New Belgium Brewing is releasing Rampant Imperial IPA this month to its year-round portfolio. The 8.5 percent ABV beer was brewed with Mosiac, Calypso and Centennial hops. It's available in twelve- and 22-ounce bottles.
For more beer news and all of this week's craft beer events, turn the page.
The latest attempt to allow supermarkets and gas stations in Colorado to sell full-strength beer went down on Tuesday faster than an ice cold lager on a summer day.
Representative Kevin Priola's bill would have allowed supermarkets and convenience stores to sell beer made by breweries that produce less than six million barrels per year, effectively limiting them to craft breweries. It would also have allowed the big chains to add four more liquor store locations (they are currently only allowed to have one).
The measure was tepidly supported by the supermarkets and vehemently opposed by craft brewers and independent liquor stores owners. After presenting his bill to a House committee, Priola acknowledged that he didn't have enough votes to carry it to the house floor, and then asked that it be killed.
Wednesday, February 13Black Shirt Brewing has expanded its taproom hours and will be open on Wednesdays for the first time today. The brewery's new hours are Wednesday through Friday, from 5 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, from 2 to 9 p.m.
For this week's One-Barrel Wednesday, Strange Brewing will tap a keg of Belgian Chocolate Raspberry Love Stout, a special beer brewed with Colorado Craft Beer Radio's John Turk and his wife, Stacy Turk. Kegs of this Valentine's Day beer will also be available at Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery for their Stout Month.
The Yak & Yeti will break out its 5.2 percent ABV Cherry Porter today at 4 p.m. The beers uses thirteen pounds of Montgomery cherries in just one five-gallon keg.
For its weekly Wayward Wednesday tapping at 3 p.m., River North Brewery will break out a five-gallon keg of dry-hopped J. Marie Saison. It's a version of River North's flagship saison that's been infused with a bunch of hops.
Lucky Pie LoDo will feature some of Avery Brewing's draft-only beers as part of its Wednesday night showcase, which starts today at 4 p.m. The beers include Uberschwein, Bolder Weisse, Double Dry-Hopped New World Porter and Tweak.
The Copper Kettle will tap a firkin of its double IPA with double the hops added to the cast; hours are 3 to 9 p.m.
Thursday, February 14
Wit's End Brewing will lure lovers with its 2nd Annual Valentine's Day Beer and Chocolate Pairing tonight from 4 to 9 p.m. (or whenever the chocolate runs out). An "alternative to the institutionalized dinners and...overpriced roses," Wit's End will bring back some of the pairings from last year and add some new ones. There will also be a special sappy music playlist (think Atlantic Starr meets Journey meets The Cure). Singles, couples and others are welcome.
As part of its twentieth annual Stout Month, the three Mountain Sun pubs (Vine Street in Denver and the Mountain Sun and Southern Sun in Boulder) will tap Cherry Chocolate Fate, a new 7.5 percent ABV foreign-export stout brewed in collaboration with Jeff Griffith and Mike Lawinski from Fate Brewing Company, which just opened in Boulder. The beer includes cocoa, sweet cherries and tart cherries; it replaces Mountain Sun's traditional Valentine's release, Cherry Dip Stout.
The Yak & Yeti gets red hot again this year with its Red Hots Wheat, a 4.8 percent ABV beer -- colored pink -- that uses real candy Red Hots and makes the beer taste like Dentyne gum. It's Valentine's Day, so make reservations early.
Also in honor of Valentine's Day, Great Divide will be pouring what it calls "an extremely rare, Jim Beam bourbon barrel-aged version of our Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti." The beer will only be available in the tap room for a short time.
The Copper Kettle Brewing Company will host a five-course beer, cheese and chocolate pairing for Valentine's Day from 7 to 8:30 p.m. today. Tickets to the event, taking place in the brewery's private event room next door, are $25 per person (no kids, please). Three artisan cheeses will be provided by the Truffle Cheese Shop, while two kinds of chocolate will come from a local chocolatier. The beers will include a few that aren't yet available to the public, as well as some aged and specialty brews. Get tickets by e-mailing [email protected].
Denver Beer Co will host a Valentine's Day Beer Dinner tonight with Mikes2Kitchen from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the brewery's new Barrel Room. Tickets for the three-course, four-beer dinner are $75. Each couple gets a bomber of Denver Beer Co's Cabernet Barrel Aged Belgian Cherry Chocolate Stout to take home.
Friday, February 15
As part of its twentieth annual Stout Month, the three Mountain Sun pubs (Vine Street in Denver and the Mountain Sun and Southern Sun in Boulder) will tap Release the Kraken, a 6.3 percent ABV oatmeal stout that was aged with oak spirals soaked in Kraken Dark Spiced Rum. The beer was made by James Kunz, who won Mountain Sun's annual Stout Month Homebrew Competition.
Zak Thomas, the bar manager for Lucky Pie Pizza & Taphouse in LoDo, go to go to Sierra Nevada Brewing's California Beer Camp recently, and today at 6 p.m., he'll be pouring the beer he helped make there: Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #85, AlteRed. Lucky Pie will also be tapping Sierrandipity and Ch-Ch-Cherry Bomb.
Saturday, February 16
Hugo's Colorado Beer & Spirits, the new Capitol Hill liquor store that sells only craft beer and Colorado wine and spirits, will host a grand opening today, with tastings from 2 to 7 p.m. and giveaways all day; the store opens at 11 a.m.
River North Brewery will celebrate its one-year anniversary starting at 1 p.m. today by tapping a beer with a higher gravity than any that owner Matt Hess has yet concocted: a 12.5 percent ABV imperial stout. River North will also open its barrel garden to the public today. Since opening on February 18, 2012, River North has released nine "mainline" ales, along with seven barrel-aged versions of those brews. It has also released weekly "Wayward" beers, which are experimental five-gallon batches of existing recipes that have been slightly altered to allow customers "to taste how subtle changes in yeast or hops can add entirely new flavor profiles to a brew," Hess says. River North produced 295 barrels in 2012, a number expected to triple this year.
For more craft beer events later in February, turn the page.
Tuesday, February 19
As part of its twentieth annual Stout Month, the three Mountain Sun pubs (Vine Street in Denver and the Mountain Sun and Southern Sun in Boulder) will tap BOB Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Milk Stout, an 8.2 percent ABV stout was brewed specifically to be aged in barrels rather than served on its own. "BOB is chewy and rich with flavors reminiscent of milk chocolate from the addition of roasted malts to the mash and lactose to the kettle boil," the brewery says.
Wednesday, February 20
The Rackhouse Pub has been hoarding beer, but has now decided to share with a series of Wednesday night "I'd Tap That" events. The latest is today at 5 p.m., when the Rackhouse brings out Elevation Brewing's Oil Man Imperial Stout, Apis IV and Signal de Botrange.
Friday, February 22
As part of its twentieth annual Stout Month, the three Mountain Sun pubs (Vine Street in Denver and the Mountain Sun and Southern Sun in Boulder) will tap Mutual Respect Belgian Coffee Stout, a big 10.5 percent ABV collaboration between Mountain Sun and Odell Brewing. To make it, the Mountain Sun team went to For Collins to use the brewery's five-barrel pilot system.
Saturday, February 23
Denver Beer Co will host its second annual Beer, Bacon & Coffee Fest today from 9 a.m to noon at the brewery and in the new Barrel Room next door. Tickets cost $30 and include a breakfast burrito from Chile Billy, coffee from Coda Coffee, all-you-can-eat bacon from chef Justin Brunson's new Denver Bacon Co., and a souvenir mug to fill with all the "breakfast inspired" brews you can drink from Denver Beer Co.
Hops & Pie Saturday brings Firestone Walker to its monthly Littlest Big Beer Fest, which starts today at noon. Beer on tap include: Anniversary XVI, Walker's Reserve, Sucaba, Union Jack, Hop Yard, Velvet Merlin and a firkin of Union Jack. Flights and single pours will be available.
Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs will host the 9th Annual Firkin Rendezvous today from 2 to 5 p.m. The unusual fest features dozens of beers from forty different Colorado breweries that have been cask-conditioned with other ingredients to create one-of-a-kind treats. Tickets are $35 in advance or $50 for VIP treatment (meaning you get in an hour early) and are available at wwwbristolbrewing.com or by calling 719-633-2555, and include a commemorative glass and unlimited pours. But only 200 tickets will be available in order to keep the crowd manageable. Food will be available.
Sunday, February 24
The Backcountry Pizza and Taphouse in Boulder will tap a sixtel of Russian River's famed Pliny the Younger triple IPA today at 11 a.m. The rare beer only makes it to Colorado once a year and only to a few select locations where it is poured on tap and sells out with hours -- if not minutes. Tickets will be available for purchase at Backcountry at 11 a.m.; it costs $9 for a 10-ounce pour, one ticket per person.
Monday, February 25
The Cheeky Monk Belgian Beer Cafe on Colfax Avenue, will tap a sixtel of Russian River's famed Pliny the Younger triple IPA today at 6:30 p.m. The rare beer only makes it to Colorado once a year and only to a few select locations where it is poured on tap and sells out with hours -- if not minutes. A glass at the Cheeky Monk costs $10 and be served on a first come-first serve basis. The Cheeky Monk will tap another keg on Thursday, February 28.
Thursday, February 28
The Cheeky Monk Belgian Beer Cafe on Colfax Avenue, will tap a sixtel of Russian River's famed Pliny the Younger triple IPA today at 6:30 p.m. The rare beer only makes it to Colorado once a year and only to a few select locations where it is poured on tap and sells out with hours -- if not minutes. A glass at the Cheeky Monk costs $10 and be served on a first come-first serve basis.
Friday, March 1
Hops & Pie hosts its monthly Firkin 1st Friday today at 6 p.m. with Just the Tip, the Wynkoop Brewing Company's Belgorado Belgian IPA that has been "dry-spruced" with locally-picked spruce tips. Belgorado is brewed with almost all Colorado malt and yeast. The spruce tips were hand-picked in a Wynkoop employee's back yard.
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