For more on this week's local craft-beer events, turn the page.
Wednesday, May 8Renegade Brewing will host a party to formally rename its flagship beer, Ryeteous Rye IPA, to Redacted Rye IPA starting at 6 p.m. today, when "Ryeteous" will be erased from the menu board. The brewery decided to change the name after Brooklyn's Sixpoint Brewing, which makes a beer called Righteous Ale, asked Renegade to change the name or face legal action. "The last can of Ryeteous has been canned and the first Redacted will hit the shelves soon," Renegade says on its Facebook page. "Celebrate, mourn, reminisce, and most importantly, drink as this name-change takes place." The first fifty people to order a Redacted after the name chance will be served from a Redacted can. You can also get $1 off Redacted after 6 p.m., and half-price Ryeteous shirts.
Avery Brewing will hold a Samael's Tap Room Release Party today from 6 to 8 p.m., featuring a guided, three-year vertical tasting of this high-alcohol oak-aged barleywine, along with some food pairings. Tickets are on sale in the tap room only and are extremely limited.
The Copper Kettle is celebrating saisons every Wednesday this month by tapping a new firkin. Today's is Raspberry Lemon Saison, which goes on at 3 p.m.
The River North Brewery weekly Wayward Wednesday experimental brew is a variant of J. Marie fermented in the tradition of a steam beer.
Thursday, May 9
Breckenridge Brewery and Denver Comic Con will tap the 2013 official Comic Con beer, the Caped Brewsader, for the first time today at 7 p.m. at Punch Bowl -- Social Food & Drink. The beer, a wheat ale brewed with Buddha's Hand fruit, was created in honor of the second annual festival, which takes place May 31 through June 2. The artwork for the beer was devised by Art by 30 Days of Nights creator Ben Templesmith & Squid Friends. The first 200 people to order the beer will get a Caped Brewsader pint glass. There will also be live music, tastings and door prizes.
Saturday, May 11
Star Bar is kicking off American Craft Beer Week a little early with a celebration starting at 6 p.m. tonight. Since it's exactly five months until GABF, they're calling it the May GABF Party. To see the full tap list of rareties and other great beers, go to Star Bar's website.
Strange Brewing, which first opened its doors in May 2010, during American Craft Beer Week, will celebrate its third anniversary beginning today with a week-long party involving new tappings, music and food. Today, the brewery will tap its Great American Beer Festival award-winning Dr. Strangelove Barleywine. There will be music from Fourth Dog Floyd beginning at 6 p.m.
Sold out: TRVE Brewing will lead you to the Slaughter today, and you will like it. The brewery hosts its first beer dinner -- The Slaughter: a feast for the masses -- in conjunction with Blake Edmunds from Squeaky Bean at 2 p.m.; some of the many dishes include Lapsang tea-brined pig served Bo Ssam style; ribbolita stew with fermented cabbage and mushrooms; roasted beets with vadouvan, sesame and mint. Tickets are $30 and include two beers; they are available at imbibedenver.com/trve.
Monday, May 13
Colorado Plus, a new beer bar with 56 taps of all Colorado craft beer, will open its doors for the first time today. Located in the former Valente's Italian Restaurant in Wheat Ridge, Colorado Plus will add a small, one-barrel brewery next month, which will be operated by Adam Draeger of the Yak & Yeti.
Strange Brewing continues its week-long third anniversary party today by tapping Oak Imperial Double IPA at 3 p.m. and offering cheese pairings from Marczyk Fine Foods at 6 p.m. Lead by Design plays at 5:30 p.m.
The annual American Craft Beer Week kicks off today with events at breweries, bars and restaurants all over the country. The series of craft beer-themed parties runs through May, and you can find all of them on the American Craft Beer Week website.
Brewery Rickoli in Wheat Ridge toasts American Craft Beer Week by releasing five new beers, one a day, this week. Four of them are barrel-aged. Today's beer is Peach Gobbler, an American strong ale steeped with Colorado peaches from brewery owner Rick Arbitbol's yard, and then aged in a Wild Turkey barrel for eight weeks. On Tuesday, Rickoli taps Woody, a Scotch ale aged in a Kickin Chickin barel; on Wednesday, it's Old Rickoli, a barrel-aged barleywine-style ale, followed on Thursday by The Monolith, a 12 percent ABV barrel-aged imperial American stout. On Friday, Rickoli will release the Statik, a pale ale that is described as "420 IBUs of pure madness, 13 percent ABV of insanity juice and a schweeeet reddish hue." It will be served through Rickoli's Apollo hops-packed Randall.
Odell Brewing's newest beer, Loose Leaf American Session Ale, will go on tap exclusively this week at all of Old Chicago's Colorado locations. The beer is unusual for two reasons: at 4.5 percent ABV, it is one of Odell's lowest alcohol beers, and because it will only be offered in bottles as part of the brewery's new variety twelve-packs, called Montage. The variety packs will include four different beers -- two of them rotating seasonally -- and be available in liquor stores after May 20.
Tuesday, May 14
The Rackhouse Pub is hosting five straight nights of American Craft Beer Week fun beginning tonight at 5 p.m. when they tap all three beers from Avery Brewing's Demons of Ale series: Samael's Oak-Aged Ale; The Beast Grand Cru; and Mephistopheles Stout. Rackhouse will also pull out a very small amount of Tweak.
At 7 p.m. tonight West Flanders Brewing in Boulder will host Taste the Difference Brewers' Dinner & Tasting Class w/ Strange Brewing. Each round will have two beers paired with a single dish, accentuating different flavor components in the food. Round one is swordfish crudo with rosemary-infused oil and pink grapefruit with West Flanders' Third Kingdom IPA and Strange's IPAphany IPA. Round two is Raspberry and Red Onion Relish with Haystack Mountain goat cheese on endive; the beers are West Flanders' Trippel Lutz and Strange's ZORA Pale. For the rest of the pairings and details, go to either brewery's Facebook page. Tickets -- available at Strange, West Flanders and by calling 303-447-2739 -- are $49.
Wednesday, May 15
The Noble Swine Supper Club will be serving food at Black Shirt Brewing from 5 to 9 p.m. tonight, while the brewery will release its Coffee|Red Porter Collaboration beer at 7:30 p.m. and pairing it with a dessert made by Noble Swine
The Rackhouse Pub will continue its I'd Tap That series by featuring Arvada's Yak & Yeti Brewpub. Beers on hand will include: GF Apple Ale (gluten-free), West-Coast Glutton Double Red and Brahmin Dubbel Knowledge.
Turn the page for more craft-beer events later in May.
Thursday, May 16
As part of American Craft Beer Week, breweries, bars and restaurants will hold a simultaneous nationwide toast tonight at 6:30 p.m. MST. The Boulder History Museum, which is currently featuring an exhibit called Beer! Boulder's History on Tap, will host a big toast along with a tasting event from 5:30 to 8 p.m., at which guests will have the opportunity to sample beers from thirteen Boulder County craft breweries. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
Falling Rock Taphouse will assault your tastebuds with Night of the Hops, a tap lineup of all things hoppy, including IPA's, Imperial IPA's, Black IPA's, and so on. At 6:30 p.m., it will raise a toast as part of American Craft Beer Week.
Avery Brewing will celebrate its twentieth birthday later this summer, but it's opening its presents early -- as it usually does in May -- by tapping this year's anniversary ale at a party in the Boulder taproom. This year's anniversary brew is Twenty XX India Pale Ale, an aromatic double IPA made with Amarillo and Simcoe hops. The party starts at 5 p.m., and there will be live music as well.
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will host a screening of Crafting a Nation, the Colorado-produced craft-beer documentary, today at 7 p.m.; director Thomas Kolicko will be on hand. The movie "features breweries, small businesses and individuals that are growing because of the rise in the American craft beer movement. They're not only creating unique and American-made beer, but also jobs, tax revenue, and drive that cannot be stopped for creating a better tomorrow."
Strange Brewing will host a beer dinner today with Chef Michael Long and BeerCraving to celebrate the brewery's third anniversary. The multi-course menu is centered around the number "three," and includes such dishes as a trio of deviled eggs, triple beef reuben sliders with bock kraut, and a pork dish with the pork done three ways. All of the meals will be paired with Strange beers, including 1000 Barrel Imperial IPA and Dr. StrangeLove bareleywine. The dinner costs $49 per person and starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Strange or at www.chefnbrewevents.com.
The Rackhouse Pub is one of only a few bars getting Avery's 20th Anniversary XX IPA on tap. And at 5 p.m., they put it on simultaneously with the brewery in Boulder, as well as a few other lucky accounts.
Friday, May 17
Falling Rock Taphouse tickles your tastebuds tonight with Night of the Sours, starting at 5 p.m., during which owner Chris Black will tap at least ten kegs of special sour beers that he dug out of the cellar. They include Consecration, Supplication, Sanctification, Sour in the Rye and Ambassador.
At the end of every day, the taproom staff at Avery Brewing kicks back at the round red tables and has a meeting of the minds. "On one such day," the brewery says, "a legend of an idea was born, and your beloved Tap Room staff designed and brewed an epic saison." The beer, Red Table Saison, was brewed with two yeast strains, specialty malts, wheat and American hops -- and created and brewed entirely by the tap-room staff. Avery will tap the beer at 5 p.m. You can drink it at a red table.
Denver Beer Co and Mikes2 Kitchen will hold their spring beer dinner tonight from 7 to 9:30 p.m. during American Craft Beer Week. The three-course, four-beer dinner costs $50 per person and will be in the Barrel Room next to the brewery.
The Rackhouse Pub will tap some rare treats from Oskar Blues tonight at 5 p.m., including: IceyPA, a wheat IPA brewed in partnership with Colorado ski manufacturer Icelantic Skis; Chardonnay Barrel-Aged Mama's Yella Pils; and Santo Poco Mexican Lager.
Saturday, May 18
Caution Brewing will host a one-year anniversary party for its taproom beginning at 11 a.m. today; it will announce the location for its second brewery and taproom during the American Craft Beer Radio show, which will broadcast live from the party from noon to 1 p.m. Caution will have sixteen of its beers on tap, live music and other events.
River North Brewery will release the ninth installment in its Barrel Series -- Hello, Darkness Black IPA -- today at 1 p.m. in the taproom. The beer is River North's black IPA that has been aged for four months in charred oak whiskey barrels. It will be on draft and available for purchase in bomber bottles. Unlike previous beer in the Barrel Series, however, bottles will only be sold from the taproom and won't be in liquor stores.
At noon today, Falling Rock Taphouse will kick off its Day of the Barrel, a Celebration of Barrel Aged Beers, as part of American Craft Beer Week. The list of beers is TBA.
The Rackhouse Pub will try some of the Lips of Faith series from New Belgium Brewery today at five. They'll be pouring: Pluot, a Belgian-style ale brewed with the plum/apricot hybrids; Paardebloem, a collaboration with Red Rock Brewing that was made with dandelion greens; and bottles of Cascara Quad.
Hops & Pie cranks up its monthly Littlest Big Beer Fest today by featuring several beers from The Bruery in California. Flights and single pours will be available beginning at noon of Sour In The Rye, Saison de Lente, Humulus Lager, White Oak, Tradewinds and Mischief.
The Front Range Rally, celebrating craft brewers and food trucks (the perfect combination) along the northern Front Range, takes place today from 3 to 7 p.m. at the nonprofit Loveland Food Share, 2600 North Lincoln Avenue in Loveland. The festival includes beer from thirty craft brewers, food from fifteen food vendors and live music; it benefits the Food Bank for Larimer County. Tickets range from $35 to $40 and are available at www.frontrangerally.com.
Boulder Beer Company will hold its second annual Innovation Celebration today beginning at noon to cap off its American Craft Beer Week festivities. It's doing so by removing the regular lineup of beers and replacing all twelve taps and the beer engine with one-of-a-kind, small batch brews (only forty pints each) from its pilot system. There will also be live music from Pro Leisure starting at 5 p.m.
Tipsy's Liquor World and the Dakota Ridge Athletic Foundation will hold their second annual Tipsy's Brew Fest from noon to 4 p.m. today outside the store, 5869 South Alkire Street in Littleton. The fest features two hundred beers from seventy breweries, food and live music from the Groove Hogs and Flipside. Tickets are $35 (or $45 for VIP) and proceeds will be donated to the Dakota Ridge Athletic Foundation and the Colorado Brewers Guild. Some of the breweries in attendance will include AC Golden, Alaskan, Avery, Blue Moon, Boulder Beer, Boulevard, Breckenridge, Bristol, Crazy Mountain, Dry Dock, Eddyline, Elevation, Firestone Walker, Great Divide, Left Hand, New Belgium, Odell, Oskar Blues, Paradox, Renegade, Rockyard, Ska, Stone, Tommyknocker, Twisted Pine, Upslope, Wynkoop, Grand Teton and Trinity.
Strange Brewing continues its week-long third anniversary party today by tapping Cucumber Belgian Golden, half of which was aged on whiskey staves and half of which was aged on chile peppers.The Colorado Craft Beer Show will be on hand from noon to 2 p.m. and the Acoustic Mining Company will begin playing at 5ish.
The Renegade Publik House, which opened April 30, is throwing a grand opening party today from 2 p.m. to midnight -- and since the eatery and craft beer bar is owned by Renegade Brewing, it will also serve as a way to celebrate American Craft Beer Week. A $12 cover charge includes all-you-can-eat salads and pizzas and access to the 25 craft beer taps, which include several Renegade beers. A portion of sales will be donated to the Colorado Brewers Guild.
Sunday, May 19
The Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project will release the final beer in its Wild Wild Brett "rainbow" series today at the brewery's Barrel Cellar -- a day that it is triumphantly calling ROY-G-BIV Day (which includes the first initial of each of the beers). Bottles of Wild Wild Brett Violet will be sold beginning at noon and continue until the bottles are sold out. There is a six-bottle limit. At 1 p.m., Crooked Stave will begin tapping limited offerings of all of the Wild Wild Brett beers. The schedule is as follows: 1 p.m. Wild Wild Brett Rouge; 1:30 Wild Wild Brett Orange; 2 p.m. Wild Wild Brett Yellow; 2:30 Wild Wild Brett Green; 3 p.m. Wild Wild Brett Blue; 3:30 Wild Wild Brett Indigo. In addition, Wild Wild Brett Violet, along with St. Bretta and Hop Savant will be on tap all day.
Ernie's Bar & Pizza hosts an epic battle of the Oskar Blues IPAs today from 3:30 to 5 p.m. featuring G'Knight Imperial Red IPA, Deviant IPA, Gubna Imperial IPA, and Oskar the G'Rausch Smoked IPA. An Oskar Blues brewer will be on hand to talk with guests and offers samples. Tastings are complimentary while supplies last.
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