Lifestyle | GABF Events | Your Guide to Denver's Drunkest Week
Drunks of Denver.... ASSEMBLE!!! Forget the majestic Rocky Mountains and our 300 days of sunshine, we have beer. Pure North American, craft beer. So great that men and women from around the globe gather here once a year to rejoice in it's sweet, golden triumph. And we could not be more honored to be a part of this year's GABF celebration of all things beer.
(Image: www.breckbrew.com)
This week there will be: tap takeovers, beer releases, album + beer releases, weird ingredients Bud Light would not approve of, amazing food for our inevitable "drunchies" and more drunks under one roof than you can count. Alongside the programmed set of events there will be an extensive list of after-parties, private off-site brewery tours and special tastings open to the public. So even if you forgot (read: did not buy your GABF tickets the second they went on sale), do not fret! You will still be able to ride the coat tails of this monumental event.
Many Denver breweries are throwing their own GABF events. Take a look at what some of our local favorites are getting into this week:
New Belgium: http://www.newbelgium.com/Events/CO/GABF.aspx
Oskar Blues: http://obordeal.tumblr.com
O’Dells: https://odellbrewing.com/events/
Breck Brew: http://www.breckbrew.com/events
Left Hand Brewing: http://lefthandbrewing.com/blog/2015/08/left-hand-gabf-2015/
Ratio Beer Works: https://www.facebook.com/ratiobeerworks
Denver Beer Co: http://denverbeerco.com/events/
Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery: http://www.jaggedmountainbrewery.com/gabf-week-at-jagged-mountain/
Our Mutual Friend Brewing Company: http://www.omfbeer.com/events/2015/9/23/beers-made-by-walking-fest-2015
Former Future Brewing Company: http://www.omfbeer.com/events/2015/9/23/beers-made-by-walking-fest-2015
Epic Brewing: http://www.epicbrewing.com/news-and-events/item/6907-3rd-annual-50-firkin-fiasco-and-gabf-events
Crooked Stave: http://www.crookedstave.com
Declaration Brewing: http://www.declarationbrewing.com/events/mancan-128-launch-event/
Great Divide Brewery: http://greatdivide.com/event/great-american-beer-festival/
Check out Brewtally Insane for a day by day comprehensive list of daily events as well.
There's a reason everyone calls Denver the Napa Valley of craft beer and it's because we have more innovative breweries per capita than any other state. Our hearts go out to all of our hardworking hometown heroes. We know you'll bring home the gold.
See you by the taps, Denver! Don't forget to chant on your fellow GABF goers. Everyone can use some words of encouragement every now and then.
Lifestlye | Breckenridge Brewery Comic Beer Announcement
Since Comic Con graced Denver with its first conference in 2012, Breckenridge Brewery has been a loyal and active sponsor. Each year the brewery creates a special beer for the conference, and with friends from Denver Comic Con, it hosts a popular name-the-beer contest through social media. This year’s knock-out Comic Con beer, “Hulk’s Mash,” will debut Friday, May 1st at The 1up – Colfax at 717 East Colfax Avenue in Denver. The 1up - Colfax and The 1up – Lodo will have the beer on tap leading up to the conference May 23-25.
The fluid:
The beer is delightful pale ale made with mango puree and Mosaic hops. It sounds mild-mannered, but don’t be fooled. Mosaic hops produce an aromatic punch of mango, lemon, citrus, and earthy pine scents. Loads of pulverized mangos heroically balance the hoppy aroma and flavor.
The name:
As is tradition in March, Breckenridge Brewery hosted its on-line “Name the Comic Con Beer” contest. From 700 entries this year, 5 finalists were chosen. Then came a public vote. “Hulk’s Mash,” the clever conception of Jonathan Cooper, rose to the top and became the honored 2015 Comic Con beer name.
The image:
New this year was the label artwork contest, sponsored by Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. Students at RMCAD were invited to create label designs for Hulk’s Mash, and artwork by Trevor Plaza was chosen to adorn limited-edition commemorative pint glasses. The first 200 to attend the Hulk’s Mash release party on May 1 receive a free pint glass. The glasses and Hulk’s Mash beer will be on sale at the conference. Select Denver pubs are signed on to carry the beer and offer glasses (while supplies last) during Denver Comic Con weekend.
Availability:
Leading up to and during Comic Con, Hulk’s Mash can be found at Breckenridge Colorado Craft, Hard Rock Café, Hyatt Regency, Marlowe’s, Paramount Café, Pizza Republica, Tarantula Billiards, The 1up (Colfax and Lodo locations), Tilted Kilt, and World of Beer.
Denver Comic Con is Denver’s premiere pop-culture fan experience, covering the worlds of comic books, film, and related media. It is also an extension of and an awareness builder for its parent organization, Pop Culture Classroom. This year, the 3-day conference will bring 90,000 fans to the Colorado Convention Center.
Follow Breckenridge Brewery and Denver Comic Con on social media for updates and additional information.
About Breckenridge Brewery
Breckenridge Brewery was founded in 1990 in Breckenridge, Colorado. In the past two decades Breckenridge Brewery has grown from a small 3,000-barrels-a-year brewpub to one of the most successful craft beer and restaurant companies in the nation. It now handcrafts more than 64,000 barrels of fresh beer annually and owns and operates five brewpubs and ale houses in the state of Colorado. For more information visit www.breckbrew.com.
Lifestyle | Breckenridge Announces New IPA
There's nothing that defines Colorado better than being able to drink a great IPA all, year, long. Yep. That's right. Breckenridge Brewery has done Colorado a solid and concocted an IPA that you can drink at the top of Pike's Peak and while on the slopes at Beaver creek.
What is it's name, you ask? The Denver brewery betrothed this beaut the name of, Breck IPA. An all around good beer that will keep you warm in the winter and cool in July when your AC breaks down. We like you Breck IPA, I think we'll keep you around. He hits the shelves early next week, so keep an eye out!
Keep reading to hear what the brewery has to say about their latest release:
Next week Breckenridge Brewery releases a new year-round India Pale Ale in all of its markets. Simply stated, Breck IPA is what it was designed to be – a stand-out IPA, Colorado style. Breck IPA hits you right away with a distinctively pleasant floral aroma that carries hints of tropical fruit. The bready malt backbone, however, balances its citrus hop flavor and lends it staying power.
Todd Usry, Brewmaster and Director of Brewing Operations, led the brewing team in developing the right recipe for the new year-round IPA offering. “We got a lot of feedback from the market, our sales folks and our production crew on qualities that make an IPA rise above the standard. It was important to stay true to style while differentiating ourselves. That's hard to do in a market segment with so many choices and so many acceptable varieties within the style. We set out to create something extremely aromatic, but more balanced in flavor.”
“We spent a lot of time in R&D with this one,” shares John Jordan, Breckenridge Brewery's Quality Control Brewer. “We played around with some experimental hops and malts in an effort to create something totally different, but not so crazy-different that it excludes itself from much of the market. Some ingredients we kept; others were scratched. It's been a great process – we learned a lot.”
The brewing team found that Mosaic and Cascade hops together lend the aromatic qualities that they sought. Full Pint malt, a relatively new and rare malt variety, provides a fullness in flavor that compliments the bittering hops. Full Pint malt is grown in the Rocky Mountain region using watering methods that are more efficient and produce plump, bright barley. Because this malt is in such limited supplies, not many brewers are able to commit to large-scale, year round beers using it. Breckenridge Brewery is so pleased with the unique flavor Full Pint adds to Breck IPA that it secured a multi-year contract for quantities of it.
Scrutiny of ingredients was paramount, but so was scrutiny of process. Experimenting with different hop treatments in various stages of production assisted in elevating the aroma and balancing the bitterness of this beer. “Recirculating hops for an extended period of time in late stages of production was ideal for this beer. It's labor intensive, but worth it,” added Jordan. The end result is what the brewery calls a Colorado-style IPA...delightfully hoppy with satisfying body. Breck IPA weighs in at 6.3% ABV (Alcohol by Volume) and 66 IBUs (International Bitterness Units).
Those in the Denver area are invited to join Breckenridge Brewery at its Breck IPA tap-in party Thursday, April 9th, at Pub on Penn at Capitol Hill (1278 Pennsylvania St, Denver). The party starts at 5:30 p.m. with sampling, complimentary pints, and plenty of giveaways.
With the addition of Breck IPA, Breckenridge Brewery’s year-round portfolio now holds eight beers that include several session beers and styles that range from amber and wheat to stout and porter…and now two IPAs. Lucky U IPA has been a staple in the portfolio since 2009, and it will remain so in draft and cans. Usry explains, “We created Lucky U to satisfy the call at the time for IPAs with a bunch of hops and a focus on flavor and bitterness. It’s still relevant with a harmony of seven hop varieties that cascade across the palate as the beer is enjoyed. Breck IPA is much different and fills a void we felt existed in our year-round offerings. The IPA style has evolved and matured in the US, and this beer is for those seeking out a solid IPA - aromatic, flavorful, balanced, and enjoyable.”
Look for Breck IPA in draft and 12-oz bottles.
About Breckenridge Brewery
Breckenridge Brewery was founded in 1990 in Breckenridge, Colorado. In the past two decades Breckenridge Brewery has grown from a small 3,000-barrels-a-year brewpub to one of the most successful craft beer and restaurant companies in the nation. It now handcrafts more than 64,000 barrels of fresh beer annually and owns and operates five brewpubs and ale houses in the state of Colorado. For more information visit www.breckbrew.com.