Parade of Darks @ Wynkoop Brewing Company

This Saturday, Wynkoop Brewing Company will be hosting a special event they're calling the Parade of Darks.  Much like their Beers of the Year event a couple of weeks ago, they'll be tapping several rare brews and also featuring guest brewers.  In total almost 40 "dark" beers (brown ales, porters, doppelbocks, stouts, dunkels, barleywines, dubbels, etc.) will be on tap. 4 oz samples are available for $1, or you can purchase unlimited samples for $25.  Additionally, SOCIAL members will get a $5 discount.

Here's a partial beer list for the event:

• Backcountry - Whiteout Barley Wine and Jack Frost Doppelbock
• Boulder Beer - Planet Porter and Never Summer Ale
• Breckenridge - Mighty Brown and Porter-Porter
• Bull & Bush - To Be Determined
• Dogfish Head - Indian Brown Ale and Palo Santo Marron
• Dry Dock - Vanilla Porter
• Great Divide - Yeti Imperial Stout, Old Ruffian Barley Wine, Oak-Aged Yeti, St. Bridget’s Porter, Hibernation
• Jolly Pumpkin - To Be Determined
• Left Hand - Fade to Black, Milk Stout, Imperial Stout
• Lost Abbey - Devotion, Lost & Found, Inferno
• Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot
• Ska - Ten Pin Imperial Porter and Steel Toe Milk Stout
• Stone - Black IPA and 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
• New Belgium - 1554 and Small-Batch Stout
• Wynkoop Brewing - B3K Schwarzbier, Milk Stout, Coconut Milk Stout, Berserker Barrel-Aged Mead, Churchyard Scottish Ale

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.

Upcoming Events (Week of 11/1)

This week is jam packed with beer related events in the Denver area highlighted by a vertical tasting at Twisted Pine and three big events this Saturday.  On Thursday, November 5th, Twisted Pine will be hosting a 5 year vertical tasting of their Northstar Imperial Porter.  Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and include five 6 oz samples of different Northstar vintages from 2004-2009, a commermative glass, and a 1.5 hour educational session with owner Bob Baile, brewer Eric Mosiman and brewer Jeff Brumley.  Space is limited, so try to get your ticket early.

Then on Saturday, November 7th, you'll have to choose between the 3rd Annual All Colorado Beer Festival in Colorado Springs, Upslope Brewing's 1st Anniversary Party in Boulder (featuring 6 beers on tap including their First Anniversary Stout), and perhaps the biggest event this week, Wynkoop's Beers of the Year party here in Denver. From 1:00pm to 5:00pm, the Wynkoop will be pouring 25 different beers including all their 2009 specialty beers and a few from 2008.  Four ounce samples are just a dollar each, or you can get unlimited samples for $25.

This week's beer events in the Denver area:

• Mountain Standard Reserve Release Party @ Odell Brewing, 11/2, 5:00pm
• Sisterhood of the Hop - Inaugural Meeting @ Avery Tap Room, 11/3, 6:00pm - 8:00pm (Free, Women Only)
• Northstar Imperial Porter Vertical Tasting @ Twisted Pine Tap Room, 11/5, 6:00pm - 7:30pm ($20 in advance, $25 at the door)
• Oskar Blues Firkin Friday @ The Tasty Weasel, 11/6, 5:00pm
• Dry Dock Firkin Friday - Belgium Bounty Old Ale, 11/6, 3:00pm - 11:00pm
• Beers of the Year @ Wynkoop Brewing Company, 11/7, 1:00pm - 5:00pm ($25 for unlimited samples, 25 different brews available)
• 3rd Annual All Colorado Beer Festival @ Mr. Biggs Event Center, 11/7, 12:30pm & 5:30pm ($25 in advance, $30 at the door) - Check out my write up here
• Upslope Brewing 1st Anniversary Party, 11/7, 2:00pm - 6:00pm

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)

Upcoming Events (Week of 10/4)

This week brings us two more fall/winter seasonals with both Twisted Pine in Boulder and Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs throwing release parties on Friday at their respective tap rooms.  Twisted Pine will be unveiling their Mr. Brown Pumpkin Ale for the first time, while Bristol is bringing out this year's version of the Winter Warlock Oatmeal Stout.  Both beers sound excellent and should be the perfect accompaniments to the brisk fall weather in Colorado.

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

• Boulder Beer Company Dinner @ Beatrice and Woodsley, 10/7 ($55 per person)
• Beer Dinner of the Year @ Wynkoop Brewery, 10/8, 6:30pm ($35 per person)
• Mr. Brown Pumpkin Ale Release Party @ Twisted Pine, 10/9, 3:00pm - 9:00pm
• Winter Warlock Release Party @ Bristol Brewing, 10/9, 5:00pm - 9:00pm
• Oskar Blues Firkin Friday @ The Tasty Weasel, 10/9, 5:00pm
• Dry Dock Firkin Friday - Seven Seas Double IPA dry-hopped with Riwaka hops, 10/9, 3:00pm - 11:00pm
• Dry Dock @ Jack O' Launch Pumpkinfest at DeLaney Farms in Aurora, 10/10, 10:00am - 4:00pm, Free Admission
• 9th Annual Wines in the Woods - Beer In The Basement @ The Pines at Genesee in Evergreen, 10/10, 6:00pm - 9:00pm ($60 per person)