Beer Calendar: Yeti Awareness Week and Festive Holiday Beers

By now, you probably know that the state is once again closing eating and drinking establishments for indoor on-site consumption in metro Denver starting November 20. Most restaurants will be allowed to serve outdoors, but alcoholic beverage sales have to stop at 8 p.m. To-go sales, curbside pick-up and delivery are still allowed. The new restrictions are being put into place, of course, to try to stem the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

For many breweries, this means that events are being canceled or postponed once again.

Laura Bruns, co-owner of Factotum Brewhouse, sums it up best in a Facebook post. "Dear Denver and surrounding counties," she writes. "All inside seating is ceasing at 10 p.m. on Thursday. If you would like to enjoy a beer inside your favorite brewery or a dinner inside your favorite restaurant, you have Wednesday and Thursday to do so. Also, starting on Friday, alcohol sales will be stopped at 8 p.m., so take a page from my book and start exercising your right to day drink.

"Whatever you did this past spring to keep our nose above water, we need you to do that same thing again. We'll be changing our hours, tweaking delivery and a few other things. Please support local. Please support small. Please support often. Please pray that your favorites make it to the other side (which I'm hoping is late spring, but I've been wrong on that before). I'll be doing everything this side of legal to get beer into your hands."

Keep reading for this week's craft-beer releases and still-booked events.

Wednesday, November 18
Cerebral Brewing celebrates its fifth anniversary this week with beer releases and a virtual egg-drop kit (go to the brewery's Facebook page for details). There are three cans available November 18. The first is Five Years Together, Six Feet Apart, a double-dry-hopped double IPA made with El Dorado, Strata and Idaho 7 hops. This is Cerebral's anniversary beer and has notes of lemon, lime, orange and pineapple. The second is the return of Eclectic Potion, a really interesting triple IPA brewed with Citra, Motueka and Wai-iti hops, then blended with Viognier grape juice. And finally, there is Bird of War, a smoothie sour with passion fruit, raspberry and lactose.

Ratio Beerworks releases the 2020 version of Nobody's Darlin', a blended barrel-aged whiskey ale in twelve-ounce four-packs. "With a blend of various bourbon barrel-aged versions of Reservoir English Strong Ale, Hold Steady Chocolate Rye Scotch Ale, and a hint of Novo Coffee, the result is a beautifully balanced, barrel-forward beer that will warm your belly and packs a punch at 8 percent ABV," the brewery says.

Thursday, November 19
Great Divide Brewing brings back its annual Yeti Awareness Week, a tongue-in-cheek celebration of its line of Yeti Imperial Stout beers. Both taprooms will have Peanut Butter Yeti, Pumpkin Spice Yeti, 2020 Barrel Aged Yeti, S'mores Yeti and Big Yeti, as well as some small-batch one-offs including Raspberry Barrel Aged Yeti, Irish Cream Yeti, German Chocolate Cake Yeti, Chocolate Banana Bread Yeti and Chocolate Orange Yeti. And although the beer will be plentiful, the associated events will be virtual this year. A panel discussion (streaming at YetiAwareness.com at 6 p.m. November 19) features Great Divide founder Brian Dunn, Innovation Brewer Tony Rau and Operations Manager Jeff Martin. There will be a #YetiCheers at 7 p.m.

Woods Boss Brewing will have its latest version of Nectar of the Forest DDH Hazy IPA available at 2 p.m. Version Four features African Queen, XJA2/436 and Triumph Hops. The 8.2 percent ABV beer is in cans.

Holidaily Brewing, Golden's gluten-free brewery, releases Santa’s Nightcap Bourbon Oak-aged Imperial Stout on tap and in 22-ounce bomber bottles. This 10.8 percent ABV beer boasts "warm bourbon notes from Laws Whiskey followed by a smooth chocolatey finish," the brewery says. It is 100 percent gluten-free.

Friday, November 20
Ratio Beerworks releases Roots Radical Citrus Beet Saison. "Originally crafted in celebration of our first-ever Harvest Week partnership, it has held its own throughout the years as one of our most sought-after seasonals," the brewery says. "With its beautiful natural bright ruby hue and a slight blend of tartness that gives way to sweetness from the tangerine, grapefruit, orange peel and coriander, it’s a brew [whose] taste is as unique as its appearance." It will be available in canned six-packs to go.

It's double can Friday at Woods Boss Brewing, which will release two new beers in cans at noon. The first is Tree Beer, a West Coast-style IPA brewed with spruce tips and Ponderosa pine needles. The second is Double Bit Dunkel, a Munich-style dunkel with malty, rich and clean flavors.

Fluffy Pumpkin Toasted Marshmallow Porter has become such a phenomenon for Odyssey Beerwerks that the brewery has decided to release a gingerbread version for the holidays. The new 6 percent ABV beer, Fluffy Gingerbread Molasses Marshmallow Porter, is now on draft and in six-packs to go.

Politics, Money and Religion. That's the name of New Image Brewing's newest canned beer, and while you may or may  not want to broach those subjects (not to mention pumpkin beer) at the Thanksgiving Day table (or Zoom call), you can definitely dig right in to this 12 percent ABV barleywine, which was made with pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, lactose, marshmallow and almond flour. "Usually around this time of year, talk of pumpkin beer feels like a welcome mat to opinions you never really asked for," the brewery explains. "It’s like one of those hot potato subjects at Thanksgiving that doesn’t get brought up because just the mention might cause waves. Well, we’re tired of avoiding those topics and this beer style. One of the lessons we learned this year is the importance of having hard conversations, because when you let shit slide for too long and don’t challenge people on outdated thinking, you end up with whole groups of people who feel entitled to continue on a path that is antithetical to your own. Whether that’s how you REALLY feel about pumpkin beer, or it’s the big ones like politics, money, or religion, get in there and get uncomfortable."

Luki Brewing in Arvada continues its Harvest Trilogy with Cranberry Dreams, a wheat beer that was fermented on cranberries and blended with a bit of apple cider "to add additional depth and complexity," the brewery says. "The result is a smooth drinking harvest wheat beer that brings the fall season to a fantastic close."

Cellar West Artisan Ales in Lafayette debuts Grateful Sled Holiday IPA. "Built around a base of premium British malts, primarily Maris Otter, a prized barley varietal grown in the UK for brewing their finest offerings, with a pronounced medley of American-grown Chinook, Citra, Centennial, Columbus and Eureka hops," the brewery says. "Big notes of dank pine and spiced citrus create a rich and flavorful IPA perfect for winter merriment."

Wild Provisions Beer Project in Boulder releases its newest version of Metes & Bounds, its oak-fermented sour farmhouse-style ale. This one was aged on freshly picked Chinook hop cones and then matured in chardonnay barrels. "This blend boasts flavors of over-ripened pineapple, freshly tilled earth, and washed-rind cheese. Structured with aged-hop bitterness, funky phenols, and light acidity," the brewery says.

Saturday, November 21
The owners of Burns Family Artisan Ales had planned an event to celebrate the release of No Barrels Included, a 17.2 percent ABV Russian imperial stout that was aged for one year in stainless steel. Instead, they will simply sell the beer to go starting at 1 p.m. Get two bottles for $50 (you must pick up today). There are only 100 bottles available. Get info and tickets at eventbrite.com.

River North Brewery will have its latest version of Hop-A-Tronic Lupulositor available to go at 1 p.m. at both of its taprooms. This 10 percent ABV hazy double IPA is made with Strata, Citra and Idaho 7 hops.

Brewers, breweries and beer lovers: Send updates on releases and events to [email protected].