More than 2,000 fans taste one-off collaborations at weekend festival

By Thirst Colorado Staff

2,200 guests enjoy the various collaborations from 149 breweries.

Grant Babb, owner of Joyride Brewing Company in Edgewater, takes a break from the fest for a quick photo with Joyride Brewmaster and co-founder Dave Bergen. Joyride collaborated with Heretic Brewing Co. out of Fairfield, CA to create the Star Fire Schwarzbier Black Lager.

Folks were lined up to try the Odell Brewing Company and Stone Brewing Company’s collaboration brew, Reunification Imperial Stout. Stone Brewing Company is one of the United States’ largest craft breweries, hailing from Escondido, CA.

Riley Finnigan, Brewery Manager at Avery Brewing Company, and Jon Cross, co-owner and Head Brewer at Call to Arms Brewing Company, talks to some fest guests about their collaboration brews. Their Breeze’s Mom, a dry hopped American Stout, was a huge hit among guests.

Pear Graff by Wonderland Brewing Company and C Squared Ciders. This graff is an olde English style of ale combined with modern brewing techniques, dry hopping, an earthy farmhouse yeast and pear juice.

John Carlson, executive director of the Colorado Brewers Guild, and Brian Hutchinson, co-owner of Cannonball Creek Brewing Company in Golden, are just some of the 2,200 guests that attended the festival at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium.

Collaboration Fest has come and gone, but fear not, some of the creative juices poured during the annual event might still be found around town. The third annual festival held at Sports Authority Field at Mile High featured 149 breweries from five countries and 21 states. More than 2,000 people enjoyed the afternoon.

A few highlights from the event included at a “Pear Graff,” which was the creation of Wonderland Brewing Company’s head brewer Joshua Willett, and C Squared Cider’s head cider maker Andy Brown, who used to work at Wynkoop Brewing. “In an effort to be out of the box, we wanted to the only brewery that collaborates with a cidery,” Willett said. “I reached out to Andy, who had already been working on the mixing of saison yeast and how they relate to pear flavors and aromas. That’s how we decided to go with a pear juice and beer hybrid.”

Telluride Brewing Co. teamed up with Elevation Brewing Co. to produce “Bridging the Divide,” which bridged their strengths. Telluride’s known for it does great brown ale, Face Down, and Elevation excels with its barrel-aged beers. Chris Fish from Telluride said he would like to continue collaborating with Elevation in the future.

Laura Ulrich used to work for Odell Brewing Co. and is now brewing at Stone Brewing Co., where she runs the cask program. She worked with her friends at Odell to create an imperial stout with coffee, chocolate and raspberries, which was then barrel aged in rum and whiskey barrels.

Roughly 85 recipes resulted in one-of-a-kind offerings that may not be created again. However, according to a press release from Two Parts, which puts on the fest, the following list gives enthusiasts a shot at tasting some of the collaborations while the kegs last:

Boulder Beer Co. and Fat Heads: Available at Boulder Beer.
Factotum Brewhouse and Tow Yard Brewing: Available in cans at the end of March/beginning of April and in the Factotum taproom.
Fiction Beer Company and Tivoli Brewing Company: Available in both taprooms.
Great Divide Brewing Co. and TRVE Brewing: Available in both taprooms.
Hall Brewing and Kokopelli Beer Company: Available at both taprooms.
Holidaily Brewing Company and Yak and Yeti Brewpub: Available in both tasting rooms.
Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery and Brewery Rickoli: Available at Brewery Rickoli.
Joyride Brewing Co. and Heretic Brewing Company: Available at Joyride taproom.
Kannah Creek Brewing Company, Roaring Fork Beer Company and Colorado Boy Brewing: Available in all taprooms.
Launch Pad Brewery and 38 State Brewing Company: Available at 38 State and Launch Pad.
The Bakers’ Brewery, Broken Compass, Dillon DAM Brewery, Backcountry Brewery, Pug Ryan's Brewery and Breckenridge Brewery OG: Available in taprooms.