Food & Wine just offered a list of seven "breweries to watch" in 2015, and included Longmont's Oskar Blues, along with a few other big names. And while the magazine focused on the brewery's recent East Coast expansion, as well as a planned addition in Colorado, there's another reason to keep your eye on Oskar Blues: It makes ridiculous videos like the one above, part of a series featuring a homemade cannon shooting cans of Old Chub Nitro at stuff. Enjoy.
Turn the page to see all of this week's craft-beer events.
Wednesday, January 14The Post Brewing will celebrate its first birthday today with a special anniversary -arty and the release of its Anniversary Ale, a "very patient" IPA. There will be live music from Jethro's Arsenal from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., a birthday pie-cutting at 7:30 p.m., and the first fifty guests to arrive will receive a complimentary GABF silver medal-winning Howdy Beer served in a commemorative GABF glass to take home. Brewmaster Bryan Selders says the beer is "patient" because "we've been waiting all year" to make it. Weighing in at 7.25 percent ABV, the IPA was brewed with 4.5 pounds of hops (Cascade, Sterling and and Equinox) per barrel.
It's coffee month at Copper Kettle Brewing, which will tap a different firkin of beer made with Pablo's coffee each Wednesday. Today's cask is Cascara Charlie's Golden Strong.
River North Brewery will tap a new beer called Table Sour today at 3 p.m. The tart and sessionable experimental beer is part of the brewery's Wayward Wednesday series.
Lost Highway Brewing tapped a one-off version of its O.G. Colfax Porter yesterday, made with coconut and vanilla bean. The regular porter is brewed with chocolate rye, caramel and other specialty dark malts to create a roasted nutty flavor.
DESTIHL Brewery, a well-respected sour ale specialist from Bloomington, Illinois, will begin distribution in Colorado this week, including cans and kegs. Tonight, it will be at World of Beer in LoDo at 5 p.m. with a full lineup of brews (it will be at Mr. B's Wine & Spirits tomorrow at 4 p.m. and at the Populist tomorrow at 5 p.m.).
Thursday, January 15
Lost Highway Brewing will tap a barrel-aged version of its Grave Robber Fraud Quad today at 3 p.m. Grave Robber is a 9.2 percent ABV Belgian quadrupel brewed with Belgian malts, a Trappist yeast strain and Belgian brown sugar (beet sugar). This version was also aged in a blue-corn whiskey barrel with cocoa beans, tart cherries and currants.
Twisted Pine Brewing in Boulder will host a small gathering tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. for people who want to try a seven-year vertical of Northstar Imperial Porter, the brewery's award-winning winter seasonal, dating back to 2008. Tickets are $45 and include specially prepared small plates designed to pair with the cellar-aged ales. Twisted Pine brewers will provide the history of the beer and its style, and walk the group through the subtle nuances of each batch; the head chef will discuss his choices for food pairing.
Friday, January 16
Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew will mark the third annual release of its 10 percent ABV Winter Warmer old ale in bottles today at 2 p.m. "This crowd favorite has notes of fruit, dark chocolate, roastiness, toffee and black currant," the brewery says. "It's brewed using 100 percent Colorado-grown malt and hops." Each 500 ml bottle is wax-dipped and hand-numbered. There is a limit of two per person. The Texorado food truck will be on hand.
Hogshead Brewery will celebrate its annual Hogshead Days weekend starting today (it's also head brewer Stephen Kirby's birthday). The three-day fiesta will include a few new beers, like AK Bitter and Dr. Bakken's Lunchtime Oatmeal Stout. There will also be Beer From the Wood Chin Wag ESB; Beer From the Wood John Shaft Porter with cocoa nibs; New Years Window Licker Barleywine Vertical; Olde Burton Extra Old Ale (two year vertical); Richard Roundtree Stout with cacao nibs; and Divine Right Imperial Stout.
Mockery Brewing will tap a barrel-aged beer today. It's a Foreign Export Coffee Stout aged in a Woodford Reserve barrel with vanilla bitters.
Twisted Pine Brewing in Boulder will release this year's version of Northstar Imperial Porter, its award-winning winter seasonal, today at the taphouse.
Saturday, January 17
Lowdown Brewery + Kitchen will host a barrel-aged beer festival today starting at 2 p.m., featuring some of the brewery's own creations as well as barrel-aged offerings from other breweries around town. All together, there will be nine beers on tap; each costs $7 to $9. They include Lowdown Imperial IPA aged in a Woodford Reserve Barrel; Lowdown Strong Ale aged in a Breckenridge whiskey barrel; Platte Park Milk Stout aged in a Fireside Bourbon barrel; Rock Bottom Denver Baltic Porter aged in a Woodford Reserve barrel; Lowdown Barleywine aged in a Woodford Reserve barrel; and beers from Great Divide, River North, Lone Tree and Dry Dock.
River North Brewery will re-release "the patriarch" of its barrel-aged beers, Whiskey Barrel Quandary, today at 1 p.m. in the taproom. The beer, which only comes out once per year, is a Belgian-style quadrupel; the barrel-aged version is a blend of several batches of the beer that was aged in rye and bourbon barrels. It "bursts with notes of ripe plum, rye whiskey spice and a malty, bourbon-infused kick," the brewery says. "Finishing at 12.7 percent ABV, this beer can be savored now or cellared for years." Both draft pours and bombers-to-go will be available. With 120 cases total, bottles will cost $15 with a limit of six. More cases will hit liquor store shelves.
Cannonball Creek Brewing in Golden will celebrate its second anniversary with a party today from noon to 11 p.m. that features live music from the Longest Day of the Year and the Lookout Mountain Boys, wood-fired pizza from Rolling Dough, suggested doughnut-hole pairings from the Bronuts and lots of beer. Tappings will include a special anniversary ale, along with some single-keg specialty beers.
Twisted Pine Brewing in Boulder welcomes the Pink Boots Society today for a tour and tasting event. Pink Boots is an international non-profit organization designed to "inspire, encourage and empower women beer professionals to advance their careers through education." Members of PBS, along with Twisted Pine CEO Jean Lund and general manager Jody Valenta, will all speak before introducing five food-and-beer pairings. Tasting and discussion will be followed by a tour of the brewery led by Head Brewer Kay Witkiewicz. The tasting tours are being offered at 3 and 4:15 p.m, and tickets to either can be purchased at twistedpinebrewing.com/shop. An open meet-and-greet with members of Pink Boots and the Twisted team will begin at noon with the tapping of Alpha Queen, a double IPA brewed by the women of Twisted Pine. Ten percent of the day's sales will be donated to the Pink Boots Society.
Turn the page to see more events later in January. Wednesday, January 21
It's coffee month at Copper Kettle Brewing, which will tap a different firkin of beer made with Pablo's coffee each Wednesday. Today's cask is Coffee Mexican Chocolate Stout.
Friday, January 23
Our Mutual Friend will tap its first-ever double IPA today at 2 p.m. Ilium was hopped with CTZ, Nugget and Willamette, then dry-hopped (one pound per barrel) with Cascade and Centennial hops. It weighs in a 10 percent ABV and 100 IBUs.
Saturday, January 24
Chain Reaction Brewing is hosting a Break Your Resolutions Party today for those of you who may have fallen off the path already. "We are dedicating this day to nothing but good times, good people, good food and great beer," the brewery says. Chain Reaction will tap its latest barrel-aged beer, Chardonnay Barrel Aged Pink Peppercorn Saison, along with a few other new ones. Rocky Mountain Slices will be on hand selling pizza.
Wednesday, January 28
It's coffee month at Copper Kettle Brewing, which will tap a different firkin of beer made with Pablo's coffee each Wednesday. Today's cask is Coffee Black IPA.
Friday, January 30
Former Future Brewing will celebrate its first birthday with a three-day party kicking off today with the release of a special anniversary beer (details are TBA). Tonight's theme is the Roaring '20s and '30s; speakeasy-themed clothing is encouraged and there will be beer "cocktails" served all night.
Saturday, January 31
Former Future continues its one-year anniversary celebration today with live music from Mile High Social Club and new firkin tappings every hour. The theme of the evening is funk and soul through the outrageous '80s.
Sunday, February 1
Former Future Brewing wraps up its one-year birthday celebration weekend today with four coffee beers brewed with Corvus Coffee, a Recovery Food Truck brunch (details are TBA) and cartoons on the projector. the theme is the '90s through the present.
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