Collaboration Festival 2015 Preview

Brewers have been putting their heads together and brewing up some creative beers over the last couple weeks and it won’t be long until we get to taste all the deliciousness! This is not just your average beer festival. With 70 unique beers to taste, the place is going to be busting with clever brews. The Colorado Brewers Guild and Imbibe Events bring you Collaboration Festival next Saturday, March 21 at the Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

There will be local collaborations like Verboten (Loveland) and New Belgium (Ft. Collins) bringing a Top Bunk-Bottom Bunk, which is a version of a Black and Tan with Peppermint Stout as the top bunk and a Chocolate Brown as the bottom bunk. Powder Keg (Niwot) and Avery (Boulder) are blending various vintages and styles from selected sour barrel projects, which sounds like a big pucker up will be in order! Another local collaboration is a Chickory Black IPA from Very Nice Brewing Company (Nederland) and Strange Craft Beer Company (Denver).

Though we love our state and have over 200 breweries, Collaboration Festival is also about branching out and working with breweries from all over. Epic (Denver) and Devils Backbone (VA) made a Midnight Mischief. The name alone has me intrigued; This is a non-traditional American hopped black lager Schwarzbier so not sure what to expect but I guess I’ll just have to try it! 🙂 Another fun collaboration is the Might Mighty Bastogne which is a Tripel Tripple brewed with Bastogne Belgian Ale yeast from Ska Brewing (Durango) and Stone Brewing (CA).

There are plenty of exciting collaborations going on but the one I want to discuss a little more in depth is the lady collaboration. Last week lots of incredible beer ladies got together at Horse and Dragon in Fort Collins and brewed something for the festival. This time they are brewing a Double Red IPA with a high ABV so that it can be eligible for Avery Strong Ale Festival 😀 Though the overall idea of the beer was planned ahead of time, on the brew day the hop additions had to be figured out on the spot since the ladies from Odell brought hops.

Bess from Wynkoop shared her thoughts on collaborations: “My favorite part of any collaboration is the learning aspect. Being able to share stories and experiences is just so lovely. The lady brew days add another dynamic to it as well where we are able to share experiences beyond the brew house and touch more on our experiences being females in a male dominated industry. ”

Bess also shared her excitement for Collaboration Fest! What she says pretty much describes why this festival is so special: “It is rare to find an industry in which there is such a willingness to work together and help each other out. It is one of the reasons I originally fell in love with craft beer and people that work in craft.”

All the Lovely Lady Collaborators:

Bess Dougherty, Wynkoop Brewing
Jules Hoekstra, Strange Craft Beer Company
Katie Nasiatka, Odell Brewing Company
Rachel Sachs, Odell Brewing Company
Marni Wahlquist, Odell Brewing Company
Leslie Kaczeus, Bootstrap Brewing
Betty Wang, CAUTION: Brewing Company
Katie Bressan, Fort Collins Brewery
Vicki Rubinstein, Fort Collins Brewery
Kelly McKnight, New Belgium Brewing Company
Jenna Roberson, New Belgium Brewing Company
Kim Collins, Barrels and Bottles Brewery
Abby George, Barrels & Bottles Brewery
Kelley McElroy, Avery Brewing Company
Andrea Miller, Big Choice Brewing
Ashleigh Carter, Beirstadt Lagerhause
Dev Adams, Golden City Brewing
Nicol Winkler, Pink Boots Beer/Thirsty German

To find out more about the event, like all the delicious collaborations and the recently added break out sessions like Sour Beers and The Flavor of Colorado Craft, visit Imbibe Events.

More To Love:

Denver Festivus 2013

Bacon and Beer Festival

Hamburg Winter Beer Festival