Upcoming Events (Week of 12/13)

If you're anything like me, your wallet gets a bit thinner this time of year and the beer buying budget shrivels up. Luckily, Dry Dock Brewing is starting the gift giving a bit early with help from Joe's Dent Removal. This Wednesday, December 16th, you can head down to the brewery and get a free pint courtesy of Joe Griffith (owner of Joe's Dent Removal). Dry Dock will also be tapping a keg of their delicious Russian Imperial Stout and should have a special firkin on tap.

Other beer events in the Denver area this week:

• The Society for the Pursuit of Hoppiness @ Avery Tap Room - 12/14, 6:00pm
• Hop Lover Challenge - Contestants must first identify various hop strains in pellet form, and then identify those same hops when used to dry-hop a keg of Avery IPA. 1st place wins a $50 Avery gift certificate
• Free for Society members, $15 for a lifetime Society membership
• Great Divide Barrel-Aged Old Ruffian Release - 12/14 (I'll be posting more details about this later today)
• Recession Relief Wednesday @ Dry Dock Brewing - 12/16, 3:00pm - 9:00pm
• Sour Tapping Event @ Trinity Brewing Company - 12/16 (Looks like the moved the date on this one, still don't have many details)
• Hop Disciples Meeting @ Great Divide Tap Room - 12/17, 6:00pm (RSVP to info@greatdivide.com)
• Oskar Blues Firkin Friday @ The Tasty Weasel - 12/18, 5:00pm
• Dry Dock Firkin Friday - 12/18, 3:00pm -11:00pm
• Black Fox Hiver Saison Release @ Bristol Brewing - 12/18, 5:00pm - 9:00pm
• A special holiday spiced beer
• Special Tapping @ Avery Tap Room - 12/18, 5:00pm
• They'll be tapping at 3 year old keg of Samael's Oak Aged Ale at 5:00 sharp.

If you know of any events I've missed or would like your event added please e-mail me: denverbrew@gmail.com

Upcoming Events (Week of 12/6)

This week is looking like another special one for beer drinkers in the Denver area with several events you won't want to miss.  The highlights include Oskar Blues' 7th CANiversary where they'll be debuting a brand new seasonal, a Holiday Beer Dinner at the Wynkoop featuring 4 courses and 6 great Colorado beers, and the 2009 release of Avery's monstrous Mephistopheles Stout (16% abv!) complete with a 4 year vertical tasting.  However, the one event I definitely won't be missing is Twisted Pine's release party for their new sour ale.  I'm a huge fan of sour beers and I've enjoyed most of the speciality releases the brewery has put out recently, so I'm expecting great things.  They'll only have two kegs on for the initial release and they will surely go quick, but I've been told that it will be released again in 7 months on tap and in 750 ml bottles.  Can't wait to try it!

Upcoming beer related events in the Denver area:

• Great Divide Brewmaster's Dinner @ Beatrice and Woodsley - 12/8, 6:00pm ($50 per person, RSVP at (303) 777-3505)
• Oskar Blues 7th CANiversary Party @ The Barn in Lyons - 12/9, 5:00pm - 10:00pm
• Oskar Blues will have live music, food, and specialty brews on tap.  Additionally, they'll be announcing a new seasonal beer and you'll have the opportunity to hand can your own beer to bring home with you.
• Holiday Beer Dinner @ Wynkoop Brewery - 12/10, 6:30pm ($35 per person, RSVP at 303-297-2700)
• 4 courses paired with 6 winter beers. Featuring selections from AC Golden, Breckenridge, Dry Dock, Great Divide, Odell and the Wynkoop.
• Oskar Blues Firkin Friday - 12/11, 5:00pm
• Dry Dock Firkin Friday - 12/11, 3:00pm - 11:00pm
• Sour Brown Ale Release Party @ Twisted Pine - 12/11, 3:00pm - 9:00pm
• Twisted Pine's first sour beer is a brown ale that was brewed with special strains of yeast and has been barrel-aged.
• Mephistopheles' Stout Release and Vertical Tasting @ Avery Tap Room - 12/11, 5:00pm-8:00pm ($15 for 5 tasters of your choice)
• Four consecutive years of Mephistopheles on tap (2006-2009)
• A keg of Straight Outta Hell will be on tap (50% Mephistopheles, 50% Out of Bounds with Coffee)
• Sour Tapping Event @ Trinity Brewing Company - 12/12
• I don't have many details on this one yet, but it's supposed to feature some of the best sour beers from around the world.

Extreme Winter Beer Tapping @ Trinity Brewing Company

Trinity Brewing Company in Colorado Springs just released the beer list for their Extreme Winter Beer Tapping Party on November 28th and it looks amazing.  Featuring no less than 19 rare and seasonal beers from around the country including two specialties brewed by Trinity themselves, it looks like a can't-miss event and the perfect way to celebration the Thanksgiving holiday.

Extreme Winter Beer Tapping Beer List:

• Beast - Avery Brewing  (Boulder, Colorado).  One of the strongest beers ever brewed in Colorado!  Avery's reputation on this beer proceeds itself.  Age and a light oxidation give this monster ale aromatic notes remarkably similar to a respectable port wine.  Lots of flavors throughout this Grand Cru' of caramel, butter toffee, cherries, raisins, and citrus.  15.0% ABV; Brewer Steve Breezley.
• Bourbon Strike Stout - Rockyard Brewing Co (Castlerock, Colorado).  The formidable house brewed stout from our northern friends is aged on a single small batch bourbon barrel for three months.  The result is a well balanced marriage of stout and spirit featuring:  a boosted alocohol level, notes of bourbon caramel intertwined with dark malt, vanilla, and oak.  8.5% ABV; Brewer, Jim Stinson.
• Bully Porter - Boulevard Brewing (Kansas City, MO).  Fresh to Colorado, this highly respected brewery has finally released its porter to our high mountain country.  Rich in dark malts, hints of cocoa, and coffee.  This beer is then keg conditioned for a natural carbonation and a silky texture.  5.2% ABV, Brewer Steve Mills. 
• Christmas Ale - Anchor Steam  (San Francisco, CA).  Anchor produces a single batch of the country's most famous winter seasonal annually.  The entertaining fact about this warming ale is the fact that they spicing is changed every batch!  We never know exactly what to expect!  5.5% ABV; Brewer, Fritz Maytag.
• Czar - Avery (Boulder, Co). One of the three "Imperial Series" beers from Avery.  This Imperial Stout is extremely hoppy for the style.  It pours black and thick with notes of coffee, chocolate, and hints of age.  11.0% ABV; Brewer, Steve Breezley.
• Delirium Noel - (Brouwerij Huyghe, Melle Belguim).  A mysterious, strong, and dark Belgian spiced ale.  What do we know about this beer ? NOT MUCH! But, we do know it's very tastey and extremely hard to find.  We feel very fortunate to have landed a 5 gal to pour on site.  9.00% ABV; Brewer, N/A.
• Dragoons Dry Irish Stout - Moylan's (Navoto CA).  Aromatically strong with roasted malts, notes of cocoa, and hints of leafy hops.  Mouth feel of this stout is large, color is black with a tan head, and finish is dry.  5.00% ABV; Brewer, Denise Jones.
• Fade to Black - Left Hand (Longmont, Co). A brand new annually brewed rotating dark winter beer.  This year's batch is somewhat of a hybrid between an Import Stout and an Imperial Stout.  It's big, well balanced with hops, and extremely roasty.  8.5% ABV, Brewer Joe Schiralde. 
• Jubelale - Deschutes (Bend, Or).  A winter warmer from the northwest coast.  Amber in color and thick in malt flavor.  Very bready with a heavy body.  A rare beer to see on tap in Colorado.  6.7% ABV, Brewer, NA.
• Old Jubilation - Avery (Boulder, Co).  Old school winter warmer first brewed WAY back in the 1990's.  Similar to an English strong ale by palate.  Very malty with large caramel backed by light roast and chocolate.  8.00% ABV, Brewer Steve Breezley.
• Life and Limb - Dogfish Head/Sierra Nevada (Milton, DE and Chico, CA).  A collaborative beer dedicated to the family of beer drinkers and enthusiasts worldwide who continue to support the little guys, iconoclasts, entrepreneurs, and pioneers who risk life and limb to shape the vibrant craft-brewing community.  Life & Limb is a 10% ABV strong beer that defies style characteristics-brewed with pure maple syrup from the Calagione family farm in Massachusetts and estate barley grown on the Grossman "farm" at the brewery in Chico. The beer is alive with yeast-a blend of both breweries' house strains-bottle conditioned for added complexity and shelf life, and naturally carbonated with birch syrup fresh from Alaska; it is the first beer we know of ever to use birch syrup in the brew.  10% ABV; Brewers, Sam Calgione and Ken Grossman.
• Never Summer - Boulder Beer (Boulder, Co).  A dark red winter seasonal ale hailing from Colorado's very first microbrewery.  Very sweet caramel with underlying notes of roast and chocolate.  The perfect beer for a cold day. 6.60% ABV; Brewer, Steve Trese.
• Noel Farmhouse - Trinity Brewing (Colorado Springs, Co).  Brewed with brown sugar, garam masala, pumpkin, white sage, coriander, and grains of paradise.  This version of our seasonally rotating Saison tastes like liquid Thanks Giving .... If you were in Belgium that is!  6.5% ABV; Brewer, Jason Yester.
• Nut Cracker - Boulevard (Kansas City, Mo).  A deep hazy orange hued brew, which is a little fruity as it warms up from elements of noticeable citrus hops.  Surprisingly full bodied for its appearance.  6.6% ABV, Brewer Steve Mills.
• Old #23 Barleywine - Bristol Brewing (Colorado Springs, Co).  A very special tapping indeed J.  We're not sure who is aware of this but our Brewer/Owner  worked at Bristol for a decade before starting Trinity, and 11 years ago Old#23 was his first commercially crafted beer.  Historically , the first bottled barley wine in the state of Colorado.  It's recipe changes each year it is brewed.  It is always big, chewy, malty, hoppy, and very warming.  9.6% ABV.  Brewer, Joe Hull.
• Old Winter Ale - Fullers (Chiswick, London).  Hailing all the way from England this frothy mahogany beige capped beer is truly food for the soul.  Nutty, fruity, floral, and traditional.  5.30% ABV; Brewer, NA.
• Shiner Holiday Cheer - Spoetzl Brewing (Shiner, TX).  A copper winter brew with notes of pecans, overripe peaches, and brown sugar. The light hop presence gives this ale a dry finish making it quite refreshing and quite sessionable.  5.40% ABV, Brewer NA.
• Slap Your Mammy - Trinity Brewing (Colorado Springs, Co).  Our very first Double IPA!  Accidentally brewed stronger than planned, this beer quickly became our fastest selling seasonal ever. Boiled 125 minutes and bittered to 125 IBU's with 8 hop varietals, this beer is literally one of the hoppiest beers on the planet.  10.5% ABV; Brewer, Jason Yester.
• Wreck the Halls - Full Sail (Portland, OR).  A nice alternative to all the malt bomb winter beers.  This complex orange ale features piney and citrus notes supported well with a toasty malt backbone.  Very balanced and very drinkable.  6.5% ABV; Brewer Amigo Paul.

Upcoming Events (Week of 10/25)

This week is shaping up to be another great one for Denver beer drinkers with no less than 11 events in the area.  Things start off with Great Divide's monthly beer & cheese pairing on Tuesday, continue with several great Halloween parties, and wrap up with a new fall seasonal release from the Wynkoop Brewing Company.  Following this year's Denver Gorilla Run on Saturday, the Wynkoop will tap a cask of their new Riverside Pumpkin Ale (named for Denver's historic Riverside Cemetery).  The twist is that the "cask" is actually a real pumpkin! The beer was brewed with 75 pounds of toasted pumpkin, 30 pounds of pumpkin puree, traditional pumpkin pie spices, and they threw in some flaked pumpkin during the secondary fermentation.  Sounds perfect for a brisk late Fall day.


From Wynkoop:

The beer is a mahogany-colored ale of approx 6.5% ABV and sports a balanced blend of amber malt notes, layers of pumpkin flavors, and gentle spicing. It’ll be available through November while supplies last.

Beer events in the Denver area this week:

• Great Divide Monthly Beer & Cheese Pairing, 10/27, 5:00pm - 8:00pm (RSVP with patrick@greatdivide.com)
• Avery Society for the Pursuit of Hoppiness - Pearl St. Hop Tour, 10/27, 6:00pm
• New Belgium & St. Arnold Beer Event @ Trinity Brewing, 10/28 (Lips of Faith beers, games, and raffles)
• Dry Dock Firkin Friday, 10/30, 3:00pm - 11:00pm
• Oskar Blues Firkin Friday - Spiced Old Chub, 10/30, 5:00pm
• Great Divide Hoppy Halloween Party, 10/30, 6:00pm - 9:00pm ($15 per person) - Check out my write up here
• Left Hand Brewing Halloween Party, 10/30, All Day ($3 dark beers, costume contest)
• Wildnight for Wildlife @ Millennium Harvest House, 10/30, 5:30pm - 10:30pm ($65 per person, beer tasting from local breweries)
• Smoked Stout Release Party @ Twisted Pine, 10/30, 3:00pm - 9:00pm
• Black Fox "Samhain" Pumpkin Saison Release Party @ Bristol Brewing, 10/30, 5:00pm - 9:00pm
• Trinity Brewing Halloween Party, 10/31, All Day (Beer specials from 3:00pm - 7:00pm)
• Real Gourd Beer @ Wynkoop Brewing Company, 10/31, 2:00pm (Riverside Pumpkin Ale release)

Hoppy Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate than to dress up in a costume and drink craft beer!  You can do both next Friday, October 30th, as Great Divide hosts their first Halloween bash at their Arapahoe Street tap room.  The party will feature snacks, candy, and all the Great Divide beer you can drink.  Plus they're having a costume contest with awards going to the best beer related costume.  It will run from 6:00pm to 9:00pm and admission is $15 each.

Great Divide isn't the only area brewery hosting a Halloween party this year though.  Here are a couple of other options:

• Left Hand Brewing is also throwing a party on Friday, October 30th at their Longmont tap room.  They'll have a costume contest (1st, 2nd, & 3rd place get free beer!), candy, and $3 pints of any black beers (Milk Stout, Black Jack, & Imperial Stout). 
• Trinity Brewing Company in Colorado Springs is having an all day party on Saturday, October 31st. Things start off at 1:00pm with The Haunted Hunt, a scavenger hunt competition to benefit the local food bank. They'll also have a costume contest, beer specials from 3:00pm - 7:00pm, and live music at 8:30pm.

Visiting Trinty Brewing Company

A few weeks back I drove down to Colorado Springs to see what their breweries offered and try some new beers.  I hit three different brewpubs/breweries during my visit, but one stood out as my clear favorite.  The Trinity Brewing Company is still relatively new, only opening about a year ago, but is already making excellent, innovative beer.  I sampled six of their brews during my visit, and the Awaken Stout alone was good enough to make the hour drive worthwhile.  Another highlight is their Farmhouse Saison, which is brewed with a different recipe each time depending on the ingredients that are available at the time.  This is a great concept that allows them to experiment and push the envelope on what beer can taste like.

Trinity recently began bottling two of their beers, Old Growth Wild Ale and TPS Report (a sour ale that won gold at GABF this year), but they are still brewery only releases.  I picked up both during my visit and neither disappointed. These excellent sours really show what the brewery is capable of and the innovative direction they're headed.

The brewpub also has a wonderful atmosphere and features a constantly changing, slow food menu that emphasizes locally grown ingredients.  Plus they have almost 30 guest taps with rarities from a other Colorado brewers, so you're sure to find something you like. This Friday they will be releasing their new Slap Your Mammy Double IPA and it will be well worth your time to drive down and try it out.

Upcoming Events (Week of 10/11)

Not surprisingly, there are some great beer related events happening in and around Denver this week.  Things start off on a high with today's public opening of Oskar Blues' Homemade Liquids & Solids in Longmont. The new place is right around the corner from their Tasty Weasel tap room and will feature 43 craft beer taps, Southern inspired BBQ, and live music.  It's also equipped with a smoker called the Midnight Toker for true North Carolina style BBQ! Check out the menu here (smoked pulled pork sounds amazing right now). I plan to get up there soon to check it out, and hopefully, they will be pouring some of the barrel-aged rarities usually only featured in their tap room (Barrel Aged Ten FIDY, please!).

If you would like your event included please e-mail me at denverbrew@gmail.com.

• Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids & Solids Restaurant Grand Opening, 10/12, 11:00am
• Trinity/Ska Beer & Slow Food Dinner @ Trinity Brewpub, 10/14, 5:00pm
• Monthly Great Divide Hop Disciples Meeting, 10/15, 6:00pm
• Craft Beer Education with Scott Kerkmans (Chief Beer Officer for Four Points by Sheraton Hotels) @ Cook Street School of Fine Cooking, 10/15, 6:00pm-9:00pm ($59 per person)
• Oskar Blues Firkin Friday - Cask Conditioned Pilsner @ The Tasty Weasel, 10/16, 5:00pm
• Dry Dock Firkin Friday - PalateWrecker (Seven Seas Double IPA with Hatch chilis), 10/16, 3:00pm - 11:00pm
• Bristol Brewing Venetucci Pumpkin Ale Release, 10/16, 3:00pm-9:00pm, (22oz bottles on sale at 3:00pm (3 max), draft tapping at 5:00pm (2 growler max)) All profits go back to the Venetucci farm
• Fresh Hop Celebration @ Falling Rock, 10/17, 12:00pm-5:00pm ($20 for commemorative glass and 4 tokens, each token is good for 1 beer) - check out my write up for more information.

2009 Colorado Craft Beer Expo Recap

This past Saturday the Colorado Brewers Guild brought together 21 local breweries at the Empire Restaurant in Louisville for the 2009 Colorado Craft Beer Expo.  The event was the perfect place to catch up on any beers that you may have missed out at the Great American Beer Festival last weekend, and was also far more intimate than the big event in Denver.  Obviously, there were far fewer people in attendance allowing you to sample everything with no lines, but the real bonus was that every booth was manned by actual employees from the breweries.  In many cases, you were able to talk directly to the brewers about their beer as you drank it.  A real treat!

Most of the breweries brought their standard fare, but a few rolled out rarities not often seen outside their tap rooms.  These included Barrel Aged Gordon & Old Chub from Oskar Blues and Golden City Brewing's Barrel Aged Centurion Barleywine.  Another highlight was the new duganA IPA from Avery Brewing.  Just released this Friday, it was every bit has the "transcendental hop experience" advertised.  Colorado Springs' Trinity Brewing was pouring their Café Blanc (probably the only beer I've seen brewed with white coffee) and Peche Noir, but unfortunately didn't bring their GABF Gold Medal winning TPS Report.  They did mention that bottles are still available at the brewery though and from what I hear it'll be worth your time to drive down and get some.

All of this was great, but the biggest highlight for me was running into Tim from Oskar Blues who I had "helped" brew this year's first batch of their Ten FIDY Imperial Stout.  That batch was just canned this Friday and they were actually pouring it at the event!  I may be a bit biased, but I thought it tasted excellent and will be worth buying when it hits stores in the next few weeks.

Breweries at the Colorado Craft Beer Expo:

• Oskar Blues Brewery
• Gordon Biersch
• Boulder Beer Company
• Left Hand Brewing
• Odell Brewing
• Upslope Brewing
• Avery Brewing
• BJ's Brewpub
• Bristol Brewing
• Steamworks Brewing
• Ska Brewing
• Great Divide Brewing
• Walnut Brewery
• Rock Bottom Brewpub
• Del Norte Brewing
• Dry Dock Brewing
• Breckenridge Brewery
• Pump House Brewpub
• Golden City Brewing
• New Belgium Brewing
• Trinity Brewing