Craft Drinks Scene Roundup July 19

Crested Butte Wine and Food Festival

By The Thirst Team

Crested Butte Wine and Food Festival

A wine and food festival returns to Crested Butte this weekend, and raises money for the non-profit Crested Butte Center for the Arts. The event includes seminars, a Friday gala and auction and a “Dine Around Crested Butte” tour of participating restaurants. In addition, Saturday’s Grand Tasting includes more than 500 wines from around the world, as well as food and live music. Tickets start at $75.

Charity punk and beer fest

Ratio Beerworks will host another two days of punk music and beer to benefit Punk Rock Saves Lives, a non-profit focused on mental health, wellness, human rights and equality. The festival starts Friday, with Chicago’s Smoking Popes, California’s Dollyrots and several Denver punk bands. Bad Cop Bad Cop and Flatfoot56 headline the Saturday show, which also includes Denver’s Plasma Canvas, Potato Pirates and more.

Hooplagers

Wibby Brewing in Longmont hosts its lager-exclusive, all-inclusive pool party and beer festival on Saturday, starting at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $35, including lagers from more than 30 breweries, a commemorative mug, pool and beach areas, giant pool floats, hammocks, games, food and more.

Living the Dream turns nine

Littleton’s Living the Dream Brewing celebrates its 9th anniversary this weekend with a ’90s-themed party, nine specialty beer releases and a cornhole tournament. Beer releases include a Belgian quad, a port barrel-aged imperial stout, a mojito gose, a cranberry lime blonde, and a mixed-barrel sour ale that’s been aging since 2016.

Storm Peak also turns nine

In Steamboat Springs, Storm Peak Brewing will celebrate its ninth birthday with a pair of beer releases (a fluffy IPA and a barrel-aged birthday cake blonde stout), as well as a reggae DJ, live music, balloon animals and more.

Luki turns three

The circus-themed Luki Brewery in Arvada marks its third anniversary Saturday with live music Soul Penny Circus performances and a TV game show night with host Rion Evans. There will also be specialty beer releases, including a Belgian quad, cotton candy IPA and a new orange shandy. The Savage Beet food truck will serve chef-driven and plant-based food at the brewery.

Fritz turns two

Fritz Family Brewing hosts a German-themed second anniversary party on Saturday, with live music from Denver’s Thirsty 5, German food from The Maine Event, a stein-hoisting competition and a lager release.

The Big Eat

The Big Eat returns to the Galleria at the Denver Performing Arts Complex tomorrow night. The event features bites and samples from more than 70 local restaurants and libations crafters. Tickets cost $85.

Some businesses use the event to release new menus and products. Stem Ciders will debut new peach tea and mango lemonade canned cocktails while showcasing its three restaurant concepts. The Block Distilling will offer new peach brandy in timed releases, and debut its own new line of canned cocktails.

Stillage beer and roasted pig

Hogshead Brewery in north Denver is serving four new cask-conditioned beers and hosting live music and a pig roast. The beers will be served on stillage, a raised wooden platform that tilts a cask and lets the beer run clear. Unlimited pours cost $55, and the rest of the event is free.

Back in the loop

Four Centennial and Lone Tree breweries are running another brewery bus loop from 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

Ride the “Trailer Park Boys”-themed bus all day for $5 between Halfpenny Brewing, Resolute Brewing, Peak View Brewing and Lone Tree Brewing. Get a bus passport stamp at each brewery to earn a coupon for a free pint.

Belgian Day

On Saturday, both River North Brewery taprooms are bringing back their favorite Belgian beers for Belgian Day, which celebrates the separation of Belgium from the Netherlands in 1831.

Release of the week

As we noted last month, Westfax Brewing was inspired by its much-hyped strip mall neighbor, Casa Bonita, to name a Mexican lager “Line Starts Here.” The brew sold out quickly, but the next batch will be tapped at noon Saturday. Westfax also releases the Mountain Dream Double Hazy IPA at the same time. Both beers will be available on tap and in 16-ounce cans.

Lucky lottery winners who get into Casa Bonita can also get Westfax’s Urban Lumberjack Hazy IPA on draft at the pink palace.

In other Casa Bonita news, the aforementioned Ratio Beerworks will tap a new Mexican Lager called Casa Beer exclusively at the restaurant.

As always, please send us your events and announcements. We’re happy to share them. And enjoy your Colorado craft libations responsibly.