Ali Benetka, who became one of the first female head brewers in Colorado when she took over operations at Renegade Brewing in 2013, has returned to Colorado from Alaska, where she head a seasonal job, to take a brewing position at Ratio Beerworks in RiNo. A Denver-area native, Benetka earned her brewing chops at the Siebel Institute of Technology before working at a variety of breweries. "Benetka’s wide range of experience in small production breweries, strong work ethic, acute attention to detail and overall love for beer and brewing is what Ratio Beerworks was looking for in their perfect candidate," Ratio says. "Their new team member will be instrumental in the growth and planned expansion of production in the near future."
Wednesday, October 21
Big Choice Brewing will release a beer today at 4:29 p.m. that brewmaster Nathaniel Miller has been working on for six months. OBEAH is a Caribbean-inspired imperial stout, at 10 percent ABV, that was brewed with Caribbean jerk spices and aged in rum barrels. It will be sold in 19.2-ounce cans at the brewery while supplies last, and may hit a few liquors stores. In addition, the cans, made by Germany's XOLUTION, are resealable, meaning you should be able to drink some of the beer and save the rest for later.
Copper Kettle continues its pumpkin month today by tapping a firkin of Toasted Oats 'n' Honey Pumpkin Ale, which was made with toasted malts, honey, and pumpkin pie spices for a sweet and savory combination. Farm to Truck food truck will be on hand.
Thursday, October 22
Tivoli Brewing will be offering flights of beer and candy starting today and running through Halloween. The Tivoli Drink or Treat gets you three four-ounce tasters paired with candy. Additional pairings are $2.
Friday, October 23
"This is it. The grand finale. The last hurrah. The party to end all funkin' parties," says River North Brewery, which will close the doors to its taproom once the weekend is over, before moving its operations to a production facility at 6021 Washington Street. To celebrate, and to mourn (River North had to vacate the premises because the building is being torn down to make way for a new apartment building), the brewery will tap Funk the Man 3 (black currant) at noon; the beer will also be available in bottles to go. Additionally, the brewhouse will be cleared out and open to the public, with additional draft lines for rare kegs from the past year. The brewery will be open each day this weekend, with food trucks tonight and tomorrow.
Comrade Brewing is releasing Yank Tank Session IPA today at noon. The beer has about 50 percent wheat and is hopped with Azacca, Lemondrop, Galaxy and Citra. Double dry-hopped with more Lemondrop and Citra. It is 5.2 percent ABV.
Copper Kettle Brewing will welcome back The Dreaded Brit today, an ESB with floral hops notes. There will also be a cask-conditioned version. The beers is named for Steve Kirby, the brewmaster at Hogshead Brewing. Firetruck Crepes will be on hand.
Saturday, October 24
Dry Dock Brewing is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a party from 2 to 6 p.m. at its North Dock location at 2801 Tower Road in Aurora. The party will feature live music, food from Big Kiwi Eats and a big list of beers, including beers poured from the barrel and the debut of Dry Dock 10th Anniversary Quad. "When we launched a craft brewery in the back of our homebrew shop The Brew Hut ten years ago, we never expected to grow like we did," says the brewery. "From expanding into the tap room off of Hampden to our first barrel-aged beer, and now to canning at our production facility, this city has always been our home. The community and the people who live here are the reason we love doing what we do." Tickets for the event can be purchased on Dry Dock's Imbibe webpage.
Hops & Pie will tap a load of pumpkin beers today, starting at noon. Brews include Avery Rumpkin, Southern Tier's Warlock and Pumpking, Ballast Point Pumpkin Down, New Holland Ichabod, The Bruery's Autumn Maple, Boulevard's Funky Pumpkin, Epic's Gourdian, Dry Dock Imperial Pumpkin, Oakshire's Big Black Jack, Dogfish Punkin Ale, Copper Kettle's Pumpkin Porter and Almanac's Pumpkin Sour.
Lone Tree Brewing Company is releasing its annual Zombie Red IPA at 11 a.m. "This taste of the Zombie Apocalypse balances malt sweetness and bold hops with bright citrus and subtle earthiness," says the brewery. The beer is 8.5 percent ABV and is hopped to a whopping 90 IBUs. Bombers of the beer will only be sold at the brewery and in past years have sold out within hours. Shirts, Zombue Red IPA glassware and other surprises will also be available.
Sunday, October 25
Ratio Beerworks will host Cart-Driver Denver for a pizza-and-oyster beer paring today from noon to 4 p.m. on the brewery's patio. The restaurant's pizza will be matched with a few different pineapple firkins, while some fresh shucked oysters will be paired with The Knew Lime Gose Bloody Marys.
Thursday, October 29
Little Machine, a new brewery located right next to Sports Authority Field, will open its doors for the first time today at noon. The brewery will have beers on tap to start with — Colorado Stock Ale Pale Ale, Sniff IPA, The Reason Saison, Tractor Beam Oatmeal Stout (with or without a cold-brew coffee infusion) and Alternating Currant Black Currant Kettle Sour — but plans to build up to at least ten soon.
Dry Dock Brewing Company is releasing its Double Coffee Porter for the second year running. This whiskey barrel aged beer is the fourth of six 2015 Signature Series releases. It will be available on draft and in bombers today in the Canoe Room at North Dock at 2801 Tower Road in Aurora. The beer will also be available at South Dock and in liquor stores across Colorado starting next week.
Freshcraft will tap a keg of Lagunitas Born Yesterday today at 7 p.m. The beer is the California brewery's fresh-hop pale ale — and has never before been poured outside of that state. A crew from Lagunitas will be on hand to talk about it.
Friday, October 30
Oskar Blues will host a HalloWEASEL Dance party tonight, starting at 6 p.m., at the Tasty Weasel taproom in Longmont with DJ Chad. Disco beats, delicious eats from CHUBurger and Habit Carbon. There will be Death By Coconut and Hotbox Porter on tap all night long.
Saturday, October 31
Call to Arms Brewing will host the Tennyson Street Rumpus today from noon to 7 p.m., where you can kick off Halloween festivities with a neighborhood gathering featuring food, beer and games for both kids and adults. There will be a pig roast, sides, and churros provided by Mas Kaos throughout the day, and the Sweet Cow MooMobile will be there from noon to 3 p.m. In addition, Call to Arms will be releasing two exclusive Rumpus-inspired beers.
The Post Brewing in Lafayette will hold a pumpkin party today from 4 to 9 p.m. They'll be pouring happy hour pints all day long and hosting a costume contest for prizes like Post six-packs, growlers, and swag. Voting begins at 8 p.m.
Saturday, November 7
Grist Brewing in Highlands Ranch is turning two today, and it will celebrate with a party featuring eleven beers, along with a different specialty beer every hour until 8 p.m. Grist will also tap its extremely limited seasonal Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout, which was aged in whiskey barrels for ten months. There will also be two food trucks on hand, Churn and Burn, and Jessie's Smokin' NOLA, along with prizes and raffles, and vendors selling beer stuff in the parking lot.
Mockery Brewing will celebrate its one-year anniversary today with a block party in front of the brewery. Beers will include limited barrel-aged releases, poured throughout the day, commemorative glassware, live music, food trucks (Cluck Truck and Events by Revelry), and giveaways.
Boulder Beer Company releases The Dude’s D’Spare today at a party from noon to 3 p.m. at the the Pub at Boulder Beer. All bottles purchased during the party will be signed by brewmaster David Zuckerman and the infamous Shipping Dude, according to the brewery. The first 150 guests will also receive a complimentary 4-ounce pour of the beer, a barrel-aged imperial stout. Attendees will also be entered to win a VIP party at the brewery with a $500 retail value. Other fun activities at the Big Lebowksi-themed party include robe giveaways, lawn bowling and a photo booth. "This Imperial Stout uses a blend of specialty malts for a dark chocolate, roasty flavor with hints of black licorice," Boulder Beer notes. "Aging it in first-use Cabernet wine barrels adds depth, bringing out soft fruit flavors and subtle oakiness. The stout rings in at ten percent ABV and 52 IBU." The brewery adds that the barrels onsite "really tied the room together."
Sunday, November 8
The fourth annual Bacon & Beer Festival takes place today from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at the Glitter Dome, 3600 Wynkoop Street, featuring numerous area restaurants and breweries who are offering bacon-based dishes paired with beer. Proceeds from the fest will benefit the Metro Caring and Project Angel Heart. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $75 for VIP. Get them at imbibe.com.
Monday, November 9
Enjoy pints and painting tonight at Dry Dock Brewing Company's South Dock location at 6:30 p.m. This class costs $40 and includes painting supplies, instruction and your first pint of Dry Dock beer. Sign up at The Paint Cella website while tickets are still available.
Thursday, November 19
The Chef & Brew Festival returns to the EXDO Event Center from 7 to 10 p.m. (VIP entry starts at 6 p.m.) with a new lineup of chefs and brewers who have teamed up to offer an overwhelming pairing experience. Enjoy dishes from more than twenty restaurants with over fifty unique beers. Tickets are $45 for general admission and $65 for VIP (although they will go up on October 26). They include a commemorative glass and unlimited access to beer and food. Gets tickets at www.chefandbrew.com.