The Crafty Fox shocked its fans and customers last week by announcing suddenly that it had closed its doors for good. Although the pizza joint and craft-beer bar didn't give a reason why, it did thank customers for three years of service. But the response from those customers was overwhelming, so the Crafty Fox decided it would reopen for one night only — tonight at 4 pm. Although the kitchen will be closed, all remaining kegs will be tapped — at 40 percent off — and free breakfast burritos given out.
"The Crafty Fox deserves a proper goodbye," a Facebook message read. The taphouse, located near the light-rail station at 40th Avenue and Fox Street, was known for its pizza, its wide selection of craft beers, and beer tappings during events like the Great American Beer Festival.
Keep reading for craft beer events into late June.
Thursday, June 20
Freshcraft welcomes in New Image Brewing at 6 p.m. The brewery has created a beer in collaboration with More Brewing called Berry Fluffy Milkshake IPA, made with with strawberries, cherries and raspberries. In addition, New Image will be pouring Bromance Sour Ale with Elderflower and Lemon, a collab with Funkwerks. Other beers on tap include New Image Grapefruit Coriolis Effect New Zealand Style IPA and Funkwerks Saison d’Brett. There might also be some Meet the Boss from New Image.
Cerveceria Colorado continues its series of Cervezas for Causes events at 6:30 p.m. by welcoming Centro Humanitario Para los Trabajadores, Denver’s only day laborer center "promoting work, dignity and community... Their mission is to promote the rights and well-being of day laborers and domestic workers in Colorado through education, job skills, leadership development, united action and advocacy." Happy-hour proceeds will benefit the charity.
Cerebral Brewing
Join Cerebral Brewing at noon for four canned-beer releases, including its latest collaboration with Greeley's WeldWerks Brewing Company, You Can't Do That to IPA, a tongue-in-cheek reference to critics of hazy milkshake IPAs. "This Blue Raspberry Biere utilizes 300 pounds of three varietals of single-origin blue raspberry gummies [candy, not cannabis edibles] and a touch of lactose," the breweries say. Hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Vic Secret and Galaxy, it comes in at 7.2 percent ABV. Cerebral will also release Lumber Dad, an 8.2 percent ABV double IPA hopped with Vic Secret, Simcoe, Mosaic and El Dorado and infused with white oak spirals. The third beer is Scam Likely, an 8 percent double IPA made with Idaho 7 hops, and the fourth is Cerebral's flagship IPA, Rare Trait, brewed with pilsner malt, wheat and oats, along with Citra, El Dorado, Azacca and Mosaic hops.
Funkwerks is throwing its annual Summer Solstice Patio Party from 4 to 10 p.m. in its Fort Collins taproom, celebrating the longest day of the year. "While sipping a fruity Raspberry Provincial or refreshing Hella Helles, jam to live music from Fat Stallion and the J.W. Schuller Band," the brewery says.
Saturday, June 22
"Way back in 1994, before the Rockies moved to LoDo and before brewers could be governors, a man with a business plan and a passion for high-quality beer opened Denver's first packaging brewery." That's the short history lesson from Great Divide Brewing, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in grand style with a block party on Arapahoe Street. To prepare, the brewery dug deep into its cellar and maxed out its pilot brewing system so that it could pour some "exceedingly rare and exceptionally creative beers that you won't see again." They include at least fourteen Yeti Imperial Stout variants, with old favorites like Chocolate Oak Aged and Oatmeal, and new inventions such as Maple Pecan and S'mores. Great Divide will also have its 25th Anniversary Big Yeti, a 13.5 percent ABV behemoth. In addition, there will be sours from the Wood Werks collection, vintage Hibernations, a Jameson barrel-aged saison, a 25th Anniversary Double Hazy IPA, a Brut IPA, a Double Juicy IPA and a Hoppy Pilsner. Both 25th Anniversary beers will be available on draft at the party and available to go in 19.2-ounce cans. Beyond the beer, expect a great slate of live music, food trucks, lawn games, Yeti appearances and some "unexpected enchantment." VIP ticket holders will get unlimited pours of all available Great Divide beers, entrance into the event an hour early (1 p.m.), a limited-edition 25th-anniversary T-shirt and glass, and access to the Colorado Rentals VIP bar.
Sold Out: WeldWerks Brewing brings its second annual WeldWerks Invitational back to Greeley, where more than 45 of the nation's best breweries will pour their favorite beers. With "a focus on the most unique barrel-aged brews the world has to offer," including sours, wild ales and barrel-aged stouts, the festival is divided into two sessions and will be a major draw for Greeley. It has already sold out, but you can find information on the WeldWerks web page and the tap list on Untappd.com.
Fiction Beer Company will release three beers today. The first is a collaboration (on draft and in cans) between Fiction and the two other breweries who won one of the inaugural Juicy of Hazy Pale Ale awards at the Great American Beer Festival in 2018. Tin Roof Brewing (gold), Kings Brewing (silver) and Fiction (bronze) created Electrum Bronze Hazy Pale Ale. "Using more than five pounds per barrel of Nelson Sauvin, Citra, and Azacca hops they were able to achieve an intense zesty citrus character that complements the complex ripe tropical melon and gooseberry notes. An almost cream-like mouthfeel that envelops the senses carries those ridiculously pleasing hop oils through the palate allowing for a long lingering taste of hop heaven," the brewery says. The second beer is Washed Overboard Margarita Gose. The third is the League of Extraordinary Hopheads Double Hazy IPA collaboration with Odd13 Brewing and Cerebral Brewing.
Chain Reaction Brewing celebrates its fifth anniversary with a "super soft party" featuring beer and food. It starts at noon.
Diebolt Brewing has canned its Mariposa American Pale Ale for the first time and will release it today at noon.
Named for the brewery's street address, Mariposa was the first brew released when Diebolt opened in 2013. In addition, Diebolt will tap a very small amount of Chin Chin Belgian Golden Strong aged in Buffalo Trace barrels for five months.
MCA Denver welcomes in Broomfield's 4 Noses Brewing at noon to celebrate the release of their new collaboration beer, Mosaic Dimension, a single-hopped IPA in a can featuring original artwork from Clark Richert, the subject of the Clark Richert in Hyperspace exhibition on display now at the MCA. The beer has "aromas of ripe oranges, guava, and ponderosa pine ... complemented by a smooth body with a semi-dry, citrus rind finish." It will be available at the museum and in the 4 Noses taproom.
Hogshead Brewery celebrates its seventh anniversary with a mini-fest starting at 5 p.m. and featuring beers from some of its brewery friends, including Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Westbound & Down, Comrade Brewing, Cannonball Creek, Station 26 Brewing, Strange Craft, Fiction Beer Company and Little Machine. And all of it will be on cask, English-style. Tickets, $35, are available on Facebook. There will be music from Robby Peoples and bratwursts on the grill to help soak up the beer.
The fifth annual Arvada on Tap runs from 2 to 6 p.m. (or 1 p.m. with VIP tickets). General-admission tickets are $35 in advance/$40 at the door and include unlimited beer tasting from 25 breweries, plus barbecue samples from amateur barbecue competitors. VIP tickets are $50. Breweries include Blue Moon RiNo, Denver Beer Co., CervecerÃa Colorado, Grand Lake Brewing, Kokopelli Beer Company, Lady Justice Brewing, Oskar Blues Brewery, Odyssey Beerwerks, Prost Brewing Company, Redstone Meadery, SomePlace Else Brewery, Spice Trade Brewing, Stem Ciders, Strange Craft Beer Company, Wit's End Brewing Company, Call to Arms Brewing Company and Cannonball Creek. Get tickets and more information on eventbrite.com.
Sunday, June 23
TRVE Brewing celebrated its seventh birthday with a heavy-metal concert last night, but for those of you who don't like metal as much as the brewery does ("We think that’s okay. You’re allowed to be wrong," the brewery says), head to TRVE at noon to try Dying Light, a collaboration between TRVE and Portland's Great Notion Brewing. It's a golden sour base with roussanne grape must. In addition, Great Notion sent a bunch of other beers to tap, including Guava Mochi Milkshake IPA, Jammy Pants Fruited Kettle Sour, Mandala NEIPA, JB Double IPA, Return to Space NEIPA, and Orange Creamsicle IPA. Be warned, though: "We’ll only be pouring four Great Notion lines," says TRVE, "so you’ll have to show up and help us kick some kegs if you wanna taste through ’em all."
Wednesday, June 26
Cerebral Brewing will host its friends from San Diego's Modern Times Beer, which will begin full-time distribution in Colorado in July. Beers on tap include Techno Comforts, a 7.7 percent ABV collaboration IPA with Sauvignon Blanc must and tangerines; Ice Pilsner; Critical Band IPA; Telesto IPA; and Fruitlands Gose, with passion fruit and guava.
Saturday, June 29
Cerebral Brewing is known for its hazy IPAs and pastry stouts, but the brewery also makes terrific foeder-aged lagers. As such, Cerebral will host its first ever Can Jam: Lager Fest, highlighting "some of our favorite out of state breweries that we feel are making some of the best crispy bois in the country," the brewery says. To do it, Cerebral will shut down its parking lot and sell cans of mostly lagers from Almanac Beer, Alvarado Street Brewery, Brouwerij West, Finback Brewery, Modern Times, Resident Culture, Schilling Beer, Threes Brewing, Trillium Brewing and Wren House Brewing, starting at noon. Cans are only for drinking on site. Miss B's Vietnamese Food Truck will be out front starting at 2 p.m.
Odell Brewing's RiNo brewery have collaborated on a Dill Pilsner with pickle-makers The Real Dill. Dilsner will go on at 1 p.m., and the Real Dill will be on hand with pickles as well.
Odd13 Brewing teamed up with its friends from Cerebral Brewing and Fiction Beer Company to make a new collaborative hazy double IPA called The League of Extraordinary Hopheads. This 8 percent ABV beer was brewed with Citra, Vic Secret, El Dorado and Nelson Sauvin hops. It will be available on draft and in six-packs at Odd13 and Fiction today, and at Cerebral Brewing on another day.
Epic Brewing will celebrate its sixth anniversary in the River North Art District with a party featuring new beer releases, music and specials.
The thirtieth annual Colorado Brewers Festival, hosted by the Downtown Fort Collins Business Association, runs from noon to 5 p.m. at a new location, Canvas Stadium on the CSU campus. It features unlimited tastings from a menu of more than 150 beers brewed by fifty Colorado breweries, along with live music and entertainment, artisan exhibitors and food options. COBF was founded 1990 by Doug Odell of Odell Brewing and Brad Page of Coopersmith’s Pub & Brewing and is the oldest Colorado-only beer fest in the state. Tickets are $50. Get more information at ColoradoBrewFest.com.
Monday, July 1
Old 121 Brewhouse will kick off a series of festive small-batch beer releases in honor of the Fourth of July at 3 p.m. with Mexican Lager, a light beer brewed with lime zest. The brewery will also tap a homemade black cherry soda. Tomorrow, the brewery will tap Honey Brown Ale on cask. Old 121 will be closed for the July 4 holiday and return on Friday with a patriotic American wheat ale, brewed with red wheat, white wheat and blueberries. Then, on Saturday, it will be raspberry wit.
