On Monday, Joyride Brewing (technically across the street from Denver, in Edgewater) tapped Never Mind the Baltics, Here's the porter (named for the iconic Sex Pistols album), which offers light flavors of cocoa, molasses, star anise, prunes and red grapes. And then there's German-beer specialty brewery Bierstadt Lagerhaus, which currently has an 8.7 percent ABV Baltic porter on as a winter seasonal. This light, sweet elixir will sneak up on you if you're not careful, but really, why would you want to be careful?
Now, here's our comprehensive list of craft-beer events, through February 25.
Upslope Brewing
Boulder's Upslope Brewing will unveil its new year-round canned beer, Citra Pale Ale, today at 5 p.m. at Hops & Pie. The 5.8 percent beer replaces Upslope's flagship Pale Ale in the lineup. "The Citra Pale Ale is an American-style pale ale which prominently features Citra hops, delivering pungent grapefruit and tropical-fruit aromas with a semi-dry finish. Juicy, floral notes imparted by the hops pair with the light malt character to balance it out," the brewery says.
Join First Draft Taphouse & Kitchen at 6 p.m. for a Verboten Brewing tap takeover. The Loveland brewery will be pouring Blood Guardian (Blood Orange Silent Guardian Imperial IPA), Blackberry Serrano Little Nonsense (BA Imperial Stout with blackberries and serranos), Maiden of the Woods (Zinfandel Barrel Aged Imperial Saison), and Hawaiian Punch (New England-style Pale Ale).
Platt Park Brewing will follow up on its Colorstorm IPA from last week with the 4 percent ABV Session Storm IPA today. Brewed with Rikau and Simcoe hops, "it yields a beautiful blend of tangerine and citrus flavors," the brewery says.
Every fourth Wednesday, from 6 to 9 p.m., Black Shirt Brewing teams up with Shauna from the Long I Pie Shop for a pairing of four beers and four pies. The price is $20 per person. No advance tickets necessary; go to Black Shirt's Facebook page for TBA info on the pairings.
January is Coffee Cask Month at Copper Kettle Brewing, which has infused a cask each Wednesday with everyone's favorite morning beverage. This week's cask, which goes on at 2 p.m., features a medium-bodied Brown Ale made with Honduras Marcala Honey Process from Pablo's Coffee, "a smooth, robust roast with caramelized walnut and tart apricot."
Thursday, January 26
Ratio Beerworks celebrates the return of One Great City Belgian Quadruple at 5 p.m. "Built upon the wings of innovation and artistic creativity, this is a city that provides fuel and is fueled by its people. This beer in many ways, is our anthem for a new tomorrow, singing the praises of the City of Denver," Ratio says, grandly. "One Great City is a big, yet balanced beer, imparting bold raisin and dark fruit esters. It pays homage to the old world, while also channeling the new age of brewing through the use of classic Belgian abbey ale yeast, Chinook hops and Caramunich 2, Special W malts... The result is a beautiful elegant quad that imparts smooth toffee notes but also packs a punch."
Fire on the Mountain will turn over its taps to Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project at 5 p.m. today. The brewery will be pouring Vieille, Raspberry Origins, and two of its non-sour beers: American Porter and Trellis Buster, a brand-new double IPA.
Seedstock Brewing will tap its first-ever Imperial IPA today at 5 p.m. There will be food from Rocky Mountain Cheesery.
Boulder's Upslope Brewing will unveil its new year-round canned beer, Citra Pale Ale, today at 5 p.m. at its Flatiron Park tap room. The 5.8 percent beer replaces Upslope's flagship Pale Ale in the lineup. "The Citra Pale Ale is an America- style pale ale which prominently features Citra hops, delivering pungent grapefruit and tropical fruit aromas with a semi-dry finish. Juicy, floral notes imparted by the hops pair with the light malt character to balance it out," the brewery says.
Friday, January 27
The owners of Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales will celebrate their third year of owning a brewery today and tomorrow with a series of new beer releases, paired food tastings, and an on-site public cellar release that begins at 2 p.m., when the brewery will pop bottles of previous releases. The pairings will begin at 6 p.m., when Brewed Food will be in the house with a special menu ($25 per person; thirty tickets available). The first pairing is Oxcart with a kimchi pancake, pickled cucumber and blueberry barbecue sauce. To see the rest, go to Black Project's Facebook page.
"In a world of ever-changing stylistic interpretations and those who follow sanctimonious guidelines, its always nice when you can just drink a beer that was made because it just sounded too good not to." That's how Mockery Brewing describes Brett the Hopman Tart, an 11.9 percent ABV bourbon-barrel-aged sour IPA, which it will release today in bottles at 2 p.m. "We started off with a kettle sour base, then added a unique combination of Mandarina Bavaria, Simcoe and Citra hops in the boil," Mockery says. "After primary fermentation, the beer was thrown into Breckenridge Bourbon barrels where two wild yeast strains were waiting to get their licks in. And what would a barrel-aged, wild-fermented, sour IPA be without a healthy dose of dry-hopping? Yep, that was our finishing move."
Cerebral Brewing will release two new beers today when it opens at noon. The first is Letters & Numbers, the newest IPA in the brewery's rotating series showcasing new and experimental hop varietals. For this one, Cerebral used the South African XJA2/436 hop, along with Amarillo, Centennial and Columbus. The second beer, at 9.2 percent ABV, is Forever Awake, an imperial coffee stout brewed in collaboration with the Lula Rose General Store, which is just down the street. "We used sixty pounds of their house blend, Polecat, roasted by Middle State Coffee," Cerebral says. "The blend of Colombian and Ethiopian coffees melds beautifully with the base beer." Burgerchief will be outside from 3 to 10 p.m.
The owners of Freshcraft need to empty out their cellar to make room for beer, so starting at 5 p.m. today and running through the weekend, they'll host their first-ever Cellar Drain. Over the three days, Freshcraft will tap at least twenty rare beers, including barrel-aged stouts, sours and wild ales. Today's beers include Denver Beer Co Drama Queen, Ratio Beerworks Genius Wizard, The Bruery Mash & Vanilla, Almanac Beer Co Dynamo Barrel Noir and Green Flash Cellar 3 Blanc Tarte Barrique. For more details on times and how the tappings will work, go to Freshcraft's Facebook page.
New Image Brewing in Arvada will tap the first beer to come from its seven-barrel pilot brewing system, Vermont Pale Ale, today at 5 p.m. "This beer is a first draft for one that we plan to add to our lineup of cans this summer," New Image says. "Brewed with five pounds per barrel of American hops, this will be one of the most hop-forward beers that we've brewed to date, and at 5 percent ABV, it will go down easy. "
Copper Kettle Brewing will host a limited release of Sobremesa, its English strong ale aged in tequila barrels with lime and agave, on tap today. The beer will make you feel like you're kicking back on the beach with your toes in the water, basking in the sun. The Tony Guacamole Food Truck will be on hand.
Sanitas Brewing in Boulder is doing a Winter Warmer Weekend starting today and running through Sunday. The tap room is featuring some bigger beers "that have been aged and amped up with fun additions of spice and fruit," Sanitas says. They include: Devil's Sword, Rye Grand Cru, Rye Abbey with Cherries, Cinnilla Stout, Coffee BIPA and more. There will also be a taco-tasting flight from McDevitt Taco.
The Winter Brew Fest takes place today and tomorrow at Mile High Station. This indoor/outdoor event includes more than 100 beers, food vendors and live music. Get tickets at denverbrewfest.com.
If you're up skiing this weekend, New Belgium Brewing is hosting a fundraiser at Winter Park Resort (in front of the West Portal) to raise money for the National Sports Center for the Disabled. Citradelic Live, as it is called, runs from 5 to 8 p.m. and features a concert with the indie-pop band Smallpools and a silent auction with items like custom Meier Skis, a Simms snowboard package and shwag from New Belgium and Winter Park. There will also be New Belgium beer, including Citradelic IPA and Mary Jane Ale, available only at the resort. Tickets, $10, are available at eventbrite.com, with 50 percent of proceeds going to NSCD and 100 percent of silent auction proceeds benefiting the organization.
Saturday, January 28
Colorado Plus Brewpub in Wheat Ridge will host a tap takeover of the five collaborative beers made by the five breweries involved in Makin' Noise: A Pussy Riot Brew. Brewed by Gold Spot, 3 Freaks, Lady Justice, Brewability Lab and Black Sky, along with more than two dozen other interested brewers and women from around Colorodo, the beer is an imperial saison. Each one was made with a different fruit. Sales from the various beers went to support a variety of charities that help people who have felt threatened by the Trump inauguration. Colorado Plus will donate $1 of each beer sold to ProgressNow Colorado. They will also be offering a specialized flight with all five of the Makin' Noise beers.
River North Brewery will re-release its Barrel Blonde today at noon. The beer is a Belgian-style blonde ale that was aged in whiskey and cocktail barrels. It will be available only in the taproom in bottles and on draft. There will also be New Mexican street food by Roadrunner.
The owners of Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales will celebrate their third year of owning a brewery today with a series of six new beer releases every hour on the hour starting at 3 p.m. There will be food by Waffle Up and Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese.
Spangalang Brewing will try to cure your cabin fever today with its Wintertide Social, a daylong series of tappings, live music and food. At noon, Spangalang will tap two brand-new beers: Dr. Silly Pilz, a pilsner "with a huge dose of hop character and a crisp malt backbone"; and Hop Zwickle, an unfiltered pale lager that is "heavily hopped with the fruity and tropical hops more typically found in New England-style IPAs," the brewery says. Zivix Kitchen will provide a limited number of cheese and charcuterie plates meant to be paired with the beers. Then at 4 p.m., Spangalang will release about sixty 750-ml bottles of Big Fluffy Snowcat, which was fermented with Brettanomyces and aged in red-wine barrels for six months before being dry-hopped. The Mike Schwartz Band will go on at 6:30 p.m.
Join Ratio Beerworks and Novo Coffee for the Cool Beans Beer & Coffee Festival today, a celebration of beer, coffee and coffee beers that showcases "the diversity of flavors that can emerge from differing coffee-bean varieties, various levels of roasts, and how all of those flavors can be highlighted or enhanced when infused in an array of beer styles," Ratio says. For $25, attendees get tasters of every coffee beer on tap, a full pour of one Ratio beer, a special treat from the Real Dill, pour-over coffee from Novo, doughnuts from Glazed and Confuzed, a breakfast burrito from Illegal Pete's, and a commemorative Cool Beans Beer & Coffee Fest tasting glass. The beers are Cascara Dear You; Cascara Rented World; Novo Espresso Hold Steady; Novo Espresso Genius Wizard; Oakland Coffee Roast Domestica; and Dirty Chai Hold Steady.
The owners of Freshcraft need to empty out their cellar to make room for more beer, so at 11 a.m. today, they'll continue their first-ever Cellar Drain, tapping plenty of rare beers, including barrel-aged stouts, sours and wild ales. Some of today's offerings include Avery Brewing Company Quivering Lip; Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales Dreamland; Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project Nightmare on Brett Cherry; Destihl Brewery Dosvidanya Rye; Dry Dock Brewing Cassidae; Epic Brewing Double Barrel Big Bad Baptist; Left Hand Oak Aged Wake Up Dead; Funkwerks Red Wine Saison; Oskar Blues Barrel Aged Death By Coconut; Odell Brewing Zard Alu Sour; River North Brewery Whiskey Quandary; Station 26 Brewing 4 Roses Bourbon Barrel BarleyWayne; Sun King Brewing Batch 666: Sympathy for the Devil; Upslope Brewing Ferus Fluxus 2014; Wicked Weed Brewing Dark Age.
10 Barrel Brewing, which is one of nine formerly independent craft breweries that were purchased recently by Anheuser Busch InBev, will host a block party today from 4 to 9:30 p.m. on Walnut Street, which will be closed to cars between 26th and 27th streets. The Oregon-based brewery will tap its Pray for Snow Winter Ale. There will also be live music, food, giveaways and a rail jam. Admission is free.
Sunday, January 29
Station 26 Brewing will host a bottle release for its Barrel-Aged BarleyWayne — in three varieties — today starting at 1 p.m. Pours and bottles of the following will be available: Calvados Barrel Aged BarleyWayne (11 percent ABV); Cognac Barrel Aged BarleyWayne (11.9 percent ABV); and Scotch + Port Double Barrel BarleyWayne (12.4 percent ABV). There will also be draft-only pours of Bourbon Barrel Aged BarleyWayne.
Platt Park Brewing will tap its Friday Firkin of Tropical Snow Dance IPA, which comes in at 6.9 percent ABV. "A true West Coast IPA, brewed with only Mosiac hops, the beer offers a crisp balance of grapefruit notes with a delicious floral aroma," the brewery says.
Monday, January 30
Odell Brewing is launching a new line of beers called Cellar Series, and over the course of 2017, you will have the opportunity to try them all first at Freshcraft. Today at 7 p.m., the beer-centered restaurant will tap Dark Theory Black Cherry Sour, which was aged in oak barrels. Staff from Odell will be on hand to talk, and Freshcraft will be putting together a menu to pair with the beer.
Uturn BBQ will open its doors and its drive-thru window today at 11 a.m. in Lafayette. The new beer and barbecue joint is located in a former Burger King and serves barbecue specialties from different regions, along with two different Kolsch-style beers in six-packs, a light and a dark, all of which you can eat inside or take to-got from the drive-thru.
Avery Brewing will release Apricot Sour, the latest in its newish Botanicals & Barrels barrel-aged series, today in the Boulder taproom. The beer will hit store shelves in 22-ounce bottles in Colorado and elsewhere in February. "This beer will add to the popular Raspberry Sour, Vanilla Bean Stout and Tangerine Quadruple Ale that currently make up the Botanicals & Barrels series," Avery explains. "Apricot Sour is a bright and tangy sour ale that artfully highlights juicy apricots and barrel-aged tartness." Avery plans to release Ginger Sour and Coconut Porter by early summer.
Wednesday, February 1
The 24th annual Stout Month kick off again today at Vine Street Pub, Mountain Sun and all of the other breweries and restaurants in Boulder and Longmont owned by the venerable Mountain Sun company. A dark and stormy love letter to this style of beer, Stout Month is a showcase, not only only for the creativity and prowess of Mountain Sun's brewing staff, but for breweries around Colorado. This year's lineup includes around thirty different in-house stouts, including many returning favorites, like Thunderhead, Trickster, Nihlist, Stoked Oak, Chocolate Dip, Oatimus Prime. Megatron, Girl Scout Cookie, as well as some new ones. But there will also be two dozen guest stouts on a different times. Vine Street and Mountain Sun typically don't release times or locations for various tappings, so you might have to visit more than once. go to Mountain Sun's web site to see the full list of beers that you should be enjoying.
Join Station 26 Brewing for one last run of Dark Star Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout releases until November. Each Wednesday in February at 4 p.m., the brewery will be pouring two sixtels of Dark Star - a sixtel of our base Dark Star and a sixtel of one of their favorite flavor variants. Today's is Coffee Dark Star. That will be followed by Mexican Chocolate Dark Star on February 8, Strawberry Balsamic Dark Star on February 15, and S'mores Dark Star on February 22.
Grimm Brothers Brewhouse and the Loveland Chamber of Commerce & Visitors' Center will continue an annual tradition today with the release of Bleeding Heart 2017, a special beer made in the Sweetheart City just before Valentine's Day and served only in town. And the new year has brought some changes — "most notably, Laura Pilato being promoted to head brewer," Grimm Brothers says. "It’s with this in mind that we decided to change the base beer of the Bleeding Heart for the first time. The first beer that Laura designed and brewed for Grimm was a brown lager; we liked the lager idea since we could get all the complexity one looks for in a brown, but also to give it a crisp clean finish. To keep with our own history, while embracing the future we are changing the porter base, but going back to the first adjunct, with cherry and chocolate." The beer will only be available in Loveland liquor stores, select bars and restaurants, and in the Grimm Brothers taproom today at 1 p.m.
Friday, February 3
Factotum Brewhouse will tap Rope-A-Dope today at 6 p.m. The beer is an unusual white stout that was aged in a Wheat Whiskey barrel from Bear Creek Distillery. The brewers from Factotum and the distillers from Bear Creek will be on hand to talk about its creation. The barrel that was used will now be returned to Bear Creek, "where they will put more whiskey into it to see what beer qualities it may pick up," Factotum says. Mile High Cajun Food Truck will be on hand for the tapping.
Verboten Brewing in Loveland celebrates its fourth anniversary today by releasing bottles of an anniversary blend of its 2015-2016 barrel-aged beers. The brewery will also release bottles of Clown's Prayer, an imperial strong ale aged in bourbon barrels and conditioned on tart and sweet cherries.
Saturday, February 4
Wyoming’s Melvin Brewing is once again celebrating its award-winning 2x4 IPA across the U.S. today with 2x4 Day. "The swag, the hip-hop, the ninjas, and – of course – Melvin’s 2x4 will all be out to party," the brewery says. Oh, and the brewery will also have WWE hall-of-famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan — whose trademark is carrying around, yes, a two-by-four length of wood — helping out as spokesman. In Denver, there will be events at the Crafty Fox, Falling Rock, Finn's Manor and Hops & Pie. There will also be tappings at Backcountry Tap House in Boulder, Tap & Handle in Fort Collins, Brewer’s Republic in Colorado Springs, and the Jailhouse Craft Beer Bar in Buena Vista.
Bruz Beers will release its new Brut La Grande today, a 12.1 percent ABV Belgian-style Biere Brut — or "champagne beer." This style of beer is "only made by a handful of breweries in the U.S., and Bruz is the only Colorado brewery making it," the brewery says. As the name implies, the beer resembles a fine Champagne, though many critics consider Biere Brut to be 'far more interesting.' Brut La Grande is a pale straw color with a dense moussey white head that leaves layers of 'Belgian lace' on the glass. Its perfumey aroma yields notes of apricots, allspice, black pepper and a touch of lemon. Its complex flavor profile hints at apples, peaches, vanilla, ginger and exotic spices. Brut La Grande is light and airy with a silky mouthfeel, creamy pinpoint carbonation and a complex, spicy, bone-dry finish." Enjoy it today in a champagne flute accompanied by a piece of Belgian chocolate. It will disappear quickly.
Join the good folks from the Colorado Let's Talk Craft Beer Facebook group as they throw their support behind the Brewability Lab as part of the Beer Mob, a continuing effort to show some love to breweries that don't get that much attention. Brewability Lab hires adults with developmental disabilities and was founded by special-education teacher Tiffany Fixter. The brewery is open from 2 to 9 p.m., and the Mob goes from 4 to 7 p.m. Food truck info is TBA.
Come celebrate the love of both beer and cars at Big Choice Brewing's Type 3 can-release party. Type 3 IPA is named for brewer and owner Nathaniel Miller's "long history with VWs — rebuilding one as a teenager and then owning a Type 3 later on in life," Broomfield-based Big Choice says. It will be available on tap and in growlers and cans. "To share in the VW enthusiasm, if you drive any classic VW to our brewery during the release party, you get a free pint on the house."
Eight Colorado breweries will go head to head with their best beer at the first Beer Fight Club, which takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. at Larimer Beer Hall. You can taste small-batch and exclusive beers and also help pick the winner. There will be free sliders provided by Larimer Beer Hall and unlimited tasters of the competing beers until they are gone. Go to nightout.com for more info.
Monday, February 6
It's Girl Scout Cookie time! And Renegade Brewing 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.
Join 38 State Brewing Company in Littleton and the Chocolate Therapist from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for a beer-and-chocolate pairing and tasting. For $30, you get five five-ounce beer tasters and ten different chocolate bites. "Each beer is carefully paired with two chocolates," the brewery says. "It was quite a process...but hey, someone's gotta do it." Pre-puchase is highly recommended. Get information about the brewery and the various pairings on 38 State's Facebook page.
Friday, February 10
Ratio Beerworks will celebrate its second anniversary today through Sunday with several events, ranging from special anniversary beer releases, comedy and music. The weekend kicks off today with a comedy show curated by in-house comedian Ian Douglas Terry. More details TBA.
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. They 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 the Alkaline Trio and then a live DJ set and dance party in the taproom.
Odd 13 Brewing's latest taproom-only can release takes place at 1 p.m. today and features the Cultural Chameleon 2.0, 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." It's $11 per six-pack.
Sunday, February 12
Ratio Beerworks winds down its second anniversary weekend with a Hangover Brunch featuring Bloody Mary Beers from The Real Dill. Later that afternoon, Ratio will be part in a Valentine’s Day RiNo Love Triangle progressive beer and cider dinner with Epic Brewing and the Rackhouse Pub.
Sold Out: Briar Common Brewery + Eatery will host its first-ever beer-pairing dinner featuring "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.
Monday, February 13
Big Choice Brewing in Broomfield will kick off a new series of small-batch, experimental or 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
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.
Renegade Brewing
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
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 Irish Whiskey 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 a lot of changes since then, but has reached this milestone in grand style — and it plans to throw a fitting two-day birthday party, staring at noon, by debuting two new IPAs and tapping various rarities. In addition, there will be a crawfish boil today by Roaming Bull Brasserie (in addition to 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. OThere 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 featuring 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 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."
Powder Keg Brewing in Niwot will release a small number of bottles of its Palisade Reunion Batch 2, a golden sour beer aged on Colorado-grown 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 is 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 and benefits 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.
Saturday, February 25
Wiley Roots Brewing in Greeley will host its second annual Festival of Dark Beers from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., featuring more than twenty experimental, small-batch 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.
