Great American Beer Festivities are in full swing, and there is a somewhat overwhelming number of unofficial events to choose from. We already asked Denver beer expert Eric Gorski to pick a dozen for us, but here are a few we like today.
Southside Bar and Kitchen, 3014 E. Colfax Ave., is hosting a beer and taco pairing dinner with Lagunitas Brewing Co. from 6-10 p.m. They'll be serving tacos at Taco Tuesday prices ($1-2) to go with each of these beers
- Sucks 366 firkin: special dry hopped edition of Sucks, with Equinox (366) hops
- TuberFest: hoppy, strong Marzen lager
- Aunt Sally Sour Ale
- Lagunitas IPA
- Born Again Yesterday IPA
- Daytime IPA (bottles)
- 12th of Never Ale (cans)
Plus, Lagunitas staff will be on hand giving out tastes of beer and merch.
Over at Work & Class, 2500 Larimer St., they're having a more formal beer dinner with Avery Brewing Co. from 6:30-10 p.m.
They'll be serving appetizers and an eight course meal, all paired with Avery beer. Tickets are $100 and include tax and gratuity.
For something more casual and, more importantly, heavy metal, stop by Trve Brewing Co., 227 Broadway, from 7 p.m. to midnight. They're working with North Carolina's Burial Beer Co. for the first tap takeover in Trve taproom history.
Here's what's on tap, along with the brewer's descriptions:
- Massacre of the Innocents IPA: Redundancy is sin. As brewers we have innocently made IPA for years, rife with simple barley malt bills and pungent grapefruit hop aromas. Stagnant no more, we molded this beer from our love for farmhouse fermentation, by using a wild strain of yeast and relying on the old guard of oats and wheat. Dry-hopped with Amarillo, Galaxy, and Citra hops this IPA finishes dry and crisp.
- Triumph of Death Sumac Saison: This beer is a staff favorite at the onset of fall. Brewed with a backbone of Riverbend Pilsner and Rye and fleshed out with malted oats and honey malts, Triumph of Death features foraged sumac from the Appalachian hillsides. It is hopped with a mild dose of Cashmere hops and brewed with lemon peel and honey for a balance of tart, spice, and sweet.
- Griddle Espresso Stout: The love for Skillet is so palpable we decided to push the limits. Griddle (formerly named Piston) is a beefed up version of our favorite breakfast stout, focused on a stronger, drier and more robust espresso stout. With a diverse malt bill and 50% more coffee than Skillet, this 9% ale is a perfect expression of Counter Culture’s infamous espresso blend.
- Scythe Rye IPA: For this Rye IPA, we use a healthy dose of malted Rye and Belgian Crystal malts while Mosaic, Summit, and Chinook hops add that delicious hop flavor and aroma.
OK, on to the non-beer fun (though you could certainly still drink beer at these events.
Dinosaur Jr. is playing the Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave. You're probably familiar with the prolific, powerhouse trio by now, but if you're not, get familiar and go see them.
Tickets are $30.75 and the show starts at 8 p.m. They play the same time and place tomorrow, too.
NHL Hockey is back, Denver, and the Avalanche's preseason continues at home against their rivals and dream-crushers, the Minnesota Wild.
The game starts at 7 p.m. at the Pepsi Center, 1000 Chopper Circle. Ticket prices vary, so take a look around for yourself.
