Thirst Magazine October-December 2020

SERVING UP THE COLORADO EXPERIENCE

Vol. 6, No. 1 October-December 2020

CURTAIN CALL

ARTS SET THE STAGE FOR COMMUNITY CONNECTION

MIX IT UP

FOOD AND COCKTAILS TO LIVEN UP THANKSGIVING

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LIBATIONS BEYOND

Anticipation is the name of the game during the 2020 holiday season As we adapt to the new normal, our priorities and planning have never been more important if we are going to experience the Colorado life we’ve all come to enjoy.

We always set out to guide readers around the state with ideas on grabbing a thrill or finding a place to chill. Like the rest of this crazy year, fall and winter will be different, although we’re hoping we will not have to jump through too many hoops to find our happy place. If you are traveling, assume that there have been changes to reservation procedures each week.

Between the state, county, city and park regulations, the chance of change is likely. If you are planning a trip to the corner park or planning a trip to another state, it’s all about preparation and anticipation.

In this issue, we have offered some thoughts on the region’s incredible performing arts venues and the value they bring to our lives. While much of the scene is on hold, it’s the perfect time to learn more about this creative sector that enriches our Colorado experience.

Leftover Salmon has long been a jam band that seemingly never stops touring around the country. COVID-19 put an abrupt end to these perpetual, joyous jams. But as things settle down, Salmon will ramp up in a big way, which is definitely good news to their Colorado fans.

And what about GABF? The Great American Beer Fest had no choice but to take the show on the road – the virtual road that is. The 60,000 people who normally converge on Denver will stay at home this year and participate through home-town visits to breweries and online interactions with the nation’s greatest brewing minds.

Again, please plan ahead. Check in with websites and social channels for every event you hope to attend. It will save you time and provide a better experience.

Publisher Paul Johnson paul@thirstcolorado.com Associate Publisher & Editor Joe Ross joe@thirstcolorado.com Vice President of Sales Tod Cavey tod@thirstcolorado.com Account Executives Jane Howard & Rebel Hunter Design & Layout Michele Garner Sandy Birkey President & Founder Wilbur E. Flachman Marketing & Distribution Neill Pieper Editorial Interns Liam Easley Elsa Russell Contributors Katie Coakley, Steve Graham, Kyle Kirves, Dennis Mangers, Monica Parpal Stockbridge For advertising and editorial information, please contact Joe Ross at 303.428.9529 Ext. 227 or email joe@thirstcolorado.com Proud member of the Brewers Association and 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, serving arts venues along the Front Range.

7380 Lowell Blvd., Westminster, Colorado 80030 303.428.9529

Remember, live your passion and thirst responsibly this holiday season.

Drink up life in large amounts, but restrict your alcohol consumption. We do not endorse or support excessive drinking.

Thirst Colorado is published six times a year by The Publishing House, 7380 Lowell Blvd., Westminster, CO 80030. © The Publishing House, 2020. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Paul Johnson Publisher & Tasting Guru facebook.com/thirstcolorado twitter.com/thirstcolorado @thirstcolorado

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October-December 2020

Except where noted, the content of Thirst Colorado is the property of the magazine and should only be reprinted with permission. Thirst Colorado is not responsible for false or misleading claims made in advertising or editorial materials published herein. Thirst Colorado Magazine is distributed in part by DJM Distribution, Inc., and Community Racks Distribution, LLC.

THIRST COLORADO | October-December 2020

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INTERSECTIONS

28 Elevated Liquid

Dryland Distillers delivers the true taste of Colorado

32 Jam Scene

Leftover Salmon provides fans with killer riffs and jammin’ grooves

40 Prime Pairings

Great Divide serves up breakfast, brewery style

44

Strange Brew

8 20

44

Call to Arms finds inspiration from wine in new refreshing brew

46 Art of Soda

Rocky Mountain Soda goes natural inside and outside the bottle

On the cover: Jelani Remy as Simba leads the ensemble in a rendition of “He Lives in You” from The Lion King National Tour. Disney.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.

50

52 Brewery, Distillery, Winery, Cidery and Meadery Guide Find great craft beverages wherever you end up in Colorado

ADVENTURES

Arts: 8 Performing Enriching Lives

Arts organizations are more than just a regional economic powerhouse

6 ThirstColorado.com

October-December 2020

16

Backcountry Advice

20

Creative Tunes

Gear, beer and other recommendations from seasoned guides

Neyla Pekarek aims to take her music to the performance stage

24 Belgians are Better

A series begins on Belgian brews with Denver’s Belgian-centric Bruz Beers

50 Hot Dog!

Local joints prove you don’t have to be in Chicago for a great dog

Hazel’s for the Holidays Give the gift that never gets returned.

ÂŽ

In the

Limelight

WHEN ARTISTS IN COLORADO GIVE TO THE COMMUNITY, THE PEOPLE GIVE BACK

© magann / Adobe Stock

By Steve Graham

8 ThirstColorado.com

October-December 2020

The Colorado Ballet teamed up with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and Wonderbound to bring the Tour de Force to the stage in 2019.

Pictured: Asuka Sasaki, Ben Youngstone and Martez McKinzy.

Photo: Allen Birnbach

T

ake away Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Denver’s major theater complex.

The downtown skyline and the foothills would look very different. More importantly, Colorado’s economy and quality of life would be very different.

“It wouldn’t be the same without the culture,” said Suzanne Yoe, director of communications and cultural affairs for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA). “It’s the spice of life. The arts give the flavor. When you take that away, you’re just missing something.”

Specifically, you’re missing nearly $2 billion, as well as immeasurable social and cultural benefits, if the Front Range has no performing arts venues and organizations.

Also, the most active and supportive live arts patrons in the nation would be missing their

opportunities to experience challenging dramas, stunning ballet, captivating symphonies and much more.

The DCPA is the second largest performing arts complex in the country by total number of seats. It has been a downtown fixture since the 1970s, and many fans don’t realize how unusual it is to have a Broadway show, symphony concerts, opera events and intimate plays all in the same complex.

“To have this real vibrant hub in the center of town really elevates all the performing arts,” said John Ekeberg, executive director for the Broadway and Cabaret divisions of the DCPA. He said theater and other performing arts bring us together.

“We are storytellers,” Ekeberg said.

“Theater is a way that people can come

together with their family and friends, and also with people they don’t know … and be entertained or challenged, or both.”

Dawn Fay is president of Wonderbound, a contemporary ballet company in Denver.

She said Netflix and Spotify can never replace live events.

“The performing arts has that intangible experiential thing that you can’t replicate,” Fay said. Her company creates totally original productions with live accompaniment by local musicians.

“You’re coming to something that hasn’t been seen before,” she said. “Being able to experience the type of work that we do really resonates with people. It doesn’t feel unapproachable. There is a human authenticity to the way these stories are choreographed.”

October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 9

Through Wonderbound, the DCPA and other organizations around the state, the performing arts often push our boundaries and make us think in new ways.

“Depending on the art form, it opens up new ideas and new conversations,” Yoe said.

“It offers a healthy space for dialogue.”

Many Colorado artists also take an unusual level of responsibility for their work.

Anthony Pierce, chief artistic officer at the Colorado Symphony, said the Symphony is unusual in having nine orchestra players as voting members on the board of trustees.

“Our musicians are willing to take risks,” he said. “And they have unique ownership of the institution. They have a say in how this place runs.”

‘THE ENVY OF MANY COMMUNITIES’

The Denver Performing Arts Complex is one of the largest arts venues in the nation.

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October-December 2020

There are also more tangible benefits to the performing arts. The Colorado Business Committee for the Arts estimates the performing arts drove $1.9 billion in economic activity in the Denver area in 2017, the latest year the group released a study (a planned 2020 study was delayed due to COVID-19).

This includes $400 million in spending from cultural tourists. Yoe said the DCPA has subscribers who travel from as far as Washington for performances.

“We are fortunate that we are the only major venue within a 600 mile radius,” she said.

Yoe said the DCPA alone has a $175 million economic impact on the region, including direct employment and revenue, and indirect benefits to nearby bars, restaurants, stores and hotels. She added that regional chambers of commerce regularly ask her for attendance data and information to use in attracting new businesses to the region.

“The number of jobs created in the community is significant,” said Ekeberg.

He noted that many patrons only think of the performers on stage, but there is also business staff, tech crew, ushers, choreographers, directors and more.

In turn, the performing arts organizations make money to pay their staffs through ticket sales, fundraising and, significantly, tax dollars. For more than 30 years, consumers Continued on page 12

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in the seven-county metro area have paid an additional cent for every $10 in spending. That money goes to the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, which annually distributes more than $60 million to nearly 300 arts and culture organizations.

The tax district was created during an economic recession, when cultural organizations were struggling. It has grown into the only regional cultural funding model of its kind in the nation, and a major supporter of performing artists.

“We’re really fortunate to have a population that supports the arts and culture,” Ekeberg said. “We are certainly the envy of many communities around the country.”

‘A PASSION FOR THE ARTS’ Arts patrons aren’t just providing tax dollars. They also fill seats.

The Denver metro area and Colorado as a whole both lead the nation in attendance at arts performances. A 2017 National Endowment for the Arts survey was recently released, and showed that 76.8 percent of residents in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area went to at least one concert, play or performance per year, compared to a national average of 48.5 percent for the top 35 metro areas in the nation.

Statewide, the same survey found 66.5 percent of Colorado residents attended a performance, compared to a national average of 48.5. The state’s number is only exceeded by the District of Columbia.

Fay said the sellout crowds are also less reserved and feel less bound by the unwritten rules of arts patronage.

“Audiences here are very authentic,” she said. “There’s an honesty to their reactions. They will not hesitate to laugh out loud and give a hoot and holler for something.”

Instead of competing with skiing, climbing and other beloved Centennial State pursuits, the performing arts complement outdoor activities.

“People can go out in the golf course in the afternoon, and come down at night and see a nice show,” Ekeberg said. “Those who love to get out with their family and friends and go skiing also want to get out and see a show.”

Pierce argues the arts are as beneficial as those outdoor pursuits.

“It’s a healthy way to have entertainment,” Pierce said. “It also has the power to inspire people in a way that other activities don’t.”

He added that the performing arts are educational.

“We’ve got to raise young community members with a passion for the arts,” Pierce said. “We show that it’s ok and it’s actually good to pursue something that’s beautiful for its own sake. We feel the arts really set that example.”

Most local arts groups work in schools, and provide familyfriendly options to draw all ages into seats, and to inspire future artists.

Concertmaster Yumi Hwang-Williams of the Colorado Symphony.

Photo: Courtesy of Colorado Symphony | Amanda Tipton

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October-December 2020

‘A COMMUNITY AND A CONNECTION’ Ekeberg has seen all aspects of the performing arts business in Denver, starting in 1992 in the DCPA box office “selling tickets for $5.50 per hour,” and moving up to managing the business and programming of touring shows such as “Hamilton” and “The Lion King.”

The latter was a major coup for Ekeberg and the DCPA. The touring show of Disney’s smash hit debuted in Denver in 2002. Disney also came to Colorado for test runs of “Frozen” and “Little Mermaid” musicals before they launched on Broadway. More recently, “Dear Evan Hansen” was another Broadway hit with its tour debut in Denver.

As anyone who has tried to buy “Hamilton” tickets can attest, Denver performances often sell out — and fast.

“When they bring a tour to Denver, they know they are going to reach their sales numbers,” Yoe said.

Ekeberg also said industry veterans know and appreciate the Buell Theater and its crew.

“They are really talented stagehands who really know the work and really love doing technical productions like that,” he said. “It takes a different level of skill to do that kind of production.”

Colorado’s performing arts organizations are also known for collaboration. All the artists and management teams that share space at the DCPA all must work together, but they also work regularly with other performers around the region.

“Theater at its core is a collaborative work,” Ekeberg said. “It takes so many people in so many areas to create what happens for that two hours on stage.”

Fay credits the individualism and creativity based in Colorado’s Wild West roots.

“It’s that spirit of anything’s possible,” she said. “It’s a very positive town in looking at possibilities, and that leads to a collaborative spirit.”

Ekeberg said the pandemic forced even greater collaboration when performing arts organizations kept their doors closed.

“If there are challenging times, if there are opportunities for organizations to pool their resources and knowledge together, it only makes sense,” he said.

Wonderbound and the Symphony both helped keep us entertained — and moving — during lockdown with videos, performances and whimsical dance tutorials.

The DCPA continued some of its education and enrichment programs through the lockdown, and continued working with high schools around the state, albeit largely virtually.

The SCFD encourages groups to work together, but Pierce said the Symphony would collaborate anyway. “Artists just naturally like to have partners with other thoughts,” he said. “That’s a natural thing.”

They also like to entertain, divert and soothe people, especially during difficult days.

“We’re there to perform and provide comfort to people in dark times,” Pierce said.

Colorado’s many performing arts fans look forward to being comforted in a theater together on the other side of the pandemic.

“There is a community and a connection and an energy that cannot be replaced unless you are together,” Yoe said.

Steve Graham is a freelance writer and former newspaper editor who likes taking his two young boys biking, hiking and brewery-hopping in northern Colorado.

SMALL TOWNS WITH BIG PERFORMANCES The Denver area certainly punches above its weight as a medium-sized city that both attracts world premieres and cultivates diverse homegrown talent, from Buntport’s quirky live sitcoms to Phamaly’s inclusive musical productions. But Colorado’s small towns also host major performing artists and events. Here is a selection from beyond the Front Range.

CENTRAL CITY OPERA HOUSE ensures the

mountain town is known for more than casinos and mining legends. As the fifth oldest professional opera company in the nation, it stages a full season of world-class opera productions every summer while also maintaining 27 historic Victorian-era properties.

CREEDE REPERTORY THEATRE started in 1966, when a 19-year-old University of Kansas student replied to a letter from town boosters seeking help opening a theater. It now produces up to 10 plays every summer, hosts concerts and other events, and is appreciated far beyond the San Juan town’s 300 residents.

LAKE DILLON THEATRE COMPANY was created in 1993 to raise money for the Lake Dillon Amphitheater. It has since grown into a professional theater company, and the most popular year-round arts organization in Summit County.

NATIONAL REPERTORY ORCHESTRA in Breckenridge was slated to celebrate its 60th anniversary season this year before COVID-19 forced its cancellation.

It is a summer performance orchestra and academy offering full fellowships to train young musicians for professional careers.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REPERTORY THEATRE

is just outside Rocky Mountain National Park in Grand Lake, where it brings at least $3.4 million in economic impacts to the region through a full summer of Broadway musicals.

VAIL DANCE FESTIVAL is a major summer dance event in the dance world. It launched in 1989 with a touring performance from the legendary Bolshoi Ballet Academy of Moscow. Vail became the only North American satellite of the Bolshoi.

October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 13

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BACKCOUNTRY MUST-HAVES THREE COLORADO ADVENTURE ATHLETES SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS

By Elsa Russell

© jaypetersen / Adobe Stock

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October-December 2020

H

ome to thousands of jagged peaks, crystal clear lakes and stunning alpine views, it is no surprise that Colorado is also a mecca for adventure athletes of all pursuits. Whether it be specific gear or a favorite craft beer, every outdoor enthusiast has their own backcountry essentials. Connie Sciolino, Jason Antin, and Eric Henderson share theirs.

■ What are your top three must-haves in the backcountry and why?

1. The right crew. The people you do things with are probably the most important part of any adventure. Friendships and memories are forever with your adventure crew.

2. Food. It is key to plan what you are going to eat while adventuring, when you get there, and when you get back. God forbid you get hungry.

3. Comfort. I hate being cold. I will carry as much it takes to ensure I don’t get cold.

I typically have the biggest pack, stuffed mostly with clothes.

■ What is your preferred pour after a day in the backcountry?

CONNIE SCIOLINO is the owner and head coach at Alpine Training Center, a strength and conditioning gym in Boulder.

She is a certified strength and conditioning coach and holds a masters degree in exercise science. In the backcountry, Sciolino loves to ski, rock climb and run.

There is nothing better than beer after a long day (or even a short day) in the backcountry. My current favorite is Upslope’s Craft Lager. I’ve carried one to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, hiked some in for a backpacking trip, and definitely have them on hand for après ski. They are easy going down in cold or warm weather and always hit the spot.

■ What do you thirst for in life?

I love traveling. Outdoor adventures are my excuse to travel. Going to a new place and learning about new cultures, people, food, or a new area is best done while doing. I’m not good at the typical tourist vacation and you will never find me on a cruise. Best way to see the Grand Canyon?

Run it rim-to-rim. Best way to see Yosemite National Park? Hike to the top of Half Dome and have a look. Want to know what skiing is like in Canada? Go on a hut trip. I don’t do the biggest, baddest things but I like new adventures and would love to be able to keep doing them as long as possible.

■ How do you quench that thirst?

Kind of the same as above: travel. I like to run, ski and climb. Traveling anywhere that I can do one of those activities is on the list.

■ What do you thirst for in life?

I love long days in the mountains with great partners. As a mountain guide and coach, I enjoy sharing and teaching others.

However, I also really enjoy taking on challenging outings in the outdoors and moving quickly over varied terrain.

■ How do you quench that thirst?

Constant rigorous movement over varied natural terrain. Rock climbing, trail running, mountaineering ... or ideally blending them all together into one incredible outing.

■ What are your top three must-haves in the backcountry and why?

1. A great waterproof shell jacket. In Colorado, the weather can be fierce and unpredictable. A good waterproof jacket can keep you sheltered from the elements and help keep you warm in the alpine any time of year.

2. Garmin InReach. As a member of a local search and rescue group here in Colorado, I’ve seen time and time again the power of a personal locator beacon for emergencies. The InReach is also how I communicate with my wife and family on long outings off the grid.

3. Ski/voile strap. These things do it all!

From gear management to first aid uses to holding technical gear to the outside of your pack. I always have at least one ski strap with me regardless of the outing.

■ What is your preferred pour after a day in the backcountry?

Nothing really beats an ice cold, salty margarita on the rocks after a hard day out.

It could be from Ed’s Cantina in Estes Park after a big climb in Rocky Mountain National Park, or a Nalgerita (Nalgene with pre-made marg) served over fresh snow after a day out of spring backcountry skiing.

JASON ANTIN is a mountain guide, coach and a co-founder and co-executive producer of Beat Monday on Outside TV. He enjoys trail running and rock climbing, and some of his backcountry accomplishments include summiting Denali twice in one week and The Nose on El Capitan in one day.

October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 17

■ How do you quench that thirst?

I quench my thirst for life by working, recreating, and parenting with the goal of living a healthy, diverse life that is inclusive to all. I am delighted with the increase in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) awareness and will continue to embrace all people, no matter color, sexual preference, or abilities in the natural world.

■ What are your top three must-haves in the backcountry, and why?

ERIC HENDERSON is the owner

and founder of Meteorite PR. He is also an American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) certified ski guide and a certified telemark guide. As an avid backcountry skier, Henderson has been on expeditions on Everest, in Alaska, the Tetons and China’s Altai Mountains.

■ What do you thirst for in life?

As I get older, my goals and thirst for adventure have changed. There was a time in my life when steeper, deeper, and scarier was all I wanted. However, today, as a dad and small business owner and after breaking my neck in a ski accident, my thirst is enjoying as much time as possible outside and appreciating every moment I have on the slopes, skin track, or in the hills. Despite my now 30 years in the backcountry, my value for safety, etiquette, and sharing the passion that gravity offers has remained consistent.

My top three must-haves for the backcountry are a reliable partner, the ability to make decisions on the fly, and an understanding of the terrain you are planning to ski. The partners are the most important, as they are your lifeline for rescue, injury or equipment failure. Decision making is an art form. Many people believe experience comes from bad judgment. That can be true, however, in the case of backcountry skiing, any bad judgment can lead to injury or worse.

An understanding of the terrain is often the most overlooked must-have for backcountry travel.

As for gear, countless amazing brands offer my must-haves: skins by Pomoca, bindings, boots, and skis by Dynafit, helmets and goggles by Sweet Protection, and apparel by Rab Equipment.

■ What is your preferred pour after a day in the backcountry?

I love beer. That said, I don’t drink beer and ski. I save it for the bar, parking lot or hut once the skis are parked for the day. All this said, I’ll drink a 22-ounce pint of a fresh 7.8 ABV IPA with a midrange IBU to quench the day. And there is never only one! Second should be a hydrator: Mexican lager or a nice sour beer, finished with a slice of pizza and an IPA. Finish strong, then rinse and repeat for the next day.

Elsa Russell is studying English and Global Studies at Colby College in Maine. She also enjoys writing and spending time in the mountains and in the kitchen.

© Tartila / Adobe Stock

18 ThirstColorado.com

October-December 2020

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LOCAL LUMINARY How Neyla Pekarek is making a name for herself in Denver and beyond

By Monica Parpal Stockbridge

Thirst sat down with Neyla Pekarek in April of 2020 while the 34-year-old musician was experiencing a pandemicdriven downtime from her usual frenetic schedule. Here, we share some of her thoughts and experiences since departing from The Lumineers, and what’s next in her artistic career.

P

Photo: Jacob Blickenstaff

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October-December 2020

ekarek is a true local, having grown up in Aurora and earned her music education degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. After graduating, she taught for the Littleton Public School District as a substitute teacher for two years.

“I actually had a really good gig, as I could kind of be with the same kids and I knew how to run a rehearsal which was helpful,” she says. “It was also a perfect job to have when I first started touring because I could come back home and have a job all the time, which was really nice.”

The touring she’s referring to was with the band, The Lumineers. She was 23 when she joined the burgeoning group as their cello player. The Lumineers became a sensation, and while Pekarek was with the band it wasn’t unusual to tour for 600 days during a two-year timeframe.

She says her 20s was a good time for such an adventure.

“It’s a good time for young people to travel and that kind of thing and figure themselves out. I just sort of fell into this and it became my career.”

Some of the highlights? Playing Saturday Night Live, playing for President Obama at the White House and traveling to every continent on the plant (except Antarctica). She played and toured with the band for eight years. “I went from crashing with friends and living from couch to couch to then all of the sudden being able to really be fully financially independent.”

WORLD PREMIERE MUSICAL

RATTLESNAKE KATE This illustration by Kyle Malone, design director at Denver Center for the Performing Arts, was produced to promote the pandemic-interrupted premiere of Rattlesnake Kate.

While grateful for the opportunity, Pekarek says that the band never felt like her own project. “I wasn’t part of the writing process and I really wanted to start writing my own songs. I wanted to take hold of my own destiny.”

Around 2015 to 2016 while touring on The Lumineers’ album, Cleopatra, she felt a surge of creative energy and began seriously writing her own material. Whenever she had a few days off, she would go into the studio and chip away at a record. “I loved writing and I loved singing and doing the things that I wasn’t really doing in The Lumineers. And it just felt like I had outgrown it a little bit and was ready for something different.”

Pekarek departed from The Lumineers in 2018 and began to pursue her own creative project — Rattlesnake Kate.

“I had known about this story for a long time and it always felt like it lent itself to a book or play or songs,” she says, referring to a historic Colorado woman, Kate McHale Slaughterback, famous for encountering and killing 140 rattlesnakes to protect herself and her young son. Pekarek began writing songs for fun. “I found it to be really therapeutic,” she says. But Rattlesnake Kate quickly became her central muse. While researching Kate, Pekarek learned that the figure was tough, outspoken and stubborn.

“I admired that a lot, and it sort of helped me find my own voice and my own courage to be who I wanted to be.”

Pekarek, a lover of musical theater, had long thought that Rattlesnake Kate would make a great musical. As she wrote the record, she felt like she was hiding a secret

musical inside a mainstream record, which was released in January 2019.

Even before the record came out, officials at the Denver Center for Performing Arts agreed to commission Pekarek’s work into a stage musical. Pekarek presented the concept as a concert during the 2019 Colorado New Play Summit, then spent the next 18 months developing her work into a stage musical, working with playwright Karen Hartman and Chris Coleman, DCPA’s artistic director.

“It’s been really incredible figuring out how to piece this together and tell [Rattlesnake Kate’s] story, and watching other people get really excited and enamored by her,” Pekarek says. “I’m working with so many other awesome creative people that I feel like the collaboration has been really positive.”

As Pekarek reflects on her own journey, she feels that Rattlesnake Kate is an important story to tell. “I made a record that was about feeling heard and about trying to stand your ground, which is not always an easy thing for a woman in any industry,” she says. “It’s not always what we’re encouraged to do.”

The musical had been slated to premiere in February of 2021, during the 2020-2021 DCPA season. In a heartbreaking turn of events, the entire theatre company season — including Rattlesnake Kate — was cancelled, due to safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My heart is heavy over the cancellation at the DCPA,” she says. “I am trying to have realistic expectations, but also remain hopeful.” Still, she says that the arts will still be important as we look to the future. “I think people are really going to need things like theater and music and art when we come out of this.”

The future is uncertain, but Pekarek remains optimistic, drawing upon her muse’s remarkable resilience.

“Rattlesnake Kate was about as resilient as they come, surviving a rattlesnake encounter, the 1918 flu pandemic, six marriages and being struck by lightning; here’s hoping her resilience prevails once again.”

Monica Parpal Stockbridge writes about food, travel and technology in Colorado and beyond.

Read more of her work at monicastockbridge. com.

October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 21

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ELGIAN ALES: FIT FOR FARMERS AND MODERN DRINKERS ALIKE Farming ales that truly bring out the roots in brewing

By Kyle Kirves

Editor’s Note: To the casual beer lover, the phrase “Belgian beer” evokes the sensory recall of banana-bread and bubblegummy ales. Beers produced in a tiny country by monks with unrivalled ability, bottled in small, precious, and pricey batches. But more well-read and palate-literate Belgian fans will quickly explain that there’s much, much more to Belgian beers than cowl and cross, dubbels and trippels. This is the first in a series of articles by Thirst Colorado contributor Kyle Kirves, who talked with Bruz Beers head brewer, co-founder, and Belgian beer enthusiast, Charlie Gottenkeiny about the variety of styles and tastes that fall into the Belgian and Belgian-style motif. This article will be followed by two more that will be posted online at thirstcolorado.com.

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October-December 2020

Left, Charlie Gottenkeiny. Photos: Neill Pieper

C

ouple the word “farm” with anything these days and it takes on a special aura. Farmers market.

Farm-to-table. Farm-raised and free-range.

Something authentically rustic and close to the roots from which it sprang; embodying terroir, as the French would say. It is no different for farmhouse ales – a particular and somewhat eccentric variety of beer that evokes the kind of emotional response reserved for, say, small continental vineyards and the prestige of a “family label.”

Farmhouse ales, as Charlie Gottenkeiny of Bruz Beers will tell you, are part of a rich history in Europe, including Belgium. “Farms brewed their own beer primarily because they couldn’t get potable water out to their seasonal help in the summer and early fall.

Beer was easier. In fact,” he says, “it was often written into the contract for seasonal workers as to how much beer they would get.” Up to—get this—five liters a day.

Five liters? Will work for beer, anyone?

Joking aside, farmhouse ales are manifestations of the land and the locality itself – what the native peoples subsist on, and what’s produced nearby. One example of a farmhouse style (if you can call it that) is saison.

“Saison is one of the traditional Belgian styles that would fall into the farmhouse

category,” Gottenkeiny says. Going further into the history, Gottenkeiny relates that the individuality of each farm in Belgium – what they produced, and when, seasonally informed and infused their brewing. On an evening’s sojourn in the countryside, the wayfarer might find himself treated to a saison at one farm. Then, Quixotelike, laying over at the next, have a wildly different beer produced by another freeholder. Both, though, fall into the category of saison.

“Wheat raised on the farm? Wheat was likely in the beer. Growing a seasonal fruit or vegetable? Likely in the beer,” Gottenkeiny says. Spontaneous elements like airborne yeasts found their way into the mix as well, creating truly one-of-a-kind flavors. “Farms producing better beers had a tendency to attract better labor.” Other flavor elements, like water quality from a particular well, might infuse something with limestone akin to a sauvignon blanc.

While continental beer drinkers may look down their nose at the humble farmhouse ale or saison, the style has caught on in recent years with American brewers.

“Because there was no real formula, American brewers can explore and spread their wings with farmhouse and saison.”

Typical concoctions States-side are highly carbonated, but beyond that, anything goes. “We make a beet saison [at Bruz],” Gottenkeiny says by way of example.

Simply stated: no one farmhouse or saison really tastes the same as any other.

Consider that when someone tells you “Oh, I just don’t like saison.” You don’t? Are you sure? Which one do you mean? It’s akin to saying you don’t like ice cream because you tried cherry cordial, and, well, cherries just aren’t your thing.

As for you, seasoned traveler that you are, look over the menu at your local tap house. If everything just seems like something you’ve already had, see if they have a farmhouse/saison because, more likely than not, it will truly be something you’ve not had before.

Bruz Beers makes beer at its north Denver location and has opened a tap room on East Colfax.

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.

October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 25

Editor’s Note: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, please check websites and social media to confirm each event is still taking place.

OCTOBER

STEAMBOAT FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL OCTOBER 1-4

Steamboat Springs The festival brings together a multi-day culinary experience featuring celebrated chefs, wine experts and other gastronomic specialists from across the country. Curated dinners, wine and spirits tastings, seminars and demos come together in the beautiful setting of Steamboat Springs. steamboatfoodandwine.com

5 POINT ADVENTURE FILM FEST OCTOBER 14-18

Online The film fest showcases curated, soulful outdoor films, art, and performances all in one place.

Since 2007, the festival has shared adventurous stories and emotional experiences enabling viewers to return home feeling full of motivation, creativity and perspective.

5pointfilm.org/festival

26TH ANNUAL EMMA CRAWFORD COFFIN RACES AND FESTIVAL OCTOBER 24

Manitou Springs A town tradition since 1995, coffin races have brought people together in one of the more unique festivals in Colorado. Sign up to race your very own coffin or simply watch as the fun goes down! An after-race party often includes a beer garden, live music and food. emmacrawfordfestival.com

NOVEMBER RIM ROCK RUN NOVEMBER 7

Fruita Get back into the running spirit with Fruita’s Rim Rock Run! Sign up for the full or half marathons and you’ll find yourself jogging over some of Colorado’s most beautiful terrain. Winding over the Colorado National Monument from Grand Junction to Fruita, the course boasts views of monoliths, plateaus and canyon panoramas. rimrockrun.grandjunctionsports.org

COLORADO COUNTRY CHRISTMAS NOVEMBER 13-15

Colorado Springs Visitors will see original arts and crafts, sculpture, ceramics, specialty foods, home decor, clothing, furniture, antiques and more. coloradochristmasgiftshow.com

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Photo courtesy of Denver International Wine Festival

DENVER INTERNATIONAL WINE FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 11-13 WESTMINSTER

In its 16th year, the wine festival is a celebration of wine and food from both the U.S. and abroad.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS MOVIES NOV. 20 - JAN. 3, 2021

Denver The Gaylord Rockies will feature a Christmas pop-up experience in collaboration with Warner Bros. dubbed “I Love Christmas Movies.” christmasatgaylordhotels.com

DECEMBER

SENGA NENGUDI: TOPOLOGIES DECEMBER 13-APRIL 11, 2021

Vintners from around the world showcase one of the most extensive selections of international and domestic wines at any grand tasting in the Rocky Mountain region. denverwinefest.com

BRECKENRIDGE ULLR FEST DECEMBER 9-13 BRECKENRIDGE

The Breckenridge tradition celebrates 57 years this December. Viking hats are encouraged for this snowcrazed party in downtown Breck. The Ullr Parade has been known to feature participants skiing off jumps on Main Street or even gliding along main street in a hot tub.

The event is capped off with a massive bonfire to usher in winter. gobreck.com/event/ullr-fest/

Denver The Denver Art Museum’s upcoming exhibition, Senga Nengudi: Topologies, is set to appear this December. Composed of more than 70 abstract and conceptual artworks by the internationally recognized artist, a prominent figure of the 1970s Black American avant-garde and Black Arts Movement, the exhibition is not to be missed. denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/ senga-nengudi

DENVER’S 16TH STREET MALL NEW YEAR’S FIREWORKS SHOW DECEMBER 31

Denver Fireworks are set to launch simultaneously from two separate rooftops, creating one crazy celebration. Come early for the 9 p.m. fireworks, then social distance and dance to live DJ’s until the clock strikes midnight, at which point the sky lights up again. denver.org/milehighholidays Photo: Louis Traub

- Compiled by Dennis Mangers

US 36 & McCaslin

Superior, CO 80027

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Buy Local. Support Local

LONGMONT’S DRY LAND DISTILLERS CREATES SPIRITS THAT ARE TRULY

A TASTE OF COLORADO

By Katie Coakley

C

olorado’s growing season is a blinkand-you’ll-miss-it type of thing, but that hasn’t stopped restaurants, breweries and distilleries from trying to use as many locally sourced ingredients as possible. It’s a worthy endeavor: Not only does it highlight produce and grains that are grown here, but it also cuts down on the environmental impact of transporting ingredients from far-flung locales. However, Dry Land Distillers in Longmont is taking the idea of “locally sourced” one step further.

The founders of Dry Land Distillers — Aaron Main, Nels Wroe and Marc Staats — started distilling in January 2018 and opened the tasting room in June 2018. But the crew

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wasn’t content with producing the standard gin, vodka or whiskey. Instead, they wanted to showcase truly native ingredients.

“When we looked at a lot of the distilleries that were cropping up in Colorado, there’s a lot of them that, you know, showcase, ‘Hey, we’re Colorado distillers … we’re using local grains,’” Wroe said. “But when you really start to peel back the layers, while there’s some great work being done out there, a lot of the Colorado spirits really did not have their roots in grains or ingredients that are actually appropriate for Colorado.”

Though grains like corn and barley are grown in Colorado, they’re often modified to survive the arid climate. In searching for

ancient grains, Wroe said they stumbled upon a 2,500-year-old wheat variety that thrives in a desert climate. It seemed like the perfect fit.

Making whiskey from this ancient grain wasn’t an easy task. After all, no one had malted this type of wheat before. After trial and error, including finding an ancient yeast that would work with the grain, Dry Land Distillers became the first distillery in the world to craft a single-malt, single-barrel 100-percent American wheat whiskey from this ancient grain.

But they didn’t stop there. Using Antero wheat, a staff-of-life heirloom variety developed by Colorado State University, Dry Land Distillers 100% Colorado Antero Wheat Whiskey is a 30-mile whiskey. That means everything about this whiskey occurs within 30 miles: growing, harvesting, malting, distilling and consumption. Even the spent grain goes to Black Cat Farm in Boulder. It’s the only known whiskey distilled exclusively from Colorado Antero wheat.

“Then we started to look around and said, well, what else grows in Colorado that is native?,” Wroe said.

The idea of a mezcal-style spirit was discussed. Since there’s a type of highaltitude agave that grows in the southern part of the state, it seemed like it could work.

However, there was no commercial agave crop available. But inspiration struck when Wroe was out hiking with his dog. After pulling cactus spikes out of her paw, he thought, aren’t cacti like agave?

The result is Dry Land Cactus Spirit, an award-winning mezcal-style spirit made from native Prickly Pear Cactus — both the cactus pads and fruit, when it’s in season.

“As far as we know, and according to both the American Distilling Institute and TTD, which is the federal government that approves all the recipes, we are the only ones that have ever used the cactus in this way,” Wroe said. “It’s a smoky, sweet, rich spirit, which is fun to have a true original spirit that nobody else has done.”

Dry Land also makes a limited production Cactus Reposado, barrel-rested version of the Cactus spirit; the next release will be fall 2020.

The latest spirit offering is Dry Land Gin. A year in the making, it’s the first gin made entirely with botanicals that are indigenous to Colorado, including rose hips, pineapple weed (a wild version of chamomile) and bee balm.

“I am proud of (our gin) because I think it is truly Colorado,” Wroe said. “It’s a very

Photos: Courtesy of Dry Land Distillers

different style of gin. It’s a very gentle, light, sipping gin because it just doesn’t have all the punch that a classic, old world-style gin would have, but it is a genuine Colorado gin.

After 27 different batches, we finally got that one right.”

To meet demand, Dry Land Distillers is building out a larger production facility that’s projected to be up and running in 2021.

But even as the distillery grows, Wroe is committed to the roots they planted.

“We’re pretty passionate about really authentically bringing Colorado into these spirits,” Wroe said. “Not just putting a picture of a mountain on a label.”

IF YOU GO: Dry Land Distillers’ spirits are available in select liquor stores and restaurants in Colorado, but we recommend visiting the tasting room at 471 Main St., Unit B, Longmont. Drylanddistlillers.com Katie Coakley is a Denver-based freelance writer who focuses on craft beer and spirits, travel and outdoor adventures — the best stories combine all three. You can see more of her work at katiecoakley.com.

October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 29

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October-December 2020

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Leftover Salmon remains Colorado proud 30 years after reinventing bluegrass

By Steve Graham

Drew Emmitt, left, and Vince Herman lay down some bluegrass. Photo: Courtesy of Leftover Salmon

L

eftover Salmon may belong to the musical universe, spending most of their time touring the world and reinventing progressive bluegrass music. But they are “absolutely” still a Colorado band, says founding member Drew Emmitt.

In other words, the band members all “want to be in the high country to stay,” as they sing on one of their jangly fan favorites.

When I caught up with Emmitt for a phone interview, he had just finished schussing

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down the mountain 20 minutes from his Crested Butte home.

“This is my local playground,” he said.

Everyone in the band lives in Colorado except drummer Alwyn Robinson, who recently moved from Boulder to Brooklyn.

Founding member Vince Herman moved to Oregon but ended up returning to Colorado last year.

The guys may not have moved far from their Boulder roots, but their music

has diversified from the “polyethnic Cajun slamgrass” the band invented.

“It’s not as accurate as it used to be,” Emmitt said. “It still does kind of describe us, which is playing piles of styles and playing whatever we want.”

What they wanted to play starting 30 years ago was rootsy, Cajun-influenced bluegrass music, but with electric guitars and drums, which at that point in time, had few precedents.

“ We figured we’d follow in the footsteps of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Chris Daniels and add some rock and roll to the mix, and found that it worked pretty well in rowdy ski area bars,” Herman said. “We were in the right place to play this kind of stuff. Once it was seen that folks out here liked that hillbilly music the door opened a bit wider for that kind of thing at local clubs and theaters.”

The local bluegrass scene just kept growing thanks to bands like Leftover Salmon and major festivals such as Rockygrass and Telluride.

Emmitt said Leftover Salmon also helped launch a do-it-yourself trend in the roots music world.

“We were part of the movement of bands that were figuring out how to get on the road and make a career out of this,” he said. “We just loaded into a school bus and started traveling around.”

Emmitt said he misses that spirit of adventure, but not the struggle of their salad days.

“It was fun to be the new band that was breaking trail. All these record labels were pursuing us,” he said. “I don’t miss how hard it was and how hard we had to tour.”

They quickly discovered that Colorado was a convenient home base for incessant touring.

“It’s one of the best places in the country because you’re very central to everything,” Emmitt said.

He also said Colorado delivers the band’s most consistent fan base, and it’s always growing.

“It still amazes me how many people are still discovering the band,” Emmitt said. “We still keep generating a young crowd through our music.” He looks forward to once again playing Colorado shows, from small theaters like the Fox in Boulder to the famed outdoor venues, such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Even after more than a dozen appearances at the storied amphitheater, Emmitt is giddy for every show. “It never gets old, especially when it’s a sold out crowd,” he said.

The band is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with a signed, limitededition box set of all 10 studio albums. Visit leftoversalmon.com for more details.

Steve Graham is a freelance writer and former newspaper editor who likes taking his two young boys biking, hiking and brewery-hopping in northern Colorado.

Photos: Courtesy of Leftover Salmon

October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 33

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breckenridge bourbon whiskey, a blend {86 pf} Breckenridge Distillery’s award-winning, high-rye Bourbon Whiskey is aged for a minimum of three years, in charred, new American oak barrels, and blended to reveal the unique qualities of the Bourbon Whiskey. Deep, honey-amber hue with pronounced aromas of butterscotch, candied orange and apple; dry cacao and brown sugar envelop the tongue as the spirit lingers with notes of vanilla and white pepper.

Their Breckenridge Bourbon is one of the most highly awarded craft bourbons on the market. breckenridgedistillery.com

spirit hound distillers BARLEY THAT IS BOTH GROWN & MALTED IN COLORADO We add a Scottish twist on our Whisky by adding a (Coloradogrown) peated malt. It ages for a minimum of two years in new, full-size, charred American oak barrels. After that, it’s up to the discretion of our distillers and the sensory panel to determine when bottling will occur. We use fresh Rocky Mountain water to cut the proof down, and we do not blend our barrels; they are bottled as single barrel batches. This approach allows us (and you!) to experience the many nuances that vary from barrel to barrel. No two are the same! Bottled at 90 proof. spirithounds.com

spring44 distilling Spring44 is all about water. The only water used to make our spirits is collected from our natural spring located at 9,000 ft in elevation from Colorado’s Buckhorn Canyon surrounded by 160,000 acres of National Forest. We start with pure spring water. The botanicals in our gin are juniper, coriander, nutmeg, and a hint of agave nectar. Spring44 Gin is initially floral, with notes of lemon zest giving way to spicy juniper.

Taste Pure Colorado Spirit. spring44.com

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October-December 2020

fa, la, la, la nog 2 oz Breckenridge Bourbon 4 oz egg nog 1/2 oz vanilla liqueur 3 dashes walnut bitters Shake all ingredients with ice. Served up.

Garnish: sprinkle of vanilla bean sugar.

map room at dawn 2 oz Whisky ¾ oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice ¾ oz turbinado simple syrup ¼ tsp freshly-grated ginger ½ dropper orange bitters (depending on potency of bitters, you may only need 4-5 drops) 1 drop bergamot oil Add all ingredients to shaker, add ice, shake, and double strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Garnish with freshlygrated cinnamon. To make turbinado simple syrup: using demerara, turbinado, or any other non-refined sugar, add equal parts sugar and boiling water to a bowl and combine until sugar is dissolved. Cool before using in cocktail.

pear vanilla gin fizz 1.5 oz Spring44 Gin 2 Tbsp pear vanilla syrup ¾ cup soda water Crushed ice to top Pear Vanilla Syrup: 1 cup finely chopped pears ½ cup sugar ½ cup water 1 vanilla bean Add all ingredients to pot and boil 5 mins, remove from heat, let cool, and strain.

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Whether you’re gathering around the dining room table breaking bread with friends and family, or huddling around the fire after a day on the slopes, there are quality libations to sample while making quality memories. Below are a few ideas for your sipping pleasure.

3 Hundred days distilling colorado harvest honey 3 Hundred Days Distilling produces small batch recipes by hand, bringing together the time-honored traditions of old with the technologies of today. We provide a WesternAmerican moonshine experience you will remember for its full flavor and easy drinking. To make Colorado Harvest Honey, we take our Colorado shine and blend it with locally sourced honey. The 100-proof Colorado Harvest Honey has the moonshine bite followed by a soft honey finish.

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noco distillery bourbon ii - 88 proof NOCO Distillery’s BOURBON II is distilled, aged, and bottled in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is triple distilled and aged in the finest small American oak barrels. The Bourbon is then cut to 88 proof with pristine Northern Colorado water and released single barrel. NOCO Distillery produces over 30 different spirits, and its speakeasy tasting room and lounge offer a unique experience. Please visit nocodistillery.com to book your appointment. nocodistillery.com

ghost sour 1 3/4 oz Ghost Sour 3/4 oz ea lemon and sour Egg white Dry shake Wet shake Strain into coupe. Garnish with cherry.

holiday honey walnut buck 1.5oz Colorado Harvest Honey 3-4 Dashes Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters Ginger beer of choice *Garnish with cinnamon stick and 2-3 skewered cranberries Add Colorado Harvest Honey to mug/glass packed with ice.

Add black walnut bitters. Fill with ginger beer. Garnish with cinnamon stick and cranberries. Enjoy!

whiskey sour 11/2 fl. oz Bourbon II 11/2 fl.oz Fresh pressed lemon juice 1 fl. oz cane syrup or simple syrup Combine liquid ingredients over ice and shake vigorously, and serve in a martini glass neat or over a ice ball.

Garnish with fresh mint.

October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 37

© Jenifoto / Adobe Stock © Dmitriy Golbay / Adobe Stock

denver distillery Since we opened our doors to the public, Denver Distillery’s bar has been serving exclusively Colorado-made liquor brands, including our own. Stop by today and enjoy your favorite drink, or find your new favorite. Don’t forget to save some room for a delicious savory pie from Tip Top Savory Pies in Lafayette, CO. denverdistillery.com

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38 ThirstColorado.com

October-December 2020

Photo: Jacob Blickenstaff October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 39

Prime Pairings to be Thankful For Bridge the traditional Thanksgiving dinner divide this November with perfect pairings before and after your turkey smorgasboard. Brunch and dessert may just be the tastiest meals of the day with these beer-inspired eats.

Pumpkin French Toast The Great Divide Brewery and Roadhouse in Castle Rock made its debut with a nice food menu as well as an extensive craft beer lineup. The brewery teamed with Vibe Concepts, which operates Roadhouse Boulder Depot, Spanky’s Roadhouse and other restaurants, to create the venue.

Ingredients

Cranberry Maple Syrup

Toast

½ cup dried cranberries

12 slices pumpkin bread

¼ cup your favorite bourbon

1 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted

2 cups your favorite pancake syrup

Batter

¼ cup orange juice

8 large eggs, cracked and beaten

¼ tsp kosher salt

Leaning toward boozy, the Pumpkin French Toast will make brunch much more memorable.

2 cups half and half

Whipped Mascarpone

2 tbsp amaretto

8 oz mascarpone

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ cup whole milk 2 tbsp powdered sugar

Directions

Pair with Strawberry Rhubarb Sour Ale Tart, sweet and refreshing, Great Divide’s Strawberrry Rhubarb is a perfect complement to savory Pumpkin French Toast. The light acidity and bright flavors contrast well with the abundance of flavors. Weighing in at 6.2% ABV, it’s a great way to kick off your Thanksgiving.

Batter Combine amaretto and cinnamon. Stir into eggs and half and half.

Cranberry Maple Syrup In a small pot or large sauté pan, combine bourbon and cranberries and reduce by half or until cranberries have soaked up most of the bourbon. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat. Take off the heat.

Whipped Mascarpone Whisk all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.

Pumpkin French Toast Pre-heat a griddle pan over two burners on medium heat. Gently dunk each slice of pumpkin bread into the batter and set aside. Once all the bread is done, place on griddle and cook on each side until golden brown, similar to a grilled cheese sandwich.

Take off the heat. Place 3 slices on each plate and top with cranberry maple syrup, whipped mascarpone and toasted walnuts.

Serves four

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October-December 2020

© Flaffy / Adobe Stock

Chocolate Yeti Cake with Coffee Ganache Many chocolate cakes simply aren’t chocolaty enough. The dark richness of quality chocolate is often drowned out by overwhelming sweetness. A classic chocolate stout cake, however, will set the world right. The stout – in this case, Great Divide Brewing Co.’s iconic Yeti Imperial – offers just enough bitterness to offset what seems like an extreme quantity of sugar.

The natural chocolate notes in Yeti make it an ideal partner for this cake, both to make it and to drink with it.

This recipe is loosely adapted from Great Barrington Brewery via Bon Appétit and Deb Perelman. It fits perfectly in a Bundt pan and the original icing is replaced with a simple coffee ganache.

Ingredients Cake 1 cup Yeti Imperial Stout 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter plus additional melted butter for greasing pan ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar 1½ tsp baking soda ¾ tsp salt 2 large eggs /3 cup sour cream

2

Ganache 6 oz good-quality semisweet chocolate chips 6 tbsp heavy cream 3/4 tsp instant coffee granules

Pair with Yeti Imperial Stout After a generous pour of the Yeti into your cake recipe, seal your fate by finishing off the Yeti stout. Roasted malts, caramel and toffee flavors will jolt you back to life from your chocolate coma.

Directions Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a Bundt pan well. It is essential to get in all of the nooks and crannies so the cake releases easily. Dust the well-buttered pan with additional cocoa powder.

Bring stout and butter to a gentle simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

In another large bowl, beat eggs and sour cream together using electric mixer. Add stout-cocoa mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine; add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter together until completely combined; do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool completely in pan. Turn cake out onto rack for drizzling with ganache.

Ganache Combine chocolate, cream and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth, warm and melted, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Best-of Thirst Colorado Recipe: Chef Elizabeth Buckingham Photo: Nick Nick Photography October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 41

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October-December 2020

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STRANGE BREW

PUCKER UP, DANNY DEVITO. THIS CANS FOR YOU! Wine inspired brew draws inspiration from hit tv show

Photo: Neill Pieper

By Thirst Colorado Staff

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October-December 2020

T

he uber-competitive world of producing new beers can spin one’s mind.

Trying to keep up with the latest and greatest isn’t for the faint of heart, however, the gents at Call To Arms Brewing Co. have at least made it more fun to enjoy new creations.

While keeping taste at the fore, co-owner Chris Bell said pop culture references bring some pizazz to the cans at the popular Berkeley Neighborhood haunt. Visitors will find beers such as La Clawsuit, No Touching, Oh My Gatos and Shirtless Putin Catchin’ Rays. We decided to check out the background of one of the newer brews that has been in the hopper for a few years: How Bout a Can of Wine. Here are some details and a bit of humor about the beer from Mr. Bell himself.

What was the background and process of developing How Bout a Can of Wine?

My brain. But, more seriously, before my wife and I got married we had spent a couple weeks in Italy the year before and had some incredible sparkling Rosés. Dry, full of flavor, light tannins, single varietal. When we were planning on getting married, I wanted to emulate that experience with a beer. Of course, the beer tells you when it’s ready and it was about a year after we got married.

Provide the root of the idea in which the name and beer was born?

We have always had the mantra of, take the product seriously, but not ourselves.

Funny pop culture references have been a part of CTA for as long as we have been open.

Starting to can this year has really opened up the possibilities by adding a visual aspect to what is generally a deep cut reference. In this case, we referenced “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Frank Reynolds wants to be inconspicuous by drinking wine out of a can.

Now, while I don’t recommend drinking this beer out of the can, or drinking in public in a soda can, the reference was too perfect to not use. This beer was an extremely timeconsuming process and I am really proud of how it turned out. So, we took it seriously, but the name? Who can’t laugh at an 18-month, oak-aged beer-wine hybrid named, How Bout a Can a Wine?

You seem to have fun thumbing your nose at big brands without truly going over the line. Explain where this comes from?

Yeah again, this is just us having fun. I wouldn’t say we are thumbing our nose at big brands per se, in fact only one of our SKUs is referencing another brand, and it’s not even an alcoholic brand. Almost all of them are pop culture references.

Ultimately, we just want people to remember that beer is always supposed to be fun. It should be enjoyed in a social atmosphere, with friends and family, during a celebration, as a gift, during the holidays, and most importantly with a few laughs. We work hard to make them funny, be thoughtful about the nuances of the label (look closely) without overstepping the boundary. If a TM felt like we were really pushing too hard, we would stop. It’s not about press or C&Ds, or claiming that a big brand is pushing us around. If we can put a good product inside a package that makes people laugh then I think we’ve succeeded in what we set out to do. And I think everyone could use a good laugh now, more than ever.

How ‘Bout A Can of Wine

Brewery: Call To Arms Style: Mixed Culture Wine Hybrid Location: 4526 Tennyson St, Denver ABV: 7.4 percent Ingredients: Pilsner, Wheat, Bravo Hops for Bittering, 50 percent Sangiovese Grape Must, House Mixed Culture.

October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 45

ART OF SODA

POP STARS

Rocky Mountain Soda Embraces the Centennial State

By Kyle Kirves

A

sk Drew Fulton, founder of Rocky Mountain Soda Company (RMSC), what brought him to the soda business, and you might get an unlikely answer: booze.

“About 10 years ago, my business partner, Moose (co-founder Chris “Moose” Koons) and I were enjoying some fine libations at Peachtree Distillers in Palisade,” Fulton explains, “and we noticed they were mixing their cocktails with grocery store soda. We said, ’You all gotta do better than this.’” A shrug, a smile, a laugh. “A better cocktail comes from better soda.”

A fan of Peachtree’s Moscow Mules, Fulton dedicated himself to making a pop that would bring a little more heat and spice to the

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October-December 2020

common concoction -- a take on ginger beer that the RMSC faithful know and love. As fate would have it, just after the idea’s inception, Palisade Brewing’s bottling line came up for sale and the turn of events just seemed serendipitous. “The whole thing just kind of came together.”

And that is how Fulton found himself in the soda business. You might say it just kind of bubbled up.

If you bottle anything craft in the state of Colorado you’d better come strong with a name that speaks to the spirit of the people that live here. Geographic designations are always a good choice. “We started talking about calling ourselves Mile High Mixers,” Fulton says, “but then we decided we wanted broader appeal, so we thought Colorado Soda Company. And then we thought, well, why not rep the whole Rocky Mountain region?” Hence the name Rocky Mountain Soda Company.

But that’s only part of it. Each individual soda is tied to a particular place in Colorado - the state perhaps most associated with the Rocky Mountain Experience - Boulder Birch Beer, Evergreen Elderberry, Palisade

Peaches (what else?) and Cream, and personal favorite, Pikes Peak Prickly Pear Soda.

Recognizable for its striking newsprintstyle throwback labels featuring regional fauna of all stripes and types, each soda’s artwork is Fulton’s own. With an extensive and well-traveled artistic background and education, he knew that creating an enduring image is part and parcel of creating identity. “I actually started on the labels first. I knew what kinds of labels I wanted to make. I finalized the labels before we even had the sodas themselves.”

Each label is an inspired choice – literally.

For example, Old Centennial Orange Cream.

Fans of a certain local football team can certainly get behind an image of a rampant stallion on an orange label, right? “We wanted something that local fans would recognize and embrace since Denver can’t use Orange Crush in association with the team anymore,” Fulton says. The label art, it turns out, is popular enough that a recent run of woodprints of Old Centennial sold out entirely. “We’d like to get some more merch in place and that’s coming,” he says. He mentions too, a desire to have tours of the company with an old fashioned soda fountain at the end serving high end sodas, yes, but also craft cocktails.

Easily distinguished from the other products on the shelf by their branding alone, what really sets them apart is what’s in the bottle. All RMSC sodas are simply made from a handful of ingredients all of which a second-grader can pronounce and read back to you: water, natural flavor, cane sugar, and non-GMO citric acid. “We did a lot of research

on creating all natural sodas. A lot of the mass market stuff incorporates known carcinogenic elements like benzene into the product. We don’t have any of that stuff in there.”

How can you tell that Rocky Mountain Sodas are all natural? The difference is clear.

“We don’t use any preservatives or color additives. Almost all of our sodas are absolutely clear. That can be strange for people who think a grape soda has to be purple. But put our grape up against any of the major brands and we’re the grapiest,” says Fulton. “We craft them with quality in mind. They are vegan and organic, originally made with Colorado beet sugar. When they all went GMO, we found sugar sources that are GMO-free and free from bone char bleaching.” The same is true of Odogave, Rocky Mountain Soda’s other enterprise – sodas created and sweetened using allnatural agave instead of sugar.

Even after 10 years in business, though, it does still come back to booze with these

guys (readers rejoice!). “They’re called Lifted Libations,” says Fulton of RMSC’s affiliated new canned cocktail line. “Like our mixers, they are all organic, using organic vodka.”

The 5 percent ABV cocktails will be hitting shelves soon, and, in some trial markets, are already available. “They are clean-tasting for sure, and in a variety of flavors. Lime, orange, grapefruit, black currant. They are all fantastic,” Fulton says.

Life, it’s said, is sweet. But for the makers and fans of Rocky Mountain Soda (and Lifted Libations and Odogave) it’s much more than that – it’s all-natural and flavorful besides. As it should be in life, so should it be in soda. Or is it the other way around?

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.

October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 47

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ThirstColorado.com 49

GONE TO THE DOGS You can find every style for every palate

By Kyle Kirves

W

hen I was a kid, I had a t-shirt that broadcast the four items required to live a truly happy, fulfilling, and enlightened life: baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. I’ve been known to thoroughly enjoy a day out at the ballpark and will deliver an appreciative whistle at a well-turned double-play or diving catch in center field. Ask my family what I believe to be the most perfect end to a perfect meal and they’ll say it’s my mother-in-law’s apple pie (the recipe of which my daughter is now custodian). That dinged-up red pickup in my driveway? The one with all the craft brewery stickers on the back? That’s a Chevy Colorado.

To this day I maintain the best, most perfect example of the all-American portable meal is the Great American Hot Dog. Seeking validation, I went asking the artists whose canvas is the sausage-on-asteamed-bun what the enduring appeal of the hot dog is.

“Nobody has a bad memory associated with a hot dog,” says Nikki Knez, social media guru for Jonny’s of Longmont – a self-styled Chicago-themed hot dog restaurant that’s as authentic as you can get. “Family gatherings, Fourth of July. It’s part of the American experience.”

Owner Jonathan (Jon) Bjorgo agrees, but suggests this is not the frank your mom used to make in a boiling pan of water or pops seared on the grill. “This is a labor

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October-December 2020

Photo: Courtesy of Jonny’s of Longmont

Photo: Courtesy of Coney Island of love. This is real food, prepared freshto-order, with Vienna beef hot dogs. It is a complete portable meal.” They will drag it through the garden for you at Jonny’s – that’s mustard, onions, pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato wedges, pickled sport peppers and celery salt for the uninitiated. The result is so real that Chicagoans might take a bite, close their eyes, and swear they can hear the “L” overhead, the Cubs (or Sox) on the radio, and feel the breeze off Lake Michigan. “We’re educating people about being the real deal here,” says Bjorgo. “And you can get your hot dog any way you want. We don’t judge. And yes, we do have ketchup, but. …”

Another Chicago transplant, Dan Polovin, proprietor of the venerable Mustard’s Last Stand outfits along the Front Range, is perhaps the elder statesman when it comes to hot dogs in Colorado. For over thirty years, Mustard’s has been making to-order hot dogs for patrons of every stripe – both Stephen King and Roger Ebert count among the faithful Mustard’s fans. “ We follow the Chicago tradition here,” Polovin says, “but we’re not chained to it.” He cites emphasis on the best ingredients, and a certain indulgence for the quirks and charms of every palate, to Mustard’s success. Unlike certain assemblyline style hamburger joints, Mustard’s takes great pride in creating each order to your specifications, with none ever emerging exactly the same. “It’s not a rubber stamp kind of thing,” Polovin assures me, adding, “I’ve had Chicago purists say, ‘The altitude must’ve gotten to Polovin. He lets people put sauerkraut on a hot dog!’”

When asked what makes the hot dog such a constant staple and enduring favorite in the face of every fad diet of the past century

or more, he’s quick to respond “What’s more American than the hot dog?” Polovin asks, rhetorically. “It’s all about family, springtime, baseball. All that.”

Chicago-style dogs aside, regional variations on a theme are welcomed by Coloradans looking for something a little more … western.

Biker Jim’s has an established reputation for, not just being the best hot dog restaurant in Denver, but one of the best restaurants – businesses, even -- in the Mile High City, period. “We were the number 1 rated business in Denver for the first four years Yelp was taking ratings,” says owner and founder Jim “Biker Jim” Pittenger. That, he says, is a testimony to the face-to-face, conversational aspect that grew up around making food for people from a hot dog cart. It’s the kind of personable contact that’s a rarity in the food industry. That commitment to the food cart remains in place for Biker Jim’s even in the era of the bigger, and less personable, food truck.

Yes, Biker Jim’s serves all-beef hot dogs for the purists out there, but they hope their diverse menu makes you – wait for it – game for something a little wilder. The menu challenges you to stretch your mind about what you think a hot dog can and should be.

With options ranging from beef, to ostrich, wild boar, and rattlesnake-and-pheasant, they are a veritable hand-held Buckhorn Exchange. “Our most popular protein,” Pittenger says, “is an elk jalapeno brat.”

Taking the Centennial State theme one step further, Shantelle Stephens of Baileybased Coney Island says “The Durango Dog is our signature offering. It’s a dog topped with poblano and chipotle creme.” You probably already know Coney Island – it’s the

place on the side of Highway 285, a building that is actually shaped like a hot dog. If you’re going to the high country, it’s the best u-turn you’ll ever make.

Styled in the old-school, Route 66-style American tradition of restaurants that are also roadside landmarks, Coney Island is proudly as Colorado as you can get. It makes for a great photo op, sure, but the food is the real attraction. The menu is flavored with Southwestern influences and flavors and go well beyond the ketchup and mustard world of the convenience store roller dog.

“Hot dogs are something we all grew up with. But on vacation, people want a regional expression of it,” Stephens says. “We also use as much local produce as we can. All of our sauces are made in house and we do a lot of the cooking here. This is not,” she says, “just opening a bag or a can.”

“People have made it part of their own summertime traditions to stop at Coney Island. We’re excited that people get it,” Stephens continues. “We hear all the time how worth the stop it was and how surprised people are that a hot dog can taste this good!”

A hot dog CAN taste that good! That seems to be the point of all of these artisans of the All-American, crowd-pleasing frank.

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet … turns out that kindergarten t-shirt WAS right about everything.

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.

Photo: Courtesy of Jonny’s of Longmont October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 51

COLORADO BREWERY, DIS T Upslope Brewing Co ● ●

Lost Friend Brewing ●

Wit’s End Brewing Co

Bottom Shelf Brewery ●

Very Nice Brewing ●

Manitou Brewing Co ●

Zuni St. Brewing Co ●

Carver Brewing Co ●

● – Food Truck

Vision Quest Brewing Co

Metric Brewing ●

Chainless Brewing

● – Live Music

West Flanders Brewing Co ● ●

Nano 108 ●

Wild Provisions Beer Project

Paradox Beer Co ●

NORTHEAST DENVER Blue Tile Brewing J. Moe’s Brew Pub ● NORTHWEST DENVER Amalgam Brewing Bruz Beers ● Call to Arms Brewing Co ● De Steeg Brewing Diebolt Brewing Co ● ● The Empourium Brewing Co Factotum Brewhouse FlyteCo Brewing Goldspot Brewing Co ● ● Grateful Gnome Sandwich Shoppe + Brewery ● Hogshead Brewery ● Oasis Brewing Co ● ● Prost Brewing Co ●

Main Street Brewery & Restaurant ●

● – Serves Food

BREWERIES ARVADA Denver Beer Co

Elevated Seltzer ● ● elvtdat5280.com 720.723.2179 5610 Yukon St Arvada

LUKI Brewery New Image Brewing ● Odyssey Beerwerks ● ● Resolute Brewing Tap & Cellar ● Someplace Else Brewery Spice Trade Brewing Co ●

AURORA Bent Barley Brewing Co BJ’s ● Cheluna Brewing Co Dry Dock Brewing Co North Dock ● Dry Dock Brewing Co South Dock ● Launch Pad Brewery Peak to Peak Tap & Brew ● Two22 Brew ● Ursula Brewing Co BAILEY Mad Jack’s Mountain Brewery ● ● ● BOULDER AREA 12Degree Brewing ● Asher Brewing Co Avery Brewing ● Beyond the Mountain Brewing Co BJ’s ● Busey Brews Bootstrap Brewing ● ● BRU Handbuilt Ales ● Cellar West Artisan Ales ● Crystal Springs Brewing Co Echo Brewing Co ● Finkel & Garf Brewing Co Front Range Brewing Co ● ● Gravity Brewing ● ● Gunbarrel Brewing Co Industrial Revolution Brewing Co Kettle and Spoke Brewery Knotted Root Brewing Co Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co ● ● Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery ● Odd 13 Brewing Inc ● ● Oskar Blues Brewery ● ● The Post Brewing Co ● ● Redgarden Restaurant & Brewery ● Sanitas Brewing Co ● ● Ska Street Brewstillery Southern Sun ● Stein Brewing Co Twisted Pine Brewing ● ● Unnamed Beer Co Uhl’s Brewing Co

52 ThirstColorado.com

BRIGHTON/FREDERICK/ERIE/ FORT LUPTON Big Choice Brewing Flood Stage Ale Works ● Mirror Image Brewing Co Mountain Cowboy Brewing Co Something Brewery BROOMFIELD/WESTMINSTER 4 Noses Brewing Co ● BJ’s ● C.B. & Potts Westminster ● Frolic Brewing Co ● Gordon Biersch ● Kokopelli Beer Co ● ● Rails End Beer Co ● ● Westminster Brewing Co Wonderland Brewing Co ● ● CAÑON CITY AREA Florence Brewing World’s End Brewing Co CASTLE ROCK AREA 105 West Brewing Co ● Burly Brewing ● ● The Elizabeth Brewing Co Great Divide Brewing & Roadhouse Iron Mule Brewery Rockyard Brewing Co ● Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co ● CENTENNIAL/LONE TREE/ HIGHLANDS RANCH 3 Freaks Brewery ● Blue Spruce Brewing Co ● ● C.B. & Potts Highlands Ranch ● Grist Brewing Co ● Halfpenny Brewing Co ● ● Lone Tree Brewing Co Resolute Brewing Co Rock Bottom Centennial ● Rock Bottom Highlands Ranch ● Spice Trade Brewing Co COLORADO SPRINGS AREA Atrevida Beer Co ● BierWerks Brewery ● ● Black Forest Brewing Co ● Brass Brewing Co ● Bristol Brewing ● Cerberus Brewing Co ● Cogstone Brewing Co ● ● Colorado Mountain Brewery ● Dueces Wild Brewery ● FH Beerworks ● Fossil Craft Beer Co ● Funky Town Brewing Goat Patch Brewing Co ● Gold Camp Brewing Co ● JAKs Brewing Co ● Local Relic ●

October-December 2020

Peaks N Pines Brewing Co ● Phantom Canyon ● ● Red Leg Brewing ● Rock Bottom Colorado Springs ● Rocky Mountain Brewery ● Smiling Toad Brewery ● Storybook Brewing ● Trinity Brewing ● Whistle Pig Brewing Co ● ●

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Dolores River Brewery ● ● J. Fargo’s Family Dining & Micro Brewery ● Mancos Brewing Co ● Ska Brewing Co ● ● Steamworks Brewing Co ● WildEdge Brewing Collective

EAGLE COUNTY 7 Hermits Brewing Co ● Bonfire Brewing ● Gore Range Brewery ● Vail Brewing Co ● ●

RINO 10 Barrel Brewing ● ● 14er Brewing Altitude Brewing & Supply Bierstadt Lagerhaus ● Black Shirt Brewing Co ● ● Blue Moon Brewing Co ● ● Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project Epic Brewing Co ● Great Divide Brewing Co ● ● Mockery Brewing ● New Belgium - The Woods at the Source Odell Brewing Co Our Mutual Friend Ratio Beerworks ● ● River North Brewery

ENGLEWOOD AREA Boggy Draw Brewery Brewability Lab ● ● Dead Hippie Brewing Peak View Brewing Co ESTES PARK Avant Garde Aleworks Estes Park Brewery ● Lumpy Ridge Brewing Co Rock Cut Brewing Co FAIRPLAY South Park Brewing Co ●

WHEAT RIDGE/EDGEWATER/ LAKEWOOD 6 and 40 Brewery Barquentine Brewing Co Brewery Rickoli ● Colorado Plus Brew Pub ● ● Great Frontier Brewing Co Green Mountain Beer Co Joyride Brewing Co ● Landlocked Ales Old 121 Brewhouse Westfax Brewing Co

FORT COLLINS AREA Anheuser-Busch BJ’s ● Black Bottle Brewery ● Coopersmith’s Pub & Brewing ● Crooked Stave Brewing DC Oakes Brewhouse & Eatery ● Envy Brewing Equinox Brewing ● Funkwerks Gilded Goat Brewing Co Horse & Dragon Brewing Co Intersect Brewing Jessup Farm Barrel House ● The Marmot Fort Collins Mash Lab Brewing Maxline Brewing McClellan’s Brewing Co ● ● New Belgium Brewing Co ● ● Odell Brewing Co ● ● Old Colorado Brewing Co Pitchers Brewery ● Prost Brewing Co Purpose Brewing Rally King Brewing Ramskeller Brewery ● Red Truck Beer ● Snowbank Brewing Soul Squared Brewing Co ● Sparge Brewing Timnath Beerwerks Zwei Brewing Co ● ●

DURANGO AREA Animas Brewing Co ●

FRUITA Copper Club Brewing Co ●

SOUTHEAST DENVER Bull and Bush Brewery ● ●

Comrade Brewing ● comradebrewing.com 720.748.0700 7677 E Iliff Ave Denver

Copper Kettle Brewing Co ●

SOUTHWEST DENVER Chain Reaction Brewing Co ● Crazy Mountain Brewing Co ● ● Renegade Brewing Co

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S TILLERY & CIDERY LINEUP Suds Brothers Brewery ● ●

GLENWOOD SPRINGS/ CARBONDALE/ASPEN Aspen Brewing Co ● Capitol Creek Brewery ● Carbondale Beer Works ● Casey Brewing and Blending Glenwood Canyon Brew Pub ● Roaring Fork Beer 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

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GRAND JUNCTION AREA Dented Face Brewing Co Edgewater Brewery ● Kannah Creek Brewing Co ● Mad Russian Brewing Co Monumental Beer Works Palisade Brewing Co ● ● The Rockslide Restaurant and Brewery ● GREELEY AREA Brix Taphouse and Brewery ● ● Broken Plow Brewery Crabtree Brewing ● ● G5 Brew Pub ● Green Earth Brewing High Hops Brewery ● ● Lonesome Buck Brewing Co ●

Mighty River Brewing Co mightyriverbrewing.com 970-966-7955 6383 N Fairgrounds Ave Windsor

Sheaf & Kettle Brewery WeldWerks Brewing Co Wiley Roots Brewing Co ●

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Westbound & Down Brewing Co ●

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Downhill Brewing Co ●

Beer by Design

Tingala - Denver

Los Dos Potrillos Mexican Restaurant y Cerveceria ●

Black Sheep Brewery

Weaver’s Spirits - Parker

Centennial Beer Co

Whistling Hare DistilleryWestminster ●

Welcome Home Brewery

Ceria Brewing

PUEBLO AREA Brues Alehouse Brewing Co ● ● Reservoir Brewing Co Shamrock Brewing ● Walter Brewery & Taproom

Dive Bar Brewing Co

SALIDA/BUENA VISTA/ CRESTONE/LEADVILLE Crestone Brewing Co ● Eddyline Restaurant and Brewing Co ● Elevation Beer Co ● Moonlight Pizza and Brewpub ● Soulcraft Brewing Tres Litros Beer Co Two Mile Brewing Co ●

The Larimer Beer Co

SOUTHWEST COLORADO Avalanche Brewing Co ● Colorado Boy Brewery - Montrose, Ouray, Ridgeway ● Golden Block Brewery ● Horsefly Brewing Co ● ● Ouray Brewery ● Ourayle House Brewery Red Mountain Brewing ● Smuggler’s Brewpub ● Stoik Beer Co Telluride Brewing Co Two Rascals Brewing Co STEAMBOAT SPRINGS AREA Butcherknife Brewing Co Mahogany Ridge Brewery & Grill ● Mountain Tap Brewery ● Storm Peak Brewing Co Yampa Valley Brewing Co SUMMIT COUNTY Angry James Brewing Co The Baker’s Brewery ● Breckenridge Brewery & Pub ● Broken Compass Brewing Dillon Dam Brewery ● ● HighSide Brewing ● ● Outer Range Brewing Co ● Pug Ryan’s Brewery ● WALSENBURG Crafty Canary Brewery WINTER PARK AREA Big Trout Brewing Co Camber Brewing Co Fraser River Beer Co Hideaway Park Brewery Never Summer Brewing Co The Peak Bistro & Brewery ● DISTRIBUTION ONLY 1623 Brewing AC Golden Brewing Co Acidulous Brewing Co Amalgam Brewing Atom Brewing Co Barrel Dog Brewing

Donovan Brewing Co Durango Brewing Co Gemini Beer Co Idylwilde Brewing New Planet Beer Open Door Brewing Co Rustica Sleeping Giant Brewing Social Order Brewing

NORTHERN COLORADO Big Fat Pastor - Loveland Bouck Brothers Whiskey - Idaho Springs Coyote Gold Margaritas - Fort Collins Coppermuse Distillery - Fort Collins

Dry Land Distillers drylanddistillers.com 720.600.4945 471 Main St Longmont

Swole Beer

Elevation 5003 Distillery - Fort Collins

Syndicate Brewing Co

Elkins Distilling Co - Estes Park

Uhl’s Brewing Co

Feisty Spirits - Fort Collins The Heart Distillery - Windsor

DISTILLERIES DENVER/BOULDER 12 Point Distillery - Lafayette 52Eighty Distilling - Littleton Anders’ Vodka - Parker Archetype Distillery - Denver Arta Tequila - Englewood Art of the Spirits Colorado Whiskey - Denver Ballmer Peak Distillery - Lakewood Bear Creek Distillery - Denver The Block Distilling Co - Denver Boulder Spirits by Vapor Distillery - Boulder Broken Arrow Spirits - Centennial Denver Distillery - Denver Deviant Spirits - Boulder Deviation Distilling - Denver Downslope Distilling - Englewood The Family Jones Spirit House Denver ● Golden Moon Distillery - Golden Hogback Distillery - Wheat Ridge J & L Distilling Co - Boulder Ironton Distillery - Denver Laws Whiskey House - Denver Leopold Bros - Northeast Denver Local Distilling - Golden Mad Rabbit Distillery - Westminster Mile High Spirits - Lodo Mythology Distillery - Denver ● Rising Sun Distillery - Denver Rocker Spirits - Littleton Santa Fe Spirits - Littleton

Spirit Hound Distillers spirithounds.com 303.823.5696 4196 Ute Hwy Lyons

Longtucky Spirits - Longmont Mobb Mountain Distillers - Fort Collins NOCO Distillery - Fort Collins Old Elk Distillery - Fort Collins Old Town Distilling - Fort Collins Still Cellars - Longmont

Spring 44 Distilling spring44.com 970.414.7044 505 W 66th St Loveland

Steamboat Whiskey Co - Steamboat Spring ● Syntax Spirits - Greeley Tower 56 Distilling - Greeley

SOUTHERN COLORADO 3 Hundred Days of Shine - Monument 1350 Distilling - Colo. Springs Axe and the Oak - Colo. Springs Black Bear Distillery - Green Mountain Falls Blackhat Distillery - Colo. Springs Cockpit Craft Distillery - Colo.

Springs Colorado Gold Distillery - Colorado Springs Deerhammer Distilling Co - Buena Vista Distillery 291 - Colo. Springs Lee Spirits - Colo. Springs Meridiem Spirits - Elizabeth Mystic Mountain Distillery - Larkspur Sand Creek Distillery - Hugo Sangre Distilleries - Westcliffe Spirits of the Rockies - Pueblo

Woods High Mountain Distillery woodsdistillery.com 719.207.4315 144 W 1st Salida

State 38 Distilling - Golden Stranahan’s - South Denver Strongwater Spirits & Botanicals - Denver Talnua Distillery - Arvada Tighe Brothers Distillery - Denver

WESTERN SLOPE 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Co - Vail 39 North Spirits - Eagle 808 Distillery - Eagle

October-December 2020

ThirstColorado.com 53

Mesa Winds Farm and Winery Hotchkiss Qutori Wines - Paonia Stone Cottage Cellars - Paonia

Breckenridge Distillery ● breckenridgedistillery.com 970.547.9759 1925 Airport Rd Breckenridge

DELTA & MONTROSE COUNTIES

Coal Creek Distillery - Crested Butte Durango Craft Spirits - Durango Highlands Distillery - Grand Junction Honey House Distillery - Durango

Chill Switch Wines chillswitchwine.wordpress.com 303.518.0581 24621 Tannin Rd Cedaredge

Idlewild Spirits Distillery- Winter Park KJ Wood Distillers - Ouray Marble Distilling Co - Carbondale ● Montanya Distillers - Crested Butte Peach Street Distillers - Palisade Peak Spirits - Hotchkiss Stoneyard Distillery - Dotsero Storm King Distilling - Montrose Telluride Distilling Co - Telluride Woody Creek Distillers - Basalt

WINERIES GRAND JUNCTION AREA Avant Vineyards - Palisade Carlson Vineyards - Palisade Colorado Cellars Winery - Palisade Colterris Winery - Palisade DeBeque Canyon Winery - Palisade Desert Sun Vineyards - Grand Junction Garfield Estates Vineyard & Winery - Palisade Grande River Vineyards - Palisade Graystone Winery - Clifton Gubbini Winery - Palisade Hermosa Vineyards - Palisade Maison la Belle Vie Winery & Amy’s Courtyard - Palisade Mesa Park Vineyards - Palisade Peachfork Orchards and Vineyards - Palisade Plum Creek Cellars - Palisade Ptarmigan Vineyards - Grand Junction Ram’s Point Winery - Grand Junction Red Fox Cellars - Palisade Restoration Vineyards - Palisade Shiras Winery - Grand Junction St. Kathryn Cellars Winery & Gift Shop - Palisade Summit Cellars - Palisade Talon Winery - Palisade Two Rivers Winery - Grand Junction Two Swedes Glögg - Grand Junction Varaison Vineyards and Winery Palisade Whitewater Hill Vineyards - Grand Junction CENTRAL WEST AREA 5680' Vineyard - Paonia Alfred Eames Cellars at Puesta del Sol Vineyards - Paonia Azura Cellars - Paonia Black Bridge Winery - Paonia Endless Endeavor Winery - Paonia Evening Grace Vineyards - Hotchkiss Jack Rabbit Hill - Hotchkiss Leroux Creek Vineyards - Hotchkiss

54 ThirstColorado.com

Cottonwood Cellars/The Olathe Winery - Olathe Garrett Estates Cellars - Olathe Mountain View Winery - Olathe Stoney Mesa Winery - Cedaredge Winery at Cedars Farm - Cedaredge

SOUTH FRONT RANGE Byers Cellars - Cripple Creek D’Vine Wine - Manitou Springs Evergood Elixirs - Palmer Lake Legatum Cellars - Canon City Mountain Spirit Winery, Ltd. - Salida Sette Dolori - Black Forest Songbird Cellars - Beulah The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey Canon City The Winery at Pikes Peak - Cascade Vino Colorado Winery - Colorado Springs Vino Salida Wine Cellars - Poncha Springs CENTRAL FRONT RANGE Allis Ranch Winery - Sedalia Aspen Peak Cellars - Bailey Balistreri Vineyards - Denver Bigsby’s Folly - Denver Black Arts Cellars - Littleton Blanchard Family Wines - Denver Bonacquisti Wine Company - Denver Carboy Winery - Littleton Colorado Sake Co. - Denver Creekside Cellars - Evergreen Deep Roots Winery & Bistro - Denver Gaijin 24886 Sake - Denver Golden City Winery - Golden Golden Valley Winery - Denver The Infinite Monkey Theorem Denver InVINtions, A Creative Winery Greenwood Village Kingman Estates Winery - Denver Ladrón Cellars - Englewood Leap of Faith Winery - Wheat Ridge Point Blank Winery - Centennial Purgatory Cellars Winery - Parker Silver Vines Winery - Arvada Spero Winery - Denver Vino Passarelli - Lakewood Water 2 Wine - Centennial Waters Edge Winery - Centennial Wild Women Winery - Denver The Wine Barrel - Parker NORTHERN FRONT RANGE Augustina’s Winery - Nederland Bad Bitch Cellars - Eaton

October-December 2020

Blendings at the Preserve - Fort Collins Blue Mountain Vineyards - Berthoud BookCliff Vineyards - Boulder Decadent Saint - Boulder River Garden Winery - Fort Lupton Settembre Cellars - Boulder Snowy Peaks Winery - Estes Park Stonebridge Farm Winery - Longmont Sweet Heart Winery - Loveland Ten Bears Winery - Laporte Turquoise Mesa Winery - Broomfield Viewpoint Wines - Boulder Vinnie Fera - Boulder

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN Buckel Family Wine - Crested Butte Continental Divide Winery Breckenridge Monkshood Cellars - Minturn Vines at Vail Winery - Wolcott Winter Park Winery - Fraser Steamboat Winery - Steamboat Springs PLAINS Claremont Inn & Winery - Stratton Mummy Hill Winery - Holyoke Reds Wine Boutique - Sterling

2018 GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL® BRONZE MEDAL DEFCON RED IRISH STYLE RED ALE

FOUR CORNERS Flying T Wine - Cortez Four Leaves Winery - Durango Fox Fire Farms - Ignacio Guy Drew Vineyards - Cortez Pleasant View Vineyards - Pleasant View Sutcliffe Vineyards - Cortez Yellow Car Country Wines - Cortez

CIDERIES Apple Valley Cider Co Artisan Craft Cellars - Westminster Big B’s Juices and Hard Cider Hotchkiss Boco Cider - Boulder Boxing Brothers Cider - Colorado Springs Branch Out Cider - Fort Collins C Squared Ciders - Penrose ● Clear Fork Cider - Denver Climb Hard Cider Co - Loveland Colorado Cider Co - Denver Colorado +49 Cidery & Pub- Golden Fenceline Cider - Mancos Golden City Winery - Golden Haykin Family Cider - Aurora The Ice Cave Cider House Monument Locust Cider & Brewing Co- Boulder Old Mine Cidery & Brewpub - Erie

2019 GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL® GOLD MEDAL SUPERPOWER IPA AMERICAN-STYLE STRONG PALE ALE

Scrumpy’s Hard Cider - Fort Collins 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 Teal Cider - Dolores Waldschänke Ciders - Denver Wild Cider - Firestone Zanamiel - Centennial

MEADERIES Annapurna Mead - Colorado Springs Black Forest Meadery - Colorado Springs Colorado Honey Wine - Distribution Only Dragon Meadery - Aurora Golden City Winery - Golden Honnibrook Meadery - Castle Rock Hunters Moon Meadery - Severance Meadery of the Rockies - Palisade Mechalore Meadworks - Loveland Medovina - Niwot Miracle Stag Meadery - Loveland Queen Bee Brews - Denver Waddle Buzz Meadery - Golden Redstone Meadery - Boulder

2019 GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL® GOLD MEDAL MORE DODGE LESS RAM, AMERICAN-STYLE INDIA PALE ALE

7667 E. ILIFF AVE. (2 Miles East of 1-25 & Evans) 720.748.0700 • COMRADEBREWING.COM

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