Friday, September 14, 2018
GABF Week: Your High-Level Activities Guide
Colorado Brewers Guild Operations Manager Steve Kurowski put it best when he said Friday at the Denver Beer Fest kickoff that no city welcomes the beer world like Denver will do in the next week - and that virtually every brewery and bar in the area is stepping up their game for the occasion.
"What's happening here this week will make our beer scene even better," Kurowski said before raising a pint with Mayor Michael Hancock and other industry supporters. "We have breweries all over the city putting events with the best beers they ever brew … From a beer lover's standpoint, this is nirvana."
As such, this blog once again presents a high-level guide to the highlights of the week, for people who are looking to plan their schedule carefully with the knowledge that there are only 24 hours in a day to drink beer and that, at some point, you might have to sleep. For a more thorough calendar, I recommend Westword's edition; a warning comes, however, that you may cry when you see just how many events on it you won't be able to hit.
Saturday, Sept. 15
* 11 a.m.-5 p.m.: GABF Bike Loop & Kickoff Party, BarFly at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake. Hop on your trusted steed for an 11-mile guided loop between the westside beer-centric movie theater and WestFax, Joyride, Hogshead, Oasis, Strange and Seedstock. For $30, you get an 8-ounce taster at each brewery and a post-party at BarFly.
* 11 a.m. New Image Brewing and Outer Range Brewing tap Something Dumb with a Wolf - a double IPA hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Columbus - at the New Image taproom in Arvada. There's no possibly way this won't be great.
* 2-6 p.m. Diebolt Brewing hosts a barrel-aged bier garden for its fifth anniversary, featuring BA efforts from the past half-decade, including vertical tastings of Commodore/Vladislav and Biere de Triomphe.
Sunday, Sept. 16
* The Westin Denver International Airport hosts Beer Flights throughout the day from Sept. 14-22, offering 20 beers from 10 different breweries to anyone flying in or out of DIA - or who just feels like driving out and enjoying suds with a grand view.
* Strange Craft Beer taps its Barrel-Aged Dr. Strangelove Barleywine, a beer that's taken home some GABF bling in the past. It's just the start of a week of great tappings at this Denver standout.
Monday, Sept. 17
* 5 p.m.: The Falling Rock Tap House kick-off party every year is a little like the Iowa presidential caucuses every four years. It's traditional. It sounds the trumpet for a crazy week to follow. And, frankly, you just never know what you'll find here - though you know it will be damn good.
* 5-7 p.m.: (Rad) Craft Night at Strange Beer features my very favorite author - me! - talking about "How to Write a Beer Book Without Destroying Your Liver" from 6-6:15 p.m. SpookyBat Designs then will talk about craft-beer woodworking, and there just may be some free samples getting passed around. Seriously, it will be fun.
* 6-11:30 p.m.: TRVE launches High Plains Distribution, its expanded company focused on bringing craft beer into cities for limited runs like the GABF, at Freshcraft and celebrates with its clients, such as Great Notion, J. Wakefield and Scratch Brewing.
Tuesday, Sept. 18
* Strange Craft Beer re-releases maybe the finest beer it's ever made, its Zora Pale Ale, which is made with rosemary and tastes like nothing else that has hit the market in Denver. It used to be a regular tap but now makes just an annual appearance.
* 4-11 p.m. Ursula Brewing's Imperial Crustless is the best high-alcohol peanut butter and jelly beer you'll ever taste. Crafty Fox Taphouse & Pizzeria agrees, and it will host a rare tapping of this beauty.
* 6-9 p.m.: Jameson Caskmates is a partnership between the Irish whiskey maker and Great Divide Brewing in which the whiskey is aged inside an IPA barrel - and a stout barrel - to take on whole new characteristics. Try it at Freshcraft tonight, as well as great beers from the likes of Great Divide, Green Flash and Captain Lawrence.
Wednesday, Sept. 19
* 11 a.m.-9 p.m.: Cedar Creek Pub in Aurora will host a Best of Ohio party featuring beers from renowned brewers like MadTree, Jackie O's and Rhinegeist that don't typically sell in this state. It's a great chance to imbibe in a way that only GABF week will allow you to do.
* 3 p.m. River North Brewery taps a quadruple-dry-hopped version of its Mountain Haze hazy IPA, which is already one of the best beers of its style made in Colorado. Quadruple. Dry. Hopped.
* 4 p.m. Tap Fourteen hosts a Fort Collins tap takeover at its rooftop bar. You might think "Can't I get that stuff anyway around here?" The answer is: Stop by and you'll realize how much more there is to the beer mecca to our north other than just New Belgium and Odell.
* 4-7 p.m.: If you love experimental beers, few events should interest you as much as the tap takeover at Crafty Fox by Paradox Beer of Woodland Park and Rowley Farmhouse Ales of Santa Fe.
* 9:30 p.m.: Last year's IPA Throwdown at Falling Rock simultaneously rewarded and destroyed all its visitors' taste buds at once. This year's, hosted by Melvin Brewing, should be the sequel of the week.
Thursday, Sept. 20
* 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Bruz Beers is doing an educational and just plain tasty "Old World Vs. New World" experiment with Merchant du Vin in which it pairs five classic Belgian beers, some rare, beside five of its own Belgian-style creations. At $30, this may be one of the best pre-lunch investments of the week.
* Noon to 10 a.m. Call to Arms Brewing's quirkily named Catalina Wine Mixer is a celebration of its wide range of wine-barrel-aged beers, shown off once a year to keep you sailing through the day.
* 5 p.m.-Midnight: RiNo Beer Garden hosts "Chicago Meets Denver," offering a chance to try beers from Windy City artists like Half Acre, Revolution and Three Floyds. There will be both award-winning and rare offerings here.
* 7 p.m.-Midnight: Epic Brewing once again brings out the big and often unusual guns at its 50 Firkin Fiasco, which features beers aged gently with everything from spices to fruit to children's cereal. This is always a chance to ensure your taste buds come back to life after the Thursday night GABF session.
* 10 p.m.: Telluride Brewing quietly has become one of the best breweries in Colorado. Ska Brewing continues to get more experimental. Put them together at Freshcraft and you'll get not only some of their tastiest individual beers but a collaboration with Freshcraft that's being described as a "gin and juice inspired ale."
Friday, Sept. 21
* 11 a.m.: Woods Boss may just have celebrated its first anniversary, but it's legitimately killing it with its wide selection of beers. Come see just how much it can do with Form & Function, a rum-barrel-aged Belgian quad aged on cacao nibs and dried cherries.
* 11:30 a.m. Hops and Pie never fails to offer up some great beers during GABF. Today it is pouring rarities from California breweries, including Cellarmaker, Rare Barrel and Sante Adairius Rustic Ales.
* 1-4 p.m. Those who've never attended the Denver Rare Beer Tasting hosted by Pints for Prostates at the McNichols Center may not understand how you can pay $125 for a ticket and still feel like you are stealing from the hosts because the range and quality of beers is so wonderful. And it goes to a great cause.
* 3-9 p.m. Cerveceria Colorado will change your mind about what you think Mexican beer is. And now the Denver Beer Co.-operated brewery also is offering collaborations between American and Mexican breweries at its Great Mexican Beer Fiesta - along with a lucha libre match.
* 6-11 p.m. Black Shirt Brewing is trying its hand at a new event this year - CITRAfest, in which 10 breweries make everything from IPAs to kolsches to table sours with the fruit-forward hop. No ticket is required.
Saturday, Sept. 22
* 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Crooked Stave Artisans Distributing is rolling out some of its rarer beers at a brunch at Crafty Fox, from breweries such as Beachwood, Jack's Abby and Jester King. Oh yeah.
* 4 p.m. Head back to Freshcraft one more time? Why? Because 4 Noses, Green Flash and Alpine will all be featured in this last-day celebration.
* 5-8 p.m. Maybe the idea of Stone Brewing tapping a rare Berliner Weiss or Double IPA doesn't turn you on, though it should. But how about being at Star Bar while the Stone Dodgeball Tournament is going on at the same time?
* 9 p.m. Ratio Beerworks is tapping some great beers during GABF, from its Elderflower Carrot Saison to its Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Genius Wizard Imperial Stout. But you can head to its post-GABF karaoke party tonight to both enjoy them and sing the remaining bit of your voice out.
* 9:30 p.m. After a week of drinking, about the only thing that revives my taste buds is a sour beer. Tonight, Falling Rock breaks out a whole host of them. You're welcome.
Colorado Brewers Guild Operations Manager Steve Kurowski put it best when he said Friday at the Denver Beer Fest kickoff that no city welcomes the beer world like Denver will do in the next week - and that virtually every brewery and bar in the area is stepping up their game for the occasion.
"What's happening here this week will make our beer scene even better," Kurowski said before raising a pint with Mayor Michael Hancock and other industry supporters. "We have breweries all over the city putting events with the best beers they ever brew … From a beer lover's standpoint, this is nirvana."
As such, this blog once again presents a high-level guide to the highlights of the week, for people who are looking to plan their schedule carefully with the knowledge that there are only 24 hours in a day to drink beer and that, at some point, you might have to sleep. For a more thorough calendar, I recommend Westword's edition; a warning comes, however, that you may cry when you see just how many events on it you won't be able to hit.
Saturday, Sept. 15
* 11 a.m.-5 p.m.: GABF Bike Loop & Kickoff Party, BarFly at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake. Hop on your trusted steed for an 11-mile guided loop between the westside beer-centric movie theater and WestFax, Joyride, Hogshead, Oasis, Strange and Seedstock. For $30, you get an 8-ounce taster at each brewery and a post-party at BarFly.* 11 a.m. New Image Brewing and Outer Range Brewing tap Something Dumb with a Wolf - a double IPA hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Columbus - at the New Image taproom in Arvada. There's no possibly way this won't be great.
* 2-6 p.m. Diebolt Brewing hosts a barrel-aged bier garden for its fifth anniversary, featuring BA efforts from the past half-decade, including vertical tastings of Commodore/Vladislav and Biere de Triomphe.
Sunday, Sept. 16
* The Westin Denver International Airport hosts Beer Flights throughout the day from Sept. 14-22, offering 20 beers from 10 different breweries to anyone flying in or out of DIA - or who just feels like driving out and enjoying suds with a grand view.
* Strange Craft Beer taps its Barrel-Aged Dr. Strangelove Barleywine, a beer that's taken home some GABF bling in the past. It's just the start of a week of great tappings at this Denver standout.
Monday, Sept. 17
* 5 p.m.: The Falling Rock Tap House kick-off party every year is a little like the Iowa presidential caucuses every four years. It's traditional. It sounds the trumpet for a crazy week to follow. And, frankly, you just never know what you'll find here - though you know it will be damn good.
* 6-11:30 p.m.: TRVE launches High Plains Distribution, its expanded company focused on bringing craft beer into cities for limited runs like the GABF, at Freshcraft and celebrates with its clients, such as Great Notion, J. Wakefield and Scratch Brewing.
Tuesday, Sept. 18
* Strange Craft Beer re-releases maybe the finest beer it's ever made, its Zora Pale Ale, which is made with rosemary and tastes like nothing else that has hit the market in Denver. It used to be a regular tap but now makes just an annual appearance.
* 4-11 p.m. Ursula Brewing's Imperial Crustless is the best high-alcohol peanut butter and jelly beer you'll ever taste. Crafty Fox Taphouse & Pizzeria agrees, and it will host a rare tapping of this beauty.
* 6-9 p.m.: Jameson Caskmates is a partnership between the Irish whiskey maker and Great Divide Brewing in which the whiskey is aged inside an IPA barrel - and a stout barrel - to take on whole new characteristics. Try it at Freshcraft tonight, as well as great beers from the likes of Great Divide, Green Flash and Captain Lawrence.
Wednesday, Sept. 19* 11 a.m.-9 p.m.: Cedar Creek Pub in Aurora will host a Best of Ohio party featuring beers from renowned brewers like MadTree, Jackie O's and Rhinegeist that don't typically sell in this state. It's a great chance to imbibe in a way that only GABF week will allow you to do.
* 3 p.m. River North Brewery taps a quadruple-dry-hopped version of its Mountain Haze hazy IPA, which is already one of the best beers of its style made in Colorado. Quadruple. Dry. Hopped.
* 4 p.m. Tap Fourteen hosts a Fort Collins tap takeover at its rooftop bar. You might think "Can't I get that stuff anyway around here?" The answer is: Stop by and you'll realize how much more there is to the beer mecca to our north other than just New Belgium and Odell.
* 4-7 p.m.: If you love experimental beers, few events should interest you as much as the tap takeover at Crafty Fox by Paradox Beer of Woodland Park and Rowley Farmhouse Ales of Santa Fe.
* 9:30 p.m.: Last year's IPA Throwdown at Falling Rock simultaneously rewarded and destroyed all its visitors' taste buds at once. This year's, hosted by Melvin Brewing, should be the sequel of the week.
Thursday, Sept. 20
* 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Bruz Beers is doing an educational and just plain tasty "Old World Vs. New World" experiment with Merchant du Vin in which it pairs five classic Belgian beers, some rare, beside five of its own Belgian-style creations. At $30, this may be one of the best pre-lunch investments of the week.
* Noon to 10 a.m. Call to Arms Brewing's quirkily named Catalina Wine Mixer is a celebration of its wide range of wine-barrel-aged beers, shown off once a year to keep you sailing through the day.
* 5 p.m.-Midnight: RiNo Beer Garden hosts "Chicago Meets Denver," offering a chance to try beers from Windy City artists like Half Acre, Revolution and Three Floyds. There will be both award-winning and rare offerings here.
* 7 p.m.-Midnight: Epic Brewing once again brings out the big and often unusual guns at its 50 Firkin Fiasco, which features beers aged gently with everything from spices to fruit to children's cereal. This is always a chance to ensure your taste buds come back to life after the Thursday night GABF session.
Friday, Sept. 21
* 11 a.m.: Woods Boss may just have celebrated its first anniversary, but it's legitimately killing it with its wide selection of beers. Come see just how much it can do with Form & Function, a rum-barrel-aged Belgian quad aged on cacao nibs and dried cherries.
* 11:30 a.m. Hops and Pie never fails to offer up some great beers during GABF. Today it is pouring rarities from California breweries, including Cellarmaker, Rare Barrel and Sante Adairius Rustic Ales.
* 3-9 p.m. Cerveceria Colorado will change your mind about what you think Mexican beer is. And now the Denver Beer Co.-operated brewery also is offering collaborations between American and Mexican breweries at its Great Mexican Beer Fiesta - along with a lucha libre match.
* 6-11 p.m. Black Shirt Brewing is trying its hand at a new event this year - CITRAfest, in which 10 breweries make everything from IPAs to kolsches to table sours with the fruit-forward hop. No ticket is required.
Saturday, Sept. 22
* 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Crooked Stave Artisans Distributing is rolling out some of its rarer beers at a brunch at Crafty Fox, from breweries such as Beachwood, Jack's Abby and Jester King. Oh yeah.
* 4 p.m. Head back to Freshcraft one more time? Why? Because 4 Noses, Green Flash and Alpine will all be featured in this last-day celebration.
* 5-8 p.m. Maybe the idea of Stone Brewing tapping a rare Berliner Weiss or Double IPA doesn't turn you on, though it should. But how about being at Star Bar while the Stone Dodgeball Tournament is going on at the same time?
* 9 p.m. Ratio Beerworks is tapping some great beers during GABF, from its Elderflower Carrot Saison to its Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Genius Wizard Imperial Stout. But you can head to its post-GABF karaoke party tonight to both enjoy them and sing the remaining bit of your voice out.
* 9:30 p.m. After a week of drinking, about the only thing that revives my taste buds is a sour beer. Tonight, Falling Rock breaks out a whole host of them. You're welcome.
Labels: Denver Beer Fest, Falling Rock Taphouse, Freshcraft, Great American Beer Festival, Green Flash Brewing, Strange Craft Beer
