by Mark Smiley
Craft beer fests are popping all over the metro area and for beer enthusiasts, it seems as if there is a different one each weekend.
A sold-out crowd braved the snowy and cold weather to attend the Bacon and Beer Classic at Sports Authority Field in April. Denver is one of eight cities to host this event around the country. It started in Seattle in 2014 and they are held in sports stadiums in each participating city.
Over 20 local restaurants provided bacon dishes and over 50 regional breweries offered craft beer throughout the concourse. Guests also tried their hand at giant Jenga, struck a pose at the photo booth, battled it out on the bungee run, branded themselves with bacon and beer-inspired tattoos, and some competed in a bacon eating contest.
Much different weather drenched the first ever Craft Beer Fest at the Downtown Aquarium in May. The outdoor event in the sunny and 80-degree day featured 16 breweries including local breweries Joyride and Renegade.
This event has room to grow as the land surrounding the aquarium has room for many more breweries. Some preferred not to attend as Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, had several of its breweries on hand which are deemed as anything but craft beer.
Those in attendance, however, enjoyed the beautiful day and many good beers to sample. In addition, the breweries themselves were happy they participated and will be back next year.
One of the larger beer fests this summer will be Summer Brew Fest at Mile High Station on July 22 and 23, 2016. Each day features different breweries in a venue that lends itself to a high quality experience. Visit www.denverbrewfest.com/summer for more information.
On the weekend of August 6, 2016, Keystone Village will play host to the 20th Annual Bluegrass and Beer Festival. It’s the longest running beer festival in the state. Throughout the two days, attendees will be able to pair their favorite brews with free bluegrass music from Jeff Scroggins and Colorado, T Sisters, Lonely Heartstrings Band, Mason Town, Mandolin Orange, Tim O’Brien, Peter Rowan Band, Larry Keel Experience and more.
“This is a special summe
r for us at Keystone’s River Run Village,” says Maja Russer, marketing and events director for the Keystone Neighbourhood Company, the organization that coordinates and produces six summer festivals in River Run Village at Keystone Resort. “We’re proud that we were a pioneer when we started the first ‘micro-brew’ festival in Colorado 20 years ago. Since then, we’ve grown and improved the Keystone Bluegrass and Beer Festival and launched new festivals like the Mountain Town Music Festival three years ago and this year’s debut of Keystone’s River Run Village Art Festival.”
For more information on this festival, visit www.keystonefestivals.com/festivals /bluegrass-and-beer.
Also, look for our coverage on the largest beer fest in the country. The Great American Beer Fest comes to the Colorado Convention Center October 6-8, 2016. Tickets for the general public go on sale August 3, 2016. Visit www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com for more information.