From Brunch to Beer, 21 Tastiest Events on the Culinary Calendar

The Great American Beer Festival is in full swing and Denver is buzzing with brews this weekend. While suds are spilling all over town, the culinary calendar has some worthwhile non-beer events, too. Keep reading for a taste.

Friday, September 25 

Chef Troy Guard will be cooking up a four-course Tuscan wine dinner at Guard and Grace featuring the wines of Brunello di Montalcino. The dinner is $175 per person; to reserve your seat, call 303-293-8500. 

The Douglas County Libraries Foundation will host its inaugural “Fête des Fables” gala at the Highlands Ranch Mansion starting at 6 p.m. Complete with silent and live auctions, dinner, dessert, cash bar and more, the Big Bad Bash will transport ticket-holders into the world of Little Red Riding Hood. But organizers promise that the event is “not your grandmother’s gala,” and have many surprises planned; guests are encouraged to come in costume.Tickets to the gala are $100 and can be purchased here.   

Grand Teton Brewing is taking over the taps at the Mike Wright Gallery today. Brewers from Grand Teton will be on hand to discuss brewing, barrel-aging and souring techniques, and there will be artwork by Parisian artist Sabine Danze on display. The tap takeover will run from 6 to 9 p.m.; admission is free and beers vary in price. For more information, check out the event's Facebook page. 

In honor of the opening of the Whiskey Room at Fado Irish Pub, the LoDo mainstay will be launching Free Whiskey Fridays. Today's event will feature a complimentary cocktail of the featured whiskey and free sampling of whiskeys from around the world. For more information, call the bar at 303-297-0066. 

As a part of Taste of Iceland, which continues through Saturday, Coohills will be offering Reyka Vodka Craft Cocktail Classes today and tomorrow. From 3:30 to 5 p.m. each day, bar manager and mixologist Joshua Tallent will lead a hands-on craft cocktail class showing how to use Reyka Vodka and Icelandic ingredients to make great drinks. The class is free but space is limited; to reserve a spot contact Coohills at 303-623-5700. For more information on Taste of Iceland, click here.

Tonight is the last installment in the To the Winds' Craft Beer Dinner Series; the evening will feature Black Shirt Brewery and Trve Brewing pairing their beers with seven courses. Tickets are $79; for reservations, call the restaurant at 303-316-3333.

The third annual Vail Beaver Creek Restaurant Week gets under way today and will roll through October 4. The ten-day-long event will feature a wide variety of prix fixe menus and specials, all set at $20.15. Participating businesses span Vail and Beaver Creek; find a full last at diningataltitude.com. 

Bru Handbuilt Ales & Eats will be offering a special, $40 prix-fixe menu today and tomorrow in honor of GABF. The four courses on the menu will each be paired with a beer that has been entered in the beer festival. The restaurant will also be tapping its Fresh Hop American Pale Ale at 6 p.m. today. For more information, head over to bruboulder.com. 

Upstairs Circus DTC, a second outpost at 5370 Greenwood Plaza Blvd. Suite 106, in Greenwood Village, is throwing a weekend of events starting with a Grand Opening Project Social at 7 p.m. Tomorrow you can wake up and enjoy Making Mimosas at 11 a.m., followed by another social at 7 p.m. Each event is $35 at the door. For reservations and more information, call 720-239-2311 or check out the Facebook page.

Mellow Mushroom will be serving four beers from Bonfire Brewery complete with menu pairings. There will also be a reserve tapping at 5 p.m. and a live performance by The Other Black at 8 p.m. Tomorrow the restaurant will throw a GABF wrap party with two tap takeovers from Wasatch and Squatters.

The bartending staff at Racines has created a trio of pink drinks to benefit Susan G. Komen Colorado Race for the Cure. Starting today and running through Saturday, October 3, Racines will donate $2 per drink to the charity. Order one drink for $7 or try smaller samples of all three for $10. For more information, call the restaurant at 303-595-0418. 

  
Saturday, September 26

The Colorado Agricultural Leadership Foundation is celebrating Harvest Day at Lowell Ranch in Castle Rock. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. guests can help harvest honey, sip apple cider from an antique press, taste old-fashioned chuckwagon cooking, enjoy a leisurely carriage ride around the ranch, choose the perfect pumpkin and more. The event is free; for more information, click here.

NEWalk Fest and Salsa & Soul Unity Fest are joining forces for a block party at Holly Square today, festivals promoting fun and community in northeast Denver. There will be a shoe giveaway, free food, family-friendly activities, local art and music, and a host of community booths. The free event runs from noon to 4 p.m.; for more information, click here.

Crooked Brews & Chef Dudes will take over Mercantile Dining & Provision today from 6 to 10 p.m. Five breweries and five chefs are teaming up for this five-course collaborative beer dinner that starts at 6 p.m. with a Mercantile Fondue paired with Crooked Stave brews. Tickets for the dinner are $150; for more info, click here. 

Old South Pearl Street welcomes Oktoberfest starting at 1 p.m. today. Fill your stein with drinks from Platt Park Brewing Co., WoodChuck Hard Cider and Coors. There will also be live music, German fare, keg bowling, stein-hoisting and more. For more information on this free event, head over to southpearlstreet.com. 

Join Denver Urban Gardens at DeLaney Community Farm for a morning of food and community. Snooze Brunch in the Field is a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney Community Farm and other Colorado businesses; from 10 a.m. to noon, Snooze will be preparing brunch to be served alongside beer cocktails, made with Great Divide’s Colette Saison. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children; kids under twelve are free. Guests are encouraged to bring their own plates and silverware to limit waste. To purchase your tickets, click here. 


Rox Crawl, a bar crawl rolled in with a Rockies game, will take place today at 1 p.m. The pre-game party features free shirts, shots, pulled pork and ribs platters, live music and more. The party will then move to Coors Field for a bar crawl through the bars in the stadium. Tickets are $60; learn more at the event's Facebook page.

The Out on the Town Brunch Series wraps up at Lola, which will donate 20 percent of its brunch revenue back to The Center — specifically the Transgender Programs and Rainbow Alley.  For more information, check out glbtcolorado.org.

Cheeky Monk is holding a GABF breakfast with guest brewery The Bruery, from California. The breakfast runs from 8 to 11 a.m. Entrance is free, and beer and food prices vary based on your selections. From 5 to 7 p.m., the Sips, Suds, & Smokes Radio Show will be taping an episode at the bar. For more information, call Cheeky Monk at 303-861-0347.

Ratio Beerworks closes out the Great American Beer Festival today with a Post-GABF Karaoke Party from 9 p.m. to midnight. The party is open to all, but if you wear your brewers' badge and sing a song you will get a free beer. For more information, check out the event's Facebook page.  

Sunday, September 27  

Tracks will host another edition of the Big Gay Football Day this afternoon, with the Broncos game on a giant screen, drink specials, food, games and prizes. For all the details, click here. 

For more Food & Drink events, go to our online calendar. If you know of an event that should be included in that calendar, send information to [email protected]. And watch for our full weekend calendar Friday, as well as beer updates all week.