This Weekend | Drinkable Denver Events

Summer, like all great things, doesn't last forever. We're holding on to backyards-and-beer days this upcoming mid-September weekend, and thus we decided to let you in on our late summer secrets. Here's some amazing Denver events, from the beer garden, to the backyard brewery, to the Denver Art Museum, this weekend will surely be one to remember when winter comes and we're all holed up with Netflix and your furry pet for a cuddle partner. 


SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH

National Sour Beer Day @ Avery Brewing Company

Sure to leave a sour taste in your mouth only in the best way, come celebrate sour beers at one of our favorite local breweries. Avery has prepared six different beers on tap, and many more in the bottle. 

All day Saturday, 11 AM- 11 PM 

Tickets here


Oktoberfest @ Pikes Peak Brewing

 11 AM - 11 PM
Bring out your wooden clogs and get your jive on. Come play some games, drink some beer, listen to some music, drink some beer, eat some food, drink some beer, hangout, and lastly, drink some beer.

 

 

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Shakedown & Denver Food + Wine Festival @ Pepsi Center grounds

Friday & Saturday

A multi-day extravaganza showcasing talented chefs from across the state and their creative culinary creations served alongside hundreds of wines and spirits. The Grand Tasting unites Colorado’s culinary leaders – award winning chefs, mixologists and wine professionals – and leads guests on a culinary journey through the state’s acclaimed, and expanding, dining scene. The open layout allows guests to eat, drink and explore the creations of more than 40 top restaurants and more than 700 wines and spirits from the region’s most lauded wine professionals. Friday night's Shakedown is a Southern-inspired evening of soulful bites and cocktails, paired with live music while eleven local celebrity bartenders compete for guest votes for the “Best Cocktail in Denver.”


Denver's Tour de Fat @ City Park

Tour de Fat is New Belgium Brewing’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle, honoring mankind’s greatest invention. Born in Fort Collins, Colorado, to increase awareness and participation in cycling as a sustainable form of transportation, Tour de Fat has grown into a national rite of passage for cycling advocates and bon vivants alike.

10 AM - 5 PM
City Park, Denver, Colorado United States

Get tickets here. 
 


Tour de Fat After Party @ Illegal Pete's Colfax 

Have you ever been at a party, and it ends too quick!?! Now you need somewhere else to go to talk about all the awesome shenanigans!

Well, when Tour de Fat Denver is a wrap, come on over to Illegal Pete's Colfax for some $3.50 Fat Tire, Sunshine, and Citradelic Drafts and $5.00 Tart Lychee Drafts (while it lasts). Oh, and Queso...lots of queso.

6 PM - 10 PM 

 



The 2016 DAM Friendship Powwow @ Denver Art Museum

One of DAM's longest-running events, the 27th Annual Friendship Powwow and American Indian Cultural Celebration will feature American Indian dancers, drum groups, working artists, hands-on activities, artist booths, and more. The DAM’s Friendship Powwow is a celebration of the vitality of American Indian cultures. 

Surprisingly, we actually don't recommend drinking during this event, despite our beer theme, as it is happening at 10 AM and it's a family event. 

Throughout the day, visitors can watch colorful dance competitions, participate with artists in hands-on activities, and enjoy their first (or 101st!) piece of fry bread. Stop by the Native Arts Artist-in-Residence Studio, focused this summer on the artistry and creation of powwow regalia. Also, don’t miss the American Indian art collection on levels two and three of the North Building.

The powwow will take place on Acoma Plaza (between the Denver Art Museum and Denver Public Library).

Social Dances and Special Performance—10 am

Grand Entry—11 am

All powwow activities and general museum admission are free.

*Pictured: Sarah Ortegon (Eastern Shoshone/Northern Arapaho), former Miss Native American USA and this year's Denver Art Museum Friendship Powwow Head Woman Dancer. Pictured with Sarah is Sean Carlton (Dineh).
The two were captured by a photographer while doing the 'potato dance' where dance couples compete against one another in giving it their all to keep from letting the potato fall to the ground. Not as easy as it looks ;-)
(Denver Post Photo 2015)


SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH 

Iska Daaf Band Members Nathan Quiroga  Benjamin Verdoes


Rubedo, Iska Dhaaf (NY), Two Tone Wolf Pack and The Original Ills @ Syntax Physic Opera

7:30 PM- 2 AM

With a killer local lineup, this Syntax show is sure to please, so come dance with us and feel the feels. 

 


Boulder Pridefest @ Central Park 

Pridefest is Boulder County's biggest LGBTQ event of the year, featuring over 100 vendor booths, a Beer Garden featuring Avery Beers, a full line up of bands and performers at the Band Shell, a youth and family area, a health and wellness area, plenty of food trucks, a visibility march and the Big Gay 5K. 


This year's performance lineup: 
11:15 to 11:45 Bethel Steele
11:45 to 11:55 Big Gay 5K Awards
11:55 12:55 Wheel Chair Sports Camp
12:55 to 1:00 Mile High Drag Kings
1:00 to 1:45 The Pryde
1:45 to 2:00 Jill Brzezicki
2:00 to 2:45 Rubix
2:45 to 3:00 Jill Brzezicki
3:00 to 3:45 Mariachi 3
3:45 to 4:15 Haus of Fish Candy
4:15 to 5:15 Mouths of Babes
5:15 to 6:00 Cat Jerky


Codename: SuperDuperFan Can Release @ Odd13 Brewing 

Odd13 Origins Series is back, and they're releasing canned taproom exclusive IPA's! Come drink more beer!

Buy a case and receive a free pint glass on Sept 11th only. 

*Limit one case per person.

 

Lifestyle | The Great American Beer Festival | Review and Photos

The Great American Beer Festival is all about tradition and the present day festival lives up to the high standards set in the earlier years. For example, the first GABF steins were made completely out of glass (whose great idea it was to give a bunch of drunks glass, is beyond us). But, each time someone dropped their cup, the hall would erupt in laughter and shame the poor soul. So now, whenever you hear someone oooh, ahhh, laugh, point, gawk or squeal at someone who has just dropped their tasting cup, it is only the sweet sound of tradition rearing it’s devious head. And it is tradition in itself that has made the GABF the monumental event that it is today. It’s a bunch of easy-going beer lovers, getting together to nerd out and celebrate the artistry of craft beer. And hey, if they can laugh at a few drunk bozos who drop their glass, then it only adds to the fun. 

We were honored and more than excited to cover this year’s festival. If something is going to get us up by noon on a Saturday, you can bet your ass it’s beer. The event was put together very nicely, with minimal to non-existent lines and an eager to help/knowledgeable staff, we were given the tools to explore and make the event our own. With that being said, even if we were sober (which we definitely were not) I still think we would have had a difficult time navigating the arena. The Mountain region was somehow everywhere and nowhere. First it was upper right then it somehow migrated towards the midwest? A thought for next year would be to map it out like America and have the Eastern breweries be on the East and the Western breweries on the West. But what do we know (seriously…) we’re just a couple drunks that were too lazy to open our directory. An added bonus of not knowing where we were was that we threw caution (our detailed and thought out lists) to the wind and followed our beer bellies to the next thrill. Which was everywhere.

Remember that scene in Family Guy where he gets locked in the brewery and drinks his way out? Well, that’s what the Great American Beer Festival is like, except you’re drinking rare, expensive craft beer and there is no bottom of the distilling vessel. With over 750 breweries in the brewery hall and 3,800 beers served there was no possible way to try them all… We don’t all have the tolerance of Peter Griffin.. But with that being said, there were a few that stood out to us.

Mcclain Morris (Lifestyle Editor)

1. Goose Island Beer Company: Lolita

2. Black Bottle: Cerealiously Count Chocula

3.  Revolver Brewing: Sangre Y Miel

4.  Deschutes: Zarabanda Saison

5.  The Perch Pub & Brewery: Perch Belgian Peach 

Matt Smith (Photographer)

1.  Almanac Brewery: Valley of The Heart's Delight

2.  All Rise Brewery: Three Orange Wit

3.  The Collective Brewery: Petite Golden Sour

4.  Santa Fe Brewery:  Los Innovadores Kriek

5.  Dry Dock Brewery: Apricot Blonde Sour

Robert Castro (Managing Editor)

1.  Revolver Brewing: Blood and Honey

2.  Avery Brewing Company:  Rumpkin

3.  Short's Brewing Company: Key Lime Pie

4. Boston Beer Co:  Sam Adam's Utopias

5.  512 Brewery: Pecan Porter

Click Here for a list of complete winners.

Best Booth: Uintas Brewing

Best place to get this adorable glass mustaches: Squatters Brewing

Best use of a can for a necklace: Oskar Blue's

Best use of marketing: Bull and Bush photo cut-out.


Overheards:

"I think this was made with real blood"-random white dude

"I don't understand all the pretzel necklaces"-random white girl

"Do they have a happy hour here?"-Anonymous

"Where is the wine section?"-Kristal (I think that was her name)

"I could do this all day!"-Castro "sampling" Twin Peaks Brewing

From small to large, each brewery is just living out their own unique version of the American Dream. And it warms our heart and our cheeks to watch it all unfold during this one monumental event. From finding our new favorite beers, getting a fake tattoo sleeve and downing an entire bag of GF pretzels, we had the time of our life. And we owe it all to you… GABF. Until next year… Our livers could use a break.