Turn the page to see all of this week's craft beer events.
Wednesday, December 11
Marczyk Fine Foods will bring cheese with big flavor to TRVE Brewing today to pair it with the brewery's beers, including three sours, two of which haven't even been released to the public yet. Be among the first to sample Manannan, a sour brown ale, and Winter Zephyr, a sour black ale, tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. at the brewery. Tickets are $20.
December is "Candied Beers" Cask Month at Copper Kettle Brewing, which will tap a firkin of a beer made with a candy ingredient each Wednesday. Today's beer is Fudge Stout, made with cocoa powder and fudge. Ckrepes will be serving food at 4:30 p.m.
Nope. It's still not winter, somehow. But it will be here soon enough, and Stapleton Tap House is counting down the remaining days by tapping a different winter or holiday or barre-aged beer each night until December 21. Tonight's beer is scheduled to be Diebolt Brewing's C'est la Saison, followed by Crabtree Brewing Barrel Monkey Brown on Thursday, and High Hops Brewing's Plum Dubb on Friday. Keep an eye on Stapleton Tap House's Facebook page for the rest and for daily updates because some may disappear faster than others and there may some last-minute adjustments.
Thursday, December 12
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project at the Source will begin selling bottles at noon of its new Holiday Vieille, a brett beer made with cranberry, hibiscus, nutmeg and cinnamon. Bottles are $8 each with a limit of one case per customer.
Friday, December 13
Ugly Sweater Returns (the beer) returns to the Wit's End Taproom today with a party from 2 to 9 p.m. But the best way to enjoy this winter ale is if you're wearing an ugly sweater yourself (not the beer). Wit's End will be raffling door prizes for those wearing an ugly sweater and giving out a special prize for the best/worst ugly sweater at 7 p.m. Pride of Philly will be selling cheese steaks. And today is the only day that Wit's End will be selling Ugly Sweater to go -- and only in the brewery's 40s.
Left Hand Brewing will delight fans of Snowbound -- the holiday beer that the brewery discontinued four years ago -- by tapping an archived keg of it tonight in its Longmont taproom. The 8.6 percent ABV strong ale was brewed with crushed cinnamon, chopped ginger, orange zest, cardamom and cloves.
Avery Brewing will hold a party in its Boulder taproom at 5 p.m. today to celebrate the seasonal return of Mephistopheles, a 15 percent ABV imperial stout. The beer, which is part of Avery's Demon series will be available on draft and in twelve-ounce bottles to take home. Avery is also releasing its 2013 batch of the Maharaja Imperial IPA this month, sometime in mid-December.
No ugly sweater? No good beer. No excuses. That's the tagline for an ugly sweater party that Parry's Pizzeria is throwing today starting a 6 p.m. at its Highlands Ranch location. To get access to the rare barrel-aged beers on tap, you'll need to be dressed in your worst Christmas sweater. Beers on tap include: Big Bad Baptist by Epic Brewing, Bourbon County Stout by Goose Island, Seventeen by Firestone Walker, Santa's Little Helper by Port Brewing, Ten Fidy (aged in Wild Turkey barrels) by Oskar Blues, and Well Built ESB by Breckenridge Brewery.
Golden's Barrels & Bottles will host an Ugly Sweater Party and Samuel Adams tap takeover today from 5 to 10 p.m., featuring Boston Lager, Winter Lager, Merry Maker White Xmas, Old Fezziwig, Golden Yuzu, Juniper IPA, Cherry Chocolate Bock Black and Brew Grumpy Monk IPA. Wear your ugliest sweater and bring in four cans of food for the Golden food bank, and you'll get a free ten-ounce pour of Boston Lager.
Saturday, December 14
The Copper Kettle will release the second 22-ounce bomber bottle in its four-part barrel-aged seasonal series today. Well Bred (previously known as 2013 Bourbon Barrel Barleywine) is an English-style barleywine packed with malt, caramel undertones and hints of vanilla, and aged for months in Breckenridge Distillery bourbon barrels. There is a limited quantity (480 available), so get there early. Copper Kettle opens at noon. Next year, Copper Kettle plans to make this beer a fall seasonal.
Funkwerks will celebrate its third anniversary by releasing its latest (taproom-only?) bottled beer today and by tapping a draft version of the beer at 1 p.m. Bourbon Barrel Aged Quad, inspired by the Trappist beers of Belgium, was aged for eight months in oak barrels. As a birthday treat, Funkwerks will be also be giving away free half glasses of Bourbon Barrel Aged Quad until the first keg kicks.
SOLD OUT: The second annual Denver Beer Festivus takes place at the McNichols Building in Civic Center Park, featuring 20-25 Denver breweries. Running from 2 to 6 p.m., the tickets were $40-$65. There will be music and food.
Sunday, December 15
Nope. It's still not winter, somehow. But it will be here soon enough, and Stapleton Tap House is counting down the remaining days by tapping a different winter or holiday or barre-aged beer each night until December 21. Tonight's beer is scheduled to be Trinity Brewing's Merle and Saison Nocturnum, followed by Twisted Pine's Noel Tripel on Monday, River North Brewery's Rum Barrel Aged Quandary on Tuesday and the Epic/Strange collaboration, Epically Strange, on Wednesday. Keep an eye on Stapleton Tap House's Facebook page for the rest and for daily updates because some may disappear faster than others and there may some last-minute adjustments.
Renegade Publik House will host a beer dinner tonight at 5:30 p.m. with Wit's End Brewing, featuring five of the nano's brews paired with a menu created by Renegade chef Tim Hefty. Some of the courses include: charred butternut squash bisque topped with a caramelized onion and raisin compote paired with Wit's End Ugly Sweater; and baked cod pave over roasted fennel and sweet potatoes paired with Jean Claude Van Blonde. Tickets are $49 per person and must be purchased in advance at rphbeerdinner.bpt.me.
Wednesday, December 18
December is "Candied Beers" Cask Month at Copper Kettle Brewing, which will tap a firkin of a beer made with a candy ingredient each Wednesday. Today's beer is Chocolate Peanut Butter Old Ale, made with chocolate peanut brittle flakes. Ckrepes will be serving food at 4:30 p.m.
Upslope Brewing will celebrate the annual re-release of its winter seasonal, Foreign Style Stout, today with a party from 5 to 9 p.m. in its original Lee Hill taproom. Made with roasted barley, chocolate malts and Irish ale yeast, the 6.9 percent ABV beer, sold in twelve-ounce six-packs, will be available in liquor stores starting this week as well.
For more events later in December, turn the page. Thursday, December 19
Nope. It's still not winter, somehow. But it will be here soon enough, and Stapleton Tap House is counting down the remaining days by tapping a different winter or holiday or barre-aged beer each night until December 21. Tonight's beer is scheduled to be Wynkoop Brewing's Gingerbread Stout, followed by Renegade's Radiator Winter Warmer on Friday and Pike's Peak Brewing's AdAmAn Ale on Saturday. Keep an eye on Stapleton Tap House's Facebook page for the rest and for daily updates because some may disappear faster than others and there may some last-minute adjustments.
The Colorado directors and producers of Crafting A Nation, a recently-made craft-beer documentary, will hold a benefit screening at Oskar Blues Tasty Weasel in Longmont tonight at 7 p.m. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the evening with benefit the CAN'D Aid Foundation, which Oskar Blues created to help support flood relief efforts in Boulder County and elsewhere in Colorado. Tickets are $10.
Friday, December 20
World of Beer in Belmar will tap a firkin of Odell Brewing Myrcenary, the brewery's double IPA, tonight at 6 p.m. that has been infused with fruit.
Saturday, December 21
Hops & Pie will host the Littlest Big Christmas Beer Fest today starting at noon and featuring more than fifteen jolly big holiday brews from the likes of Port Brewing, Boulevard, Crooked Stave, Prairie Artisan Ales, Lost Abbey, Evil Twin, Upslope, the Bruery, Alesmith, Dry Dock and Diebolt, among others.
Sunday, December 22
TRVE Brewing will release its latest bottled beer this afternoon at 1:30. Manannan is a sour brown ale that has been fermented in whiskey barrels with two strains of brettanomyces yeast and soured with lactobacillus. TRVE describes it thusly: "Dark fruit, citrus, and a slight whiskey flavor, with a perfectly balanced acidity."
Tuesday, December 31
As it does every year, Renegade Brewing will pour its Black Gold tonight for New Year's Eve. The beer is a an Imperial Peanut Butter Cup Stout. Yes, yes it is.
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