By Lindsay King-Miller

Just a week ago, an estimated 200,000 people showed up in and around Denver’s Civic Center Park and marched through downtown, protesting the inauguration of President Donald Trump. On the preceding Friday night, it felt like at least half that many people swarmed Goldspot Brewery on 50th and Lowell, mostly to do the same thing – but this time, with beer.

Goldspot is one of five breweries around the Denver area that teamed up to produce variations on “Makin’ Noise: A Pussy Riot Beer,” a reference to the Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot. The beer was dreamed up by Goldspot head brewer Kelissa Heiber and fellow Denver brewer Bess Dougherty. Initially conceptualized as a protest against the 2016 Presidential election results, Makin’ Noise came to represent a non-partisan hope for strong, inclusive communities. For each pint sold, the participating bars and breweries donate $1 to a local charity such as One Colorado or Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. Although Dougherty is adamant that the Makin’ Noise project is pro-community rather than anti-Trump, the crowd at Goldspot on the evening of the 20th was noticeably polka-dotted with the pink knitted hats that have emerged as a symbol of inauguration protesters.

Regardless of your political affiliations, the variant on Makin’ Noise served at Goldspot – an imperial saison fermented with strawberry puree – is a fantastic beer. Fruity without being too sweet, refreshing while maintaining the yeasty complexity of the style, it’s easy to down a glass before you remember that 9% ABV. Like community organizing, this beer is unexpectedly powerful. (My partner, who doesn’t like saisons, enjoyed the rich, well-balanced, and even boozier Black River Stout.)

Five different variations of Makin’ Noise were available around the city on Friday. Heiber and Dougherty determined that the beer would be an imperial saison, but Dougherty said that the breweries “put their own spin on it,” from lavender to peppercorns to acai. All five beers were created collaboratively, with brewers (all women) from Goldspot, Lady Justice, 3 Freaks, Black Sky, and Brewability working together. Dougherty loved the experience of beer artisans “all working towards a common goal.” She added, “There were a few hiccups, but it will make the whole process smoother next time.”

Oh, yes, there will be a next time! Dougherty hopes to make the project a quarterly event, involving many more breweries from throughout Colorado and choosing different charities to support each time. “I don’t expect future versions to get the press that this one did, but we are dead set on doing more to strengthen our community,” she said. The five breweries that participated served more than 1,700 Makin’ Noises over the weekend, and numbers are still coming in from bars around town that tapped one or more of the variations. Even with a smaller turnout for future versions, it’s easy to imagine the impact the project could have. Community engagement through creative, unique beers - what could be more Colorado than that?