This Week in Beer: A New Cidery Opens in Aurora and More

As the local brewery scene continues to evolve and grow, we're rounding up the news, events and new releases you need to know about. Here's the latest:

Vanishing West Ciders Opens
The Story: The East Colfax cidery opened on Tuesday.
The Scoop: Vanishing West is located at 9735 East Colfax, in the Aurora theater district, in the former location of Lady Justice Brewing. Besides serving its ciders, Vanishing West will also include beer and wine, as well as feature a monthly cocktail with a cider component. It will also serve charcuterie boats, flatbreads and cider doughnuts. Losing Lady Justice left a hole in north Aurora, but between Milieu Fermentations breathing new life into the former Ursula spot and Cerebral Brewing opening a second location, Vanishing West caps off a strong resurgence for the area.

2025 Colorado Pint Day Contest Opens
The Story: Entries are open to any Colorado resident this year.
The Scoop: Artists have until October 23 to submit designs. One winning design will be chosen for the 2025 glass. The theme for the upcoming tenth Pint Day is "Beer Is for Everyone." Colorado Pint Day is an incredibly successful promotion hosted by the Colorado Brewers Guild. Other states have used Colorado Pint Day as a model to host similar events.

Upcoming Events

Fritztoberfest
Saturday, September 28, noon to 10 p.m.
Fritz Family Brewers
6778 North 79th Street, Niwot
One of the state's best breweries for German-style beer is holding its Oktoberfest celebration this Saturday. Polka Folka will be playing live music from 2 to 4 p.m., with a stein-hoisting competition at 3 p.m. Food will be available from the Maine Event, and the featured brew is a Märzen-style beer called Fritztoberfest.

Joyride Fresh Hop Festival
Saturday, September 28
Joyride Brewing
2501 Sheridan Boulevard, Edgewater
Joyride is hosting this festival for the fourth time, with fresh hop beers from thirteen Colorado breweries available. Purchase beers by the pint, or try as many as you'd like in sample sizes. This is a fantastic way to try some of the freshest hoppy beers from around the state, and it's always a popular event. Billy's Beefy Burgers will be on hand as the food truck for the event.

Opera on Tap at LUKI
Saturday, September 28, 7 p.m.
LUKI Brewery
14715 West 64th Avenue, Arvada
Opera on Tap Colorado is performing at LUKI. Expect to see some German tunes in the mix, as everyone celebrates Oktoberfest. Opera on Tap usually packs the house, so expect a lively and fun crowd on Saturday night.

Beer of the Week: Sea Beast from Second Dawn Brewing, Double West Coast IPA, 9.8 percent ABV
From the Brewery: For when you just need more West Coast...this one is big and hoppy. Tasting notes of pineapple kush and strawberry candy.
From the Glass: Fresh lime, grapefruit and pineapple on the nose. The flavor is guava, pineapple with a hint of kiwi. A piney-like hop flavor that goes well with a firm bitterness. The beer has some light caramel malt underneath, with a balancing sweetness from the alcohol. This is big and bold, but without going too far astray in any one direction. It has bitterness, it has hop sweetness, but then also includes a bit of pine and grapefruit in the flavor, so just as you think it might get too sweet, there's a countering bitterness to balance it out. Second Dawn is carving out a name for itself, often with hop-forward beers, and this is a must-try beer.
Availability: On tap and in cans.