The Collaboration Fest season started off strong for Burns Family Artisan Ales last Sunday. In an interesting twist on the typical theme of two breweries brewing together, Burns hosted Media Collaboration Day where the media got to have a say in the brew.

A Democratic Way to Collaborate

In a round of voting prior to brew day, media participants settled on a a Triple IPA. Owners Wayne Burns and Laura Worley provided guidance on the ingredients and process.  As the day progressed the group voted again on whether to go in a West-Coast direction or more hazy/juicy.

By an overwhelming margin, West-Coast won out. When the time was right for the hops, Burns provided the necessary guidance along with a complementary hops bill of Simcoe, Centennial and Amarillo. Burns and Worley expected the brew to come in around 10-11% ABV.

A True Collaboration

From the media side, the event was spearheaded by Colorado Brewery List. “We love helping connect beer lovers to the great breweries in our state, so it was a great opportunity to gather with people who share the same mission,” says Ryan Steadman, founder of Colorado Brewery List.

Worley explains the process of coordinating the day. “Colorado Brewery List suggested a Collab Fest collaboration. As we were discussing it with the Colorado Brewers Guild, they suggested a broader Media Collab, since one needed to be accomplished for this year’s fest.” She adds, “We are always thrilled to get more folks together, so the frenzy began!”

Fun, Beer and Learning

Everyone clearly enjoyed themselves relaxing, networking with other members of the media, hanging out with Burns and Worley and of course enjoying some spectacular Burns brews. Of course the real highlight was helping Wayne work his magic in the brewhouse and learning a bit more about the brewing process and recipe formulation.

“”As Colorado Beer Geek, I keep track of upcoming Colorado breweries in partnership with Colorado Brewery List. This brew day was a great opportunity to mingle with some of the voices of the Colorado beer industry that I work with in finding out about these new spots,” says Stephen Adams, COO of Colorado Brewery List. Adams has visited every brewery in Colorado.

The brew day was a long one, starting at 9 a.m. and lasting until 9 p.m. Of course it’ll be several weeks before the results are ready, but it was apparent that all the participants are eagerly looking forward to tasting a sample. Needless to say, brewers, the media and beer lovers are all enthusiastic to get back to Collaboration Fest this year after a two-year hiatus.

Collaboration Fest Returns

Collaboration Fest 2022 will take place April 2 at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver. The Colorado Brewers Guild sponsors the annual event and tickets are still available on their website. The number of participating brewers is already approaching 100 and more being added every week. It certainly looks like Colorado beer festivals are getting their groove back.

Featured image courtesy of Indie Creative Co.

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