Beer Calendar: Sours, Stouts, Snow Sports and a Special Series

Black Shirt Brewing is mixing things up. The River North beer maker said this week that it will begin tapping a keg of a new one-off beer every Wednesday at 5 p.m. "Oftentimes, we incorporate ingredients into our beer that might be more familiar to a high-end kitchen than a brewery," Black Shirt says. "These culinary-inspired beers are often one-off beers, just to try them out, and to see and taste what the results will be. These beers are not geared to become large batches; rather, they are a snapshot of a moment to be shared and enjoyed with an open mind. Beer purists need not apply. Adventurous palates welcomed." Today's keg incorporates fresh lemon, lactose sugar and vanilla-infused bourbon. "It's as close to a slice of lemon meringue pie in a glass that you'll ever taste," advises the beer maker.

Wednesday, November 4
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project will host a release party for L’Brett d’Cherry today at 5 p.m. The 6 percent ABV beer "is a blend of Golden Sour from various barrels, which was aged in oak foeders with 4,000 pounds of fruit ," the brewery says. It "pours with a deep red hue and rose-colored head from the mass amount of cherries added in secondary fermentation."

It's "Many Thanks" cask month at Copper Kettle Brewing, which will tap a firkin of Cranberry Orange Golden Ale today at noon. Made with fresh oranges and cranberries, the Belgian golden ale offers a combination of citrusy and sweet notes. Farm to Truck will be on hand.

Platt Park Brewing will tap its Imperial Red Ale today, while head brewer Greg will be opening the brewhouse for questions and tours. You can get a free sample of the Imperial Red from 6 to 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 5
The Brewability Lab, whose goal is to help adults (21 and up) with developmental disabilities find training and work in the brewing industry, will host a Kickstarter party from 6 to 9 p.m. today at Grandma's House brewery, where the project will be based. There will be beer, food trucks, live music and raffles prizes. A percentage of sales from beer will go towards Brewability Lab's Kickstarter to buy equipment . For food trucks and raffles, cash is preferred — but cards are accepted for craft beer. Get more information at Kickstarter.

River North Brewery is in transition. The beer maker closed its taproom at 24th and Blake streets after being forced out by development, but the brewery is currently building out a large production facility at 6021 Washington Street, which will include a small taproom. In the meantime, River North will continue to release beers. Today, Stapleton Taphouse will pour all three versions of Funk the Man, a series of brews that River North made to express its feelings over losing its location. 

Friday, November 6
Breckenridge Brewery and Never Summer Industries will once again take over the Punch Bowl Social for a free Opening Day party starting at 6 p.m. to celebrate the start of the winter recreation season. The two companies have created an Artist Series Snowboard to commemorate it. The parking-lot party will include Breck beers; music from The Nuns of Brixton (Clash cover band); the Never Summer movie This Ain't a Movie; giveaways including the Andrew Hoffman-designed Snowboard; ski and board waxing from  7Twenty Boardshop, and games including a mechanical bull.

Saturday, November 7
Pucker up! Falling Rock Taphouse is hosting a "wild" and crazy Sour Saturday (and Sunday, too), starting at noon today. It will begin with sixteen beers (order by number please!) on Saturday, and Falling Rock will have six kegs in reserve for the ones that will kick by Sunday morning. Don’t forget the antacids. Here’s the lineup for today: Bruery Rueze, Crooked Stave Key Lime Tau, Crooked Stave Origins, Crooked Stave Petite Sour Passion Fruit, Epic Pomme Baril, Epic Sour IPA, Firestone Walker Agrestic, Grand Teton Oude Bruin, Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza, New Belgium La Folie 2014, New Belgium Love Oscar, Oud Beersel Framboise, Russian River Consecration, Russian River Supplication, Trois Dames Framboise Saison, Vicaris Triple Gueuze, 

Grist Brewing in Highlands Ranch is turning two today, and it will celebrate with a party featuring eleven beers, along with a different specialty beer every hour until 8 p.m. Grist will also tap its extremely limited seasonal Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout, which was aged in whiskey barrels for ten months. There will also be two food trucks on hand, Churn and Burn, and Jessie's Smokin' NOLA, along with prizes and raffles and vendors selling beer-related stuff in the parking lot.

Mockery Brewing will celebrate its one-year anniversary today with a block party in front of the brewery. Beers will include limited barrel-aged releases poured throughout the day, commemorative glassware, live music, food trucks (Cluck Truck and Events by Revelry) and giveaways.

Boulder Beer Company releases The Dude’s D’Spare today at a party from noon to 3 p.m. at the the Pub at Boulder Beer. All bottles purchased during the party will be signed by brewmaster David Zuckerman and "the infamous Shipping Dude," according to the brewery. The first 150 guests will also receive a complimentary four-ounce pour of the beer, a barrel-aged Imperial Stout. Attendees will be entered to win a VIP party at the brewery with a $500 retail value. Other fun activities at the Big Lebowksi-themed party include robe giveaways, lawn bowling and a photo booth. "This Imperial Stout uses a blend of specialty malts for a dark chocolate, roasty flavor with hints of black licorice," Boulder Beer notes. "Aging it in first-use Cabernet wine barrels adds depth, bringing out soft fruit flavors and subtle oakiness. The stout rings in at 10 percent ABV and 52 IBU." The brewery adds that the barrels onsite "really tied the room together."

Sanitas Brewing in Boulder gets funky today, turning over all of its tap lines to ten different sour beers. Offerings include Bramble Blackberry Sour and Brother's Farm Wild Pear Saison. "Over the last few months we've quietly released a bunch of sour/wild barrel aged beers and had great response on them," the brewery says. Grateful Bread in Denver is donating palate cleansers, too.

Sunday, November 8
The fourth annual Bacon & Beer Festival takes place today from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at the Glitter Dome, 3600 Wynkoop Street, where numerous area restaurants and breweries will offer bacon-based dishes paired with beer. Proceeds from the fest will benefit the Metro Caring and Project Angel Heart. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $75 for VIP; get them at imbibe-events.com.

Pucker up! Falling Rock Taphouse will continue its "wild" and crazy Sour Saturday (and Sunday, too), today. There will be  leftovers from Saturday (see above), plus the following: Allagash Broken Elevator, Bear Republic Grizz, New Belgium Clutch, Russian River Consecration, Russian River Temptation, St. Louis Fond Tradition Kriek.

Avery Brewing will host a release party and bottle sale for Pump[KY]n, its 15 percent ABV bourbon barrel-aged spiced pumpkin porter. Yes, 15 percent. Draft and bottles available at 11 a.m.

Wednesday, November 11
Coda Brewing in Aurora will tap 11 Iron Men Triple IPA today. Made with eleven kinds of hops and eleven kinds of malts, this 11 percent ABV triple IPA is named after brewery co-owner Scott Procop's grandfather's "Yale football team from 1935 that played without substitution for the full 60 minutes, the last time this ever happened in college football," the brewery says.

Crooked Stave will release Motif today at 5 p.m. "Motif is a take on a Belgian Dark Strong (9 percent ABV) fermented with the brewery's mixed culture of wild yeast and bacteria in large oak foeders," the brewery says. "Brewed in anticipation of colder weather, each batch features strong malt derived characteristics, which mingle with the earthy tart cherry notes derived from the fermentation with wild yeast in oak. Additional batches of Motif Reserva, aged in various spirit barrels are still planned for this year."

Ian Clark of BRU handbuilt ales & eats will host a beer dinner tonight in Boulder with chef Jensen Cummings, who recently started the Brewed Food traveling beer-and-food pairing series. "The evening will showcase both chef Clark’s and Cumming’s delicious creations from the kitchen with a focus on fermented foods," according to BRU. "In addition, the two joined forces to create a special collaboration Imperial Stout which will be shared that evening."  Tickets are $60. Call 720-638-5193 for reservations. 

Thursday, November 12
River North Brewery is in transition. The beer maker closed its taproom at 24th and Blake streets after being forced out by development, but the brewery is currently building out a large production facility at 6021 Washington, which will include a small taproom. In the meantime, River North will continue to release beers. Today, Jake’s Brew Bar in Littleton will tap a keg of a new brew, Nightmare Fuel, a 13.5 percent ABV Imperial Stout brewed with whole bean coffee.

Friday, November 13
At 2 p.m., Wit's End Brewing will tap a version of its Super FL-IPA that has been aged in Law's Rye Whiskey barrels.

Twisted Pine Brewing will tap this year's version of Northstar Imperial Porter today at the Boulder taproom. The winter seasonal clocks in at 9.5 percent ABV and should age well. The brewery also points out that "a copyright dispute arose earlier this year between the brewery and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates over naming rights, but has been amicably resolved and, with the winery’s permission, Twisted Pine will continue to use the name Northstar." The beer will be sold in 22-ounce bomber bottles in liquor stores as well.

Saturday, November 14
Fermaentra Brewing will host its first-year anniversary bash today with lots of beer, food and live performances. The brews include at least four barrel-aged beers, some poured straight from the barrel; a firkin tapping and a wild/Brett ale. The first 100 people to order a beer get a commemorative glass to keep. There will be food available from Quiero Arepas and Brava! Pizzeria, as well as merchandise giveaways, resident artist Dom BeDan raffling prints, and live painting performed by artist Matt James.

Upslope Brewing will host a seventh anniversary party today from 2 to 8 p.m. at its Flatiron Park location. There will be more than forty beers on tap (some very limited), including a seventh anniversary brew, vintage favorites, collaboration brews, a battle of the firkins and the core beer classics. There will be live music from Technicolor Tone Factory, Wandering Natives and Zen Mustache & K-Law, and food from the Tasterie Truck, Sancho's Authentic Mexican Food and Rollin' Bones BBQ.

Nitro Fest, produced by Left Hand Brewing, returns to Longmont's Roosevelt Park today as the country's only fest dedicated exclusively to nitrogenated beer. There will be rare, out-of-state and just plain creamy selections from around forty breweries like Ballast Point, North Coast, Founders, Dogfish Head, Firestone Walker, Victory, Green Flash and more. Some the beers will be on nitro for the first time, and many almost never make it out of their home taprooms. Left Hand is hosting the fest because it is a leader in the nitro category. The event runs from 6 to 10 p.m. at the park. There will be live music and performances from Lunar Fire, Fractal Tribe and the Boulder Circus School, including fire dancers, stilt walkers and aerial artists. Food will be available from Samples World Bistro, the Roost and more. Cocktail attire is encouraged. Tickets range from $50 to $85.

Wednesday, November 18
Crooked Stave will have a release party for Mama Bear’s Sour Cherry Pie today at 5 p.m. "Mama Bear’s Sour Cherry Pie features over 3,000 pounds of Colorado sour cherries harvested" on the Western Slope.

Thursday, November 19
The Chef & Brew Festival returns to the EXDO Event Center from 7 to 10 p.m. (VIP entry starts at 6 p.m.) with a new lineup of chefs and brewers who have teamed up to offer an overwhelming pairing experience. Enjoy dishes from more than twenty restaurants with over fifty unique beers. Tickets are $45 for general admission and $65 for VIP (although they will go up on October 26). They include a commemorative glass and unlimited access to beer and food. Gets tickets at chefandbrew.com.

Joyride Brewing isn't messing around. It's pairing four different small slices of pizza with four different half pints of beer "to create some flavor explosions." The pizzas are being made out front by Rolling Dough Food Truck. The pairings were chosen by Joyride's brewmaster, who will be on hand to talk about them. Each pairing is $15.

Friday, November 27
Copper Kettle Brewing will tap and release Snowed In today at noon. This Black Friday tradition is an imperial oatmeal stout aged in Colorado bourbon barrels with coffee and chocolate. 5280 Sliders will be on hand as well.