BRECKENRIDGE — A beer festival, by its nature, is festive. And the 20th edition of the Big Beers festival that attracted many of the nation’s best brewers to Breckenridge was no exception. This year, however, the mood seemed less merry. In between sips of barrel-aged stouts, blended sours and boozy barleywines, the conversation at the […]
Oskar Blues
Posted inBusiness
Known for its whimsy, the craft beer world is newly focused on the basics: making good beer
If this week’s Great American Beer Festival — with its 800 breweries and 4,000 beers pouring — is a snapshot of the nation’s current craft beer industry, it’s a muddled image. A confluence of market forces is leading brewers to chase new trends and take risks that diminish the focus on quality and consistency that […]
Posted inBusiness, Health
To appeal to calorie-counting drinkers, Colorado’s craft brewers are taking new approaches
The beer list above the bar at the Thirsty Monk in Denver is a roster of classic Belgian styles: farmhouse, wit and tripel. One doesn’t fit: Monk Lite, a “low-calorie ale.” It’s not an actual style, but the labeling reflects one of the defining trends in the beer market today. More drinkers — particularly younger […]
Posted inCulture, Outdoors
June is the best month for beer in Colorado. Follow this guide to find the good stuff.
The Great American Beer Festival each fall gets all the attention. And Colorado Beer Week in the spring is a popular celebration of the state’s craft beer scene. But the best month for beer in Colorado is June. The arrival of the summer months serves as a clarion call for great beer festivals across Colorado. […]
Posted inBusiness
Behold, the almighty can is the new king of craft beer
Inside the brew house on the Metropolitan State University campus in Denver, brewing program students Kyle Warren and Chris Thibodeau offer a step-by-step demonstration on how to can beer. First, the cans are rinsed clean and purged with carbon dioxide. Next, beer fills the cans and foam cascades to the rim. Then, the cap is […]
Posted inBusiness, News
Oskar Blues thinks the future of craft brewing is in the collective
LONGMONT — Oskar Blues is building a national beer empire from its home in Colorado. And this week’s Great American Beer Festival is the unofficial debut. The Longmont brewer will pour beer from all seven brewers in its Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective side-by-side for the first time at the three-day festival in Denver. The demonstration […]