Every year after the departure of Halloween is right around the time that I begin my own transition from IPAs, Saisons, and Pilsners toward the darker, heartier stouts, holiday beers, and the occasional porter.  Wynkoop Brewing looks to help usher in that same transition this weekend with their Parade of Darks beer holiday fundraiser.

The event, which runs from 1-4pm on Saturday, December 1, will feature approximately 70 dark colored beers from the likes of Avery, AC Golden, Boulevard, Firestone Walker, Copper Kettle, Great Divide, Mountain Sun, Odell, Pug Ryan, Twisted Pine, Wynkoop, Strange and more.  Event goers will be treated to various cheeses and chocolate pairings and also have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction.  Tickets are $35 in advance and $42 on the day of the event.  All proceeds from the event goes toward Metro CareRing a downtown Denver food pantry which is once again in major demand of assistance for the holiday season.

This is an excellent opportunity to discover a variety of holiday seasonals, barley wines, sours and Belgians to porters, stouts and more in preparation for colder weather.  If you do attend, be sure to say hello to the PorchDrinking crew!

*Updated to include official list of beers that will be present at the Parade of Darks!

2012 Parade of Darks Breweries and Beers

• Arvada Beer Co – Jolly Holiday Ale, Foreign to Me Stout
• Avery Brewing – The Czar, Old Jubilation, Out of Bounds Stout
• AC Golden – Blueberry Sour, Plum Sour,
• Bootstrap Brewing- Worthog Stout, Boomer Brown
• Boulevard Brewing – Bully! Porter, Dark Truth Stout
• Breckenridge Brewery – Oatmeal Stout, Vanilla Porter, Extra ESB, Christmas Ale
• Bull & Bush – Big Ben Brown Ale, Stonehenge Stout, Punk Up The Yams, The Legend Of The Liquid Brain, Captain Funk, Captain Midnight
• Caution Brewing – Toaster Bat Black Smoked Porter, Dunkel(er)weiss.
• Copper Kettle – Mexican Chocolate Stout, Pumpkin Porter
• Denver Beer Co- Graham Cracker Porter, Chill Out Chocolate Chili Stout
• Elevation Brewing – Apis, Lil Mo Porter
• Drydock Brewing – Wee Heavy Strong Scotch Ale, Raspberry Porter
• Firestone Walker – Velvet Merlin Oatmeal Stout, Walker’s Reserve Porter, DBA
• Fort Collins Brewery – Double Chocolate Stout
• Great Divide – Yeti Imperial Stout, Espresso Oak Aged Yeti, Claymore Scotch Ale, Hibernation
• Green Flash – Double Stout
• Grimm Brothers Brewhouse – Master Thief German Porter, Fearless Youth Dunkel Lager, Wee Heavy Barrel-Aged Scottish Strong Ale
• Jolly Pumpkin – Bam Noir
• Left Hand – Fade to Black, Milk Stout Nitro
• Lone Tree Brewing – Acres O Green Irish Red, Toots’s Full-Bodied Oatmeal Stout, Chili Beer Collaboration #2, Old # 99 Rauchbier
• Lost Abbey – Lost & Found
• Maui Brewing – Coconut Porter
• Mountain Sun Brewery & Pub — Megatron Imperial Stout, Oatimus Prime Imperial Stout
• Odell Brewing – Mountain Standard, Isolation Ale
• Ommegang – Three Philosophers
• Port Brewing – Old Viscosity
• Prost Brewing – Doppelbock, Dunkel
• Pug Ryan’s- Brain-teaser Barlywine, Barell-Aged Leap Year Trifecta
• Sierra Nevada – Narwhal Imperial Stout,Wine Barrel Aged Dubbel
• Ska – Steel Toe Stout, Nefarious, On The Sly Again
• Strange Brewing – Pumpkin Porter, Cherry Bomb Stout, Gingerbread Man, Vanilla Rum Porter
• Twisted Pine – Espresso Stout, Honey Brown
• Upslope Brewing- Christmas Ale, Brown Ale
• Wynkoop Brewing – Gingerbread Stout, 2012 Barleywine, Cowtown Milk Stout, B3K Black Lager, Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout, Colorojo