Weekend of Compelling Ales & Spirits

Dogfish Head is notorious for bringing unique recipes to its beers, often with a culinary flair. This thinking spills over into its event world as well. Naturally, a multi-day bash built around beer and food pairings felt right up Dogfish’s alley. The always anticipated Weekend of Compelling Ales & Spirits has come and gone… and what a weekend it was.

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Bean to Barstool Podcast | Diego’s Chocolate

Diego Hernandez started Diego’s Chocolate at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala in 1990. Diego and his family are of Tz’utujil Mayan heritage, and he adapted his abuela’s sipping chocolate recipe into a unique format—rolls of untempered chocolate, often made with unique inclusions. All of the cacao and inclusions are grown in Guatemala. In this episode, host David Nilsen talks with Nico Silverman, Diego’s U.S. representative, about Diego’s story, the details of their chocolate, and Nico’s experiences with pairing Diego’s Chocolate rolls with craft beer and craft cider in New York state.

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Milieu Fermentation Company | smol.

The Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer is a legendary beer festival and competition held annually in Chicago. Each year breweries from across the U.S. enter their barrel-aged creations for judging, hoping to earn a coveted medal in one of 13 categories. As expected from a competition highlighting barrel-aged beer, most entries are high ABV bruisers where a couple sips is all the flavor and alcohol a drinker could reasonably handle.

Milieu Fermentation Company of Aurora, Colorado, bucked the trend by entering smol., a 2.7% ABV barrel-aged mixed culture ale made in collaboration with Baere Brewing Company in neighboring Denver. For their effort, they were handsomely rewarded with a gold medal in the Wild Beer Mixed Culture (Acidic) category, a huge honor for a tiny beer. 

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Our Culture Brewing & Creature Comforts | Fonio Lager

The sentiment of collaboration resonates throughout the craft beer industry. From check-in warriors eager to be the first to taste what’s new, to production teams, social media folks and retailers,  everyone loves a solid team effort. It’s especially true when the beer is innovative, tasty and brewed for good. Read More

Firestone Walker’s Mind Haze Rage Radlers Debut for Warmer Days

As the country collectively sprang forward yet again this past weekend, the seasonal milestone signaled a welcome reminder that warmer days are finally on the horizon, and patio beers are near.

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Prost Brewing Announces Plans to Open Fifth Location in Wheat Ridge

While the Colorado craft beer scene has experienced its share of closures in recent years, one local brewery brand has continued its meteoric rise. Prost Brewing, which first launched its LoHi location in 2009, has announced plans to open its fifth biergarten location located in the Clear Creek Crossing development in Wheat Ridge, CO.

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Bean to Barstool Podcast | Chasing Wonder with Vaka Chocolate

Bean to Barstool host David Nilsen recently talked with Serge Savchuk, owner and chocolate maker at Vaka Chocolate in London, Ontario. They talked about the inspiration behind his spirits-infused or -inspired bars, including bars made with whisky, absinthe, gin, and rum, using spirits from North of 7 Distillery and Junction 56 Distillery. They also talked about what motivates him in developing unique inclusion, like his unexpected dill pickle and peanut butter bar.

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First Look | Denver’s Full Frame Beer Opens Today in Former Jagged Mountain Space

Full Frame Beer, which officially opens to the public today, Friday, February 28, 2025, may feel familiar to beer fans on the surface. However, to those with a discerning eye and palate, its subtleties should quickly come into focus.

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Major Colorado Brewery Openings, Closures, Mergers Kick Off 2025

There’s never a dull moment in Colorado’s tumultuous craft beer landscape, and if the first two months of 2025 are any indication, then beer fans better buckle up. In the … Read More

Pure Project | Otter Romp

When it comes time to select a spirit animal, one might gravitate toward a lion, tiger, or bear… oh my! Solid choices of course, but a little reflection helps reveal the unsung hero of the animal kingdom. Enter, the otter. A sign of peace, a symbol of endless curiosity, and never one to turn down having some fun. With this new spiritual enlightenment, there’s no better beer to reward yourself with than Otter Romp, a recent collaboration between Pure Project and Humble Sea.

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2025 Collaboration Fest Announces Initial List of 180 Collaborating Breweries

The field is officially set for the 2025 Collaboration Fest and this year’s event is shaping up to be an all-timer. With just over two months until one of Colorado’s signature beer festivals returns to take center stage, the Colorado Brewer’s Guild has released its initial list of collaborating breweries, including a record-breaking 180+ participants.

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Bean to Barstool Podcast | The Spirits-Infused Bars of Embers Chocolate

In this episode we talk with Tandy Peterson of Embers Chocolate in Phoenix, Arizona. We discuss her spirits-infused bars using bourbon, mezcal, and other spirits that are made utilizing techniques not many makers are using, including soaking sugars, milk powder, and inclusion ingredients in the spirits themselves. We also discuss her unique, award-winning Elote bar that emulates the flavors of Mexican street corn.

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Odell Brewing Co. | Thunder Lizard Hoppy Ale

Few things pair better with a fresh powder day in Colorado’s high country than a mountainside pint. Such moments led to the inception of Copper Mountain and Odell Brewing Co.’s slopeside collaboration—Thunder Lizard hoppy ale. To celebrate the grand opening of Copper Mountain’s upgraded Timberline Express chairlift (known as T-Rex for short), the resort teamed up with its exclusive beer partner, Odell Brewing Co. to create a beer as thrilling as the lift it honors.

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Event Preview | FEAST Wilmington 2025

FEAST Wilmington is back for its second year March 29 and 30 in Wilmington, North Carolina. FEAST brings together local chefs, restaurants, breweries, and distilleries to showcase the city’s diverse food and beverage scene. The festival’s non-profit partners are the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, The Cape Beer Craft Beer Alliance and the Downtown Business Alliance of Wilmington.

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Recapping the Best Beers from 2025 WeldWerks Invitational Festival

Despite much news to the contrary, the beer festival as we know it is not dead. While your mom and pop fest featuring a couple local breweries’ standard pours is indeed not doing well in the current climate, there is still room for a top notch festival featuring the best breweries and their best beers to thrive. To that latter end, the 2025 WeldWerks Invitational Festival was a roaring success. 

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Barrique Brewing | Barleywine Double Feature

Last February, we hit the ground running after Dry January and highlighted a special collab from the Barrique Brewing and Blending team in Nashville, Tennessee. Now, a year later, we’re back with a double dose of barleywine from the Barrique crew.

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