Turn the page to see all of this week's craft-beer events.
Wednesday, November 19Comrade Brewing taps its 7 percent ABV American Red Ale today. Brewed with Cascade, Chinook and Galaxy hops, the beer has a "big malt backbone but with only a moderate amount of caramel sweetness, layered with aromas of fresh pine, citrus and grapefruit with a nice balanced bitterness," the brewery says.
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project will release its latest batch of Origins Burgundy Sour today at 6 p.m. The bottle limit is set at twelve.
November is Happy Thanksgiving cask month at Copper Kettle Brewing, during which the brewery will release firkins of beers that honor Turkey Day. This week's is Sweet Potato Casserole Porter, an English dark ale with restrained, roasty characteristics and a hint of a sweet finish.
Thursday, November 20
The annual Chef & Brew Festival, which brings some of Denver's best chefs together with top breweries, returns to the EXDO Event Center from 7 to 10 p.m. today. Attendees get access to unlimited appetizers and craft-beer samples from at least eighteen restaurants and eighteen breweries. The apps and beers are paired, and the best combo -- as voted on by guests -- will win the competition. Tickets are $49 (or $80 for VIP, which gets you in an hour earlier, at 6 p.m.). Some of the chefs include Jensen Cummings of the BSide, John Chad Little of Harman's, Argyll's John Broening and Panzano's Elise Wiggins. Breweries include Crooked Stave, Funkwerks, TRVE, Epic and Great Divide. Find the full list, info and tickets at chefnbrewfestival.com.
Denver Beer Co will host its annual Pie & Beer pairing from 6 to 9 p.m. today with Sugar Bakeshop and Coffee House; tickets are $15. Try four beers paired with four pies, then pre-order your Thanksgiving pie and beer to be picked up Wednesday, November 26.
Upslope Brewing will release the second beer in its limited, canned Lee Hill Series today with a party from 5 to 9 p.m. at the brewery's original Lee Hill taproom. Volume 2, Wild Saison "delivers bright notes of ripe fruit imparted by the saison yeast and is nicely balanced by the tartness of the Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces," according to Upslope. The 6.8 percent ABV sour ale was aged for seven months in red wine barrels, then packaged in 19.2-ounce cans. The beer will only be available for sale in cans at the taproom ($10, limit of four). Shopey's Sandwiches food truck will be serving, and there will be live music performed by Blake Aaron Russell.
Friday, November 21
Sanitas Brewing is Boulder will tap its Stock Ale today, a brawny winter seasonal. Reminiscent of the "strong, malty English ales of the late 19th century," Sanitas ferments the beer with more than a pound of dried figs per barrel, "a technique once used by brewers to reactivate fermentation in casks," the brewery says. At 7.5 percent ABV, Stock Ale "pours a dark red color with notes of dried fruits and caramel in the aroma followed by rich flavors of bread crust and a balancing bitterness." Some bars and restaurants in Denver may see the beer over the next few months.
Dry Dock Brewing will debut the latest barrel-aged beer in its Signature Series, Double Coffee Porter, today in the Canoe Room, located inside the brewery's north Aurora production facility. The beer will be available on tap and for sale in bomber bottles; it will be distributed to liquor stores later in the month. The 9.3 percent ABV beer was made with cold-brewed coffee from Denver roaster Coda Coffee and aged in whiskey barrels for ten months.
American Craft Beer Radio will host its second-annual Holiday Beer Bash from 6 to 9 p.m. today at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum in Lowry. It features 35 breweries with unlimited sampling, cuisine from local chefs and prizes -- all in a setting filled with out-of-commission aircraft. General admission tickets are $35, and VIP tickets, which get you in an hour early, are $45.
Saturday, November 22
Denver Bicycle Cafe will celebrate its third anniversary beginning at 7 p.m. today with lots of beer from Copper Kettle, Strange Craft, Renegade, Odyssey and others. Tickets are $15 and include a limited-edition souvenir pint glass and two beers. The cake will be cut at 7 p.m., followed by live music starting at 8 p.m.
Oskar Blues Brewery will celebrate twelve years of canning beers at its original location in Lyons at Oskar Blues Grill & Brew today. Although more than 425 craft breweries are now canning their beers, OB was the first to do it in 2002. The twelfth CANiversary party will kick off with a buffet dinner from 6 to 9 p.m., along with the GABF-famous Silent Disco from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the new expansion space on the north side of the building. Special beers available in cans include Chaka, Velvet Elvis, Station 3, Home Skillet, Pollen Buzz and Pinner Throwback IPA. Live music starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available at eventbrite.com/e/12th-annual-oskar-blues-caniversary-tickets-13878475895.
Sunday, November 23
Barley's Angels, a craft-beer club for Colorado women, collaborated with four professional brewers over the past few weeks to create some beers that will be served in brewery taprooms over the holidays. The first release party is today at 5 p.m. at 300 Suns Brewing in Longmont, which will pour a Belgian wheat brewed with sweet orange peel. There will be cheeses from the Cheese Importers on hand as well.
Turn the page to see more events later in November and December.>