Colorado craft breweries and their many fans enjoyed a spectacular year in 2012, as the options for consuming locally made beer continued to grow and fill our tastebuds with joy. If the state’s 160-plus breweries weren’t expanding, then they were adding new beers or welcoming friendly competitors. And there were…
Welcome to 2013 and the next year of your wine-drinking life. Over the past twelve months we saw a slew of clever new wine concepts worth trying, and a whole lotta wine-related WTFs to studiously avoid. All the while we watched and waited, eyes peeled for signs of the wine-related…
Chad Yakobson became the second small Denver brewer to land some awesome press in the New York Times when some of his quotes and an artsy photo of him at his Crooked Stave Barrel Cellar led off a story last week on sour beers called “Brettanomyces, a Funky Yeast, Makes…
Colorado breweries made and packaged dozens and dozens of amazing new beers in 2012, expanding their range and proving which state is the center of the craft beer universe. And although hundreds more were brewed and sold on draft in tap rooms, bars and breweries, this list — like the…
It took balls for the Wynkoop Brewing Company to turn an April Fool’s Day joke about a brew made with bull testicles into reality in October, during the Great American Beer Festival. But the brewery really had to sack up after that as it negotiated with the feds about what…
Apparently, the cocktail sphere is getting punched. Earlier this week, Food & Wine magazine pointed out, correctly, that prior to the popularity of the Manhattan, martini and mai tai, there was punch, which dates all the way back to the 17th century. >See also: – Anika Zappe named bar manager…
Hugo’s Colorado beer & Spirits opened today in Capitol Hill, just in time to catch the last part of the holiday liquor store rush — something that should help owner Joe-Michael Wright catch up after permitting delays that have held him up since October. See also: – Freshcraft, Right Coast…
In the Christmastime classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart, as George Bailey, gets a taste of what the world would be like if he had never been born. It’s not a pretty picture, and it reminds Bailey, and the audience, of the joy he created. The Wynkoop Brewing Company,…
At Ace, Randy Layman knows how to serve drinks…and ping pong.Whether it’s a night at the Nutcracker, a performance of Handel’s Messiah, or old-time caroling with friends, we all have our favorite holiday traditions. For Randy Layman, bartender at Ace, which I review this week, Christmas Eve wouldn’t be the…
Every February, the three Mountain Sun Pub breweries celebrate Stout Month, pouring dozens of stout varieties. In advance of Stout Month, the company sponsors a homebrew competition, and the winner gets to brew his stout at Mountain Sun and have it served on tap all of February — which is…
When the Brewers Association blasted the nation’s two largest beer makers last week for not labeling some of their smaller brands with the names “MillerCoors” or “Anheuser-Busch,” the Boulder organization risked losing a lot of money. After all, the two companies kick in at least $20,000 annually to be a…
Last week, we poured out a little guidance on what you might sneak under the tree (or Festivus Pole, or whatever) that would add a little splash of joy in the lives of any wine lover on your list. But we failed to include any actual wine in that grouping,…
It was a big week for beery expansion announcements: Oskar Blues brewed its first batch of Dale’s Pale Ale at its new brewery in Brevard, North Carolina, while New Belgium spent $10 million to add twelve massive new fermentation tanks and and four brite tanks so that in can increase…
Colorado is one of the country’s top two markets for Tuaca, a liqueur as ubiquitous as snow (and sometimes more so) in the high country. But how did that happen? Blame it on two Summit County bartenders who came across the brand on their travels, then made it at home…
The first Denver Beer Festivus filled the renovated McNichols Building on Saturday with a real craft-beer festival for the rest of us. With its focus firmly on Denver, the event featured more than twenty local brewers and their drafts. For more photos, visit our full slide show. See also: -…
Colorado — home to the Great American Beer Festival, the Brewers Association and 161 breweries — is the center of the universe when it comes to craft beer. But is it also the center of the “crafty” beer universe? On Thursday, the Brewers Association, which represents small brewers nationwide, fired…
Colorado is one of the top two markets for Tuaca, and judging from the local launch of Tuaca Cinnaster at the Dive Inn last night, this cinnamon-laced extension of the brand is going to be hot in more ways than one. Westword photographer Elyse Mitchell brought back these photos from…
‘Tis officially the season, wine lovers. Christmas is a mere thirteen days away, and if you’re anything like us, then you’ve barely thrown out your Thanksgiving leftovers, never mind purchased anything sparkly or bright for your loved ones. The good news? We’ve made a list of all the primo wine-related…
Here are two beery deadlines to note: If you are entering a home-brewed stout into the Mountain Sun/Vine Street Pub Stout Month contest, the deadline is Saturday, December 16. The winner gets to brew the beer at Mountain Sun and have it served in February alongside all of the brewery’s…
It’s not easy to get a boot in the door of the craft-brewing industry. It’s even more difficult for women since breweries, with a few notable exceptions, are boys’ clubs. But despite the stereotypes, there are plenty of ladies who love suds just as much as guys do, and they’ve…
To celebrate the luckiest day of the year — 12/12/12 — Ron Abuelo rums asked a dozen mixologists across the country to a create a signature cocktail as a toast to the holiday season. Kevin Burke of Colt & Gray, who won our Best Bartender award in the Best of…
Avery Brewing hopes to seal the deal this month on the 5.6-acre parcel in north Boulder where it plans to build a 30,000-square-foot brewery, restaurant and gift shop. Once it opens, in mid-2014, the compound at 4910 and 4920 Nautilus Court will allow Avery to brew 100,000 barrels of beer…
