PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | December 18, 2018

Jeremiah Cornelius
On December 18, 2018

The Denver Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings, etc.

Wednesday, December 19

12 Firkins of Christmas @ Copper Kettle Brewing Company (Denver) – 1338 S Valentia St, Ste 100, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Thursday December 19 – Monday December 24, from 12pm-10pm

Details: CALLING ALL OUR PARTY PEOPLE!

You already know what it is…the 12 Firkins Of Christmas Challenge is BACK! Come to the taproom all 12 days to drink the daily brew (outlined below) and get a stamp for each! If you drink all of them by the 24th, you will receive a special prize!(details to come)

Grab your friends and lets spread some holiday cheer together.

FIRKIN LIST:
12/18 – Papá Noel – Gingerbread Mexican Stout
12/19 – Cookies 4 Santa – Milk Stout with actual cookies
12/20 – Leche de Santa – Milk Stout with Coffee
12/21 – Flamingo-ho-ho-ho – Pina Colada Milkshake IPA
12/22 – Not Yer Grandma’s Fruitcake – Malty/Fruity Strong Ale with toffee
12/23 – 3 Shots in the Dark – Espresso Snowed In on Nitro
12/24 – NO NAME JUST ALL THE SOURS (Rasp, Cherry, Blk Cherry, Lemon/Lime, Orange Cran) (Festivals and Special Events)

10 Beers of Christmas Tap Takeover @ Cedar Creek Pub (Aurora) – 2100 N Ursula St, Aurora, CO

Date/ Time: Wednesday, December 19- Friday, December 21 from 11am-8pm

Details: Come join us for our 7th annual 10 beers of Christmas Tap Takeover

Here is this years list…….MORE COMING SOON
1.Lone Tree Brewing Company Horchata Stout
2.Upslope Brewing Company Spruce IPA
3.Propolis Spruce ~Golden Saison brewed with spruce & spelt
4.Horse & Dragon Brewing Company Vanilla Caramel Double Cream
5.Bell’s Brewery Christmas Ale
6.Oskar Blues Brewery Santa’s Beer Breath Imperial Stout
7.Victory Brewing Company Winter Cheers (Tap Takeover)

8 Crazy Nights @ Launch Pad Brewery (Aurora)- 884 S Buckley Rd, Aurora, CO

Date/ Time: Wednesday, December 19 – Sunday December 23 from 3pm-10pm

Details: We are releasing eight specialty brews for eight days in a row. All will be available on tap as well as in bombers. They are extremely limited. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE! Happy Holidays!!(Firkins/Casks/Special Tappings/New Tappings)

Hot Chocolate Milk Stout @ Strange Craft Beer Company- 330 Zuni St, Unit M, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Wednesday, December 19 from 3pm-8pm

Thursday, December 20

1623 Collaboration Beer Tapping @ 2 Penguins Tap and Grill (Centennial) – 13065 E Briarwood Ave, Centennial, CO

Date/ Time: Thursday December 20 from 5pm-7pm

Details: 1623 Brewing Company is excited to announce its first ever Colorado tap takeover at Two Penguins Tap & Grill on Thursday, December 20 from 5 to 7pm. Taste 1623’s first two Colorado collaborations— a Red American Hefeweizen with Goldspot Brewing Company and an English Barleywine brewed with Cerberus Brewing Co.— and meet the brewers! (Firkins/Casks/Special Tappings/New Tappings)

An Imperial Christmas @ Comrade Brewing Company (Denver) – 7667 E Iliff Ave, Ste F, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Thursday December 20 from 4pm-10pm

Details:Ring in the holidays with us at Comrade! There will be Christmas cookies, cheery beertenders and Christmas music. PLUS: Limited Quit Stalin variants.

Quit Stalin variants that will be available:
Marshmallow Vanilla, Maple Coffee, Chocolate Blueberry and more TBD….

Warm up with a nice stout and prepare yourself for the holidays.
You don’t want to miss this! (Firkins/Casks/Special Tappings/New Tappings)

Resilience IPA Charity Release Event @ Burns Family Artisan Ales (Denver) – 2505 West Second Avenue, Unit 13, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Thursday December 20 from 12:30pm-12:30am

Details:Our release of #ResilienceIPA is THURSDAY DECEMBER 20th

******** We have a big night planned, and everyone is invited. We’ll open early and stay open late, with food trucks and DONATED performances from several local musicians! *********

5:30-7:30p: The One And Only Jon Ham
8:00-10:00p: Chuck Jones (Dopapod), Michelangelo Carubba (Turkuaz) & Jordan Linit (Analog Son)
10:30p-12:30a: At The Watertower

— We are donating 100% of #Resilience sales to the Sierra Nevada #CampFire Relief Fund to support those impacted by the Camp Fire which devastated communities in and around #ButteCounty, California. — Let’s sell through all of our batch, so we can get 100% of that money back to the folks who need it!

Food Truck: Morsa’s Kitchen

#buttestrong #independencematters #makingadifference! (Firkins/Casks/Special Tappings/New Tappings)

Friday, December 21

The Darkest Day @ The Tasty Weasel (Longmont) – 1800 Pike Road, Longmont, CO

Date/ Time: Friday, December 21 from 11am– 8pm

Details: We’re celebrating the Winter Solstice with our Darkest Day event – a bone-warming ceremonial shindig of barrel-aged indulgence featuring these FIVE limited release beers:

-Jefe’s Horchata Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, 12.8% ABV
-Santa’s Beer Breath Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout with Cocoa & Peppermint, 12.8% ABV
-Chocolate Hazelnut Praline Ten FIDY Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, 12.8% ABV
-Salted Caramel Ten FIDY Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, 12.8% ABV
-Hot Buttered Rum Ten FIDY Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, 13% ABV

Join us for ritual beer drinking all day long on December 21 at our Boulder, CO & Longmont, CO, taproom. Available in 19.2oz stovepipe cans and on draft. No limits.(Festivals and Special Events)

Fade to Black Winter Solstice @ Left Hand Brewing Company (Longmont) – 1265 Boston Ave, Longmont, CO

Date/ Time: Friday, December 21- Sunday December 23 from 11am-9pm

Details: It’s that time of year when the day seems to fade away. Drifting further into the darkness with each passing day. The shortest day of the year is nearly upon us and we are bringing out the treasure trove from our archives. Fade to Black 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018 will all be tapped on the solstice. Enjoy this limited time vertical flight while the kegs last.(Festivals and Special Events)

Darkest Day of the Year- Special Tappings @ First Draft Tap Room (Denver) – 1309 26th St., Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Friday, December 21 from 11pm– 12am

Details: The darkest day of 2018 calls for dark beer! We’ll be tapping 3 specialty kegs for this year’s Winter Solstice:

– Fremont Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star: Coffee Edition
– Cerebral Brewing & J. Wakefield Brewing Boss Fight
– Lagunitas Brewing Co Willettized Coffee Stout. (Firkins/Casks/Special Tappings/New Tappings)

Port Brewing and Lost Abbey Vertical Tapping @ Backcountry Pizza and Tap House (Boulder) – 2319 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO

Date/ Time: Friday, December 21 from 11am-11pm

Details: It’s the holiday season, it’s cold, and time for BIG dark beers. We are digging into our cellar to offer a MASSIVE vertical of 12 beers! Come on by and get your hands on some beer brewed back as far as 2012! Featuring Port Brewing Santa’s Little Helper, Barrel Aged Santa’s Helper, and the Lost Abbey’s Gift of the Magi. We have been aging these beers to release at just the right time, and well, NOW seems to be the right time. See y’all next Friday! Cheers and DRINK GOOD BEER. (Tap Takeover)

The Sacred Fire- Solstice Party @ Ursula Brewery (Aurora) – 2101 N Ursula St Unit 10, Aurora, CO

Date/ Time: Friday, December 21 from 12pm– 9pm

Details: We are releasing “The Sacred Fire” – our 12% Scottish style Wee Heavy in honor of the Winter Solstice. As most know this is the party and the beer when we do the “hot poker” treatment while standing around fires and celebrating the Winter Solstice.

In Scottish Celtic tradition the year was divided into 2 halves: the dark and the light. The Winter Solstice, also referred to as “Yule”, is the celebration of the return of sunlight. December 21st marks the longest night and the shortest day of the year. To the ancient Celts, fire was sacred and domestic fires were never extinguished… but one time a year when they were re-kindled by The Sacred Fire.

This malt driven spirit spends hours in the kettle, boiling away, creating a rich and pleasurable structure and mouthfeel, and adding toffee and caramel character to the flavor. We ferment slow and cool with a traditional Scottish Ale yeast that brings in beautiful soft fruity esters, and emphasizes the malty fullness.
Every year since the first year we made this delicious concoction, we have set some aside to age in fresh dumped spirit oak barrels. Maybe more than any other beer we put in oak, this beer seems the most appropriate. There is a very old connection between the ancient Celtic Druids and oak. They worshiped it, it was the Tree Of Life, it was the door to wisdom. The full year The Sacred Fire spends in oak transforms it . It is said, a drink can reveal the thin veil between the mystical and the material… making the transcendent palpable… or you’re to drunk to know your hallucinating.

Along with bottle and draft release, we will be sharing the spirit of the season celebrating outside with fire, food, and friendship. We light a ton of candles, and we start a fire for the hot poker experience. The beer will be available all day, but the festivities will start at 5:30. We will be releasing both regular and Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Aged variants on draft and to go. Some vintages on draft in the taproom as well.

$7 for a bowl plate of Scottish beef stew and bangers.

The Sacred Fire:
taster $3 – 12oz draft $7 – 16oz Can 4pk $18

Bourbon Barrel Aged The Sacred Fire:
taster $4 – 12oz draft $8 – 375ml bottle $10

Rye Whisky Barrel Aged The Sacred Fire:
taster $4 – 12oz draft $8 – 375ml bottle $10

Covalent – Double IPA – $16 4-pk of 16oz cans.

Melismatic – Belgian Pale Ale (Dry-Hopped with Hallertau Blanc and bottle conditioned with Brett B) – $6 375ml bottle. (Bottle/Can Release)

Creme de Menthe Soyuz Stout Release @ Launch Pad Brewery (Aurora) – 884 S Buckley Rd, Aurora, CO

Date/ Time: Friday, December 21 from 12pm

Details: We are releasing our Stout of the month-Creme de Menthe Imperial Stout. 100 bottles. First come, first serve. (Firkins/Casks/Special Tappings/New Tappings)

Inherited Oak Series: #1 Balaton Cherry @ 4 Noses Brewing Company (Broomfield) – 8855 W 116th Cir, Broomfield, CO

Date/ Time: Friday, December 21 from 12pm-11pm

Details: We’re excited to finally announce one of our newest lines: The Inherited Oak series!

Inherited Oak is a series of barrel-aged Golden Sours matured for multiple years in neutral Red Wine barrels and refermented on various fruits.

Our first release will feature Balaton cherries, known for their prominent tart cherry pie flavor, complementing pie-spice phenols and pleasant acidity in the base beer. Neutral Red Wine barrels exude subtle vanillin which rounds the mouthfeel.

Inherited Oak: Balaton Cherry will hit our taps starting at Noon on Friday, December 21st! We will have The Little Big Sandwich Truck starting at noon as well! (Firkins/Casks/Special Tappings/New Tappings)

Resilience IPA Tapping @ WestFax Brewing Company (Lakewood) -6733 W Colfax Ave, Lakewood, CO

Date/ Time: Friday, December 21 from 2pm-11pm

Details: We’re proud to support Sierra Nevada‘s efforts of raising support to those impacted by the California Camp Fire. This IPA which we collab-brewed with Woods Boss Brewing will be available in our taproom starting 12/21. All of the sales from this beer will go towards fire relief. (Firkins/Casks/Special Tappings/New Tappings)

Winter Warmer Lager Collaboration @ Goldspot Brewing (Denver) – 4970 Lowell Blvd, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Friday, December 21 from 3pm-10pm

Details: Two great Lowell Blvd breweries came together to make a delicious winter beer! This %9.5 Winter Warmer Lager has notes of dried cherries and plums, chocolate and a dash of cranberry. Come in for a glass or grab some crowlers to go for the holidays! (Firkins/Casks/Special Tappings/New Tappings)

Resilience IPA Tap Release @ Woods Boss Brewing (Denver) – 2210 California St, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Friday, December 21 from 5pm-11pm

Details: Several weeks ago a group of #Colorado breweries got together to brew #ResilienceIPA . We will all donate 100% of Resilience sales to the Sierra Nevada Camp Fire Relief Fund to help Butte County rebuild its community. #ButteStrong #SierraNevada Over 150,000 acres and over 13,500 homes were destroyed in this fire, this is our small part to help. The following Colorado breweries will have Resilience IPA on tap in each of their tap rooms. Lets kick these kegs asap !

We will be tapping Resilience IPA at 5pm with a moment of silence.

Huge shout out to Inland Island Yeast Laboratories and BSG Craftbrewingfor the raw material donations and of course Sierra Nevada for initiating this effort to raise funds to help those in need!

The below breweries will tap Resilience IPA on this day and have agreed to donate 100% of sales to the Camp Fire Fund.
Lariat Lodge Brewing Co.
Launch Pad Brewery
Resolute Brewing Company
Coal Mine Ave Brewing Company

Below are the breweries that we have partnered with on this Resilience IPA donation brew and have either already tapped or will be in the near future! Be sure to check with each brewery independently to confirm tap dates.
Broken Compass Brewing
Goldspot Brewing Company
Bruz Beers
WestFax Brewing Company
Joyride Brewing Company (Firkins/Casks/Special Tappings/New Tappings)

Night of Darks with Bell’s Brewery@ Freshcraft (Denver) – 1530 Blake St, Unit A, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Friday, December 21 from 7pm-12am

Details: The Winter Solstice, the longest day of the year means its also the darkest. That means we celebrate with some of the darkest and most delicious beers that Bell’s Brewery has to offer. On draft we will have:

Trumpeter’s Stout
Arabicadabra
Kalamazoo Stout
Bourbon Barrel Aged Third Coast Ale

The Bell’s crew will be on hand with some cool glassware and other swag too! (Tap Takeover)

Saturday, December 22

Left Brain Release Party @ New Image Brewing Company (Arvada) – 5622 Yukon Street, Arvada, CO

Date/ Time: Saturday, December 22 from 11am– 12am

Details: We’re pretty sure the left side of your brain is for science and math and stuff, so when we got together with our friends at Night Shift Brewing we put our left brains together to come up with this delicious collab – LEFT BRAIN – a sour New England IPA with Huell Melon & Nelson Sauvin hops, and honeydew & apricots added. This juicy brew is hitting the streets on 12/22 at 11am right here in the Olde Town Arvada taproom. It’s super limited, so when it’s gone, it’s gone!.(Firkins/Casks/Special Tappings/New Tappings)

Holiday Beer Fest @ Hops & Pie (Denver) – 3920 Tennyson St, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Saturday, December 22 from 12pm-11pm

Details: It’s the most wonderful time of the year… for drinking holiday themed beers!

Join us at our Holiday Beer Fest to try some of the most festive and unique beers around. Starting at noon sharp we’ll be pouring:

Prairie Artisan Ales Christmas Bomb!
Oakshire Brewing Ill-Tempered Gnome
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales – Dexter Noel De Calabaza
Two Roads Brewing Company Holiday AlE
To Øl Sur Yule
Brasserie Thiriez Bière De Noël
Avery Brewing Company Sandy Claws
Strange Craft Beer Company Gingerbread Man
Delirium Brewery Noel
Shmaltz Brewing Company Hebrew Hanukkah
The Lost Abbey Gnoel de Abbey
Port Brewing Co Santa’s Little Helper
Bell’s Brewery Christmas Ale (Festivals and Special Events)

Outer Range Turns 2 @ Outer Range Brewing Company (Frisco) – 182 Lusher Ct., Unit #2, Frisco, CO

Date/ Time: Saturday, December 22 from 12pm– 11pm

Details: On Sat, 12/22 we are going to throw an epic party to celebrate our 2-Year Birthday starting at 12pm when we open our doors. Here’s what we have planned so far:

Specialty Can/Bottle Release:

Pow Bender: Blueberry Vanilla Milkshake IPA
Citra, Mosaic, Blueberries, and $3,000 worth of vanilla

Cold Places, Warm Faces: Imperial Stout
Made with Black Velvet Cake and Coffee

In the Deep Steep: Double IPA
Citra, DDH Wai-iti & Nelson Sauvin

Less than Zero
Mixed Fermentation Brut IPA made in collaboration with Casita Cerveceria

*More details on quantities, limits, etc coming soon…

We will have door prizes for the first 50 people and other surprises throughout the day.

Of course we will be serving up some cake to celebrate!

The Ski Doctor will be here all day waxing/tuning your skis/boards. Here’s his menu of services:

– $25: Wax + Beer
– $40: Edge + Wax + Beer
– $55: Full Tune + Beer

Cheese Love Grill Food Truck will be here all day serving up grilled cheese sammies.

Can’t wait to party with you and share the love we feel for you all! (Anniversary)

Barreled Lightening Series Tap Takeover @ Diebolt Brewing Company (Denver) – 3855 Mariposa St, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Saturday, December 22 from 12pm-10pm

Details: Our 2018 Barreled Lightning Series is coming to a close this month and we wanted to end the year on a high note! We’ve squirreled away a keg from each months release and will put all 12 on tap at once in the tasting room.

We’ll be raffling off a bottle of your choosing every hour all day Saturday. Each purchase of a 10oz pour or taster flight enters you into the raffle.

Case deals of all 12 bottles will be available as well as 4 pack specials.

Bottle List
18.1 – Double Pale Ale – Bourbon Barrel – 13 months
18.2 – Brett Golden Strong – Chardonnay – 24 months
18.3 – Barleywine w/ Plum – Bourbon – 13 months
18.4 – Brett Gruit/ No Hops – Cabernet Barrel – 4 months
18.5 – Brett Hibiscus Saison w/ Strawberry – Wine – 12 months
18.6 – Brett Biere de Garde – Bourbon Barrel – 16 months
18.7 – Extend Boil Biere de Garde – Cabernet Barrel w/ Brett –
18.8 – Imperial Stout w/ Cherries – Bourbon – 12 months
18.9 – Brett Saison w/ Black Currant – Bourbon – 21 months
18.10 – Double Pale Ale – Port Barrel – 8 months
18.11 – Biere de Garde w/ Figs – Brandy Barrel – 12 months
18.12 – Dark Biere de Garde – 2nd Use Wine – 12 months

Foodtruck: TBD (Tap Takeover)

Cheers to Two Years Anniversary Bash @ Parts & Labor Brewing Company (Sterling) – 402 Main Street, Suite B, Sterling, CO

Date/ Time: Saturday, December 22 from 1pm

Details: Join us for an epic celebration marking TWO YEARS building great beer, great friends, and great memories!

Our favorite rockabilly trio the Juke Joint Cruisers will be here starting at 6pm, we will have an “Outrageous Christmas Outfit Contest” where we will give away great prizes, LOTS of never-before-seen beer releases from our Pilot Series (you don’t wanna miss these because when the keg kicks, that’s it!), and an ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT appetizer bar from 3-6pm! As if that’s not enough, we will have door prize drawing GIVEAWAYS every hour from 6-10pm (must be over 21 and present to win)…

We are so grateful to have been able to serve so many amazing folks over the last two years, and we look forward to the many exciting projects we have in the works for the years to come!

We couldn’t do any of this without our fantastic customers- so most of all, THANK YOU! See you December 22nd! (Anniversary)

Donut Panic 2018 Release @ Fiction Brewing Company (Denver) – 7101 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Saturday, December 22 from 1pm-11pm

Details: Beer and Donuts!

Our 5th annual collaboration with Glazed and Confuzed Doughnuts brings you our most unique offering yet. A Sweet Potato Pie Specialty Ale designed side by side with an all new doughnut from Glazed and Confuzed. The base beer was designed as an homage to our favorite breakfast pastry with toasty bready Maris Otter malt and oats. Topping our doughnut base are 180 pounds of Okinawa Purple Sweet Potatoes, 25 pounds of marshmallows, brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

•Crowler and Tap Release
•Beer and Donut Pairing
•Savory food from The Hop & Hoe (Pairings)

Sunday, December 23

Cookies and Ugle Sweater Get Together @ Chain Reaction Brewing Company (Denver) 902 S Lipan St, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Sunday, December 23 from 12pm– 4pm

Details: Every year we like to do one last get together at the brewery welcoming all our friends and family to come hang out and enjoy some food, drink and good times! So being the holidays why not whip up a batch of cookies or other snacks and come on down wearing the most odd ball sweater you can find. But why don’t we take this one step further and make this day the big push for our For Every Action There’s a Reaction can and coat drive! Bring some goodies in and we will help get them to people that need a little helping hand this time of year.
This is also the perfect opportunity to snag beer soap, beer hot sauce, glassware and crowlers for those last minute gift needs.

We will have tongue tied designs in house printing up one day only Chain Reaction Brewing Holiday T-shirts (4 designs available). We will have some Christmas music playing, football on the TV, and a station to decorate cookies. Bring your friends bring your family and let’s raise a pint to enjoying being together. (Pairings)

Bluegrass Jam and Beer @ Seedstock Brewery (Denver) – 3610 W Colfax Ave, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Sunday, December 16 from 6pm-8pm

Details: Join us every Sunday from 4-6 p.m. for a bluegrass jam in our taproom. Bring your own instrument to join the jam, sing along or just listen in. Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to participate!

Participants receive a free pint! (Festivals and Special Events)

Tuesday, December 25

5th Annual Christmas Day Party @ Alpine Dog Brewing Company (Denver) – 1505 Ogden St, Denver, CO

Date/ Time: Tuesday, December 25 from 11am-8pm

Details: Join us to celebrate the holidays brewery style! We’ll be releasing 2 new beers including a French Toast Imperial Stout made with Cinnamon, Vanilla, and Maple and a Belgian Holiday Amber brewed with Currants! We’ll be opening early so the festivities can go all day!

Snacks and treats tbd! (Festivals and Special Events)