Blanchard Family Wines’ charcuterie board, which is part of a Colorado Wine Week wine tasting at the winery in downtown Denver’s Dairy Block.

Thirst staff reports

Raise a glass to Colorado Wine Week (it got an official proclamation from the gubna and all that) and Hispanic Heritage Month. And it’s still Oktoberfest season (don’t argue with German brewers about months). Also, breweries are still pumping out pumpkin beers, and Colorado craft businesses are hosting fundraisers and many more events.

Colorado Wine Week

The Colorado Wine Fest, the signature event of Colorado Wine Week, is sold out, but you could still win a pair of tickets by sharing the best wine-related photos on your social media pages and tagging them with #ColoradoWineWeekChallenge.

There are also plenty of other ways to get involved in Wine Week, and plenty of other excuses for drinking Colorado wine.

The Paddleboard Adventure Company is offering four-hour guided bike tours of Palisade wineries. And Palisade’s Maison La Belle Vie Winery and Carboy Winery will each host a five-course wine dinner tomorrow night (Sept. 15).

There is a festival pre-party at Red Fox Cellars in Palisade, a sunset concert at Avant Vineyards in Palisade and the Colorado Mesa University Corks and Chords concert in Grand Junction, all on Friday, Sept. 16.

In Denver, Blanchard Family Wines hosts a winemakers tasting tomorrow, a fundraiser for the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology. In Lakewood, 240 Union restaurant offers special food pairings with Aspen Peak Cellars wines all week.

On Sunday, Sept. 18, The Ordinary Fellow in Palisade hosts a mini-wine fest with tastes and bottle sales from The Storm Cellar, Sutcliffe Vineyards and Buckel Family Wines.

For more information about Colorado’s wine industry, including expert recommendations, profiles of industry leaders and much more, check out the print edition of Thirst Colorado magazine, available at fine establishments statewide.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Several Colorado breweries are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM), which officially starts tomorrow.

⁠Raices Brewing, a Latino-owned brewery in Denver is releasing an amber Mexican lager brewed in collaboration with Black Sky Brewery. Raices also hosts an El Salvador Independence Day party today, a broader Central American independence day event tomorrow, and the Viva Mexico party on Friday, with food, live music and dance performances. Saturday brings an Aeróbicos fitness class, a Latino book fair and a Chilean Independence Day party. More events are also on tap through the end of the month.

Odell will release a beer for the occasion at each taproom, all brewed by the BIPOC Coworker Resource Group. They will be available to go in custom HHM crowlers.⁠ Odell’s OBC Wine Project crafted an Agua de Sandia with rosé. The Fort Collins taproom also hosts a party on Friday, with music, and Latino-owned art vendors and food trucks.⁠

Oktoberfest

The steins will be filled and the polka will be popping at Oktoberfest parties all over the state, including the big downtown Denver festival, starting Friday and featuring Prost's VIP Beer Hall. Saturday, Sept. 17, brings parties to Lafayette's Cellar West Artisan Ales, Denver’s Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Castle Rock’s 105 West Brewing Co. and Red Leg Brewing in Colorado Springs.

Notably, gluten-intolerant drinkers can enjoy bratwursts, soft pretzels and Märzen lagers from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Holidaily taproom in Golden. The event also includes music, a stein-holding contest and games.

Farmhouse and Lager Festival

Knotted Root Brewing in Nederland hosts a celebration of farmhouse ales and lagers on Saturday, Sept 17. Limited tickets are available for each of two afternoon sessions, including unlimited samples, as well as food, live music and a raffle.

Wanderfest

New Terrain Brewing Co. in Golden celebrates its 6th anniversary all weekend at Wanderfest, including limited beer releases, live music and food trucks.

Wood Block 2022

Woods Boss Brewing and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado in Denver will host Woods Block '22, a block party to promote local business and celebrate the community with live music, a vendor market, Luchadores wrestling, and drag and burlesque performances.

Woods Boss will pour special beers, including some small batches and barrel-aged releases.

The event runs from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept 17.

Release of the Week

Fiction Beer Company in Denver brewed a pumpkin bread amber ale with the Food Bank of the Rockies. The mash for the beer was enhanced with 200 pounds of whole wheat bread from the food bank, then pumpkin puree and spices were added on the back end.

The beer will be served at the food bank’s Gather & Sow event on Thursday at the Denver Botanic Gardens’ Chatfield Farms, and will be on tap at Fiction starting Monday.

The food bank also gets $1 from each beer sold.

Fiction also hosts an Oktoberfest party from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, with a new Märzen beer, live music, food trucks and competitions.