Look below for craft-beer events through November 22.
Copper Kettle Brewing
Copper Kettle Brewing took a "note out of Beyoncé's book for this week's Comfort Food Firkin, and you know what? We're not sure you're ready for all this jelly," the brewery says. The beer is lemony, tart, sour with a slight sweetness, "as inspired by one of our favorite comfort foods: jelly donuts." The firkin won't last long.
105 West Brewing in Castle Rock is celebrating its second anniversary with a weeklong party with special beer tappings, live music, rotating food trucks and a few special events. Today the brewery taps American Blonde. Tomorrow it will tap Double Deez Nuts, followed by Chocolate Booze Cake Surprise on Friday and Raspberry Chocolate Porter on Saturday. For a list of food trucks, music and events, go to 105 West's Facebook page.
Thursday, November 9
Join Freshcraft at 7 p.m. for a hip-hop-themed tapping of Brass Monkey, a malt liquor made by Upslope Brewing in collaboration with Freshcraft. "A very lucky few will have the opportunity to purchase forty-ounce bottles of this awesomeness (on-site consumption only)," Freshcraft says. Come dressed to impress in your best B-Boy/B-Girl outfits to have a chance to walk away with two tickets to a future Denver Nuggets game. Come on down and drink some Brass Monkey, that funky monkey.
Friday, November 10
Alpine Dog kicks off three days of third-anniversary celebrations at 3 p.m. by releasing a Triple IPA collaboration with Locavore Beer Works and Fermaentra Brewing, which also celebrate their third anniversaries this month. The Clamato Time Fish Taco Food Truck will be on hand. On Saturday, the brewery releases bombers of its second-anniversary beer, Wild BA Imperial Stout, followed by this year's anniversary beer at noon. That one is an IPA brewed with Simcoe and Mosaic hops and fermented with wild Brettanomyces yeast. At 6 p.m., Alpine Dog releases Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Liquid Debauchery Barley Wine. MGJ's Burgers Food Truck will outside. On Sunday, the brewery releases Bourbon BA Barleywine at noon and Coffee Tipsy Cairn Brown Ale at 1 p.m.
Fiction Beer Company releases two beers in canned four packs at 2 p.m. The first is Feely Effects Green Tea Milk Chocolate Stout. The second is a double-dry-hopped version of Logic is Relative New England Style Imperial IPA; it was dry-hopped with Citra and Summer hops.
Bruz Beers taps Saturnalia, a specialty Belgian-style ale brewed with five imported malts and brewing sugars. "Saturnalia is fermented with two Belgian yeasts, which provide complex fruit and spice notes," the brewery says. "This full-bodied orange-colored ale is spicy, with a moderate touch of citrus fruits that linger into the long complex finish." The name Saturnalia is an homage to Saturn, the god of agriculture. "In short, his very name meant 'good times' during the Golden Age. Romans began the one day feast/wine-blast known as Saturnalia to celebrate their good fortune with good friends, good food and celebration."
Weldwerks Brewing in Greeley releases its latest tempting beers at noon in sixteen-ounce four-packs. They are: Lemondrop It Like It's Hot, a 6.4 percent triple dry-hopped New England-style IPA brewed with Citra, Mosaic, and Lemondrop hops; German Chocolate Cake Stout, a 7.4 percent ABV imperial milk stout brewed with chocolate malt, lactose, cacao nibs, coconut and just a hint of pecans; and 3.8 Miles, an 8.4 percent New England-style Double IPA brewed with over seven pounds of Mosaic, Lemondrop and El Dorado hops per barrel. All three beers will also be available on tap.
Saturday, November 11
"If you've been in the Baere taproom often enough you've likely heard us talk about both our love for hot sauce and our love for Palisade Peach Table Sour. Now we finally have the chance to party with both of these glorious things at the same time," Baere Brewing says about its hot sauce release with the Real Dill. "We met the Dillionaires of The Real Dill not long after we opened and spared no time diving into a fermentation/pickling/hot sauce nerd fest of a conversation. We dreamed of one day co-creating a hot sauce using Baere-liner Weisse as the majority of the souring liquids. We gave them as much beer as they wanted and they hit the kitchen running. After a few different pilot batches, they ... created the ultimate Green Chile Hot Sauce with just the right amount of heat to pour all over anything and everything you can imagine." To go with it, Baere will release bottles of Palisade Peach Table Sour, made with more peaches. The beer will also be available on tap. The chile sauce will sell for $12 per sixteen-ounce bottle, while the beer will cost $14 for a 750-ml bottle.
"Take a bone-dry Belgian-style imperial stout, age it in freshly emptied whiskey barrels for up to one year, and you get the one and only Barrel Aged Avarice." That's the word from River North Brewery, which will host its annual release of this winter specialty at noon. Bottles are $10 with a one-case limit. The brewery will also feature a three-year vertical of Barrel Aged Avarice, dating back to 2015.
Fermaentra Brewing celebrates three years of making beer with a party starting at noon. In addition to food trucks, merchandise giveaways and commemorative glassware (for the first 100 people), there will be a handful of crazy beers. They include: MMXVII Anniversary Barrel Blend bottle release; Galaxy DDH Peasant Magic IPA Crowler Release; three-year collaboration triple IPA release (made with Locavore Beer Works and Alpine Dog Brewing, who are also celebrating their third anniversaries this month); a firkin and other barrel-aged beers.
Pints for Prostates will be at Joyride Brewing Company 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for an annual fundraiser with the brewery. Joyride has once again brewed So Fresh and So Cream for the event; $1 from each pint sold will fund a free PSA testing from PCEC, which will be offering a free men's health screenings from 1 to 4 p.m. at the brewery. There will be raffle tickets available for a beer trip for two to the Carolinas as well.
Locavore Beer Works in Littleton will commemorate its third birthday with a party with live music (Dollhouse Thieves, The Eric Dorn Trio, and Turkeyfoot), food, giveaways and barrel-aged beers and bottle releases. Beer tappings include: Black Pearl Barrel Aged Imperial Porter; The Vig Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout; Cherry Hammer Barrel Aged Cherry Brown Ale; Fifi Barrel Aged Saison; Edwards Wee Demise Barrel Aged Scottish Wee Heavy; Quadricorn Belgian Quadruppel; and, of course, Mama Had Triplets Triple IPA.
Comrade Brewing will tap Citra SMASH Pale at noon. To brew it, Comrade used American pilsner and wheat malt, along with Citra and Citra hop kief. The 6 percent ABV beer has "intense tropical fruit notes of passion fruit, papaya, mango and a distinct citrus," the brewery says.
Endo Brewing will open its doors for the first time today in Lafayette at 4 p.m. The brand-new brewery, at 2755 Dagny Way, will have a variety of specials and giveaways during its grand opening, as well as food trucks, a beer-naming contest, DJs and beer.
Oskar Blues brings back its popular but rare Barrel-Aged Ten Fidy and Java Barrel-Aged Ten Fidy (both at 12.9 percent ABV) with a release party at the Oak Room, which is on the northwest side of the brewery in Longmont. To make the beers, Oskar Blues aged its Ten FIDY Imperial Stout in a blend of Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for at least eight months. The Java version was mixed with Oskar Blues-owned Hotbox Roasters cold brew made with a blend of Mexican and Brazilian beans; it will only be available from in the taproom for one day. Sales of the 19.2-ounce cans begin at 10 a.m., "though we have a feeling that a line might begin to form earlier, so we’ll start giving out numbered wristbands at 9:30," the brewery says. "These wristbands will allow you to walk around and not worry about losing your place in line... To ease the pain of the wee hours we’ll have CyclHOPS Bike Cantina slingin' breakfast burritos. Did we mention there’d be coffee? Hotbox Roasters will be on scene." For details on limits, the importance of the wristbands, and other info, go to the Oskar Blues Facebook page. Both beers will be on draft in limited quantities — and the regular BA Ten Fidy should hit some liquor stores in Colorado and across the country.
One of the state's most unusual — weirdest, even — fests returns to Longmont from 6 to 10 p.m., when Left Hand Brewing hosts the fourth annual Nitro Fest at Roosevelt Park, 700 Longs Peak Avenue in Longmont. "The world’s only exclusively nitrogenated beer festival" features more than one hundred "super smooth nitro beers" from more than forty breweries in the US, Ireland, the UK, China and Korea. This "wild Cirque de Soleil-style" fest includes "the contagious dance energy from internationally recognized 'jamtronica' band, Lotus," along with Lunar Fire, Sven Jorgensen & Fractal Tribe and Boulder Circus School, Left Hand says. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets are $75 and available at lefthandnitro.com. Proceeds will benefit Left Hand Brewing Foundation.
Monday, November 13
Join Ratio Beerworks and the Long I Pie Shop for a beer-and-pie tasting event serving four pie samples and four beers for $20. Shauna Lott from the Long I will also be pre-selling whole pies for Thanksgiving. For tickets, reservations and info about the pairings, go to Ratio's Facebook page.
Tuesday, November 14
Briar Common Brewery + Eatery taps its "most aggressive IPA yet," when it opens at 4 p.m. "We used forty pounds of Colorado CTZ and Chinook hops for this monster. Huge citrus and pine aromas with a bitter punch," the brewpub says.
Wednesday, November 15
Copper Kettle Brewing taps a firkin of Grandma's Cookie Jar Brown Ale at 2 p.m. The beer is "a classic recipe with a little twist," Copper Kettle says. "We're adding chocolate and vanilla, as inspired by the chocolate chip cookies we use to sneak from grandma's cookie jar.
Big Choice Brewing in Broomfield brings the high octane at 2 p.m. with the release of two different beers. The first is Reactor #5 Russian Imperial Stout, a 10 percent ABV beer with "hints of roasted malts, chocolate and finishes a little dry," the brewery says. The second 10 percent-plus beer, Malleus Maleficarum Belgian Quad, "has dark fruit flavors of cherry, plum and fig." Seasoned Swine will be on hand with food.
Thursday, November 16
4 Noses Brewing will release El Jefe, an imperial stout with coffee and cinnamon, in cans and on tap at 3 p.m. "The flavor is loaded with a dark roastiness that transforms into a cinnamon cold brew. The flavor ends with a warm dose of dark and milk chocolates," the brewery says.
Friday, November 17
Cerebral Brewing celebrates its second anniversary all weekend. Things kick off at noon with the release of two canned beers. The first is Remote Island, an 8 percent ABV double IPA brewed with oats and "aggressively hopped in the whirlpool and dry-hopped with Galaxy, Motueka and Hallertau Blanc," the brewery says. Remote Island has notes of guava, ripe melon, white grape and a hint of pine. The second beer is Gamma Knife, a brand new 6.4 percent ABV IPA brewed with flaked oats and hopped with :the hyper-focused combination of Galaxy and Hüll Melon." Both will also be on tap. The Adobo Food Truck will be out front.
Join Great Divide Brewing at the Barrel Bar in RiNo for a celebration of the second annual National Yeti Day as it honors "the magical beasts we love so much." There will be more than ten varieties of Yeti on tap, including a hot and cold Yeti station for Yeti hot chocolate and Yeti floats made with Yeti ice cream from Sweet Action. Plus, there will be awesome specialty firkins, a food truck and the Yeti Cave. There will also be giveaways and raffles starting at 2 p.m., with prizes like a bar tab, Yeti Beer, new Yeti merch, Yeti Skis from Meier Skis, a Yeti Yoga Mat from Yeti Yoga and more. And finally, the Yeti himself will be in attendance.
Ursula Brewery in Aurora releases bottles of 11 Iron Men at noon. The 11 percent ABV triple IPA is brewed with 11 malts and 11 hops. The recipes changes every year "based on what we have available and what flavors we are seeking to experiment with," Ursula says. "Last year the single keg fruited version was so popular that we've decided to make two batches this year. So we will have two draft and two bottled versions for sale this year, regular and blood orange. The beers will also be on tap.
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project will release Coffee Baltic Porter in cans at 2 p.m. Part of its limited-release series, the beer "focuses on the art of coffee roasting, showcasing the uniqueness of this single ingredient," the brewery says. "Through conditioning of our Baltic porter with freshly roasted beans we strive for a balanced coffee character, adding dark sugar, plum and cocoa notes to the robust porter base."
3 Freaks Brewery in Highlands Ranch brings back the unusual Adams Furking Turkey Beer when it opens at 1 p.m. And this time, it will be available in Crowlers to go. They are $14 each.
Saturday, November 18
Wynkoop Brewing brings back its dark-beer showcase from noon to 4 p.m., serving dark, seasonal beers from more than thirty breweries, mostly in Colorado. Tickets, $35, are available at eventbrite.com, and include unlimited tastings in a commemorative glass and chocolate. Proceeds benefit local health organizations like Movember Foundation and the Colorado Cancer Research Program.
Cerebral Brewing continues its second anniversary weekend by releasing the latest round of Here Be Monsters in bottles; details are TBA. Copia Confectionery will be on hand "giving away and selling their delicious chocolates," the brewery says. The Farmer in the Hive will be out front starting at noon. There will also be raffles and prizes.Cerebral will wrap up its weekend tomorrow, on Sunday, with an egg-drop competition. Come pick up your kits starting when doors open at noon and competition will begin at 2 p.m." Moe's Original BBQ Truck Denver will be out front. There will also be a customized photo booth.
"Double the fruit, double the vanilla, double the goodness." That's how Station 26 Brewing describes Peach Milkshake IPA, round two in its milkshake IPA series. "We lowered the bitterness and made for an even silkier pour. The peach flavor is prominent," the brewery says. There are three hundred Crowlers available starting at 1 p.m. (limit of four per person). The beer was brewed with Amarillo, Citra and Saphir hops, and loaded with peach puree and vanilla beans. It will be on tap as well.
In November 2016, Lafayette's Liquid Mechanics Brewing began its quest "to make an IPA that could stand tall and compete with our favorite national and local examples," the brewery says. Over the next year, Liquid Mechanics tried eleven versions (some versions brewed multiple times), conducted blind taste tests against some of the best IPAs on the market, and had some heated arguments. But the brewery now believes it has "developed a recipe and process that makes this IPA stand out." The resulting 6.5 percent ABV IPA uses Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, El Dorado and Citra hops. It releases at noon in cans and on draft.
Sunday, November 19
Avery Brewing in Boulder holds a brewery-only release at 1 p.m. for Flavus Cattus, the 48th beer in its acclaimed Barrel-Aged Series. This 16 percent ABV blonde ale was aged in tequila barrels and is "the passion project of Chief Barrel Herder Andy Parker," the brewery says. "After three years of toying with the idea of a blonde 'demon-strength' beer, Parker made it a reality." The beer — $12 per twelve-ounce bottle — goes on tap at 11 a.m., and a line may form then as well for bottle sales. Avery will also have a limited selection of some of its past beers available for sale form its cellar. Check the brewery's Facebook page for details.
Wednesday, November 22
Ratio Beerworks welcomes the return of two heavy-hitting winter seasonals to the taproom at noon. The first beer is the 8 percent ABV Nobody’s Darlin’ Blended Barrel-Aged Whiskey Ale. The beer blends "various barrel-aged versions of Reservoir Old Ale, Stone + Ratio’s Collaboration India Black Ale and Hold Steady," the brewery says. The second beer is Reservoir Old Ale, a 7.7 percent ABV brew that "imparts bold, toffee, nutty, malt forward flavors from the use of Maris Otter English malts and Muscovado sugar."
Black Shirt Brewing has given its Pistachio & Lavender Rye Pale Ale a new look and a new name: Bonzo. It will be available on tap and in limited cans. Details are TBA.
Copper Kettle hosts its annual release of Snowed In at noon. This 12.8 percent ABV oatmeal stout was aged twelve months in Breckenridge Bourbon barrels and has "strong notes of chocolate, coffee, and (of course) sweet, sweet local Colorado bourbon," the brewery says. It is available in 22-ounce bombers and on draft.
Something Brewery in Brighton saved a few thin mint Girl Scout cookies from earlier this year in order to bring back Mint Condition, a minty chocolate porter made with the cookies. The brewery will start selling 250 Crowlers of the beer at 3 p.m. It will also be on draft.
Resolute Brewing in Centennial will tap its 8.1 percent ABV Baltic Porter when it opens at 11 a.m. "Full-bodied and smooth, this beer drips with rich, malty sweetness. Aromas of dark fruits, like raisins and cherries, complement a bouquet of caramel, molasses and dark chocolate flavors for a big, toasty brew," Resolute says. Ol’ Skool Que will be serving up barbecue starting at noon.
“For years, I made an English style Brown. It’s what people sought from me, because I had been brewing it for so long,” said RESOLUTE’s Head Brewer, Zac Rissmiller. “I wanted a rendition that was a little more playful, so I decided to add the raw Chai spices. A partner suggested I put vanilla in it. The first few times we tapped it, we sold out so quickly! People love it, and we’re really excited to offer it again for the holiday season.”
Cheffin’s Cheesesteaks and Cubanos will start serving at noon on Black Friday, and Scarecrow Revival will perform from 5-7 p.m.
Throughout the month of November, RESOLUTE is tapping its Pie Series small batch beers each Monday. A Cherry Pie English Weat will be introduced on Monday, Nov. 13, followed by an Apple Crisp Amber on Monday, Nov. 20; a tapping of the Lemon Meringue IPA on Nov. 27 will conclude the series. A December small batch will be introduced in the next few weeks.
Friday, November 24
For the past few years, Station 26 Brewing has used the joyous-to-some-and-miserable-to-others Black Friday shopping day as an excuse to release its Dark Star Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, along with several variations on the beer. This year, however, Station 26 takes things up a notch with the inaugural Black Friday Invitational, which will include beers — mostly imperial stouts — from other breweries as well. During multiple ticketed sessions throughout the day, Station 26 will tap Dark Star along with beers from 4 Noses Brewing, Call to Arms, Powder Keg Brewing, River North Brewery, TRVE Brewing and more. (P.S. Station 26 has been pre-selling these beers starting November 14 at eventbrite.com.)
New Image Brewing in Arvada debuts the first in its series of canned imperial coffee stouts at 11 a.m. when it releases the 12.5 percent ABV Vanilla Maple Melanoidin. "Melanoidin is a massive American imperial stout, boiled for nine hours, packed with dark roasted malts and blended with coffee and spices," the brewery says. "It is a celebration of all things roasted and truly a labor of love, and labor, and more labor. For this release, the brewery added Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla beans, locally sourced coffee from Hotbox Roasters and maple syrup. The resulting flavors "start with heavy roast, tobacco and leather, followed by dense caramel and silky vanilla and finishing with a classic after-brunch pancake mouth." Four packs of sixteen-ounce cans are $20.
Chill Out Peppermint Stout returns to Big Choice Brewing at noon — this time at the brewery's new location in Brighton. The beer will be served with a crushed candy cane rim and a Peppermint Patty. There will be a limited number of four-packs available in cans to go, and the brewery will be filling growlers. The Barbed Wire Reef food truck will be out front, and there will be live music from Dave Connelly from 7 to 9 p.m.
Resolute Brewing in Centennial taps its 5 percent ABV Vanilla Chai Brown at noon. "With a dark, malty body, the Vanilla Chai Brown offers an array of rich hazelnut, dark chocolate and toffee notes. An infusion of subtle hop varieties rounds out the beer, which is finished with a touch of raw Chai spice and fresh Madagascar vanilla beans for a sweet and spicy combination," the brewery says.
Lafayette's Liquid Mechanics Brewing releases bottles of Double Nut, a dark and decadent peanut butter porter with twice the peanut. The brewery will donate $2 from every bottle sale to the Movember Foundation, a non-profit working to fund men's health projects. Bottles are $13.99 each; limits are TBD.
Also in Lafayette, Odd13 Brewing will release four — yep, four — new taproom-only beers in cans. They are: Saint Newcole Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with subtle vanilla; Vanilla Coconut Saint Newcole Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout; Intergalactic Juice Hunter Double IPA; and Master of Buckets IPA with Sach Trois. Go to brewery's Facebook page for prices and limits. Odd13 will also be hosting a canned food drive benefiting Sister Carmen Food Bank in Lafayette. Each canned good you bring gets you $1 off a six or four pack of cans.
Saturday, November 25
"This is it. The culmination of our most ambitious project to date," says River North Brewery about its Vicennial Series. "Join us on Small Business Saturday for the release of three barrel-aged behemoths intended to age up to twenty years (a vicennium)." The beers are: Vicennial I Barrel Aged God Complex, "an infallible abbey-style quadrupel fit for the daftest of monks"; Vicennial II Barrel Aged Shadowman, "a smoothly sinister block-out-the-sun style stout"; and Vicennial III Barrel Aged Father Time, "a dapper old ale, the quintessential style intended for cellaring." River North will have all three beers on tap and in bottles to go ($15 each, limit six per style). They will also have a limited supply of the 2016 Decennial Series – the same beers before they were barrel aged — on tap and in bottles to go ($12 each, limit six per style). All three beers will clock in at 16 to 18 percent ABV. Just like the Decennials, The Vicennials will only be available in the taproom. RagBag Mobile Bistro will be there.
Saturday, December 2
TRVE Brewing will release its first spontaneously-fermented beer, Wavering Radiant, at noon — and this one is a big deal for the brewery, says head brewery Zach Coleman. The beer was 100 percent fermented (and then re-fermented in the bottle) with microflora caught in TRVE's coolship, an open fermentation vessel. “This beer was made with processes slightly different from our more traditional batches of spontaneous beer, which are still aging/fermenting in wood, and is meant to be a window in to what we have coming down the line," he says. TRVE will have about 1,000 500-ml bottles for sale. There is a limit of four per person.
Tuesday, December 5
The annual Bull & Bush Brewery Christmas Beer Tasting runs from 5 to 10 p.m., and will include the usual insanity. This year, there will be two ticketed sessions, one from 5 to 7 p.m. and one from 8 to 10 p.m. The brewpub will reach into its cellar and pull out more than 150 beers, which will be dispensed from bottles and kegs. Many are very rare and are in very small quantities. When they are gone, they are gone. The brewery will also have some of its cold-weather specialties and rarities available.
Saturday, December 9
Beyond the Mountain Brewery, a brand new beer-maker in Boulder, opens for the first time at noon at 6035 Longbow Drive. "Stop by anytime Saturday to experience our first offerings of 'improvisational ales,'" the brewery says. Timber will be playing from 4 to 7 p.m. The Burger Bus will be parked outside.
