17 breweries collaborate on a beer that helps maintain The Colorado Trail

By Adair Teuton

In celebration of The Colorado Trail’s 50th anniversary, the Colorado Trail Foundation (CTF) has launched the Hit the Trail Pale Ale initiative, partnering with 17 breweries across Colorado to raise awareness and funds for the trail’s maintenance.

PARTICIPATING BREWERIES
Anarchy Brewing Company
Angry James Brewery
Animas Brewing Company
Base Camp Beer Works
Bell Brothers Brewing
Carver Brewing Co.
Copper Club Brewing Company
Dewey Beer Colorado
Durango Beer & Ice Company (High Trestle Brewing Company)
Great Divide Brewing Co
Holidaily Brewing Company
Over Yonder Brewing Company
Ska Brewing Co
Steamworks Brewing Company
Strange Craft Beer Company
Tres Litros Beer Company
Wackadoo Brewing

Building and Maintaining a Legacy

The Colorado Trail spans 567 miles from Denver to Durango, and its upkeep is managed by the foundation. Tisha McCombs, a CTF representative said the organization relies entirely on volunteers, who contributed over 20,000 hours in 2023 alone. “The Colorado Trail Foundation is responsible for building and maintaining The Colorado Trail. All of the work we do is completed by volunteers, either through volunteer trail crews or our Adopt-a-Trail program,” McCombs says.

The profound impact of the trail on individuals is evident from testimonials like that of Sandwich Mike, a trail completer: "Interestingly, I haven't been quite the same since hiking the trail. It showed me a way of living that was truly my way of living, without outside pressures or influences."

As the trail celebrates its 50th anniversary, the foundation sought to create significant initiatives to enhance its visibility and financial support. "With 17 breweries participating from around the state and giving 20 percent of their Hit the Trail sales back to CTF, this campaign will have a significant impact on our fundraising this year," notes the foundation.

The foundation is thrilled with the community's response so far. “With some breweries already having sold out of their Hit the Trail Pale Ale and having to brew second batches, I’d say the trail communities are enjoying supporting this effort!” they add.

Tres Litros Brewery: The Origin of the Initiative

The idea for the Hit the Trail Pale Ale initiative originated with Jason Maxwell, co-founder and co-owner of Tres Litros Brewery. During a brainstorming session with a CTF employee last fall, Maxwell proposed a collaboration beer as a unique way to celebrate the anniversary and raise funds. "At the time, they were thinking of potentially planning a weekend-long party this summer with live music, and I was going to help them book some bands,” Maxwell recalls. “I also thought it would be cool to help fundraise for such an event by coming up with a collaboration beer that all the breweries in trail towns could brew and donate a portion of sales back to the trail."

Maxwell’s vision evolved to include breweries across the entire state. He asked Quintin Shomaker, Tres Litros' head brewer, to develop a recipe for an easy-drinking pale ale with a 5.0% ABV to honor the 50th anniversary. "We wanted hikers and others around the state to have slightly different versions of the beer to sample throughout their travels, so we invited participating breweries to use their own unique dry-hopping regimens," Maxwell explains.

Tres Litros has brewed two versions of the ale so far. Maxwell said the community response has been overwhelmingly positive, with both versions selling quickly. "On July 13th, the Brewers Rendezvous beer fest was held in Salida, which is where we are located,” says Maxwell. “At the festival, we served Hit The Trail Pale Ale in order to spread more awareness. People really enjoyed the beer and some of the more memorable pieces of feedback we received were from other participating breweries thanking us for coming up with the initiative, the recipe and then inviting them to participate."

The collaboration between Tres Litros and the local community has proven to be incredibly successful. "We've benefited from this initiative by having customers made aware of our brewery because of their familiarity with the initiative," Maxwell shares. "Most notably with an event the CTF held in our taproom last week that was designed to bring fans of the trail into the brewery to meet staff, to celebrate their 50th year milestone and of course, to drink some of the beers that they knew would help benefit the trail."

Holidaily Brewing Company: A Unique Contribution

Holidaily Brewing Company, close to North Table Mountain Trailhead in Golden, is one of the many breweries participating in the initiative. "We love any opportunity to raise a pint and raise some money for organizations that are near and dear to Holidaily’s core values as a company," shares Hannah Perkins, Holidaily’s marketing manager. "We encourage staff to take advantage of the location by getting outside and notice a lot of our customers come from the trails to the taproom. With that in mind, it was a no-brainer to get involved with The Colorado Trail Foundation to assist in their efforts."

What sets Holidaily apart is their ability to include the gluten-free community into this initiative. "The most obvious thing that makes us unique is that Holidaily is a 100 percent certified, dedicated gluten-free brewery. I believe we are the only brewery participating that is offering a gluten-free pale ale," Perkins notes.

The community response to Holidaily's version of the ale has been incredibly enthusiastic, she reports. "It has been a big hit! We get asked for pale ales constantly, so the style choice was perfect."

Carver Brewing Company: Community and Collaboration

Durango’s Carver Brewing Company was eager to join the initiative. "Carver's is a passionate supporter of the local community, outdoor access and trails, and brewery collabs! The Hit the Trail campaign fits right in with our community goals," explains Colin Carver, the owner.

Durango's breweries, despite the town's small size, have a strong presence and collaborated effectively on this initiative. "Durango has a lot of breweries for a small town and the majority participated in the collab brew. Everyone contributed a little bit of their own style and preferences and the end product turned out delicious," Carver shares.

The brewery's connection to the Colorado Trail is significant. "Durango has a unique relationship to the Colorado Trail as the southern terminus. Each year hundreds of hikers and bikers finish their epic adventure and get to enjoy and rest up in Durango. Giving back to the CTF and the trail is a great way to honor this annual summer phenomenon," he notes.

The community's response to Carver Brewing's version of the ale has been very favorable, with locals enjoying finding the beer across town. The initiative has also strengthened Carver Brewing's partnership with the CTF. "Carver's has partnered with the CTF in several ways; we have collab merchandise that was designed in partnership with the CTF and is available to our brewery guests. A portion of proceeds go to support the CTF, so being able to participate in the Hit the Trail campaign was just another way to help the CTF in their mission," Carver adds.

Collaborative Effort

"Collaboration with the participating breweries has been great. They are very eager to support our efforts and great to work with," shares Mccombs. A standout moment has been the unified effort of Durango breweries under the Durango Bootlegger’s Society, highlighting a sense of community over competition.

Looking Ahead

Trail supporters can look forward to a variety of events at participating breweries, as detailed on the CTF events page.The Hit the Trail Pale Ale initiative is a special project for this 50th anniversary year, but the Colorado Trail Foundation’s dedication to its mission continues beyond this celebration. For more information on The Colorado Trail Foundation and the Hit the Trail campaign, visit Colorado Trail Foundation and Hit the Trail Campaign.

Adair Teuton is a senior at CU Boulder, pursuing a degree in journalism and political science. Outside of her studies, she enjoys playing golf, spending time with friends and family, exploring new cuisines, nurturing plants, writing, and immersing herself in new books.