Bacon and Beer | A Celebration of Food and Community

Cheers to bacon and beer. (photo Credit: Robert Castro)

This past Saturday we visited a magical land – one where beer was king and bacon lovers held hands and rejoiced in unison. What is this mythical place you ask? Well, it is the Bacon and Beer Festival! And it was a celebration fit for any self-respecting foodie/beer enthusiast. 

Managing Editor Mcclain managed to grab this shirt for her yoga workouts. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

The event boasted 20 + breweries and over 15 restaurants – all debuting their bacon inspired dishes and beverages. The food ranged from Thai to brunch to the good ol’ American burger. Most breweries stayed true to their brand but, some rolled out bacon inspired libations. A personal favorite of the Ultra5280 staff was the Bacon Bourbon from Ol' Major which took the pairing to a whole new level. They even went so far as to add a mesquite salt chaser – which was absolute perfection. 

Where do we get the bacon flavored salt? (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

We love seeing events that celebrate our local scene, when there’s OMF (Our Mutual Friend), Ratio Beerworks and Call To Arms Brewing Co. on the same ticket – you can count us in. Moving outside of Denver’s coveted local watering holes we were elated to taste such classics as Breckenridge Brewery, Left Hand Brewing Company, Great Divide Brewing and Boulder Beer Co.  The Fest offered a nice gluten free option (although why a gluten free person would attend a Bacon and Beer Fest is beyond us) by adding some ciders to the mix. Stem Ciders and Colorado Cider Company were holding down the fort for our wheat challenged bacon lovers. Side Note: Beer and cider is an amazing combination… future festival idea? TM

Serving up amazing beer our friends from Ratio were on hand. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Bacon was the ideal sponge for soaking up our beer filled bellies. Some stand out dishes were the Bacon Wontons from Aloy Modern Thai, The Lobby’s bacon-brunch bite, Little Man’s ice cream and from what we’ve heard The Regional had a mean chicken fried bacon dish (sadly they ran out of ingredients before we made the rounds).  The food was unique, tasty and answered every day-drinker’s wildest dreams and wishes.

Lovey bits of bacon morsel goodness compliments of Interstate Kitchen and Bar (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

We wish we could have bottled up the scent emanating from the Glitter Dome this past Saturday – it was a scent filled with bacon fumes, hops and love. To quote our girl Taylor, there are just some things that never go out of style – and bacon and beer will forever be one of them. 

9 Weekend Events | GABF Pregames, After Parties and More

From today until Saturday night, GABF will be taking over the Denver area. If you were one of the lucky few to get your ticket, you have quite the weekend ahead of you. For those who have their golden, amber ticket, check out our GABF survival pro-tips here. If you were Varuca Salt-ed ("I wanrt my GABF ticket now, daddy!) and have found yourself horribly without, do not fear. The Ultra5280 team is here, and we've got all the events to help you get your fair share of that flowing river of beer. 

Pictured: River of beer, us (magic boat leading to all the festivities), and you. 

FREE BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY TOURS: ALL WEEKEND

Breckenridge Brewery is running free buses from the Crowne Plaza Downtown (1450 Glenarm Place) Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (October 6-8) to their new Littleton brewery and back. Buses depart from the hotel at 10:00 am and 12:00 pm each of the three days. They're giving complimentary tours of the brewery that include a pint with time to enjoy their Farm House and beer garden before the groups head back. The 12:00 group departs the brewery at 3:00 to head back downtown, meaning those with GABF tickets and those without can all attend. Check out their website here for more information, special events, and promotional brews in celebration of GABF.

Haunted Housing: We Recommend 13th Floor and Field of Screams

Photo: Ultra5280; Field of Screams

Photo: Ultra5280; 13th Floor

If GABF isn't really your thing, or you're looking to scare the living shit out of your whole family, these haunted houses are sure to make even the most resilient shit their britches. We even went through the trouble of checking both these houses out for you, and trust us, it wasn't easy. Nothing says Halloween like shooting extremely realistic, havoc-reaping zombies, though (@ Field of Screams).

Check out our review for 13 floor here, and our review of Field of Screams here. 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7TH

2016 The Voice Runner Up Laith Al-Saadi with Brent Cowles and Garrett Lebeau (21+)

 8 PM - 12 AM
Summit Music Hall (1902 Blake St, Denver, Colorado 80202)
Tickets here.

Levitt Pavilion Denver Live! presents a special evening at The Summit Music Hall Friday October 7, 2016 8pm featuring, 2016 The Voice runner up, Laith Al-Saadi, along with Colorado’s rising star Brent Cowles and Austin mainstay Garrett Lebeau. This event celebrates the final show of the season for Levitt Pavilion’s free concert programing, and is sponsored by Jameson and Great Divide Brewing CO--the exclusive craft beer partner of Levitt Denver.

Tickets to this special concert are only $25 and 100% of ticket sales will benefit the Levitt Pavilion Denver (501(c)(3), a local non-profit focused on elevating the local music scene and increasing accessibility to live music through construction of the new Levitt Pavilion in Ruby Hill Park, a free music venue opening in July of 2017. Each ticket includes an exclusive opportunity to try ‘The Smoothness’ collaboration beer, as well as unlimited Jameson Irish Whisky, Great Divide Brewing CO. beer, sliders, appetizers and more.

Kaytranada + Cashmere Cat (16+)

 9 PM - 12 AM

The Ogden Theatre (935 E Colfax Ave, Denver, Colorado 80218)
Tickets here. 
Doors Open: 8:00PM
Price: $25-$35, GA: $49.75
 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8TH

Stay Up Saturdays with CRL CRRL

Every Saturday we host a DJ set by CRL CRRL at Pearl's on 13th, so come hang out with us and keep the party going into the wee hours of the night. 

The award winnig producer and DJ who's shared the stage with artists from Anderson Paak., Vic Mensa, Haden James to Wahsed Out and more ( CRL CRRLL ) teams up with the Motown and Mashup master DJ E-TRANE to bring you a saturday night of awesome drinks and dancing. 


FREE ENTRY Doors 9 PM 21+ (608 E. 13th Ave Pearl's Denver)
Brought to you by: FASOR | BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY | REDBULL | ULTRA5280 | PEARLS DENVER

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9TH 

Annual bRUNch Run  

8:30 AM - 12 PM
Stapleton Central Park, Denver

Tickets here. 

Come run off all that blood-alcohol related madness bright and early in Stapleton, CO. The bRUNch Run is a one of a kind race feeding everyone’s appetite for food, fitness, and fun. Runners start their morning off on the right foot with a timed 5K and 10K run, followed by indulging in some of the best brunch food and libations (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) alike that Colorado has to offer.

The bRUNch Run is a unique experience supporting health and wellness within the Denver community. There is more to running then putting one foot in front of the other. After a workout the body needs fuel and bRUNch provides you with just that. Upon finishing the race, enjoy a brunch festival featuring local eateries and morning libations, and non-alcoholic beverages. 

It's is an annual fundraiser for Metro Caring, an amazing organization that provides nutritious food to hungry members of the community all while promoting health and self-sufficiency. 

 

11 Things to Do In Denver This Weekend

THURSDAY, AUGUST 18TH

 Ratio Beerworks' Air Guitar Throwdown

7 PM

Make a submission video of you shredding on the invisible axe and send it in through the event page. Winners of the submissions will get to compete against touring air musicians with local celebrity judges. If the invisible lime light isn’t for you still stop by the brewery to watch people going all out and to enjoy some beers. Plus, this is the official release of Major Nights Lime Gose beer. 

View the event page here. 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19TH

Channel 93.3 and Ultra5280 Present The Epilogues Farewell Show with support from South of France, Eros and The Eschaton and Flaural.  Come check out the farewell show of our good friends and amazing Denver staples The Epilogues. Go to our Instagram for a chance to win tickets!

7 PM // Summit Music Hall // $9.33-$35.00

FuckUp Nights @ Globe Hall
7:30 PM
4483 Logan St, Denver, Colorado 80216


FuckUp nights comes to the United States from its original home in Mexico City. It serves as a great opportunity to meet local entrepreneurs and hear them talk about their failures rather than their successes. Hear from Matt Selby the executive chef at Punch Bowl Social, Shauna Lott owner of the Long I Pie Shop and co-owners of the Knotty Tie Co. Jeremy Priest and Mark Johnson. Admission includes a PBR and there are Q & A portions after the speaker as well as an opportunity for networking.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20TH

Adult Prom With School House Kitchen and Libations

20$ Advance & 25$ Door

An adults-only prom to remind you why you forgot about high-school. To follow up the success of last years under the sea theme, the popular restaurant and bar announced this year’s theme will be “A Galaxy Far, Far Away.” Costumes are encouraged over formal wear but if you can make it both that would probably be ideal. Tickets are on sale now on School House‘s website and cost of admission will include all you can eat buffet, games and one glass of grown up punch.

The 3rd Annual Boulder Craft Beer Festival 2016

This festival brings together the best craft breweries from Boulder County and beyond for a tasting party, offering attendees samples of Boulder's best beers.  The festival includes live music and food for purchase. 


Please note: a limited number of tickets are available.  The event sold out during sales for the previous fests.

GA tickets: $35

VIP: $50

Sleep Tight Colorado's 6th Annual 5K Pajama Jog

 City Park, starting at 8AM.

Support a great cause and appear in a costume for contest prizes!

The 5K is professionally timed and participants may choose to run, jog, or walk.

100% of the proceeds goes toward buying sleeping bags for Colorado’s homeless. Be a part of the action and sign up today online.

6th Annual Denver Pet Expo

August 20, 10AM to 5PM & August 21, 2016, 11AM to 4PM

Denver Merchandise Mart star Free Admission $5 Parking

Prize giveaways, adoption opportunities, rescue groups and a Petfinder.com adoption event, discounted vaccinations, microchipping and heartworm & flea preventatives, And much more! 

Bring Your Pet!

Red Bull Sound Selects: Presented By The Underground Music Showcase

Night Beats, Plum, and Colfax Speed Queen

3 Kings Tavern // RSVP HERE

Join our friends from The UMS and Red Bull for this awesome event. Best Part It Only Costs You $3 with RSVP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21

Tequila, Taco and Cerveza Festival @ Mile High Station

2 PM

Emphasis on Tequila! This is a traveling event that showcases Mexican brews, international tequilas and local tacos. The tickets will open the doors to a tequila flight, games and a chihuahua race. Also included in the ticket is a branded shot glass and you can cast your vote for the El Hefe Taco Champ.

Get Tickets here. 

Hockey Dad w/ Muuy Biien & Slow Caves

Hi-Dive     
7 S. Broadway
Denver, CO, 80209

Hockey Dad hails from Australia, and they've honed their sound surfing and skating, growing up in a small coastal town together. Influenced by surf punk and pop, and touring with bands such as Bass Drum of Death, Hockey Dad is a touring band you don't want to miss. 

$10-$12

Doors 8:30 PM / Show 9:00 PM

This event is 18 and over

TheyShootn: Alchemy at Goodness w/DJ Low Key

Special guests DJ Morse Code (LA/Pools), DJ Harvey Dent (Baltimore), DJ RAYtard & RUMTUM!!! 
2 PM - 9 PM


@ The Meadowlark
2701 Larimer St, Denver, Colorado 80205

Don't miss a live art exhibit featuring Armando Geneyro, Blake Jackson, John Rehnstrom, Chris Haven, Victor Domingo & Meeg Conroy, prints & Goodness Polaroid Project posters, a contest for the freshest throwback jersey, happy hour from 2-5pm & more on The Meadowlark's magical patio! 

Join the e-mail list at DJLowKey.com before the party or wear a Goodness button/patch/tattoo to skip the $10 cover charge and get in for free.

Brewer's Brunch | Watch Out Mimosas There's A New Boozy Trend In Town

Sage warning to new transplants and Denver visitors: do not underestimate our devotion to craft beer. We will drink it all day - yes, even for breakfast. This past weekend we enjoyed our first ever Brewer’s Brunch hosted by The Corner Office and Ratio Beerworks. Ratio was the smallest brewery to date to participate in the brunch series, previous contributors were such titans in the industry as Avery, Odell and Great Divide. Although small in size, Ratio proved that their beers are robust and diverse in taste (and pair well with deviled eggs!). The series began in January and has been holding monthly gatherings since, the next event takes place on Saturday, July 23rd and features Renegade Brewing Company, get your tickets here: http://thecornerofficedenver.com/events-in-denver/brewers-brunch-events/ 

Beginning Saturday with a 4 course meal and an excuse to day drink was our best start to a weekend yet. Our first impression going into this was that beer and breakfast foods are delicious on their own, but together they don’t really mesh well. We asked Chef Rich Byers, the head chef of The Corner Office about his take on the unlikely pairing, “Brunch has been growing in popularity, along with the craft brewing scene. By creating this dining series, we saw the opportunity for a chance to do something different and coin an area that no one else is really doing. Beer offers a variety of tastes and textures, which makes pairing it with food a fun challenge. Brunch also has a wide breadth of flavors and that makes it perfect for pairing with beer.”  And when the first course arrived, we knew what he was talking about. 

The first course featured Ratio’s Handwritten Belgian White alongside Chef Byers’ deviled eggs ‘buffalo style’ and hush puppies. The interesting thing about pairing beer with brunch is that while the beer is consumed wholly on the side it is also used throughout the cooking process. Chef Byers explained, “I most use it in batters. When creating the menu for these events it is very calculated. We use certain beers that we feel would work with a dish to cook with, others we just try and pair similar flavors.” It seemed as though we had only scratched the surface concerning beer and food pairings, “All beer pairs well with food. When pairing craft beer to food comes down to tasting the beer and looking at which characteristics are best highlighted in the beer. It is good to think of beer as a supporting ingredient to the dish and how it is going to interact with the palate. When cooking with beer you need to be careful. IPAs and hop forward beers can turn bitter. I would say, when cooking use a lighter more malt forward beer, stouts or porters. When pairing, hop bitterness enhances notes of spice, sweet malt notes clam spice and hop bitterness can be balanced on the palate with the addition of fat.” Pairing the deviled eggs and hush puppies with Ratio’s spring seasonal wheat was very strategic because the lemon undertones of the wheat cooled down the savory and buffalo flavored first course. A match made in a carefully curated beer heaven.  

No meal is complete without its boozy companion and this brunch was no exception to that rule. Prior to the event we were able to delve a little deeper into Ratio’s brewing process. While brewing is just as much a labor of chemistry as it is of creativity, the folks over at Ratio Beerworks have mastered the art of balance. Marketing Director Tristan Chan explains, “I firmly believe in the mix of the fundamental science of brewing and the creative nature of recipe development. At Ratio, I think of it more of a pyramid, where the chemistry and fundamentals of brewing science lay the foundation for our beers. Only then can you start adding creativity and experimentation on top of that foundation.  I love to start with classic styles and techniques, and then layer a creative modern twist to the beer. For example, our Dear You saison starts as a classic base, but we use a modern American aroma hop called Citrus all the way through the brew, including a dry-hop.” Drawing on their passion for experimentation and revolutionizing the basics, we asked Chan to detail the most interesting ingredient that they’ve worked with and ingredient that Ratio is most eager to get their hands on. “Culturing bacteria to help sour our berliner weisses and goses has been a fun learning process. I'm looking at using umeboshi, which are Japanese salted plums that are extremely sour and I think will work great in a beer.” We couldn’t agree more and will be patiently awaiting the release!

Moving onto the next three courses we were greeted with Ratio’s Domestica America Standard Ale inspired by long music festivals due to its low abv and clean finish. Chef Byers paired this beer with the classic childhood staple of fish n’ chips and this easily was the highlight of our morning. Before the duo could even finish describing the meal a hungry guest shouted eagerly, “I LOVE fish n’ chips man!” a perfect representation of the meal to follow. The 3rd course featured andouille sausages which we learned the chef had house ground, made and stuffed himself with a sausage machine his coworkers gifted him this past Christmas. The team paired this with a hoppier counterpart to offset the grounding flavors of the sausage and cheddar grits. The Antidote IPA boasts spicy and earthy undercurrents which is counterbalanced by its aromatic citrus and herbal notes. 

It is apparent that beer has played such an integral role in both Chef Byers and the team behind Ratio’s lives. The food and craft was paired seamlessly and with such thoughtfulness we knew that such an obsession was not fostered overnight. Chef Byers’ love affair with beer begin at a young age, “I was probably 12 and I stole some Guinness from my neighbor’s garage. It was warm, so not love at first sight. I later tried a few Budweiser’s on a family cruise, but it probably was not until I was 20 that I started to fall in love with beer. Back then Fat Tire and Anchor Steam were my beers of choice.” His love for beer has transpired through to his cooking in such unique and intriguing ways. 

Our last course left a sweet taste in our mouth and an itch that only the next Brewer’s Brunch can scratch. Our fourth and final meal was finished with Ratio’s famed Hold Steady Chocolate Rye Scotch Ale and paired with The Corner Office’s chocolate cinnamon bun and hoppy raspberry icing. The Scotch Ale complimented the sweetness of the icing due to the hoppy flavors but also toned down the sweetness of the overall pastry. Prior to our brunch at The Corner Office we had never even thought of cooking with beer or using it to highlight certain flavors in a meal. There is so much room for creativity and experimentation when it comes to cooking with beer and the team behind the Brewer’s Brunches has tapped into that goldmine strategically and with grace. The Brewer’s Brunch series is shaping up to be our newest (and best) excuse to substitute our morning coffee for beer and we could not be more excited. Click here to get your tickets to next month’s brunch!

It is no secret that Denver loves beer pairings, with events like the Bacon and Beer Festival and the Beer and Donut Festival we have almost exhausted all our food and booze combinations. What’s next? Kale and beer?! For our sake as a city we certainly hope not. But what does this mean for our craft beer scene? Are we nearing the tail end of its rise to power or is it just getting started? We asked Tristan Chan, Marketing director of Ratio Beerworks and founder of PorchDrinking.com to elaborate on his thoughts about the future of Denver’s craft beer culture and what we can expect to see from Ratio Beerworks this summer and beyond. 

Ultra5280: Craft beer has almost surpassed rocky mountain water as our preferred beverage of choice in Colorado. Do you feel that the popularity the industry has garnered is sustainable and has the potential to grow even bigger?

We definitely feel craft beer is sustainable, so long as we continue to focus on quality, community, and identity. Quality is key, if people are exposed to bad beer even once, it can easily become a  turn off to beer as a whole. Our focus first and foremost is producing great beer. Additionally it is extremely important to re-invest in our communities. At Ratio, community is one of our core values, which means we are constantly giving back to local non-profits via beer donations, as well as holding events in the taproom benefitting local organizations we strongly stand behind. 

And finally, with this new wave of craft breweries, it's becoming increasingly important for breweries to carve out their distinct identities and focus on branding toward those core values. With Ratio, our founders all come from the music industry, after having crossed paths in the punk rock music scene, so music is such a huge part of our brewery's identity. This can be seen in our Ratio Sessions, where we invite touring bands to perform three song acoustic sets and record interviews on the Mostly Harmless Podcast, additionally we host Record Vinyl Swap nights, band performances in the back, and we only play carefully curated music that fits specific genre requirements.


Ultra5280: Ratio is big on local events - from pop up comedy shows to live music, it seems like you’re always up for contributing to our local culture. Is this something we can expect more of this summer? What does the future hold for you? 

We have our core recurring events that take place every month, like Ratio Comedy, Yoga in the Brewhouse the first Saturday of every month, Ratio Quiz Show, which is our fun extra comedic take on your basic trivia set up, and we've recently just introduced a monthly Record Swap Vinyl Night at Ratio on the last Tuesday of every month, where people can bring in their vinyl records to be played in the taproom or to be swapped and traded with other enthusiasts. For Record night, we also bring in Bowman's Vinyl and Lounge's mobile record store. We're also working on an air guitar night to follow up on our music theme, but beer-wise we've also got some great pairing events, as well as some special stuff planned for GABF week, which will build on the return of our Karaoke Throwdown, the Saturday night of GABF. Still on the theme of music related events, we'll periodically host Ratio Sessions for touring bands as we mentioned earlier. 

We also enjoy working with outside accounts on creative partnership events. An example of that is our recent New Wave Tour which debuted our Summer seasonal New Wave Strawberry Berliner at Avanti, Historians and the Way Back. We'll also co-host special beer dinner events with various accounts around town. We've got beer dinners already arranged this summer with Bacon Social Club and The Populist.