Bull & Bush Teams With Comrade Brewing for Series of Rare Collabs

The Bull & Bush Brewery doesn't do collaboration beers. Not because it isn't a friendly place — in fact, the opposite is true. It's just that owners Erik and Dave Peterson and head brewer Gabe Moline, well, they just don't do collabs. But, then again, you only turn fifty once, and Comrade Brewing makes for a pretty good partner.

On July 21, Comrade and Bull & Bush will tap different versions of a series of upcoming collaborations between the two southeast Denver breweries that will culminate with the Bull & Bush's fiftieth-anniversary weekend on August 6 and 7. At Comrade, you can try the brewery's flagship Super Power IPA alongside Super Bush, a version of the beer that was made at Bull & Bush. And at the Bull & Bush, you can try its famed Man Beer English-style IPA alongside Rad Man, a version of Man Beer brewed at Comrade.

Confusing? Maybe a bit, but definitely worth the effort, especially since this is the first time in Erik Peterson's memory that Bull & Bush has teamed up with another brewery on a beer.

"We have not done very many collabs, in part because we get too busy just trying to keep up," he explains. But when Comrade owner David Lin "approached us about doing one for our fiftieth anniversary, I said, 'Hell, yeah, great idea!' Having a great relationship with those guys and the proximity of our breweries made it a no-brainer."

Lin adds that he's excited, too, and looking forward to "seeing how the same beer differs when produced on different equipment."

The breweries are also working on an aging project: There is Man Beer resting in a pair of sherry barrels, and Super Power is being aged in a pair of Cognac barrels.

"We would love to do more collabs in the future," Peterson says. "We had a great time with the Comrade boys."

Day one of the anniversary party at the Bull & Bush Brewery, 4700 Cherry Creek South Drive, is August 6. It will include a block party from 4 p.m. to close, with special tappings, an outdoor beer tent, food and the Whisky Wagon. An 8 p.m. concert with DeVotchKa is sold out.

Day two (August 7) includes another block party from noon to close with the beer tent, live DJs, a whole-hog barbecue with chef Justin Brunson from River Bear Meats, and an 8 p.m. concert with Dragondeer (tickets for that show are still available).