Lafayette's Liquid Mechanics Brewing scored big at the 2018 U.S. Open Beer Championship, which took place last weekend in Oxford, Ohio. The brewery won two gold medals and a silver and placed in the top ten for its overall score. The U.S. Open Beer Championship, with 6,300 entries, is the third-largest professional beer competition in the nation — after the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival. Liquid Mechanics won gold for its Beasts of Bourbon in the Blended Barrel Aged Beer category and for Amber Altbier in the Altbier category. It won silver for its Marzen Lager in the Marzen/Oktoberfest category.
The other Colorado breweries that took home hardware included: Cerebral Brewing, Crow Hop Brewing, Mash Lab Brewing, Oskar Blues Brewery, Locavore Beer Works, New Belgium Brewing, Denver Beer Co., Blue Moon RiNo, Loveland Aleworks, Launch Pad Brewery, Elevation Beer Company and Bootstrap Brewing.
Keep reading for craft-beer events through July 22.
Strange Craft Beer Company
"Have you ever wondered what they call the color of [Strange Craft Beer Company] owner and brewer Tim Myers's Jeep? Perhaps you wondered what that shade of orange is for our logo? Apparently its Mango Tango," the brewery says. Hence, the name for this week's Traveling One Barrel Wednesdays beer. Strange, along with Chain Reaction Brewing, Black Sky Brewing, and the Brew on Broadway, will all tap this fruity session pale ale, which was conditioned with fresh mangoes.
Chain Reaction Brewing taps Converted Rose IPA, a beer that was brewed by and for Alysha Christofferson, the wife of brewery co-owner Zack Christofferson. A version of this beer, called Converter, was one of the very first homebrew recipes that Zack and his cousin Chad ever brewed, and although they didn't like it that much, Alysha love it. In fact, it "converted" her into an IPA drinker. For Converted Rose, they added roses and brewed the beer to honor Alysha's personal craft beer journey. The brewery will tap two kegs and will have limited Converted Rose glassware and T-shirts available for purchase.
First Draft Taproom & Kitchen taps a collaboration with Alpine Dog Brewing as part of the taproom's series of monthly collaborations. This beer is a hazy IPA with mangoes and Vic Secret hops. Other Alpine Dog beers on tap include Thunder Puppy, It's Pink, Miss American Rye and Tequila Barrel-Aged Strabanero Wit.
Call to Arms Brewing taps two beers. The first is We're Responsible Adults. "The concept for this beer was to create a super old-school West Coast IPA. In order to do so, we pulled a bunch of traditional Yakima Valley hops (Chinook, Centennial, CTZ). The resulting beer is light on mouthfeel but dank, dank, dank. Reminds us a lot of Union Jack from Firestone Walker with a lighter color and crisper finish," the brewery says. The second beer is Feats of Strength, am 8.9 percent ABV double IPA. "Straight up orange juice," Call to Arms says. "The dry hop consisted of only Rakau and Amarillo which piled on all the citrus already present from the hot-side whirlpool addition. Nice and soft on the mouthfeel due to the flaked wheat with a little bit of spice on the back end. Not overly bitter for a double IPA which really lets the hop aromas shine through."
Thursday, July 12
Novel Strand Brewing, at 305 West First Avenue, will become Denver's newest brewery when it opens its doors at 3 p.m. Owned by Tamir Danon, Chantel Columna and Ayana Coker, the brewery will only be open Thursday through Sunday initially; a coffee shop called Queen City Collective Coffee occupies the small, 2,000-square-foot space during the day. There will be several beers on tap, including Udderworldly, a 4.3 percent ABV oatmeal milk stout described as "light, velvety, and surprisingly refreshing," and Nitwit, a 4.2 percent ABV beer that was inspired by the witbier and biere blanche styles of Belgium and northern France. "Delicately tart, with a kick of yeast esters and coriander, this beer is one of our core pours, and will take good care of you in this hot summer," Novel Strand says. It was "brewed with barley, wheat and oats, and fermented by one of our favorite Belgian strains of yeast."
Comrade Brewing taps Simcoe Red IPA at noon. This 6.4 percent ABV beer was brewed with Root Shoot Genie Pale Malt from Loveland, and a blend of English and German specialty malts. Generous amounts of Simcoe hops were added in the boil, and it was double-dry hopped with more Simcoe for notes of pine and passionfruit.
Renegade Brewing, which debuted a new series of limited-edition sixteen-ounce cans last month, will release the second beer, Rosé Saison, at 6 p.m. "Can’t decide between beer and wine? This beer-wine hybrid settles the debate and would satisfy either craving and is sure to become a wine drinker’s favorite beer," the brewery says. It's $5 a can with a limit of four. The beer will also be on tap.
IPAs will take over the taps at Aurora's Cedar Creek Pub starting at 11 a.m. You'll find Bear Republic Through the Haze IPA; Almanac Beer Unfiltered Opinion New England IPA; TRVE Brewing Abyss Walker IPA; Old Nation Brewing Co. M-43 New England IPA; Half Acre Deep Space DIPA; Modern Times Booming Rollers IPA; Brewery Bhavana Grove DIPA; Lord Hobo Glorious New England Pale; Ursula Brewery High Plains Desert Brut IPA.
Friday, July 13
Join Cerebral Brewing this Friday the Thirteenth for the re-release of Chardonnay Barrel-Aged Dreamy Thing.
"Brewed in collaboration with our good pals over at Our Mutual Friend Brewing, Dreamy Thing is a 100 percent Brettanomyces fermented farmhouse pale ale that took home a silver medal in the Brett Beer category at the Great American Beer Festival in 2016," Cerebral says. This version, however, is that same beer aged for seven months in Chardonnay barrels and then delicately dry-hopped with a blend of Citra, Centennial and Sterling. "It has notes of pear, vanilla and gooseberries followed by a clean dry finish." The beer will be available on draft and in 500-ml bottles for $14 each. Doors open at noon.
The Post Brewing has brewed a beer in celebration of Slow Food Nations 2018, which is hosting a variety of events this weekend in Denver. Full Circle American Wheat Ale was made with heritage turkey red wheat from Full Circle Organic Farms in Longmont. "To brew this seasonal, limited release ale, Post brew master Nick Tedeschi teamed up with Mona Esposito, co-founder of the Noble Grain Alliance, whose mission is to restore local heritage wheat by promoting it’s farming, milling and distribution," The Post says. "A once widely produced grain that eventually fell out of favor, turkey red wheat is still harvested in small quantities. It is a great bread-baking grain, though it is not commonly used to make beer. Both Nick and Mona thought that making a beer with it would produce a unique beer that spoke to Colorado history, as well as a great vehicle to help spread the message about ancient grain restoration." Full Circle will be on tap at the Slow Food Nations' Colorado Fare event today in Larimer Square. It is also on tap at The Post's Boulder location, Jax Fish House in LoDo and at Lola Coastal Mexican in Denver.
Saturday, July 14
Join River North Brewery as it starts "a new chapter...and a new series of taproom-only, whatever-the-hell-we-want-to-brew can releases." The first two releases are being combined into an event called Haze Appreciation Day, because River North will tap and release a variety of hazy New England-style beers. Beers on tap will include: Hop-A-Matic Lupulositor, an 8.3 percent ABV double IPA brewed with oats, wheat, lactose and Mosaic, Simcoe and Idaho 7 hops; Flux Opacity, an 8.3 percent double IPA brewed with oats, wheat, lactose and Citra and Mosaic hops; Mountain Haze, the brewery's 6.5 percent flagship NEIPA; Galaxy dry-hopped Mountain Haze; Vic Secret dry-hopped Mountain Haze; Milkshake Mountain Haze; and Super Secret Mountain Haze. The first two beers will be available in taproom-only six-packs to go; supplies are very limited. El Taco Veloz will be serving Mexican street food.
In keeping with its international theme, the Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project will host its second annual Bastille Day Celebration of Saisons with an outdoor beer garden and party. In addition to the release of its own Honey Saison, made with honey from Urban Farmer's rooftop beehives, the brewery will welcome several guest saisons from other beer makers. Food will be served by the Saba’s Ethiopian Food truck. A bus loop, running from 1 to 9 p.m., will take people to Alliance Française Denver, which is having its own Bastille Day party, as well as to Strange Craft and Woods Boss Brewing. (Unlimited rides are $5.) "French saisons were traditionally pale ales brewed in cooler months, then stored and served to farm workers during the summer. Each worker was allowed up to five liters for each day worked," Intrepid Sojourner says. "Bastille Day celebrates the storming of the Bastille Castle in Paris on July 14, 1789, during the French Revolution."
Alpine Dog Brewing taps its newest hybrid New England-style IPA, All the Hops. Brewed with an extensive amount of Idaho 7 and Amarillo hops for "big juicy tropical fruit notes with citrus and some pine," the beer "still packs enough bitterness to be crisp and refreshing," the brewery says. Only moderate haze is expected.
Station 26 Brewing initially planned the Crowler release and tapping of Piña Colada Milkshake for two weeks ago, but the beer wasn't ready. It is now, the brewery says, and has been rescheduled for 1 p.m.
Remember when reality-TV star Donald Trump announced that he planned to start a new branch of military a few weeks ago called the Space Force? Well, New Image Brewing in Arvada has decided to memorialize that with a beer, which will be on draft and in cans starting at 11 a.m. Here's the brewery's rundown: "When it comes to making craft beer, it is not enough to merely have a presence in the market. We must have craft beer dominance in the market. So important. Very importantly, I'm here by directing the production team at New Image in collaboration with the team from Kane Brewing to immediately begin the process necessary to create 'Space Force,' a mixed-culture IPA. That's a big statement. We are going to have the New England IPA and we are going to have the Mixed Culture IPA — separate but equal. It is going to be something. So important."
For its fourth anniversary party, Joyride Brewing in Edgewater is once again shutting down 25th Avenue in front of the brewery for a block party. A large stage will host seven bands throughout the day, starting at 11 a.m. There will be multiple food trucks and beer stations, as well as plenty of activities for the kids. Joyride will also tap four collaboration beers made in honor of the event, including brews made with Elk Mountain and Downhill Brewing, Little Machine Beer, Hogshead Brewery and Station 26 Brewing.
The 7/20 Memorial Foundation hosts its third annual Reflection Garden On Tap beer festival from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Aurora Water Wise Garden.This free event is features live music from The Dollhouse Thieves, sidewalk chalk art and unlimited pours of unlimited pours from at least a dozen breweries, including Centennial's Resolute Brewing; all four Resolute owners are Columbine High School shooting survivors, so they "understand the need for collective healing and support that the 7/20 Memorial Foundation provides to the families of the 2012 Aurora theater shooting victims, and the larger Aurora community," the brewery says. Tickets, $35, are available at eventbrite,com, and all proceeds benefit the 7/20 Memorial Foundation. Guests will get a sneak peek of “Ascentiate,” the permanent 7/20 memorial sculpture by Douwe Blumberg, commissioned by the foundation to commemorate the lives lost and injured in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting.
The 22nd Annual Colorado Brewers Rendezvous returns to Riverside Park, on the edge of the Arkansas River in downtown Salida. Typically a favorite of both brewers and beer fans, the fest features 300 beers from more than 75 members of the Colorado Brewers Guild and is a primary fundraiser for the organization. In addition to the beers, the fest includes live music, food vendors and gorgeous views. New this year is the Pre-Vous, a rare beer tasting the day before the main festival. This special preview spotlights highly sought-after beers from twenty breweries that will not be available at the festival. Tickets to the fest, which runs from 1 to 5 p.m., are $45 and available at the Salida Chamber of Commerce website. Pre-Vous tickets are $35; find more details about ticket options and participating breweries at the chamber's website.
Sunday, July 15
Coors-owned Blue Moon Brewing will celebrate the second anniversary of its huge River North Arts District brewpub with live music from Romero, a few new barrel-aged beers (including a collaboration with Laws Whiskey House) and a special menu.
The Thirsty Monk will celebrate National Ice Cream Day with an ice cream and beer pairing that features ice cream specially made to pair with the brewery's Belgian-rooted ales.
Monday, July 16
Avery Brewing in Boulder has been counting down the weeks to its 25th anniversary party on August 4 by putting one beer from its beloved Barrel-Aged Series on tap each week. "Every Monday, we'll tap a gold foil for the week, culminating in our anniversary party where we will have 25 Barrel-Aged Series beers available for sampling," Avery says. Today's beer is Nuttiest Professor Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Peanut Stout. It will be followed by Tectum et Elix Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel-Aged Sour Ale on July 23, and Xolotl Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout with cacao nibs, vanilla beans, chiles and cinnamon on July 30.
Tuesday, July 17
Resolute Brewing in Centennial taps Fluffy The Lemon Slayer: Lemondrop Milkshake Sour, a 4.9 percent ABV beer brewed with three punds per barrel of Lemondrop hops. "Featuring a good dose of acidity, some lactose and a hint of vanilla, this is as close to lemon meringue pie in a glass that you can get," the brewery says.
Wednesday, July 18
Platt Park Brewing has a single barrel of an IPA that was aged for three years in a Laws Whiskey barrel. For $12, you can get a pour of JULY-PA and a commemorative glass.
Friday, July 20
The Makin' Noise beer project returns to five different breweries with Volume 7. For this version, the breweries each made a hoppy beer and will donate a portion of proceeds to charities that make a difference in Denver, most in support of people or causes that are in danger due to the current administration's policies. Black Shirt Brewing made a hazy IPA with blood oranges and lactose, and dry-hopped with Galaxy and Citra; the brewery's charity is Youth on Record. Woods Boss Brewing made a Brut Pale Ale for the Colorado Water Trust, while Fiction Beer cooked up Calypso Northeast IPA for Swallow Hill Music. Goldspot Brewing made a tropical extra pale ale for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, and Strange Craft brewed an all-Colorado session IPA for a charity to be determined.
Launch Pad Brewery in Aurora marks its three-year anniversary with a three-day party kicking off today with Funky Friday. The brewery is finally tapping a giant, one-hundred year old French cognac barrel "that has been taking up taproom space for months," Launch Pad says. The beer inside is called Curiosity, a sour blonde ale aged with plums. The brewery will also release Sagan's Golden Record Sour Golden Ale and Transit of Venus Imperial blonde, which was aged in red wine and bourbon barrels with strawberries and cacao nibs. The Noke Aloha Food truck will be outside.
Grimm Brothers Brewhouse in Loveland is celebrating its eighth anniversary with eight specialty beers over two days. They are versions of Snow Drop and Maiden’s Kiss with cherry, raspberry, strawberry and watermelon. The brewery will also showcase its recently renovated taproom and will have the event inside to keep people out of the heat. As an added bonus, there will be a slushie machine for a slushified Dragon Bloom Juicy IPA. Food will be provided by The Matador both days.
Saturday, July 21
Hops & Pie brings back its annual Hops Fest by tapping some of the best hoppy beers from around Colorado and the rest of the country. Breweries included are Westbound & Down, Maine's Lawson's Finest Liquids, Cannonball Creek, California's Russian River, Outer Range, Call To Arms, Weldwerks, New Mexico's La Cumbre, Boston's Lord Hobo, Half Acre, Odd13 Brewing, Fremont and Ecliptic.
You've paired your beer with just about everything, from cheese to cupcakes, from pies to pizza. So how about guacamole? Sounds delicious. Cerveceria Colorado will host a beer and guac pairing from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring four kinds of guacamole from El Gallo Blanco and four beers from Denver Beer Co.-owned Cerveceria Colorado. Timed tickets are $20 each and available at nightout.com.
Call to Arms Brewing is hosting its third anniversary celebration from noon to 11 p.m. by pulling out all the stops with specialty beer releases, carnival games, live music and plenty of food. This "carnival-themed soiree" features several beers, Space Balls Galaxy Dry-Hopped Ballroom Beer, Tennyson Standard Kolsch and George Juicerson Jr. Session IPA. there wil be live music from Pick & Howl, and food provided by The Budlong Hot Chicken and Mas Kaos.
"Beers have been made into legends, and legends have turned into beer. Watch beneath your bed, beers might be hiding..." says Arvada's New Image Brewing, which adds that "a legend foretold of a monster so terrifyingly delicious that whispering its name could haunt beer drinkers (into never enjoying peaches the same way again)." The monster's name is Peachra, a sweet milkshake IPA made with Citra hops and Colorado peaches. It taps today at 11 a.m.
River North Brewery, which began its life as a Belgian-style brewery before adding other styles, breaks out some classic beers for Belgian National Day, the annual celebration of Belgian independence. All beers will be available on draft and in bottles or Crowlers to go when the brewery opens at noon. One of these is a new release: Single Cask J. Marie, an imperial saison aged in a chardonnay barrel with pinot noir grape must. The rest of River North's sixteen taps will pour 2016 Whiskey Barrel Quandary; 2017 Whiskey Barrel Quandary; 2017 Single Cask J. Marie: Port-Cask Whiskey; 2016 Decennial I: God Complex; 2017 Vicennial I: Barrel Aged God Complex; 2017 Rum Barrel Quandary; 2016 Saison Conspiracy Noir; Anniversary Ale 6; Electric Kazoo; Quandary; Avarice; J. Marie; White; FarmHouse; plus a surprise new keg for quad lovers.
Launch Pad Brewery in Aurora continues its three-year anniversary weekend by releasing its anniversary brew, Archer's Honey Blueberry Blonde Ale. There are three versions, Imperial, Laws Secale Whiskey barrel aged, and Laws Hordeum Whiskey barrel aged. The party will also include a pig roast.
Living the Dream Brewing in Littleton is hosting a fourth birthday bash with special releases, guest breweries, a $700 cornhole tournament and several food trucks. The beer list includes: New England IPA; 7 Speed IPA; IIIPA Your Brains Out Triple IPA; High Country Haze Hazy IPA; Cherry Maguire Belgian Cherry; Guava Mountain Gose; Powder Run Vanilla Cream Ale; and three barrel-aged beers. Guest breweries include: Outer Range: Bonfire; Hideaway Park Brewery Vail Brewing; and Casey Brewing and Blending.
Tacos and beer, tacos and beer, tacos and beer! Yeah, it's heaven. Sanitas Brewing in Boulder brings back its Taco Fest starting at noon, when it will begin pouring twenty different beers made just for the event, while longtime food partner McDevitt Taco Supply offers up at least forty different kinds of tacos. There will also be live music all afternoon and evening, lucha libre wresting on a stage, and piñatas for all ages (including some with adult treats). Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door (kids twelve and under get in free) and include one beer and one taco, along with the music and wrestling. Get more at sanitastacofest.com.
Wibby Brewing in Longmont hosts its third all-lager beer festival, Hooplagers, from 3:15 to 8 p.m. at 209 Emory Street. Formerly known as the Lagers for Lumber Festival, Hooplagers features more than 45 breweries from across the country, including Deschutes Brewery, August Schell, Melvin Brewing, Jack's Abby, Weldwerks Brewing, Cannonball Creek and Lone Tree Brewing. Hooplagers also features a massive pool party, a fundraising sand castle-building contest, three live bands, a silent disco, an indoor arcade and food trucks. General admission tickets are $27, while VIP are $50. They can be purchased at the taproom or online at wibbybrewing.com. Proceeds benefit Longmont charities, such as Safe Shelter of St. Vrain, Out Boulder County, Bicycle Longmont, Firehouse Art Center and Habitat for Humanity of St. Vrain.
Sunday, July 22
Launch Pad Brewery in Aurora continues its three-year anniversary party by releasing two barrel-aged versions of its Soyuz Stout, one with cookies and creme and one with creme brulee. There will also be two new coffee beers to try: Moon Landscape, an imperial stout aged in Laws Bourbon barrels with pecans, maple syrup, and Sumatra Mutu Batak coffee from West Coast Roasting; and You Call That a Radar Screen, an imperial stout aged in Laws Bourbon barrels with cinnamon, vanilla beans, and dark roast coffee from Hogos Coffee Co. in Guatemala. In addition, there will be brunch trucks and free cupcakes. The fun starts at 10 a.m.
