Have you asked yourself this uninformed question lately, “What kind of alcohol related occurrences will dot my 2012 calendar?”
Come on Denverons, wait, is it Denverites?; or maybe, Denveritions? I'll stick with Denver people, for now. Come on all you Denver people, you’re living in a golden age of craft beer! There is beer literally flowing out of the mountains and into the streets! And I’m sure all you long-term Denver occupants are keen on this fact. But perhaps you are new to the booze scene or you are new to the area and you may be overwhelmed with the booze options this ex-mining/ex-ruffian hold up/ex-ruffian slaying town has to offer. I have compiled a short list of upcoming events in 2012 to help guide you misfits toward debauchery. To be fair, this is a slight example of the booze related shenanigans the greater Denver area has to offer in 2012. There is much too much to mention, which is a wonderful thing if you’re a rebel rouser like me.
Please feel free to leave a comment on events I fail to mention. I’m new to the area and I know you hooligan Denverites are wildly versed in alcohol happenings… Help us newbies out, please and thank you!
Beer Clubs
If you’re a woman and you love craft beer then in 2012 you must seek out the Can Can Girls Beer Club. Meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at the Tasty Weasel Taproom in Longmont. However, this beer club does tend to travel for special events. For instance, on January 19th the Can Can Girls will be hosting a dinner titled, “We Love Them Cans!” This event will be held at the Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont and it benefits breast cancer awareness in the name of Connie Porter. Tickets are $50. Potential dinner-goers are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance since seating is limited. Tickets can be acquired at http://www.oskarblues.com/shop/cancangirlsbeerdinner -This link also showcases the menu for the upcoming breast cancer awareness dinner.
For general information on the Can Can Girls Beer Club click here: http://www.oskarblues.com/restaurant/cancangirls
If you are like me and rarely want to see the light of day, you can always partake in an online beer of the month club. All you have to do is find a suitable organization that meets your standards and then order your beer. Once an order is placed, you can sit around and play video games and what not, waiting for your beer to show up in the mail. Most places ship twelve beers a month and cost around thirty to forty dollars per monthly dose. I suggest you do your homework before you decide on which mail-in beer club you join. However, if you want to be lazy, this link will take you to a well-known beer club. http://www.craftbeerclub.com/?gclid=CP_LhOm_vK0CFUHRKgodEjPxAQ
Winter Brew Fest
On January 27th RightOn Productions, LLC will be hosting their annual Winter Brew Fest at the mile high station. This occasion benefits Swallow Hill Music Association which promotes, according to Swallow Hill’s website, “Thejoy of learning and listening to roots music.” If you like to consume large quantities of beer in a responsible manner then you are probably like me and you like to think you are a swell kind of fellow. At the Winter Brew Fest, you can actually be a good person while drinking, instead of just pretending to be righteous, which is something I often do. Besides, tickets are reasonably inexpensive. Prices for general admission are set at $30 in advance and $35 at the door. If you’re craving an extra hour of beer gulping then you can purchase VIP tickets at $40 in advance and $45 at the door.
I’d like to offer a word of advice on ticket options: a VIP ticket is worth the extra ten bucks. A VIP ticket allows you to avoid a good portion of the crowd, plus you can get incredibly happy on an hour’s worth of suds-sipping. Another beneficial factor for the VIP ticket is the ability to witness the amassing of the crowd as the event unfolds before your eyes. I like to witness things happening and if you purchase a general admission ticket, you will more than likely get there after everything has taken hold. I’m not saying this is the worst thing that can happen to you but I would rather be at an event for the whole show, not just a smidgeon. In case you were wondering, the worst thing that could happen is not going to this beer festival. Buy your ticket before they are gone!
Learn more about the fest at: http://denverbrewfest.com/winter/index.php
*If you have ever wanted to indulge in gluten free beer, New Planet Beer will be dolling out samples at the Winter Brew Fest.
*Event showcases local musical talent as well as multiple food vendors.
In addition to the above, make sure to mark July 27th on your calendar for the Summer Brew Fest which is also produced by RightOn Productions LLC. Tickets are already on sale.
Visit: http://denverbrewfest.com/summer/index.html
Taste of Elegance
For the socially superior (joke) there is a beer and food pairing, ominously titled Taste of Elegance, occurring in Broomfield on June 12th from 6 to 9:30pm.
Every year there is a Denver International Beer Competition where a panel of expert booze hounds sample beers from all over the world. The winners are chosen by the panel and are granted various awards. On June 12th, 20 of the winners from 2011 will be paired with 20 culinary pairings. Apparently another 4 beers will also be paired with 4 other food selections, allowing ticket purchasers to try up to 24 beer and food pairings. The food and beer will be paired by a contingent of competing chefs. A panel will determine various awards for the chefs. However, in addition to drinking and eating food, ticket purchasers have the ability to bestow one of the competing chefs with the honorable title of People’s Choice.
You can find more info here: http://www.denverbeercomp.com/order.html
*Get your grub on and reward the chef of your choice with your gratitude and your vote.
Great American Beer Festival
Last year a slew of beer lovers congregated at the Denver Convention Center in downtown Denver. There, the beer lovers sampled various beers from across the country. This year, you should join the mass consumption which will be taking place October 11th through October 13th. According to GABF’s website, there will be over 450 breweries displaying their recipes, culminating to over 2000 beers to sample. If things go according to last year’s schedule, tickets will go on sale at the end of June. I suggest you mark your calendar for the end of June and buy tickets as soon as possible. It is also clever to check the website regularly as it will be updated periodically leading up to the event. Find more info, including a list of already confirmed breweries, at http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/
There is a clever quote on GABF’s website that goes like this, “Support your local brewery.” And indeed this is a grand idea. My suggestion is to guzzle copious amounts of local beer, act unruly and generally embrace the way of the west, by offending the natives but only to a finite degree, staying out of jail and out of the morgue.
*This festival allows for up to 3 plentiful days of getting wasted, responsibly, of course—the festival doesn’t need pants peers, for the love of all things holy—and that’s people who wet their pants not people who share a common interest in pants.
*People who share a common interest in pants are welcome.
*Check out the video at this link, it explains everything wonderful about the festival in a visually stimulating way: http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/videospodcasts/what-makes-the-great-american-beer-festival-so-great/
Brewery Tour
Tired of beer festivals? Looking for an intimate adventure? For you, I suggest a brewery tour!
Most breweries offer tours and at varying times and with all the booze producers in the Denver locale, you’re bound to find a brewery open at a time most suitable for your need. Since there are many breweries in the Denver area, it is virtually impossible to list all of them here on this web page. Don’t fret, though, there are multiple ways to locate a brewery near you. For one, you can open a phone book. Or you can ask anyone you see walking around, chances are high, very high—since you’re in Denver—the person you ask will have a suggestion to offer. Also, Google is a great tool for locating breweries. Or if you don’t want to do any of the above, you can follow the upcoming link to a great search tool: http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/breweries/get-local/find-a-us-brewery. Give the breweries a call and ask about tours or go to the breweries website to find tour information.
*Have fun and make sure to ask if the breweries serve samples at the end of the tour—this is my favorite part of any booze tour.
Dive Bars
When the Denver Broncos are kicked out of the playoffs, Denver fans will need a friendly place to drink away football woes. I suggest kicking back at a local dive establishment. It will be better than traveling downtown where countless Broncos fans will be gathered to communally gripe about another failed season. Besides we may run into each other at a dive bar since I’ll be scouring the local mange, in hopes of countering my hideous disappointment in the Detroit Lions, after they are stomped out of the first round of the playoffs by New Orleans. I’m not hoping for this happenstance, I hope you understand. I’m simply expecting the worst and praying for the best. Who knows, maybe we’ll find ourselves next to each other at a bar some place where our selected team’s fans are numerous and cheering for a super bowl win. One can dream, right? Happy 2012!
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