The Great American Beer Festival is the biggest, most well-known beer festival in the world. But there are only about 55,000 tickets issued for the three-day event, which starts Thursday — and they sold out in a record seven days this year. Still, sometimes the best parts of the GABF…
Oskar Blues has been one of the rock stars of the craft brewing industry for nearly a decade — ever since it became the first microbrewery to can its big beers. And this week, Oskar Blues is offering its legions of fans a peek behind the curtain, not just of…
Over the past two decades, New Belgium Brewing has helped to make Fort Collins into one of the most well-known small beer cities in America. Now New Belgium could solidify the reputation of another small beer city by creating a second brewery there. The company confirmed to the Fort Collins…
“Clear Thinking,” this week’s cover story on Spring44, details the rise of vodka — a rise due, in part, to the spirit’s lack of flavor: Because it tastes like nothing, it’s easy to mix with everything. How, then, do you evaluate vodka for taste? And furthermore, don’t all vodkas taste…
While we’re stoked to sample what seems like millions of beers at the Great American Beer Festival, it’s possible that we’re actually more excited to see what Denver area restaurants and bars trot out on taplines next week. This event brings in beer geeks from all over the world, and…
Happy Place: Japoix Restaurant and Lounge, 975 Lincoln Street, 303-861-2345 The Hours: Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close. The Deals: $3 well drinks and wines by the glass; half-priced beer, sake and specialty cocktails; $3-$8 small plates. Were we happy? Flip the page…
The Great American Beer Festival, coming to town September 29 through October 1, is sold out — completely. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find plenty of beer geekery all over town. One of the first big warm-ups will be the Great COntenders, taking place from 1 to 4 p.m…
Why is it that so many of Denver’s more casual, moderately priced restaurants have wine lists that make the oenophiles among us want to just give up and order a beer? It’s as if the people in charge of designing these lists decided that when entrees cost somewhere in the…
Vodka has been the most popular spirit in America since the 1970s, and there’s no sign of it slowing down. As outlined in “Clear Thinking,” this week’s cover story about Spring44, vodka’s popularity keeps growing year after year, expanding into a market now worth billions of dollars. Part of that…
Are you ready to rumble? We are. The Great American Beer Festival kicks off on September 29, but there are plenty of GABF-related events where you can practice in advance — or even instead — of the big show. In fact, there are too many events to list, but I…
Spring 44’s vodka and gin — the subject of this week’s cover story, “Clear Thinking” — is made with water that comes from a pristine spring in a secluded forest in Buckhorn Canyon, up at 9044 feet…
Here’s a third — and final — chance to win a pair of free tickets to the events Friday, September 30, at the very sold-out Great American Beer Festival…
What’s that you say? How can you mess with perfection? Easily. The Great American Beer Festival, which takes place September 29 to October 1, is the biggest consumer beerstravaganza in the world. It’s on the life to-do list for beer lovers all over the globe, and it brings more cachet…
We’re always excited to see what Scott and Todd Leopold, the brothers behind Denver’s Leopold Bros. Distillery have dreamed up for their next project. Between special barrels of whiskey for restaurants like Vesta Dipping Grill, fruit liqueurs and fruit whiskeys, absinthe and gin, we’ve never had a Leopold Bros. spirit…
One of the most festive aspects of the Great American Beer Festival is the assortment of hats, shirts, and costumes worn by attendees and vendors. To further beautify those stylish — and sometimes not so stylish — duds, most people at GABF hold a beer glass. If you want to…
Is there any better time and place to open a new brewery than in Denver, two days before the Great American Beer Festival? Scott Witsoe doesn’t think so. And he’ll be living that dream on September 26 when he unlocks the doors to Wit’s End Brewing, the fifth small brewery…
Update! 6:23 p.m. Wednesday: We’ve picked a winner! If you left a comment below, check your e-mail to see if you’ve won. Thanks for playing, everybody. Beer season continues at Cafe Society, as another contest comes your way today: We have a pair of tickets to “The Great COntenders,” a…
Update: 9:10 a.m. Thursday: We’ve picked our two winners for Thursday night’s GABF. Check your Facebook inboxes to see if you’ve won. Greetings, fellow beer nerds! As you know, the Great American Beer Festival is completely sold out. But a few tickets have landed on the Cafe Society desk with…
Happy Place: Oceanaire Seafood Room, 1400 Arapahoe Street, 303-991-2277. The Hours: Sunday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. to close. The Deals: $3 draft beer; $4 wines by the glass; $5 specialty cocktails; $6 martinis; $5-$8 small plates. Were we happy? Flip the page to find…
Short’s Brewing, a tiny beermaker in the even tinier Michigan village of Bellaire, caused a stir at last year’s Great American Beer Festival when social media (including a tweet by beer guru Charlie Papazian) made it the buzz beer to find. And find it people did. When the dust cleared…
Congratulations, wine lovers: In 2010, the good ol’ U. S. of A. officially consumed more wine than France for the first time ever. And as we predicted earlier this year, America’s love affair with pink wine just keeps getting hotter — evidenced by the fact that exports of rosé (and…
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Denver. And by Christmas, what I mean is: the Great American Beer Festival. Although that three-day holiday runs from September 29 through October 1, there will be plenty of beery festivities leading up to the occasion. Parties are planned. Beer is…
