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 second one is today at 5 p.m., when the Rackhouse brings out Grand Teton Brewing's 2011 Black Cauldron Imperial Stout, XX Bitch Creek Double ESB, and Pursuit of Hoppiness. Check the website for the I'd Tap That schedule through the end of the year.
Hogshead Brewery will release a firkin of Eurotrash Black Lager, brewed with Mittelfrau and Saaz hops. The tapping is at 4 p.m. sharp.
Strange Brewing will tap D&B Wedding Brew tonight as part of its One Barrel Wednesday series. The beers, a Dusseldorf Alt, was turned out in honor of the recent wedding of Caution Brewing owners Danny Wang and Berry Fey.
Thursday, December 6
You can find the Yak & Yeti's Chai Milk Stout on tap at Old Chicago in Westminster, at Wadsworth and 88th, today and every day through December as part of the location's Holiday Mini Tour. Other beers included in the tour are Breckenridge Christmas Ale, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Pyramid Snow Cap, Great Divide Hibernation Ale, Avery Old Jubilation Ale, Boulder Beer's Never Summer and Bristol Winter Warlock.
Friday, December 7
Breckenridge Brewery will tap Christmas Cookie, its Christmas Ale with cookie spices added, at 5 p.m. today in the tasting room on Kalamath Street as part of its new Firkin First Friday series.
Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora will tap two firkins of double dry-hopped Hop Abomination today as part of its weekly Firkin Friday program, one at 3 p.m. and one at 7 or 8 p.m.
Hops & Pie will tap a firkin of Upslope Brewing's Christmas Ale that has been infused with cherries. "This beer pours ruby red with a thick off-white head that laces the glass with every sip," according to the tasting notes. "The aroma of the Upslope blend of holiday spices complements the dark fruit and spicy notes from the Abbey ale yeast." The 8.2 percent ABV beer goes on tap at 6 p.m. as part of Firkin First Friday.
The Yak & Yeti will tap a new and unusually named beer today: Off Kilter 80/- (pronounced eighty shilling) is a 5.2 percent ABV Scottish Export. Read more about the name -- voted on by the Yak's Facebook fans -- on brewmaster Adam Draeger's blog.
Continue reading for more beer events.
Saturday, December 8Lone Tree Brewing will celebrate its one-year anniversary today by releasing a new beer every two hours starting at 11 a.m. There will be a live radio broadcast, food trucks, live music at 6 p.m. and cake. The beers are as follows: 11 a.m., Vanilla Carmel Amber Ale; 1 p.m., Red Chile; 3 p.m., Tropical Stout; 5 p.m., Peppermint Mocha Porter; and 7 p.m., Nitro Double IPA.
The Focus on the Beer blog in Colorado Springs will celebrate its two-year anniversary (and 500 blog posts) today and tomorrow with a couple of stellar events. Today is the official Focus on the Beer Second Anniversary Party from 5 to 11 p.m. at Trinity Brewing, 1466 Garden of the Gods Road, featuring some rare stuff that is typically hard to come by in Colorado Springs. Examples include: Avery Lilikoi Mahu; Backcountry Zinfandel Barrel Aged Imperial Stout; Funkwerks Deceit; Great Divide Negative Ghost Rider; and Oskar Blues Chardonnay Barrel Aged Mamas Little Yella Pils.
Copper Kettle will serve its English-style black session lager from a hand-pump-powered firkin today at noon. There will be a food truck on hand at 5 p.m.
Sunday, December 9
Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora will release its highly-anticipated Bligh's Barleywine Ale at 11 a.m. in the taproom today. The beer is a version of its HMS Bounty English-style old ale that had been aged in Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey barrels for months. Only 120 bottles are available here (limit one per person), but the beer, which should be priced around $20, will hit liquor stores two days later. Dry Dock made 170 cases.
Event planning company Eat Boston, along with Forkly and Denver Off the Wagon, will host the Denver Bacon & Beer Festival today from 2:30 to 5 p.m., a greasy, hoppy fiesta that will include 25 Denver/Boulder area chefs, who will make bacon-based dishes, and an equal number of breweries. It happens at Mile High Station; tickets are $40 (if it is not sold out), and some proceeds will benefit Metro CareRing and Project Angel Heart.
The Focus on the Beer blog in Colorado Springs continues its two-day, two-year anniversary party this morning with a Beer Bacon Breakfast at 10 a.m. at Front Range BBQ, 2330 West Colorado Avenue. The five-course, bacon-laden meal will also include rare beer pairings (TBA). Tickets are $50 plus tax and tip; RSVP to 719-632-2596.
Wednesday, December 12
For the past ten years running, San Diego County's Stone Brewing has released a new version of a beer called Vertical Epic Ale; each was released one year, one month and one day after the previous one. The goal of the series was to compare the beers -- which are big, Belgian-style ales -- against one another as they aged. The project will wrap up this year when the tenth and final Epic Ale comes out on December 12. To celebrate, Stone is hosting Vertical Epic Ale tastings at various locations across the country, including Falling Rock Taphouse in Denver, which will have nine out of the ten Epic Ales (the first year's version can only be found in California). To try them, Falling Rock will pour flights upstairs starting at 1:12 p.m. (which is 12:12 California time) for $25. Or you can try them all downstairs for $65, starting at 6 p.m., where they will be paired with appetizers. It will be Epic.
Saturday, December 15
Hops & Pie will fill your stockings today beginning at noon with one of the best Christmas beer lineups in town. The Littlest Big Christmas Beer Fest features Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper, Lost Abbey's Gift of the Magi, Oskar Blues Port Barrel-aged G'Knight, Upslope's Christmas Ale, The Bruery's 5 Golden Rings, Strange Brewing's Gingerbread Man, Dry Dock Rudolph's Revenge, Delierium Noel and many more.
Follow Westword's Beer Man on Twitter at @ColoBeerMan and on Facebook at Colo BeerMan
