the beers. Each dinner begins at 7 p.m.; tickets are $55 per person and be purchased at brownpapertickets.com. Tonight's dinner features beers from Verboten Brewing in Loveland.

Denver Bicycle Cafe will host a tap takeover and a meet-the-brewer night with Denver Beer Co. It features rare drafts from the brewery and a chance to learn about how those selections are brewed.

Freshcraft will celebrate its fifth anniversary tonight (this event was rescheduled from August 20) with a family-style beer-pairing dinner at 7 p.m. Courses are Rocky Ford cantaloupe gazpacho garnished with crispy prosciutto and fresh dill, paired with Trinity Elektrick Cukumbahh; oysters served with a vanilla mignonette garnished with bourbon black pepper and coffee dusted chicharrones, and paired with Station 26 First Birthday Cottonwood Smoked Imperial Porter aged in A. D. Laws 4 Grain Bourbon Barrels; slow-braised bison short ribs smothered in a rich mole and a golden beet pico served with Olathe corn on the cob covered in a lime crema, chili powder and cotija cheese, and paired with Casey Brewing & Blending Casey Family Preserve Balaton Sour Cherry Palisade Peach Tart; and cream-cheese-filled macaroon crust, topped with sweet Palisade peaches and a maple brown butter glaze, and paired with Odell Brombeere Blackberry Gose. Tickets are $65 (tax and gratuity included) and available here.

Thursday, September 3
Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen is once again hosting a series of "intimate" craft beer dinners leading up to the Great American Beer Festival in late September. Each dinner will have a menu crafted to pair with the particular brewery and a brewery expert will be on hand to discuss the beers. Each dinner begins at 7 p.m.; tickets are $55 per person and be purchased at brownpapertickets.com. Tonight's dinner features beers from Diebolt Brewing in Denver.

The Denver Public Library has teamed up with two local breweries, Fiction Beer and Denver Beer Co, and author Kevin Hearne to make two beers that will be tapped as part of a month-long DPL series called BrewHa!Ha!, which "celebrates all things brewed," from coffee to kombucha. Hearne, author of the Iron Druid Chronicles, provided "the initial style inspiration for this project drawing on the habits of his main character in his novels," the library says. Both breweries will make cream ales. Fiction's will be spiced with caraway seed (a nod to the origins of Hearne's Irish main character Atticus O’Sullivan), as well as pears. Denver Beer Co will make a kettle sour cream ale with yogurt and black currants. Denver Beer Co will tap its beer today at 3 p.m. Remember to bring your Library card for $1 off your pour and ask for Sour 641.23. Fiction will tap its beer tomorrow.

Friday, September 4
The Denver Public Library has teamed up with two local breweries, Fiction Beer and Denver Beer Co, and author Kevin Hearne to make two beers that will be tapped as part of a month-long DPL series called BrewHa!Ha!, which "celebrates all things brewed," from coffee to kombucha. Hearne, author of the Iron Druid Chronicles, provided "the initial style inspiration for this project drawing on the habits of his main character in his novels," the library says. Both breweries will make cream ales. Fiction's will be spiced with caraway seed (a nod to the origins of Hearne's Irish main character Atticus O’Sullivan), as well as pears. Denver Beer Co will make a kettle sour cream ale with yogurt and black currants. Fiction will tap its beer today at 5:30 p.m. Get $1 off your first beer when you show your Library card. Denver Beer Co tapped its beer yesterday.

Thursday, September 10
Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen is once again hosting a series of "intimate" craft beer dinners leading up to the Great American Beer Festival in late September. Each dinner will have a menu crafted to pair with the particular brewery and a brewery expert will be on hand to discuss the beers. Each dinner begins at 7 p.m.; tickets are $55 per person and be purchased at brownpapertickets.com. Tonight's dinner features beers from Dogfish Head Brewing in Delaware.

Saturday, September 12
Gravity Brewing in Louisville will celebrate its three-year anniversary today, starting at 1 p.m. There will be live performances by Jazz Ram and Full Belly as well as hourly tappings of barrel-aged and small-batch beers.

Thursday, September 17
Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen is once again hosting a series of "intimate" craft beer dinners leading up to the Great American Beer Festival in late September. Each dinner will have a menu crafted to pair with the particular brewery and a brewery expert will be on hand to discuss the beers. Each dinner begins at 7 p.m.; tickets are $55 per person and be purchased at brownpapertickets.com. Tonight's dinner features beers from Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project in Denver.