Beer Calendar: Marzen Lagers, Pineapple Ales and the Parker Brewfest

WeldWerks Brewing plans to begin renovations in early September on its second location, west of downtown Colorado Springs. The Greeley brewery's new spot, at 3043 West Pikes Peak Avenue, is the former site of the Dive diner. “Anyone who has seen the Dive understands that it will be a full rehab, but we will be basically keeping the same structure with new skin,” says WeldWerks CEO Colin Jones. “We came up with some pretty out-there designs, but ultimately, we elected to retain as much of the original structure as possible.”

The soon-to-be-named 1,300-square-foot facility will include an outdoor beer garden and a second-story "treehouse-inspired patio" with sweeping views, the brewery says. Much of the historic building, which was built in the 1900s, will retain the cozy and funky character of Old Colorado City with a WeldWerks flair.

There will also be a dog-friendly outdoor area, lawn games, fire pits and patio heaters. Weldwerks is planning for a grand opening sometime in October.

Keep reading to see craft-beer events into early September.

Thursday, August 15
Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery taps its newest beer, Hawaiian Shake, a "black New England IPA" brewed with Citra, El Dorado and Bravo hops and finished with pineapple juice and toasted coconut.

The Co-Brew home-brew shop and brewery will release a very small quantity of its Meyer Lemon Gose (a tart wheat beer) in four-packs of cans. Co-Brew opens at 10 a.m.

Friday, August 16
Little Machine Beer Company taps the "unfiltered" Concrete Paradise Pineapple IPA, a 6.1 percent ABV with Mosaic, El Dorado and Galaxy hops and with pineapple added to the fermentation.

Ratio Beerworks taps Stay Gold, its crisp, malty, easy-drinking Oktoberfest Märzen-style beer. The annual release exhibits "biscuit-y, malt-forward notes and an extremely refreshing quenchable finish," the brewery says. Brewed with a blend of Pilsner, Munich and Vienna malts, it is fermented with a German lager strain for a crisp and clean finish, while showcasing German Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hops.

Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project releases Whiskey Barrel-Aged Quad. "Rich and malt-forward with notes of caramel and dark fruit," the beer is "complemented by an alcohol warmth from the whiskey barrel. Only one barrel of beer is available, so get it before it’s gone," the brewery says.

Cerebral Brewing releases two beers in cans at noon. Pineapple Stuff Milkshake Double IPA is a 7.6 percent ABV beer hopped with Idaho 7, Citra and Denali, and with added pineapple, lactose and vanilla. Scam Likely: Idaho 7 is the brewery's 8 percent ABV double IPA hopped exclusively with Idaho 7 hops.

Liquid Mechanics Brewing will "light up" Lafayette by throwing a two-day anniversary party with more than twenty beers on tap, three new packaged beer releases and nine live bands. The parking lot party will also include gourmet eats, games, free caricatures and live music. The beer releases are Humulanova Double NEIPA, Rally Round the Family (a bourbon-barrel-aged barleywine), and Pocket Full of Shells (a bourbon-barrel-aged barleywine with coconut and vanilla). For details, go to the brewery's Facebook page.

Saturday, August 17
Join Our Mutual Friend Brewing at noon for the release of Contacto Orange Roussanne Wild Ale, a beer that was inspired by "low-intervention 'orange' wines," the brewery says. "This mixed-culture beer is a blend of many different years of wild and spontaneous beers pulled from oak wine casks and re-fermented on roussanne grape must for three months. The name Contacto refers to the method of winemaking in which the grape skins are not separated from the juice during fermentation, typically resulting in a slightly rusty orange hue. With a balanced acidity and complex flavors and aromas, the beer showcases characteristics of oak and light wine grape subtleties." Contacto will be available for $20 per 750ml bottle as well as on draft.

Parker Brewfest returns to O'Brien Park from 2 to 5 p.m. for its fourth year as the town's biggest craft-beer festival. More than forty breweries and cideries will participate. The fest is a fundraiser for the Cherry Creek Valley Rotary Club of Parker. Tickets are $45 to $60.

12 Degree Brewing in Louisville celebrates its sixth anniversary with a series of special tappings, tasty food, giveaways and other fun starting at noon.

Friday, August 23
Little Machine Beer Company taps Son of the Guava Kettle Sour, a 5.5 percent ABV tart beer with guava added to the fermentation (and brewed for GABF). DJ Ill Evans will be spinning vinyl from 7 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, August 24
Prost Brewing celebrates seven years in business with a party featuring the tapping of an anniversary beer, food from Areyto Puerto Rican, anniversary merchandise, music and entertainment.

Hop-O-Tronic Lupulositor (yes, that's a beer) returns to River North Brewery — at both locations — on draft and in canned six-packs to go. This hazy double IPA features Galaxy, Mosaic and Citra hops.

Another round of summer beers will go on tap at Alpine Dog Brewing. They include an oak-fermented and aged mixed-culture Sour Golden Ale, Summer in the City French Saison and Chardonnay Barrel Aged Ski Naked Saison. There will be live music and food from Peyote Mexican Food Truck.

Colorado Springs saison specialist Trinity Brewing is celebrating eleven years of "bringing people together for great beer and food" with a birthday party featuring three beer releases: Triple Dry Hop 11th Anniversary IPA, Honey Sour and Red Swingline. The brewery will raffle off original cellar bottles, merchandise and red Swingline staplers (starting at 5 p.m.). There will also be other deals and fun.

Sunday, August 25
Black Sky Brewery will tap Ale Satan, a coffee honey brown ale that was brewed in support of the Satanic Temple Colorado, an organization with a complex set of beliefs that boil down to this: "to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense and justice, and be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits guided by the individual will." Counter-ntuitive? Maybe. You'll have to Google it like we did and make up your own mind. A portion of the proceeds from each pint of Ale Satan sold at the release, which lasts from 1 to 8 p.m., will be donated to the Satanic Temple to help fund its upcoming projects.

It's another Hazy Sunday at River North Brewery's Washington Street location. This month's variation of the brewery's flagship Mountain Haze IPA features versions with two different hops.

Wednesday, August 28
Chef and Brew, a food and beer tasting and competition that stands out as one of Denver's best, returns to Exdo  Event Center with more than thirty dishes from local chefs and around forty beers. Judges will pick a winner while attendees will choose a fan favorite. Tickets, $50 to $70, are at chefandbrew.com.

Friday, August 30
Here we go: It's Oktoberfest season, and Little Machine Beer Company is tapping Marzen Attacks Festbier, a 5.8 percent ABV German-style Marzen.

Ratio Beerworks brings back the King of Carrot Flowers, a carrot juice and elderflower saison at 5 p.m. First introduced in celebration of EatDenver's 2017 Harvest Week, King of Carrot Flowers "bursts forth in an illuminated, ripe cantaloupe orange hue, while exhibiting subtle fruit-forward citrus notes and nuances of pear, honey, coriander and vanilla," the brewery says. "This vibrant, expressive, dry saison showcases the versatility that can occur between beer and food."

Saturday, August 31
Station 26 Brewing brings back its third annual Phish Dicks weekend in honor of the band being in town. The brewery will tap You'll Never Get Out of This Haze, a Vermont-style hazy pale ale, in four-packs of specially designed sixteen-ounce cans. Rastasaurus will play from 1 to 4 p.m., and Basic Kneads will serve pizza. Then on Sunday, Bottlerocket Hurricane will play music while the G Wagon Denver will have food.

Friday, September 6
Tivoli Brewing celebrates its sixth anniversary from 5 to 10 p.m. with a party featuring live music from Velvet Compass and Guerrilla Fanfare, Oktoberfest stein-holding contests, Gelande Quaffing and other beer games, Tivoli beers on the quad and other fun. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.