Visual arts fest accessible to all
Plus:
Trains keep rolling
Packaged: Great spirits and historic lodging
Performing arts premieres drop along Front Range
From Bison and Old West charm to stunning scenery, this northeast region of Wyoming is a crowd-pleaser
Take a guided tour of Downtown Gillette and learn about the city’s Old West past.
See spectacular machines working at the Eagle Butte Mine.
We publish more stories than we can fit into each print issue. Visit ThirstColorado.com (or point your smartphone at the QR code) to see these stories and much more, including our weekly events roundup, food and drink recommendations, ticket giveaways and more.
Former Denver Bronco Bobby Massie and his wife Angel have launched a luxury outdoor outfitting service. Learn about their efforts to make everyone feel welcome in the wilderness.
The beloved bison off Interstate 70 are much more than a tourist attraction. Learn how Denver Parks is using them to make a social and environmental impact.
We’ve got your itinerary for a day in the Denver neighborhood where the hotels, food and museums are all works of art.
And sign up for our weekly newsletter so you never miss another update.
Publisher Paul Johnson paul@thirstcolorado.com
Associate Publisher & Editor Joe Ross joe@thirstcolorado.com
Vice President, Sales Scott Kaplan Sales
Linda Battle, Rebel Becker, Nina Gunther, Alexandra Smith, Christine Werner
Design & Layout
Sandy Birkey Stacey Krull
President & Founder Emeritus Wilbur E. Flachman
Digital & Marketing Manager Steve Graham
Editorial Assistant Johnny Burkin
Contributors
John Garvey, Kyle Kirves, Kristen Kuchar, Jay McKinney, Eric Peterson
For advertising and editorial information, please contact Joe Ross at 303.428.9529 or email joe@thirstcolorado.com
Proud member of the Colorado Brewers Guild
Thirst Colorado is produced by The Publishing House, a division of Colorado Word Works, Inc. The Publishing House also produces Colorado’s Performing Arts Publications,
In addition to contributing to Thirst Colorado, Burkin writes screenplays and breaks down the chances of the Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets returning to championship glory. And he’s been known to bend a few ears with a history lesson.
Garvey is a storyteller, freelance writer, illustrator and nerd. He has written for dozens of lifestyle magazines, business publications, and blogs, including Entrepreneur, ColoradoBiz, InnovatioNews, and Thirst Colorado. A Northern Colorado resident, dad, and artist, one of John’s strangest and most notable accomplishments is completing a drawing a day for the entire year of 2023. That creative practice that taught him far more about the human mind than he had expected. You can see John’s writing at clippings.me/johngarvey. His art is at CreativeFollies.com and @CreativeFollies.
Kirves prefers “man of letters” to “English Major” when responding to questions about his degrees from Ohio University and the University of Dayton. Writing professionally since 1992, he’s primarily covered people, places, and events in the arts, craft culture, and leisure communities, most recently for Arts Enthusiast, the Longmont Downtown Development Authority, ArtsLongmont, and, of course, Thirst Colorado. He is an avid road/trail runner, amateur historian, passable guitar player, lousy fly-fisherman, and devotee of 1950’s and 60’s jazz, especially Miles. He lives in Longmont, with his wife, artist Joanne Kirves, and has two children, Nate and Nora. When he sleeps, he dreams of meatball sandwiches and cold craft beer.
Kuchar has written about travel and the beverage industry for 15 years in a variety of national and local publications. For Thirst, she primarily covers food, wine, cider, beer and other beverages. She has contributed to VinePair, Zymurgy, The Beer Connoisseur, Craftbeer.com, Beer Advocate, Brew Your Own, All About Beer, DRAFT and dozens more. Currently, she is a Certified Cicerone Beer Server and has a Level 1 Wine Certification with the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, and she continues to pursue further wine and beverage education.
McKinney is a Colorado native who grew up south of Denver in Sedalia. In 2020, he graduated from the Metropolitan State University of Denver with a bachelor’s degree in communications. Shortly after, he began contributing to Thirst Colorado. He is passionate about promoting the Colorado lifestyle and the independent craft businesses that make the state a magnet for creative people. During his free time, he enjoys playing golf, shooting pool and hiking throughout Colorado and neighboring Utah.
Peterson is a freelance writer who covers travel, business and real estate as well as Colorado’s craft beverage industry. In his spare time, he likes to create hard listening music, oddball art and psychedelic videos. Eric lives in Denver with his wife, Jamie, and their faithful mutts, Aoife and Ogma.
Embark on a culinary adventure in one of Colorado’s most diverse cities. The Aurora Eats guide is your passport to the city’s 330-plus authentic, specialty restaurants and markets. There’s a world of flavors to explore in this global community brimming with culture, history and heritage. Experience Aurora and find out why it’s truly the World in a City.
Artist:
I believe that everyone should have original art, it’s magical and this show opens that door. I’m so thankful to be a part of it.
– Lisa Diámor SánchezBy Steve Graham
Artist Lisa Diámor Sánchez wants everyone to own original art. That goal is much more attainable at the Affordable Arts Festival in Littleton, where every piece costs $150 or less.
“I love that it makes art accessible to everyone,” said Sánchez, who returns to the festival this year with her mixed-media art. “I believe that everyone should have original art, it’s magical and this show opens that door. I’m so thankful to be a part of it. I’m looking forward to seeing all my friends and collecting more art.”
The festival is a one-day event unlike any other festival in the country. More than 165 artists all over the country offer top-quality art in a wide range of media. Festival director Jim DeLutes said some of the art is originally valued at up to $4,000. The festival will include painting, glass, clay, sculpture, metalwork, photography, mixed media, fiber and wood.
“Artists love the high-energy buying that happens at the Affordable Arts Festival,” he said. “They love being swamped with excited buyers who are purchasing faster than the artists can keep up.”
The opening of the festival can feel like a Black Friday shopping frenzy. DeLutes said about 4,000 people waited for the gates to open at last year’s festival, and rushed to their favorite artists’ booths.
“People actually bring lawn chairs and a thermos of coffee and wait for 5 hours hoping to be the first ones in,” said artist Jenny Bullard, who will bring her colorful and uplifting art to the festival again this year. “I love the energy and excitement the buyers bring.”
This year’s festival opens at 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, at Arapahoe Community College. Admission costs $12, and proceeds have funded a cumulative $290,000 in scholarships for ACC students since 2012.
DeLutes has been running the Denver Arts Festival for 18 years, and launched a second, more affordable festival 12 years ago. He was inspired by an artist friend who attended an affordable arts festival in Milwaukee.
“He gave me live video feeds of how many people were there and how crazy the shopping energy was,” said DeLutes, who then attended the show in 2011 as an artist. “It was so much fun and I knew right then that Colorado needed a show like this.”
The Milwaukee festival closed recently after more than 50 years, and DeLutes said he doesn’t know of any other shows of its kind in the nation.
DeLutes said he loves to see “patrons being blown away by the quality of the work and the huge discounts,” and attendees often tell him they planned a $200 budget, but spent $1,200 without regret.
Award-winning artist Caroline Young will return to the Affordable Arts Festival this summer, and she calls the event “a truly unique art festival.”
Young said she will bring new original paintings and new limited-edition prints to the festival this year.
“Jim DeLutes is the best show director we’ve ever worked with,” she added. “...The fact that the show is only six hours on one day makes festival
goers focus on buying artwork. They know they must act before someone else snatches up what they want. Despite the low prices, the exhibitors have high-quality items. You do not get the feel of a flea market. The excitement of the crowd creates an infectious buying energy.” Despite the low prices, the popularity of the festival makes it lucrative for artists.
“Having been an artist at the Affordable Arts Festival since the third annual show, I can tell you it has been one of my top grossing shows every year since,” said Colorado painter Bruce White.
He echoed the other artists’ recollections of eager attendees.
“Patient patrons literally run through the aisles once the horn sounds to open the show, just to get to a particular artist’s booth before anyone else can,” White said. “I have had lines of customers for a solid three hours in all of the three most recent shows. You don’t see that in any other show.”
And he doesn’t just make money and sell art at the show. He is also an avid patron building his own collection.
“In fact, I have personally purchased dozens of cherished pieces over the years,” White said. “This is truly a show that art lovers should not miss.”
By Johnny Burkin
Before traffic jams or the rise of commercial airliners, trains ruled the day as the primary mode of transportation across most lands. And although they are still used in that capacity today, cross-country travel in the U.S. has largely been passed over.
Company. But everyone should experience the serenity of chugging along the tracks, especially here in the Centennial State where there is no shortfall of gorgeous landscapes to venture through. Finding a fun and scenic train ride to gather some historic perspective and limitless photos is easy. So, for those interested in coasting some rails and seeing the state in a different light, here are some exciting
A darling of the big screen, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad has made cameo appearances in several well-known films over the years: Bite the Bullet (1975), Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade (1989), and Hostiles (2018), to name a few. And considering its picturesque 64-mile trek that whips between the Colorado and New Mexico borders and builds up to a 10,000-foot climb over Cumbres Pass, one can begin to see the allure. Other highlights of the route include a descent into the Chama Valley, hugging the edges of the Toltec Gorge, and a top-down view of the rushing waters of the Rio de los Pinos. If that doesn’t quite pique enough interest, board one of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad’s special trains, like the Outlaw Express - Brews, Views and Que’. Travelers that book this trip can look forward to an afternoon ride followed by a 6 p.m. dinner prepared by Outlaw BBQ. Enjoy delicious smoked turkey, sliced brisket, as well as other favorites. Plus, for craft beer enthusiasts, pair the meal with a nice, refreshing brew provided by Ska Brewing
cumbrestoltec.com
Photo courtesy of Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
Considered an engineering triumph at the time of its completion in 1884, The Georgetown Loop is one the more well-known visitor attractions found across the state. The 3-foot narrow gauge railroad corkscrews its way through mountainous terrain as it hauls passengers between the old mining towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume. The ride itself is on the shorter side as it only covers 2 miles and generally lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes during the main season. For those with limited time or restless children, this can be seen as a plus - just like the loop’s proximity to the Denver Metro area, which is less than an hour away. During July, take advantage of Sasquatch Adventure Days and explore the legend of the furry beast. Or, take advantage of an August visit during Wild West Days and pan for gold while learning about yesteryear. To further enhance the experience, be sure to check another historic offering on site: the walking tour of the Lebanon Silver Mine. georgetownlooprr.com
Some say necessity is the mother of invention. In the case of the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, that might be true. Its construction in 1889 came about after businessman/inventor Zalmon G. Simmons traveled to Pikes Peak to inspect telegraph insulators placed on the mountain. What he encountered was a difficult two-day mule ride to the summit. Hence, his decision to fund the creation of the railway. These days the Pikes Peak Cog Railway serves as the world’s highest and longest cog railroad. The three hour, 9-mile trip takes riders on a journey filled with magnificent views as the train ascends to the top of America’s Mountain. Once there, visitors will have 40 minutes to explore the newly updated Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center. For those seeking a little sustenance, be sure to try one of the center’s famous freshly made donuts. Need a keepsake or souvenir to commemorate the journey? Don’t forget to browse the gift shop. And for the bold few, scrap that return trip all together and hike your way down the 13-mile Barr Trail. cograilway.com
Since 1988, Memorial Day weekend has marked the beginning of a new season for the Leadville Railroad. Not that anyone is counting, but that makes 2024 their 36th season in action. More importantly, though, it means daily trips will be available through September. For a little context, the railway dates to 1884 and was originally owned by the Denver South Park & Pacific Railroad, and once played a key role during the town’s silver mining boom. Guests that embark on the roughly two-and-a-half hour route can expect to learn more about the railroad’s origin in addition to discovering the region’s vast natural beauty. Expect sweeping scenes of the Upper Arkansas River Valley and San Isabel National Forest. Peak lovers can look forward to seeing the Rocky Mountains in all their glory, as along the way they’ll be treated to the sights of the state’s two tallest, Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive. leadvillerailroad.com
Take the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company, sprinkle in some mining and that’s the recipe that binds Durango and Silverton. In fact, when D&RG founded Durango in 1880 it did so with the primary intention of supporting mining operations in the San Juan area. That meant one of the first orders of business was the construction of a Silverton line. Fast forward to the present, and the line, now part of Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, is one of the better known tourist rides in the state. During the summer season those onboard the steam powered train can anticipate a seven-hour round trip along the Animas River and through the San Juan Mountains as they traverse between Durango and Silverton. Once reaching Silverton, however, passengers will have a twohour layover to take in the town. Wander the main street with all its historic buildings like the Grand Imperial Hotel or the San Juan County Courthouse. There’s also no shortage of local shops and eateries to check out. For the beer connoisseurs, don’t head back before grabbing a cold one at one of Silverton’s two breweriesAvalanche Brewing Company and Golden Block Brewery. Altogether, D&SNGRR provides a great experience for people from all walks of life, even offering several special packages catered to the more adventurous. One example is the Raft & Rails package, which includes a guided morning rafting trip before catching a relaxing afternoon train ride back to Durango. durangotrain.com
The Royal Gorge is one of the most iconic landmarks that Colorado has to offer. It’s so spectacular that a war was fought in the late 1870s over which railroad company would have access to its breathtaking views. Well, not exactly. While the Colorado Railroad War, or as it’s also known, the Royal Gorge Railroad War, was indeed a conflict between two rival railroad companies, the Atchison,Topeka and Santa Fe, and the Denver & Rio Grande, the dispute only involved the gorge because it simply obstructed their way. In other words, what both companies truly sought was to build a direct railway to the flourishing mines of Leadville. But after a bitter two-year struggle, only the D&RG would be allowed to resume construction of the track. Today, the Royal Gorge Route Railroad uses part of that same stretch of track to give its passengers a one-ofa-kind journey spotlighting the beauty of the gorge in addition to stunning views of the Arkansas River. The onboard experience is also top notch and offers first-class accommodations and dining options. Furthermore, availability should never be an issue as the Royal Gorge Route Railroad runs year round with up to four departures daily. Royalgorgeroute.com
Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad
Hop on that steam engine and relive the historic mines of Cripple Creek during this 45-minute journey. cripplecreekrailroad.com
Ridgway Railroad Museum & Train Ride
Experience the old train equipment and the railroading history of Ouray County and surrounding areas. ridgwayrailroadmuseum.org
Tiny Town & Railroad
This fun and short miniature train ride through a miniature town is always a hit with the kiddos. tinytownrailroad.com
Colorado Railroad Museum
Tour the museum’s exhibits as well as its 15-acre railyard and truly be immersed in the rich railroading past of the Rocky Mountains. coloradorailroadmuseum.org
Colorado Railbike Adventures
Put the pedal to the rails and railbike tracks that were once used to support the coal mines of Erie. coloradorailbikeadventures.com
In addition to contributing to Thirst Colorado, Johnny Burkin writes screenplays and breaks down the chances of the Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets returning to championship glory. And he’s been known to bend a few ears with a history lesson.
1874 Distilling keeps everything close in Del Norte
Within the agricultural hotspot of the San Luis Valley, 1874
Distilling became the first local distillery when it opened more than four years ago. It’s rather surprising, given the sheer size of the valley (larger than some eastern states) and the fact that it produces many grains utilized by far-away distilleries. As the valley’s first, the founders of 1874 realized the value in producing spirits with local ingredients and running a tight-knit operation where they could slash transportation costs and build communal relationships with farmers.
The distillery, located in the same building as Del Norte’s historic Windsor Hotel, opened at the worst time in recent history: March of 2020. While nobody could predict or prepare for a pandemic, the distillery was fortunate to be able to serve the community when the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms reached out to see if it would produce hand sanitizer. That kept the team busy throughout the year and by December of 2020, the distillery finally had its first sale. Nearly six months later in June of 2021, the tasting room opened too.
In its mission to keep everything local, 1874 strictly produces spirits with what can be grown in the valley, including barley, wheat and rye. The distillery also has a partnership with its neighbors, Three Barrel Brewing, which is located two blocks away and does the mash for the distillate.
“Basically, everything that goes into a bottle is grown within 20 miles of our front door,” says distiller Micah Reynolds. This is
the fourth distillery that Reynolds has worked for, and he says it’s unique because a lot of places don’t have millions of farmable acres right at their doorstep.
The distillery hopes to be a leader in the recently designated single malt category by using the flavors of the valley. However, it also produces vodka, gin and liqueur as well.
“American single malt is a new category and we’ve kind of known that was coming down the pipeline and so we’ve sort of geared our products toward being a leader in that category,” Reynolds says. “In the next five years, I would expect to have a couple of (American single malt) gold medals.”
In September 2023, a cottonwood-smoked single malt was the first batch of whiskey the distillery released. On the nose, the whiskey has notes of smoked cherry and dried fruit, and it finishes light with a subtle flavor of tobacco and a hint of mint.
1874 Distilling is led by an assortment of people with different backgrounds and occupations including a brewer, a CPA, mixologist, sommelier, a couple of farmers and others. Three of the partners own the hotel as well, which is what truly brought them together in this endeavor.
One of the most unusual aspects of the distillery is that it is located within the same building as the Windsor Hotel. Originally built in 1874 (hence the name of the distillery), the Windsor is a Middle Victorian building that is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. It was almost demolished in 1993 and sat vacant
for about 25 years, but now, thanks to a major restoration, it’s operational once again.
The building was restored with the help of a historical architectural engineer, who found the same colors that were originally used and even the same press used to press the tin on the ceiling. Walking into the hotel feels like stepping back into the 19th century, when Del Norte was a bustling Wild West town.
However, in the renovation there were some major improvements made to make it hospitable in the 21st century. The hotel currently has 20 rooms. When it was first constructed there were 30 rooms occupying about the same amount of space that nine rooms occupy today. With bedpans and a communal bathroom, it probably felt more like a hostel than a hotel.
Guests now have 20 modern options with rooms featuring a variety of sleeping configurations and a suite that is rumored to have been a woodshop or a dancehall back when it first opened.
“It has a lot of character,” says co-owner Kevin Haas. “Ninetyeight percent of the restoration work was done by artisans and craftsmen in the San Luis Valley. The only thing they needed to farm out was the fire suppression and the elevators.”
It really is a community investment and a cornerstone in Del Norte, and the valley as a whole. While the town’s population is still
comparatively small (roughly 1,500 people), recent years have seen immense growth.
“Humbly speaking, I think Del Norte is becoming the center of the valley again, because of its resurgence and its wealth of business that we have coming back,” Haas says. “Ten years ago when I came here, there was nothing going on. It’s pretty interesting to see the growth in just a few years.”
As bad as it was for the distillery’s opening, the COVID-19 pandemic enabled people to flock to smaller towns like Del Norte and can be credited with the recent boom in business Haas speaks of. When remote work became acceptable and there was an emphasis on solitary outdoor activities versus indoor gatherings, many city slickers headed for the hills.
But what has set Del Norte apart from other destinations is its proximity to the Rio Grande and surrounding mountains, which provide an abundance of year-round outdoor opportunities.
Jay McKinney grew up in Sedalia and graduated from the Metropolitan State University of Denver with a bachelor’s degree in communications. During his free time, he enjoys playing golf, shooting pool and hiking throughout Colorado and neighboring Utah.
Slow down the hustle and bustle. Leave the city rush behind—swap for wild adventure in Cheyenne. Sit back by the reservoirs as the rainbow trout and kokanee salmon splash. Hike ‘til you find quartz-brilliant paradise. Enter the land where legendary cowboys found invigoration, calling a new age of adventure.
Rio Grande County is the modern-day Wild West. There might not be cowboys dueling on dusty streets, but it’s geographically isolated from larger towns and full of wild adventure opportunities.
The county is located in the vast San Luis Valley and serves as the gateway to the San Juan Mountains, which are a crown jewel of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. In the warmer months, tourists visit the county to fish, hike, raft, hunt and partake in just about every other outdoor activity Colorado is known for. And when winter sets in, passionate skiers, boarders and snowshoers make the trek to nearby Wolf Creek Ski Area to experience some of the deepest snow in the state. Whether planning a single- or multi-day trip, there’s plenty of fun to fill up the day.
The county is named after the “big river” – Rio Grande in Spanish – that flows through the region and connects the three municipalities of Monte Vista, Del Norte and South Fork. Each town has its own charming sense of community and pride.
Of the three municipalities along the river, South Fork may be the smallest population wise, but it dubbed itself the base camp for adventure. It’s an ATV-friendly community that also offers anglers a 22-mile stretch of the river designated as Gold Medal Water. Anglers seeking trophy fish have their best shot at catching one in this section of the river. Joel Condren owns 8200 Mountain Sports in South Fork and argues that the remoteness of the area is what makes it special.
“One of the key components is that South Fork is geographically undesirable,” Condren jokes. “You really have to want to be in South Fork. If you left Denver or Albuquerque, there are a lot of other rivers in between those bigger cities than South Fork. You get that customer that’s willing to come down and stay overnight for one or more nights, and therefore we feel like we get a better class of recreational tourists.”
In a state that has so many great rivers to fish, only 168 miles have been designated as Gold Medal Water and this portion of the
Rio Grande deserves to be on every Colorado angler’s bucket list. For those who are interested in a friendly fishing competition, consider joining the Par Fly Tournament hosted by 8200 Mountain Sports and San Luis Valley Trout Unlimited. From September 26-28, teams of two compete on the river, with one point awarded for every brown trout caught and two points for every rainbow trout. On day two, the teams tee off at Rio Grande Club and Resort for an 18-hole best-ball golf tournament. The points awarded for fishing are subtracted from the team’s golf score and the lowest score wins.
While the river’s activities are great, hiking, biking, and rock climbing are an integral part of the county’s recreational lure. There’s nearly 300 miles of trails spread throughout the area, offering a variety of terrain. Popular adventures include the Limekiln and Stone Quarry trail systems that lie between Monte Vista and Del Norte. The Stone Quarry trail is nearly 7.4 miles and rated intermediate to difficult with its tight twisting turns and purpose-built slick rock and natural surface. It’s a rugged landscape littered with massive boulder formations and the occasional panoramic valley view. Those who prefer to keep their heart rate down can explore more than 600 miles of multi-use trails throughout the county that are designated for ATVs and other vehicles. The trails range in elevation from 8,200 feet to 12,000 feet and are a great option for anyone looking to cover the most ground.
Rock climbing is another popular activity, with Penitente Canyon and Limekiln being primary destinations near Del Norte. There’s also the Big Meadows Reservoir area that is a 15-minute drive up Highway 160 from South Fork. It is great for climbers of all skill levels.
“As a guide service, Big Meadows is the place I prefer to take new climbers and kids, especially in the summer as it is quite a bit cooler than down in the valley,” says Curt Howell, owner of Narrow Ridge Outdoors. “In the fall and winter, the Manassa Dike is another fantastic venue made of basalt that offers routes up to 200 feet. In most venues there is something for everyone and plenty of routes to keep you coming back year after year.”
In most venues there is something for everyone and plenty of routes to keep you coming back year after year.
– Curt Howell Narrow Ridge Outdoors owner
While Howell is proud to guide climbs in Rio Grande County, he says the alpine climbs found in the Sangre de Cristo range nearly an hour away offer the most solitude.
People looking for a unique experience should consider booking a South Fork Railbike tour. The railbikes board at the South Fork Railroad Station and seat two to four people on carts that have pedals and move along retired railroad tracks. Among the tour options are the Rio Grande Run that takes riders on a 6-mile round-trip tour along the river, and the Silver Bridge Run. The latter is more extensive at 12.5 miles round trip but worth every pedal as it takes riders through amazing scenery, including the Coller State Wildlife Area.
After a long day of exploring, consider stopping by the Pivot Public House in Monte Vista for a much-needed libation. The bar prides itself on being a hub for the community and offers beer, wine, signature cocktails and shareable plates that feature seasonal ingredients and showcase the local agriculture of the valley. Try the Ploughboy with Laws Whiskey House San Luis Valley Rye, or the Lavender Mint Collins with 1874 Distilling’s gin or vodka to get a taste of the valley.
“We are proud to showcase products grown and produced here in the San Luis Valley,” says Pivot’s co-owner Danielle DeForest. “It is all about the connection to the people and the land. Many of the folks we buy from return the favor by supporting us. We like to think of the Pivot Public House as a celebration of the Valley and the people who live here.”
Beer lovers will want to consider a visit to Three Barrel Brewing in Del Norte. The brewery has an amazing lineup of beer also brewed with the valley’s ingredients. Some of Three Barrels tasty core brews include the Burnt Toast English brown ale, Hop Trash IPA and the Trashy Blonde ale.
As the sun begins to set, consider heading north to visit the Frontier Drive Inn located in the town of Center that lies on the border of Rio Grande and Saguache counties. The renovated drive-in movie theater plays films Thursday through Saturday under the mesmerizing night sky. It’s a special venue to watch a movie and there are also luxury rooms that can be rented for an unforgettable getaway.
A SEASON OF FIRSTS Colorado will stage an impressive number of world, regional and national premieres this year
The Original Broadway Company of KIMBERLY AKIMBO: (l to r)_ Nina White, Bonnie Milligan, Fernell Hogan, Michael Iskander, and Olivia Hardy.
Last year, “Kimberly Akimbo” won five Tony Awards, including best musical and best original score. Now, the beloved show about a rapidly aging but unshakably optimistic girl will launch its national tour on Sept. 22 at Denver’s Buell Theatre.
It is perhaps the most high-profile entry in a long list of regional, national, and world premieres this season around Colorado. A Denver dance company presents a year of nothing but world debuts, theater companies across the state will stage regional firsts, and many other groups will break out new projects.
After “Akimbo” closes, the Denver Performing Arts Complex also will host the Colorado premieres of “Back to the Future: The Musical,” based on the revered movie; “Life of Pi,” bestselling book; and “& Juliet,” a new spin on the Shakespeare classic.
The season opens by bringing much-needed humor to election is billed as a “chaotically funny” all-female play. Next spring, Curious brings a new play by the writer of “The Whale.” “A Case for the Existence of God”
offenders sharing a group home. “Confederates” traveling story of institutional racism. season. “POTUS” a Samuel D. Hunter’s is the story of two melancholic single fathers.
Also at the DCPA, two crowd favorites that were read at the 2023 Colorado New Play Summit will make their world debuts as full-blown theatrical productions in 2025. “The Suffragette’s Murder” is a farcical whodunit, and “The Reservoir” intergenerational comedic drama hailed as “an emotional roller coaster.”
Wonderbound, an acclaimed contemporary dance company in Denver, has sold out nearly every performance in its renovated space — and almost all of them were world premieres. Artistic director Garrett Ammon will debut four completely new shows this season.
In October, “Devil’s Crush” spotlights a Lucifer who has fallen to earth, then fallen in love. December’s “Jolly Moxie” adventure set to classics performed by the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra. Next spring, “Agent Romeo” upends Shakespeare’s classic with an FBI man named Romeo pursuing mafia heiress Juliet. Finally, “Space Cowboy” reunites Ammon with members of the Gasoline Lollipops and DeVotchKa for a show where the Old West meets the Space Age.
The Zikr Dance Ensemble in Littleton is another acclaimed, cutting edge dance group, with several unseen pieces as part of its fall “Secrets” showcase. Artistic director David Taylor said the show “explores the ancient, mysterious and transcendental aspects of the artform through a contemporary multi-media lens.” He said he has expanded and transformed “Ripples in the Sand,” his dance performance set to the “Dune” film score. And “Cham Mandala,” based on Tibetan mysticism and purification rituals, has new choreography.
“Back to the Future: The based on the a new spin on the Shakespeare is an intergenerational comedic drama hailed as “an emotional roller is a madcap showcase. Artistic director David Taylor said the of the artform through a contemporary multi-media lens.” He said a new ballet by Kenneth Tindall, in January. The fabled romantic through bold choreography, iconic Venetian
The Colorado Ballet will present the regional premiere of “Casanova,” a new ballet by Kenneth Tindall, in January. The show “explores the decadent proclivities of the infamous, fabled romantic through bold choreography, iconic Venetian masquerades, and a passionate narrative set to the music of Kerry Muzzey.”
The groundbreaking Curious Theatre Company in Denver is known for staging intense and topical shows. And several upcoming regional premieres are no exception. “Downstate” is an intense story of four convicted sex
About a mile west of Curious, another troupe of creative Coloradans has been performing at the always creative and irreverent Buntport Theater. The Denver group’s next world premiere is as yet untitled but has a promising premise.
“The play will be a documentary-style show surrounding the 20th anniversary of the Dave Matthews Band Chicago River ‘incident’ in which one of the band’s tour buses emptied its blackwater tank on the Kinzie Street Bridge, dumping hundreds of pounds of human waste onto an open top sightseeing boat below,” said company member Erin Rollman. “In our iteration, the inanimate objects involved — boat, bus, bridge — will finally be able to tell their side of a comedic and completely horrifying event.”
The Wheat Ridge Theatre Company’s world premiere of “A Manny for Us” by James P. Hayes opens July 26. The R-rated play is about a pair of married, gay senior men seeking a live-in housekeeper.
Bas Bleu Theatre in Fort Collins will stage the Colorado premiere of “The School for Lies,” a David Ives farce set in Paris in 1666. The show runs from Sept. 20 through Oct. 13.
Also in Fort Collins, OpenStage presents the world premiere of “October Surprise” by local playwright Miguel Muñoz this fall.
“‘October Surprise’ is an emotional, harrowing, and twist-turning
new play about family and morality through the lens of American politics, that asks the question ‘How far are you willing to go for what you believe in?’” said OpenStage managing director Jessica Kroupa.
Funky Little Theater Company in Colorado Springs “strives to bridge the gap between community and professional theater,” said producing artistic director Chris Medina. His company will present one world premiere. “Bootleg Jedi” is a comedy set in 1983 and written by Denver’s Josh Hartwell. Medina said it is “loosely inspired by a zany, true-ish story” of a misfit teen film thief.
Another Funky show is “Mockingbird” by Julie Jensen. This regional premiere revolves around an 11-year-old girl on the autism spectrum, and is adapted from Kathryn Erskine’s National Book Award-winning novel.
The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities will stage the regional premiere of “Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” by Kate Hamill from Sept. 7 through Nov. 3. The show “drives a gleeful stake through the heart of the patriarchy itself,” said Sarah Kolb, director of marketing and communication for the Arvada Center. “This is a gory, funny, and really clever spin on an old story, and anybody who loves - or loves to hate on - classic novels will be surprised by this production.”
OpenStage SWEAT
Photo By Lynn Nottage
Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812.
TELLURIDE PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL, various locations, through July 6
BRAVO! VAIL MUSIC FESTIVAL, various locations, Vail, through Aug 1
STRINGS MUSIC FESTIVAL, Steamboat Strings Music Pavilion, through Aug 3
CENTRAL CITY OPERA FESTIVAL, Central City Opera House, through Aug 4
“MACBETH” AT THE COLORADO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL, Roe Green Theatre, Boulder, through Aug 11
ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL AND SCHOOL, various locations, Aspen, through Aug 18
TRACKING TIME, WORK BY NOELLE PHARES AND CHELSEA KAIAH, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, through Sept 2
BLITZEN TRAPPER, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, July 2
DARK STAR ORCHESTRA, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, July 3
THE CHURCH & THE AFGHAN WHIGS, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, July 3
THE U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY BAND, Dillon Amphitheater, July 4
DARK STAR ORCHESTRA, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, July 4
CRAFT BEER FEST, Greeley Stampede, July 5
SUZY BOGGUSS, I Bar Ranch, Gunnison, July 5
TANYA TUCKER, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, July 5
DARK STAR ORCHESTRA, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, July 5
ATOMGA, The Lariat, Buena Vista, July 5
THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, July 5-6
COLORADO MUSIC FESTIVAL, Chautauqua Auditorium, Boulder, July 5-Aug 4
COLORADO SYMPHONY: MOZART UNDER MOONLIGHT, Arvada Center Outdoor Amphitheatre, July 6
PG6IX, Dillon Amphitheater, July 6
THE REVIVAL FEAT. FLOBOTS AND KAYLA MARQUE, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, July 6
EMOTIONAL RESCUE, Big B’s Orchards, Hotchkiss, July 6
MADE BY US MARKET, Denver Central Market, July 6
ADAM TRENT, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, July 6
EASY HONEY, The Lariat, Buena Vista, July 6
“THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR” AT THE COLORADO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL, Roe Green Theatre, Boulder, July 6-Aug 11
JAPAN FEST 2024: A RYUICHI SAKAMOTO TRIBUTE, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, July 7
MELISSA ETHERIDGE, Arvada Center Outdoor Amphitheatre, July 7
THE TRAVELIN’ MCCROURYS, Dillon Amphitheater, July 8
RICKY SKAGGS AND KENTUCKY THUNDER, Arvada Center, July 9
PAUL CATHEN, I Bar Ranch, Gunnison, July 10
BLACKBERRY SMOKE, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, July 10-11
COLORADO SYMPHONY: MOZART AT MCGREGOR SQUARE, Denver, July 10
LOS MOCOCHETES, Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, July 10
NATTALI RIZE WITH MINORI, Old Town Square, Fort Collins, July 11
MARK MORRIS WITH FRIENDS, Center for the Arts Evergreen, July 11
PORTUGAL. THE MAN, Dillon Amphitheater, July 11
MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS, Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, Durango, July 11-Aug 4
DARKFIELD, Bird Lot, Denver, July 11-Aug 11
DAMN TALL BUILDINGS (TUNES ON THE TERRACE), Lone Tree Arts Center, July 12
TOM PAPA, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, July 12
MO LOWDA & THE HUMBLE, The Lariat, Buena Vista, July 12
THE WIDDLER & COKI, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, July 12
THREE DOG NIGHT, Pueblo Memorial Hall, July 12
RICK SPRINGFIELD & RICHARD MARX, Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park, Grand Junction, July 12
SPAFFORD, I Bar Ranch, Gunnison, July 12-13
COLORADO WHISKEY FESTIVAL, Douglas County Fairgrounds, Castle Rock, July 13
COLORADO JAZZ REPERTORY ORCHESTRA WITH TATIANA LADY MAY MAYFIELD, Arvada Center, July 13
WINE & JAZZ FESTIVAL, River Run Village, Keystone, July 13
PORTUGAL. THE MAN, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, July 13
COLORADO BREWERS RENDEZVOUS, Riverside Park, Salida, July 13
ARVADA ON TAP, Ralston Park, July 13
BRECKENRIDGE SUMMER BEER FESTIVAL, Beaver Run Resort, July 13
COLORADO SYMPHONY: BEETHOVEN AND BREWS AT THE ‘PLEX, Denver Performing Arts Complex, July 13
BLACK OPRY REVUE, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, July 14
TRAMPLED BY TURTLES, Dillon Amphitheater, July 14
BROTHERS OSBORNE, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, July 14
SPAFFORD, Dillon Amphitheater, July 15
CASTLE ROCK WINEFEST, Bison Park, July 15
ZIGGY MARLEY, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, July 15
THE SPRINGSTEEN EXPERIENCE, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, July 16
HAZEL MILLER & THE COLLECTIVE, Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, July 17
THE SECOND CITY: COMEDIAN RHAPSODY, Garner Galleria Theatre, July 17-Aug 11
THE WHITE BUFFALO, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, July 18
GASOLINE LOLLIPOPS, The Lariat, Buena Vista, July 18
CHAIN STATION, Old Town Square, Fort Collins, July 18
TASTE OF PIKES PEAK, Park Union, Colorado Springs, July 18
LAKE STREET DIVE, Dillon Amphitheater, July 19
SAMANTHA FISH, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, July 19
DANGERMUFFIN, Big B’s Orchards, Hotchkiss, July 19
STRAIGHT NO CHASER, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, July 19
CHALI 2NA AND CUT CHEMIST, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, July 19
CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS, various locations, July 19-28
THE DAMN QUAILS, The Lariat, Buena Vista, July 20
TENNYSON STREET FAIR, Denver, July 20
SHAGGY, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, July 20
SEUN KUTI AND EGYPT 80, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, July 20
YAMPA RIVER REGGAE FESTIVAL, Loudy-Simpson Park, Craig, July 20
WINTER PARK JAZZ FESTIVAL, Rendezvous Event Center, July 20-21
SUMMERFEST ART FESTIVAL, Buchanan Park, Evergreen, July 20-21
PUNK IN DRUBLIC FEAT. NOFX, National Western Center, Denver, July 20-21
MOMS UNHINGED STANDUP COMEDY SHOW, Lone Tree Arts Center, July 21
NORAH JONES, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, July 22
DREW HOLCOMB & THE NEIGHBORS, Dillon Amphitheater, July 22
IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE, Washington’s, Fort Collins, July 23
TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE, Dillon Amphitheater, July 23
DREW HOLCOMB & THE NEIGHBORS, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, July 23
THE MCCHARMLYS, Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, July 24
TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND, Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park, Grand Junction, July 24
“WICKED,” Buell Theatre, Denver, July 24-Aug 25
THE MCCHARMLYS, Old Town Square, Fort Collins, July 25
DIRT MONKEY, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, July 25-26
ARAPAHOE COUNTY FAIR, Aurora, July 25-28
POURS ON THE PLAINS, Arapahoe County Fairgrounds and Event Center, July 26
RIVER RUN ART FESTIVAL, Warren Station, Keystone, July 26
FRUITION, The Lariat, Buena Vista, July 26
DARRELL SCOTT, Big B’s Orchards, Hotchkiss, July 26
JASON MRAZ, Dillon Amphitheater, July 26
MISTURA FINA (TUNES ON THE TERRACE), Lone Tree Arts Center, July 26
COLORADO SYMPHONY’S TRIBUTE TO ARTHUR FIELDER & BOSTON POPS, Arvada Center, July 26
ROCKYGRASS FESTIVAL 2024, Planet Bluegrass, Lyons, July 26-28
RIVER RUN VILLAGE ART FESTIVAL, Keystone, July 26-28
VAIL DANCE FESTIVAL, various locations, July 26-Aug 5
ORPHEUS MEADFEST, Jefferson Unitarian Church, Golden, July 27
DOWNTOWN SUMMER FEST, Park Union, Colorado Springs, July 27
CHEESMAN PARK ART FEST, Denver, July 27-28
JASON MRAZ WITH THE COLORADO SYMPHONY, Red Rocks, Morrison, July 28
“ARDEN OF FAVERSHAM” AT THE COLORADO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL, Roe Green Theatre, Boulder, July 28
TOWER OF POWER, Arvada Center, July 28
MOE., Dillon Amphitheater, July 29
A.J. FULLERTON, Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, July 31
THE BROTHERS COMATOSE & HAYES CARLL, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, Aug 1
DENVER BURGER BATTLE, Auraria Campus, Denver, Aug 1
ALYSHA BRILLA, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 1
GUSTER WITH THE COLORADO SYMPHONY, Red Rocks, Morrison, Aug 1
HEAVY DIAMOND RING, Old Town Square, Fort Collins, Aug 1
THE PO’ RAMBLIN’ BOYS WITH DRUNKEN HEARTS, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 2
SHADOWGRASS, Big B’s Orchards, Hotchkiss, Aug 2
MOE., Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, Aug 2-3
THE DEAD SOUTH, Dillon Amphitheater, Aug 2-3
RHYTHMS ON THE RIO, Del Norte, Aug 2-4
SHAKEDOWN STREET, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 3
ANTONIO LOPEZ BAND, Big B’s Orchards, Hotchkiss, Aug 3
VINO AND NOTES, Memorial Park, Woodland Park, Aug 3
MADE BY US MARKET, Denver Central Market, Aug 3
DACONO MUSIC AND SPIRITS FESTIVAL, Centennial Field, Aug 3
Email your upcoming event listings to joe@thirstcolorado.com. And check venue and event websites for updates.
Award winning, local mead in the heart of a delightful mountain town. Stop by our tasting room for samples or sip a glass in the mead garden. Enjoy the adjacent Miner Street Market and strains of live music. The Mead Garden is open May-October.
Special ticketed craft beer event at the Arapahoe County Fair
Add on a Fair ticket–think fireworks, funnel cakes, unlimited rides–and make it a whole night!
6:30–9:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, 2024
Arapahoe County Fairgrounds and Event Center
25690 E. Quincy Ave., Aurora 80016
Tickets: $25, will sell out fast www.arapahoecountyfair.com
2024 SPONSORS AND PARTNERS :
PARTICIPATING BREWERIES (subject to change)
STEINLEY CUP MICROBREW FESTIVAL, Veterans Island Park, Saratoga, Wyoming, Aug 3
WINTER PARK BREW FEST, Rendezvous Event Center, Aug 3
BLUEGRASS AND BEER FESTIVAL, Warren Station, Keystone, Aug 3- 4
GRAHAM NASH, Washington’s, Fort Collins, Aug 4
ALO, Dillon Amphitheater, Aug 5
BEN FOLDS, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, Aug 6
BEN FOLDS, Pueblo Memorial Hall, Aug 7
LOWDOWN BRASS BAND & THE BURROUGHS, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 8
SLIGHTLY STOOPID, Dillon Amphitheater, Aug 8
YAM YAM, The Lariat, Buena Vista, Aug 8
TAKUYA KURODA, Old Town Square, Fort Collins, Aug 8
HAIRBALL, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, Aug 8
BEANSTALK MUSIC FESTIVAL, Rancho Del Rio, Bond, Aug 8-10
VAIL WINE CLASSIC, various locations, Aug 8-10
SLIGHTLY STOOPID, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, Aug 9
CORINNE BAILEY RAE, Arvada Center, Aug 9
LITTLE BIRD, The Lariat, Buena Vista, Aug 9
THE BODEANS, I Bar Ranch, Gunnison, Aug 9
CLINT BLACK, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, Aug 9
JAMESTOWN REVIVAL, Club Red, Telluride, Aug 9
ROOSTER BLACKSPUR, Center for the Arts Evergreen, Aug 9
ONE REPUBLIC, Sunset Amphitheater, Colorado Springs, Aug 9-11
TELLURIDE JAZZ FESTIVAL, Telluride Town Park, Aug 9-11
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FOLKS FESTIVAL, Planet Bluegrass, Lyons, Aug 9-11
PHAMALY THEATER COMPANY PRESENTS “A CHORUS LINE,” Kilstrom Theater, Denver, Aug 9-25
WINCHESTER, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, Aug 10
REAL FAKE NEWS, Big B’s Orchards, Hotchkiss, Aug 10
VAIL VALLEY BREW’AU, Nottingham Park, Avon, Aug 10
ILLITERATE LIGHT, The Lariat, Buena Vista, Aug 10
ALL MY RELATIONS CELEBRATION, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 10
ESTES PARK WINE FESTIVAL, Bond Park, Aug 10-11
THE BURROUGHS & LOWDOWN BRASS BAND, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, Aug 11
BODEANS, Washington’s, Fort Collins, Aug 11
MIGUEL ESPINOZA FUSION WITH MICHELE CASTRO, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 11
COUCH, Dillon Amphitheater, Aug 12
NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND, Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park, Grand Junction, Aug 13
JOSS STONE, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, Aug 13
ALLEN STONE, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, Aug 13
THE BEACH BOYS, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 14
LEFTOVER SALMON, YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND & RAILROAD EARTH, I Bar Ranch, Gunnison, Aug 14
THE REVIVALISTS, Red Rocks, Morrison, Aug 14-15
WALKER HAYES, Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park, Grand Junction, Aug 15
BIG WILD, Dillon Amphitheater, Aug 15
THE BEACH BOYS, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, Aug 15
ATOMGA, Old Town Square, Fort Collins, Aug 15
ATMOSPHERE, Red Rocks, Morrison, Aug 16
THE CRANE WIVES, Washington’s, Fort Collins, Aug 16
BIG RICHARD, The Lariat, Buena Vista, Aug 16
BANSHEE TREE, Big B’s Orchards, Hotchkiss, Aug 16
WALKER HAYES, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, Aug 16
THE BEACH BOYS, Sunset Amphitheater, Colorado Springs, Aug 16
LEFTOVER SALMON, YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND & RAILROAD EARTH, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 16
JOY OLADOKUN, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, Aug 17
RIVERFEST, Pueblo Riverwalk, Aug 17
BIG WILD, Red Rocks, Morrison, Aug 17
WAILING SOULS AND ITALS, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 17
GLOBAL FEST, Aurora Municipal Center, Aug 17
O.A.R., Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, Aug 17
WALKER HAYES, Sunset Amphitheater, Colorado Springs, Aug 17
FIRESIDE COLLECTIVE, The Lariat, Buena Vista, Aug 17
THE BEACH BOYS, Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park, Grand Junction, Aug 17
MOUNTAIN TOWN MUSIC FESTIVAL, Warren Station, Keystone, Aug 17
HERITAGE BREW FESTIVAL, Memorial Park, Manitou Springs, Aug 17
LEFTOVER SALMON, YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND & RAILROAD EARTH, Dillon Amphitheater, Aug 17
FRONT RANGE WINE FESTIVAL, Main Park, Windsor, Aug 17
O.A.R., Red Rocks, Morrison, Aug 18
SHAKEY GRAVES, Dillon Amphitheater, Aug 18
IRATION AND PEPPER, Sunset Amphitheater, Colorado Springs, Aug 18
LEFTOVER SALMON, YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND & RAILROAD EARTH, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, Aug 18
FILM ON THE ROCKS: “MAD MAX: FURY ROAD,” Red Rocks, Morrison, Aug 19
MOONTRICKS, Dillon Amphitheater, Aug 19
KARL DENSON’S TINY UNIVERSE, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, Aug 20
NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS, Red Rocks, Morrison, Aug 20-21
KAYLA MARQUE, Old Town Square, Fort Collins,
BERNADETTE PETERS WITH MEMBERS OF THE COLORADO SYMPHONY, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, Aug 22
BRECKENRIDGE WINE CLASSIC, various locations, Aug 22-24
COLIN JOST, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, Aug 23
GIPSY KINGS, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 23
BLUE OCTOBER, Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park, Grand Junction, Aug 23
LAUREN DAIGLE, Sunset Amphitheater, Colorado Springs, Aug 23
SAN JUAN BREWFEST, Buckley Park, Durango, Aug 23-24
COLORADO WINE WALK, Dairy Block, Denver, Aug 24
NEDERLAND JAZZ & WINE FESTIVAL, Chipeta Park, Aug 24
PETER ROWAN WITH THE SAM GRISMAN PROJECT, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, Aug 24
PRIMUS, Sunset Amphitheater, Colorado Springs, Aug 24
MELVIN SEALS & JBG, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 24
SHAKEY GRAVES, Big B’s Orchards, Hotchkiss, Aug 24
EVERGREEN FINE ARTS FESTIVAL, Buchanan Fields, Aug 24-25
PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND, Arvada Center, Aug 25
AFFORDABLE ARTS FESTIVAL, Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, Aug 25
CIRCLES AROUND THE SUN, Dillon Amphitheater, Aug 26
LINDSAY LOU, Gerald Ford Amphitheater, Vail, Aug 27
JOHN FOGERTY, Sunset Amphitheater, Colorado Springs, Aug 27
OVERLAND EXPO MOUNTAIN WEST, The Ranch Complex, Loveland, Aug 27-29
GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV, Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park, Grand Junction, Aug 28
THE HIGH KINGS AND GAELIC STORM, Arvada Center, Aug 28
GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS, Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek, Aug 28
KURT VILE, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 29
PAA KOW, Old Town Square, Fort Collins, Aug 29
DIERKS BENTLEY, Sunset Amphitheater, Colorado Springs, Aug 30
YOLA, Arvada Center, Aug 30
TROPA MAGICA, Big B’s Orchards, Hotchkiss, Aug 30
THE HIP ABDUCTION, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, Aug 30
FOUR CORNERS FOLK FESTIVAL, Pagosa Springs, Aug 30-Sept 1
DASHIKI FEST, Levitt Pavilion, Denver, Aug 31
ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS, Sunset Amphitheater, Colorado Springs, Aug 31
THE HIP ABDUCTION, The Lariat, Buena Vista, Aug 31
JAS EXPERIENCE, Snowmass, Aug 30-Sep 1
White tablecloths and crystal chandeliers are great, but have you ever sat down for a meal in a permanently grounded airplane? Or a former morgue?
A restaurant’s setting is often as memorable as the food itself. From the high country to the Front Range, Colorado has a number of dining options in unexpected locations that are brimming with quirky personalities.
Colorado Springs
Appropriately adjacent to the Colorado Springs Airport is a 1953 Boeing KC-97 parked as a 275-seat restaurant. One of the largest piston-driven aircraft ever produced by Boeing, the KC-97 served as a refueling tanker on a number of missions before it landed once and for all in Colorado Springs to refuel patrons with steaks, seafood, burgers and other fare. The plane also houses a minimuseum of aviation history with hundreds of photos and artifacts.
Breckenridge
The highest floating restaurant in the world is located on a replica of a dredge mining boat on the Blue River in the heart of Breckenridge. Dredge boats scoured the river for gold in the early 1900s, but the notably destructive practice fell out of favor by the middle of the century. Today, Ollie’s Pub serves wings, burgers, and pub grub from the faux boat’s deck. There’s also a second location in Frisco.
Alamosa
One of the best new restaurants in the state, the Friar’s Fork serves innovative takes on Italian and Mediterranean fare from its location in the historic St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Alamosa, built in 1926 and deconsecrated in 2020. The Sanctuary, a slick cocktail bar, is part of the structure, and is just the place to hide away and savor your favorite beverage.
Steamboat Springs
Purchasing a lift ticket isn’t necessary to jump on a gondola in Steamboat Springs. In winter, the Mountain Tap offers guests the option to sit in the cabins of repurposed ski gondolas on the patio. Each has a Bluetooth speaker and a heater, with space for six adults. Reservations are recommended, and there are minimums for food and beverage tabs. Beyond the craft beers on tap, the resident wood-fired oven churns out popcorn, chili, pizzas and s’mores.
Steamboat Springs
The former barn on Pine Grove Ranch morphed into a restaurant in the early 1970s. The surrounding landscape has changed from cattle ranch to ski town since the barn’s construction in 1910, but beef remains front and center on the menu. You’ll also find plenty of memorabilia from the ranch’s glory days on the walls.
Cañon City
After a stint on the Great Western Railways tourist trains, Caboose 1006 found a new life as an eatery in the heart of Cañon City. Now owned by the Royal Gorge Route Railroad, the slickly restored railcar is permanently off the rails to serve crepes and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and burgers and wraps for lunch. Thirst quenchers include coffee, wine, beer and cocktails.
Nederland
Cañon City doesn’t have a monopoly on the state’s trains-turned-cafes. For an espresso, latte, or other quaffable pick-me-up, Nederland offers three historic rail cars that comprise a coffee shop that doubles as a music venue and community gathering spot. Beyond coffee and kava drinks, the menu includes donuts, breakfast burritos and sandwiches.
Colorado Springs
Once the city morgue, the Rabbit Hole is situated below the streets of downtown Colorado Springs. Descending into the brick-laden space transports you into another world, featuring murals by local artist Phil Lear, as well as Wonderland-inspired cocktails like the White Rabbit (a vanilla vodka and coconut rum martini topped with a flaming marshmallow). Creative dishes jump off the menu, certain to please carnivores and vegetarians alike.
Arvada
Built as a one-room schoolhouse in 1882, this structure in Olde Town Arvada served as a movie theater, dance school, and sporting goods store before assuming its current incarnation as a restaurant in 2015. The menu of elevated bar fare ranges from nachos and fried Brussels sprouts to baked meatloaf and shrimp po’ boy sandwiches, not to mention a bar stocked with more than 50 beers and 2,000 whiskeys.
The non-alcoholic trend fueled by Gen-Zers continues to grow in Colorado’s world of spirits. And many N/A cocktails are crafted with thoughtfulness to create flavorful beverages without the drawbacks of booze. The following recipes created by local mixologists will keep you rolling into the night without the need to give up the car keys.
1½ oz strawberry puree
1½ oz mint honey syrup*
1½ oz lime juice
Shake and serve in a pint glass over ice with a lime.
¾ oz strawberry jam (Atomic Cowboy uses a strawberry rhubarb jam)
½ oz lemon juice
1 oz basil syrup
Soda water
The mint honey syrup is a mix of honey, water and fresh mint. In a large sauce pot, add ingredients over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and place in the cooler.
Shake the jam, lemon juice and basil syrup with ice. Strain into a glass with fresh ice. Top with soda water, and
garnish with a lemon wheel.
2 muddled blackberries
1 oz Seedlip Garden 108 1 oz ginger syrup
½ oz lime juice
Shake and double strain over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass, top with soda and stir. Garnish with a thick sprig of mint.
2 oz sweetened raspberry puree
1 oz lime juice
Strong Water club soda Lime wheel and raspberries for garnish
Combine in beverage glass. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel and two skewered raspberries.
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz lime Juice
½ oz simple syrup Ginger beer
Combine pineapple juice, lime juice and simple syrup, shake and top with ginger beer.
4 oz pineapple juice
1 3/4 oz cream of coconut 1 oz ube syrup*
*To make ube syrup, combine 1/2 cup of ube powder, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer and chill immediately.
To make this cocktail, combine
To make this cocktail, combine pineapple juice, cream of coconut and ube syrup.
TIDAL WAVE FROM POKA LOLA SOCIAL CLUB
3 oz water
4¼ cups frozen mango chunks
3 oz citric acid solution
8½ oz pineapple juice
10 oz orange juice
3 oz champagne vinegar
¼ oz vanilla bean paste
8½ oz demerara simple syrup
3 oz simple syrup
2½ cups coconut milk
Blend thawed mango chunks into a purée. Combine all ingredients except coconut milk to a stock pot. Cook on low heat for about 30 minutes; let cool. Once cooled completely, add coconut milk and whisk all ingredients thoroughly to blend together. To serve: Add 4 ounces to a Collins glass, add ice and top with club soda. Mix together with a spoon or straw.
Kristen Kuchar is a freelance writer covering food, libations, music and other Colorado gatherings.
Age: 25
What do you love about your job? Being my own boss. Being able to create and do what I love on my own terms and at my own pace.
What is the hardest part of your job? Being the boss. Which contradicts my last answer but it is definitely a love-hate relationship. Not only am I the creator behind my own business, but I am also the social media manager, sales manager, business manager, photographer, and everything in between. Doing it all on your own is hard work.
What gets you out of bed in the morning? The people in my life and the art I get to create each day.
Age: 62
What’s one thing about yourself that most people in your circle wouldn’t know? I get extremely burnt out being around groups of people, which is strange because I am a bartender and also a live-painter. I also love music, which usually brings me to a lot of packed venues.
What would be your favorite Colorado staycation destination? Why? The mountains. To be able to disconnect is one of my favorite things. I am forever grateful to have that escape so accessible!
What’s one of your favorite places to eat or drink in Colorado? Rails End Beer.
Craig Engelhorn Head distiller and co-founder of Spirit Hound DistillersWhat do you love about your job? I get to make whisky for a living, seriously? I’ve had pretty decent success in the beverage/alcohol business, both in the beer world (I was the original brewer at Oskar Blues), and also in the spirits world – Spirit Hound even got Whisky of the Year in London last year – unbelievably fun for me. Actually, one of my favorite things is the amazing range of people I meet in our tasting room - from all over the place. I like to hear their stories, find out their history, you know, make a connection.
What is the hardest part of your job? Making spirits is a very detail-oriented operation. There can be a lot of things all happening at once, and it can get a little overwhelming at times managing all of the balls in the air. I also have high expectations for the products we produce, and that takes extra work and attention as well.
What gets you out of bed in the morning? Knowing that I get to go to work with and for some very amazing people, in a successful business that I helped to create. Plus, our cat gets really annoying in the morning.
What’s one thing about yourself that most people in your circle wouldn’t know? A lot of people I know refer to me as the professor, because I know a lot of shit and am a pretty good problem solver. What they don’t know is that I really consider myself the student, because for all of those things I know about, there are so many more things that I need to learn.
What would be your favorite Colorado staycation destination? Why? Honestly? Don’t laugh. Our home right here in Lyons. We have a cute little cabin up high in town with amazing views and a secluded yard. It’s very unique, but I hardly get to actually be home and spend time enjoying it. I’ve considered telling everyone that we’re going out of town on vacation, and then just stay home.
What’s one of your favorite places to eat or drink in Colorado? This is a very, very difficult question. I have a lot of favorite places, mostly up and down the Front Range. I’ll narrow it down to an amazing restaurant, relatively new to Lyons, called Marigold. They are a slice of upscale urban amazingness right here in our small town. Chef Theo is highly regarded (he’s in the running for a James Beard award, I’ll have you know), the amazing menu changes regularly, the wine list and cocktails are well above par - love it.
Jim DeLutes Director of the Denver Arts Festival and the Affordable Arts FestivalAge: 70
What do you love about your job? Helping artists make a living doing their art is number one. A close second is the high energy of the patrons and the artists at my Affordable Arts Festival. People line up for hours; the gates open, and they run and buy—lots of fun for artists and the patrons. Plus, after 13 years, we have raised $300,000 for the scholarships at Arapahoe Community College. What is the hardest part of your job? The months of working on the logistics of the show. Putting together a promotions plan, the permits, the layout of the booths to name just a few. Some days, it feels like juggling running chainsaws.
What gets you out of bed in the morning? My wife and I work at home and I look forward to spending my day with her. We’ve been together almost every day for over 20 years, and she is my favorite person.
What’s one thing about yourself that most people in your circle wouldn’t know? Most friends know that I love driving. What they may not know is that by the time I was 19, I had driven to 49 states (Hawaii had to wait).
What would be your favorite Colorado staycation destination? Why? Trappers Lake in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area is stunning, with hiking, horseback riding and fishing. It’s definitely rustic, with cabins to rent, some built 100 years ago.
What’s one of your favorite places to eat or drink in Colorado? Scalzotto Italian Restaurant (Westminster, Broomfield and Loveland) has some of the best Italian food. Comparable to dishes we had in Italy.
Osaic Institutions, Inc. located at Bellco Credit Union branches
Convenient access to a variety of investment services located right at your local branch. Colfax & I-225 • Havana & Mississippi
9th & Colorado Blvd. • Grand Junction • Clifton 303-367-9768
Michael Mullen, CFP®, CRPS®, CRPC®
Executive Financial Advisor
Osaic Institutions, Inc. mmullen.bcufinancial@bellco.org
Justin Parks
Financial Advisor
Osaic Institutions, Inc. jparks.bcufinancial@bellco.org
Investment and insurance products and services are offered through OSAIC INSTITUTIONS, INC.,
Member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Institutions and Bellco Credit Union (“Bellco”) are not affiliated. Products and services made available through Osaic Institutions are not insured by the NCUA or any other agency of the United States and are not deposits or obligations of nor guaranteed or insured by any credit union or credit union affiliate. These products are subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of principal. The past performance of any investment product should not be considered an indication of future results. Insurance products may be purchased from a producer of your choice without affecting your relationship with Bellco. Bellco has contracted with Osaic Institutions to make non-deposit investment products and services available to credit union members.
Band gets stoked mixing genres, styles
“We put a lot of work into every single song,” says Chris Weist, guitarist and co-founder of Colorado-based band Wood Belly. “We really want them to be as memorable and as awesome as they can be. We turn over every stone, every possibility. It takes a lot of effort, a lot of love.”
It’s a craftsman-like ethos that pervades the group – whom I hesitate to call a bluegrass or even “newgrass” band, despite their origins at the 2015 Rocky Grass Festival – and allows them to push the boundaries and go where the muse takes them.
“We play a lot of bluegrass instruments, but we’re not trying to fit into that traditional sound,” Weist continues. “We’ve even gone further than what those labels suggest. We have songs that have electric guitar, drums, lap steel and dobro and electric bass instead of upright. There’s still some ’grass there, but there’s a lot of rock, a lot of Americana in there too.”
Banjo player Aaron McCloskey said the vocals also break through genre boundaries.
“We could go any of those directions,” he said. “And sometimes those directions include three part vocal harmony.”
Consider, for example, many of the songs on the band’s latest record, “Cicada,” from late 2023.
“With ‘Cicada,’ we embraced a lot more of an electric sound. Not out of disrespect for bluegrass at all,” Weist says. “It’s really just about trying out new things and new possibilities and expanding the canvas. We still want to do the kinds of music that came before, of course, but also be open to what can come after.”
“Cicada,” the band says, germinated quickly in two sessionbased batches.
Bassist and singer Brennan Mackey, who was new to Wood Belly at the time, says he reveled in the creative process.
“It was fun to see how they work and work with them,” he said. “We kind of found the common thread or middle ground where we could all meet.”
The result was a layered recording with a sense of live flair and the kind of beautiful hodgepodge that can only come through organic collaboration.
Regardless of the tonality or theme of the songs, all of them, McCloskey says, “have a great lyrical focus, and emphasis on song quality. And often a story vibe to them.”
“Pockets of Gold” is another streaming favorite from “Cicada,” and is emblematic of that concept.
“That one is a pretty long, slow rocker,” Mackey says. “A kind of power rocker. It’s like a Pink Floyd song. It’s a pretty strong departure from our previous sound.”
Bluegrass meets Pink Floyd? To me, that sounds like a natural for Colorado audiences.
Wood Belly’s experimentation gives them more latitude in terms of putting together tailor-made set lists that are both diverse and capable of matching audience energy. “We try to pick up on what kind of crowd might be coming to a certain place,” Mackey says. “It might create more of a house concert kind of vibe. Or if it’s a late night raging club, we might play stuff that’s more suitable for that kind of room.”
McCloskey agrees.
“Everytime you see us, you’re going to get a different set,” he said. “Which Chris is great at, by the way. Making the music fit that venue or event.”
There is plenty of depth to draw from.
“Four, four-and-a-half records in, we kind of have a lot to choose from,” he says. “It’s very diverse, and there will be something for everybody who comes to a Wood Belly show. In some ways, we almost erase the whole band concept and just play.”
Songwriting inspiration comes from many places. Recently, Wood Belly finished some new studio work on the West Coast, taking in the California vibes for an experimental piece sourced from an interesting concept.
“We did a really cool project with a group called Song Confessional,” Weist says. “They set up these confession booths at shows, like Mishawaka, where people could just go in and confess some story that happened in their life. Then they hand that off to a band and you create and record a song based on that story. I think it turned out super cool and the song, called ‘Late Bloomer,’ ended up being really great and a nice departure from the stuff you’d find on Cicada.”
The Golden State suffused the new tunes with more of a laid back feel. “We’ve always written things here in Colorado, so writing on the beach is very different from writing here,” says Mackey. “And then to take that energy into the studio. It just felt like everybody was cooking. Really running on all cylinders. Just really a chilled out experience, which was very memorable.”
California dreamin’ aside, Wood Belly knows that Colorado is a special place in terms of venues and every member of the band concurs that Colorado audiences are a treat to play for. “It’s one of the few places in the country where you can do this as much as we do,” Weist says. “People are always willing to come out, in all kinds of weather, and still bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the show. They’re not just fans. They are the people that we want to hang out with.”
Judging by the attendance and accolades the band continues to enjoy, that feeling is mutual. With a repertoire that both embraces and defies expectation and convention, Wood Belly continues to create music for kindred spirits who share in the joy of musical exploration, taking them on a ride where every song is a new and unforgettable story.
Kyle Kirves drinks beer, plays guitar, runs trails, and manages projects – all with varying degrees of success. While not a craftsman himself, he is quite content writing about the Colorado artisans who create such wonderful things and memorable experiences.
Alot of conspicuously accomplished creative people are stoners. If you think weed can help creative people live more productive and expressive lives, you may look to Louis Armstrong, Paul McCartney, Amy Winehouse, Woody Harrelson and Snoop Dogg. When I set out to write this article, I was of the opinion that cannabis was, in fact, a creative stimulant.
There remains a theoretical but decent argument for this, which I’ll get into shortly. But as with so many other things cannabisrelated, the accepted narrative about cannabis and creativity is mainly bullshit. When you look in depth at the clinical and realworld evidence, the relationship between cannabis and creativity looks more like the relationship between alcohol and sex:
• It makes it more likely to happen – up to a point
• It can make it occur in what feels like a more spontaneous, free-wheeling and innocent way
• But it doesn’t make you better at it
• And beyond a certain point, it tends to keep anything whatsoever from actually happening
There’s room for exploration and debate about weed and creativity. Cannabis was conspicuously present during several eras of musical innovation in the U.S., such as the early jazz era, the groundbreaking rock and folk music of the Vietnam era, and the emergence of hip hop. Cannabis may help some silence their inner critic, or give them a sense of playfulness and spontaneity, enabling them to actually do things rather than thinking about them.
But a more likely explanation for the stereotype of the creative stoner is the trait of openness. Openness to experience, one of the Big 5 personality traits, is strongly correlated to creativity and can also help explain an affinity for substance use. In fact, it is easier to make the case that coffee is a creative stimulant than cannabis. Coffee, more than cannabis, has been beloved and widely used by countless Western artists from Beethoven to the impressionists to the beatniks.
In his book “12 Notes on Life and Creativity,” legendary music producer, artist, author (etc.) Quincy Jones wrote about the importance of tapping into “alpha states” for creative expression.
“I’ve decided that I don’t believe in writer’s block,” he said. “It’s not a block; rather, it’s the need to move into an alpha state so you can hear what your heart is trying to tell you. Only then can you quiet your conscious mind and tap into your subconscious, which helps you think more clearly without internal judgment.”
Jones also says that “whenever I’m producing for other artists, I make sure to schedule our sessions late in the night when the musicians are getting sleepy, just so they can’t overthink when recording their parts.”
There’s something to this that ties indirectly to substance use. Consciously or not, we often use drugs to try to tap into that alpha state.
This may be why the “Quarter Gummy Solution,” my approach to microdosing, works so well for me. I am considerably annoyed that there aren’t more studies on cannabis microdosing in general. Drawing from my own experience, and some clinical evidence, I think sporadic cannabis use and microdosing can aid creativity.
But so do other things, such as exposure to different cultures, periodic sleep deprivation, ADHD, and a daily walking habit. I credit each of these things, more than any substance, for my creative drive. So do many people far more creatively accomplished than I am. And although it doesn’t make headlines, most artists have either no relationship or a moderate relationship with drugs.
Creativity also requires a surprising amount of discipline, if you want to do it consistently and skillfully. And cannabis doesn’t lend itself to discipline. I drew a drawing a day for the entire year in 2023, and cannabis didn’t benefit the quality or the quantity of my art. It was really a blend of stubbornness, love, discipline and rage.
Finally, cannabis use causes you to have a less active dream life. That too is a strike against it as creativity goes.
Weed will not make an uncreative person creative. It does have a tendency to accompany creativity that merits further investigation. But there are better established and more effective ways to nurture creativity.
Speaking personally, my Eureka! moments simply come to me when my guard is lowered – when I’m in an alpha state – or when I encounter something unusual. Speaking generally, creative breakthroughs tend to occur in the shower (as the cliche goes), on walks, during conversations, and most inconveniently just before you go to sleep.
The most important thing you may ever hear about creativity is this:
Just as you will love well when you treat love as a verb (something you do) rather than a noun (something you experience differently day-to-day), your creativity will flourish when you treat it as a habit rather than a gift.
John Garvey is a storyteller, freelance writer, illustrator, and nerd. You can see more of his creative ventures at clippings.me/johngarvey and CreativeFollies. com.
It’s difficult to imagine hard-working construction workers setting aside their free time to partake in the trial-and-error art of distilling, but the founders of Branch and Barrel Distilling are far from average. Between the three of them, they have zero chemistry degrees, but they do have the most important component to distilling: Passion.
Ryan Morgan is a third-generation developer, Scott Freund is a master plumber and Tom Sielaff has been constructing apartment buildings for nearly 50 years. They met through their work in construction while working on a project in Boulder and shortly afterward, Sielaff proposed the idea of trying to distill bourbon.
He proposed the idea to Morgan (who ran a tea company on the side) and from there they purchased “how to make whiskey” books. Despite being novices, they read the books from cover to cover and then went to Freund with a plan for a still.
“We always wanted to have a very clean alcohol, so we started with a fractioning still, because it had a better chance to remove impurities,” Morgan says. “So we drew the schematics, and handed it to Scott and asked if he could make it. Three months later, we showed up and there’s a six-gallon water heater with copper piping welded to it.”
With a homemade still constructed, they purchased turkey fryers, grain, and other necessities and started experimenting in Sielaff ’s backyard in 2012. Despite working through frigid temperatures and failed attempts, the hardworking construction workers were determined to produce alcohol. After finally succeeding, they needed a way to flavor their hooch, but couldn’t purchase barrels as they were technically bootlegging.
In true bootlegging fashion, they got creative and decided to try flavoring the spirit with the clippings from different tree
branches including aspen, hickory, oak, apple and plumwood. Morgan admits that 95 percent of them were horrible. Some tasted like varnish and were undrinkable. However, the ones with apple, red oak and plumwood were palate pleasers.
“I would go to these parties and bring a mason jar with wood chips in it and put it on the table and just see what would happen,” Morgan says. “By the end of the party it would be gone, and people started asking us ‘what is this and where is it from?’ That gave us the courage that maybe there is a market for this.”
Named after the backyard bootlegging creations flavored with branches, Branch and Barrel has grown into a fully operational distillery – and yes, they are using barrels these days. The distillery outgrew its old water heater still, moved operations to Centennial in 2015 and has expanded throughout its building, adding a tasting room and acquiring more space to distill. From those backyard trials to now filling 20-25 barrels every two weeks, Morgan says their hobby/business progressed extremely quickly, and there were times when they felt they were in over their heads.
Just after moving into the Centennial location, the man they had hired to be their distiller quit on his first day because of a horrible allergic reaction from milling grain. While it clearly appeared to be a defeating blow to their start, it opened the door for their current distiller Rick Warren, an electrician who happened to be wiring the building when it happened.
“Rick was in there and he said, ‘I’ve been looking at what you guys have been doing and I’m trying to get out of being an electrician, would you consider hiring me to be your distiller?’” Morgan says. “We asked him if he had any experience and he said no. We told him neither do we, this is perfect.”
Morgan praises Warren for his work ethic and dedication to learning how to make bourbon as the master distiller. From the beginning, they always wanted to do things the right way and that
is why they focused solely on bourbon and perfecting their recipe throughout the distillery’s first three years.
There are multiple components to producing quality products, but one big piece is the use of water from a well at Freund’s farm that taps into the Arapahoe Aquifer. Every week, trucks extract spring-quality water from the well and transport it to the distillery’s massive storage tanks. The nutrient-rich water contains microbes that make the yeast happy and in the words of Morgan, “Happy yeast is happy alcohol.”
Along with an obsession for quality, Branch and Barrel also embraces sustainability. Every piece of equipment is either repurposed, recycled or reused with modifications provided by Freund. One noticeable trait of its two current stills, named Rosa Linda and Delta, is that they are stainless steel vessels rather than copper. There is copper in the column heads of the customized stills, which has its benefits and is the distillery’s own secret.
Taking sustainability one step further, all the spent grain from the distillery is taken to Freund’s farm to feed the livestock, and then during butchering season, they sell meat from the farm out of the tasting room. Nothing like pairing your favorite whiskey cocktail with a juicy steak that was fed using the grain that made the whiskey.
“We plan on being here for a very long time,” Morgan says. “This is a generational company, and we just happen to be the first generation. If we can set up these practices now and work on our efficiencies and create that reputation in our product that garners a $60-$100 bottle price, our thought is that people will respect that and buy it.”
The distillery’s original motto is family, friends and freedom. “Family,” because they all view each other as such and they’re in it together. “Friends,” because they want to share these spirits with friends, and “freedom” to promote the freedom to experiment.
With more than 10 years of perfecting its products, Branch and Barrel has gathered 17 medals, including a Double Gold at the 2024 San Francisco International Spirits Competition for its first ever Wheated Bourbon. Their flagship bourbon also took home Silver in the competition.
Just like the early days experimenting with various wood chips, Branch and Barrel is always open to trying new and creative methods. Among their lineup of spirits is the original Plumwood Bourbon, which is aged in stainless steel rather than oak and uses plumwood chips from local farmers.
Another whiskey is the 3-Way, aged in barrels that were used previously to hold cinnamon whiskey, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Each barrel is unique, with some of the flavors being more prevalent than others depending on the barrel. While some people may steer away from flavored whiskies, these are simply aged in barrels that add flavor and aren’t flavored with additives. The result is amazing.
In contrast to its experimental creations, Branch and Barrel is focused on traditionalism and creating typical styles of whiskey. Roughly 90 percent of their volume is dedicated to the flagship bourbon, and it will be the defining product of their lineup going into the future.
While the founders of Branch and Barrel would be happy to see their whiskey on shelves outside of Colorado in the future, right now they are focused on building the brand within the state. Distilling success set aside, Morgan, Freund and Sielaff still work their day jobs in construction because they love what they do. They look forward to growing the distillery at a rate that will never compromise quality because Branch and Barrel is truly a passion project.
Jay McKinney grew up in Sedalia and graduated from the Metropolitan State University of Denver with a bachelor’s degree in communications. During his free time, he enjoys playing golf, shooting pool and hiking throughout Colorado and neighboring Utah.
This pairing from Spice Trade Brewery & Kitchen in Greenwood Village is a classic play on moules frites, a Belgian mussel dish served with french fries and typically Belgian beer. “The Thai Tripel is dry and effervescent and helps cut through the richness, heat and intensity of the green curry while refreshing your palate for another bite,” says Spice Trade owner Jeff Tyler. “The herbal lemon-lime notes in the beer complement the green curry as well, since there are many overlapping ingredients in the Thai Tripel including lime leaves, lemongrass and ginger.”
1 can (13.5 oz) unsweetened coconut milk (shaken)
2 tbsp vegetable oil (divided)
11⁄2 tbsp garlic (minced)
11⁄2 tbsp ginger (minced)
2 lime leaves
1 lemongrass (minced)
11⁄2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
Directions
The sauce
1. In a medium saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil on medium heat.
2. Add in garlic, ginger, lime leaves and lemongrass and saute for 30 seconds.
3. Add in green curry paste and stir until fragrant (30 seconds).
4. Add in the white wine or sake and reduce the wine by half.
5. Add in fish sauce.
6. Add in 2 ounces of coconut milk and ensure that everything is mixed through.
7. Once the mixture is simmering, add in the rest of the coconut milk.
8. Bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes on medium low heat.
9. Add in sugar and lime juice and stir to combine.
10. Taste for proper seasoning.
1⁄3 cup white wine (or sake)
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1⁄3 cup fresh lime juice
1⁄2 red onion (small dice)
1 tbsp garlic (minced)
1 tsp ginger (minced)
2 tbsp cilantro
1-2 lbs of mussels (cleaned
The Mussels
1. In a large saute pan or pot, add the other half of vegetable oil on medium heat.
2. Add in red onions, garlic and ginger. Saute for 30 seconds.
3. Add in fresh or frozen mussels. Place cover for about 3-4 minutes.
4. At this point, you want to make sure all the mussels are beginning to open. Discard any mussels that are not opening.
5. Add 8 ounces of the coconut green curry sauce and place the cover. You may reduce the heat to medium low for about 5-7 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and add in 1⁄2 of the cilantro and mix in.
7. Turn off heat and plate in a bowl.
8. Garnish with the rest of the cilantro and lime wedges. Serve with rice.
This bisque comes from Josh Niernberg, a James Beard Outstanding Chef semifinalist. The owner of Bin 707 Foodbar in Grand Junction uses small fingerling-style, Colorado-grown yellow potatoes from the San Luis Valley for this recipe. He notes the key is a very low-starch and high-sugar content potato. His suggested wine pairing is the Double Switchback from Storm Cellar, a rosé made from a blend of riesling, pinot noir and pinot gris. “Each grape on their own pair to di erent attributes of the bisque –the pinot noir to the trout roe, sausage and fingerling chips, the riesling to the aromatics and the potatoes themselves, and the pinot gris to the creaminess and overall texture,” Niernberg says. “As a wine, the Double Switchback makes the case for a terroir driven light-bodied rosé pairing and complementing the depth of both flavor and texture from the Colorado-grown potato bisque.”
the riesling to the aromatics and the potatoes themselves,
Ingredients:
Yields approximately 8 large servings.
For the Bisque:
2 diced yellow potatoes (skin on – stored in water to prevent oxidation until needed)
¼ diced yellow onion
¼ cup diced celery
¼ diced fennel bulb
4 oz ‘Nduja Sausage (We use Elevation brand)
1 oz minced garlic
1 oz diced shallot
2½ cups white wine (we use High Dessert Wine Lab “White Light” Riesling)
1 qt heavy cream
1 qt milk
+/- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
+/- ¼ cup honey
Salt and pepper (of choice – white, cayenne, guajillo or black)
To Serve:
First cold-pressed olive oil or infused oil such as chive or parsley oil
Multicolor potato chips
Creme fraiche/sour cream
Fennel fronds
Trout roe (optional)
Directions
In a large, oven-safe stock pot, sweat the fennel, onion and celery until translucent. Do not brown.
Add ‘Nduja to vegetable mixture and slowly render completely over medium/low heat, stirring constantly. Deglaze with white wine.
Add potatoes and cover with parchment.
Roast in a 400° oven approximately 45-55 minutes - until potatoes are soft.
Add milk and cream, honey, vinegar. Stir and let cool slightly. Working in small batches, blend equal amounts of solids to liquids (you could use a stick blender here, or a high-speed blender to smooth out the bisque as much as possible.)
Return the finished bisque to the stock pot, heat to barely a simmer, stirring often over low heat.
To finish, season with salt and pepper and adjust balance with apple cider vinegar and honey as needed.
Note: If bisque is too thick, adjust with either milk, water or both depending on desired richness. Make sure to readjust seasoning after diluting as needed.
To Serve:
Garnish the bisque with a dollop of both creme fraiche and parsley oil. Make a crescent shape around the crema and oil with lightly crushed multi-color potato chips. Gently add trout roe to the chips. Garnish the chips and row with fennel fronds.
BAKER/SOUTH BROADWAY
Baere Brewing Co
Banded Oak Brewing Co
Burns Family Artisan Ales
Denver Beer Co
Monolith Brewing
Novel Strand Brewing Co
Platt Park Brewing Co ●
The Post Chicken and Beer ●
Public Offering Brewing ●
Ratio Beerworks ● TRVE Brewing Co
CAPITOL HILL/E COLFAX/ PARK HILL
4 Noses Brewing Co ● Bruz Off Fax
Cerebral Brewing ● ●
Crazy Mountain Brewery
Fiction Beer Co ●
Long Table Brewhouse ●
Pints Pub ●
Reverence Brewing Co
Station 26 Brewing Co ● Vine Street Pub & Brewery ●
DENVER INT’L AIRPORT
Boulder Beer Tap House ●
Denver Chophouse & Brewery ●
Great Divide Brewhouse and Kitchen ● New Belgium Brewing ●
SweetWater Mountain Taphouse ● Tivoli Taphouse ●
FIVE POINTS
Spangalang Brewery ● Woods Boss Brewing ● ●
LODO / BALLPARK
AC Golden Brewing Co
Cervecería Colorado
Denver Beer Co ●
Denver Chophouse & Brewery ●
Great Divide Brewing Co ● ●
Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery ●
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery ● Sandlot Brewery
Westbound & Down Brewing Co
Wynkoop Brewing Co ●
LOHI / AURARIA
Briar Common Brewery + Eatery ● Burns Family Artisan Ales
Degree Restaurant ● Little Machine Beer ●
Odell Brewing Sloan’s Lake ●
Raices Brewing Co
Seedstock Brewery ● ●
Strange Craft Beer Co ●
Tivoli Brewing ● Zuni St. Brewing Co ● ●
NORTHEAST DENVER
Danico Brewing ● FlyteCo Tower ● River North Wash. St. Taproom ●
NORTHWEST DENVER
Amalgam Brewing
Berkeley Alley Beer Co.
Bruz Beers ● Call to Arms Brewing Co ●
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Diebolt Brewing Co ● ● The Empourium Brewing Co
FlyteCo Brewing ● Goldspot Brewing Co ● ●
The Grateful Gnome Sandwich Shoppe + Brewery ●
Hogshead Brewery
Prost Brewing Co. & Biergarten
RINO
14er Brewing
Altitude Brewing & Supply
Bierstadt Lagerhaus
Black Shirt Brewing Co
Blue Moon Brewing Co
Brew Dog
Cohesion Brewing Co
Dewey Beer Co
Great Divide Brewing Co ● ●
Left Hand Brewing Co
New Belgium - The Woods at the Source
Odell Brewing Co
Our Mutual Friend
Ratio Beerworks ● River North Brewery
SOUTHEAST DENVER
Bull and Bush Brewery ● ●
Comrade Brewing ● comradebrewing.com
720.748.0700
Copper Kettle Brewing Co ● Denver Beer Co ●
Spice Trade Brewing at Yak & Yeti ●
SOUTHWEST DENVER
Black Sky Brewery ● Chain Reaction Brewing Co ●
DENVER SUBURBS
ARVADA
Denver Beer Co
LUKI Brewery
New Image Brewing ●
Odyssey Beerwerks ● ●
Resolute Brewing Tap & Cellar ●
SomePlace Else Brewery
Spice Trade Brewing at Yak & Yeti ●
AURORA
A Bit Twisted Brewpub ●
Bent Barley Brewing Co
BJ’s ●
Cerebral Brewing ● ●
Cheluna Brewing Co
Dry Dock Brewing Co ●
Incantation Brewing Co
Lady Justice Brewing
Launch Pad Brewery ●
Mileau Fermentation
Second Dawn Brewing
Six Capital Brewing & BBQ ●
BRIGHTON
Big Choice Brewing
Floodstage Ale Works ● Something Brewery ●
BROOMFIELD
4 Noses Brewing Co ●
Gordon Biersch ●
Rails End Beer Co ● ● Wonderland Brewing Co ● ●
CASTLE ROCK
105 West Brewing Co ●
Burly Brewing ● ●
The Elizabeth Brewing Co ●
Great Divide Brewery & Roadhouse ●
Iron Mule Brewery ● ●
Rockyard Brewing Co ●
Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co ●
CENTENNIAL
Bent Barley Brewing Co
Blue Spruce Brewing Co ● ●
Halfpenny Brewing Co ● ●
Los Dos Potrillos Mexican Restaurant y Cerveceria ●
Resolute Brewing Co
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery ● Two22 Brew ●
EDGEWATER/WHEAT RIDGE
Barquentine Brewing Co
Brewery Rickoli ● Joyride Brewing Co ●
Mestizo Brew Cantina ● New Image Brewing
ENGLEWOOD AREA
Breckenridge Brewery Ale & Games ●
Brewability Lab ● ●
Downhill Brewing ● ● Sanitas Brewing II ●
FREDERICK
Mirror Image Brewing Co ●
GOLDEN
Barrels and Bottles Brewery ● Cannonball Creek Brewing Co ● Coda Brewing
Coors Brewing Co
Golden City Brewery ●
Holidaily Brewing Co
Holidailybrewing.com
303.278.BEER
801 Brickyard Cir., Golden
Mountain Toad Brewing ● New Terrain Brewing ● ● Ohm Brewing
Over Yonder Brewing ● GREENWOOD VILLAGE
Cherry Creek Brewery ● Holidaily Brewing Taproom
Spice Trade Brewing Co
HIGHLANDS RANCH
3 Freaks Brewery ● Living the Dream Brewing Co ● Los Dos Potrillos Mexican Restaurant y Cerveceria ● Prost Brewing Co & Biergarten
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery ● LAKEWOOD
6 and 40 Brewery BJ’s
Great Frontier Brewing Co ● Green Mountain Beer Co ● Landlocked Ales ● Old 121 Brewhouse ● Westfax Brewing Co ●
LITTLETON AREA
Blue Spruce Brewing Co
Breckenridge Brewery ● Coal Mine Ave. Brewing Co
Comet Brews ● Denver Beer Co ● Lariat Lodge Brewing ● Locavore Beer Works
Los Dos Potrillos Mexican Restaurant y Cerveceria ● LONE TREE
Great Divide Brewery & Roadhouse ● Lone Tree Brewing Co ●
NORTHGLENN/THORNTON
Mother Tucker Brewery ● ● Prost Brewing
Satire Brewing Co ● ● Spice Trade Brewing at Yak & Yeti ●
PARKER
Downhill Brewing Co ● Fiction Beer Co Chapter Two
Lone Tree Brewing
Los Dos Potrillos Mexican Restaurant y Cerveceria ●
WESTMINSTER
BJ’s ●
Frolic Brewing Co ●
Kokopelli Beer Co ● ● Westminster Brewing Co ●
Windfall Brewing Co
Bambei Brewing - Superior ●
Busey Brews - Nederland ● ●
Echo Brewing Co - Erie ●
Fritz Family Brewers - Niwot
Howlin Wind Brewing and BlendingRollinsville
Knotted Root Brewing Co - Nederland
MainStage Brewing - Lyons ●
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew - Lyons
Very Nice Brewing - Nederland ●
BOULDER
Asher Brewing Co
Avery Brewing ●
Beyond the Mountain Brewing Co
BJ’s ● Boulder Social ●
Finkel & Garf Brewing Co
Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery ● The Post Chicken and Beer ●
Rocks & Hops Brewing
Sanitas Brewing Co ● ●
Southern Sun ●
Twisted Pine Brewing ● ●
Upslope Brewing Co ● ●
Vision Quest Brewing Co ● Wild Provisions Beer Project
LAFAYETTE
Cellar West Artisan Ales ● Liquid Mechanics ● ●
Mono Mono Brewery ● Odd 13 Brewing Inc ● ●
The Post Brewing Co ● ●
Westbound and Down Brewing Co
LONGMONT
300 Suns Brewing ●
Bearded Brewer Artisan Ales ● Bootstrap Brewing ● ● Collision Brewing Co ● Großen Bart Brewery ● ●
Knuckle Puck Brewing
Left Hand Brewing Co ●
Longs Peak Pub & Taphouse ● Oskar Blues Brewing ●
Outworld Brewing ● ● The Post Chicken and Beer
Pumphouse Brewery ●
Shoes and Brews
Wibby Brewing ●
LOUISVILLE
12Degree Brewing ● Crystal Springs Brewing Co
Gravity
Mother Tucker Brewery
BierWerks Brewery - Woodland Park ● ●
Crafty Canary Brewery - Walsenburg
Florence Brewing - Florence
Iron Tree Restaurant and Funky Town
Brewing - Florissant ● Manitou Brewing - Manitou Springs ●
Mountain Merman Brewing - La Veta ●
Paradox Beer Co - Divide ●
World’s End Brewing Co - Cañon City
COLORADO SPRINGS
Atrevida Beer Co ●
Battle Mountain Brewing ●
Bell Brothers Brewing
BJ’s ●
Black Forest Brewing Co ● Brass Brewing Co ●
Bristol Brewing ●
Cerberus Brewing Co ● Cogstone Brewing Co ● ●
Colorado Mountain Brewery ●
Dueces Wild Brewery ●
Father & Sons Brewery ● FH Beerworks ●
Fossil Craft Beer Co ●
Goat Patch Brewing Co ●
JAKs Brewing Co ●
Local Relic ●
Lost Friend Brewing ●
Mash Mechanix Brewing ●
Metric Brewing ●
Nano 108 ●
OCC Brewing
Peaks N Pines Brewing Co
Phantom Canyon ●
Pikes Peak Brewing Co ●
Red Leg Brewing
Red Swing Brewhouse
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery ●
Storybook Brewing ●
Trinity Brewing ●
Urban Animal Beer Co
Voodoo Brewing Co ● Wackadoo Brewing
Whistle Pig Brewing Co ● ●
PUEBLO
Brues Alehouse Brewing Co ● ● Reservoir Brewing Co ● Shamrock Brewing ● Walter’s Brewery & Taproom
Bulzomi Brewing - Eaton
Timnath Beerwerks - Timnath ●
ESTES PARK
Avant Garde Aleworks
Estes Park Brewery
The Post Chicken and Beer
Rock Cut Brewing Co
FORT COLLINS
Anheuser-Busch
BJ’s ●
Coopersmith’s Pub & Brewing
Crooked Stave Brewing
DC Oakes Brewhouse & Eatery
Equinox Brewing ● Funkwerks
Gilded Goat Brewing Co ●
Hello Brewing Co
Horse & Dragon Brewing Co
Intersect Brewing ● ●
Jessup Farm Barrel House ●
Maxline Brewing ● ●
Mythmaker Brewing ●
New Belgium Brewing Co
Obstacle Brewing and Grill
Odell Brewing Co ● ● Peculier Ales
Pitchers Brewery ●
The Post Chicken and Beer ●
Prost Brewing Co
Purpose Brewing
Rally King Brewing
Ramskeller Brewery ●
Salt Road Brewing
Snowbank Brewing
Stodgy Brewing Co ● ●
SweetWater Brewery
Verboten Brewing Co
Zwei Brewing Co ● ●
GREELEY
Crabtree Brewing ● ● Rule 105 Brewing Co ●
Tightknit Brewing Co ● ●
WeldWerks Brewing Co ●
Wiley Roots Brewing Co ● Yetters Brewing
LOVELAND/BERTHOUD
Berthoud Brewing Co
Big Beaver Brewing Co ● Big Thompson Brewery
City Star Brewing ●
Crooked Beech Brewing Co
Grimm Brothers Brewhouse
Loveland Aleworks ●
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery ●
Rock Coast Brewery ● Sky Bear Brewery and Pub ●
Verboten Brewing Co
WELLINGTON
Old Colorado Brewing ●
Sparge Brewing
High Hops Brewery ●
Mash Lab Brewing ●
Mighty River Brewing ● ●
Peculier Ales ● ●
Browns Canyon Brewing - Buena Vista
Craft Mountain Brewing Co - Bailey
Eddyline Brewery - Buena Vista ●
Elevation Beer Co - Poncha Springs ●
HighSide Brewing - Fairplay
South Park Brewing Co - Fairplay ●
T-Road Brewing Company - Crestone
Two Mile Brewing Co - Leadville ●
SALIDA
Moonlight Pizza & Brewpub ●
Salida Brewing Co
Soulcraft Brewing ●
Tres Litros Beer Co ●
Avalanche Brewing Co - Silverton ●
Bottom Shelf Brewery - Bayfield ●
Colorado Boy Brewery - Montrose, Ridgway ●
Dolores River Brewery - Dolores ● ●
Golden Block Brewery - Silverton ●
Horsefly Brewing Co - Montrose ● ●
Lake City Brewing Co - Lake City ●
Mancos Brewing Co - Mancos ●
Pomona Brewing Co - Montrose ●
Silver Basin Brewing - Montrose
Smuggler’s Union Brewpub - Telluride ●
Spare Keg Brewers - Creede
Stronghouse Brew Pub - Telluride
Telluride Brewing Co - Telluride ●
Three Barrel Brewing Co - Del Norte ●
CORTEZ
J. Fargo’s Family Dining & Micro Brewery ●
Main Street Brewery & Restaurant ●
WildEdge Brewing Collective ●
DURANGO
Anarchy Brewing
Animas Brewing Co ●
Carver Brewing Co ●
High Trestle Brewing ● ●
Ska Brewing Co ● ●
Steamworks Brewing Co ●
GUNNISON/CRESTED BUTTE
The Eldo Brewpub & Venue ● ● High Alpine Brewing Co ●
Irwin Brewing Co
OURAY
Colorado Boy Southwest Pub ●
Ouray Brewery ●
PAGOSA SPRINGS
The Break Room Brewing Co
Riff Raff Brewing ● ●
ALAMOSA
The Colorado Farm Brewery
San Luis Valley Brewing ●
Spare Keg Brewers
PAONIA
Chrysalis Barrel Aged Beer
Paonia United Brewing Co ●
Parts & Labor Brewing Co - Sterling ●
Tumbleweed Brewing & Wine - Yuma ●
Camber Brewing Co - Fraser
Fraser River Beer Co - Fraser
Grand Adventure Brewing - Kremmling
Never Summer Brewing Co - Granby
Smoking River Brewing Co - Meeker
Vicious Cycle Brewing - Fraser ●
World’s End Brewpub - Grand Lake
Yampa Valley Brewing Co - Hayden
Yampa Valley Taproom - Craig
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
Mahogany Ridge Brewery & Grill ●
Mountain Tap Brewery ●
Storm Peak Brewing Co
Yampa Valley Taproom
WINTER PARK
Big Trout Brewing ● ● bigtroutbrewing.com
970.363.7362
50 Vasquez Rd Winter Park
Hideaway Park Brewery
The Noble Buck ●
ASPEN AREA
Aspen Brewing Co ● Carbondale Beer Works ● Capitol Creek Brewery ● Mountain Heart Brewing - Carbondale
Westy's Tap & Tavern ●
CENTRAL CITY/GEORGETOWN/ IDAHO SPRINGS
Cabin Creek Brewing - Georgetown ●
Dostal Alley Saloon & Gambling
Emporium - Central City ●
Guanella Pass Brewing - Georgetown, Empire
Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub - Idaho Springs ●
Westbound & Down
Brewing Co - Idaho Springs ●
EAGLE COUNTY
Craftsman Brew Co- Edwards ●
Eagle County Brewing
GLENWOOD SPRINGS AREA
Brewzone
Glenwood Canyon Brew Pub
GRAND JUNCTION
Base
Copper Sky Distillery - Longmont
Deki Spirits - Lafayette
Denver Distillery - Denver
Deviation Distilling - Denver
Downslope Distilling - Centennial
Dry Land Distillers - Longmont
DV8 Distillery - Boulder ●
The Family Jones Spirit House - Denver ●
Gold Dirt Distillery - Rollinsville ●
Golden Moon Distillery - Golden
Hogback Distillery - Boulder, Estes Park
J & L Distilling Co - Boulder
Ironton Distillery - Denver ● Laws Whiskey House - Denver
Leopold Bros - Denver
Mad Rabbit Distillery - Westminster Mile High Spirits - Denver
Molly Brown Spirits - Denver
Mystic Mountain Distillery - Thornton
Rising Sun Distillery - Denver
Rocker Spirits - Littleton
Spirit Hound Distillers - Denver, Lyons ●
State 38 Distilling - Golden
Stranahan’s - Denver
Strongwater Spirits & Botanicals - Denver
Talnua Distillery - Arvada
Tighe Brothers Distillery - Denver
Turnbuckle Distilling - Westminster
NORTHERN COLORADO
477 Distilling - Greeley ●
Coppermuse Distillery - Fort Collins ●
Elevation 5003 Distillery - Fort Collins
Elkins Distilling Co - Estes Park
Feisty Spirits - Fort Collins
Gnebriated Gnome Distillery - Fort Collins
The Heart Distillery - Windsor ● Mobb Mountain Distillers - Fort Collins
Mythology Distillery - Steamboat Springs
NOCO Distillery - Fort Collins
Old Elk Distillery - Fort Collins ● Old Town Distilling - Fort Collins
Seed & Spirit Distilling - Fort Collins
Spring 44 Distilling - Loveland
Syntax Distillery - Greeley ●
SOUTHERN COLORADO
1350 Distilling - Colo. Springs ●
1874 Distilling - Del Norte ● ●
3 Hundred Days of Shine - Monument ●
Art of the Spirits - Colorado Springs
Axe and the Oak - Colo. Springs
Black Bear Distillery - Green Mountain Falls
Blackhat Distillery - Colo. Springs
Deerhammer Distilling - Buena Vista ● Distillery 291 - Colo. Springs
Meridiem Spirits - Elizabeth
Snitching Lady Distillery - Fairplay ●
South Park Distilling - Fairplay Spirits of the Rockies - Pueblo
Woods High Mountain Distillery woodsdistillery.com
719.207.4315
144 W 1st Salida
WESTERN SLOPE
10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits - Vail ●
Archetype Distillery - Vail, Gypsum
Breckenridge Distillery - Breckenridge●●
Clarke & Co’s Distilling - Palisade ● Durango Craft Spirits - Durango
Eagle River Whisky - Minturn
Fraser Valley Distilling fraservalleydistilling.com
970.363.7792 410 Zerex St Fraser
Highlands Distillery - Grand Junction ●
Honey House Distillery - Durango
Idlewild Spirits Distillery- Winter Park ●
KJ Wood Distillers - Ouray
Marble Distilling Co - Carbondale ●
Montanya Distillers - Crested Butte
Peach Street Distillers - Palisade ●
Peak Spirits - Hotchkiss
Pullman Distillery - Frisco ●
Stoneyard Distillery - Dotsero, Glenwood Springs
Storm King Distilling - Montrose
Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge - Aspen
Telluride Distilling Co - Telluride
Woody Creek Distillers - Basalt
DISTRIBUTION ONLY
American Woman Spirit Co.
Anders’ Vodka
Arta Tequila
Conflagration Distilling
Coyote Gold Margaritas
Dirty Dill
Felene Vodka
Kure’s Craft Beverage Co.
Locke & Co Distilling
Tincup Whiskey
Tingala
Vanjak Vodka
Western Medicine Spirits
GRAND JUNCTION AREA
Avant Vineyards - Palisade
The Blue Beryl Winery - Palisade
BookCliff Vineyards - Palisade
Carboy Winery - Palisade ●
Carlson Vineyards - Palisade
Carlson Tasting Room - Grand Junction
Centennial Cellars - Palisade
Colorado Cellars Winery - Palisade ●
Colorado Vintners - Palisade
Colterris Winery - Palisade ●
Deroco Cellars - Palisade ● ●
Evolve Wines - Clifton ● ●
Grande River Vineyards - Palisade ●
Graystone Winery - Clifton
Gubbini Winery - Palisade
Hermosa Vineyards - Palisade
Mafia Princess Winery - Grand Junction
Maison la Belle Vie Winery & Amy’s Courtyard - Palisade ●
The Ordinary Fellow- Palisade
Peachfork Orchards and VineyardsPalisade
Red Fox Cellars - Palisade
Restoration Vineyards - Palisade ● ●
Sauvage Spectrum - Palisade ● ●
Shiras Winery - Grand Junction ●
Talon Winery - Palisade
Two Rivers Winery - Grand Junction ●
Two Swedes Glögg - Grand Junction
TWP Winery & Farmhouse - Clifton ●
Varaison Vineyards and WineryPalisade ●
Vines 79 Wine Barn - Palisade
Whitewater Hill Vineyards - Grand Junction
WESTERN SLOPE
5680' Vineyard - Paonia
Alfred Eames Cellars at Puesta del Sol
Vineyards - Paonia
Azura Cellars - Paonia
Berkeley Estate Cellars - Olathe
Black Bridge Winery - Paonia
Chill Switch Wine - Cedaredge
Fallen Mountain Wines - Hotchkiss
Jack Rabbit Hill - Hotchkiss
Lanoue DuBois Winery - Montrose
Mesa Winds Farm and WineryHotchkiss ●
Mountain View Winery - Olathe
Peony Lane Wine - Paonia
Qutori Wines - Paonia
Stone Cottage Cellars - Paonia ●
Stoney Mesa Winery - Cedaredge ●
The Storm Cellar Winery - Hotchkiss ●
Williams Cellars - Cedaredge
FOUR CORNERS AREA
Durango Winery - Durango ● ●
Flying T Wine - Cortez
Four Leaves Winery - Durango ● ●
Fox Fire Farms - Ignacio ●
Sauvage Spectrum - Ouray ●
Sutcliffe Vineyards - Cortez ●
Yellow Car Country Wines - Cortez ●
CENTRAL MOUNTAINS
Aquila Cellars - Carbondale ● Buckel Family Wine - Crested Butte
Carboy Winery - Breckenridge ●
Continental Divide WineryBreckenridge, Fairplay ●
Mountain Spirit Winery - Salida
Steamboat Winery - Steamboat Springs
Vines at Vail Winery - Wolcott
Vino Salida Wine Cellars - Poncha Springs ● Winter Park Winery - Fraser
SOUTHERN FRONT RANGE
Brush Hollow Winery - Penrose
Bugling Elk Vineyards - Penrose
Evergood Elixirs - Palmer Lake ● Fountain Creek Winery - Fountain ● Latigo Winery - Black Forest
Legatum Cellars - Canon City
Manitou Winery - Manitou Springs ● Monte Cervino - Colorado Springs
Pop’s Vineyard - Penrose ● The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey - Canon City ●
CENTRAL FRONT RANGE
Allis Ranch Winery - Sedalia
Aspen Peak Winery & Bistro - Bailey ● ●
Attimo Wine - Denver
Augustina’s Winery - Nederland
Balistreri Vineyards - Denver ● Bigsby’s Folly - Denver ●
Blanchard Family Wines - Denver, Golden ●
Bonacquisti Wine Company - Denver ● BookCliff Vineyards - Boulder ● ● Carboy Winery - Denver, Littleton ●
Colorado Sake Co. - Denver ● ● Creekside Cellars - Evergreen ●
Deep Roots Winery & Bistro - Denver ●●
The Infinite Monkey Theorem - Denver ● InVINtions, A Creative WineryGreenwood Village
Kingman Estates Winery - Denver ● Ladrón Cellars - Englewood
Purgatory Cellars Winery - Parker
Silver Vines Winery - Arvada, Boulder ● ●
Spero Winery - Denver
Taboche Winery - Broomfield
Turquoise Mesa Winery - Broomfield
Vinnie Fera - Boulder
Water 2 Wine - Littleton ● The Wine Barrel - Parker
NORTHERN FRONT RANGE
Bad Bitch Cellars - Eaton
Blanchard Family Wines - Fort Collins ● Blendings Winery - Fort Collins
Blue Mountain Vineyards - Berthoud
Snowy Peaks Winery - Estes Park ● ●
Sweet Heart Winery - Loveland ●
Tamburi Wine - Fort Collins
Ten Bears Winery - Laporte ●
The OBC Wine Project - Fort Collins ● PLAINS
Claremont Inn & Winery - Stratton ●
Country Road Vines and Wines - Fort Morgan ●
Mummy Hill Winery - Holyoke
Reds Wine Boutique - Sterling
DISTRIBUTION ONLY
Bluejays Winery
Fallen Mountain Wines
Settembre Cellars
Wild Mountain Cellars
13° Brix Cider Bistro -Palisade ● Apple Valley Cider Co - Penrose
Big B’s Fruit Co - Hotchkiss ● ●
Boco Cider - Boulder ●
Boxing Brothers Cider - Colo Springs
Brush Hollow Winery - Penrose
Clear Fork Cider - Paonia
Climb Hard Cider Co - Loveland
Colorado Cider Co - Fort Collins, Lakewood ●
EsoTerra Cider - Durango, Delores ● ●
Fenceline Cider - Mancos ● ●
Happy Hollow Hard Cider - Cedaredge
Haykin Family Cider - Aurora
Locust Cider - Fort Collins, Lakewood ●
Old Mine Cider Co - Erie ●
Red Fox Cellars - Palisade ●
Snow Capped Cider - Cedaredge
St. Vrain Cidery - Longmont ●
Stem Ciders - Denver ● ●
Stem Ciders Acreage- Lafayette ● ●
Summit Hard Cider - Fort Collins ●
Talbott’s Cider Co - Palisade ● ●
Waldschänke Ciders - Denver ●
Wild Cider - Firestone ●
Alpenglow at the Granary - Hayden ●
Antelope Ridge Mead - Colorado Springs
Brush Hollow Winery - Penrose
Colorado Cellars Winery - Palisade ●
Dragon Meadery - Aurora
Drekar Meadery - Colorado Springs
Honnibrook Meadery - Castle Rock ● ●
Hunters Moon Meadery - Severance
Laughing Leprechaun MeaderyDistribution Only
Meadery of the Rockies - Palisade
Meadkrieger - Loveland ● ●
Miracle Stag Meadery - Distribution Only
Queen Bee Brews - Denver
Redstone Meadery - Boulder
Slaymaker Cellars - Idaho Springs
Yellow Car Country Wines - Cortez ●
We believe that high quality, delicious beef is even better when it’s done locally.
Centennial Cuts MercantileBelmar
408 South Teller St. Lakewood, CO 80226
Open Daily 11am to 6pm (720) 627-5612
Centennial Cuts Mercantile -
Old Colorado City
2520 1/2 W Colorado Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Open Daily 11am to 6pm (719) 394-4268
We carry ribeye steaks, beef jerky, prime rib, brisket, beef sticks, steak sauce, ground beef, and tons of other options for dinner! We also make it easy to have beef shipped directly to your door!
Centennial Cuts at Denver
International Airport
8500 Peña Boulevard, Denver, CO 80249
Gate B29 and Gate A34
Open Sunday-Friday 7am to 9pm