Gorillas, pumpkin beer and more gorillas make the Wynkoop the place to be on Halloween

Halloween is always a big day at the Wynkoop Brewing Co., because the pub celebrates its birthday that day (it’s 21 years old this year) and because of the annual Denver Gorilla Run, a 5.6K race in which everyone dresses up as a gorilla and raises money to support the Denver-based Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund.

But this year’s celebration will have a couple of added benefits.

First, the sixth annual fun run that starts at 11 a.m. will be the largest and could set a world record; more than 500 people have signed up so far (130 more than had signed up by this point last year) and the organizers are looking to get 1,000. The Guinness World Record — and yes, apparently there is a Guinness World Record for the most people dressed as gorillas — currently stands at 637, so it could easily be shattered. The race registration fee is $100, but it includes a gorilla suit, so you’ve got that going for you.

Then there’s the Wynkoop’s special pumpkin beer, which was brewed last week with 75 pounds of toasted pumpkin, a huge dose of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spices. The ‘koop will serve the beer on Halloween around 2 p.m. from a giant pumpkin that will be converted into a draft gourd, complete with a tap.

And finally, there’s a slight chance that the Wynkoop’s Silverback Porter will be available in cans for the first time on that day. Silverback is the second beer that the brewery is putting into cans; the first was Railyard Ale. Even if the porter isn’t available to go, however, you can buy it on draft — and 25 percent of the proceeds will go to the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund.

With prizes, awards, a party, a cake, beer and hundreds of gorillas, the Wynkoop will definitely be the place to monkey around on Halloween.