Ten Tastiest Events on the Culinary Calendar, July 31-August 2

This weekend the culinary calendar is soaked in suds. From Colorado Springs to Keystone to Denver's Sculpture Park, beer fests are popping up all over Colorado — and popping tops on some great beers. There are also a few more family-friendly events around town, too. Keep reading for all the tasty details.

Friday, July 31

Take in the views from Cherokee Castle & Ranch while enjoying a $45 gourmet lunch on the Terrace at noon today. The meal will be followed by a mini-tour of the castle at 1 p.m.; make reservations here.  

Saturday, August 1 

The Governor's Cup Wine Tasting will showcase the winning wines of the the 2015 Governor’s Cup Wine Competition, the only statewide wine-making competition exclusively for Colorado wines. The wines will be paired with small plates cooked up by local chefs from local ingredients.The event takes place from 7:30 to 10 p.m at the History Colorado Center. Tickets are $75, or $60 for History Colorado members; get yours at coloradowine.com.

Marczyk Fine Foods on Colfax is celebrating its fourth year of business with a New England-style clam bake today. From 3 to 7 p.m. the store will be serving up seafood dinners complete with a 1 pound lobster, clams, local corn and potatoes, for $34.99. You can reserve your dinner and time on the Marczyk website.

Sesh Fest is taking over Sculpture Park today at noon. With an ABV below 5 percent, session beers have all the flavor of regular beer but are much more suited to the all-day drinking that summer often throws our way. Sesh Fest will feature session beers from over 25 breweries, art, food, lawn games,and music. You can sesh all the beers you can handle for $25, or $35 at the gate—if tickets are still available. Grab your tickets early and learn more here.

Today and tomorrow Keystone will be pickin' and drinkin'. The nineteenth annual Bluegrass and Beer Festival will feature free performances by over a dozen bands, family fun, food, seminars and beer from over thirty breweries. Most of the concerts are free, but drinking is going to cost you. You can get a Beer Glass Pass for $40 in advance or $45 at the gates. You can also make a weekend out of it and enjoy two days of unlimited craft-brew sampling for $75 in advance or $80. For tickets, more information and a complete schedule of events, click here.

The PetSmart in Park Meadows will be the scene for Trucks 4 Pups today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  There will be a variety of food trucks serving up all kinds of culinary treats, as well as music and a few furry friends up for adoption. Ten percent of all food-truck sales will be donated to local dog rescues. For more information, click here.  

Down in Colorado Springs, the Springs Beer Fest will be pouring suds at America the Beautiful Park today from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance; $40 at the gate, and will get you bottomless craft-beer samplings from over 55 breweries. For tickets and more information, click here. 

Sunday, August 2  

The fourth annual Jack's Benevolent Bash, a “neighborhood hoedown” featuring guest chefs and brewers from across the country to benefit the Autism Society of Boulder County and the Jack Ferrigno Send a Kid to Camp Grant, will take place today at the Koenig Alumni Center at CU Boulder from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets to the event are $100 and can be purchased here.  

Get a Taste of Ethiopia today at Parkfield Lake Park from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Congressman Mike Coffman will be the keynote speaker, with Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock and Colorado State Representative Janet Thomas Buckner also speaking at this cultural event. The free event will feature food, drinks, live entertainment and more. For details, check out the event's Facebook page.

Today is the first day of National Farmers' Market Week, and this morning you could score some free Chipotle just by dropping by your local market. Old South Pearl Street Farmers’ Market and Highland Farmers’ Market will each have a few hundred $5 vouchers and buy-one-get-one cards for Chipotle available on a first-come, first-served basis. There will also be free chips and salsa samples at each location. 

 For information on dozens of culinary events around town, visit our online Food & Drink listings — and if you have information for a culinary event you'd like included in our online calendar, send it to [email protected].

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