Well, it's time. Berger and Crawford, who opened their doors on August 12, plan to brew the first batch of their Neighborhood Hop Swap this weekend, on September 10, and they want anyone who grew hops for them to harvest the cones on Friday night or Saturday morning and bring them into the brewery on Saturday afternoon.
Questions? Call the brewery at 303-433-2739.
For Westword's weekly beer calendar, read below:
Wednesday, September 7Boulder Beer Company will tap two of its rare beers tonight, a reserve batch of 2010 Killer Penguin Barleywine that was aged for six months in bourbon barrels, and Mortimer Black IPA, which is a blend of Mojo IPA and Planet Porter that was aged in bourbon barrels and then cask conditioned. Whiskey Wednesday starts at 4 p.m.
It's Christmas in September! Avery Brewing will heat up the tap room tonight with a Sweaty Sweater Party to inaugurate the yearly release of Old Jubilation, the Boulder brewery's winter seasonal. Get merry with your best (worst) holiday sweater, and win a pint of Old Jubilation, a traditional strong ale, if it's judged to be the best (worst).
A pair of Denver's best-known imbibers, City Auditor Dennis Gallagher and historian/professor/author Tom Noel, will offer a blessing of the historic Ghost Building, 800 18th Street, tonight at 7 p.m. to remove as many spirits as possible. The building is the new home of Ghost Plate & Tap, the most recent venture of the Breckenridge/Wynkoop breweries. After a ceremony, Gallagher and Noel will discuss Denver's rich saloon and drinking history, and Noel will sign copies of his many books.
Friday, September 9
Meet the guys from Great Divide who make Rumble, Hades, Grand Cru and a host of other big Denver beers at the Rackhouse Pub, 208 South Kalamath Strett, where they'll tap an unusual firkin of Cocoa Yeti, one of the only beers that Great Divide puts in casks. The first fifty people to order one get a free Great Divide glass; the firkin gets tapped at 4 p.m.
Saturday, September 10
Renegade Brewing, which opened last month at 925 West Ninth Avenue, will hold a grand opening bash today with live music, food trucks, beer cupcakes and, of course, lots of Renegade's "offensively delicious" beers. Oh, and there will be doors prizes like a gift certificate to Interstate Kitchen + Bar, two tickets for a Denver Brews Cruise, free growler fills for a year, and the grand prize: two tickets to the Friday night session of the Great American Beer Festival.
Boulder Beer blasts off today from 2 to 6 p.m. with its Anniversary Beer Rave, a party celebrating 32 years of craft beer making in Boulder with limited-release or experimental beers from 32 Colorado breweries. Why a rave? Because "all beers served will be 'underground' brews that are nearly impossible to find outside of each brewery's own tap room," according to Boulder Beer. Examples include: Blue Moon Vintage Blonde Ale; New Belgium Fall Wild Ale; Strange Brewing Farmhouse Ale and Boulder Beer's own 2010 Killer Penguin Barleywine aged for six months in Bourbon barrels. Tickets, $25, are available at www.boulderbeer.com and include a commemorative tasting cup plus all samples; a portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Miracle On Walnut Street.
Avery Brewing releases Immitis, its latest limited barrel-aged sour, at its Boulder tap room. Bottle sales start at 5 p.m. Twelve-ounce bottles are $8 each; limit of six. Cash only. Get there early. (But if you miss it, there's a chance that a few cases will be sold on liquor store shelves in the Denver area).
Monday, September 12
Belgian Beer Month continues at Vine Street Pub, 1700 Vine Street, with rolling tappings of Mountain Sun-brewed Belgian-style specialties, along with guest beers from both Belgian and U.S. brewers. Today, try three Mountain Sun saisons side by side.
Copper Kettle Brewing will use the opening night of Monday Night Football this year -- a day that just so happens to feature the Denver Broncos against the hated Oakland Raiders -- to celebrate the fact that the tasting room will now be open on Mondays from 3 to 9 p.m. (or whenever the games end). There will be a food truck outside and $1 off pints during the game.
It's hard to beat wings and beer when it comes to great combos, and you'll find exactly that on Mondays at 5 p.m. when the Wing Hut (which specializes in craft beer itself) begins selling 50-cent wings (cash only) at Dry Dock Brewing, 15120 East Hampden Avenue, in Aurora. The new businesses are neighbors, and Wing Hut had already been delivering to hungry patrons at the Dry Dock tasting room, so the matchup seems like a hot one.
Thursday, September 15
The Wynkoop Brewing Company taps its fresh-hopped Belgorado today, a Belgian-style IPA made with hops and malt grown in Colorado. This year, the Wynkoop made two batches, one with hops from Misty Mountain Hops near Montrose, and the other with hops from Leroux Creek Farms near Hotchkiss.
