Beer Calendar: Get Your Party on at Ratio Beerworks, Station 26 and Great Divide

Dry Dock Brewing debuted a brand-new sour and wild beer series earlier this week, featuring top beers from the barrel program at the brewery's original South Dock location in Aurora. The barrel program, which includes more than eighty wine and whiskey barrels, is "dedicated to sour, Brettanomyces and mixed-culture fermentations utilizing a multitude of organisms and inoculation methods," Dry Dock says. "Many have added fruit, flowers, and whatever else inspires us."

The first release in the Funk & Sour series was Brett Stock Ale, inspired by nineteenth-century British old/stock ales. "This take on an almost extinct classic was aged in heavily rinsed whiskey barrels for seven months with Brett C. before bottle conditioning," Dry Dock says. "Complex fruity and earthy aromas suggest hints of funk and give way to rich malty flavors of stone fruit, white chocolate, plums, raisins, and dark cherries. Brett Stock Ale has notes of bananas Foster, vanilla, and wild berries, as well as port and sherry, all with a pleasing rustic undertone and almost no acidity. The flavors in this beer will continue to develop over time, making it a great bottle to add to the cellar. Brett Stock Ale weighs in at 7.8 percent ABV and 35 IBU."

Dry Dock has already started selling a very limited number of 375-milliliter bottles of the beer, so call to see if they are still available before you head over. All of the Funk & Sour series bottles will only be available for purchase at South Dock and North Dock.

Wednesday, June 8
It's English-style cask month at Copper Kettle Brewing, which is going back to Old World brewing roots. "A cask-conditioned ale is beer that is brewed from traditional ingredients and matured in the cask from which it is served. This means that it is fresh and unfiltered and therefore has a unique flavor," the brewery says. "Cask ale is naturally conditioned as a by-product of the secondary fermentation that takes place inside the cask. It is then served directly, without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide or chemical treatments of any sort." Today's beer is an English IPA made with all English malt, hops and yeast. The Savory Life food truck will be on hand with gourmet cuisine.

It's One Keg Wednesday at Black Shirt Brewing, which will feature "a saison dosed with fresh strawberry, rhubarb, basil and cucumber and was made in part with neighbors and friends of RiNo, River North Art District, on their RiNo brewery tour," Black Shirt says. It taps at 11 a.m.

Thursday, June 9
Each month from 6 to 9 p.m., Black Shirt Brewing teams up with Dead Dog Chocolate "to showcase a delicious pairing of their unique chocolates and our diverse lineup of red ales," the brewery says. Today's menu is Molé Tamale chocolate with Pistachio & Lavender Red Rye; BSB Red Porter truffles with a beer to be determined; Cranberry & Ginger bar with At Dawn (Nitro); and Guatemalan Dark bar with Pomegranate Molasses Common Red. Four tasters and four chocolates will set you back $20. No advance tickets necessary.

Friday, June 10
Cerebral Brewing will tap the second iteration of Invisible Hand, a dry-hopped Brett table beer, today at noon. "Each batch is fermented with a different strain of Brettanomyces, then split into two tanks and dry-hopped with two different hops that we feel complement the resulting beer," the brewery says. "This batch used Brettanomyces bruxellensis var. Drei and was dry-hopped with Azacca and Equinox." Crowlers will be available for $16, with a limit of two per person. Burger Chief will be serving food outside.

Join Dry Dock Brewing today at the original South Dock location in support of local brewer and Colorado School of Mines professor Dr. Paul Ogg, who last year was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of lymphoma. Dry Dock will tap P.D.Ogg Helles, which is one of Ogg's own recipes, and which will also be tapped later at Declaration Brewing (which Ogg helped found), Falling Rock Tap House and Comrade Brewing. Proceeds from sales of the Helles will go to support Paul’s wife and two young daughters and to help pay medical bills, according to the group of friends putting on the event. There will also be a silent auction from 4 to 8 p.m. For more information, go to the fundraiser's Facebook page.

Saturday, June 11
Great Divide Brewing will celebrate its 22nd anniversary today from 2 to 6 p.m. with the traditional giant bash at its new production facility, on Brighton Boulevard in RiNo. There will be live music from Chimney Choir, Strange Americans and Zach Heckendorf, as well as food trucks, outdoor games, Yeti floats and unlimited samples of the Great Divide lineup, including year-round, seasonal, special releases and small-batch beers. There will also be a "Brewed Food Experience option for guests" this year, which includes a paired tasting session at 1 p.m. with chef Jensen Cummings. Great Divide will also tap its 22nd Anniversary Dark American Sour for the first time. Other beers available will include: Barrel Aged Old Ruffian, Barrel Aged Hibernation, Pink Boots Gose, Pilot Maibock, Experimental Double IPA, Port Barrel Aged Old Ruffian, Red Wine Barrel Aged Yeti and many, many more. General-admission tickets are $40, while the Brewed Food Experience tickets are $70. Buy them on Great Divide's website.

Lowry Beer Garden will host its annual Colorado Craft Brew Fest today, which highlights beers that are often only available at the tap rooms of the Avery, Odell, Epic, Upslope, Kokopelli and Big Choice breweries. Tickets are $25 at the door the day of the event and include a souvenir tasting mug, unlimited samples from the six participating breweries and a plate of BBQ smoked on site. There will also be live music from the Royal Aces from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

River North Brewery will bring back its two flagship canned beers — River North White and River North Farmhouse — today with a party at its new tap room. With its recent move, the brewery is also overhauling its packaging, and these two beers are now being sold in six-packs of twelve-ounce cans instead of sixteen-ounce cans. Both will be available in the tap room for $10. The Wing Wagon will be on hand with beer-friendly grub.

TRVE Brewing will release bottles of its latest sour beer, Warmoon, today starting at noon. Warmoon is a golden sour ale made with beets and grapefruit. "Earthiness balanced with citric acidity," the brewery says. "Very limited quantities. Limit six per person."

Ratio Beerworks will host a final party in support of Dustin Hall and his Brewtography Project's Kickstarter Project, which is raising money to publish a huge coffee-table photography book called Discovering Colorado Breweries. "To help cap off the roaring success of Dustin's fundraiser, we'd like to invite you to get all gussied up for a grown-up prom party at Ratio," the brewery says. "Additionally, we're brewing a beer specifically for the party, with all proceeds going towards closing out Dustin's final-stretch goal, so come thirsty."

Denver Beer Co is rolling out its "biggest, juiciest, most citrusy Double IPA yet" with a party and doughnut pairing today from noon to 3 p.m. The 10 percent ABV beer, Blood Orange Tandem Pedal Double IPA, was brewed with Centennial, Nelson Sauvin, Citra, Mosaic and Amarillo hops to "provide a robust citrus flavor reminiscent of tangerines and grapefruits," the brewery says. "The addition of blood oranges creates citrus intensity and adds a slight sweetness to complement the hop profile and malt body." Habit Doughnut Dispensary has made some doughnuts specifically to pair with the new beer, along with a few others. You can get four doughnut bites and four beer samples for $12. Grab tickets ahead of time, before they sell out.

Joyride Brewing will host a fundraiser today for a local nonprofit called Go 4 Graham, which fights depression and brings awareness to the stigma of depression. It was founded by a group of runners, cyclists and adventurers. Today, $1 from every pint sold at Joyride between noon and 4 p.m. goes to the University of Colorado Depression Center.
Sunday, June 12
Station 26 Brewing brings back its monthly Bluegrass Brunch today at 11 a.m., featuring beer, live music from HenScratch, doughnuts from Glazed and Confuzed Doughnuts, and barbecue from Rolling Smoke BBQ. Also, Rosenberg's Bagels and Delicatessen, which had to close its store in Five Points indefinitely after a fire in the building, will be there with a bagel pop-up.

Our Mutual Friend will release 150 bottles of 24FPS, a golden sour ale, today at 2 p.m. There is a limit of two per customer, and they will go fast, but if you miss out, the beer will also be on draft. Luckyz Eatz will be serving food. 

Tuesday, June 14
Wibby Brewing in Longmont is excited to announce the release of its first double India pale lager, the Ted IPL. "At 10 percent ABV and 100 IBUs, the Ted IPL provides a great opportunity for decadence under the sun on the patio," the brewery says. "Hopped with a balanced combination of Crystal, Cascade, Chinook, Pacifica, Glacier and Nugget hops, the aroma sets the tone for a nice, sweet finish." The G-Spot Noshery will be on hand with food starting at 4 p.m. 

Wednesday, June 15
It's English-style cask month at Copper Kettle Brewing, which is going back to Old World brewing roots. "A cask-conditioned ale is beer that is brewed from traditional ingredients and matured in the cask from which it is served. This means that it is fresh and unfiltered and therefore has a unique flavor," the brewery says. "Cask ale is naturally conditioned as a by-product of the secondary fermentation that takes place inside the cask. It is then served directly, without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide or chemical treatments of any sort." Today's beer is London Porter, "a moderate-strength brown beer with a restrained roasty character and bitterness, made with all English ingredients." Ol' Skool BBQ will be on hand.

Thursday, June 16
Head up to Odd 13 Brewing in Lafayette today from 3 to 9 p.m. for the release of Robot Librarian, a New England-style double IPA that was collaboratively made by Cerebral Brewing, Fiction Beer Company, WeldWerks Brewing Company and Odd13. The beer celebrates the hazy, hoppy beers that all four breweries like to produce. Tonight only, Odd 13 will also be tapping guest taps of Cerebral's Rare Trait, Fiction's Cosmic Unity and WeldWorks' Juicy Bits. Robot Librarian will be exclusively in the tap room today, but the brewery will begin distribution in cans and kegs later this month.

Saturday, June 18
Lone Tree Brewing will tap Cucumber Wheat today at 11 a.m. for its annual Summer Solstice Celebration. "Enjoy island-style live music by Mango Brothers, Hawaiian eats from the Denver 808 food truck, face-painting and outdoor games," the  brewery says. Whitherward will play in the afternoon. There will also be a dunk tank where you have the chance to dunk any and all brewery employees. Proceeds benefit the Colorado Cattlemen Agricultural Land Trust, which protects agricultural lands and encourages the intergenerational transfer of Colorado ranches and farms.

SOLD OUT: Avery Brewing will host its sixth annual SourFest today from noon to 5 p.m., featuring more than eighty different sour and wild ales. Tickets were $80 and sold out in minutes in May.

Sunday, June 19
Rackhouse Pub, Ratio Beerworks and Epic Brewing will host another River North progressive beer/cider dinner today, this time in honor of Father's Day. The Father's Day Freedom Trail begins at Ratio, where the brewery will offer a beer and a Buffalo chicken crepe from Crepeful. Then it's on to the Rackhouse for hop-rubbed St. Louis spare ribs, scalloped cheddar potatoes, salt & vinegar taro chips, stave-smoked BBQ sauce, a cider from C Squared Ciders, located in the same building, and a beer from Bierstadt Lagerhaus. Course three, at Epic Brewing, is dessert from the Preservery and a beer. There are various seatings between noon and 6 p.m. Tickets, $45, are available at nightout.com.

WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley will release the very last of its Medianoche bourbon-barrel-aged imperial stout variants for 2016 today, starting at noon. The brewery will sell coconut and vanilla Medianoche in 375-milliliter bottles. "In our humble opinion, these will be the best variants released to date thanks to the extended aging in barrels (over twelve months now) and the higher usage rates and longer contact time with adjuncts," the brewery says. There will be a small amount on tap, and bottle sales will be limited. WeldWerks reports that its 2017 Medianoche "is already happily aging in bourbon barrels."

Saturday, June 25
Renegade Brewing will throw its fifth-anniversary block party today from 3 to 10 p.m. in the 900 block of Ninth Avenue, in front of the brewery. There will be local food (Matt's Snack Shack, Pasty Republic, Ol' Skool BBQ, Green Tree Stir Fry and Em's Ice Cream), local music (Holly Lovell, Animal Electricity, Plume Varia and Inner Oceans) and lots of Renegade beer. There is no entrance fee, and all beers are $5. 

Every year, Parry's Pizza throws a huge craft-beer party with Avery Brewing that they "affectionately" call the Big Ass Tap Takeover — and for good reason. "We typically tap between fifteen and thirty different Avery kegs at this event depending on the location," Parry's says. "We even supplement the draft selection with some of Avery’s rare bottle releases, as well. Expect the same passion this year as in years past. Five Parry's locations will participate this year, with about fifteen Avery kegs at the Castle Rock and Greenwood Village spots, and at least thirty kegs in Highlands Ranch, Longmont and Northglenn. Avery founder Adam Avery and some of his brewery posse will appear at some of the locations to talk beer and make a toast. Live music will be on in Longmont and Northglenn, and there will be hourly drawings for craft-beer goodies, including Avery VIP brewery tours, at all locations. "This is an all damn day event.," Parry's says. "Get sitters for the kids and the pets. Make sure you don’t have to work on Sunday. Get your vacation dates worked out around this date. If you don’t get your affairs in order and miss this event, you will be criticized and possibly tarred and feathered." The party runs from 11 a.m. to close.

Saturday, July 2
Locavore Beer Works in Littleton will host its second annual Freedom Fest celebration today from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The brewery will tap its seasonal Jolly Farmer Watermelon Wheat beer. There will be corn hole, tie-dye for adults and kids, four live bands and food from Brad’s Pit BBQ. There will also be limited-edition T-shirts and glassware. A portion of proceeds will benefit Denver firefighters. Go to Locavore's Facebook page for more information on the event and on pre-ordering T-shirts.