Brass, Brats and Beer at The Clarkson Mansion

The Denver Philharmonic Orchestra will be teaming up with Flying Dog Brewery this Saturday, October 3rd from 12:00pm to 3:00pm to host a fundraiser supporting the organization. This is your chance drink great beer provided by the 2009 Mid-Sized Brewery of the Year and support local arts at the same time.

The event will include live music (show tunes, jazz, and light classical), grilled brats, homemade cookies, and brews from Flying Dog.  It all goes down at the Clarkson Mansion (670-680 Clarkson St.) and tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for ages 12-20, and $5 for ages 6-11.  They can be purchased in advance from the DPO's website or at the door the day of the event.

Upcoming Events (Week of 9/27)

The 2009 Great American Beer Festival and Denver Beer Fest have both come to an end, but there will be plenty of ways to cure your post-GABF depression this week.  The highlight looks to be the Colorado Craft Beer Expo at The Empire Restaurant in Lousiville, CO.  With 21 Colorado breweries in attendance this will be your chance to make up for anything you missed at GABF.  I know I'll be looking to try the offerings from Small Brewery of the Year Dry Dock Brewing and hoping that Trinity Brewing brings their gold medal winning experimental beer, TPS Report.

• Monthly Wine & Cheese Pairing @ Great Divide, 9/29, 5:00pm - 8:00pm ($10, email Patrick@greatdivide.com to RSVP)
• duganA IPA Release Party @ Avery Tap Room, 10/2, 4:00pm - 7:00pm ($15)
• Fresh Hop & Hibernation Release Party @ Great Divide Tap Room, 10/2, 6:00pm - 9:00pm ($15)
• Dry Dock Firkin Friday ,10/2, 3:00pm - 11:00pm
• Oskar Blues Firkin Friday @ The Tasty Weasel ,10/2, 5:00pm
• Colorado Craft Beer Expo @ The Empire Restaurant in Louisville, 10/3, 12:00pm - 4:00pm ($30 in advance, $35 at the door)
• Summit Brew Fest, 10/2, 6:00pm - 10:00pm & 10/3, 2:00pm - 10:00pm ($25)

Great American Beer Festival 2009 Recap

This year's Great American Beer Festival was my first and when I entered the hall I was completely overwhelmed, and with over 2,100 beers being served, who could blame me? Any plan I had went right out the window causing me to miss out on several breweries that I was targeting (Short's, Surly, and Firestone Walker being my biggest regrets). However, I was able to taste something like 40 different beers (completely made up that number, things were a bit hazy by the end of the session) and several favorites emerged.

Sour beers were the kings of the event and Cascade Brewery from Portland, OR ruled over them all with four amazing sours (Sang Royal, Kriek Ale, The Vine, and GABF silver medalist Vlad the Imp Aler. A few other sour beers that stood out were New Galrus' Old English Porter, New Belgium's Eric's Ale, Alagash's Interlude, and perhaps my favorite (and definitely the most sour) beer at the festival, Cambridge Brewing's Cerise Cassee. I only wish these beers were readily available in Denver.

The beer with the most hype at the event was The Bruery's Black Tuesday Imperial Stout, but I wasn't willing to wait in lines that ranged up to 40 minutes. Luckily, there were plenty of other options available to sate my appetite. My favorites were Full Sail's Black Gold Bourbon Barrel Stout, O'Fallon's Chocolate by the Barrel (a barrel aged version of their Cocoa Cream Stout), Central Waters' Bourbon Barrel Stout, and Brooklyn Brewing's Black Chocolate Stout. Out of these, only the Full Sail beer is available in town.

IPAs were probably the most plentiful style at the Festival with just about every brewery pouring their version. Even with so many options, one IPA was the clear leader of the pack for me; Three Floyd's Dreadnaught. 3F's Double IPA is in the running for best beer I had at the festival and was without a doubt one of the finest IPAs I've ever had. A few others that stood out were Maui Brewing's Smoked RiPA, New Holland's Oaked Mad Hatter IPA, and Hoppin' Frog's Mean Manalish DIPA. Once again none of these beers are distributed to Denver.

There were also several interesting brews at the Festival that used ingredients rarely seen in beer. The front-runners among these were DOG Brewing's Melon Dog (who would have thought watermelon could work so well in beer, very refreshing), Bootleggers' Plum Riot (the first beer I've ever seen made with plums), and Coopersmith's Sigda's Green Chili (the finest chili beer I've tasted, just the right amount of heat). I don't believe any of these are bottled, but you can try the Green Chili beer at Coopersmith's brewpub in Fort Collins.

Another highlight at this year's Festival was Collaboration Evil. Nine breweries from around the country took a common theme (Belgian Strong Ale this year) and put their own individual spin on it. I managed to track down 4 versions of the beer (Flossmoor Station, FiftyFifty Brewing, Lucky Bucket Brewing, & Valley Brewing) with FiftyFifty's rating as my favorite. Lucky Bucket and FiftyFifty also rolled out kicked up versions called Certified Evil and Concentrated Evil respectively. This was the second year of the project and it's a great idea that I hope continues in the future.

All in all, the 2009 Great American Beer Festival was an event to remember and I'm already looking forward to attending it in 2010.

Colorado GABF 2009 Winners

The Great American Beer Festival announced the 2009 medal winners today and Colorado breweries performed very well, collecting no fewer than 39 medals. Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora led the way for craft brewers with 3 medals plus winning Small Brewing Company of the Year! If you haven't been to their new location yet I suggest going soon as it's a beautiful brewpub and they clearly make some of the best beers around. Another standout looks to be Trinity Brewing's Gold Medal winning TPS Report experimental beer, which I somehow missed while I was at the Festival. I've only heard great things about it and will be heading down to the Springs to get a taste shortly. I'd also like to point out that the newest brewery in Boulder, Upslope Brewing, managed to take home 2 medals despite just opening this year! Their beer only recently started getting distributed to Denver, so grab a can the next time you're in your local beer store. It's great to see our local breweries getting accolades they deserve.

Colorado GABF 2009 Medalists (Brewery, Style, Beer)

• AC Golden Brewing - Bronze European Style Dunkel - Dunkel
• Avery Brewing - Gold German Style Doppelbock or Eisbock - The Kaiser
• Avery Brewing - Bronze Experimental Beer - Brabant
• Backcountry Brewery - Silver Bock - May Bock
• Bristol Brewing - Silver American Style Brown Ale - Cheyenne Cañon Ale
• Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery - Silver Irish Style Red Ale - Colorado Boy Irish
• Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery - Bronze Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter - Colorado Boy IPA
• Colorado Brewing Company - Silver American Style Pale Ale - 44 Pale Ale
• Coors Brewing - Gold American Style Specialty Lager - Keystone Ice
• Coors Brewing - Gold American-Style Lager or Premium Lager - Coors Banquet
• Coors Brewing - Silver American Style Light Lager - Keystone Light
• Coors Brewing - Silver American Style Amber Lager - Killian's Red
• Coors Brewing - Silver American Style Specialty Lager - Pre-Pro
• Dry Dock Brewing - Gold German Style Altbier - Bismark Altbier
• Dry Dock Brewing - Silver South German Style Hefeweizen - U-Boat Hefeweizen
• Dry Dock Brewing - Silver German Style Märzen - Reines Marzen
• Durango Brewing - Gold American Style Amber Lager - Durango Colorfest
• Glenwood Canyon Brewing - Gold Other Strong Beer - Cardiff
• Glenwood Canyon Brewing - Bronze German Style Doppelbock or Eisbock - Carbonator
• Gordon Biersch Brewery - Silver Bohemian Style Pilsener - Gordon Biersch Pilsner
• Gordon Biersch Brewery - Silver European Style Dunkel - Gordon Biersch Alt Bier
• Gordon Biersch Brewery - Bronze Munich Style Helles - Gordon Biersch Golden Export
• Great Divide Brewing - Silver Imperial Stout - Yeti Imperial Stout
• Great Divide Brewing - Bronze Rye Beer - Hoss Rye Lager
• Great Divide Brewing - Bronze Barley Wine Style Ale - Old Ruffian Barley Wine
• Left Hand Brewing - Gold Smoked Beer - Smokejumper Porter
• Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery - Bronze American-Belgo-Style Ale - Temperance
• New Belgium Brewing - Silver German-Style Sour Ale - NBB Love
• Rockyard Brewing - Bronze American-Style Wheat Beer - Double Eagle Ale
• Ska Brewing - Silver English Style Brown Ale - Buster Nut Brown
• Ska Brewing - Bronze English-Style Summer Ale - True Blonde Ale
• Ska Brewing - Bronze Sweet Stout - Steel Toe Stout
• The SandLot - Gold Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest - Move Back
• The SandLot - Silver Munich Style Helles - Where the Helles Bill?
• The SandLot - Silver Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest - Greenside Up
• Trinity Brewing - Gold Experimental Beer - TPS Report
• Upslope Brewing - Bronze Pro-Am Competition - Time of the Season
• Upslope Brewing - Bronze German-Style Wheat Ale - Upslope Dunkel Weizen

Local Specialties

With the Denver Beer Fest in full effect and the Great American Beer Festival starting yesterday there are plenty of options for great beer in town. However, you may be missing some excellent specialty beers that local Denver breweries are rolling out this week. For instance, the Bull & Bush brewpub in Glendale is featuring a crazy beer list right now with just about every style imaginable on tap including 3 different kinds of stouts. It's worth stopping by just to taste their two barrel aged beers, the Royal Oil Barley Wine and Legend of the Liquid Brain Imperial Stout (best name ever & the beer featured in the picture). Both of these beers are aged in 23 year old Pappy Van Winkle barrels and after tasting them last night I can say they're some of the best I've ever had.

More great local specialties are available this week over at the Great Divide Tap Room where they've been pouring the "Les" Claymore Sour Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale that I've mentioned in the past plus a brand new Berliner Weiss and a non-sour version of the Claymore Bourbon Barrel Scotch. They've even brought out this year's versions of the Hibernation Ale and Fresh Hop before their 10/2 release party! So while you're out there drinking all the amazing stuff from out-of-town, don't forget your local breweries.

Falling Rock GABF Kickoff Recap

Falling Rock Tap House hosted their 13th annual Great American Beer Festival tapping party on Monday and it was a great way to start the week and try some new brews. As THE beer bar in Denver you just knew the event was going to be special. Especially because they set aside a few kegs specifically for this party each year! Around 10 or so beers were tapped throughout the night featuring some of the best from Avery, Odell, Full Sail, Lost Abbey, Dry Dock, Port, Moylan's, Left Hand, and Great Divide and everything I tasted was fantastic. The two highlights for me were Great Divide's "Les" Claymore Sour Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale (quite the name!) and Avery's The Beast from the Wood (at 15% abv this is no beer for lightweights). Odell also brought their fantastic new Bourbon Barrel Stout, which seems to be at every event I go to this week and tastes great every time. If you missed the event you can still get a taste of some of these beers at their respective breweries this week. Great Divide will have the Sour Bourbon Claymore available in their tap room and Avery lists both The Beast from the Wood '08 and The Beast From JW Lees’ Wood ’08 as beers they might appear up in Boulder this week.

A blurry picture of a great beer with a long name. Great Divide's "Les" Claymore Sour Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale

Denver Beer Fest Events: Part 3 (9/24 - 9/27)

The Great American Beer Festival begins this Thursday and while it's THE big event in town, it's not the only one. So if you missed getting tickets this year, don't sweat it. The Denver Beer Fest continues this weekend and will provide you with all the beer drinking entertainment you need including a beer brunch at the Cheeky Monk on Saturday morning complete with beer mimosas! Plus the Falling Rock Tap House over on Blake Street will be serving up special brews throughout the weekend (I know I cannot wait to try New Belgium's La Folie on tap) and Flying Dog is hosting it's second annual free FBAG party on Friday just down the road in the warehouse that used to house their brewery. Cleary you don't need GABF tickets to have a good time this weekend, you'll just have more fun if you do!

Thursday, September 24th

• Avery Tap Room - Voltron & Hot For Sammy, 11:00am
• Great American Beer Festival, 5:30pm - 10:00pm
• Koningshoeven Tasting @ Cheeky Monk, 7:00pm
• Rhythm and Brews @ Paramount Cafe, 10:00pm - 2:00am
• Collaborate Evil Tasting @ GABF, 6:30pm - 7:00pm

Collaborate Evil is an effort between 9 brewers to take a common theme and put their own individual spin on it. This year the theme is a Belgian Strong Pale and all 9 brewers will be presenting their versions at Thursday's GABF session. The participants include Valley Brewing, Sacramento Brewing, Fatheads Brewery and Grill, Flossmoor Station, Oakshire Brewing, Silver Peak Brewing, Lucky Bucket Brewing Co., FiftyFifty Brewing, and Speakeasy Brewing Co.

• World Brewer's Forum @ Denver Marriot City Center, 8:00pm - 12:00am
• Boulder Beer Meet the Brewer @ Crown Plaza, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
• Boulder Beer Tapping Party @ Falling Rock, 3:00pm
• Ommegang Brewers @ Argonaut Liquor, 3:00pm - 7:00pm
• Stone Brewing Tapping @ Falling Rock Upstairs, 10:00pm
• Shelton Brother's Tasting @ Falling Rock Downstairs, 10:00pm ($20 per person)
• Jewbilation Bar-Mitzvah @ Falling Rock, 11:00pm

Friday, September 25th

• Avery Tap Room - Sour Cherry Mephistopheles Stout & Moloch, 11:00am
• Great American Beer Festival, 5:30pm - 10:00pm
• Stone Brewing Meet & Greet @ City O' City, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
• Beer Advocate Social @ Great Divide Tap Room, 11:00am - 1:00pm
• Denver Rare Beer Tasting @ Wynkoop Brewery, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
• Firkin Friday - Cask Conditioned Dale's Pale Ale @ Oskar Blues, 5:00pm
• Oktoberfest @ Larimer Square, 5:00pm - 1:00am
• Lay the Foundation Lunch @ TAG Restaurant, 12:30pm ($55 per person)
• Achouffe Brewery Meet the Brewer @ Cheeky Monk, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
• Odell Meet the Brewer Lunch @ Govnr's Tavern, 11:00am - 1:00pm ($5 per person)
• St. Feuillien Celebration @ Cheeky Monk, 7:00pm
• Blues, Brews, & BBQ @ Paramount Cafe, 10:00pm - 2:00am
• Three Course Beer Dinner @ WaterCourse Foods, All Day ($52.80 for two)
• Flying Dog Brats & Gonzo (FBAG) Party @ Flying Dog Warehouse, 3:00pm - 6:00pm

The 2nd Annual FBAG party include free beer samples, free brats, and free live music. Did I mention it was free? Flying Dog will also be tapping their 20th anniversary beer for the first time for free!

• Sierra Nevada Kill-A-Keg @ Falling Rock, 12:00pm
• Sierra Nevada Estate Tapping @ Falling Rock, 12:30pm
• Meet Chris Brouwaerts from La Chouffe @ Falling Rock, 1:0pm
• Left Hand/Terrapin Depth Charge Espresso Milk Stout Cask Tapping @ Falling Rock, 2:00pm
• Up Your Reinheitsgebot: An Evening of Impure & Illicit Beers @ Falling Rock, 10:00pm

Dogfish Head, Avery, Allagash, and New Belgium will be pouring exotic beers that plead the 5th on the German Purity Law of 1517.

Saturday, September 26th

• Avery Tap Room - Straight Outta Hell, 11:00am
• Great American Beer Festival - Early Session, 12:30pm - 4:30pm
• Great American Beer Festival - Late Session, 5:30pm - 10:00pm
• Oktoberfest @ Larimer Square, 11:00am - 1:00am
• Flying Dog Beer Dinner @ Brauns Bar & Grill, 6:30pm ($35.95 per person)
• GABF After-Party @ Govnr's Park, 10:00pm - 2:00am
• Breakfast with The Bruery @ Cheeky Monk, 9:30am - 11:30am
• Gastropub Tour of Denver, 1:00pm - 4:00pm ($99 per person)
• Annual GABF Tasting with Dr. Bill @ Falling Rock, 9:00pm ($20 per person)

From Dr. Bill:

For those of you who haven't attended my previous events we ask for a $20 contribution to help pay for the beers we will order from Chris and to tip out the service staff. Also feel free to bring beers you may want to share. That being said I will be pouring over 100 rare and exotic offerings. A few teasers would be; LA Duck Duck Gooze, Santa's Little Helper aged in Bourbon barrels, Angel's Share, Cuvee de Tomme, RR Temptation, Consecration, Deviation, Bottleworks 10th Anniversary, The Bruery Papier, Alesmith BA Speedway, etc., etc., etc..

• La Chouffe Brewers @ Argonaut Liquor, 3:00pm - 7:00pm
• Boulevard Smokestack Beers @ Falling Rock, 4:00pm
• New Belgium Rarities @ Falling Rock, 10:00pm

Falling Rock will be pouring some of New Beglium's harder to find beers including Love, La Folie, Transatlantic Kriek, La Fleur Misseur & Le Terroir

Sunday, September 27th

• Avery Tap Room - Holy Trinity Day, 11:00am

Avery has just the cure for your post-GABF blues. More beer! They'll have their entire line of Holy Trinity beers on tap (Hog Heaven, Salvation, The Reverend) plus oak barrel aged and Brettanomyces versions!

• Oktoberfest @ Larimer Square, 10:00am - 5:00pm
• Coors Brewmaster @ Bridgewater Grill
• Beer Festival Exchange Fair @ Cheeky Monk

Week Long Beer Fest Events

As if all the one-off events going on during the Denver Beer Fest were not enough, there are also several places running beer pairing menus and offering special deals all week. One of the highlights is Dixon's beer inspired menu. I can only imagine how good Guinness maple syrup tastes and, having already tried them at Great Divide's 15 anniversary party, I can assure you DPA brats are delicious. However, the most important "event" all week could be the free recovery coffee at the Corner Bakery. I know I'll be needing all the help I can get to fight off my week-long hangover.

• Prohibition Style Beer @ Brown Palace
• During Prohibition the hotel would mix up tea-colored alcohol disguised in teapots to serve to hotel guests and that’s how they’ll be serving beer all week.
• GABF Preview @ West End Tavern
• They’ll be pouring 6 specialty beers from Dogfish Head, Oskar Blues, Avery, Russian River, Victory and Stone.
• A Bucket of Microbrews @ Racines
• Each bucket includes a 12 oz. bottle of the following New Belgium beers: 1554, Hoptober, Transatlantique Kriek, Fat Tire, and Mothership Wheat. ($18 per bucket)
• Beer Fest Menu @ Dixon's Downtown Grill
• Dixon's is offering 3 beer inspired meals this week.
• Breakfast – buttermilk pancakes served with Guinness maple syrup and Irish Cream Liqueur infused whipped cream.
• Lunch - tender veal sausages slow cooked in Denver Pale Ale served with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, old world cabbage, and sweet & spicy mustard sauce.
• Dinner – a half chicken with Dixons 10 spice rub, slow roasted to perfection over a can of Mamas Little Yella Pils, served with mashed potatoes and asparagus.
• Breakfast, $6.99; Lunch, $9.99; Dinner, $13.99
• Famous Faces - Beer Inspired Menu Items @ Brown Palace
• Ship Tavern has created some special beer inspired menu items named after famous people who have frequented the restaurant. Items include Sunshine Wheat chicken wings, Chimay Grand Cru Beer cheese soup, panko crusted pacific cod with fried fingerling potatoes and Tavern Ale malt vinegar, and Lambic raspberry ice cream.
• Blind Flight Irish Taste Test @ Scruffy Murphy's Irish Pub
• For $5 you can do a blindfold taste test of 3 different beers. Guess which one is from Ireland and win a free pint.
• Colorado Beer Ice Cream Fest @ Sweet Action Ice Cream
• 6 Colorado beer ice cream flavors all week
• Denver Beer Fest Five-Course Tasting Menu @ Panzano
• Chef Elise Wiggins created a five-course tasting menu paired with local microbrews. ($60 per person)
• Denver Beer Fest Menu @ Steuben's
• They’ll be offering a beer-themed menu with items inspired by, and created with, Oskar Blues selections. Beer pairings will be available with the menu.
• Denver Beer Fest Pairing Menu @ Rock Bottom – Downtown
• Rock Bottom will be running a special menu pairing dishes with their handcrafted ales.
• Three-course Colorado Beer Dinner @ The Oceanaire Seafood Room
• All week long you’ll be able to get a special 3-course meal paired with 3 different 2008 GABF medal winners. ($38.10 per person)
• Wide Open Adventure's Rocky Mountain Fly Fishing Sampler
• Wide Open Adventure will pick you up in Denver then bring you to Clear Creek where you spend 3-4 hours on the river fly fishing. After fishing stop at Tommy Knockers Brewery for a sampler which is included in the trip. ($229 per person)
• Denver Beer Week menu @ Altitude Restaurant
• Altitude Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Denver will be offering a four-course beer pairing menu throughout Denver Beer Fest. ($50 per person)
• Free Recovery Coffee with Breakfast Purchase @ Corner Bakery
• Mention ‘Denver Beer Fest’ and get a free medium coffee to help you recover from that hangover.

Denver Beer Fest Events: Part 2 (9/21-9/23)

The Denver Beer Fest kicks off tomorrow with several great events, but things really start heating up on Monday when Falling Rock throws their 13th Annual GABF Tapping Party. They actually save kegs specifically for this event and bring out stuff you cannot find anywhere else. It's definitely a "can't-miss" party and is sure to be packed, so get there early. If you happen to miss out though a quick look at the list below should tell you that you won't have any trouble finding things to do and new beers to drink in Denver, but also be sure to check out the happenings up in Boulder. Avery will be tapping extremely rare beers everyday at 11:00am and The Kitchen is hosting what looks to be the coolest beer dinner all week. Also don't forget to check our calendar often as I will be updating it with new info frequently.

Monday, September 21st

• Society for the Pursuit of Hoppiness - GABF Preview @ Avery Tap Room, 6:00pm ($15 for lifetime membership)
• Avery Brewing - Tasting & Tassels @ Lannie's Downtown Clocktower, 7:00pm ($22)
• Avery Tap Room - Eagle Rare Reverend ‘08 Tapping, 11:00am
• Appaloosa Grill & Great Divide Beer Dinner, 6:30pm (Contact events@appaloosagrill.com to reserve a spot)

Appaloosa Grill & Great Divide Brewery have teamed up for Denver Beer week to celebrate local beer and local food for who else? The Locals. Space is limited for this one of a kind event. The evening will start at Appaloosa with a three course dinner followed by dessert at the brewery and a tour. All guests will then be transported back to Appaloosa for an evening of live music. To reserve your spot please contact Mindy Lorens (events@appaloosagrill.com)

• Belgian Pairing Special @ Cheeky Monk, All Day
• Brew with the Brewer @ Rock Bottom - Park Meadows, 5:00pm (Call (303) 792-9090 to RSVP)
• 13th Annual GABF Kickoff Tapping Party @ Falling Rock, 5:00pm

They will be tapping 10-12 kegs at 5:00pm of harder to find specialty beers from breweries from all over, some sent in just for this event. Some of the breweries: Avery, Russian River, Lost Abbey, Port Brewing.

• Free Great Divide Tasting @ WaterCourse Foods, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
• Four Course, Four Beer Dinner @ Vine St. Pub, 6:00pm ($55 per person)
• Meet the Oskar Blues Brewers @ Duo, 5:00pm - 7:00pm ($12 per person)
• Five Course Left Hand Beer Dinner @ Elways Downtown, 6:30pm ($70 per person)

Tuesday, September 22nd

• Avery Dinner @ Jax Denver, 7:30pm ($50 per person)
• Meet the Left Hand Brewers @ Duo, 5:00pm - 7:00pm ($12 per person)
• Avery Tap Room - Bad Sally ‘08 Tapping, 11:00am
• Best in Brews Tasting @ TAG Restaurant, 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Come enjoy some of the finest brews around without the crowds of the GABF. Meet the merry men who make it happen. Sample some tasty snacks to help "wash down" the suds. Featuring: Avery Brewing Co., Bull and Bush, Great Divide and Oskar Blues, to name a few.

• Boulder Beer Meet the Brewer @ Rialto Cafe, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
• Great Divide Dinner @ Osteria Marco, 6:30pm ($40 per person)
• Beer College @ Rock Bottom - Westminster, 5:00pm
• Cheeky Monk Anniversary Party, 8:00pm
• Battle of the Beers @ Paramount Cafe, vote for your favorites all day
• Meet the Flying Dog Brewer @ Paramount Cafe, 8:00pm
• Specialty Beer Showcase @ Rock Bottom - Downtown, All Day
• Herman Joseph's Beer Dinner @ Parallel Seventeen, 6:30pm ($50 per person)
• Odell Brewing Tasting @ Marlowe's, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
• Meet the Guys from Alaskan Brewing @ Govnr's Park, 7:00pm
• Meet and Greet with John Harris From Full Sail Brewing @ Govnr's Park, 4:00pm
• Skull 'n Bones Grand Cru Release Party @ Bristol Brewing, 5:00pm - 9:00pm
• Breckenridge Brewers @ Argonaut Liquor, 3:00pm - 7:00pm

Wednesday, September 23rd

• Beer vs. Wine Dinner @ TAG Restaurant, 7:00pm ($75 per person)
• Boulder Beer Pool Party @ Crown Plaza, 5:00pm
• Sui Generis Release Party @ Avery Tap Room, 3:00pm - 8:00pm (Limited number of bottles per person)

Sui Generis is a complex ale, aged and artfully blended from several types of oak barrels, and displays a delightful lactic sourness complimented by hints of brett, oak, and acetic. Intricate yet bold, deeply complex yet surprisingly refreshing. It is not on tap due to extremely limited quantities, but they will have small amounts of tiny-batch sour beers made with their House Sour Blend.

• Boulder Beer Meet the Brewer @ Old Chicago - Market Street, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
• Boulder County Brews Cruise, 8:00am - 4:00pm
• Deschutes Beer Dinner @ Baker St. Pub - DTC, 6:00pm ($50 per person)
• Free Avery Tasting @ WaterCourse Foods, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
• Beer and Cheese Pairing @ Paramount Cafe, All Day
• Beer Pairing Dinner @ Bistro Vendome, ($60 per person, Call 303-825-3232 for reservations)
• Automne Release Party @ Bristol Brewing, 5:00pm - 9:00pm
• Q & A with the Brewers from Gambrinus @ Govnr's Park, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
• Pints & Bites @ the Governor's Residence, 5:00pm - 7:30pm ($100 for 1, $150 for 2)
• Third Annual Gold Medal Dinner @ The Kitchen Upstairs, 6:30pm ($140 per person)

The Kitchen [Upstairs] welcomes five of the nation's most progressive breweries and their brewmasters. Guests will enjoy a special five-course meal created by The Kitchen's head chefs and each course will be paired with two beers from our five featured breweries. Brewmasters will be on hand to pour and discuss their favorite beers. Featuring Allagash, Avery, Dogfish Head, Russian River, & The Lost Abbey

• New Belgium Tasting @ Marlowe's, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
• Great Divide Meet the Brewer @ Duo, 5:00pm - 7:00pm ($12 per person)
• New Belgium Beer Dinner @ Simms Steakhouse, 7:00pm ($60 per person)
• Chef and Brewer's Dinner @ Rock Bottom - The Orchards, 7:30pm ($40 per person)
• Tommyknocker Brewers @ Argonaut Liquor, 3:00pm - 7:00pm
• Flying Dog 20th Anniversary Beer Tapping @ Falling Rock, 4:00pm
• Pyramid Snowcap Unveiling @ Falling Rock, 5:00pm
• Artisanal Imports Tasting @ Falling Rock, 9:00pm

GABF Ticket Giveaway at Total Beverage

As you probably already know the Great American Beer Festival is sold out this year, but if you don't have tickets yet there is still hope. Budweiser is holding a drawing to win a pair of tickets at Total Beverage in Westminster tomorrow at 4:00pm. You must be in the store to win! If that's not enough to get you there, they will also be starting a tasting at the store at 4:00.

Retail Beer Releases (Week of 9/13)

New week, new beers in Denver. The highlights this week are two brand new brews from Fort Collins Brewery. Tomorrow (9/17) they will be releasing an Oatmeal Raisin Stout both in stores and at the brewery. The only downside is it looks like this one will only be available at Wilbur’s Total Beverage in Fort Collins. However, their other new beer, a coffee infused Amber called Common Ground, will be available in Denver and also sounds great. So keep your eyes peeled and let me know if you like it!

From Fort Collins Brewery:

This style of stout, developed in honor of brewer & Colorado State University Alumnus Matt Wensman, is produced and bottled by The Fort Collins Brewery, and marketed by Wilbur’s Total Beverage. All proceeds from sales are being donated to the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, CSU, to be used in teaching the FTEC 460 Brewing Science and Technology course.

Also be on the look out for these new releases:

• Sierra Nevada Chico Estate Harvest Ale (BeerAdvocate)
• Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale (BeerAdvocate)
• Ska Brewing Merlo Stout (BeerAdvocate)
• Boulevard Seeyoulator Doppelbock (BeerAdvocate)
• Blue Moon Harvest Moon (BeerAdvocate)
• Fort Collins Brewery Common Ground (BeerAdvocate)
• Jack's Pumpkin Spice (BeerAdvocate)

Denver Beer Fest Events: Part 1 (9/18 - 9/20)

The Denver Beer Fest begins in just two days and with over 125 beer related events going on in town over the next week there will be a lot to do and plenty of beer to drink. With so many options it'll be difficult to decide where to go, but fear not! For the next few days I'll be running an ongoing series here attempting to cover all this week's events to help you decide where to spend your precious time! The series kicks off today with a look at this weekend's happenings (9/18 - 9/20). I've highlighted what I think are a few "can't-miss" events and I'll also be updating the Google Calendar to the right with new tastings, dinners, and meet & greets as I find out about them, so check back often!

Friday, September 18th:

• Firkin Friday @ Oskar Blues - Old Bovinity milk Chub, 5:00pm
• Firkin Friday @ Dry Dock Brewing - Hazelnut Southern English Brown, 3:00pm
• Oktoberfest on Larimer Square, 5:00pm - 1:00am
• Free Sample Friday @ Great Divide, 10:00am - 10:00pm

Great Divide is giving away up to 8 free samples all day long!

• Edge City Oktoberfest Release Party @ Bristol Brewing, 5:00pm
• Hoppy Friday @ Marlowe's Restaurant, All Day
• Hoppy Hour @ Govnr's Park Tavern, 4:00pm ($12 to keep your glass)

Govnr's Park will be tapping 12 GABF beers for "Hoppy Hour" - some of which are exclusive to Gov's for the week. This will be the first time the Blue Moon Brewers have ever released their beer pre-GABF.

• Hoppy Hour @ Paramount Cafe, 4:00pm
• Blessing of the New Tap Handles @ Cheeky Monk, 7:00pm
• Breckenridge at the Beach @ Renaissance Denver Hotel, 6:00pm - 11:00pm (Featuring the Breck Brew Crew girls!)
• Beer, Cheese and Bread pairing dinner @ City O' City, 7:00pm
• Avery Brewing Meet the Brewer @ Rialto Cafe, 4:00pm - 7:00pm ($12 for a flight of 4 beers)

Rialto will be featuring a flight of four different Avery beers for only $12 including Avery IPA, White Rascal, Ellie’s Brown Ale and Out of Bounds Stout. A complimentary appetizer buffet will also be provided.

Saturday, September 19th:

• Oktoberfest on Larimer Square, 11:00am - 1:00am
• Siempre Loco Cask Ale @ Bristol Brewing, 12:00pm - 9:00pm
• Sam Adams Flights @ Marlowe's, All Day
• Denver's Best Burgers & Beers @ Paramount Cafe, All Day

Paramount Café is offering special Colorado farm raised elk, bison, ostrich, Kobe, lamb and dry-aged beef burgers. Not exactly beer specifc, but I think it sounds pretty cool.

• Festival Italiano @ Belmar, 10:00am - 7:00pm
• Beer, Brats and Burlesque! with Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret, 7:00pm ($25 per person)
• Breckenridge Brewery Meet the Brewer @ Govnr's Park, 8:00pm - 9:00pm

Govnr's Park Tavern will host a meet and greet with the brewer from Breckenridge Brewery as well as launch a beer flight program

• Cheeky Monk's Cheek to Cheek Trip, 9:00am - 3:00pm ($65 per person)

Sunday, September 20th:

• Oktoberfest on Larimer Square, 10:00am - 5:00pm
• Great Divide Dinner @ Vesta Dipping Grill, 6:00pm (Call 303-296-1970 for reservations)

Chef Matt Selby hosts this pairing of tasty food from Vesta Grill and beer pairings from Great Divide. Limited seating.

• Festival Italiano @ Belmar, 10:00am - 7:00pm
• Oskar Blues Brewers Brunch @ Steuben's, 11:00am ($30 per person)

Oskar Blues Brewery will be hosting a brunch at Steuben's in Uptown. Tickets include a four-course meal inspired by Oskar Blues selections, as well beverage pairings. Call 303-830-1001 for tickets. Hurry! Seating is limited to just 20 people!

• How to Brew Your Own Beer Class @ Govnr's Park, 3:00pm
• Rogue Brewery Meet the Brewer @ City O' City, 7:00pm

If you have an event you'd like me to add please contact me at DenverBrew@gmail.com.

Getting Ready for the GABF

The Great American Beer Festival is coming up quick (9/24 - 9/26) and with 495 brewers in attendance this year now is the time to start planning your attack. Luckily, the fesitval map has already been released! The brewers are grouped by region, so be sure to find find your favorites and plot your course of action. I know my plan will be to target the few breweries that don't currently distribute to Denver.

In addition to the map, the great people behind the festival have made it even easier this year to get ready by creating a GABF specific social networking site. The site has pages for each brewer with many even list the beers they will be pouring! It also allows you to create and print a list of the ones you want to hit, which will definitely be helpful after a few beers. Additionally, you can connect with other attendees and check out all the events planned during the festival!

Out-of-Towner Resources:

If you're coming to Denver just for the GABF here are some other handy links to help you plan where to visit.

• Denver/Boulder Beer Mapping - Find out where anything and everything beer related is located in the Denver area. From brewpubs to beer stores, this map has it all.
• Denver Microbrew Tour - A guided tour of Denver's many microbreweries. Perfect for someone just visiting!

Upcoming Events

The newly created Denver Beer Fest starts this Friday and I'm planning a post sometime mid-week to cover all the great events that will be going on, but until then there are still a few beer tastings and dinners to keep you busy and drinking.

• Hoppingsworth IPA Tasting @ Southern Sun Brewery, 9/14, 6:00pm
• He'Brew Tasting @ Lloyd & Maxwell Liquors - 9/15, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
• Boulder Beer & Food Pairing Dinner @ Boulder Beer Company - 9/15, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
• Avery Dinner at Elways Colorado Steakhouse - 9/16 (Call 303-312-310 for Reservations)
• Homebrewers & Collectors Supporter Group @ Avery Tap Room - 9/16, 6:00pm - 8:00pm ($5 cover)
• Boulder Beer Founder's Night & Homebrew Ralley @ Boulder Beer Company - 9/16, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
• Avery Brewing - Colorado Harvest Dinner @ Jax with Hosea Rosenberg - 9/16, 6:30pm -9:30pm ($85 per person)
• Avery Dinner @ Le Central - 9/17

Boulder Beer Heat Rave 2009 Recap

As expected, the Boulder Beer Heat Rave was a great time. For just $25 I was able to sample several rare "tap-house" only beers from 25 different brewers all in one place while enjoying live music and meeting some great people.

Just about every beer was excellent, but there were a few that stood out a little more. These included the new Bourbon Barrel Stout from Odell Brewing (in stores now, so be on the look out for it), New Belgium's Tart Lychee (a sour beer aged in oak barrels with Brettanomyces yeast and blended with lychee and Ceylon cinnamon), and Blue Moon's Peanut Butter Ale (peanut butter in beer actually works!). The event's hosts, Boulder Beer Company, also pulled out all the stops and were offering up a Bourbon Berry Porter, Bourbon Mojo IPA, and 1998 Igloo Ale (that's right 11 years old!) plus their usual selections.

Barrel aged beers were definitely the hot trend of the day. In addition to the 4 already mentioned, there were 4 others available including Twisted Pine's delicious Reilly's Oak Whiskey Red (available in their tap room 9/18), year old Old Ruffian from Great Divide, oaked Mama Pilsner from Oskar Blues, and Avery's new Moloch Ale (I think on tap for the first time and every bit the 13.5% ABV). All in all, it was an excellent day and a great way to start off Boulder Beer Week!

Release Party at Upslope Brewing

Upslope Brewing opened just a few months ago in Boulder and is rolling out new brews at a rapid pace. On the heels of last weekend's tapping party for GABF Pro-Am contender Brian Patterson's Belgian Pale Ale, they will release two new beers this Saturday. From 2:00pm to 6:00pm they'll be debuting a new Bitter Brown (also available at the Boulder Heat Rave) and Dunkelweizen at the brewery. The Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Dubbel, IPA, and Pale Ale will also be available on tap!

New Beer Releases

I was looking around Argonaut Liquors on Colfax yesterday and noticed a few new beers are now available in Denver. Two that immediately stood out to me were Odell Brewing's new Bourbon Barrel Stout and Stone Brewing's latest release in their Vertical Epic series.

The Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout is the latest barrel aged beer from the brewery and if the label's description is to be believed it will be fantastic. It is a little pricey at $15/bottle, but it will also be on tap at the Boulder Beer Heat Rave on Saturday if you'd like a taste.

This limited edition offering begins with a full-bodied imperial stout that has notes of sweet milk chocolate, smooth vanilla and roasted coffee beans. Then things get interesting. We transfer it to Kentucky bourbon barrels where it’s aged for four months to let traces of oaks and caramel come forward.

Stone's Vertical Epic 09-09-09 is the most recent addition to their ongoing series each released 1 year, 1 month, and 1 day from the last. The entire series is designed to be aged until 12-12-2012 and then enjoyed in a vertical tasting, so I'd suggest picking up a few bottles to see how the flavors change. You'll want to buy some soon though as it appeared to be selling fast at Argonaut.

From Stone Brewing:

During the brewing process we added dark candi sugar, vanilla bean, and tangerine peel to complement the flavors of the porter. The vanilla bean addition is fascinating, as it actually enhances the chocolate character from the roasted malts, and the candi sugar adds a nice hint of molasses flavor to the finish. The tangerine actually turned out to be quite subtle on the finish, and combines nicely with the chocolate malt character. We aged this beer on French oak chips, which contributes a smooth and subtle woody undertone and even more vanilla flavors.

New Tap Room Hours at Great Divide

During the Great American Beer Fest (9/23-9/27) Great Divide Brewing will be opening their tap room a few hours earlier for your drinking pleasure. They'll be open from 10:00am to 10:00pm, which should give you plenty of time to try the special beers they plan on rolling out. Be on the look out for a whiskey barrel aged verision of their Claymore Scotch Ale, a new Berliner Weiss, and several cask conditioned beers!

Guest Post at Beertography

I recently won the right to spend the day sitting in on a brewing of Oskar Blues Ten Fidy Imperial Stout and my friends over at Beertography allowed me to write about my experience on their excellent site. Check it out and be sure to keep going back as it's a great blog.

Boulder Heat Rave Beer Lineup Released

The Boulder Beer Company has compiled a listing of the beers each brewery will be bringing for their Heat Rave party this Saturday and what a list it is. As promised each of the 25 brewers in attendance will be bringing a keg of a rare "tap-house" only beer! Some of these brews sound really tasty and I can't wait to sample them.

Tickets are $25 and are supposed to be limited, so get yours now at their web-store today. All proceeds will be donated to the Miracle on Walnut Street charity, so you get to taste great beer and help a good cause at the same time!

• Avery Brewing - Moloch (13.5% ale)
• BJs - Wet Hopped Pirahna Pale Ale
• Breckenridge - Lucky U IPA
• Bristol Brewing - Edge City Wit
• Colorado Draft House - Kolsch
• Coopersmith - Chai Stout
• Coors - Blue Moon Peanut Butter Ale
• Dillon Dam - Otto's Oktoberfest
• Dillon Dam - Dam Dunkelweiss
• Estes Park - 9 Hop Pale Ale
• Gordon Biersch - Blond Bock
• Great Divide - Year old Old Ruffian Barley Wine
• Left Hand - St. Vrain Trippel
• Mountain Sun - Super Kind
• New Belgium - Tart Lychee
• Odell Brewing - Bourbon Stout
• Oskar Blues - To Be Determined
• Pumphouse - Cherry Bomb Saison
• Rock Bottom - SchwarzHacker
• Sam Adams - Belgian Red
• Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot Barley Wine
• Trinity - Farmhouse Provisional
• Twisted Pine - Reilly's Oak Whiskey Red
• Upslope - Upslope Bitter Brown
• Walnut - 1123 IPA
• Wynkoop - Rocktoberfest Dark Marzen
• Boulder Beer - Memsic's Trippel
• Boulder Beer - Blueberry Wheat
• Boulder Beer - Rye't-on Lager
• Boulder Beer - Raspberry Porter
• Boulder Beer - Flashback Anniversary Ale
• Boulder Beer - Bourbon MoJo IPA
• Boulder Beer - Nitro Flashback Anniversary Ale

Upcoming Events

With the Great American Beer Fest, Oktoberfest, and the new Denver Beer Fest Week just around the corner things are about to start picking up in town. However, there are quite a few events and happenings going on soon to tide you over including Boulder Beer Week!

The festivities kick off on this Saturday with the Boulder Beer Heat Rave from 2pm - 6pm at the Boulder Beer Company. For just $25 you'll get unlimited tastings of small-batch and brewery only releases from more than 20 different Colorado brewers.

Other upcoming events in Boulder Beer Week and around the Denver area:

• Fall Prix Fix @ The Empire Lounge in Louisville Presented by Avery Brewing - 9/10, 6:00pm - 10:00pm ($32)
• Brew at the Zoo - 9/11, 7:00pm - 10:00pm ($55 in advance, $65 at the door)
• Firkin Friday - Seven C's Double IPA @ Dry Dock Brewing - 9/11, 3:00pm
• Firkin Firday - Pumpkin Spice Ale @ Oskar Blues - 9/11, 5:00pm
• New Belgium Brewing's Tour de Fat @ City Park - 9/12, 9:00am - 4:00pm
• Oktoberfest Tapping @ Dry Dock Brewing - 9/12, 12:00pm - 11:00pm
• Working Stiff's Tours @ Boulder Beer Company - 9/14 - 9/17, 5:30pm
• Beer & Food Pairing Dinner @ Boulder Beer Company - 9/15, 6:30pm ($35, limited seating)
• Founder's Night & Homebrew Ralley @ Boulder Beer Company - 9/16, 7:00pm
• Boulder Beer Company's 30th Anniversary Throwdown @ The Boulder Theater - 9/18, 7:30pm ($18)

Hello

Welcome. Since moving to Denver I've struggled to find a "one-stop" site that has the latest news on beer related events in and around the Denver area, so I've decided to take a stab at creating one. Check back often for more updates and let me know if you have any ideas for the blog!