Welcome to Fresh Taps. Each week Shea collects the most promising lineup of new and returning beers hitting taprooms and tasting rooms all over the state.

This week load up your growlers on Thanksgiving Eve or get away from the crowds with Black Friday tappings! Unlike many of the big-box retailers, most breweries will not be open Thanksgiving. But have no fear, there’s a boatload of brews being released Wednesday, Friday, and the other days of the week. From Brewery Rickoli’s 1st Anniversary Party to numerous Left Hand tap takeovers, there’s plenty to drink this week!

Shea’s Spotlight Tappings

Each week I’ll pick a few tappings that catch my eye, and taste buds.

If you find yourself up in Windsor on Wednesday, or traveling between Fort Collins and Denver for Thanksgiving, make a stop by High Hops Brewery for two tasty treats! They’ll be releasing an Imperial Smoked Pumpkin Stout in a firkin as part of their weekly Firkin Hump Day release, plus a special sweet potato beer called Sweetie Pie.

Or if you happen to be around Boulder, stop into Backcountry Pizza for the chance to try all five of Left Hand’s Fade to Black series. Left Hand’s The Night of Fade to Black will certainly be a tasty dark night with five unique dark brews. See below for more details.

 

Here’s the rest of the stellar fresh tappings across Colorado for the next week. Have a great (and safe) Thanksgiving and thank you for reading Fresh Taps!

The Smuggled Taps (Recently Tapped Brews I Missed):

Aurora

• Dry Dock Brewing – Ambassador Sour Ale

Boulder

• Upslope Brewing Lee Hill & Flatiron Park locations – Pumpkin Ale and Imperial IPA

Broomfield

• Big Choice Brewing – Apre Shred Winter Ale

Denver

• Bull & Bush – Holiday Spiced Ale
• Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery – Redpoint Belgo-American Red Rye Double IPA

Louisville

• Gravity Brewing
  • Tsar Bomba Russian Imperial Stout
  • Breckenridge Bourbon Barrel Aged Acceleration Double IPA
  • Framboise Belgian Dubbel infused w/ raspberries

Loveland

• Big Beaver Brewing – The Beaver Patch Belgian Ale
• Verboten Brewing – I Believe in Pink Imperial Saison w/ Pink Peppercorns – A portion of the proceeds during December from this beer go to Crossroads Safehouse

Wednesday, Nov. 27th, 2013:

Arvada

• Odyssey Beerwerks – Chili Pale Ale – 5PM – Discovery Beer Wednesday

Boulder

• Backcountry Pizza – Left Hand’s The Night of Fade to Black – 6:30PM to 10:30PM
  • Fade to Black Vol. 1 Foreign Export Stout
  • Fade to Black Vol. 2 Smoked Baltic Porter
  • Fade to Black Vol. 3 Pepper Porter
  • Fade to Black Vol. 4 Rocky Mountain Black Ale
  • Fade to Black Vol. 5 Black Rye Ale
• Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery – Harvest Wind Imperial Pumpkin Ale
• Southern Sun Pub & Brewery – Harvest Wind Imperial Pumpkin Ale
• Under the Sun Eatery & Taphouse – Harvest Wind Imperial Pumpkin Ale
• Wild Wood Brewery – Barrel Aged Butternut Brown Ale and Pistachio Cream Ale

Denver

• Copper Kettle Brewing – Cranberry Wit – 3PM to 9PM – Firkin Wednesday
• Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew – Belgian Pale, Randalled w/ Cascade hops & raspberries
• River North Brewing – Milk Stout Avarice and Pumpkin-Spiced J. Marie Saison – 3PM – Wayward Wednesday
• Strange Brewing – Vanilla Rum Porter
• Vine Street Pub & Brewery – Harvest Wind Imperial Pumpkin Ale
• World of Beer Cherry Creek – Left Hand Brewing 90’s Party Tap Takeover Benefit – 7PM – Bring new toys to donate to Toys for Tots and get a free beer shot from Left Hand
  • Deep Cover Brown Ale
  • Motherlode Golden Ale
  • Munich Dunkel
  • Fade to Black Vol. 2 Smoked Baltic Porter
  • Fade to Black Vol. 3 Pepper Porter
  • Fade to Black Vol. 4 Rocky Mountain Black Ale
  • Fade to Black Vol. 5 Black Rye Ale
  • And more!!!

Fort Collins

• Choice City Butcher – Odell Brewing 2013 Friek – 7PM
• Pateros Creek Brewing – Brew-Ducken Bourbon Barrel Aged Cranberry Pumpkin Beer

Lafayette

• Odd13 Brewing – TBD – 5PM – Small Batch Wednesday

Lakewood

• World of Beer Belmar – Left Hand Brewing 90’s Party Tap Takeover Benefit – 7PM – Bring new toys to donate to Toys for Tots and get a free beer shot from Left Hand
  • Deep Cover Brown Ale
  • Motherlode Golden Ale
  • Munich Dunkel
  • Fade to Black Vol. 2 Smoked Baltic Porter
  • Fade to Black Vol. 3 Pepper Porter
  • Fade to Black Vol. 4 Rocky Mountain Black Ale
  • Fade to Black Vol. 5 Black Rye Ale
  • And more!!!

Louisville

• Twelve Degree Brewing – Treacherry – 5PM – Tart cherry batch of the Treachery Golden Strong Ale

Windsor

• High Hops Brewery – Imperial Smoked Pumpkin Stout – Firkin Hump Day
• High Hops Brewery – Sweetie Pie Sweet Potato Beer – 10% ABV with sweet potatoes, clove, and cinnamon

Thursday, Nov. 28th, 2013:

Happy Thanksgiving! Why go shopping on this great holiday when you can eat stuffing and drink delicious craft beer that you bought a growler of the day before?

Friday, Nov. 29th, 2013:

Arvada

• Yak & Yeti – Disgruntled Pumpkin – 11AM

Aurora

• Dry Dock Brewing – Black Currant Enterprise IPA – 3PM to 6PM – Firkin Friday

Boulder

• Upslope Brewing Lee Hill – Persimmon Altbier – 2PM – Firkin Friday – German style ale with a nice malt character kicked up with some added persimmons

Broomfield

• Big Choice Brewing – Peppermint Stout – 1 keg, served with a peppermint patty and crushed candy cane, every Friday until Christmas

Colorado Springs

• Brewer’s Republic – Left Hand Throwback Pint Night – 11AM to 10PM
  • Deep Cover Brown Ale
  • Munich Dark Lager
  • Motherlode Golden Ale

Denver

• Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew – West Coast Style IPA – 2PM
• World of Beer Cherry Creek – Special keg of Goose Island Bourbon County

Fort Collins

• Equinox Brewing – Midwinter Warmer Barleywine

Lone Tree

• Lone Tree Brewing – Chili Beer – 1PM

Loveland

• Grimm Brothers Brewhouse – Ungrateful Son Amber Ale infused with grapefruit and dry hopped with Cascade hops
• Loveland Aleworks – Cranberry Saison and Oaked Imperial Stout

Wheat Ridge

• Brewery Rickoli – Special beer tappings TBD – 1st Anniversary Party – 12PM to 8PM

Saturday, Nov. 30th, 2013:

Aurora

• Dry Dock Brewing – Ho Ho Ho Slapdown – 11AM to 5PM – 3 employee brews, vote for your favorite to be their holiday brew

Denver

• Copper Kettle Brewing – Coffee Rye Porter – 12PM – ONE cask and ONE keg!
• River North Brewing – Whiskey Barrel Quandary – 1PM

Sunday, Dec. 1st, 2013

Arvada

• Yak & Yeti – Musee des Beer Arts French Bordeaux Barrel Aged Belgian Blonde

Boulder

• Avery Brewing – 10lb. Strawberry Wit – 12PM to 7PM – Craft & Crafts

Monday, Dec. 2nd, 2013

Grand Junction

• Kannah Creek Brewing – Dark Chocolate Orange Porter – 5PM – Firkin Monday

Tuesday, Dec. 3rd, 2013

Arvada

• Arvada Beer Co – Brown and Butter Pecan Brown

 

Did we miss something? Has your brewery released something new we should know about? I am only human, so please let me know what’s new and on deck to be tapped at shea@denveroffthewagon.com