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Hops & Pie won’t open its own brewery until the end of the year, but in the meantime, pizzeria co-owner Drew Watson is having a little fun barrel aging beer.
Last September, he bought five first-use Maker’s Mark bourbon barrels and distributed them to some of his favorite local breweries — Renegade, Odell, Great Divide, River North and Oskar Blues — each of which filled one up with a special brew.
See also: – Hops & Pie rolls out the barrels in a special beer project with five breweries – Hops & Pie plans to build its own brewery behind the restaurant by next fall – Photos: Avery Brewing’s Strong Ale Fest, Boulder, 2013
After aging them for six months, Watson will tap all five barrels at Hops & Pie on March 16, in advance of Colorado Craft Beer Week, which runs from March 18 through March 25.
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“We wanted to do something different,” says Watson, who has hosted fests, tap takeovers and firkin parties for several years at Hops & Pie. “The breweries get to have all these awesome, cool events, but they can only do so much. So this is us trying to be cool.”
The barrel-aged beers include Great Divide’s Hibernation, Oskar Blues Ten FIDY, River North Avarice and a pumpkin porter from Renegade. And then there is Odell’s beer: The brewery barrel-aged its Mountain Standard black IPA and then blended it with its brand new Lugene chocolate milk stout. “That’s a mind-blower,”Watson says.
The event, dubbed the Littlest Big Barrel Aged Beer Fest, starts at noon on Saturday, March 16; single pours and flights will be available.
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