The Beer Refreshing

In the beer-obsessed state of Colorado, a brewer has to try hard to make something really different. And the Lovibond series, a trio of sudsy events hosted this year by Imbibe Denver and the Colorado Brewers Guild, definitely qualifies. The second in this string of taste-fests-with-a-twist, Sesh Fest, focuses on what Imbibe founder Casey Berry calls “a cool new trend in the beer world”: session beers, or those with an alcohol content of less than 5 percent. “These beers play a very important role in craft beer’s heritage,” notes CBG spokesman Steve Kurowski. “There is more to creating a session beer than just lowering the alcohol content, and that is the challenge we are asking breweries to accept by participating in this festival.”

But the lower alcohol content also means tasters can get more for their buck and still walk a straight line. Sesh Fest runs from 3 to 7 p.m. today at the Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex; along with sipping the sessions, served up by more than twenty Colorado breweries, attendees can face off in tetherball and four-square matches on the sidelines. And you get all this and six six-ounce pours for only $20. “Because it’s blazing hot this summer, we wanted to have an event where you can drink a lot without…getting too drunk,” Berry says of the accommodating deal (although you can also pay as you go for extra pours or buy unlimited pours for a $30 all-inclusive fee). Get more information and reserve tickets online at seshfest.com.

Sat., Aug. 2, 3-7 p.m., 2014