The brewery signed a ten-year lease on the space and plans to hire 120 people there. “We’ve been working diligently over the past twenty years to evolve and perfect our concept – and now we’re ready to bring the Grill and Brew’s signature blend of Southern-inspired Creole and Cajun dishes and entertainment to Denver,” says Jason Rogers of Oskar Blues Fooderies. "It mirrors the Lyons and Colorado Springs locations while adding a signature Denver flair. We wanted to deliver something special that LoDo could call its own."
Keep reading below for the best local craft-beer events and tappings through November 4.
Wednesday, October 25
Copper Kettle Brewing ends Pumpkin Firkin Month with a heavy hitter: a 12.8 percent ABV, bourbon barrel-aged, oatmeal stout enhanced with pure pumpkin flavor. Pumpkin Snowed In is "a robust, velvety stout that pairs well with fireplaces, good conversation and comfy sweaters," the brewery says. This beer will be served on tap only, in twelve-ounce pours.
Platt Park Brewing taps a collaboration beer made with Kaladi Brothers Coffee as part of its 11th Tap Project. The beer is Platt Park's Vanilla Cream Ale with dark-roast coffee extract. "It's sweet, creamy, and has a bitter pop to it," the brewery notes.
Falling Rock Tap House
Falling Rock Tap House is holding an event at 5:30 p.m. called Kill the Cancer, during which it will tap Heather's Ale, which was brewed by Strange Craft to support the American Cancer Society. Falling Rock will also tap Orange Creamsicle by Barrels & Bottles Brewery to support the National Kidney Foundation, Pink Peppercorn Saison by Chain Reaction Brewing for Wings of Hope, and Petal to the Metal by Black Sky Brewery for Sense of Security, to name a few. The organizations will be on site, and there will be a bonus for the keg that blows first.
The Denver Press Club continues its beer-and-media series at 6:30 p.m. when Denver Post reporter John Frank runs through the history of IPAs and talks about a few of his favorites. Those same beers will also be available to drink; the event is $15 for non-Press Club Members to taste all five and $12 for members. The beers are: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA; New Image East Coast Transplant; New Holland Mad Hatter; Bear Republic Racer 5; and Full Sale 8 Pound Ale.
Freshcraft welcomes Minnesota's Surly Brewing to Colorado with a launch party starting at 7 p.m. The maker of Todd the Axe Man IPA and other beers has made occasional beer drops in Colorado in the past, especially around GABF, but Surly is now trying to make a go of it full-time. Freshcraft is tapping Hell, Furious and Xtra Citra; it also promises "some fun surprises from the Surly cellar for your enjoyment."
Comrade Brewing and Cacao Chemistry host a chocolate-and-beer pairing at 7 p.m. with four four-ounce beers and four chocolates. The pairings are Koffee Kream Extra and milk-chocolate hazelnut; Yellow Fever and Firework milk chocolate with chipotle; Imperial Christman and raspberry dark chocolate; and Barrel Aged Quit Stalin Russian Imperial Stout and whiskey cherry cordial truffles. Tickets are $16 and are available here.
Friday, October 27
Cerebral Brewing recently teamed up with two other breweries that were in town during the Great American Beer Festival for two separate collaborations, both of which will be available on draft and in a limited number of cans starting at noon. The first beer is Should've Brought a Jacket Session IPA, which Cerebral made with Mumford Brewing, "brewed with just under 50 percent oats and a touch of Colorado wheat and then hopped at five pounds per barrel of Enigma, Vic Secret and Motueka," the brewery says. The second beer is Natural Order Double IPA, made with Finback Brewing. This 8.2 percent ABV beer was hopped with Citra Lupulin pellets and Amarillo in the whirlpool and then Denali, Amarillo and Citra in the dry hop. And finally, Cerebral will also sell its first cans of Rare Trait, the brewery's flagship IPA.
Something Brewery in Brighton will host a special Crowler release at 3 p.m. of Cookie Monster, an Oreo vanilla milk stout. The beer will be on tap, but get there early. The release is part of the brewery's Halloween bash, which also includes candy on all the tables and bar, a DJ, a costume contest, a food truck, and other seasonal beers, like caramel covered pretzel oatmeal stout, pumpkin porter and more.
Free beer alert! To celebrate its GABF gold medal, Boulder's Finkel & Garf Brewing is treating customers to one free pint of the award-winning Oatmeal Milk Stout, with a limit of one per customer.
Wiley Roots Brewing in Greeley, which won a medal at the Great American Beer Festival earlier this month, recently bought a canning line and has been putting it to work. The brewery will release three different cans over the course of the weekend: Double Dry Hopped 1320, a 6.5 percent ABV New England Style IPA; Cinnamonstah, a 10.2 percent ABV Imperial Stout with cinnamon; and Mail Order Mule, a 4.6 percent ABV American sour ale with key limes and ginger.
Saturday, October 28
Get over to Bellwether, the coffee and beer bar on East Colfax Avenue, for a tap takeover featuring all seven herb and spice beers from Makin' Noise: A Pussy Riot Beer, volume four. The project was begun to help raise money for progressive charities and causes that are particularly threatened in the current political climate. A portion of the proceeds from the beers sold at Bellwether will go to New Era Colorado, which helps teach young people how to get into politics and activism. The beers on tap are: 3 Freaks Gingerbread Cookie Kolsch; Comrade Yellow Fever with Lime; Wood's Boss Ginger Rye Amber; Cerberus Witbier with Valencia orange peel, star anise and grains of paradise; Goldspot Cinnamon Vanilla Milk Stout; Westbound & Down Porter with coffee from Huckleberry Roasters; and Caution Meyer Lemon Wit. The event is also a costume party, and Bellwether will be giving out free beer and other rewards to people in the best costumes.
The Intrepid Sojourner taps Rum Barrel-Aged Imperial Turkish Coffee Stout. "Brewed using local malt, yeast, and spices, the 11.6 percent imperial version of our fan-favorite Turkish Coffee Stout is brewed not only with the sweet orange peel and cardamon evocative of Turkish coffee on the Arabian peninsula but also with blade mace and cubeb pepper," the brewery says. It was then aged in a spiced rum barrel from Breckenridge Distillery.
Ursula Brewery goes old-school at noon when it brings back bottles of Imperial Crustless, a stronger, more peanut-butter-and-jelly-flavored version of its regular Crustless PB&J Porter — along with with some draft-only variants. The beer "starts with that big raspberry and nutty nose, and the flavor does more of the same but adds that toasty, roasty, bready porter that makes this beer so special to us all," Ursula says. "We came in less sweet [than] last year, but we like the balance it creates between the peanut butter and the raspberry." The 22-ounce bottles are $16 each (with a limit of two per person). As for the variants, there is Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam Imperial Crustless; Peanut Butter and Orange Marmalade Imperial Crustless; Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam Imperial Crustless; and Almond Butter and Raspberry Jam Imperial Crustless. The brewery will offer the variants as four-ounce flights and ten-ounce draft pours only. There is only one keg of each.
Join Copper Kettle Brewing as it celebrates National Chocolate Day from 3 to 5 p.m. with a four-course beer-and-chocolate pairing and the tapping of Orange Mexican Chocolate Stout, which was made with fresh-squeezed orange juice and zest. Head brewer Phil Natalie will present each beer and walk participants through the flavors and how they were chosen for each chocolate. The chocolates are provided by Cacao Chemistry, and the pairings are: Citrus Paradisi with candied milk-chocolate orange peel; Black Currant Milk Stout with cabernet caramel truffle; Coconut Snowed In with extra-dark bark; and Orange Mexican Chocolate Stout with Firework bark. Tickets, $15, are limited to the first forty and are available at eventgrid.com.
"Plan your Halloween pre-game around the 3rd Annual Tennyson Street Fall Rumpus & Fundraiser," says Call to Arms Brewing, which will host the fiesta from noon to 9 p.m. The family-friendly event includes the Confection Collection doughnut pop-up for kids and adults; Morgan Handmade Rations, showcasing locally made potato chips; J Street Food Truck; Mas Kaos Pizzeria + Taqueria; music from Midnight Shakedown from 4 to 7 p.m.; bags of candy for the little ones; and lots of beer. No tickets are needed. The Rumpus serves as a fundraiser for Drink for Pink, a breast-cancer awareness group.
Great Divide Brewing releases Oak Aged IPA at noon in both taprooms. The beer is part of the brewery's Local Knowledge series of one-off bottled beers. "With piney hops up front and a moderately high bitterness, the addition of oak chips rounds out the beer with a smooth finish and added depth of flavor," Great Divide says. Local Knowledge is Great Divide's limited pilot series; the beers are only available on draft and in six-packs.
Epic Brewing hosts an Intergalactic Kegger at 8 p.m. "Wear your best black-light attire, because the night is gonna glow and the beer is gonna flow," the brewery says. There will be black lights and glowing decor to set the mood, DJ Digg spinning tracks, and beer on 25 taps plus two special firkins (served in glowing solo cups).
Gravity Brewing in Louisville holds its second annual Tsar Bomba Day, starting at noon, when it will release its
Tsar Bomba Russian Imperial Stout. Limited quantities of Barrel Aged Tsar Bomba will be available as well on draft and in 750-ml bottles. There will be live music at 7 p.m. by the Hunter Hamilton Group and a Halloween costume contest with prizes at 8 p.m. Gastronauts at Gravity Brewing will have food.
Odd13 Brewing will release cans of Seventh Son of a Thirteenth Son, which the Lafayette brewery made in collaboration with Seventh Son Brewing out of Columbus, Ohio. This super-hazy New England-style double IPA is hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Denali and Galaxy; cans will only be sold in the taproom. "We are super-excited about this beer, and it's been tasting fantastic out of the fermenter," Odd13 says. It is $12 per four-pack.
Thursday, November 2
The Post Brewing Company will host a grand opening for its second brewery location — this one in the former home of Shine Brewing in Boulder — tonight; the beer-and-chicken joint, which mirrors the company's original location in Lafayette will be open seven days a week. "The full-fledged brewery will be run by lead brewer Nick Tedeschi, who worked side-by-side with founding brewmaster Bryan Selders from day one, and food will be at the hands of chef/owner Brett Smith," the Post says. "Guests will enjoy The Post’s signature fried chicken, roasted chicken, huge from-the-farm salads and veggie sides, lodge favorites like pot roast and chicken pot pie, and homemade, classic American desserts. Not to mention medal-winning beers like Howdy Beer, Top Rope Mexican Lager and Achtertuin Seizoen, as well as a rotating line-up of other Post classics and seasonals."
Friday, November 3
Following the success of July’s Bastille Day saison fest and September's Oktoberfest, The Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project will keep the holiday theme rolling by co-hosting a Día de los Muertos party with its neighbors, Museo de las Americas, 861 Santa Fe Drive, in conjunction with the First Friday gallery walk. The brewery will tap Horchata Milk Stout and Mango Habanero Pilsner and will have guest taps of Mexican-inspired beers from local breweries. A food truck and the band The Sweet Muffs & Co. will round out the festivities.
Copper Kettle hosts its annual release of Well Bred bourbon-barrel-aged barleywine starting at 2 p.m. "The 2017 version is...a sweet, creamy barleywine with fragrant notes of vanilla, cherry, and bourbon. In summary: It's an insanely delicious, plush addition to any cellar," the brewery says. It will be offered on tap and in bombers.
Saturday, November 4
Join Fiction Beer Company for its Descent Into Darkness and mac ’n' cheese cookoff, beginning at 5 p.m. "To celebrate (or cope with) the coming of darkness, we are tapping ten of our dark beers simultaneously," the brewery says about the impending clock change. The beer list includes: Barrel Aged Feely Effects, Barrel Aged Malice and Darkness, Malice and DarknessFeely Effects, Wintry Emblem (2016), Ye Who Enter Here, This Is Not an Exit, Alternate Present (2016 GABF medal Winner), Paperback Writer and Deep Roots. There will also be a very limited number of 2015 Wintry Emblem bomber bottles for purchase. As for the mac ’n' cheese contest, "cook your best darn homemade mac ’n' cheese recipe to be judged and shared with the taproom," where official judges will be on site "meting out badges of glory," Fiction says. Eventbrite registration is encouraged for mac ’n' cheese cookoff participants.
The Colorado Beer and Pickle Society will convene for its Fall Gathering at 6 p.m. at Spangalang Brewery. The Real Dill will bring Pickled Green Tomatoes and the "truly inspired" Pumpkin Spiced Latte Spiced Pickled Pumpkin, while Spangalang will tap "a first ever offering of Fernetwalker, an imperial stout spiced with Amaro botanicals," the CBPS says. Brewed Food will also be in attendance with some of their amazing Sauerkraut, and ZIVIX Five Points will be serving up freshly baked bread and whipped butter.
Bierstadt Lagerhaus will release its seasonal Dopplebock at 2 p.m. at the Rackhouse Pub. There will be music by the Rhinelanders, hammerschlagen, classic German grub, and Crowlers to go.
Outer Range Brewing is bringing four beers down from its home base in Frisco and putting them on tap at 6 p.m. at Congress Park taproom as part of the bar's series of occasional tap takeovers.
