Beer Calendar: American Craft Beer Week Continues at Upslope, Comrade, Wonderland, Many Others

American Craft Beer Week plows forward over the next few days, and while the designation is hardly needed anymore in Colorado, where every week is essentially an American Craft Beer Week, the nationwide festival — which celebrates small and independent brewers — is certainly important in other states. Which is why the Boulder-based Brewers Association, which created the concept, has drawn up an infographic featuring all fifty states, along with some facts about each one. Part of that map is above, but you can find the whole thing on the BA's website. ACBW runs through May 17; you can find many local events below.

Wednesday, May 13
Longmont's Left Hand Brewing is debuting a brand-new, year-round bottled beer today with a party in its taproom. The beer, Introvert IPA, is a session ale, weighing in at 4.8 percent ABV, part of a recent trend toward lower-alcohol IPAs.  "Opinionated and hopped-up, Introvert can easily be misunderstood for having a strong personality. But this artistically complex IPA seeks balance and creative harmony with a ... relaxed pace," the brewery says. "The beer’s brilliant gold color hints at the character inside, revealing a well-versed hop blend of CTZ, Centennial, Cascade, Chinook, Sterling, and Comet. Hop aromas of tropical papaya and kiwi with woodsy pine reveal the balanced honey malt and a clean bitter finish within.... Introvert was developed over the course of six months, testing multiple batches with accounts and fans for feedback, selecting the best hop personalities. Introvert IPA will be a unique complement to Left Hand’s 400 Pound Monkey, offering fans year-round availability of both an American and an English-Style IPA." The beer was tapped when the taproom opened at noon, but the party will start at 5 p.m. with music, games and giveaways. Introvert will be available in six-packs on liquor-store shelves beginning this week.

Former Future and Maria Empanada will hold their third beer and empanada pairing today from 7 to 10 p.m. You get four beers and four empanadas for $12.

This month, Copper Kettle Brewing aged its Naja Imperial Red IPA on a variety of woods to create different flavors for its weekly cask program. Today's is Naja with Hickory spirals.

Wonderland Brewing celebrates its one-year anniversary today by tapping its barrel-aged Anniversary Barley Wine (and takes  $2 off beers all day). There will also be various activities and food trucks for the rest of the week.

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project will release Batch #50, a Grand Cru Wild Ale aged for 22 months in wine barrels, today at 6 p.m. in its taproom at The Source. Batch #50 will be a taproom-only bottle release, with only 100 total cases produced. Anticipated bottle limit will be four bottles per person. Brewed in June 2013, the 6 percent ABV beer is a blend of some of Crooked Stave’s oldest barrels, some of which had Colorado peaches added in late 2013. “Releasing Batch #50 is an opportunity for us to showcase the amazing cellar potential of our beers,” says Crooked Stave owner Chad Yakobson in a statement. “These are some of our original barrels so it is really exciting to see how this beer has changed over 22 months. With extended aging, we start to see a pleasant tannic quality develop as well as sweet vinous notes and rich stone fruit characters.” Batch #50 is the fourth in Crooked Stave’s “Batch” line, which started with the release of Batch #1, Burgundy Sour Ale with Raspberries, at Crooked Stave’s Barrel Cellar in 2011. Since then, the brewery has added Batch #60 Dry Hopped American Wild Ale, Batch #100 Wild Ale with Centennial Kumquats & Dry Hopped with Centennial Hops, and now Batch #50. Crooked Stave will also release Blueberry Petite Sour today at 6 p.m. on tap. The brewery first released this beer to its Cellar Reserve members in 2013 as a small batch experiment. But due to its popularity, it is releasing the beer to the public. 

Thursday, May 14
Joyride Brewing will release the second beer in its Bob Dylan series, Blood on the Tracks India Red Ale, today. "The color is an obvious reference to the name of the album, while the hop additions of Simcoe, Equinox and Mosaic lend a bitterness that mimic the bitter tones that carry through the album," the brewery says. Joyride will begin playing the entire album at 7 p.m and the beer will be on happy hour pricing during that time. 

The BSide will host one of several cocktail mixers tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. that New Belgium Brewing is throwing in conjunction with Girls Pint Out — a national organization that connects beer-loving women. The event, which will include mixing and mingling, will also celebrate the release of New Belgium’s new Pear Ginger beer. There will be crafty mixology, beer samples and food. Pear Ginger is "a zesty, invigorating summer sipper crafted for beer glasses and mixologists’ cocktail shakers," New Belgium says. "Warming, spicy ginger punctuates the lemon, pear and bready white wheat. It starts sweet, but finishes with just the right amount of heat. You can drink it straight, no chaser, or put a new spin on a classic gimlet." The event includes one cocktail made with New Belgium’s Pear Ginger beer, two samples of beer cocktails, samples of other New Belgium beers and appetizers. Tickets are $10.

The Specter makes its return to Comrade Brewing today at noon. This 6.1 percent ABV Belgian-Style Wheat Ale was brewed with wheat, flaked rye and a dose of Curacao orange peel and coriander. It was hopped Sorachi Ace.

In honor of American Craft Beer Week, Dry Dock's original South Dock location in Aurora is tapping tap a specialty handpull beer each day at noon. Today's is Big Ass Double Old Ale, while tomorrow's will be Imperial Stout. In addition, the brewery will host local beer authors Ed Sealover (Mountain Brew) and Dan Rabin (Colorado Breweries), who will be signing copies from 6 to 8 p.m.

Left Hand Brewing, which introduced a brand-new, year-round beer called Introvert Session IPA, will host a bar crawl with its Denver sales team. It starts at Highland Tavern at 5 p.m., proceeds to Highland Tap & Burger at 6:30; Mead St. Station at 8; and West End Tap House at 9:30 p.m. There will be giveaways at each location. Left Hand will host another bar crawl tomorrow in Boulder and a third one in Fort Collins on Saturday.

Crooked Stave will tap its first-ever taproom firkin today at 6 p.m. "This specialty beer, affectionately named, Cuvée de Cobbler, is a Golden Sour aged with Peaches, Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg," the brewery says.

Friday, May 15
Comrade Brewing will tap the fourth beer in its Honeyman experimental series today at noon. Honeyman IV is an American IPA generously hopped with Centennial, Chinook, Mosaic and Galaxy hops. No honey or honey malt in this 5.8 percent beer; the name is simply "a tribute to the manufacturer of the best hand truck in the industry," the brewery says.

To celebrate American Craft Beer Week, Copper Kettle Brewing has teamed up with Tender Belly for a custom bacon-pairing event tonight at 7 p.m. For $25 (excluding tax and tip), you get four gourmet bacons, four craft beer samples and fresh fruit. The pairing takes place inside Copper Kettle's event center next door. This will sell out; get tickets at eventgrid.com/Events/16078.

Crooked Stave will celebrate the spirit of craft beer and camaraderie today by tapping a selection of collaboration beers it has brewed with friends across the United States and abroad. Starting at noon, the brewery will have Between the Staves, a collaboration with Anchorage Brewing; Dialectic Materialism, a collaboration with Denver's Comrade Brewing; Original Sin, a collaboration with Brasserie Trois Dames; and Sin Frontera, a collaboration with Jester King & Brasserie Trois Dames. From 6 to 7:30 p.m., Crooked Stave will host author and vintage beer expert Patrick Dawson for a seminar on cellaring beer and a tasting. "Patrick will discuss the main factors that make certain beers more conducive to aging and will provide tips to creating a proper beer cellar. A tasting component will also be included in the seminar with three vintage Crooked Stave beers. Copies of Vintage Beer will be available for purchase following the seminar," the brewery says. Tickets, $10, are available at eventbrite.com.

Denver Beer Co's Canworks production facility will celebrate ACBW and the release of its Princess Yum Yum Raspberry Kölsch in cans by offering free tours and taster flights from 5 to 7 p.m. today at the Canworks in Sunnyside.

Strange Craft Beer will tap Vanilla Rum Porter today. There will be live music from James & The Devil at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16
Tasters for Life, a beer festival to benefit the cancer fund of Beerporium founder William Carlson, takes place from 1 to 7 p.m. today and will feature beer donated by eleven craft breweries, including Bootstrap Brewing, Breckenridge Brewery, The Brew on Broadway, Elevation Beer Company, Epic Brewing, Former Future Brewing, Grandma's House, Hall Brewing, Pateros Creek, Renegade and Zephyr Brewing. Tickets, $15, get you six hours of tasting and the opportunity to bid on beer merchandise, including growlers, pint glasses, growler fills and more during a raffle/silent auction. Food will be available for purchase inside the festival. In addition to the pouring breweries, merchandise was donated by Baere Brewing, Caution Brewing, Chain Reaction, Equinox Brewing and Kokopelli Beer company. Carlson is the founder of Beerporium, maker of the Brewery Passport and Journal, as well as the author of the craft brewery travel blog Brew Trek. He was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the blood and marrow, in February of this year, "and has been balancing treatment with operation of his business since then. Funds from the benefit will aid his wife Marie and him in paying mounting medical bills," according to festival organizers. The fest takes place at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1555 Grant Street.

Upslope Brewing will host its second annual Upslope Get Down today from 1 to 11 p.m. at its larger Flatiron Park location. The event is a free music festival with eight bands on two stages, and also features plenty of beer and food in the back parking lot. 

A Berliner Weisse Smackdown will take place today at the newly opened Two Penguins Tap & Grill in Centennial. The showdown takes place between the Elk Mountain and Dry Dock breweries, which will each bring their best Berliner Weisse to the table. Two Penguins will be serving four-ounce blind tasters of each brew, $6 for both, and asking customers to rate them.

Grist Brewing will release a limited number of bottles of Virgil's Reserve today at noon at the taproom. "This beer started out as our 3rd Ring Belgian Strong Ale and has been naturally souring in wine barrels for several months," the brewery says.

Caution: Brewing will host its third anniversary party today at Caution East in Denver starting at noon today. There will be a pig roast, live music, cool new beer tappings and more. The brewery will also be selling Pirate Bat in bottles — which is its first bottled release. Very limited numbers will be available for sale at the tap rooms.

Copper Kettle will host a beer and chocolate pairing today at 7 p.m. with four gourmet Hawaiian chocolates from Cacao Girl Chocolates and four craft beer samples. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or in the tap room.

Crooked Stave will host a hangover brunch today at noon featuring two different artisan doughnuts from Acorn restaurant paired with two different tasters of beer. Cost for one doughnut paired with one beer is $6 ($12 for both pairings).

POSTPONED/TBA: Parker-based Hall Brewing will host a membership rally for the Boulder-based American Homebrewers Association (AHA) today from 1 to 4 p.m. The event starts at Hall's tasting room, 10970 South Parker Road, and includes shuttle-bus trips to Hall’s unusual homestead brewery, which is located on seven acres east of Parker and isn't typically open to the public. Attendees will enjoy samplings of the brewery’s beers, educational info on Hall beers and homebrewing and local fare. Admission to the event is free for current members of the AHA. RSVP and get more details here; non-AHA members can attend by joining the AHA.

Odyssey Beerwerks in Arvada will celebrate its second birthday (and its200th batch of beer) today from noon to midnight with a 2nd Anniversary Bash. In addition to the ten beers already on draft, Odyssey will tap some special beers throughout the day, including Cameron's Almost Famous Shandy, a found keg of the Seething Cauldron Stout, Red Wine Barrel Aged Perpetual Darkness Belgian Black, and its first collaboration beer, the ColoRedO (brewed with Strange Craft and Colorado Plus). Three bands will be on hand: Antonio Lopez Band (1:30 p.m.), Some Train Yard (4:30 p.m.) and Jim Jamm Jimmy (7:30). There will also be three food trucks: Bubba Dukes BBQ, Tony Guacamole and Barbed Wire Reef. If the weather is good, there will be an outdoor bar set-up; games like cornhole, ladder golf, etc., and lots of seating. There will also be prize drawings.

Tuesday, May 19
Strange Craft Beer Company celebrates its fifth anniversary today by tapping an oaked version of its Dr. Strangelove barleywine. Wish them a happy birthday and get a free five-ounce taster of your choice (not including Dr. Strangelove). Fourth Dog Floyd will play live music at 6 p.m. There will be an hourly raffle from 5 to 9 p.m.; tickets are available with pint purchase.

Wednesday, May 20
This month, Copper Kettle Brewing aged its Naja Imperial Red IPA on a variety of woods to create different flavors for its weekly cask program. Today's is Naja with cherrywood chips.

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project will will release two beers today at 6 p.m. The first is Colorado WildSage, which will be sold in bottles for the first time; the 7.2 percent ABV beer was brewed with fresh white sage and lemongrass grown in Colorado. Crooked Stave will also tap Nightmare on Brett aged in Red Wine Barrels (draft only). For this batch of the 9.666 percent ABV beer, Crooked Stave aged its dark base beer in a large oak foeder and later in red wine casks for more than twelve months.

Friday, May 22
Four Noses Brewing in Broomfield is celebrating its one-year anniversary over the next four days with a variety of beer tappings, food trucks, music, events and extended hours. Today you'll find Comfort Food and live music from Randy Maez at 6 p.m. Tomorrow is a lobster boil with East Coast Joe's and live music at 3 pm. Go to the brewery's Facebook page for the rest of the schedule. 

Wednesday, May 27
This month, Copper Kettle Brewing aged its Naja Imperial Red IPA on a variety of woods to create different flavors for its weekly cask program. Today's is Naja with sassafras chips.

Friday, May 29
Odell Brewing will kick off a three-day party in its taproom today to celebrate a new beer called Barrel Thief. The 9.4 percent ABV Imperial IPA "was stolen from the brew house and stashed away in medium-toast, new American oak barrels. The brew features a notorious tropical fruit hop character that tangles with hints of vanilla, dried fruit, and toasted nut from its time served in the barrel," the brewery says. Odell will have it on tap and will be selling it in 750 ml bottles in liquor stores.

Saturday, May 30
Oskar Blues brings back Burning Can for the fourth consecutive summer in Bohn Park in Lyons, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., featuring canned beers from more than fifty breweries around the country, along with a host of outdoor activities and the chance to watch world-class athletes compete in professional kayaking, dirt jumping and slacklining. There will also be a kid's climbing wall, live music from The Revivalists, dancing and food. New this year is the Beer Relay, a trail-running and beer-drinking event in which you can take turns with your friends to run a 5K. "You get two minutes taken off each lap time if you drink a 12-ounce Oskar Blues beer before you start," the brewery says. Tickets range from $45 to $100. Find them at eventbrite.com.


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