Beer Calendar: Tappings at TRVE, Dry Dock, Wit's End, Cerebral, Grandma's

While breweries might argue over whether bottles or cans are better for packaging beer, two of the companies that make rival packaging equipment are joining forces. Meheen Manufacturing, a well-respected, two-decade-old Washington-based maker of craft-beer bottling lines, and Wild Goose Canning, the Boulder canning-line upstart, have merged into one business. The two companies announced the deal this week, saying that "the exciting combination brings together the leading manufacturers of bottling and canning solutions for microbreweries and a deep, diverse group of talented and passionate people. The Meheen-Wild Goose team now boasts the unrivaled ability to serve the industry by providing complete retail packaging solutions to microbreweries and other craft producers," Wild Goose president Alexis Foreman said in a statement announcing the move.

“Wild Goose and Meheen have crossed paths for years, and we’ve come to recognize we have a lot in common – from our dedication to serving craft, to our tradition of innovation, to a long list of common customers. When the opportunity to join forces arose, we immediately saw the benefits it would generate."

Read on for all of this week's craft-beer events.
Wednesday, August 31
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project will host a bottle release for L’Brett d’Apricot today at 5 p.m. The beer "builds upon the brewery's well-known barrel-aged beer Persica, a Golden Sour aged in oak with peaches," Crooked Stave says. "Using the same Golden Sour base, L’Brett d’Apricot goes deep with 400 pounds of apricots packed into secondary fermentation in oak."

Black Shirt Brewing will bring back its "infamous" Pistachio & Lavender Red Rye today when the brewery opens at 11 a.m. It's part of the Black Shirt's One Keg Wednesday series.

Join two craft artisans tonight at 5 p.m. when Cerebral Brewing and Il Porcellino Salumi come together at the brewery for a beer and meat pairing. "We have hand-selected six beers to be paired up with six different salumi offerings resulting in one night of beer and cured meat utopia," Cerebral says. "Show up anytime between 5 and 8 p.m. to pick up your plate and tasting sheet and go at your own pace." Tickets are $35 and space is limited, so make a reservation at brownpapertickets.com.

Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora will host a bottle release at its North Dock location for the second offering in its 2016 Signature Series, a collection of barrel-aged imperial and double ales. Imperial Stout will go on sale at 2 p.m.; it will be available on draft and in bombers.

Spice up your life with Copper Kettle Brewing, which will tap a cask of Pasilla Amber Ale, a 5.3 percent ABV beer with "complex rich, spicy, and earthy flavors." The Savory Life will be on hand with food.

Dunbar Kitchen & Taphouse will feature beers from Spangalang Brewing at its final Summer Backyard BBQ tonight at 6 p.m. For $20, you get a brat, burger or chicken sandwich with baked beans, slaw and two beers. Spangalang brews on tap are D-Train IPA, Apricot Sugarfoot and Nightwalker Imperial Stout.

Thursday, September 1
TRVE Brewing will tap a new beer called Fight Fire With Fire at 3 p.m. today. But the beer  needs some explaining, and here's how TRVE describes it on its website: "It wasn’t always the case that corn and rice were used to bring down the cost of making beer. Historically, these adjunct ingredients were used because the American brewers using them actually appreciated and enjoyed the character they contributed to beer. Learning this, we decided to riff on this concept at the Acid Temple. We brewed a beer using a grist typical for a light American lager comprised of six-row barley, rice and corn. We then fermented this with our house-mixed culture to obtain a wholly original, tart, sessionable beer. We lightly dry-hopped the beer with noble Saaz and Tettnang, and as with all our beers, refermented it in the bottle to a moderate-to-high degree of carbonation. We believe this beer to be totally unique, and the first of its kind in mixed-culture ale production."

Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora brings back its traditional Half Moon Pumpkin Ale at its original South Dock location at noon today. It was brewed with spices from Savory Spice Shop.

As it does every year, Euclid Hall will celebrate the run-up to the Great American Beer Festival (which takes place October 6 through October 8) with a series of intimate craft-beer dinners. For the sixth year, each dinner will have a multi-course menu created to pair with the particular brewery and a brewery expert on hand to discuss the beers and answer any questions. Each dinner starts at 6:30 p.m., and tickets, $65 per person, are available at brownpapertickets.com. Today's dinner features beer from Wyoming's Melvin Brewing.

Friday, September 2
Grandma's House will tap what may be the first fresh hop beer of the year at 6 p.m. tonight when it brings back Meka Leka Hi Meka Hiney Hops. This year, the beer is a hazy double IPA using fresh Chinook hops within 24 hours of their harvest from Voss Farms Colorado in Arvada. It got kegged today, too.

Join Cerebral Brewing today for the tapping of its newest IPA, Instinctive Drift, which was brewed with wheat and hopped primarily with a new German varietal called Ariana (as well as Simcoe and Amarillo). The Ariana hops give off notes of sweet orange peel, red berries and vanilla. Burgerchief will be on hand starting at 4 p.m.

Black Project Wild & Spontaneous Ale (formerly Former Future) will tap Starfighter double citrus table sour today at 6 p.m. It differs from last week's Starfire: A low-gravity sour wheat ale with lemon and lime zest, plus blood orange zest, this beer has nearly double the amount of lemons and limes as the last one. 

Wit's End Brewing is at it again; the brewery will tap a version of its Kitchen Sink Porter today that has been aged in Deerhammer Distilling whiskey barrels for a few months. "This is the third version of barrel-aging this beer and possibly the best yet," the brewery says. 

Alpine Dog Brewing has been aging some of its Wolf's Blood Red Ale in Laws Whiskey bourbon barrels and plans to begrudgingly share it today at 6 p.m.; limited quantity.

Oskar Blues's Tasty Weasel Taproom in Longmont will hold a release party today from 4 to 8 p.m. for its annual bad boy of winter, Ten Fidy Imperial Stout. The brewery will offer the beer on tap and in cans to take home; it will also have Bourbon Barrel-Aged Fidy, 2012 Fidy and a very rare barrel of Java Fidy on tap. Brian Rezac will be providing entertainment from 5 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 3
Black Project Wild & Spontaneous Ales is planning a bottle and tap release today. Possible beers include Voodoo, Jumpseat and Ejector. More details are TBA.

Freshcraft will celebrate its sixth anniversary today with a Colorado-focused barbecue menu, including bison ribs and pulled lamb, along with house-made hot links, pulled pork and smoked chicken drummies; and some unusual beers, among them Black Pepper Black IPA, which the craft-beer-focused restaurant brewed in collaboration with Boulder's Upslope Brewing just for this day. It will also show the Iowa Hawkeyes game at 1:30 p.m. Other beers on tap include Bell's Brewery Oarsman, Firestone Walker Anniversary 19, Stone Brewing 6th Anniversary Smoked Porter, Boulevard Brewing Saison Brett and Avery Brewing Beast 2013.

Sunday, September 4
Westfax Brewing, next to Casa Bonita, will celebrate its sixth-month anniversary in Lakewood today with a party and beer release. The Triple Threat Event includes a pig roast from the Mile High Cajun Food Truck ($15 a plate), bluegrass music from Saddle Road from 2 to 5 p.m., and the release of barrel-aged Casa Roja. RSVP for the pig roast at www.milehighcajun.com/catering.html.

Monday, September 5
It's Labor Day, and that means it's Oktumpkinfest at Stapleton Tap House. Basically, it sounds like the Colorado beer-focused taproom will have lots of pumpkin ales and Oktoberfests on tap.

Thursday, September 8
As it does every year, Euclid Hall will celebrate the run-up to the Great American Beer Festival (which takes place October 6-8) with a series of intimate craft beer dinners. For the sixth year, each dinner will have a multi-course menu created to pair with the particular brewery and a brewery expert on hand to discuss the beers and answer any questions. Each dinner starts at 6:30 p.m., and tickets, $65 per person, are available at brownpapertickets.com. Today's dinner features beer from Call to Arms Brewing.

Avery Brewing will tap a new beer called Pow Day Coffee IPA (it will also be sold in twelve-ounce cans) today in honor of a partnership with Freeskier magazine; the event will also include live music. The two Boulder companies are working together on some "special events and exclusive content," the brewery says. "The partnership will help Avery Brewing Co reach Freeskier’s large and influential following of skiers and winter enthusiasts across the country, and highlight Avery’s love for the Colorado mountains as well as increase its national presence of popular brands, including the release of Out of Bounds Stout in cans and the special release of Pow Day IPA." The 8.1 percent ABV beer was brewed with Simcoe, Chinook and Bravo hops, along with Organic Columbia Narino, Organic Honduras Las Capucas Omar Rodriguez coffee.

Saturday, September 10
Station 26 Brewing will host a rare bottle release today starting at 1 p.m., offering Barrel Aged Belgian Golden Strong on tap and in 750-ml bottles ($18 each). The beer was brewed with Belgian pilsner malt, candi sugar, Saaz hops, and yeast from East Flanders, then aged in Hungarian oak Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels for over twelve months.

Wit's End Brewing will celebrate its fifth anniversary today with a party from noon to 9 p.m. featuring special beer releases, food trucks and raffles. More details TBA.

Rhein Haus Denver will host Fort Collins Brewery today for an Oktoberfest party starting at 5 p.m. "Try German brews including FCB’s 2015 GABF Gold Medal Winner Oktoberfest. FCB’s pride and joy will pair perfectly with the featured entree, a spicy Merguez sausage made with FCB’s Oktoberfest and topped with eggplant chutney, feta and pickled fresno peppers," the brewery says. Rhein Haus and FCB "will be giving away glassware and swag all night long. Grab your Lederhosen or Dirndl and practice your arm strength as there will be multiple stein holding contests throughout the night. And don’t forget about indoor boules.

Sanitas Brewing in Boulder is turning three years old. To celebrate, the brewery will release its first bottle and tap some new or rare beers; more details TBA. There will also be a yoga class, a cornhole tournament with prizes, a taco-eating contest from McDevitt Taco Supply, and music by the Sixty Minute Men.

You've seen them before: Thousands of costumed people riding crazy bikes through the streets around City Park. Maybe this is the year you should join in on New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat, which the Fort Collins beer company calls "a traveling celebration of all things bike. Things kick off at 10 a.m. today on the west side of City Park with bike registration; the ride itself begins at 11 a.m. and runs through the streets before returning to the park for a full day of sometimes freaky music, food, beer, sideshows, spectacle, comedy and games. The event is free, but all donations and proceeds from beer and merchandise sales will go to Denver-area nonprofits, Bike Denver and Denver Cruiser Ride. There will be several stages featuring music from Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, Ben Sollee, The Parlor Pickers, Chimney Choir, Brent Cowles, and The Other Black. And as for beer, New Belgium will bring its lineup of flagships, as well as seasonals like Citradelic Tangerine IPA, and more esoteric beers from its Lips of Faith series. It’s also the only place to try Carnie Blood, a beer made in honor of the Tour de Fat Carnies. Carnie Blood Vol. 3 is an Imperial Stout brewed with two single-origin cocoas and chicory. Pre-register and donate to receive a limited-edition Tour de Fat license plate, sunglasses, or patch at http://bit.ly/2bt4igy. Check Facebook for more details and to find out how you can swap your car for a bike with New Belgium.

The third annual Lafayette Brew Festival takes place today from 2 to 7 p.m. with beers from 23 breweries and cider makers. For details, go to lafayettecolorado.com.

Sunday, September 11
Odd 13 Brewing in Lafayette brings back its Origin Series of taproom-only can sales — and today's is a big one: Codename Super Duper Fan. A double IPA version of its popular Codename Superfan IPA, the beer will go on sale at 11 a.m. and is bound to go quickly. Buy a case and receive a free pint glass; there is a limit of one case per person.

Thursday, September 15
As it does every year, Euclid Hall will celebrate the run-up to the Great American Beer Festival (which takes place October 6-8) with a series of intimate craft beer dinners. For the sixth year, each dinner will have a multi-course menu created to pair with the particular brewery, and a brewery expert on hand to discuss the beers and answer any questions. Each dinner starts at 6:30 p.m., and tickets, $65 per person, are available at brownpapertickets.com. Today's dinner features beer from Prost Brewing.

Friday, September 16
Diebolt Brewing plans to celebrate its third anniversary with a weekend filled with beer, food and events. They will kick things off today by tapping Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout, Magdalena Double Pale Ale and others. Baby E's BBQ and American Cultures Kombucha will be on site, and there will be a comedy show at 8 p.m.

The Loveland Oktoberfest returns to Grimm Brothers Brewhouse today from 3 to 9 p.m. and tomorrow, featuring beer from seven Loveland breweries: Verboten, Loveland Aleworks, Crow Hop, Big Beaver, Buckhorn, Big Thompson and Grimm Brothers. There will also be food from Gunter’s Bavarian Grill, The Road Grill, Bedrock BBQ, Styria Bakery, Chaulkboard Gourmet Express, and Artisan Pops. Neue Polka Colorado, a local CSU polka band, will kick off the live music at 6 p.m.

Saturday, September 17
Join Station 26 Brewing today for an Oktoberfest celebration with Oktoberfest lager served by the liter in Station 26 branded maßkrüge. There will also be a live punk oompah band, brats from Matt's Snack Shack, pretzels by City Pretzel Company, and a masskrugstemmen (stein-holding contest).

Baere Brewing will release four different bottles today. They are: the brewery's house saison, bottle-conditioned with Brettanomyces ($10 for a 750 ml bottle); Cannebruin, a mixed-culture barrel-fermented sour brown aged on cranberry puree ($12 for a 375 ml bottle); Ceribruin, a mixed-culture barrel-fermented sour brown aged on tart cherry puree ($12 for a 375 ml bottle); and Raspberry Table Sour, Baere's table sour aged on raspberry puree ($12 for a 750 ml bottle). There is a limit of two bottles per person.

Lost Highway Brewing will celebrate its birthday and tap a pumpkin beer, Pumpnik Pie-Eyed, today starting at 11 a.m. There will be food trucks, a pumpkin-carving contest, prizes and live music.

Diebolt Brewing will continue its third-anniversary celebration today by tapping Wethers Weizenbock and Cabernet BA Biere de Triomphe. There will also be a cornhole tournament at noon, live music from the Gold Company from 8 to 10 p.m., and food from Pavlo's Taste of Ukraine and Pink Zebra Cupcakes.

Celebrate hops with Cannonball Creek Brewing in Golden today when it releases Project Alpha #10, the tenth in a series of experimental IPAs that will feature ten different hop varietals. The series has gained attention for its excellent quality. A previous favorite in the Project Alpha series will also be on tap, along with several other special releases, the brewery says. In addition, il porcellino salumi will be offering a meat-and-beer pairing flight for purchase, and Mybeer Pickles will be sampling and selling Mindbender IPA pickles. The Crock Spot food truck will also be on hand. A free pint glass will be given to the first 120 guests who purchase a pint of Project Alpha X. There will be live music from 7 to 9 p.m. 

Parry's Pizza in Highlands Ranch in pouring an amazing La Folie five-year vertical today featuring the 2012-2016 versions of this New Belgium sour beer pioneer. "La Folie is one of few sour beers in this state that just about everyone that like sours knows and adores. It is typically readily available at both the small corner liquor store and the large, sprawling liquor stores which allows just about any craft beer enthusiast the opportunity to purchase, sip and revel in it's fine flavors. It just so happens that we were thinking plenty in advance when we stashed away our first keg of this crafty sour back in 2012," Parry's says. The tasting starts at 11 a.m. Parry's will sell them a la carte or in verticals or three ounces each, for $30.

Locavore Beer Works in Littleton is bringing the bier today and tomorrow with its second annual Oktoberfest celebration. Seven beers will be tapped today: Friend of the Devil Schwarzbier, Kolsch, Das Litre Beer Marzen, Monica Berlinski Berliner Weisse, Locavator Dopplebock, Muncher Dunkel, and Uberweizen Hefeweizen. Also, look for German-style food offerings from Pile High Burgers and hot Bavarian pretzels from Baker Street Pretzels. Pre-order your custom Locavore Maß in the tap room by September 10 for $20 (first fill included). Extras will be available for purchase on the day of for $25 (first fill included). Keep that Maß with you throughout the year and become part of the Locavore "Litre Club," where you can get an $8 fill on select styles of beer every Monday.

The Loveland Oktoberfest continues at Grimm Brothers Brewhouse today from noon to 9 p.m., featuring beer from seven Loveland breweries: Verboten, Loveland Aleworks, Crow Hop, Big Beaver, Buckhorn, Big Thompson and Grimm Brothers. There will also be food from Gunter’s Bavarian Grill, the Road Grill, Bedrock BBQ, Styria Bakery, Chaulkboard Gourmet Express and Artisan Pops. Today, there will be live music from Dave Beagle, William’s Reserve and Hazmat. Also, wear your dirndl and lederhosen for the best-dressed contest at 2 p.m. and a stein-hoisting contest at 4:30. The Loveland Big Thompson Kiwanis Club will run hammerschlagen, cornhole, carpet ball, ladder ball, washer toss and more. Money raised from playing games will go directly to Kiwanis Club.

The Jailhouse Craft Beer Bar, located in an old jail in Buena Vista, will host an all-Colorado Oktoberfest today featuring German-style brews from only Colorado breweries. "Didn't know there were enough Colorado made German beers to fill our taps? Guess again," the Jailhouse says; a beer list is TBA. There will be hot pretzels and a German eats from The Divide, a food trailer, as well as traditional Oktoberfest games like barrel races. Costumes encouraged.

Sunday, September 18
Factotum Brewhouse will bring back Oatmaha today, a beer brewed in honor of Peyton Manning and his connections to both Indianapolis and Colorado. And although Peyton has retired, the Indianapolis Colts will be visiting the Denver Broncos for a game today. The brewery will open early for this special tailgate party, including lawn games and the Streetz food truck. They will also be offering an Oatmaha swag bag that includes an Oatmaha shirt (blue or orange), an Oatmaha koozie, and two free pours of Oatmaha. The game will be on all TVs and Factotum's 100-inch projector screen.

Locavore Beer Works in Littleton continues its Oktoberfest celebration today with seven beers (see above), as well as German-style food from 808 Fusion Grindz and Bavarian pretzels.

Thursday, September 22
As it does every year, Euclid Hall will celebrate the run-up to the Great American Beer Festival (which takes place October 6-8) with a series of intimate craft beer dinners. For the sixth year, each dinner will have a multi-course menu created to pair with the particular brewery and a brewery expert on hand to discuss the beers and answer any questions. Each dinner starts at 6:30 p.m., and tickets, $65 per person, are available at brownpapertickets.com. Today's dinner features beer from Odd 13 Brewing.

Saturday, September 24
The Rackhouse will host the first RiNo Oktoberfest today, starting at 11 a.m. and featuring fall seasonals and Oktoberfest beers and ciders from Bierstady Lagerhaus and C Squared Ciders (both located inside the Rackhouse building), Epic Brewing, Ratio Brewing, Our Mutual Friend, Beryls Beer, Black Shirt, Zephyr, Mockery and Stem Ciders. There will be classic German food, Oompah bands, a Masskrugstemmen Competition and more. Tickets are $20 at rinobeers.com and include mug rental, one liter of beer and a  donation to the RINO Art District.

Thursday, September 29
As it does every year, Euclid Hall will celebrate the run-up to the Great American Beer Festival (which takes place October 6-8) with a series of intimate craft beer dinners. For the sixth year, each dinner will have a multi-course menu created to pair with the particular brewery and a brewery expert on hand to discuss the beers and answer any questions. Each dinner starts at 6:30 p.m., and tickets, $65 per person, are available at brownpapertickets.com. Today's dinner features beer from Funkwerks.

Saturday, October 1
It's time again for Gratitude!, Our Mutual Friend's annual anniversary celebration of friendship and the beer made possible by it. "Every year (the Saturday before GABF) we take the opportunity to celebrate you! We wouldn't be where we are today without the support of our customers, friends, family, and countless people in the craft beer industry," the brewery says. "To show our appreciation we will have $4 standard and $5 special release pours all day and more than twenty beers on tap." There will also be food trucks, music, giveaways and at least six bottle releases. Those releases include: Gratitude 3 Sour Ale, 2016 American Wild Ale, 24FPS Golden Sour (2015 GABF Silver Winner), Thanatoid RIS aged in Laws Bourbon Barrels, Barleywine aged in Laws Bourbon Barrels, Barlerywine aged in Laws Rye Barrels, and Barleywine aged in Laws Wheat Barrels. For the taplist, go to OMF's Facebook page. No tickets needed.

The Post Brewing in Lafayette will host Townie Fest today from 1 to 5 p.m. "Guests will enjoy a variety of Oktoberfest-inspired food, limited-release beers from Brewmaster Bryan Selders, carnival games, swag giveaways, and a raffle. The festival will be held on the grounds surrounding The Post," the brewery says. There will also be all kinds of food, games, stein hoisting, kids activities, raflfes, dunk tank, costumes, and more. Ticket prices range from $10 to $100. Proceeds benefit the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.