The first can is Oskar Blues's new summer seasonal, Fugli Yuzu & Ugli Fruit IPA, "a Mosaic-hopped India Pale Ale brewed with a trifecta of fruits," the brewery says.
Inspired by a collaboration with Japan’s Yo-Ho Brewing, Fugli, at 5.8 percent ABV, was brewed with yuzu fruit, "an exotic, tangy dumpy looking lemon from Japan," Jamaican ugli fruit, "an aesthetic nightmare with a surprisingly tasty tangerine-and-grapefruit flavor," and rangpur, a lemon and orange hybrid from Bangladesh, according to Oskar Blues.
The beer debuts at the Tasty Weasel taproom in Longmont on Saturday, May 6, with a party that begins at 2:30 p.m. with live music from Wylie and food from Chuburger.
Meanwhile, Lone Tree Brewing revealed a rebrand of its cans last week with the release of new Peach Pale Ale and Mexican Lager cans. "Lone Tree enlisted Boulder-based design agency Anthem Branding to refine its logo, packaging artwork, apparel, and swag. This rebrand also includes updated design elements in the brewery’s tasting room, on its website and across its social media platforms," Lone Tree says.
Lone Tree and Anthem began working together two years ago on merchandise. “Lone Tree embodies a persona that we feel should exemplify craft-beer culture – as a company, they are collaborative, community driven and down-to-earth,” says Anthem Branding art director Monte Mitchell. “They understand the nature of being Coloradan; committed to friendliness, approachability, and a general love for the outdoors. We love what they’re doing and brewing.”
New cans of Lone Tree Brewing Peach Pale Ale and Mexican Lager (which will replace Mountain Mama Helles on the brewery’s core line of beers) are now available across Colorado.
Keep reading for the best beer events and tappings through May 20.
Wednesday, May 3
5280 Burger Bar is launching its 5280 Lager, which is being brewed just for the downtown hamburger joint by Resolute Brewing. Enjoy samples of 5280 Lager along with other beers from Resolute starting at 4 p.m. The brewer and other Resolute representatives will also be on hand to talk about the beer.
Thursday, May 4
What do you get when you combine beer geekery with Star Wars geekery? A mashup of the May the Fourth (be with you) "holiday" and the tapping of a maibock, the traditional spring lager of Germany. Leave it to Wit's End Brewing, whose owner loves Star Wars, to create Mai the Fourth. "We fired up the big system this year, and we are also proud to say we used a lager yeast for the very first time," the brewery says. "In addition to the beer, we will have our new Mai the Fourth tees, and of course we will be screening our favorite space opera all evening." Wit's End also encourages any and all Star Wars costumes and clothing. Wear your favorite outfit and get 10 percent off.
It's Star Wars Day and The Force is strong at Declaration Brewing, which is transforming all of its beer names today. There's Lando's Lager, Electric Sith & Bus Stout You Must, to name a few. Plus they'll be releasing their latest creation, TK-421.2. Show up in costume or just bring a lightsaber, and your first beer is free.
Celebrate Colorado Plus's fourth anniversary all day with more than fifteen house beers, plus housemade sausage, live music, and a raffle from 3 to 8 p.m. Every purchase of a house beer gets you a chance in the raffle, which includes shirts, growlers, glasses, a chance to brew with the brewer, and GABF tickets.
Friday, May 5
Heart Tattoo Blackberry Wit makes its return to Ratio Beerworks at noon. "There’s something to be said about a universal connection, either through the conduit of a familiar song, an emotion, or even a beer," the brewery says. "Heart Tattoo is our blackberry-infused version of our classic Handwritten Belgian Wit. Think fruit smoothie with a kick: This easy-drinking summer seasonal showcases brilliant blackberry flavors on top of the blank canvas that is our Belgian Wit base."
Finn's Manor will host Wyoming's Melvin Brewing, which is taking over the taps at 6 p.m. Beers include: Heyzeus,
Melvin IPA, 2x4, Citradamus, Drunken Master, Asterisk and more. Plus: Wu Tang, Mariachi mashups, tequila and Spaghetti Western flicks.
"The folks at Bierstadt and Comrade Brewing have been friends for many years, and friends of ours, and have worked together on many projects," says Falling Rock Tap House. "This Cinco de Mayo we're going to have some fun with them: Both breweries created a Maibock, the traditional German beer of the season. Both beers were fermented with the same yeast, Bierstadt's house lager strain, but were brewed from different recipes. Come down and taste them side by side and decide who is the winner in this Maibock Face Off." Tapping is at 5:30 p.m.
Horse & Dragon Brewing will be the brewery of the month at Lucky Pie Pizza and Tap House in LoDo, as it is the Fort Collins brewery's third anniversary. The kickoff party starts at 4 p.m. and promises a hoppy flight hat includes Horse & Dragon’s anniversary beer, Maracuya, a passion fruit IPA. Lucky Pie will continue to tap Horse & Dragon beers throughout the month; they will include Dragon Punch Double IPA, Citrus Fiesta Kettle Sour, Sad Panda Coffee Stout and more. Every Friday, the restaurant "will feature something new and exciting from Horse & Dragon, with a collaborative firkin brewed specifically for Lucky Pie."
Breweries all over the metro area will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so you can check in with your favorite to see what's going on. But Big Choice Brewing, which is also celebrating its fifth (cinco) anniversary this weekend, is tapping two beers that sound particularly intriguing. The first is Tequila Barrel-Aged Gose, a traditional German-style gose that has been resting in a tequila barrel since last summer. The second is horchata-inspired Oatmeal Stout, which has flavors of vanilla and cinnamon to complement its sweet malts. There will also be a taco-bar potluck; Big Choice will supply "the meat stuffs and tacos shells" if you bring your your favorite taco fixins. This will likely be Big Choice's last anniversary in its old location in Broomfield, as the brewery will move to Brighton.
Oskar Blues Brewery will celebrate twenty years of business at its original Oskar Blues Grill & Brew in Lyons with a weekend-long party beginning with a crawfish boil and kegger starting at 6 p.m. The live music kicks off at 8:30 p.m. from Lil Smokies and opening band Spring Fever with Sally Van Meter. Tickets are $15 for just the music, $20 for just the food, or $30 for everything, including an Oskar Blues cup. Established in 1997 by Alabama native Dale Katechis as a Cajun restaurant, Oskar Blues Grill & Brew began brewing in 1999.
Troubadour Malting
Ursula Brewing is releasing four barrel-aged bottles at 1 p.m. and tapping the beers on draft as well. The first is Bourbon Barrel Aged 180 Gram, a 12 percent ABV Russian Imperial Stout aged for fourteen months. The next two are variants of that beer: Chocolate Hazelnut BA 180 Gram, which was aged for two months on hazelnuts and cacao; and Blueberry Cobbler BA 180 Gram, aged nearly two months on blueberry purée, pecans, vanilla and cinnamon sticks. The fourth beer is Aurora Cuvèe, which started out as Ursula's 9.2 percent ABV Aurora Belgian Dark Strong before being aged in a Laws Scale Rye Whiskey barrel and re-fermented with the brewery's house mixed culture. "What became of it was an extremely complex sour beer that clocks in at 10.3 percent ABV," the brewery says. "Then, this last fall, we decided to pitch some unused plum pits from our Belschnickel's Wrath Plum Dubbel. This added a cinnamon-like spice character to this already complex creation."
Troubadour Maltings, one of a handful of local craft maltsters that have started up in Colorado over the past few years, will kick off a seven-brewery beer-tapping project called SOWN in conjunction with TRVE Brewing head brewer Zach Coleman, who helped conceive of the idea. The project's aim is to highlight craft-beer raw ingredients grown and processed in Colorado. "Rather than simply making it about 'local' ingredients, we really wanted to focus on the relationships along the supply chain, why that's important, and the cool beers that can result from this level of engagement," Troubadour says. Each of the seven breweries — TRVE, Our Mutual Friend, Cerebral, Comrade, Call to Arms, Berthoud Brewing and Horse & Dragon — will tap a special beer made with Troubadour malts and other Colorado ingredients. The beers should be on tap throughout the month. TRVE's is a dry-hopped saison fermented in puncheons (small wooden barrels). It was brewed with Troubadour Maltings Pevec and White Wheat; High Wire Hops CTZ, Cascade and Crystal hops; and Inland Island Yeast Laboratories saison yeast blend. For more information on the other beers, go to Troubadour's Facebook page.
Comrade Brewing taps Coloradbrah, an all-Colorado single-hop Cascade IPA. Brewed with Root Shoot Metcalfe pale malt from Loveland, hops from High Wire Hops in Paonia and ale yeast from the Brewing Science Institute in Woodland Park, the 6.4 percent ABV beer is part of the Sown Beer Project.
Alpine Dog Brewing brings back its annual Chili Pepper Beer Festival for the Cinco de Mayo weekend. Celebrate Cinco with several chile-infused special and limited-release beers, including Strawberry Habanero Honey Wheat Ale; Jalapeño and Anaheim Blonde Ale; Chocolate Chili Cherry Stout; and Aji Amarillo (a Peruvian chile) IPA. Flights are $10; pints are $6 to $7. There will also be a food truck.
Freshcraft will host Telluride Brewing, which is releasing Russell Kelly Pale Ale in cans, at 5 p.m. "Our kitchen is preparing some Russell Kelly-inspired food for your enjoyment," Freshcraft says. In addition to having Russell Kelly Pale Ale on tap, Freshcract will also tap Barrel Aged Face Down Brown.
Little Machine brings back Skate-O-De-Mayo, its yearly party in the parking lot, in order to tap Sir Veza Mexican-Style Lager, and a Southwestern-Inspired Saison brewed in collaboration with Black Fox Beer Company. There will be rail jams hosted by Grindwheel, Pusher BMX shop and 7Twenty Skate Shop; live music from King Rat at 6 p.m.; and limited-edition t-shirt artwork being screenprinted on-site by Dizzie inK Screen Printing.
River North Brewery unleashes the 2017 vintages of both Big City Quad and Fancy Effing Stout at noon. Both beers were aged in Manhattan cocktail barrels.
Halfpenny Brewing will celebrate the opening of its new backyard biergarten Saturday and Sunday with a barbecue and a cornhole tournament.
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew in Lyons continues its twenty-year party at its Lyons location with food from Chuburger, Cyclhops, Oskar Blues Grill (burgers, fajitas, a pig roast and oysters) and a world-record attempt by Hotbox Roasters to make a birthday cake featuring more than 2,000 doughnuts. Music begins at 5:30 p.m. from Interstate Stash Express followed by Halden Wofford & the Hi Beams at 7 p.m. (no cover). Then at 8:30, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, along with opening band Gasoline Lollipops, goes on; tickets are $20 in advance, $25 day of show.
Sunday, May 7
CO-Brew will celebrate its second anniversary from 2 to 5 p.m. with live music from the Dollhouse Thieves and an annual employee beer competition. Five employees each brewed a beer, and customers also got to compete in a homebrew competition; the winning brew will be on tap, along with soda for the kids. On the homebrew shop side, there will be a sale and prizes.
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew wraps up the twentieth anniversary of its original Lyons restaurant with a pancake breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m. to benefit the CAN’d Aid Foundation; there is a suggested $5 donation. Music will start at 3 p.m., and a specialty beer will be on tap. Breakfast includes coffee from the company's own Hotbox Roasters.
Monday, May 8
Goed Zuur, the long-awaited bar and eatery serving only sour and wild ales, will open its doors in Five Points. Executive chef/owner Anthony Lopiccolo has created a menu of small plates, housemade baguettes, charcuterie and cheeses to pair with sour and wild ales from Colorado, the U.S. and the rest of the world, many of them rare and highly sought after. Goed Zuur has 26 taps and a bottle list gathered by owner/publican John Fayman, of Backcountry Pizza & Tap House in Boulder. Goed Zuur means “good acid” in Dutch.
Wednesday, May 10
Free beer alert: If you haven't had a chance to try any bees from Telluride Brewing, tonight is you chance. From 5 to 7 p.m., the Pizzeria Locale location in Highland Square will host a Telluride Brewing happy hour. "Each guest can snag one free flight of beer...no food purchase necessary," the restaurant says.
Thursday, May 11
Good River Beer Company, which is opening a taproom and brewery on South Broadway later this year, will host a party at the Patagonia store downtown at 1431 15th Street, to launch the brewery's "2 Percent for Rivers" program. Good River is donating 2 percent of its gross revenue to river conservation by establishing its own nonprofit organization. There will be live music, gear giveaways, short presentations by Colorado Water Trust and American Whitewater, and lots of beer to share (Good River is already making its own beer). The event is from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Boulder Beer Company will release a new canned beer called Bump ’n’ Rind in its taproom at 4 p.m. and in cans that will be available May through September where Boulder Beer is sold. “Bump ’n’ Rind is a crushable Kolsch-style beer with just the right amount of fresh watermelon zing,” the brewery says. The release party will have live music on the patio, watermelon-inspired games, prizes and giveaways.
Friday, May 12
Freshcraft will tap a single firkin of Station 26 Brewing's Juicy Loops at 5 p.m. The beer is the brewery's Juicy Banger IPA, which has been conditioned on orange, lemon lime and wildflower honey. Juicy Banger will also be on tap, along with Single Hop Mandarina Bavaria and Hop Sequence No. 5.
Saturday, May 13
Here Be Monsters, a 13.1 percent Imperial Stout aged twelve months in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels, was one of my favorite beers from the Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival in Vail in January. But that version was just a sneak peek. This time, Cerebral Brewing will release the beer in bottles ($16 each with a limit of four per person), starting at noon, and on tap. "Whiskey, charred oak and cherry on the nose followed by notes of luscious chocolate, toffee, and caramel," the brewery says. Cerebral will also release a vanilla variant of the beer, which has been conditioning on Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans for more than three weeks (two bottles per person).
Westside in the house! A group of west-side breweries — Little Machine, Joyride, Strange and Seedstock — will have two shuttle buses running continuous loops between them from 2 to 10 p.m. Start at whichever brewery you choose and ride the loop for $5. Buses will leave each brewery every ten minutes or so. Complete the loop at all four breweries and get a coupon for a free beer at the brewery of your choice on your next visit. Tickets can be purchased at your starting brewery on the day of the event.
The weather is getting warmer, which means it's Wiggy Wiggy time at Diebolt Brewing. This honey-hibiscus saison "is a brilliant red color with a tart and fruity aroma and hints of honey; smooth, silky mouthfeel with a slightly dry, acidic finish," the brewery says. Draft and cans will be available in the taproom starting at noon, and there will be live music from the Dollhouse Thieves from 2 to 5 p.m. There will also be a hula-hoop contest.
Crazy Mountain Brewing will host a grand opening for the new beer garden at its Denver location. The party feature live music, food trucks, games, and drink specials.
Join Dry Dock Brewing and Aurora Firefighters Local 1290 for a day of food, games and beer — in particular, Big John Ale, a collaboration with the firefighters. Taking place at Dry Dock's North Dock location in Aurora, the event also includes a disc-golf tournament and a chili cook-off. Portions of each Big John Ale sold will go toward the Antique Apparatus Fund. Other proceeds will go toward the Firefighters of Aurora Benevolent Fund.
The Bacon and Beer Classic, which takes place in several cities, returns to Mile High Stadium for two sessions, one from 1 to 4 p.m. and one from 7 to 10 p.m. There will more than eighty beers from many local breweries, along with thirty-plus bacon-infused dishes from Front Range restaurants and food trucks. There will also be games like giant Jenga, a bungee run, a bacon-eating contest, music and more. For information on tickets and other details, go to baconandbeerclassic.com.
Sunday, May 14
Station 26 Brewing brings back its monthly Bluegrass Brunch for a special Mother's Day edition. There will be live music from Meadow Mountain, doughnuts from Glazed and Confuzed and barbecue from Turn-In BBQ.
Treat someone's mom to "the harmonious pairings of cupcakes stacked next to the refreshing smoothie-esque qualities of Ratio's Heart Tattoo Blackberry Wit, the balanced tropical fruit notes from Rented World Session IPA, and champagne-y refreshing flavors of Dear You Citra Hopped French Saison" at Ratio Beerwoks all day long. For $16, you get a flight of three cupcakes from Church of Cupcakes and three Ratio tasters.
Black Shirt Brewing made this Red Beet Porter just for Mother's Day. Designed to "transport them to a place of relaxation and salvation — the garden," the beers was brewed with fresh beets and garnished with edible Nasturtium flowers grown and harvested at The GrowHaus. "Traditionally, Mothers Day in Denver signals the last frost, and therefore the time of the year that we start to really plant veggies and flowers in the garden. In this vein, we wanted to create something that tasted like the garden - in a very pleasant way," Black Shirt says. "The beer is chocolatey, creamy, rounded, delicately earthy, and tastes pleasantly of the garden. The beet character is nuanced but noticeable and the Nasturtium flowers are spicy and crisp." It taps at 11 a.m.
Thursday, May 18
Factotum Brewing hosts Hope is Brewing, a fundraiser for Love146, an international human rights organization that is working to end child sex trafficking. To help, Lady Justice Brewing made Emancipation Red IPA just for this event, which runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. For tickets and information go to the Love 146 web page.
Saturday, May 20
Odyssey Beerwerks has gotten bigger and better every year since it opened in 2013 — something the brewery will celebrate at its fourth-anniversary blowout, which starts at noon. Odyssey plans to tap an anniversary maibock, along with four other small-batch releases. They will also be selling some bomber bottles that were held in reserve from past releases just for this event. The party includes food from Taste of Texas BBQ and the Pambasos Food Truck, plus music from Jim Jamm Jimmy, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Angus Mohr, 8 p.m. to midnight.
Andrew Moore and Ben Gettinger are opening Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project, a new brewery that will specialize in "internationally inspired twists on traditional beer styles." That means the Belgian-style tripel will be made with lavender, the stout will be brewed with Turkish coffee, and the amber will be made with garlic. You can find those and several other beers during the grand opening. Moore, the head brewer, used to be an archaeologist, which is why the beers are flavored with ingredients from around the world. The brewery, located along the busy Eighth Avenue corridor in west Denver, will also be decorated with maps and travel-related items.
Factotum Brewhouse hand squeezed thirty pounds of pink grapefruit to create the second beer of its fruity saison series, Grapefruit Saison. "One delicious and delightful keg was made and much like the Clementine Saison, we expect this tarty brew to disappear quickly," the brewery says. It taps at noon.
Upslope Brewing brings back its annual free music fest, the Upslope Get Down, from 1 to 10 p.m. As it does every year, the Boulder brewery will take over the parking lot at its Flatiron Court location so that it can bring you three stages' worth of live music, food trucks, games, art, a kid zone, lots of beer and the Elemental Enhancers, a Denver performance group that plays with fire. The music lineup includes: Roosevelt Collier's Colorado Get Down featuring Very Special Guests! Freekbass, Caribou Mountain Collective, the Pamlico Sound, Sixty Minute Men, Envy Alo Guerrilla Fanfare Voodoo Visionary Arthur Lee Land Trio Coambient BluePrint Metro. Upslope will donate some a portion of the proceeds from the festival to Protect Our Winters, a nonprofit that enlists the help of professional athletes and outdoor sports community to effect climate change. And although admission is free, you can upgrade to the VIP package and get more information at twoparts.com.
Powder Keg Brewing in Niwot will release Twilight Rendezvous Imperial Stout aged in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels. It's $18 per 22-ounce bomber; limit of two per customer.
Sunday, June 4
"To commemorate the longstanding tradition of drinking on, off, and all around the stage," Shakesbeer will return for the summer with a new script at Ratio Beerworks. The free performance of A Midsummer Night's — Dram — a sixty-minute adaptation of the Bard's A Midsummer Night's Dream — begins at 7:30 p.m. and is performed by The Wit's Shakesbeer group; actors imbibe before and throughout the entire show. "Lambic" pentameter...Vienna-style verse — frankly, few things fit together like theatre and beer," the group says.
