BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY IS SET TO HOST ITS ANNUAL HOOTENANNY FESTIVAL

Breckenridge Brewery is celebrating the return of the Hootenanny, a two-day annual festival hosted in celebration of craft beer & live music. This year’s event marks the brewery’s 32nd anniversary since its humble beginnings in the mountain town for which it’s named. 


Hosted on Breck’s iconic and family-friendly Littleton Farm House campus, the end of summer extravaganza will include rare tappings, food and beer pairings, life-size board games, local vendors and a Never Summer snowboard hill. With two days of fun featuring national and local bands, the festival runs October 8 and 9 from 12:00pm to 7:00pm, rain or shine. Grab your tickets on Breck’s website to secure your spot as we raise a toast to the last taste of summer. Single day and Two Day bundles are available. 


This year’s music lineup features Railroad Earth, Spin Doctors, and more, playing their most iconic albums in full.! Looking for a sneak preview to jam out to? Enjoy songs from both festival days when you check out our specially curated Spotify playlist – perfect for cracking one open as you crank up the tunes.  


The Littleton Farm House gates open at 12:00pm for concert-goers to enjoy live music in the beer garden. The main stage will open promptly at 1:30pm, so don’t forget to grab a beer in the beer garden while you wait!


Follow along on Instagram and Twitter to stay connected with the festival fun. Hootenanny media assets are available here.


The Lineup

  • Day 1 - October 8

    • Railroad Earth “The Black Bear Sessions” (Set 1) “All for the Song” (Set 2)

    • Anders Osborne “Coming Down”

    • Steve Poltz “One Left Shoe”

  • Day 2 - October 9

    • Big Head Todd and the Monsters “Sister Sweetly”

    • Spin Doctors “Pocket Full of Kryptonite”

    • Bill & Jilian Nershi “Partnership”

Music | Blue Moon Brewing Company Toasts 20 Years With Once-In-a-Blue-Moon Celebrations Nationwide | Friday July 31st


To Celebrate its 20th Anniversary, Blue Moon Will Brew the Perfect Combination of Live Music and Great Beer in Hometown Denver and at Moonlit Parties Throughout the Country
 
On Friday, July 31, Blue Moon will proudly celebrate its 20th Anniversary; and what better way than under a lunar blue moon? During the evening’s moonlit hours, Blue Moon will host a spectacular evening of events throughout Lower Downtown Denver, the neighborhood where Blue Moon was first brewed back in 1995, including a series of free rooftop concerts, culminating with a performance by electronic music project Big Data, featuring special guest Robert DeLong. Blue Moon brewers will also pour a specialty beer release.
 
“As a brewery, we’ve come a long way in 20 years, and we’re excited to celebrate this with the people who got us here—our fans—and the things they love most: food, music and great beer,” says Keith Villa, founder and head brewmaster at Blue Moon Brewing Co.
 
Four local bands will play opening sets on rooftops throughout the area (Jackson’s, Lodo’s, Hayter’s & Co. and Sports Column) from 6 to 8 p.m. At 8:30, Big Data, featuring special guest
 
Robert DeLong, will take the stage at Blue Moon Brewing Co.’s SandLot Brewery. Doors open
at 7:30 p.m. The evening will wrap up with a nationwide toast (more than 750 locations across the country will also be hosting Blue Moon Anniversary parties) led by the Blue Moon brewmasters at 10 p.m. The event is free and open to consumers (21 and up) who RSVP.
 
To attend, fans can first visit BlueMoon20Years.Eventbrite.com to register for a lanyard* and admittance to any of the four rooftop concert events and to Big Data’s performance at The SandLot.
 
As Big Data and special guest Robert DeLong play, fans can enjoy Blue Moon’s top brews alongside food pairings. Tokens earned by fans at the rooftop concert events will be redeemable for specialty samples of Blue Moon 20th Anniversary Ale. The celebratory beer is a combination of a Belgian-style White and a Belgian-style Tripel, two of Villa’s favorite Belgian beer styles from when he earned his Ph.D in brewing in Brussels. The smooth-bodied ale has a warming finish and hints of coriander, orange peel, fruity esters, spicy esters and a touch of sweetness.
 
When Keith Villa created Blue Moon Belgian White Belgian-Style Wheat Ale in 1995, he introduced beer drinkers across the country to Belgian-style beers with a creative twist. Twenty years later, Villa is one of the pioneers of the craft beer movement and Blue Moon has a lot to be proud of. In the past year alone, they’ve released two new varietals in addition to the 20th Anniversary Ale—First Peach Ale and White IPA—and have given rising artists the opportunity to showcase their work nationally on Blue Moon Belgian White labels throughout the summer. In 2016, Villa and his team plan to open another brewery and tasting room in Denver’s burgeoning River North neighborhood.
 
For more information on The Blue Moon Brewing Company, please visit www.BlueMoonBrewingCompany.com, www.Twitter.com/BlueMoonBrewCo, or www.Facebook.com/BlueMoon.
 
*Lanyards will be distributed to registered guests at rooftop concert events on a first-come, first-served basis. Lanyards grant access to each rooftop concert and The SandLot.
 
About Blue Moon Brewing Company
At Blue Moon Brewing Company, everything we do flows from our artistic approach to brewing. We craft our broad array of beers with flavorful ingredients for an inviting taste, perfect for enjoying the moment with friends. It’s been that way since we added our first flavorful twist back in 1995 in Denver, Colo., and that’s why we say our beer and everything we do is artfully crafted. More information is available at www.BlueMoonBrewingCompany.com.

19th Annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival

A weekend full of perfect weather, delicious beer, iconic artists, and a scenery that can only be appreciated in person, this was the The 19th Annual Telluride Blues and Brews Festival. If you haven’t had the opportunity to make it to the festival, I strongly encourage you to do so, however, make sure you are prepared for both warm weather and cold. We thought we were coming well-prepared for the cooler temperatures, but with not a cloud in the sky, I ended up with a bit of a sunburn in 70 degrees. Be sure to bring shorts and tank tops (and sunscreen) for the day but the second that sun passes behind the mountains, be sure you have brought long johns, a winter jacket, and close-toed shoes. Also, a wagon is a must for hauling your camping gear to your campsite, this will save you five trips. And above anything, a bike is a necessity, and not just a road bike. The festival lies at the end of the town and while it isn’t a long walk, you are able to see more and get around more quickly on a bike. Around the campsite and festival grounds, it is unpaved so I would suggest a mountain bike. And that is my rant.

The crowd enjoying the 19th Annual Telluride Blues and Brews Festival (Photo credit: Amanda Spilos)​

And now, the meat and potatoes of the weekend. A number of factors make this festival what it is and sets the standard of quality. When camping, you must park in overnight parking which led us to the top of Mountain Village. This sounded like an inconvenience at first, but we parked at the gondola and took it straight into the heart of Telluride, enjoying three miles and thirteen minutes of scenic Colorado. Walking back to our campsite we noticed lines of folks with their lawn chairs, tarps, and coolers waiting for hours. Perplexed, and wondering if we should be doing the same, I asked what was going on. It is called “The Running of the Tarps”; attendees start lining up hours before the festival grounds open in hopes to lay their tarp and snag the best spot for the entire day. Some huge names ranging from Robert Randolph, The B-52s, Phil Lesh, Gov’t Mule, and so on graced one stage throughout the day. This is something that I enjoyed of a smaller festival, music does not overlap. I’ve paid the $300.00 Bonnaroo ticket and had to compromise my time, splitting it between acts, this was not the case this weekend. The music was prompt and started on schedule. Yes, you heard that correctly. Top-notch artists understand why you travelled long and far, they didn’t pull a Kanye.

Robert Randolph (Photo Credit: Amanda Spilos)​

Friday’s lineup included Robert Randolph, Little Feat, and the B-52s among others (full lineup listed below). Robert Randolph with his giant grin, was great for a day show. The crowd was dancing and taking it all in on that first day. The B-52s were.. interesting. I didn’t know what to think but all I knew was that I had to stick around to hear “Love Shack”, you could tell they were less than enthused to play it for the billionth time. However, the costume contest was something for conversation.

The B-52s (Photo Credit: Amanda Spilos)​

Saturday was my favorite day, not just because of the Grand Tasting with over fifty Microbrews, but also for the talented music from Monophonics, Orgone, Anders Osborne, and Gov’t Mule. Warren Haynes is the man! Back to the beer tasting for just a minute; the Saturday crowd had three hours to try ninety-six different beers from microbreweries all over the country. The winner for the third year in a row, and my favorite, was Eddyline Brewery from Buena Vista, CO. Later that evening, after a little afternoon nap, we attended a late night show with The Lee Boys from Miami. Although it was bitter cold, they had the small crowd dancing so much you were peeling off layers. 

Beer tasting (Photo Credit: Amanda Spilos)​

Eddyline Brewery: Winning brewery for the third year in a row (Photo Credit: Amanda Spilos)​

Warren Haynes​ (Photo Credit: Amanda Spilos)

Sunday we took it easy. I made pancakes and bacon, we cruised the town, and we packed up the car. We wanted to beat the rush Monday morning (which was the best idea we had all weekend) and camped just outside of Telluride in a National Forest. Sunday brought acts like The Lee Boys (again), Kelley Hunt, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and Phil Lesh & Friends: Warren Haynes, Grahame Lesh (son), Brian Lesh (son), Tony Leone, and Jeff Chimenti (from Furthur). Phil’s set spanned from 6 pm until 10 pm; festival-goers certainly got their money’s worth with that show, packed full of Grateful Dead tunes. 

Chris Robinson (Photo Credit: Amanda Spilos)​

Phil Lesh and Friends (Photo Credit: Amanda Spilos)​

In all, the festival was amazing and friendly for all ages. There was plenty to do outside of the festival and plenty to eat if you grew sick of camp food (I would recommend the dumplings from Sisters’ Pantry, if you’re nice she will throw in an extra dumpling or wonton). It was a beautiful weekend and I will certainly be back next year. To see more photos from the weekend, click here.

Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead (Photo Credit: Amanda Spilos)

Amanda​

Friday, September 14: Pickwick | Little Hurricane | Heartless Bastards | Robert Randolph & the Family Band | Little Feat | The B-52s

Saturday, September 15: Grand Tasting with over 50 Microbrews | Monophonics | Orgone | MarchFourth MArching Band | Anders Osborne | Acoustic Blues Competition Winner | Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue | Gov’t Mule

Sunday, September 16: The Lee Boys | Kelley Hunt | Phil Wiggins & Rev. John Wilkins | Tab Benoit | The Chris Robinson Brotherhood | Phil Lesh & Friends

Knoxville band Royal Bangs at the Hi-Dive 11/18: Review


Bear Hands deserves equal recognition, a unique blend of The Police and Modest Mouse, they are quite talented as well. Although their sound was different from the Royal Bangs, they complimented each other and owned their time slot.  Touring with bands like MGMT and Vampire Weekend, I will definitely be looking forward to the next time I see them perform.

Amanda