There may be snow in the forecast, but there are plenty of heart-warming events.From the Denver Beer Festivus to holiday markets and festivals, here are ten tasty reasons to brave the weather this weekend. Keep reading for all the delicious details.
Friday, December 11
The Denver Pavilions Holiday Carousel opens today, and will be spinning guests coming off the16th Street Mall through December 23. Rides are normally $3, but the Pavilions has teamed up with the Food Bank of the Rockies on the “A Can for the Carousel” campaign, so you can donate a can of food for a free ride. Guests who shop, dine, drink or play at any Denver Pavilions shop will also receive a free ride. The carousel will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. starting today. For more information, visit denverpavilions.com.
Spangalang Brewery is hosting a soiree to celebrate the release of three new beers at 5:30 p.m. today. The brewery will be tapping an English Dark Mild Ale, a Cranberry Session and a firkin of the Mild ale. There will also be a DJ set from Arturo Gomez, the music director for Denver's KUVO jazz radio station. For more information, check out Spangalang's Facebook Page.
Ever wonder what wines will pair nicely with your holiday meal? If you want to take your holiday cooking game to the next level, head to The Seasoned Chef Cooking School today for a class in wine tasting and pairing, specially crafted for the holiday season. Students will cook up roast turkey with sage stuffing, roast beef, glazed ham, mashed potatoes and scalloped sweet potatoes; while they enjoy the fruits of their labor, they'll sip from selection of wines picked to complement the meal. The class is $69 per person and will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.; register and learn more here.
If the Hammond's fifteenth annual Candy Cane Festival doesn't get you in the holiday spirit, nothing will. The sugary festival will feature games, crafts, trolley rides, cookie decorating, mini factory tours, bouncy houses, photo ops with Santa and more. You can join in on the fun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow, at the Hammond's Candies Factory. Get all the details at hammondscandies.com.
Saturday, December 12
The final installment of Green Russell's Winter Whiskey Series takes place today from 2 to 4 p.m. Guests will have the opportunity to learn the history and origin of various whiskeys, along with whiskey cocktail recipes; the course is $75 per person. Call the bar at 303-893-6505 for more information.
The holiday #sourcepopup market kicks off a weekend of gift-shopping with local artisan vendors like Fancy Tiger, Craft Boner, Hygge Life, Doozie Jewelry, Sweet Jayne’s Pies and more. You can search for the perfect gifts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and tomorrow at The Source. For more information, visit thesourcedenver.com.
Spangalang Brewery will be partnering with Brewhouse Yoga for Breathe, Bend & Brew – an all-levels yoga session and happy hour that will take place in the tap room every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The session is $15 per person, and includes the yoga class and a beer. For more information, check out the Brewhouse Yoga Facebook page.
Ratio Beerworks is releasing Genius Wizard, a Russian imperial stout, in the only way a beer should be released: with a big party. The release party starts at noon and will feature not only this year's Genius beer, but also last year's vintage that has been aged in whiskey barrels over the past eleven months. The barrel-aged version will be sold in 375ml bottles as part of Ratio’s artisan bottle series. To complement all those beers, the party will be rocking to the sounds of local bands Abrams and Muscle Beach. For more information, click here.
Author Judy Purcell will be at the Venice Olive Oil Company, 5214 North Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs, to sign copies of her new book and to share samples of a few of her recipes. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. you can buy autographed copies of Serve and Savor while enjoying bites cooked from recipes out of the book. For more information, click here.
Sunday, December 13
The beer festivus for the rest of us is back. The Denver Beer Festivus soars into the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum today from 2 to 5:30 p.m., with nearly fifty Denver breweries pouring pure gold, the Broncos game, plenty of food and more. General admission tickets are $40, while VIP access, which includes a T-shirt, one food ticket, a special glass and early admission at 1 p.m., is $65. There is also a $10 round-trip shuttle package so you can get there and, more important, home safe. Get your tickets squared away at denverbeerfestivus.com.
For more Food & Drink events, go to our online calendar. If you know of an event that should be included in that calendar, send information to [email protected].