The 7th Annual Colorado State Fair Foam Fest wrapped up Saturday, August 28, celebrating the ingenuity and creativity of craft brewers and home brewers. The competition attracted over 400 entries. The winners: Light Lager 1st-BierWerks:BW-Helles 2nd-Del Norte:Cinco 3rd-Del Norte:Orale Pilsner 1-AC Golden: German Pilsner 2-Rockyard Dutch 3-Carver La Plata Pils European Amber Lager 1-Del Norte :Manana 2-Pagosa Brewing: FallFest Bier Dark Lager 1-Bierwerks:BW-Dunkel 2-SKA Brewing Co: Clancy's Black 3-AC Golden Schwarzbier Bock 1 -Bells:Consecrator 2-Shamrock Brewing Co:Instigator 3-Dry Dock: Immolater Doppelbock (Honorable Mention Rock Bottom-S.Denver: Black Bull Bock) Light Hybrid Beer 1-Amicas:Bomber Blonde Ale 2-Golden City:Clear Creek Gold 3-Bells:Bell's Oberon Amber Hybrid Beer 1-Odell:90 Shilling 2-Grimm Brothers:Little Red Cap 3-Dry Dock: Bismarck Alt English Pale Ale 1-SKA Brewing Co:Pinstripe Red Ale 2-Rock Bottom Col Spgs:Armed Forces Ale 3-Silverton Ice Pick Ave Scottish & Irish Ale 1-Dry Dock:Three Heavy wee Scottish Heavy 2-Rock Bottom Colo Springs:Class V Amber 3-BierWerks:BW - Wee Heavy Strong Scotch (Hon Mention Main Street Mesa Cerveza SlowPitch) American Ale 1-Durango Brewing:Durango Pale Ale 2 -Elk Mountain: Toast Town Brown 3-Rock Bottom -S.Denver: Old Elk Brown English Brown Ale 1-Bull And Bush: Big Ben Brown Ale (Best of Show), 2-Main Street: Mesa Cerveza Brown Ale 3-San Pedro James Brown Ale Porter 1-Twisted Pine:Northstar Imperial Porter 2-Equinox: Randy Brown Porter 3-Bells:Bell's Porter Stout 1-Golden City:Lookout Stout 2-Golden City:Imperial Stout 3-Pagosa:Soaker's Stout
(Honorable Mention Bells Kalamazoo Stout) IPA 1-Bull And Bush:Man Beer 2-Golden City:Evolution IPA 3-Odell:Odell IPA German Wheat & Rye 1-Rockyard: Wildcat White 2 -Golden City: Roggenbier 3-BierWerks: BW-Weiss Belgian & French Ale 1-Shamrock:Belgian White 2-Strange: Le Bruit de Diable 3-Twisted Pine: Le Petit Saison Sour Ale 1-Three Barrel Brewing: Penitente 2-AC Golden: Wild #1 3-Rocky Mountain:Grand Cru Begian Strong Ale 1-Rock Bottom Col Sp: Abbey Triple 2-Rockyard: No Brainer 3-Dry Dock: Dead Reckoning Dubbel Strong Ale 1-Rockyard: Old Gaffer 2-Dry Dock: HMS Bounty Old Ale 3-Bells:Third Coast Old Ale Fruit Beer 1-Pagosa: Wolf Creek Wheat Peach 2-Rocky Mountain: DA'Yoopers 3-Strange: Cherry Kriek Spice/Herb/Veg 1-Amicas: Amicas Summer Ale 2-Dry Dock: Urca Vanilla Porter Smoke/Wood Aged Beer 1- Bull And Bush:Tank Town Brown (John Hanley Memorial Award) 2-Bull And Bush:Royal Oil 3- Amicas: Smoked & Oaked Hon Mention-Dry Dock: Bligh's Old Ale Specialty Beer 1-Golden City: Javapeno Imperial Stout 2-Three Rivers:Double-Barrel Amber Ale 3-San Luis:Valle Especial (Hon Men-Pagosa:Coconut Porter) Other Mead 1-Pagosa:Honeymoon
BierWerks in Woodland Park is Open!
08.24.10
Ever hear the saying that "Good things come to those who wait?" Well, in this case the good things are glasses of beer, or should we say bier? Yes, BierWerks has finally been allowed to open their doors, and we are so happy for them. Mostly, because, when headed up the pass, we have some place to stop for a beer! And, we suggest you do the same. They have 5 beers on tap right now, 3 more by mid - Sept. All that and food too, deli - platter style.
Their hours of operation are:
M-Th, 11:00am - 10:00pm | F - S, 11:00am - 12:00am | Sun, 12:00pm - 10:00pm
Rockyard Brewing Company in Castle Rock is bottling their beer. The Double Eagle Ale, Redhawk Ale, Hopyard IPA, Oatmeal Stout, are bottled in a 12 oz. size and sold in 6 packs, according to brewmaster Jim Stinson. Look for them in a liquor store near you. Also, Jim says that in honor of the upcoming date of 10/10/10, he will do something special, maybe a belgian tripel coming in at 10%? Stay tuned to their website for details.
Cheyenne Canyon Ale Release at Bristol Brewing
08.17.10
It's time for this year's rendition of the ultra popular Cheyenne Canon Ale! Tuesday, 8/17/2010 from 5pm - 9pm. Bristol's brewers roast loads of pinon nuts to create this smooth brown ale. All of the proceeds from this beer benefit the Friends of Cheyenne Canon, so drink up for a great cause! Click here for more details.
Holy Cow! GABF for 2010 is SOLD OUT!
08.13.10
This just in from the Brewers Association:
"Sent: Friday, August 13, 2010 3:01 PM
Subject: GABF is Sold Out!
The 2010 Great American Beer Festival is 100% Sold Out!
Breaking all its previous ticket sales records, the 2010 GABF has sold out five weeks in advance.
What makes the GABF such a phenomenon? Visit CraftBeer.com for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes feature on what makes the GABF great.
Barbara Fusco, Sales & Marketing Director
Brewers Association
www.craftbeer.com"
Did you get your ticket? If not, you can get a taste of what could have been by viewing a movie of what just was. Jay Brookston directs us to a great little news video about the recent Great British Beer Festival - sort of a smaller UK version of GABF, but in Jolly Old England instead of The Mile High City. According to one soundbite by a Brit beer scribe, American beers are a "very well kept secret" on the other side of the pond. Blimey, who'd've thunk it?
You can find this great movie about the GBBF, courtesy of MarketWatch, here. Thanks, Jay, for leading us to it.
Now, who has any extra tickets?
Space Foundation Recognizes BDG2C
08.12.10
Space Foundation recognizes The Beer Drinker's Guide To Colorado as a Certified Space Imagination Product. We're stoked, and you can check it out here.
Ouray Brewery is Open!
08.11.10
Count yet another Colorado brewery to open for business this summer. Ouray Brewery opened on August 9, with limited hours for now, and a partial menu. They are open 7 nights a week right now, from 5pm - 9pm, and are serving a partial menu. They will soon go to their regular hours, 11am - 9pm, with a full menu. They are pouring their IPA and Kolsch, with a Brown and a Rye Ale in the fermenter. There are 3 guest taps right now also, being supplied by Great Divide and Ska Brewing Co.
According to the restaurant manager, Kip Jenkins, they have had a great response so far. "News of our opening has just traveled by word of mouth, but every night we seem to fill up. People feel like it's good to have another brewery in town."
And we might say, it's good to have another brewery in Colorado. Good luck, Ouray Brewery! For more info, call (970) 325-7388, or check out their website.
Grimm Brothers in Loveland Opens Their Doors
08.06.10
Don Chapman and Aaron Heaton opened Grimm Brothers Brewhouse July 26 to a huge crowd and overwhelming local support. Over 1000 people came through their doors that day. Said Heaton "It was amazing. We've gone through so much beer, ran out of growlers (which are now back in stock). It's been great."
Their hours are currently 12pm-7pm Tues - Fri, Sat 11am-7pm, Sunday 1pm-5pm, and closed on Monday. Current beers on tap are: Snowdrop- a Kottbusser style ale, Little Red Cap- an altbier, and Fearless Youth-a dunkel. A seasonal which may become permanent is their Master Thief, a German-style Porter, that comes in at 6.7% abv.
We at The Beer Drinker's Guide have tracked these guys and their progress over the past year. It's great to see these small start-ups get open and be supported by their communities. Click here for their website.
Also, stay tuned for Ouray Brewery, ready to open any day, and Bierwerks, soon to open their doors as well. Crazy Mountain and Funkwerks will be a little later. As always, we'll keep you posted.
Colorado State Fair seeks homebrew entries
08.04.10
The Colorado State Fair is coming up fast, and its "last call" for home brewers looking to participate in this year's competition.
The fair's General Entry office is seeking amateur and professional brewers to compete in the events at the fair, which runs from Aug. 27 through Sept. 6 at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo.
The homebrew competition is sanctioned by the American Homebrewers Association, and features professional judges in 28 categories. Medals will be awarded for the top three places in each category, along with Best of Show and other special prizes. Winners will be honored at the Foam Fest craft beer festival on Aug. 28, which features dozens of beers from the Centennial State's finest craft breweries.
Submissions must be made by Aug. 14, and can be mailed to the Colorado State Fairgrounds, or dropped off at designated sites in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins or Denver.
For more details, call 719-248-4468, or visit the website
Twisted Pine AleHouse to Serve Food Soon
08.04.10
Twisted Pine Ale House will begin serving food alongside their brews in mid-August. Nearly every product on the menu is locally sourced and all natural, served in compostable, environmentally friendly dishes. Look for the menu soon on their website.
Bristol Brewing's Camden, the Original Laughing Lab, 1994-2010
08.03.10
Camden, the original Laughing Lab owned by Mike and Amanda Bristol of Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs, passed away in her sleep last Wednesday. Bristol Brewing is having a wake for her this evening, starting at 5pm. $2.00 from every pint of Laughing Lab sold today goes to Safe Harbor Lab Rescue. To find out more, click here.
Expensive Beer in a Squirrel & Odell's 10,000th Batch!
07.23.10
From the UK's "Daily Record", the world's costliest beer served in a stuffed squirrel. Have your doubts? Check out the story here.
Also, Beer Advocate reports on Odell's 10,000th batch of beer. Here's to you, Doug!
Colorado Mountain Brewery plans
07.19.10
Yet another Colorado brewery opens for business. On Tuesday, July 20, Colorado Mountain Brewery in Colorado Springs, will open their doors. This first week they will be open for dinner only, from 5pm-10pm. This is a "soft" opening for the brewery, some people may not get in. They plan to have at least 3 beers on tap. The following week, starting on the 26th of July, they will operate on a full schedule, with their Grand Opening on Friday, July 30. Their new website should be up by then, so check it for more details.
Ouray Brewery Opening August 1st!
07.07.10
Ouray Brewery in Ouray, CO, is planning to open for business August 1, 2010. According to owner Erin Eddy, they will have a soft opening August 1, with a full menu available and at least 3 beers on tap. Brew Master Jeff Lockard (Previously of McClellans in Canon City) is busy brewing, putting the finishing touches on the brewery itself. Ouray Brewery will have 3 levels for dining, including a rooftop patio with fantastic views of the surrounding area. The hours will start from 4pm-9pm daily, expanding eventually to 11am-9pm. For more info, directions, etc. click here.
Elk Mountain Brewing Opens Their Doors!
07.02.10
Thursday, July 1st, Elk Mountain Brewing in Parker, CO, opened for business. Despite setbacks in their original schedule, Marcia and Tom Bell are happy, and relieved. The opening was "Great", said Tom. "The beer was well received."
Stop by this weekend, sample some suds, and meet Marcia and Tom, owners of the newest brewery in Colorado. They will open at noon everyday this 4th of July weekend, through Monday. For more info, and directions on how to find Elk Mountain Brewing, check out their website
BierWerks in Woodland Park Poised To Open Soon
07.01.10
The Equipment is installed, the beer is brewing, and co-owner/brewers Jeff Aragon and Brian Horton are itching to open their doors. Though not new to the process of opening a brewery,( Jeff and Brian were owner/brewers of Trinidad Brewing), their new venture has had its challenges. (Something about Teller County building codes). But regardless, they are getting through it and hope to be open by the end of July. As always, we will keep you posted. Click here for their new website.
Celebrate Liquid Brain Day at Bull & Bush
06.09.10
Bull & Bush Pub and Brewery won a gold medal in April at the World Beer Cup for their beer, "The Legend of the Liquid Brain". On Wednesday, June 9th, you can sample 5 different versions of this winning brew at the Bull & Bush Pub and Brewery from 6pm-8pm. The versions range from a 2003 vintage aged 2-4 years in a Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel, to a 2009 vintage not aged at all. For more information, check out their website.
Bristol Brewing releases Summer Pilsner and winner of naming contest!
06.03.10
Be at Bristol Brewing Thursday, June 3rd for the release of their summer pilsner. They will be revealing the winner of the contest to guess the name of the new pilsner. The new logo for the pils will be unveiled, and a drawing for the winner of the naming contest, who will receive a two-night stay at the St. Julien Hotel & Spa in Boulder! Click here for more information.
Crested Butte Brewing and Strange Brewing plan Openings
04.21.10
Crested Butte Brewing Company is getting ready to open its doors, hopefully by mid-May. Owner Robin Loyed says that they are very close. Three beers are finished, they are working on their fourth, and they just need a few more weeks to pull it all together. "We have had a tremendous amount of interest. We are very anxious to get the doors open." A beer tasting will be held May 7th at Maxwell's Restaurant in Crested Butte from 1-4pm. As soon as the Grand Opening date is set, we will let you know. Check out their website for updates.
Strange Brewing Company has planned its Grand Opening for May 17th, the first day of American Craft Beer Week. Their hours of operation this week will be 4-8pm, Monday - Saturday. They are located at 1330 Zuni St. in Denver. Stop in and check them out. Owners Tim Meyers and John Fletcher are excited to get things rolling. (720) 985-2337. They plan to release a different beer every day that week.Click here for their website.
New Breweries To Watch For
04.06.10
Ah, Springtime in the Rockies. It's finally here. Time to crawl out from under your rock, stretch those limbs, and get ready to head to one of the new breweries that are getting ready to open.
Equinox Brewing up in Fort Collins has scheduled their opening date for April 30th. Owned by Shannon and Colin Westcott, it adjoins their homebrew supply store Hops and Berries. Brewmaster Colin plans to have many lovely ales lined up for their opening. Their "back to basics" philosophy will feature several "real ales", handdrawn from casks using no CO2. Lots of information about their beers will be available, including recipes broken down to a 5 gallon batch size. Click here for more info.
Norwood Brewery at Two Candles in Norwood opened last Friday, April 2nd. Not really planning to open that day, Brewmaster Brian Hoefling said that they received some paperwork that they needed, had a beer ready to go, and opened "because they could". Right now he has his American Pale Ale on tap as well as a few guest taps, including beer from Colorado Boy Pub and Brewery. Currently open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, call (970) 327-0100 for more information.
Bierwerks, the new brewery soon to open in Woodland Park, is shooting for opening on Memorial Day weekend. This new venture is the brainchild of Jeff Aragon and Brian Horton, previous brewer/owners of Trinidad Brewing. They received their federal permit last week, and if all things fall into place, Jeff thinks they can pull it off for that last weekend in May. Check out their website to keep updated.
Other breweries on the horizon include Crested Butte Brewery in Gunnison, Elk Mountain Brewing in Parker, Colorado Mountain Brewery in Colorado Springs, Ouray Brewing in Ouray, and Crazy Mountain Brewing in Avon. As always, we will keep you posted.
Coupon List Continues to Grow for Beer Map
03.25.10
The coupon partner list for the Beer Drinker's Guide to Colorado Beer Map continues to expand. Eddyline Restaurant & Brewery, Elk Mountain Brewing, Pagosa Pub Works Brewing, and Three Barrel Brewing have partnered with the Beer Drinker's Guide to Colorado to offer beer and other goods to the masses. Pagosa and Elk Mountain are giving away a free beer with every coupon, and Eddyline and Three Barrel a free souvenir pint glass with the purchase of a beer.
This recent addition brings the coupon total to 24. That is, 24 coupons for free beer, food, glassware, and discounts on merchandise & homebrew supplies included with every map! A $150 value, conservatively speaking!
Challenging What Beer Is and Can Be at Twisted Pine Brewing
03.24.10
Boulder, Colorado - March 24th 2010 - Experimentation is running rampant in the craft beer industry these days. Cherry Chocolate Chili Stout, Yerba Mate Pale Ale and Pumpkin Brown Ale are just some of the latest beers now available to the everyday consumer. The craft beer industry is constantly exploring new frontiers to come up with the next biggest thing in beer. Twisted Pine continues to embrace experimentation and takes it up a notch.
Past releases have included "Poison Fish" a beer laced with ginger, wasabi, horseradish and mustard, "Port Wine Porter" an ale infused with port wine soaked oak chips and of course, there's the ever so popular "Billy's Chilies," a beer that packs the heat of 5 fresh chili peppers. "The freedom to brew whatever comes to mind is one of the privileges of working at Twisted Pine," says brewer Jeff Brumley. "If you can dream it, you can brew it."
In the works at Twisted Pine is a beer made with Ghost Chilies, also known as the hottest chilies on Earth. "The trick to these creative brews is keeping them balanced," says owner Bob Baile. "You don't want one flavor to completely overwhelm another."
"It is the unique interesting beers that really keep people coming back to our brewery, especially when there are as many great breweries as there are in Boulder," says marketing director Mike Burns. "I became familiar with the beers of Boulder a long time ago, but I always keep a look out for new releases." Upcoming releases at Twisted Pine include: Imperial Red Ale, Vanilla Espresso Stout, Sour Raspberry Brown Ale and a Vanilla Oaked Stout. At least one new beer has been tapped at Twisted Pine every week since last December.
Phantom Canyon Brewmaster Alan Stiles Intros Phantom Canyon's New "Revival Series"
03.09.10
Debuting Wednesday, March 3rd is the first in a series of beers based on recipes culled from the brewing logs of British breweries, both operating and defunct, as well as modern interpretations of ancient, rare and vanishing beers from Europe. We'll be brewing one a month until we run out of recipes.
Brewer's Association Announces 2009 Craft Brewer Sales Numbers
03.08.10
The Brewer's Association today released 2009 stats on the U.S. Craft Brewing Industry. In 2009, U.S. beer sales overall were down approximately 5 million barrels or 2.2%. Imported beer sales were down 9.8% in 2009. However, the craft brewing industry saw their sales increase by 10.3% over 2008 sales.
The total number of craft brewers in the U.S. also grew, from 1485 in 2008 to 1585 that were operating for some or all of 2009. That was good news for those of us who like to drink craft beer, with an increase of 613,922 barrels.
What an exciting time to be involved in the craft brewing movement. At a time when our country is struggling to emerge from the "Great Recession", and dollars are tight for many, people still want to support small, local breweries, and sip their fine hand-crafted brew.
Wynkoop's Beer Drinker of the Year
03.03.10
At Denver’s Wynkoop Brewing Company, William (Bill) Howell, a Sterling, Alaska college administrator, retired Navy officer, homebrewer, and beer educator was crowned Beer Drinker of the Year. In 2007 he created a new course for Kenai Peninsula College entitled The Art and History of Brewing, and has traveled extensively across Alaska and the West in pursuit of great beer. He also serves as an ally for various beer retailers and journalists, and blogs about his state’s rich beer culture.
One of three national finalists at Wynkoop competing for the 2010 title, Howell withstood 2 hours of difficult beer-related questions from a panel of national beer experts to win the 14th annual title.
He wins free beer for life at Wynkoop, a $250 bar tab at his favorite brewpub (Elias Brewing Company in Soldotna, AK), unmatched beer-lover glory and other prizes for winning the title. Go here for more info.
San Luis Valley Anniversary
03.03.10
San Luis Valley Brewing Company in Alamosa turns four years old on Wednesday, March 3. Scott and Angie will also be introducing a new brew called Valle Caliente, a green chili ale. Starting Saturday, and running all week, you can get a pint of this new brew, or any of the others on tap, for $2.50 a pint. Check out their website for live music and other happenings or call 719-587-BEER.
1 Down, 2 To Go - HB-1186 Defeated
02.24.10
House Bill 1186, sponsored by Republican State Representative Larry Liston of Colorado Springs, was defeated soundly by a 3-8 vote in the Colorado House Finance Committee today. Rep. Liston, disappointed with the outcome, commented that liquor stores, "will never compromise because they have a monopoly and they will keep it until hell freezes over". Additionally, Liston remarked that "the legislature kicked the can down the road again," no doubt referring to the conundrum that is 3.2 beer.
Eric Wallace of Lefthand Brewing was encouraged, but not ecstatic. Wallace's tempered response recognizes that two additional moves to alter liquor laws in Colorado, HB-1279 (the grocery-store bill) and another initiative, still exist on the horizon.
The Beer Drinker's Guide to Colorado will have a story elaborating upon the downfall of HB-1186 and the other proposed measures in the coming days. Stay tuned!
Proposed Legislation to Alter
Craft Beer Landscape
02.22.10
Be an advocate for Colorado Craft Beer. The Brewers Guild is urging all Colorado Craft Beer lovers to call and email their legislators now through February 24. On that day, the Colorado Legislature House Finance Committee will hear HB 1186 which would allow convenience stores to sell full strength beer. This bill would dramatically change the Colorado beer landscape by allowing corporate store beer buyers to control the majority of shelf space decisions within these outlets. Go to www.coloradobeer.org and let your voice be heard.
New Brewery Alert!
Rifle Brewing Co. & Bierworks
02.22.10
Rifle Brewing Company, located in the restaurant Sammy's On Park Avenue started brewing beer, and had their Grand Opening in January, 2010. They are listed on The Beer Drinker's Guide To Colorado, so check there for hours of operation, etc. or go to riflebrew.com. Brewmaster Todd Malloy has lots of plans to bring more great brews to the Western Slope.
Bierwerks plans to open late Spring, early Summer in Woodland Park. Jeff Aragon and Brian Horton, previously of Trinidad Brewing Company, are teaming up again to bring some fine beers up high to Woodland Park. “We really want this to have a community feel for the people of Woodland Park, as well as a great place to stop when you're headed up or down the pass” Jeff said. They plan to serve a wide range of beers, mostly German style, with plans to bottle eventually.
As the Brewers Turn
02.22.10
There is a shift that has occurred with several brewers on the Southern Front Range, and it has nothing to do with tectonic plates. Andy Bradley has left Phantom Canyon Brewing Company to head the new Colorado Mountain Brewery on the NorthEast side of Colorado Springs. Alan Stiles moved north from Shamrock Brewing Company to fill Andy's place at Phantom Canyon. And Shamrock now has Jason Beuhler as Head Brewer, previously the assistant brewer at Rockyard Brewing Company in Castle Rock. Several other shifts are happening as well. As always, we will keep you posted.
Rockyard Soon to Bottle
02.22.10
Rockyard Brewing Company in Castle Rock is opening up a bottling facility in an existing warehouse near the brewpub. They will soon be able to bottle all their main line beers in 12 oz. bottles to sell in 6 packs. They will still bottle their specialty and seasonal beers in 22 oz. bombers. Congratulations Rockyard. We will be looking for it in our favorite liquor stores soon.
