Beer glass in one hand and pretzels necklace around neck you are ready for opening night of the Great American Beer Festival October 6, 2016 at the Colorado Convention Center. Charlie Ingram with Telluride Brewing Co pours a beer on opening night of the Great American Beer Festival October 6, 2016 at the Colorado Convention Center. The Annual Colorado Burger Summit, presented byAll American Food Fights, features 20 of Colorado’s greatest chefs competing hopes of winning the title of Colorado’s Best Burger.
The Telluride Blues & Brews Festival is a three-day celebration of live music and microbrews held at Telluride Town Park. The festival offers an eclectic mix of live blues, funk, jam band, rock, gospel and soul performances, and some of the best microbreweries in the country, with a wide variety of food and craft vendors, children’s activities, late night shows, and much more. We’ll add anniversaries as they are announced, and we tried to keep this list focused on major established beer festivals rather than include every beer release, tap takeover, or special tapping. Additionally, keep in mind, these are Colorado-centric events. Be sure to check back often as we’ll be updating this throughout the year. Collaboration Fest, Denver, CO – Entering into its third year, Collaboration Fest features some of the most creative beer projects throughout the craft beer industry.
The Denver Burger Battle will also feature beer and spirits with special guest judges Ben Higgins & Lauren Bushnell (“The Bachelor”), Tommy Lee & Dana Rodriguez (Work & Class). Tickets to The Summit are separate from the Saturday and Sunday tasting tickets. The VIP package amplifies classic BrüFrou– extra special culinary and brewed pairings under the VIP tent. Much like New Belgium’s Lost in the Woods, Left Hand’s Nitro Fest is just as much a visual spectacle as it is a showcase of incredible beer. Playing off of a circus theme, set under a massive tent, Nitro Fest encourages attendees to match the theme with ornate costumes and face painting.
There are lots of breweries in Colorado that are still on the scene, and many of them have been around for years or decades. You’ll see much of the breweries that have been around for years, most of them having been in the early 2000s. But it’s still a lot of beer, and it’s still hard to find a brewery that’s as unique as they are in the world, and some of them have a little bit more emphasis on beer than others. Vino & Notes in Woodland Park, Colorado, brings together some of Colorado’s finest wineries, with great jazz and food to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Teller County. Over 20 Colorado wineries will showcase their wine along with numerous vendors and musical performances. Officially known as the Alpine Insurance Agency Ed Fest, last Saturday’s event was held at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater and featured New Orleans jazz talent Trombone Shorty with Orleans Avenue.
Points are awarded to your team based upon how well you do in each event. There will be a bit of strategy in picking your events, some events require all four team members to participate, others are just two. There will be a prize for the first, second, and third place teams. Trombone Shorty rounded out the night, playing a multitude of tunes inspired by New Orleans roots. Listeners heard a potpourri of styles from improvisational jazz to hip-hop and funk, tying in the many musical varieties found in the Big Easy. Donning a Telluride Brewing Co. baseball cap for much of the show, Troy Andrews lit up Vail faster than an Odell Drumroll APA.
And of course, many thanks to all the breweries who brought such incredible beers to share. The 3rd Annual Boulder Craft Beer Festival, produced by Downtown Boulder, brings together the best craft breweries from Boulder County and beyond for a tasting festival, offering attendees samples of Boulder’s best beer. The festival includes music, lawn games and food for purchase. Over the years, Avery has earned a reputation for throwing top tier beer event, from their Sour Fest, to Strong Ale Fest, Avery dominated the niche festival game.
The Old Fashioned Corn Roast Festival offers family fun, adventure, entertainment and interactive activities. The Denver Burger Battle is a Burger Cook-Off event where you get to taste the top 15 burgers in Denver and vote for a winner! Net proceeds go to event non-profit, Kossler Foundation, and will be distributed to charities in Denver helping hunger, economic development, & child welfare.
At the top of that list is the Denver Rare Beer Tasting, which features some of the country’s best breweries pouring their best beers, many of which never actually appear at GABF. This benefit supporting Pints for Prostates has grown its own cult following and has become a yearly tradition the Friday afternoon of GABF week. It seems only appropriate angular js buttons that the country’s first craft brewery to introduce canned craft beer for commercial distribution hosts a yearly celebration of the canned beer format. Over the years, Burning Can has evolved to include an exhibition of outdoor lifestyle programming, concerts and of course beer, with last year’s event featuring over 70 participating breweries.
Great move by the BA, and now Indiana’s loss is Colorado’s gain. While the conference itself is limited to industry members, all of the external events surrounding it is open to everyone, which means the city of Denver is about to see a whole lot of really top tier beer yet again. We’ve even heard rumors that a certain staple funk-focused festival might see a revival around this year’s CBC. We’ll be updating this post throughout the year as more major events and event dates get announced so be sure to bookmark this page and check back often because you never know when another must-attend beer festival will get announced in our backyard.