Beer Me: March 8, 2016 – March 14, 2016

Denver’s official St. Patrick’s Day Parade gets started at 9:30am on Saturday, March 12, 2016. It’s the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade west of the Mississippi River and is expected to draw more than 200,000 people.

That last figure either makes you want to paint your face green and start downing Jame-o at 8am or clear the hell out of town. According to Denver.org, the event, “is a festive and fun event for all ages that celebrates Irish culture and heralds the start of spring.” Wishful thinking for a day that is dominated by the puke and rally crowd. Closed toe shoes are recommended.

Denver first hosted a St. Patrick’s Day parade all the way back in 1889. That pre-dates Banquet Beer and automobiles, which makes you wonder what those pioneers were dying green and if they even knew about car bombs.

Several beer-centric venues close to the parade route will be hosting St. Patrick’s Day events:

• Wynkoop Brewing Co. opens at 8am with festive food + drink specials and prime parade watching.
• Freshcraft will be offering Irish-inspired drink and food specials throughout the day.
• Dry Dock – South Dock will have the Celtic Step Dancers performing at 1pm, Crock Spot will have a themed menu, and Irish Red Ale and Irish Cream Stout will be on tap.
• Zephyr Brewing Co. will open their doors at 11am, serving up Irish Red and grilling on the patio.
• Black Sky Brewery will have corned beef and cabbage after the parade, along with Irish music, craft beer car bombs, and whiskey until 2am.
• Caution: Brewing Co. will throw a party from 6pm to close, featuring the Celtic Steps dance group, St. Patty’s Day swag, and their special Green Card beer.

Sláinte!

Wednesday, March 9, 2016 @ 11am: One Keg Wednesday at Black Shirt Brewing Co.

Every Wednesday, Black Shirt taps a keg of specialty beer, brewed on their pilot system. This week’s featured offering is a collaboration brew between Black Shirt and To the Wind Bistro. The result is a salted Imperial Red Porter, infused with homemade, barrel-aged Worcestershire sauce. It’s salty, savory, spicy, and certain not to be around for long.

Thursday, March 10, 2016 @ 7pm: Board Game Tournament at Caution: Brewing Co.

Caution has teamed with Colpar’s HobbyTown West to host a Ticket to Ride tournament. There will be four qualifying rounds leading up to the Death Race on April 7th where the winner will receive FREE beer for a year. If you have the American version of the game, bring it and get bonus points. Food Truck: The Savory Life will be on hand.  

Friday, March 11, 2016 @ 11am: Craft Beer Ice Cream Week at Little Man Ice Cream

Beer and food pairings are quite the rage. For better or worse, they’re usually not the type of event where Junior can tag along. But, Little Man comes to the rescue with a minor-friendly event. Sample a flight of four beer-infused flavors from local breweries: Spangalang Caramel Nightwalker, Blue Moon Orange, Prost Banana Bread, and Diebolt Porter Fudge. The creations will only be available through March 18th, so queue up now.

Saturday, March 12, 2016: St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

See above, bro.

Sunday, March 13, 2016 @ noon – 8pm: Vinyl Sundays with the Denver Kush Club at Spangalang Brewery

Spangalang and Denver Kush Club join(t) forces to help you mellow out your Sunday Funday. The former will be offering $1 off pints and the latter will be passing out FREE joint cards for those who partake. Bring along your favorite records for a spin; no cover.

Still thirsty? Use this handy map of Colorado breweries and other drinking establishments to plan your next adventure. Cheers.

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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.