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Count down to a craft beer Christmas at Stapleton Tap House, Copper Kettle, Hops & Pie

Odell Brewing, which just completed a major expansion of its Fort Collins brewery and taproom, has also made a change to one of its seasonal offerings. Odell Red Ale, a hoppy red beer available in the first few months of each year, has become Runoff Red IPA -- a switch...
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Odell Brewing, which just completed a major expansion of its Fort Collins brewery and taproom, has also made a change to one of its seasonal offerings. Odell Red Ale, a hoppy red beer available in the first few months of each year, has become Runoff Red IPA -- a switch that was designed to put the beer more squarely into the developing red IPA category that includes brews like Wynkoop's Colorojo and Oskar Blues G'Knight.

"A lot of people assume it's a malty red beer, but there's a lot of hops in it," says Odell spokeswoman Amanda Johnson. "We're not changing the recipe. It's still the same beer."

Turn the page to see all of this week's craft beer events.

Wednesday, December 18

December is "Candied Beers" Cask Month at Copper Kettle Brewing, which will tap a firkin of a beer made with a candy ingredient each Wednesday. Today's beer is Chocolate Peanut Butter Old Ale, made with chocolate peanut brittle flakes. Ckrepes will be serving food at 4:30 p.m.

Upslope Brewing will celebrate the annual re-release of its winter seasonal, Foreign Style Stout, today with a party from 5 to 9 p.m. in its original Lee Hill taproom. Made with roasted barley, chocolate malts and Irish ale yeast, the 6.9 percent ABV beer, sold in twelve-ounce six-packs, will be available in liquor stores starting this week as well.

Thursday, December 19

Nope. It's still not winter, somehow. But it will be here soon enough, and Stapleton Tap House is counting down the remaining days by tapping a different winter or holiday or barre-aged beer each night until December 21. Tonight's beer is scheduled to be Wynkoop Brewing's Gingerbread Stout, followed by Renegade's Radiator Winter Warmer on Friday and Pike's Peak Brewing's AdAmAn Ale on Saturday. Keep an eye on Stapleton Tap House's Facebook page for the rest and for daily updates because some may disappear faster than others and there may some last-minute adjustments.

The Colorado directors and producers of Crafting A Nation, a recently-made craft-beer documentary, will hold a benefit screening at Oskar Blues Tasty Weasel in Longmont tonight at 7 p.m. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the evening with benefit the CAN'D Aid Foundation, which Oskar Blues created to help support flood relief efforts in Boulder County and elsewhere in Colorado. Tickets are $10.

Friday, December 20

World of Beer in Belmar will tap a firkin of Odell Brewing Myrcenary, the brewery's double IPA, tonight at 6 p.m. that has been infused with fruit.

Saturday, December 21

Hops & Pie will host the Littlest Big Christmas Beer Fest today starting at noon and featuring more than fifteen jolly big holiday brews from the likes of Port Brewing, Boulevard, Crooked Stave, Prairie Artisan Ales, Lost Abbey, Evil Twin, Upslope, the Bruery, Alesmith, Dry Dock and Diebolt, among others.

Sunday, December 22

TRVE Brewing will release its latest bottled beer this afternoon at 1:30. Manannan is a sour brown ale that has been fermented in whiskey barrels with two strains of brettanomyces yeast and soured with lactobacillus. TRVE describes it thusly: "Dark fruit, citrus, and a slight whiskey flavor, with a perfectly balanced acidity."

Monday, December 23

Barrels & Bottles Brewery in Golden presents its 1st Annual Festivus for the Rest of Us Beer & Wine Dinner tonight at 5 p.m. The evening includes: Feats of Strength, presented by Crazy Mountain Brewery; a Traditional Festivus Family Style Dinner paired with beer and wine; a Festivus Pole; Airing of Grievances; a Festivus Miracle, and more. Tickets are $28; call the brewery for information and to purchase at 720-328-3643.

For more events later in December, turn the page. Tuesday, December 31

As it does every year, Renegade Brewing will pour its Black Gold tonight for New Year's Eve. The beer is a an Imperial Peanut Butter Cup Stout. Yes, yes it is.

The Rackhouse Pub is celebrating New Year's Eve with a giant tap takeover by Avery Brewing. Beers include the Boulder brewery's standard lineup, along with its various specialties, including the Dictator series, the Demons and the Holy Trinity series. In addition, there will lots of special stuff, including 4.2 Pale Ale, Double Dry-Hopped Dugana IPA, Lilikoi Kepolo, Chai Ellie's Brown, Tweak, Liebenweizen and Boulder Weiss.

Left Hand Brewing is taking over the taps at Ale House at Amato's for New Year's Eve tonight, starting at 5 p.m. Available beers include: 2013 Pro Am Schwarzbier, Oktoberfest, Dunkel Weiss, Deep Cover Brown Ale, Jackman's Pale Ale, Motherlode Golden Ale, Munich Dark Crystal Lager, Fade to Black Volume 4, Milk Stout Nitro and Widdershins Barleywine, which will be served with a toast at midnight.

Wednesday, January 1

The Yak & Yeti will be open today from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and will have a couple of newish beers on tap, including Sherpa Porter, a 5.4 percent traditional English porter; Peppermint Porter, which is a a version of the Sherpa that has been infused with organic tea-cut peppermint leaves, and Musee des Beer Arts, a Bordeaux barrel-aged Belgian blonde.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Upslope Brewing's Fan Firkin Friday will feature a Milk Stout with vanilla beans, cocoa nibs and cinnamon, an idea sent via Facebook by Upslope fan John Daniel Gibson. The firkin will be tapped at Upslope's Lee Hill tap room at 2 pm.

Saturday, January 4

Odell Brewing will celebrate the release of Runoff Red IPA today and tomorrow in the brewery's Fort Collins tap room. Guests can enjoy samples of the beer, special food truck fare, as well as live music by the Waido Experience on Sunday from from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. The beer, which used to simply be called Odell Red, will be available in six-packs in liquor stores. The name was changed to better reflect the beer's hoppy character.


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