#coloradocraftbeer Archives – PorchDrinking.com
Table by New Image Brewing
October 18, 2024 | Britt Antley
Food at a brewery is often an afterthought. People go there for the beer being brewed, says common thinking, and then need something to eat – some type of nourishment should be offered. While this beer-first mentality makes sense for a business whose primary income is from beer, there exists the possibility to do things differently, giving a brewery’s food its moment to shine. Brandon Capps, founder of New Image Brewing, sought to redefine the taproom experience by transforming New Image’s Olde Town Arvada, Colorado location into Table, an approachable farm to table restaurant whose focus is all on the food and its quality ingredients. Brandon has “always been frustrated at why great food and great beer almost never seem to arrive side by side,” and he’s seeking to fix that flaw.
milieu fermentation company | Opening Weekend Preview
May 1, 2024 | Britt Antley
Opening a brewery is a journey full of challenging times and rewarding payoffs. For every newly installed and wrenched tapline spewing precious liquid across the countertop upon first test, there is the hard earned reward of that very first draft pour. Rob Bessett and Andrew Bergeron, co-owners of milieu fermentation company (pronounced mil-you) in Aurora, just outside of Denver, know all too well the difficult work that has gone into preparing their brewery for its opening weekend on May 4. Now that the date is set and the opening is just around the corner, PorchDrinking took some time to check out their renovated taproom and chat about what the future holds for milieu.
Colorado Breweries Win Big at 2024 World Beer Cup Awards
April 24, 2024 | Britt Antley
Colorado breweries once again showed up in a big way at the 2024 World Beer Cup. Often referred to as the Olympics of Beer Competitions, the World Beer Cup features breweries from across the world vying for medals. This year’s competition featured 9,300 entries from 2,060 breweries across 50 countries entered into 110 categories, and Colorado’s contingent showed out in a MAJOR way taking home 21 medals from 19 breweries including 9 Gold medals.
Amalgam Brewing | Present Time (Pilsner)
February 29, 2024 | Britt Antley
Making world-class lagers is no easy feat. The knowledge required to do so is not gained overnight, and no amount of luck can produce a clean and drinkable bottom-fermented beer without the requisite skill. A successful lager brewer must put in their time and learn from their mistakes on the way to creating something great. And it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a renowned mentor along the way.
New Image Brewing | Madera 2023 Horizontal Tasting
January 4, 2024 | Britt Antley
Every beer is a journey. From the ingredients used to the processes by which they’re combined and fermented to a finished product ready for enjoyment, beer tells a story of evolving time and ingredients. New Image Brewing has fully embraced the journey and evolution of beer with first their Estufa series and now various Madera releases.
Primitive Beer Moving Operations to New Image Brewing Wheat Ridge
November 2, 2023 | Britt Antley
After operating out of Longmont for the past six plus years, Primitive Beer is moving operations to an annex at New Image Brewing Wheat Ridge. While leaving Longmont is bittersweet, operating out of New Image will allow Lisa and Brandon Boldt, co-owners of Primitive, to focus entirely on brewing, blending and packaging their spontaneous fermentations. “Given that our entire family-run operation is just two people strong, we’ve reached the conclusion that our current professional juggling act which includes running a retail space, outside sales, marketing, brewing, blending and packaging isn’t sustainable,” says Lisa.
New Terrain Brewing Co. | Mirage Sour IPA
October 9, 2023 | Jason Murphy
A mirage is an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending of reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density. That’s the literal definition of a mirage from Merriam-Webster. We will be talking about a mirage today as well, just not the literal kind.
Cerebral Brewing | Triple Mash Pappy Van Winkle Here Be Monsters
September 1, 2023 | Britt Antley
There are certain spirits in the world of barrel aged beer that elicit perked up ears, and then there are those brands that generate whiplash causing sore necks and desperate trips to the chiropractor. Pappy Van Winkle (PVW) falls squarely in the latter category, a mythical wheated bourbon whose popularity and even legend has skyrocketed in the past decade causing bottles to sell on secondary markets for 20-30x their retail prices of $120-$300. Even the used barrels from these 15-23 year aged whiskeys sell for exorbitant prices as breweries clamor to get their hands on them. Cerebral Brewing was lucky enough to land two Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year barrels, and they chose to rest a triple mash version of their Here Be Monsters Imperial Stout in those barrels. This particular single barrel expression aged for 39 months, an incredibly long time yielding an incredible creation.
Crystal Springs Brewing Celebrates Historic 13th Anniversary
May 12, 2023 | Britt Antley
The number 13 has appeared repeatedly throughout the history of Crystal Springs Brewing. Co-owner Tom Horst was born on the 13th. His son was born on the 13th. Multiple other family members were born on the 13th. The opening day for the brewery was May 13, 2010. When they were poised to open their first taproom, they closed on the property on the 13th, a date randomly set by the title company. That taproom — guess how far it was from their original brewery / home? 13 miles. With their approaching 13th anniversary, Crystal Springs has proved that 13 does not have to be an unlucky number and can in fact turn a garage homebrew operation into a successful commercial brewery.
WeldWerks Invitational Paused, Medianoche Market Introduced
April 21, 2023 | Britt Antley
Colorado craft beer fans will have one less major beer festival on the calendar for 2023. WeldWerks recently announced they are hitting pause on hosting the WeldWerks Invitational as they focus time and energy on their largest brewhouse expansion to date. “This is a good year to pause and reevaluate what the experience of the Invitational is and what we want it to be and how we want to keep progressing it,” says Kristin Popcheff, director of events & experience at WeldWerks.
Casey Brewing | BA Never Say Never Barleywine
March 13, 2023 | Britt Antley
Some breweries become known for a certain style of beer and then struggle to expand beyond that, trapped in the successes of their past. While it is never a bad thing to have notoriety for a particular style, it can leave a brewery in a difficult spot as they seek to diversify their lineup and adapt to the everchanging beer landscape. Casey Brewing is known for their incredible sour beer program, churning out highly sought-after Saisons and Wild Ales since 2013. Finding themselves with some extra tanks and a desire to open a new taproom, Casey made the decision to venture into non-sour beer, doing something brewery founder Troy Casey said would never happen. A prophetic cliché that morphed into an incredible barrel aged Barleywine, Casey BA Never Say Never Barleywine exemplifies the non-sour quality of the brewery’s side dabbles.
New Image Brewing | Estufa (Barleywine)
January 19, 2023 | Britt Antley
In a hypercompetitive craft beer market that is ever trending towards (but not quite reaching) that mythical saturation point, breweries can find it difficult to differentiate themselves. Whether it be a new style (that’s probably a rebranded old style), new hop varieties, clever marketing or some combination of these and other “innovative” elements, breweries have to try to rise above the pack and distinguish their product from what the upstart down the street is doing. New Image Brewing is no stranger to innovation with their lineup of various Barrel Aged Beers, their heavy use of Phantasm powder and the impending opening of their own meadery brand Post Future. Estufa is perhaps their most ambitious project yet. Estufa is the first release and the genesis of New Image’s forthcoming macro-oxidized solera Barleywine program. That is a lot of beer related words not often (if ever) stringed together, so follow along as we explore what New Image is currently doing and where they are looking to take this program.
2022 Colorado New Year’s Eve Brewery Events
December 28, 2022 | Britt Antley
2022 is almost in the books, meaning it’s time to celebrate the year that was and look forward to what 2023 will bring us. While some may be content to spend New Year’s Eve huddled amongst freezing masses for hours on end or in a crowded club struggling to reach the bar, the discerning Coloradan will wisely seek out a local brewery for a more relaxed and enjoyable vibe. Many breweries throughout the state have events planned in the hours leading up to New Year’s, so we have assembled a list of those here. Whether you want to catch some live music, eat a multiple course beer dinner or try some special beers, there is something here for every beer lover. As always, be safe and responsible in your New Year’s Eve drinking activities – let’s end this year and start the next in a great way!
If we missed any Colorado NYE Brewery events be sure to shoot us a message and we would love to add your event to our round-up.
Event Recap | Welcome: A Farmhouse & Lager Festival
September 23, 2022 | Britt Antley
Eschewing the typical Barrel-Aged Stout and Hazy IPA hype beers of most festivals these days, Welcome – A Farmhouse & Lager Festival takes a gentler approach in beer styles, highlighting some of Colorado’s best Farmhouse Ales and Lagers being produced. Subtlety and nuance are the defining characteristics of these styles, and it takes a discerning brewer to properly craft them and make something greater than the sum of its often simplistic parts.
The Complete PorchDrinking 2022 GABF Week Events Guide
September 22, 2022 | Mathew Powers
Part of the magic associated with the return of GABF involves all of the incredible beer events that take place outside of the actual festival. Although technically the Great American Beer Fest (GABF) begins on Thursday, October 6 and runs through Saturday, October 8, the festivities begin well before the main event and continue throughout the week.
From special tap takeovers to paired beer dinners, out-of-state bottle releases, and collaborations to full-fledged beer festivals, the beer world descends upon Denver in all of its glory. With over a week jam-packed full of events, it can be a bit hard to navigate. Luckily we’re here to help sort through it all with the return of our 2022 GABF Week Events Guide.
2022 GABF Routes:
Be sure to bookmark this page or check back often as we will continue to update the page as events are released.
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Little Machine Beer | Big Money Pale Ale
September 14, 2022 | Leanne Lomax
If you ask Little Machine Beer’s co-owner and brewer, Brett Williams his idea of a perfect beer, he will tell you about his recent release, Big Money Pale Ale. Named after the cost put into sourcing “the Rolls Royce of malt,” according to Simpsons Malt, UK native Maris Otter. Additionally, flaked oats, Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic hops combine to create a low abv Pale Ale with big hop flavor. Sitting at 5.6%, with balanced bitterness and a dry, aromatic finish, this beer is ideal for the conclusion of summer.
The Empourium Brewing Co. | Atari’s Lantern Jasmine Rice Lager
August 19, 2022 | Leanne Lomax
After earning a Bronze medal at this year’s World Beer Cup, Atari’s Lantern, a Jasmine Rice Lager, is back on tap at Denver’s The Empourium Brewing Co. First released in January 2022, The name Atari’s Lantern is a reference to Wes Anderson’s film, Isle Of Dogs. The name also serves as a nod to the taproom’s dog-friendly environment.
After 28 Years Tommyknocker Brewery Undergoes Complete Overhaul
August 11, 2022 | Britt Antley
After 28 years as a pioneer in the Colorado craft beer scene, Tommyknocker Brewery located in the mountain town of Idaho Springs, CO, is undergoing an extensive overhaul. With the introduction of a branding refresh, new core beer offerings and a $100,000 remodel of their brewpub, Tommyknocker is looking to reinvent itself in today’s competitive craft beer market.
Wild Blue Yonder | Cellar Reserve: Tropical Storm
August 5, 2022 | Britt Antley
When is a Pastry Stout not a Pastry Stout? At what point does a barrel-aged 11.2% beer become refreshing to drink? These were questions I pondered while drinking Wild Blue Yonder Cellar Reserve – Tropical Storm, a rum barrel aged Imperial Stout with bananas, toasted coconut and macadamia nut. Expectations were exceeded and stereotypes were broken with this unique concoction brewed in Castle Rock, Colorado.
Event Recap | Vail Craft Beer Classic 2022
June 24, 2022 | Britt Antley
A beer fest set in the middle of the Rocky Mountains is bound to be beautiful, and the Vail Craft Beer Classic did not disappoint in that regard. Along with the wondrous mountain scenery is a laid back mountain vibe enjoyed by patrons and vendors alike. No long lines, no crowded bottlenecks, and plenty of time and space to casually have a conversation with a brewery worker or a random attendee, the Vail Craft Beer Classic is ideally set up for enjoying a couple hours worth of various brews.
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