Beer Me: September 22, 2015 – September 28, 2015
What better time than right before the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) to start a weekly beer events (bee-vents?) section of Dear Denver? And since GABF week dictates that you’ll be drinking heavily and exercising lightly, what better event to highlight first than one that offers the opportunity for some moderate cardio? Moderate cardio, that is, in the pursuit of more beer…
The first annual Sunnyside Beer Stroll kicks off Wednesday, September 23, 2015 and invites participants to visit three breweries in its namesake neighborhood. Start at Denver Beer Co Canworks, Diebolt Brewing, or Factotum Brewhouse and acquire your stamp card that will be your proof of visitation. Receive a stamp for each full pour purchased; the first 200 participants to complete their card can trade it in for a custom sticker and a Sunnyside Beer Stroll koozie, so you may or may not want to channel your inner Steve Prefontaine. Additionally, those endeavoring to complete the epic one-mile, three-beer jaunt will be entered into an additional drawing for glassware and t-shirts from each brewery. For your convenience – and because we like beer maps (bee-aps?) – we have created a handy map with walking directions. Crossing guards not included.
Continue the journey:
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 @ 2 – 10pm: Cougar Night at Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery
The closest brewery to GABF will release three limited-release takes on its Cougar Slayer Blackberry Saison, including a coffee version and one aged in wine barrels. Come early to ensure you can sample the trifecta. Wong Way Veg food truck will also be on-site to provide delicious vegetarian sustenance. (And if you are looking for more cardio, check out the Jagged Mountain Run Club at 6:30pm, which takes participants on a 3 – 4 mile guided run from the brewery and gives them 50% off their first beer upon return.)
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 @ 4:30 – 8pm: Beers Made by Walking at Our Mutual Friend
Brewers from Colorado and across the country took inspiration from the natural environment – both pastoral and urban – and created over 30 place-based beers with the plants they encountered along the way. Entries include Menacing Chokecherry from Trinity Brewing, Pink Granite Glade Stein Beer from Scratch Brewing, Rosabelle from Great Divide Brewing and many, many more. See the full list here with descriptions. Tickets are $30 and available online.
Thursday, September 24 – Saturday, September 26, 2015: Great American Beer Festival at the Colorado Convention Center
This year it’s bigger and better, yet already sold out so you may as well log in to your Ticketmaster account now and keep refreshing until 2016…
Friday, September 25, 2015 @ 11:30am: Casey Brewing & Blending at Hops & Pie
Some of the most sought-after beers in Colorado will be on tap at Hops & Pie, including The Cut Series: Montemorency, Fruit Stand Series: Apricot, the Low End, and Biere De Garde. Warning: this beer has a cult following with beerhunters lining up in the wee hours for the once-a-month releases, so plan accordingly.
Saturday, September 26, 2015 @ 9pm: Post-GABF Karaoke Party at Ratio Beerworks
If you’re still standing after the last GABF session, swing by Ratio Beerworks in RiNo where the karaoke will already be cranking. There will be prizes, so break out your best Cable Guy impersonations. And brewers, take note: if you wear your badge and sing a song you’ll get a free beer #score
Sunday, September 27, 2015 @ 11am: GABF Hangover Brunch at Comrade Brewing Company
You’re still thirsty? How about some hair o’ the dog? (Interesting side note: the first recorded reference to our favorite excuse to drink in the morning comes from an ancient Ugarit text, dating back to the second millennium BC…shout-out to the Late Bronze Age!) Comrade is teaming up with FiddleSprout Foods to serve guests a three-course, beer-paired brunch, beginning with Red Scare Jalapeno Red Beer or Yellow Fever Jalapeno Blonde Michelada. Tickets are $35 and available online, where you can also peep the full brunch menu.
Monday, September 28, 2015: Denver breweries open on Monday
Seriously? Seek help.
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Matt Sandy, a self-proclaimed “Beer Gadabout,” has been enjoying beer since he was of legal drinking age. Having been born across the pond where “legal drinking age” is a relative term, let’s just say he washed down a shandy or two while still in short pants. He moved to Denver in 2007 and immediately took up residency at the Great Divide taproom. Since then, he’s enjoyed exploring all of the craft corners of this great town and in this column will highlight weekly beer-related events that you should consider drinking in.