Beer Me: November 22, 2016 – November 28, 2016

In Denver, Black Friday has become synonymous with beer releases. There are a plethora of new brews hitting taps all across the city (and state). While you might not avoid the crowds at the following events, you’re at least unlikely to get trampled.

Start things off early at Boggy Draw Brewery. They’ll open at 8am with $2 off any pint through 2pm. They’ll also have a limited quantity of red beers (V8 and cream ale) to help ease your holiday hangover.

At 10am, head to Ratio Beerworks where they will release Young Pilgrims, a raspberry Belgian Dubbel, and a limited quantity of Coffee Domestica. They’ll also have donuts from Fractured Prune Denver, breakfast burritos from Illegal Pete’s, and coffee from Novo Coffee.

Head up the road at 11am to Black Shirt Brewing Co. for a pint of their just-tapped Fourtrack Porter, an American Red Porter with complex milk chocolate, toffee, and caramel notes. There will also be brunch cocktails paired with Long I Pie Shop pies and 25% off all merchandise.

Also at 11am, Black Sky Brewery will release Black Metal Barrel Aged Baltic Porter and Copper Kettle Brewing Company will dust off bottles of several barrel-aged beers, some dating back to 2013. View their line-up here.

At noon, Factotum taps Cranberry Cream Ale, “a traditional cream ale infused with unsweetened cranberries, for a slightly tart taste,” aged in a Chardonnay barrel for nine months. Up in Lafayette, Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co. will have six-packs of Kolsch, Belgian Double IPA, and Hop Nectar available for purchase. Westfax Brewing Co. is celebrating dark beers with several small batch offerings, including Black Lager, Imperial Stout, Coffee Imperial Stout, Black IPA, Mango Chili Stout, and Nitro Milk Stout among others. On the opposite side of town, Ursula Brewery will release Evoluer Pinot Noir Barrel-Aged Golden Sour, while also offering up discounts on beer and merch. Up in Greeley, WeldWerks Brewing Co. will have the latest batch of Mexican Achromatic available in crowlers and on tap, along with a few bottles of the Barrel-Aged Mexican Achromatic.

When the clock strikes 1pm, Beryl’s Beer Co. will tap the original Antero (ESB), along with a brandy barrel-aged version. At Station 26 Brewing Co. they’ll have this year’s Dark Star Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels for ten months. Beyond the original bourbon barrel-aged Dark Star, there will also be German chocolate and salted caramel versions. At Odd13, six-packs of Sir Joshua (Black IPA) and Double Buzzin Cuzzin (Coffee Oatmeal Stout with mole spices), will be available for purchase along with bottles of Saint Nicole (bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout).

At 2pm, Baere Brewing Co. will unveil bottles of Palisade Peach Table Sour and Saison Batch 2 (a 2016 GABF medal winner), while also tapping three different versions of the Table Sour and offering 20% off merch. Over at Lost Highway Brewing Company, they’ll be pouring Barrel-Aged Fourth Estate Belgian Chocolate Stout. Lakewood will also be welcoming the Denver metro area’s newest brewing resident when Green Mountain Beer Co. opens its doors. The brewery will be open 2 – 10pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (or until the beer runs out).

And here’s where you can drink around town the rest of the week…

Tuesday, November 22, 2016 @ 8 – 10pm: Movie Night at New Image Brewing Co.

Star Wars: Episode VIII drops December 16, 2016 and New Image will be screening the original trilogy, along with last year’s Episode VII in weekly segments to get you prepped. The marathon starts tonight with the original Star Wars (1977) and patrons can enjoy happy hour beer prices and free popcorn. Costumes encouraged.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016 @ 11am – 1opm: Thanksgiving Eve Celebration at Resolute Brewing Co.

Resolute is kicking things off early on Thanksgiving Eve, tapping a Baltic porter at 11am. Grassroots Grill will be parked out front all day and Geeks Who Drink trivia goes down at 7pm. 

Wednesday, November 23, 2016 @ 11am – 1opm: Big LeBEERski Re-Release at Barrels and Bottles Brewery

Golden’s Barrels and Bottles is paying homage to the Dude’s drink of choice with an Imperial Golden Milk Stout dubbed the Big LeBEERski. Wear your favorite Lebowski attire and enjoy $4 11-ounce pours all day #thedudeabides

Wednesday, November 23, 2016 @ 5 – 11pm: Laws Rye Whiskey Barrel-Aged Zembla Bottle Release at Fiction Beer Co.

Fiction filled a barrel of Laws Secale Rye Whiskey with their Baltic Porter, Zembla, and the concoction—”a balanced blend of spicy rye with a crisp roast character and a slight cherry raisin finish”—is ready to be consumed. Bottles will be available for purchase at $14.99 per 500ml bottle. Limit three per customer.

Saturday, November 26, 2016 @ 11am – 2pm: Small Business Saturday, Brunch and Bottle Release at Black Shirt Brewing Co.

Black Shirt releases Black Beacon Sound, an Imperial Red Rye Stout aged 13 months in a Laws Whiskey House bourbon barrel. “Rich and complex with espresso, deep dried fruit, and nutty whiskey notes,” Black Beacon will be in bottles (limit two per person) and on tap. City Pretzel Company will be serving eats and the brewery will be introducing $6 beer brunch cocktails.

Saturday, November 26, 2016 @ 11am – 11pm: Holiday Beer Release and Ugly Sweater Party at Dry Dock Brewing Co.

With Thanksgiving already in the rearview mirror, it’s time to focus on the next occasion to over-indulge. Dry Dock is getting into the holiday spirit with the release of Cranberry Tart, Chocolate Cherry Covered Porter, and Eggnog Cream Ale. The ugliest sweater will be rewarded with a Dry Dock gift card at 2:30pm.

Sunday, November 27, 2016 @ 1 – 9pm: Robot Libertarian Release at Odd13 Brewing

Riffing on their previously released Robot Librarian, Odd13 has teamed up with Cerebral Brewing, Fiction Beer Co., and WeldWerks Brewing Co. to whip up another New England-style Double IPA. The beer features the same yeast and grain bill with a tweaked hop lineup that includes Azacca, Denali, Idaho 7, and Meridian. This is a taproom-only release and the Lafayette brewery will also be pouring Double Dry Hopped Rare Trait from Cerebral, Logic is Relative from Fiction, and Alpha Bits from WeldWerks.

Monday, November 28, 2016 @ 3 – 9pm: Expatriate Stout Re-Release at Odyssey Beerwerks

If you missed the original release on Election Day and haven’t yet emigrated out of the country, swing by Odyssey to try their Expatriate Stout, a moving-to-Canada-style stout. “Layers of caramel malt add a deep complexity and full body, while high-alpha Nugget hops and citrusy Cascade temper the roast with bright flavors and aromas.”

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” and Certified Beer Server, 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.