Renegade Brewing turns one; River North gets aged

Ian Clark, the head chef at Boulder's Centro Latin Kitchen & Refreshment Palace, opened a nanobrewery, Bru, in his garage just two months ago. But Clark is already expanding, replacing his half-barrel system with a three-barrel brewhouse that will allow him to more easily supply beer to his restaurant and...

By Jonathan Shikes

June 27, 2012

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Ian Clark, the head chef at Boulder's Centro Latin Kitchen & Refreshment Palace, opened a nanobrewery, Bru, in his garage just two months ago. But Clark is already expanding, replacing his half-barrel system with a three-barrel brewhouse that will allow him to more easily supply beer to his restaurant and to the West End Tavern, both of which are owned by the Big Red F restaurant group. The upgrade will also allow him to supply beer at other restaurants, and to bottle it and sell it to liquor stores.

Clark's two primary beers right now are Obitus, a brown ale made with dates and caramelized sugar, and Citrum, an IPA brewed with lemon zest and juniper.

Wednesday, June 27

TRVE Brewing will open its doors today at 4 p.m. The new Denver brewery has a three-barrel system, a black-metal music theme and hellaciously tasty beer. "Come in and help us fulfill our goal of having everyone at the bar windmill headbang in sync," they say.

River North Brewing continues its Barrel-Aged Wednesdays at 3 p.m. today by tapping a five-gallon keg of J. Marie Saison aged in chardonnay barrels. This version of the brewery's flagship saison "exhibits a crisp, subtle tartness with notes of apple and oak." The brewery will also preview another beer, Avarice Belgian Imperial Stout. And finally, River North is releasing two more beers in 22-ounce bomber bottles: Unified Theory, an oak-aged imperial wit; and whiskey-aged J. Marie Saison.

Denver Beer Co will host a "vertical and horizontal Russian Imperial Stout tasting" tonight. Six bucks gets you a four-ounce taster of three different stout varieties: 2011 The Wilderness aged seven months in stainless steel; 2011 The Wilderness aged seven months in Wild Turkey oak barrels; and 2012 The Wilderness, fresh and un-aged.

The Yak & Yeti will tap Victorian Sunrise Wheat today at 4 p.m. The beer is a 5.1 percent ABV hefeweizen-based brew. Wheat Wednesdays will continue through the summer with a new beer each week. They include Strawberry Wheat on July 4, Cherry Wheat on July 11, Clove Wheat on July 18 and Blueberry Wheat on July 25.

Saturday, June 30

Renegade Brewing will celebrate its one-year anniversary today with a party from noon to 10 p.m. and the release of its first canned beer, Ryeteous IPA. There will also be other special beers on tap, including a version of Renegade's Russian Imperial Stout, Hammer and Sickle, aged for nine months; a six-month aged version of its winter seasonal, Radiator; a four-month aged version of its Scottish Wee Heavy, Edinburgh Elixer; and a six-month whiskey barrel-aged version of Elevation triple IPA -- going by the name Elevated Wood. Renegade will have a food truck on hand as well as live music, giveaways, and a photo booth for patrons to capture their good times. The sixteen-ounce Ryeteous cans will be available for sale in the taproom and in a few liquor stores locally, with a broader launch in late July.

Saturday, July 7

Breckenridge Brewery hosts its 22nd Anniversary Party with "a pig pickin' foot stompin' hoedown" today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at brewery headquarters, 471 Kalamath Street. A $22 ticket gets you unlimited Breckenridge beer (including firkins, limited releases, and never released brews), live music from the Colorado Goat Ropers Guild, Zolopht & the Destroyers and Gun Street Ghost, and barbecued pork (until it is gone). The Colorado Craft Beer Show will be broadcasting live from noon to 2 p.m. Tickets are available here.

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