Beer Calendar: Get Fruity With Guava, Blood Orange, Coconut and Pineapple Brews

Wanna catch a buzz? There are now 309 active brewing licenses in this state, according to the latest study released by the Colorado Brewers Guild. Although some are owned by breweries that haven’t opened yet, the numbers represent an incredibly robust scene. Add to that the fact that in 2014, breweries and brewpubs employed 6,021 people in their brewing and restaurant operations, up from 5,268 a year earlier, and you can see why craft brewing is so important to Colorado.

The study, done by the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder, also asked breweries about future growth. Most said they are planning to grow by at least 20 percent in 2015 and by 56 percent in 2016; the top two factors that could limit that growth are the cost of equipment and new employees, the breweries said. Those were followed by “cumbersome regulations”; the cost of commodities like hops, barley and fuel; increased competition; and a lack of market access. Factors that could help growth included increased market access, lower taxes, better distribution channels, access to financing, and decreased regulation.

Wednesday, August 19
Wanna get a sneak peak of Upslope's new Blood Orange Saison before it hits shelves? Head over to Hops & Pie today at 5 p.m. for a taste of the new beer, which was originally created as a collaboration between the brewery and the beer-centered pizza purveyor. “The original concept for the beer was through a collaboration with our friends Drew and Leah Watson, proprietors of Hops & Pie in Denver," the brewery says. "Over the past year, we brewed a number of experimental saisons, but found ourselves looking back at this tap-room classic for inspiration."

Crooked Stave will complete its 2015 line of Petite Sours with the release of Petite Sour Pure Guava tonight at 6 p.m. The brewery first released Petite Sour Pure Guava in May 2011 in large-format 750 ml bottles; it was the first bottled beer to be commercially available from the brewery. “The original Pure Guava was a funky beer which has shaped the face of brewing for many brewers across the U.S.,” said Crooked Stave owner Chad Yakobson in a statement. “We decided to revisit this beer, using our current Petite Sour recipe, but instead of adding lacto to the wort pre-yeast, we used our house sour mixed culture to do 100 percent of the fermentation. The result is a much more complex Petite Sour with strong notes of tropical fruit and a pleasing tartness.” The brewery will also will release HopSavant Falconer’s Flight tonight, the fifth recent release of Brettanomyces IPA.

Factotum Brewhouse will celebrate its six-month anniversary today, starting when it opens at 4 p.m., by raising money for charity and giving people a chance to win free beer. They will have a shoe full of playing cards stacked with sixes. Draw a six and your full pour is on the house. Draw a joker and you have to contribute $1 to the charity pot. All contribution monies will go to support Feed Denver, which is located in the Sunnyside neighborhood, along with Factotum.

Prost Brewing is in the midst of a weeklong celebration of its three-year anniversary. "Enjoy a full week of fun, great Bier, good food and old friends," the brewery says. Call the brewery for details.

Thursday, August 20
Upslope Brewing will release a new limited-edition canned beer today from 5 to 9 p.m. in conjunction with the Reel Rock Film Tour. The beer, a Session IPA, was made to commemorate the film tour's tenth anniversary and celebrate rock climbing and "vertical adventure" in general. The party takes place at Upslope's large Flatiron Park location in Boulder. The beer will be on tap and available in 19.2-ounce cans to go ($6 each). LuLu's BBQ will be on site serving up delicious barbecue.

The Denver Bicycle Cafe will host a beer-and-cheese pairing featuring gourmet cheeses handpicked to match a selection of four beers from Denver Beer Co. For $20, you can try four five-ounce pours and four different Whole Foods gourmet cheeses while discussing and learning from DBC's cheese expert, Nate Cougill. Tickets can be purchased online here.

World of Beer in LoDo will host a Lagunitas Brewing tap takeover today starting at 11 a.m., with a specialty tapping of the High West and Firkin at 4:20 p.m. Other beers available include Imperial Wheat Wine, Rye Cocoa Imperial Porter, High West Imperial Coffee Stout, Citrussenensis, Hop Stoopid and a special dry-hopped firkin of Sucks.

Friday, August 21
The Pint Room in Littleton and Comrade Brewing have teamed up to host a fundraiser to help support the communities affected by the Gold King Mine spill into the Animas River. Animas River Relief Night at the Pint Room will benefit the Mountain Studies Institute, San Juan Citizens Alliance and the Navajo United Way. It runs from 6 p.m. to close today at the Pint Room, with a silent auction that starts at 7 p.m. So far, participating breweries include Comrade, Caution, Station 26, Coda, Fate, Platt Park, Declaration, City Star, Epic, Copper Kettle, Butcherknife and Crazy Mountain. Businesses that donated items for the silent auction include World of Beer Cherry Creek, Peak to Peak Taproom, Cannonball Brewing, Mercantile Dining & Provision, Lucky Pie LoDo, To the Wind Bistro, Old Chicago Colorado Blvd, Falling Rock Tap House, Homegrown Tap & Dough, Hops & Pie and Never Summer Industries.

Oskar Blues will hold an official release party at 2 p.m. today in the Tasty Weasel tap room for its brand-new beer, IPA, which is made with four kinds of Australian hops. The beer will be a year-round offering, available in cans. There will be live music from Interstate Stash Express, food from Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids and Solids, "and some good ol' ColoRADo outdoor activities like a rock wall and zipline," the brewery says. 

Jensen Cummings of Brewed Food will head to Spangalang Brewery from 4 to 7 p.m. to showcase his food-and-beer pairings. "The process of working with a chef like Jensen has been both unique and exciting," the brewery says. "He's using ingredients we use in the brewing process for his dishes, like our saison yeast and centennial hops. His approach of pairing our beers and utilizing our ingredients in an elevated BBQ dish is exactly the kind of inspiration that we at Spangalang thrive on." There will be Hop Ash Ribs with fermented-honey baked beans and candi sugar BBQ sauce paired with Sony'ra and d-Train.

Dry Dock Brewing will tap a Brew Hut firkin of Apricot Blonde with Coconut and Pineapple today at 3 p.m. at its original South Dock location. The brewery taps a new firkin every Friday.

The Cook Street School of Culinary Arts will host its $99 Bites N' Brews class at Alpine Dog Brewing today from 6 to 9:30 p.m. "The Cook Street chefs believe beer is just as delicious as wine in cooking, and they guide students through a menu catered directly to a selection of craft beers. A complete meal with beer is included with each class," the class description reads. Sign up in advance.

Saturday, August 22
Tivoli Brewing will celebrate its grand opening today at 4 p.m. inside the Tivoli Student Union, where the original Tivoli Brewery operated for decades. There will be live music, food and plenty of beer.

The 2nd Annual Boulder Craft Beer Festival takes place today from 1 to 5 p.m. at West Central Park in Boulder. The festival includes live music, lawn games, food for purchase and plenty of craft beer from twenty Boulder County brewers. Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 the day of. For tickets and much more info, go to the festival website.

Snowbank Brewing in Fort Collins will celebrate its first birthday today from noon until 9 p.m. and again tomorrow from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. by closing down the parking lot for a day of partying. There will be special beer releases as well as Austin Taco and Mac'N, along with games like cornhole, slow bike races, raffles and giveaways, and live music from One Way Ride. 

Tuesday, August 25
Black Bottle Brewery in Fort Collins will tap its famed Cerealiously Count Chocula today. The beer is made with the seasonal General Mills cereal that comes out each fall. Last year, a story about Black Bottle's beer went viral after the brewery bought out three store's worth of the cereal — and created an informal relationship between the beer maker and the cereal company. This year, Black Bottle plans to enter Cerealiously Count Chocula into the Great American Beer Festival.

Sunday, August 23
Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, which is a part of Former Future Brewing, will host its latest bottle release today at noon at Former Future with Dreamland Sour Golden Ale. The 750-ml wax-dipped bottles cost $18 each, and if you're in line before noon, the brewery promises you will be able to buy at least one. For other details and warnings about the release, go to the Facebook page.

Monday, August 24
Avery Brewing will celebrate the annual release of The Kaiser, a traditional Oktoberfest beer, today at 3 p.m. in Boulder. This 9.3 percent ABV  beer is described as "gorgeous, deep copper sheen, massive malty backbone and spicy, floral, pungent noble hops,"

Thursday, August 27
The fifth annual Save the Ales beer tasting and fundraising event returns today to the Exdo Event Center. There will be beers from forty Colorado breweries, including Naughty Pine, a beer aged in Breckenridge Bourbon barrels exclusively for Save the Ales by Crazy Mountain Brewery in Edwards. "Colorado’s water: it’s some of the best in the nation, and it makes some of the best beers in the world. And it’s limited," says the organization Conservation Colorado, which is hosting the fundraiser. General-admission tickets are $35 (or $30 for Conservation Colorado members), while VIP tickets are $60 (or $50 for members). The event starts at 7 p.m. (although VIPs can get in at 6 p.m.). All attendees will enjoy unlimited beer tastings, drawings for beer swag, live music, and access to food trucks. All proceeds benefit Conservation Colorado. See more details and buy tickets at ConservationCO.org/SavetheAles.

Join Beer Advocate's Todd and Candice Alstrom today at 5 p.m. at Wit's End brewing for a Beer Advocate meetup. The brewery's fourth anniversary blowout is in two days, but owner Scott Witsoe might provide a preview treat. Taco's El Huequito will be on hand.

Factotum Brewhouse scored some tickets to the Great American Beer Festival and they plan to give away three pairs. To enter, you need to drink a full beer at Factotum today or on September 2, 8, 13 and 17. For each full pour you buy, you get entered once into the giveaway. Three winners will be chosen at 8 p.m. on September 17 — each will get a pair of tickets.

Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen is once again hosting a series of "intimate" craft beer dinners leading up to the Great American Beer Festival in late September. Each dinner will have a menu crafted to pair with the particular brewery and a brewery expert will be on hand to discuss the beers. Each dinner begins at 7 p.m.; tickets are $55 per person and be purchased at brownpapertickets.com. Tonight's dinner features beers from Verboten Brewing in Loveland.

Denver Bicycle Cafe will host a tap takeover and a meet-the-brewer night with Denver Beer Co. It features rare drafts from the brewery and a chance to learn about how those selections are brewed.

Freshcraft will celebrate its fifth anniversary tonight (this event was rescheduled from August 20) with a family-style beer-pairing dinner at 7 p.m. Courses are Rocky Ford cantaloupe gazpacho garnished with crispy prosciutto and fresh dill, paired with Trinity Elektrick Cukumbahh; oysters served with a vanilla mignonette garnished with bourbon black pepper and coffee dusted chicharrones, and paired with Station 26 First Birthday Cottonwood Smoked Imperial Porter aged in A. D. Laws 4 Grain Bourbon Barrels; slow-braised bison short ribs smothered in a rich mole and a golden beet pico served with Olathe corn on the cob covered in a lime crema, chili powder and cotija cheese, and paired with Casey Brewing & Blending Casey Family Preserve Balaton Sour Cherry Palisade Peach Tart; and cream-cheese-filled macaroon crust, topped with sweet Palisade peaches and a maple brown butter glaze, and paired with Odell Brombeere Blackberry Gose. Tickets are $65 (tax and gratuity included) and available here.

Friday, August 28
Coda Brewing will bring one back one of its favorite beers, made it honor of one of its favorite bands. Join them tonight "for an epic night of psych blues and a new variation of the Dragondeer beer." They've added strawberries to this tart saison this time.

Saturday, August 29
Wit’s End Brewing will celebrate its fourth anniversary today with a beer- and food-filled blowout from noon to 8 p.m. Last year, the brewery expanded into a seven-barrel brewing system, which means the party will be filled with some special offerings. Among them are Wit's End's first ever firkins, as well as its homebrewer-inspired Beerslinger Series. Beers on hand will include the brewery's core lineup, along with some specialties like Miami Berliner Vice, Killing Me Smalls Session IPA, Dubbel Impact, Banana Hammock, Mai the Forth, and 2014 and 2015 versions of Scotchy, Scotch, Scotch. There will also be some new beers, like Laws Whiskey House Barrel-Aged Kitchen Sink, Superfluous IPA, and Hop Tub Dream Machine. Firkins include: Greene Man Ale, dry-hopped with East Kent Goldings, and Jean-Claude Framboise, made with raspberries and cacao nibs. Basic Kneads Pizza and the Cluck Truck will be on hand.

Do you scream for beer-flavored ice cream? Fat Jack's will be serving up free samples of Little Man's limited edition Spangalang beer-flavored ice cream at Spangalang Brewing today starting at noon. There will also be pints for sale. Zivix will be grilling doos, and there will be games and live music in the beer garden.

Thursday, September 3
Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen is once again hosting a series of "intimate" craft-beer dinners leading up to the Great American Beer Festival in late September. Each dinner will have a menu crafted to pair with the particular brewery, and a brewery expert will be on hand to discuss the beers. Each dinner begins at 7 p.m.; tickets are $55 per person and can be purchased at brownpapertickets.com. Tonight's dinner features beers from Diebolt Brewing in Denver.

The Denver Public Library has teamed up with two local breweries, Fiction Beer and Denver Beer Co, and author Kevin Hearne to make two beers that will be tapped as part of a monthlong DPL series called BrewHa!Ha!, which "celebrates all things brewed," from coffee to kombucha. Hearne, author of the Iron Druid Chronicles, provided "the initial style inspiration for this project drawing on the habits of his main character in his novels," the library says. Both breweries will make cream ales. Fiction's will be spiced with caraway seed (a nod to the origins of Hearne's Irish main character, Atticus O’Sullivan), as well as pears. Denver Beer Co will make a kettle-soured cream ale with yogurt and black currants. Denver Beer Co will tap its beer today at 3 p.m. Remember to bring your library card for $1 off your pour, and ask for Sour 641.23. Fiction will tap its beer tomorrow.

Friday, September 4
The Denver Public Library has teamed up with two local breweries, Fiction Beer and Denver Beer Co, and author Kevin Hearne to make two beers that will be tapped as part of a month-long DPL series called BrewHa!Ha!, which "celebrates all things brewed," from coffee to kombucha. Hearne, author of the Iron Druid Chronicles, provided "the initial style inspiration for this project drawing on the habits of his main character in his novels," the library says. Both breweries will make cream ales. Fiction's will be spiced with caraway seed (a nod to the origins of Hearne's Irish main character Atticus O’Sullivan), as well as pears. Denver Beer Co will make a kettle sour cream ale with yogurt and black currants. Fiction will tap its beer today at 5:30 p.m. Get $1 off your first beer when you show your library card. Denver Beer Co tapped its beer yesterday.

Thursday, September 10
Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen is once again hosting a series of "intimate" craft-beer dinners leading up to the Great American Beer Festival in late September. Each dinner will have a menu crafted to pair with the particular brewery, and a brewery expert will be on hand to discuss the beers. Each dinner begins at 7 p.m.; tickets are $55 per person and can be purchased at brownpapertickets.com. Tonight's dinner features beers from Dogfish Head Brewing in Delaware.

Saturday, September 12
Gravity Brewing in Louisville will celebrate its three-year anniversary today, starting at 1 p.m. There will be live performances by Jazz Ram and Full Belly, as well as hourly tappings of barrel-aged and small-batch beers.

Sunday, September 13
The Post Brewing will throw a party in Denver at Lola Mexican Fish House from 4 to 6 p.m. to celebrate the release of its first two canned beers, Howdy Beer and Townie Ale. There will be live music, food specials, giveaways and swag. Plus, cans of the two beer will only cost you a buck apiece.

Thursday, September 17
Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen is once again hosting a series of "intimate" craft-beer dinners leading up to the Great American Beer Festival in late September. Each dinner will have a menu crafted to pair with the particular brewery and a brewery expert will be on hand to discuss the beers. Each dinner begins at 7 p.m.; tickets are $55 per person and can be purchased at brownpapertickets.com. Tonight's dinner features beers from Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project in Denver.