Thirst Magazine January-February 2020

SERVING UP THE COLORADO EXPERIENCE

Vol. 5, No. 2 January-February 2020

BUGGIN’OUT INSPIRED DISHES PUSH LIMITS

JAZZY SOULS

MAMA MAGNOLIA HITS THE BALLROOM

6

FROZEN WATERFALLS TO ENJOY

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LIBATIONS BEYOND

Resolutions To Look Forward To The new year brings most of us hope for something better. When it comes to health, relationships, prosperity or just more free time, we discuss how we might improve our lives as the calendar turns over.

At Thirst Colorado, we’re unapologetically clear about pushing and reflecting the Colorado experience. So, with an eye toward getting people out and about, here are some ideas we have to make 2020 the best year ever.

We resolve to ... … see more outdoor music. With the plethora of outdoor venues around the state, we resolve to see more live music in the open air with a view. Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a no brainer, but places like Mishawaka Amphitheater near Fort Collins, Telluride Town Park and Dillon Amphitheater come to mind. … check out the unknown. Colorado has many hidden gems that deserve our exploration. For alphabetical consistency sake, we’ll start our adventure list with the towns of Cuchara, Crystal and Creede. Yes, each has its own mountain western charm and significant place in the state’s history. … volunteer to keep Colorado beautiful. Our state’s beautiful outdoors are naturally pristine, but will always need maintenance to keep them clean. Organizations such as Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Colorado Mountain Club and Denver Parks and Recreation are a few places where you can find volunteer opportunities to keep Colorado clean. … get dirty. More than one third of the state is considered public lands, which are managed by the Colorado Bureau of Land Management and other government agencies.

Much of this land is free to camp, fish, bike or ride horseback into the wilderness. Even though there are fewer amenities, there are also fewer people – bonus! … slow down and experience culture. The Denver Performing Arts Complex serves as the region’s cultural anchor, but Colorado offers an impressive array of performing arts statewide. The Front Range is loaded with cultural attractions but we wanted to check out other areas as well. The Creede Repertory Theatre has an incredible reputation for making small-town theatre come alive. The Avalon Theatre in Grand Junction brings great acts to its stage, and the Tabor Opera House in Leadville provides varied programming from musical performances to fun plays.

Remember, live your passion and thirst responsibly in 2020.

ADVISORY BOARD Jean Ditslear Owner, 300 Suns Brewing

Sean Smiley Owner, State 38 Distilling

Bess Dougherty Head Brewer, Grateful Gnome Sandwich Shoppe and Brewery

Alan Laws Owner, Laws Whiskey House Charlie Sturdavant Owner, Golden City Brewery

Publisher Paul Johnson paul@thirstcolorado.com Associate Publisher & Editor Joe Ross joe@thirstcolorado.com Vice President of Sales Tod Cavey tod@thirstcolorado.com Design & Layout Michele Garner President & Founder Wilbur E. Flachman Marketing & Distribution Neill Pieper Editorial Assistant Natasha Lovato Editorial Intern Katie Lee Contributors Steve Graham, Kyle Kirves, Emily Moyer, Kristin Owens, Monica Parpal Stockbridge, Terri Ross, Angie Wright For advertising and editorial information, please contact Joe Ross at 303.428.9529 Ext. 227 or email joe@thirstcolorado.com Proud member of the Brewers Association and the Colorado Brewers Guild Thirst Colorado is produced by The Publishing House, a division of Colorado Word Works, Inc. The Publishing House also produces Colorado’s Performing Arts Publications, serving arts venues along the Front Range.

7380 Lowell Blvd., Westminster, Colorado 80030 303.428.9529

Drink up life in large amounts, but restrict your alcohol consumption. We do not endorse or support excessive drinking.

Paul Johnson Publisher & Tasting Guru facebook.com/thirstcolorado twitter.com/thirstcolorado @thirstcolorado

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January-February 2020

Thirst Colorado is published six times a year by The Publishing House, 7380 Lowell Blvd., Westminster, CO 80030. © The Publishing House, 2020. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Except where noted, the content of Thirst Colorado is the property of the magazine and should only be reprinted with permission. Thirst Colorado is not responsible for false or misleading claims made in advertising or editorial materials published herein. Thirst Colorado Magazine is distributed in part by DJM Distribution, Inc., and Community Racks Distribution, LLC.

THIRST COLORADO | January-February 2020

12

INTERSECTIONS

16 Strange Brew

We head south of the equator for an Aussie-inspired brew

24 Untapped

Festivals, food and other fun for your winter schedule

34

30

Art of Brewing

Bonfire brews up some memories with its can art

8

22

40 Brewers’ Favorites

Try a few of these expertly picked brews

from the 42 Tales Lying Log Tough times in the backcountry

On the cover: Foodies enjoy unique cuisine found at Linger restaurant in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood.

Photo: Angie Wright

32

44 Brewery, Distillery, Winery, Cidery and Meadery Guide Find great craft beverages wherever you end up in Colorado

ADVENTURES

8 Slip Sliding Away

Ice sailing club hits the hard water this winter

12

Scaled Up

Artist Will Day is going large with his paintbrush

18 Frozen Falls

Make time for Colorado’s waterfalls this winter

22 6 ThirstColorado.com

January-February 2020

Ravishing Reds

Local vino recommendations to try this winter season

26

Does it Bug You?

30

A Little Jazz & Soul

38

Breaking Ground

Linger is creating new and tasty bug-inspired dishes

Mission Ballroom to host Denver’s Mama Magnolia

Colorado Sake Co. busts open doors for industry advances

“Our” headquarters are where we are from!

(Keepin’ it Colorado since 1999!)

US 36 & McCaslin

Superior, CO 80027

303 499 6600

Buy Local. Support Local

CR

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January-February 2020

G N I S I U

‘H A R D

W AT E R ’

Colorado’ s ice sailing c ulture all

R

ck about experimentation,ByluSteve Graham

ick Hypes built his first boat when he was 12, but never intended to use it on a lake, unless it was frozen.

Decades later, he is still building ice sailing “rigs” as part of a small but enthusiastic Colorado ice sailing community. The sailors mostly build their own boats and get together on the ice whenever they can find the right wind and ice conditions, which are increasingly rare.

“Here in Colorado, ice and wind can change minute by minute, going from a dead calm to gale force in no time at all, making hard water sailing in Colorado pretty sketchy for someone not accustomed to conditions here,” said longtime Colorado ice sailor Scott Frank.

Hypes once checked out a “kids’ guide to building crap” from the library, and found directions for making an ice boat out of wood.

Like most ice vessels, it also doubled as a land sailing boat. It was a simple boat rigged with lawnmower tires and it only “sailed” downwind, so he tested it out in his neighborhood.

“It was the first time I got pulled over by the cops because I was sailing it down the street,” Hypes said. “He said, ‘you can’t sail it down the street. Nobody will see you.’”

Hypes dropped the hobby for many years, but returned to ice sailing about 20 years ago after a serious search for a fellow enthusiast.

In Michigan and other Midwest states, ice sailing regattas and clubs draw plenty of

Photo: Rick Hypes

sailors, many of whom use pricey commercial vessels. Colorado has smaller lakes, less favorable conditions and ever-shifting wind, so the sport draws fewer participants, and virtually no organized clubs, competitions or outfitters.

Hypes found a fellow sailor by calling a company that makes specialty epoxy for ice sailing boats, and asking for Colorado customers. He was connected with a Fort Collins engineer who lived across from a lake.

That engineer took Hypes out for his first ice boat ride, and he was hooked, even though he quickly learned ice sailing can be a fickle sport in Colorado.

“If he got to go one time a year, he considered it a good year,” Hypes said.

Since then, Hypes has built about 25 ice sailing boats, mostly with some like-minded friends.

He currently has four rigs, one for his wife, one spare and one tandem option that can be attached to the back of his boat. Even if the conditions never allow for ice sailing, he can take out the same rigs in warm weather to cruise across dry lake beds and other smooth land-sailing surfaces.

The boat frames and masts are welded together, and he finds used windsurfing sails on Craigslist or at swapmeets. The first few projects brought a lot of trial and error and snapped masts. But he said that is one of the great lessons of ice sailing.

“I just take it for granted that you can try

January-February2020

ThirstColorado.com 9

Top photo: Rick Hypes. Lower photos: Scott Waisanen

and fail,” Hypes said. “If you think about all the great inventors, they failed lots of times. Not that I am any great inventor or anything, but failure is an option.”

Particularly with climate change, Colorado ice sailing opportunities can be few and far between. The ice needs to be at least three inches thick, but mostly clear of snow.

“We want nice smooth ice like a tabletop.

The worst thing that happens is that we get a few inches of snow and then the sun comes out and melts the top of it and it crusts, so that we can’t sail through it,” Hypes said.

The sun can also warm the water under the ice, causing the ice to melt around the edges of the lake.

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January-February 2020

“I saw one lake in one day go from 80 percent covered to 40 percent covered,” Hypes said.

Shifting conditions, particularly in Colorado, make it a sport that can be honed over a lifetime.

“It’s an easy sport to learn, but you’ll never master it,” Hypes said. “We consider ourselves to be lifelong students.”

He is also eager to draw in new students.

“We love to take somebody out and put them on a rig and watch them struggle that first few times and then they sort of get it and we see them come back with a huge grin on their face because they’re having a blast,” Hypes said. “We joke about being drug

dealers and that they got their first taste for free.”

Frank said most ice sailors get hooked on the rush of flying across ice sitting inches off the ground.

“Most of us were driven by the need for speed, and chasing the true intravenous infusion of adrenaline,” said Frank. “Our other motivator is the science of the sport and trying techniques to tune your boat for the conditions at hand.”

Steve Graham is a freelance writer and former newspaper editor who likes taking his two young boys biking, hiking and brewery-hopping in northern Colorado.

January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 11

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January-February 2020

Artist Will Day on painting and the power of being creative

By Monica Parpal Stockbridge

W

ill Day’s paintings are big. Not just “hang it over the fireplace mantel” big, or “add color to a lobby” big.

When he paints, Day often uses canvases that measure up to 10 feet by 30 feet, rolling them out on the floor, where he can walk all around them, stretch them on a frame, or slice them smaller if he wants to. Day uses acrylics and oils, and moves about impulsively, surveying his canvas from all angles. He says he often uses his whole body to push, pull, splatter and scrape paint onto the canvas. As he does, he feels free from negativity. He feels truly tapped into the power of creativity.

As Day describes it, his work is about finding creativity in the chaos.

“We all have these distractions and interruptions,” he says. “Each one of us is trying to find that moment that God created you to be in. And once you do, then you can really unleash your incredible power and spirit in the world and change things around you. And art was that platform for me.”

Day’s art has stunningly sad origins in the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. Due to a schedule change, his wife (then fiancée) Aimee wasn’t in her office in Tower 2 of the World Trade Center that Tuesday morning. She wasn’t there when the tower fell. Nonetheless, the event hit Day hard.

It changed his and Aimee’s lives forever. “It woke me up,” he says. And out of that chaos, he landed on a path to new meaning and purpose in life through painting.

Day has always felt an urge to be creative, but not necessarily as a painter. He sketched, performed in plays and played hockey. Overall, he struggled in school, coping with ADHD. But a few key teachers in his life offered ideas about harnessing and expressing his creative energy.

January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 13

Will Day creates much of his art at his Boulder studio. All photos: Courtesy of Will Day

“Every one one of us has to find that path to really allow the spirit to be unleashed, and allow you to be you,” he says.

Day says he’s been fascinated by cultures, financial markets, architecture and more, and he has worked a variety of jobs.

He served for two years in the Peace Corps in Tunisia, where he first felt he could transcend judgments and labels from Western culture, and lean into his creative spirit. As he puts it, “I was blinded by beauty and creativity.” He felt a vulnerability, but also an awakening.

Another awakening came on the day the towers fell.

For Day, painting is something of a release. He uses huge canvases and tools with the scale to manipulate the paint from edge to edge. When asked about the tools he uses — sponges, squeegees — he references his work as an architect working on job sites.

“I absolutely loved when walls were going up,” he says, describing drywallers finishing their walls with large tools. He would watch them bring depth and texture to the drywall surfaces. “It was like someone was dancing on [the] walls,” he says.

Since he began painting as a career, Day has created different series of paintings, including the “healing” series and the “midlife”

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January-February 2020

series. He likens these series to chapters in a book. They are moments and themes that he’s connected, and there are many more. At age 48, he can hardly wait to see what he’ll create in another 10 or 20 years.

Often when he enters his studio, he says he still feels anxiety and nerves. Yet he strives to bring his spirit of creativity to the forefront.

He opens the door, sits, meditates, prays and then paints.

“Every day I come into the studio and I believe I’m going to get to my destination, but I have to uncover a lot of this trauma, anxiety and expectations that are on me,” he says.

“I’m trying to just ... ground myself, so I can walk in a way that is harmonious to the world around me.”

Day says that he makes the choice to move from that place of disrupting fear and chaos and into a place of peace.

“Disruptions big and small are here to change us,” he says. “It’s about choices, transitions. You have a choice to move through that or not.”

Monica Parpal Stockbridge writes about food, travel and technology in Colorado and beyond.

Read more of her work at monicastockbridge.com.

Will Day’s art is featured in public collections around Colorado and the country.

To view and purchase his latest works, schedule a visit to his Boulder studio, or view his website at willdayart.com. Watch Will Day’s Ted Talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/will_ day_finding_creativity_in_the_chaos.

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STRANGE BREW

RAW EXPERIMENTATION

Boulder brewer has a vision: no-boil beer in new styles

By Steve Graham

Rawstralian IPA

Brewery: VisionQuest Brewery Location: Boulder IBU: 20 (est.)

ABV: 4.7 percent

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January-February 2020

A

Photo: Neill Pieper

dam Kandle is doing something ancient and groundbreaking at the same time at his east Boulder brewery.

VisionQuest Brewery, which Kandle runs with his partner Greg Kallfa, is one of the first craft brewers in Colorado to make a raw beer, also known as no-boil beer. His most recent experiment is a raw, hazy Australianstyle IPA fittingly called the Rawstralian. He also has used the raw process to brew a more traditional IPA, and both owners like to constantly craft new beers.

“The dynamicness of our whole operation is the sell,” Kallfa said. “We are always doing different ones, and it will never be exactly the same.”

The idea may be new to many American drinkers, but Europeans have been making raw farmhouse ales and other styles without boiling the wort for centuries. Kandle started learning about these ancient methods while researching kveik and other newly popular but equally ancient yeasts.

Kandle quickly realized he could use these unusual ingredients in making flavorful and interesting beers without boiling the wort.

“It isn’t necessarily easier to brew just because you’re not coming up to a boil,” Kandle said. “In fact, there’s other concerns there. Like if it’s not boiling thermonuclear hot, are things actually being perfectly sanitized?”

The first directions in nearly any homebrewing guide are to sterilize all your equipment and boil your wort. Kandle realized he could keep his equipment clean, and perform quality control on the end product, avoiding any off-flavors, spoilage or other problems in any of his raw beers, including the Rawstralian.

“I had to take a leap of faith and do it,” Kandle said. “Once I saw the results, I was like ‘oh my goodness.’”

And once he found the winning formula, he knew just where to get more of his ingredients. VisionQuest shares space with Boulder Fermentation Supply, which sells homebrewing supplies and equipment.

Kandle and Kallfa left another home-brewing shop in Boulder to open the store in late 2013.

“We found a welder dude who was in this building, and we rented space in the back

“

We have fruit

processing equipment and fruit presses.

We infuse our beers with lots of whole fruits that we press ourselves. ­– Adam Kandle

”

of his shop,” Kandle said. “We set up shop with no bathroom and a store down here in this alley. Not a sterile retail environment, but I kept saying that people didn’t want a sterile retail environment.”

What they wanted was something to drink when they came to shop.

“People have been coming in forever to our homebrew shop saying ‘do you have beer,’ because they think it’s a beer store,” he said.

Two years later, they decided to expand into a larger space and open a brewery that has grown into a 7-barrel operation. He first considered making sake instead of beer.

“Rice doesn’t grow in Colorado,” Kandle said. “I wanted to keep it local agriculturesupported. Colorado Malting Company has been our partner since day one.”

VisionQuest is in good company in combining a brewery and fermentation store. Kandle notes that Dry Dock, Ballast Point and Sierra Nevada all started as homebrew shops.

With connections to a variety of brewing suppliers, Kandle and Kallfa can take a deep dive into specialty ingredients, such as a yeast strain isolated from moth stomachs, and advanced brewing equipment.

“We have fruit processing equipment and fruit presses,” Kandle said. “We infuse our beers with lots of whole fruits that we press ourselves.”

The brewery and store are in a warehouse district, but they are also along a popular bike path, and central Boulder is only separated by an easy walk or bike ride under Foothills Parkway.

Take that bike ride or call the shop, and you get a raw beer or learn how to brew your own creative beer.

“It’s never too late to learn how to homebrew,” Kandle said. “If all this seltzer and all the hazies have got you down and you don’t even want to leave the house because it’s a haze zone everywhere you go, you can come to the safe haven of a brew shop. We can teach you how to make clear beer or hazy beer or cider, kombucha, sake, wine or mead.”

Steve Graham is a freelance writer and former newspaper editor who likes taking his two young boys biking, hiking and brewery-hopping in northern Colorado.

January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 17

WINTER HIKES TO FROZEN WATERFALLS

By Natasha Lovato

Cascade Falls.

Photo: Courtesy of Visit Durango Colorado

Layout by Katie Lee

B

Fish Creek Falls Steamboat Springs

This quarter-mile hike offers a paved path to the falls overlook for those in strollers or wheelchairs.

If it is a longer hike you’re looking for, you can continue to the upper falls for a strenuous 2.5mile round-trip trek or take an additional 3.5 miles to Long Lake from there.

Photo: Courtesy of George Hunyadi

ust out your snowshoes and ski poles for winter hikes leading to icy waterfalls so ethereal you’ll feel like you’re walking through Disney’s “Frozen.”

The state boasts about 80 different waterfalls. Some are widely known and easy to find, while others in the backcountry will take more of a commitment to reach. But hiking is a year-round adventure in Colorado if you possess the right gear and attitude. Plus, the diverse landscape in this state makes it easy for all levels of adventurer.

Some falls, such as Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat Springs, have paved paths to make it easy for those in wheelchairs or strollers. Waterfalls such as Cascade Falls in Ouray are ideal for experienced ice climbers.

Then, there are places like Piedra Falls near Pagosa Springs that are perfect for you and your four-legged hiking buddies. So, make sure to layer up and seek out these magical treasures this snowy season.

Treasure Falls Pagosa Springs

Treasure Falls features a 105-foot plunge viewable just 15 miles outside of Pagosa Springs. A short half-mile hike to the falls is perfect for the whole family. In the summer months, you can get close enough to feel the rushing water mist; in the winter, you’ll step into a magical winter scene.

Rifle Falls Rifle

Photo: Courtesy of Matt Schuier

The frozen triple waterfall makes for a magical area to explore. Spelunkers visit the falls for the mysterious limestone caves. It’s an easy hike for the whole family and a great way to start or end a day of exploring Rifle Falls State Park.

January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 19

Photo: Courtesy of Marcy Mitchell

Piedra Falls Pagosa Springs

Dark volcanic rock provides a sleek backdrop among the frozen-over Piedra Falls. The hike is an easy, one-mile round trip and a fun place to explore crevices and cave-like areas in the ice.

Cascade Falls Photo: Courtesy of Visit Durango Colorado

Ouray

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North Clear Creek Falls photo: Courtesy of Mark Teders

Cascade Falls Park is reachable on an easy hike that takes you up to the base of a series of seven waterfalls. The falls are high in the red stone cliffs overlooking Ouray and can be seen from many vantage points around the city, but up close in the winter, it is an ideal spot for ice climbers and spectators alike.

January-February 2020

North Clear Creek Falls Lake City

Within the Rio Grande National Forest area there are dozens of hiking trails, but luckily these roaring falls are viewable from an overlook situated as a stop on the Silver Thread Scenic Byway. Carved into the landscape of southwestern Colorado, North Clear Creek Falls makes for a desirable picnic spot or photo op before furthering on to your next adventure.

Native Natasha Lovato celebrates the Colorado lifestyle through hiking, biking or playing bingo while enjoying a sour ale or two.

11625 Reed Ct Unit B Broomfield, CO 80020

303.353.8121

January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 21

RAVISHING

Colorado Reds

TO KEEP WINTER INTERESTING

T

his winter, take advantage of local libations from the burgeoning Colorado wine industry. Cashmeresoft Pinot Noirs, toasty Merlots and big bold Cabs are patiently waiting for your undivided attention.

And at 100-percent single-grape varietals, these Colorado-born-and-raised wines are the real deal. Whether sipping alone or with that special someone, here are some favorites to snuggle up with on a nippy night.

By Kristin Owens

22 ThirstColorado.com

Photo: Terri Ross

January-February 2020

Pinot Noir 2015

Alfred Eames Cellars – Paonia

This wine has beguiling tones of cherry and blackberry, providing a softness on the palate. A mouthful is like a sensual hug … warm and dreamy. It’s easy drinking with just a touch of tannin and not too sweet, making it a good option for those who bemoan, “I can’t drink red wine, it gives me a headache.” In any case, this ruby red concoction will take away the chill and warm any lonely hearts. It’s fine on its own or paired with a roaring fire and chocolates to impress a date.

Chambourcin 2017

Whitewater Hill Vineyards – Grand Junction

Smooth and intricate, this wine has universal appeal. Indulgent without pretentiousness, it’s the guy next door of wines. This boutique grape thrives in Colorado and is worthy of your attention. A highly enjoyable wine to share without any cloying aftertaste or high drama, its balanced soft plum and licorice flavors cause little stress. When in doubt, this go-to-wine fits any meal or occasion. Pair with pretzels or filet mignon.

Grand Valley Marquette 2016 Ten Bears – Laporte

French oak aging gives this complex wine musky and earthy undertones. Is it naughty? Nice? Who cares, you just want more. Big aromatics like leather and black currant feel primal. Its high tannins and alcohol level beg for understanding, or at least some complicated cheeses. This boutique grape is not for everyone, but certainly must be tried at least once. Unfiltered and unrefined, it’s unreal and unpredictable. Just like your strange ex.

Syrah 2016

Chill Switch – Cedaredge

Not so fast. It’s all about timing. Don’t rush. This sexy sultry wine needs an hour to take a breath and oxygenate. Its deep red color with intriguing nose starts off simple, progresses to spicy, and ends with a peppery finish. Yowza, this flirty wine has an unexpected bite. It’s like a blind date who pays for dinner and expects dessert. Stimulating?

Yes. But pair with creamy soft cheeses and sliced fruit to tone down the excitement.

Cabernet Franc 2017 Garfield Estates – Palisade

Estate-grown grapes provide a consistent, even tannin throughout this lip-smacking wine. Deep fruits like black cherry and plums give a touch of sweetness. But don’t be fooled, it is 14.5 percent alcohol by volume, which could possibly rock your world. With a dark garnet red color, it has an overall satisfying mouthfeel with a small smooch at the end. Just like an unexpected kiss. Experienced wine drinkers will appreciate its smooth moves. Try with salty crackers or olives.

Contributor Kristin Owens passed the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Introductory Examination and travels the world looking for a good $10 bottle of wine. She’s a full-time writer based in Fort Collins.

January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 23

WINTERFEST JAN 24-26 Pagosa Springs

Get the whole family together to enjoy this activity packed weekend. There will be hot air balloon ascensions, sled races, fat bike demos, the popular Penguin Plunge and much more. pagosachamber.com

GLORIA JAN 30-FEB 16 Colorado Springs

This satirical play tackles our fear in modern-day media culture. You’ll experience a hilariously nontraditional play that focuses on a group of aspiring writers who are tired of working their everyday desk jobs. tickets.uccspresents.org

FEBRUARY Photo: Allison Davies

X GAMES ASPEN JAN 23-26 ASPEN

Get ready to watch the extreme snow sports competition. The X Games announced a

JANUARY

BIG BEERS, BELGIANS & BARLEYWINES FESTIVAL JAN 9-11 Breckenridge

What does your ideal post-new year getaway include? If it includes exclusive seminars and activities with innovative brewers and incredible, rare beers in the Rocky Mountains, this weekend is for you. bigbeersfestival.com

ALL-OUT POLAR PROWL JAN 11 Arvada

All-Out Multicourse Productions invites everyone to join them for a run this winter. There is a perfect distance for anyone, including a 1 mile, 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon. alloutmultipro.com

THE GATSBY 2020 MURDER MYSTERY JAN 11 Grand Junction

Come join a night of mystery that includes dinner and a drink. A silent auction will be part of the evening as well. All proceeds will go to the Latimer House, which supports victims of domestic abuse. eventbrite.com

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January-February 2020

three-day music festival on top of it all. Artists Rae Sremmurd, Illenium, Alesso and Bazzi will be featured.

xgamesaspen.frontgatetickets.com

39TH COLORADO INDIAN MARKET & SOUTHWEST ART FEST JAN 17-19 Denver

Join this colorful celebration of Native American, Southwestern and Western arts.

There will be 200 top-quality juried artists and craftsmen, as well as tribal dances, entertainers, demonstrations, culinary booths and interactive special attractions. dashevents.com

3RD ANNUAL FACEOFF FOR FALLEN OFFICERS 2020 JAN 18 Denver

Join a Fallen Officers fundraising event where the Colorado Avalanche will face off against the St. Louis Blues. This will be the only venue that you will get to see the Thin Blue Line flag projected on the ice in honor of the fallen. avalanche.teamkse.com

25TH ANNUAL OURAY ICE FESTIVAL JAN 23-26 Ouray

Join Ouray Ice Park’s largest event and most important fundraiser in its 25-year history. The festival welcomes competitors, instructors and participants from all over the world for a celebration of ice climbing.

Ourayicepark.com

MAMMA MIA! THROUGH FEB 22 Boulder

Enjoy dinner and this classic that focuses on a mother, daughter, and three possible dads.

Have some laughs as Sophie sets on a quest to discover who her true father is on the eve of her wedding. bdtstage.com

WINTERWONDERGRASS FESTIVAL

FEB 20-23 STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

This music festival features dozens of bluegrass and string bands, whiskeys, beers, ciders and more. Get

3RD ANNUAL TACO TRIATHLON FEB 1 Fort Collins

Do you think you can complete a cycle class, yoga class and eat an entire taco or two? There are waves that will start at different times so grab your tickets soon. Swag will be included. eventbrite.com

STEAMBOAT WINTER CARNIVAL FEB 5-9 Steamboat Springs

Overcome your cabin fever and celebrate the winter season at its height. Enjoy street events that feature local Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club kids being pulled on skis behind horses in downtown Steamboat. Expect to hear jam sessions and see ice-sculpting and a crosscountry obstacle race. steamboatchamber.com

EXPLORE THE OUTDOORS EXPO FEB 7-8 Grand Junction

The 2nd annual display of all-outdoor related businesses kicks off with a variety of wares.

Vendors will showcase everything from RVs to accessories, clothing and equipment. tworiversconvention.com

ready to have a good time with the community at a sustainable fest. winterwondergrass.com

Kevin Gael Thomas by Allen Birnbach

PETER PAN BY THE COLORADO BALLET JAN 31-FEB 9 DENVER

Take a high-flying adventure to Neverland with Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael as they

coloradoballet.org

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MILE HIGH GRILLED CHEESE & BEER FEST FEB 15 Denver

RALSTON CREEK HALF MARATHON FEB 9 Arvada

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SKI FEST FEB 20 Vail

The Future Arts Foundation invites you to indulge in 12 days of music and photography at this festival, which features Gasoline Lollipops, Bonnie & The Clydes, Josiah Johnson and many other artists. fafcolorado.org

The run’s course covers a scenic mix of road and bike path rolling terrain. If half marathons are not your cup of tea, don’t worry, there is also a 5k available. racingunderground.com

THE BLIND CAFE FEB 14-15 Boulder

Join a positive social impact discussion, sensory tasting menu, and live music experience that’s held entirely in complete darkness. The discussion will be led by Rosh & the Blind Cafe Orchestra and Richie Flores. brownpapertickets.com

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experience pirates, Lost Boys, Captain Hook, an infamous crocodile and a bit of pixie dust in this brilliant story.

- Compiled by Katie Lee

Sample gourmet grilled cheese bites made by local chefs and participating restaurants and vote for your favorites. In between the delicious bites, you’ll be able to sample over 50 beers from local breweries. grilledcheesebeerfest.com

Chase Rice, a platinum-selling country music artist and avid snowboarder, will headline the Rocky Mountain Ski Fest. He will join artists Charles Esten, Edwin McCain, Chris DeStefano, Jon Nite and others for some skiing and a concert in Vail to raise money for Operation Restored Warrior. rockymtnskifest.com

WHIMSY CON FEB 28-MAR 1 Aurora

If you’re into steampunk and costuming, this is the convention for you. The event, hosted by the nonprofit Shiny Garden, will highlight author Maxwell Alexander Drake, artist Peri Charlifu and musician Unwoman. whimsycon.org January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 25

BUGGING OUT AT

linger Bringing insects to the dinner table

By Natasha Lovato

26 ThirstColorado.com

Photo: Angie Wright

January-February 2020

Photos: Rocky Mountain Micro Ranch

I

Wendy Lu McGill

t takes an open-minded American to eat bugs but the seemingly creepy-crawly food source is actually an excellent source of nutrients.

Most nations worldwide include insects as a part of their regular diet and the Rocky Mountain Micro Ranch (RMMR) in Denver is determined to end the American stigma against eating bugs. The small business currently works with the restaurant some know as the king of macabre, Linger.

Rocky Mountain Micro Ranch founder Wendy Lu McGill set out to find a way to feed people using as few natural resources as possible, especially when it came to land and water. In 2015, the micro farm was born.

Since then, the awareness of edible insects has grown, although it remains a strange concept in Europe and the U.S.

LINGER JUMPS ON BOARD

Linger is no stranger to eye-opening concepts. The site of the former Olinger

Mortuary was converted into a restaurant in 2011 where the mortuary had served the community since 1908.

With fun art and some mortuary-style furniture, Linger has doubled down on its strange origins, making light of the fact that its building was once used for embalming bodies. It’s easy to have fun when you’ve established an innovative and popular dining destination in Denver – a foodie mecca.

Linger features rooms that are suitable for all occasions and an ever-changing menu that appeals to most palates. Whether it be date night or happy hour, Linger enjoys pushing boundaries and exploring the unusual, which is why you can expect to walk in and see diners casually enjoying something like a pork sausage garnished with ants.

Linger’s Executive Chef Will Harris uses ants and crickets in certain dishes for their high protein, low carbon footprint, as well as for texture.

“The ants we use for their flavor and

texture,” Harris said. “The acidity is truly amazing. It’s like eating a bunch of crunchy bits of lime juice. If I can get guests to eat insects, they most importantly have to taste great.”

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES

In addition to Linger’s offerings, Rocky Mountain Micro Ranch has worked with other folks to spread the word.

“Having events is important for education and getting it in people’s mouths. Literally,” McGill said.

RMMR has collaborated with various businesses across the metro area for pairing events at Cerveceria Colorado, Wit’s End Brewing Company, Infinite Monkey Theorem, Colorado Cider Co., The Butterfly Pavilion and The Denver Museum of Nature and Science. At DMNS, visitors can take home buggy snacks, such as pasta, popcorn and chocolate bars.

In addition to being tasty, the health January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 27

Photo: Angie Wright

benefits are impressive. Crickets, for example, are high in protein, amino acids, B-12, iron and calcium.

There are recipes on the RMMR website, and McGill has a multitude of healthy suggestions on how to include insects in everyday food items as well.

“We have a powder made from either crickets or meal worms, which is great for things like smoothies and flour substitutes,” she said. “You don’t see the bug this way, so it makes it easier for people.” McGill also suggests using crickets, mealworms, ants or scorpions as a topping on salads, pizza and pasta and in chocolate chip cookies.

SHIFTING THE STIGMA

“My hope is this becomes more mainstream so we can make a bigger impact and shift the negative percentages the meat

28 ThirstColorado.com

January-February 2020

industry has on the environment,” she said.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, every one kilogram of beef produced requires 22,000 liters of water and 200-square meters of land, but every one kilogram of cricket produced uses less than one liter of water and only 15-square meters of land.

RMMR is also doing its part to reduce waste by using the spent grains from breweries – such as Bierstadt Lagerhaus – as a food source for their mealworms.

“There is an option here for people that is nutritious and won’t harm the planet to the extent meat sources do. Insects are in the same phylum as shellfish, so hopefully it is easier for people to attach them to that identity,” McGill said.

Up until the mid-19th century, eating lobster was similar to eating bugs, so it was

mostly sloughed off on prisoners. Now, lobster is a pricey delicacy. Similarly, so are insects in some places. In Mexico, ant eggs are served with caviar-like elegance and mealworms are made into a salt used around the rim on cocktails.

More than two billion people eat bugs as a normal part of their diet, particularly in Asia, Africa and South America.

Perhaps, in the near future, cricket tacos will be as common as the mac and cheese on your plate.

Native Natasha Lovato celebrates the Colorado lifestyle through hiking, biking or playing bingo while enjoying a sour ale or two.

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ThirstColorado.com 29

MAMA’S GIFT

Denver jazz-soul collective Mama Magnolia gives to audiences

By Steve Graham

M

egan Letts grew up playing praise music in her parents’ church.

She now fronts Mama Magnolia, a secular band, but maintains the giving spirit of a church performance.

“When it’s not meant to be a performance but it’s truly meant to be a gift, I love that,” she said. “I truly want to make it feel like a gift to play and perform for each other and for our audience.”

And the audience certainly appreciates the gift. Since forming in 2013, Mama Magnolia has garnered a devoted fan base for its funky, jazzy and soulful rock shows. Many of those fans will pack the Mission Ballroom

30 ThirstColorado.com

January-February 2020

on Friday, Jan. 17, when the group opens for the California Honeydrops and Fruition.

Letts expects some collaboration with the other two bands, particularly with Fruition, which features her fiancé.

“It will be like our engagement party,” she said.

Most of the Mama Magnolia members met at the University of Denver, where they were enrolled in the music program and playing all styles of music in a wide variety of groups and formats.

Those diverse influences and the formal music education shines through in the complex rhythms, funky bass lines and tight

horn section of the band’s first two EPs — “Something About Fire” from 2016, and “Mama Magnolia Part 1” from 2018.

Letts sings lead vocals and plays keys, and she said she writes most of the Mama Magnolia lyrics. She co-writes the bulk of the music with guitarist Thomas Jennings.

Rounding out the band are bassist Zachary Jackson, drummer Jackson Hillmer, trumpeter Carrie McCune and saxophonist Alex Cazet, all of whom contribute to the compositions.

“It feels so natural playing music with Mama Magnolia,” said Jackson. “ We all write tunes for the group and tweak, explore, and

“I truly want

to make it feel to like play and perform for each other and for our audience.

a gift

”

Photos: Courtesy of Mama Magnolia

create parts as a unit. We are one big, loving musical family and love pushing each other to be the best that we can be, and also love joking around on and off stage. Everyone listens to one another and supports one another, it’s a beautiful thing.”

Each member brings different influences and passions to the group, and they create an interesting collaborative whole.

“Everyone truly has the ability to explore their own musical space,” Letts said. “There’s not been one song that someone brings in and it comes out the same way. We call it Mama Magnoli-fying something.”

When they met at college, they were young and became fast friends.

“We kind of grew into adults learning the same musical language,” Letts said.

“Something about this group of people just clicked.”

Five years later, they still click at each show.

“We really try to just share our love for music and our love for each other with our audience,” she said. “The comment I get more than any other is ‘you guys are so tight, you guys are really listening to each other.’”

Early this year, in addition to the Mission

Ballroom show, the group plans to release “Mama Magnolia Part 2” with a diversity of styles and songwriting contributions, reflecting several years of experiences.

“We’ve all been through it together, plus everyone really listens to each other and shoots good vibes out of their entire body,” Hillmer said. “What else do you need to make good music?”

Steve Graham is a freelance writer and former newspaper editor who likes taking his two young boys biking, hiking and brewery-hopping in northern Colorado.

January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 31

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ART OF BREWING

EAGLE BREWERY CAPTURES MEMORIES THAT MOVE US Everyone is Welcome to Gather Around the Bonfire

By Kyle Kirves

M

ost of us have one of those memories. Maybe it’s camping and roasting up hotdogs on a stick you sharpened with a pocketknife. Or you and your crew sitting in folding lawn chairs after a high school football game sipping beers cribbed from your old man’s beer fridge.

Maybe even your first kiss and all the promise and possibility that goes with that.

These memories or one like them are common to many of us. I’m guessing an integral part of that memory that lies at its center was a bonfire.

That spirit is what Bonfire Brewing in Eagle, Colorado, hopes to conjure up for you every time you have one of their craft beers.

34 ThirstColorado.com

January-February 2020

“When we were first talking about what our identity would be, we asked ourselves ‘what was the first beer you had?’” says Amanda Jessen, co-founder and marketing lead at Bonfire. “And we all had memories of having one around a fire. We wanted to tap into that sense of nostalgia as part of our identity and a symbol of our core values – living an authentic mountain lifestyle.”

Amanda and her husband Andy Jessen, with the help of a third partner, kindled up the idea for Bonfire Brewing in 2010. Like a fire itself, once they got it started, it really took off.

“We went from an initial concept to opening our doors in six months. From the get-go, our local community really let us know that this

was a great idea and that they wanted to see us succeed. We were bolstered by those first few weeks.”

Embraced quickly by Eagle, Bonfire Brewing has a home-team vibe that wasn’t really apparent on their original dual-tone cans. They sought to change that and embrace everything Eagle in 2017 with an art refresh effort for their core brands.

“We realized we wanted to tell a better story and we wanted to tell that story through our packaging,” Amanda says. So, she convened representatives from the entire organization – marketers, brewers, designers, beertenders, wait staff, everybody – to weigh in. The result?

“We discovered that we remain authentic to our original vision and the dream we have – that everyone is welcome to gather ’round the Bonfire,” Amanda says. And that’s not just lip service – it’s a point of pride, in fact, that Bonfire Brewing has never closed for a private event or party. Their doors remain open to all during business hours, a testimony to their credo of inclusion and that everyone is welcome.

The desire to create images and branding that truly reflected that remained. Working with artists Heather Neale and Riley Cran during 2017 and 2018, Bonfire Brewing created new images for established, well-loved beers. The charge was to create images that would serve as postcards from the brewery and Eagle area itself in new motifs and bolder colors.

Now their beers flash with eyecatching, vibrant colors that pop off the shelf, thematically centered on the place Bonfire calls home. The remarkable transformation of flagship favorite Kindler Pale Ale is particularly striking: a full wrap mountain lake scene in cyan hues with the silhouette of a solo hiker and her dog in full exclamation. The art on Firestarter IPA is a thematically similar rendering of a mountain chalet A-frame, but done up in vibrant yellow, pinks, and purples.

When asked if she has a favorite, Amanda cites the look of WTFO and its deep purple art. “It’s the night sky here in Eagle.

It twinkles. And if you look closely, that’s the Gore Range and I-70 at night. There’s nothing else out there like it.” She also calls out the Brush Creek Blonde’s tribute to its namesake waterway – the town of Eagle’s main water source – as a favorite. Because the images

are inspired by Eagle and the surrounding area, they’ve been a hit with people here.

But they’ve also served to represent this true mountain brewery to other parts of Colorado.

Their new Community Creator Series of beers are one-timers and special series or seasonsal series beers Amanda describes as a “distilled version of everything we do.

We are good community creators. Whether we’re making a beer or doing design work

or working in the brewery, all of that creates a community. We return to that again and again as a company.” Look for new Creator offerings coming to beer stores soon, with other releases coming frequently throughout the year. Amanda suggests that Bonfire was inspired to use “gradients radiating out from the warm heart Bonfire center, while glowing fireflies --- our community members -- are drawn to it.”

The fiery logo that has served as Bonfire’s flagship image is well-chosen and remains unchanged, just like the people who started the brewery nearly ten years ago. Like the brewery itself, bonfires are often the center of a community, big or small. For a brief moment in time, a bonfire is the heart and hearth, a place where stories are told, laughs shared, and lifelong friendships forged. But while your backyard bonfire may burn bright for only a short while, you can be certain that Bonfire Brewing and the people who make it special will remain stoked for years to come.

Kyle Kirves drinks beer, plays guitar, runs trails, and manages projects – all with varying degrees of success. While not a craftsman himself, he is quite content writing about the Colorado artisans who create such wonderful things and memorable experiences.

January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 35

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ThirstColorado.com 37

COLORADO SAKE CO.

LAYS THE FOUNDATION AS THE FIRST SAKE TAPROOM IN COLORADO

By Natasha Lovato

Photo: Emily Moyer

S

tarting your own business is hard enough but jumping hurdles to get a law created is almost as hard as it gets in the libations world. After about two years of drafting bills, former Gov. John Hickenlooper signed legislation allowing William Stuart to open Colorado Sake Co., the first sake taproom in Colorado.

“Getting the bill passed was a huge relief.

We find that having a tasting room is a large part of our educational vision of teaching Colorado about sake,” Stuart said.

Sake isn’t wine, it’s not beer and it’s not distilled. It’s composed of fermented rice, making it a category of its own.

“They said we were making beer and selling wine and winers can’t sell beer. So, they said, ‘just choose one or the other, it

38 ThirstColorado.com

January-February 2020

doesn’t matter,’ and so we basically just wrote a bill defining what sake is,” Stuart said.

Stuart began his career in the restaurant industry about 12 years ago; the last five immersed in Japanese fusion restaurants.

During that time, he tried over 200 sakes from Japan, allowing him to identify the small subtleties between products. He eventually stumbled upon the realization that American sake needed a better rap and wanted to create a product that Americans could relate to.

The main difference between Colorado Sake Co.’s American Standard product and Japanese sake is the fermentation process.

Colorado Sake Co. aims for 16 percent ABV, rather than aiming for 20 percent and watering the sake down to 16 percent like a Japanese style.

“True Japanese sake is really dry. Ours is a bit sweeter because there’s still fermentable rice in there which gives it a little more body,” Stuart said. “We are trying to make it as approachable as possible,” he said.

When you walk in the doors of Colorado Sake Co., the walls are brightly colored.

Origami paper cranes hang from strung out lights along the ceiling. There’s a cherry blossom tree painted on one wall and shelves hold spray-painted sake menus.

It creates an inviting environment without trying to imitate a culture they aren’t. “We removed the Japanese verbiage on purpose so it’s not something we are imitating and something that’s not as intimidating,” he said.

“You go to the sake section of a liquor store and it’s all Japanese writing but then you see

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the words Colorado Sake, blueberry hibiscus, American Standard ─ and things that are comfortable that you gravitate toward.”

For inexperienced sake drinkers, Stuart suggests that, just like whiskey, you don’t usually start drinking it neat.

You typically start with a whiskey cocktail and he advises the same approach for sake. Colorado Sake Co. brews various flavors to get you up and running before graduating to their traditional style sake, the American Standard.

“They say you know good sake by the next morning,” he said. The one word Stuart always recommends when picking out sake is Junmai, which means, “true rice wine.” If it doesn’t say Junmai, that generally means it has added alcohol like rum or vodka.

“In cheap stuff they’ll extend the batch with vodka, generally the expensive stuff is more pure. I always stick with Junmai because you’ll feel good the next day.”

Native Natasha Lovato celebrates the Colorado lifestyle through hiking, biking or playing bingo while enjoying a sour ale or two.

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January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 39

BREWERS’ FAVORITES

WHERE INSIDERS SHARE OPINIONS ON FAVORITE LIBATIONS

1

Fixed Blade English Barleywine, 14.1% ABV, Our Mutual Friend Brewery

I’d probably say Our Mutual Friend because it’s one I always visit when I’m in the RiNo area. They do a lot of great IPAs and fruited beers. Fixed Blade, the barley wine aged in Laws Whiskey comes to the top of my head.

It has high alcohol content but it has smooth and balanced whiskey characteristics that aren’t overwhelming at all.

2

Mountain Man English Strong Ale, 11.8% ABV, Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project

No problem choosing this one: the Mountain Man from Verboten. Every year they have a special release of it and every year my wife and I make sure to pick it up. We cellar a few and enjoy a few right away.

Nathan Adler, owner and head brewer, Westminster Brewing Co.

David LaBarbara, head brewer, Evergreen Brewing

3

Barges’ Mild English Dark Mild Ale, 3.5% ABV, Hogshead Brewery

When I am not busy crushing copious amounts of White Claw, I love a nice cask ale. Hogshead’s Barges’ Mild is the standard bearer for this style, and since great cask mild is nearly impossible to find, this is my go-to when I have the opportunity. I love the Earl Grey and subtle toast notes, plus the ABV is conducive to my style of consumption. On a side note, I’m joking about the White Claw, that s%#t is gross.

Andy Astor, keg orator, Elevation Beer Co.

4

Pink Vapor Stew American Wild Ale, 5.1%, Ska Brewing

I really enjoyed Pink Vapor Stew by Ska Brewing when I was in Durango earlier this summer. Beets, carrots, ginger and apple in a beer – why, yes please! The 5.1% ABV makes it crushable on warm patio days in Colorado.

Citra hops finish it off nicely, balancing the beer. I have always enjoyed the offerings from Ska, but didn’t see this one coming. Way to go guys. Cheers!

Ryan Evans, owner, Bruz Beers

5

Alpenglow Hefeweizen, 4.9% ABV, Phantom Canyon Brewing Co.

Bready, fruity, light and refreshing, the Alpenglow Hefeweizen is a treat. It has just enough banana aroma, balanced with clove, and no phenolic burn. I make sure to seek this one out on tap anytime I’m down in the Springs. This is a hazy trend I fully support, with a beautiful head, and a lemon wedge only upon request (not by default). I prefer my beer to stand alone, but the option is out there! Sit at the vintage bar after a day of clambering around Garden of the Gods and hiking up the Seven Falls to enjoy the full Springs experience!

Alan Windhausen, head brewer, Holidaily Brewing Co.

40 ThirstColorado.com

January-February 2020

6

Single Hop Citra Whimsy New England IPA, 7.1% ABV, 4 Noses Brewing Co.

Probably 4 Noses Citra Whimsy. I feel like they got really good citra for this. It’s more dimensional. I think they had a brewer go and select their hops specifically for this series.

They are just really good at brewing because the hops they selected are robust and good, just really good.

Derek Sturdavant, head brewer, Golden City Brewery

- Compiled by Natasha Lovato

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TRUE TALES FROM THE LYING LOG

By Bufford T. Clapsaddle

“D

o you always provide this much erregung (excitement) with every horsepack trip?” one of our relatives from der Deutschland gently queried when we all arrived back at trailhead.

Nein, Martina, the horses must have been reserving this incongruent dramatisch just for you.

The Heidelberg couple, along with a friend from Stuttgart, were connecting more than 30 years ago with Clapsaddle brother and sister, nieces and nephews, mostly from the Midwest, for the first of many equine family reunion excursions into Colorado’s backcountry.

Destination: Mystic Isle Lake, an Eagle County jewel literally pervaded with dancing Cutthroat. Moored at nearly 12,000 feet the glacial pool is corraled by steep rock cliffs on three sides, the scenic tarn being as pleasing to the eye as any in the Colorado Rockies.

With 15 humans headed for the lying log, a shortage of four-legged animals loomed, as did the issue with maximum heartbeats in White River National Forest.

Therefore a contingent plan emerged: at least half of the participants would hike up the East Brush Creek Trail (which soon in the future was to be closed for equine traffic because of some boggy sections). Riders and packers would take Iron Edge Trail carved through precipitous, cliffy sidehills and rockslides, transporting personal gear of hikers, tents, food and coolers of Budweiser, Coors Light (micro breweries could be counted on one hand in the late 80s) and, of course, a couple XL bottles of Jaegermeister.

42 ThirstColorado.com

January-February 2020

The pre-pack gathering took place at Fulford Cave Campground, where the contingent overnighted.

Misfortune hoofed along behind us as the equine riders climbed the elevated trail the next day. Babe, a mid-teens quarter horse mare with dozens of high country camping contents freighted on her spine, initiated a series of pulling back and lying on the ground every hundred yards. We loosened the crossbuck cinches to no avail. Each time we stopped the forward travel to give her a wind break, she would go to the ground, and it took considerable dismountings to get her up and going.

Clapsaddle has experienced a plethora of colicky animals, and gut sonances did not indicate that complication. So, when at last we arrived at a semi-flat location, we unpacked the struggling hoss.

The substitute pack animal became Revelation, a sturdy, intelligent Appaloosa who pastured with Clapsaddle horses while Revvy’s Oklahoma owner was earning a degree at Colorado State University. A riderexchanged nephew hiked and led Babe into camp … eventually … because the next event certainly accelerated the impending dramas.

Clapsaddle was up front shepherding two pack animals. After ascending a steep, rocky section of the trail, we halted and turned in the saddle to watch the trailers make their way down.

Adversity came suddenly calling.

Revelation’s wrangler had the pack rope in the correct hand as they approached the trail ascent. The trail made a sharp 180-degree turn. Revvy did not.

The camp axe and flattened beer cans helped serve as spatulas until cook utensils were later recovered after a one-eyed substitute pack horse failed to make a turn and scattered his load down a steep mountainside in the Sawatch Range.

Clapsaddle displays one of the cooking kettles that was not salvaged following a pack horse misstep that led to a tumble down the mountain. Other cookware (some still utilized 30 years later) carries dozens of dents as souvenirs of Revvy’s unknown visual problem.

The German trio explores Mystic Isle’s arcane three-sided shoreline.

We trembled and shivered as he tumbled head-to-tail and tail-to-head through the rocks, culminating with a grotesque, highpitched squeal when he toppled from a 20-foot cliff landing on a narrow precipice leading to another ever-long slide of broken rocks.

While others held our mounts, two of us finally made our way through the rocks to Revvy’s tiny shelf.

He had his head down, contentedly eating at a tiny island of grass, but pack straps were broken and the bags and boxes were nowhere to be located. It took us more than an hour to secure a path and get Revvy back up to the trail, and another two hours to limp into camp. No apparent broken bones or concussion for the tough ol’ dude.

Two of the high school age gals emersed themselves in painting his dozens of scrapes and abrasions with healing medications.

Revvy was immediately dubbed “the purple horse,” the familiar dabber bottles of blue antiseptic lotion preparing to do its job.

The hikers had long ago arrived in camp and were hungry, as were the equestrian cohorts.

A trifling problem, though.

Most of the food made it into camp on the other pack horses, but the cooking kettles, plates, silverware, coffee pot, etc., were in the bags that became dislodged from “the purple horse” and tumbled another lengthy tier down the mountainside.

We possessed: potatoes, bison steak, two skillets, styrofoam cups and plenty of ingenuity from a nephew/engineer. Jeff used the axe to flatten beer and soda cans,

clamping them to a pair of vice grips and multi-purpose tools to utilize as cooking spatulas. Sharpened willow sticks permitted everyone to eat sliced fried potatoes and steak out of styro cups.

Early the next morning we made cowboy coffee in a cream can utilized to haul and protect lanterns, and headed back up the trail to locate the missing kitchen items. It required young, strong, muscled backs to heft the bags back up to a waiting pack horse on the trail.

The remaining three days and nights of camping and reunionating was delightful and engaging, appreciating the solitude and camaraderie as accustomed.

When preparing the exit pack out, Clapsaddle solicited two more volunteer hikers and put saddles, but no riders, on the stressed Babe and Revvy. Babe was tied with a double strand of baling twine to the back crossback of Miss Kitty’s pack saddle.

The posse moved efficiently and quietly reaching an uphill trail dissecting a different rockslide. Clapsaddle halted about 50 percent of the way up to allow Miss Kitty and Babe a few minutes to blow.

Everything with all animals was confirmed normal … cinches snug, loads in place. But when Clapsaddle’s horse took the first step, Babe reared in the air, moaned and groaned distressing sounds. She came down on her front hooves, reared again, this time snapping the tie strings and collapsing off the trail.

Again, for the second time in five days, the crippling sounds of a rockslide fall were nauseating beyond description. Her body came to a rest in a pile of two- to three-foot-

long sharp stones some 200 yards down the steep slide. After two hours of agonizing labor, we managed to crawl through the rocks and remove the saddle and rescue it, leaving the cinch pinned under her body.

Though visibly entmutigen (disheartened) by the double drama, the Deutsch relatives recuperated. They have returned at least a half dozen times to participate with horse packing and/or camping, enjoying the magnificent treasures of Colorado.

P.S. #1 – Clapsaddle hauled Revelation to a veterinarian immediately upon return. No broken bones. No cerebral damage. But, the Appy was diagnosed with a right eye that had been blind for some time. He apparently did not site the sharp trail corner because he had no one with reins in hand to help guide him around.

P.S. #2 – Vet was “100” percent certain that Babe was having coronary issues and suffered a heart attack. It is likely, he said, that she was deceased the second time she reared.

P.S. #3 – Babe’s corpse was so far down the mountainside in the rocks that Clapsaddle was unable to sight bones in later years when he rode down and up the same trail a couple of times.

Bufford T. Clapsaddle (aka Wilbur Flachman) is a retired newspaper and magazine publisher who has guided hundreds of horse pack trips into the Rocky Mountains for family, friends and business associates during the past 45 years. (Logging more than 10,000 miles in the saddle). Majority of his tales are revealed only at timberline.

January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 43

COLORADO BREWERY, DIS Southern Sun ●

Bristol Brewing ●

LODO

Stein Brewing Co

Cerberus Brewing Co ●

Denver Chophouse ●

Twisted Pine Brewing ● ●

Cogstone Brewing Co ● ●

Great Divide Brewing Co ● ●

Unnamed Beer Co

Colorado Mountain Brewery ●

Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery ●

Upslope Brewing Co ● ●

Dueces Wild Brewery ●

Rock Bottom Denver ●

Very Nice Brewing ●

FH Beerworks ●

Sandlot Brewery

Copper Kettle Brewing Co ●

ARVADA

Vision Quest Brewing Co

Fossil Craft Beer Co ●

Wynkoop Brewing Co ●

SOUTHWEST DENVER

Denver Beer Co

West Flanders Brewing Co ● ●

Funky Town Brewing

Wild Woods Brewery

Goat Patch Brewing Co ●

MILE HI/AURARIA

Chain Reaction Brewing Co ●

Gold Camp Brewing Co ●

Briar Common Brewery + Eatery ●

Crazy Mountain Brewing Co ● ●

Iron Bird Brewery ●

Burns Family Artisan Ales

Next Stop Brew Co ●

JAKs Brewing Co ●

Cervecería Colorado ● ●

Renegade Brewing Co

Local Relic ●

Denver Beer Co ● ●

Lost Friend Brewing ●

Little Machine Beer ●

WHEAT RIDGE/EDGEWATER/ LAKEWOOD

Manitou Brewing Co ●

Seedstock Brewery ● ●

Brewery Rickoli ●

Metric Brewing ●

Strange Craft Beer Co ● ●

Colorado Plus Brew Pub ● ●

Nano 108 ●

Tivoli Brewing ●

Great Frontier Brewing Co

Paradox Beer Co ●

Wit’s End Brewing Co

Green Mountain Beer Co

Zuni St. Brewing Co ●

Joyride Brewing Co ●

NORTHEAST DENVER

Landlocked Ales

● – Serves Food ● – Food Truck ● – Live Music

BREWERIES

Elevated Seltzer ● ● elvtdat5280.com 720.723.2179

BRIGHTON/FREDERICK/ERIE/ FORT LUPTON

5610 Yukon St Arvada

Big Choice Brewing

New Image Brewing ●

Floodstage Ale Works ●

Odyssey Beerwerks ● ●

Gorilla Alchemy Brewing

Resolute Brewing Tap & Cellar

Mirror Image Brewing Co

Someplace Else Brewery

Mountain Cowboy Brewing Co

Spice Trade Brewing Co ●

Something Brewery

AURORA

BROOMFIELD/WESTMINSTER

Peaks N Pines Brewing Co ●

Bent Barley Brewing Co

4 Noses Brewing Co ●

Phantom Canyon ● ●

BJ’s ●

BJ’s ●

Red Leg Brewing ●

Cheluna Brewing Co

C.B. & Potts Westminster ●

Rock Bottom Colorado Springs ●

Dry Dock Brewing Co North Dock ●

Frolic Brewing Co ●

Rocky Mountain Brewery ●

Dry Dock Brewing Co South Dock ●

Gordon Biersch ●

Launch Pad Brewery

Kokopelli Beer Co ● ●

Peak to Peak Tap & Brew ●

Rails End Beer Co ● ● railsendbeerco.com 303.353.8121

Pilothouse Brewing Co Two22 Brew ●

11625 Reed Ct Unit B Broomfield

Ursula Brewing Co

BAILEY Mad Jack’s Mountain Brewery ● ● ●

BOULDER AREA 12Degree Brewing ● Adamant Brewing Co Avery Brewing ● Beyond the Mountain Brewing Co

Black Sky Brewery ● ●

Blue Tile Brewing

Old 121 Brewhouse

Smiling Toad Brewery ●

NORTHWEST DENVER Amalgam Brewing

DURANGO AREA

Storybook Brewing ● Trinity Brewing ●

Bruz Beers ●

Bottom Shelf Brewery ●

Whistle Pig Brewing Co ● ●

Call to Arms Brewing Co ●

Carver Brewing Co ●

De Steeg Brewing

Chainless Brewing

Diebolt Brewing Co ● ●

Dolores River Brewery ● ●

The Empourium Brewing Co Factotum Brewhouse

J. Fargo’s Family Dining & Micro Brewery ●

FlyteCo Brewing

Main Street Brewery & Restaurant ●

Goldspot Brewing Co ● ●

Mancos Brewing Co ●

Grateful Gnome Sandwich Shoppe + Brewery ●

Ska Brewing Co ● ●

Hogshead Brewery ●

WildEdge Brewing Collective

DENVER

Rock Bottom Westminster Promenade ●

Alternation Brewing

Westminster Brewing Co

Banded Oak Brewing Co

Wonderland Brewing Co ● ●

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales

World’s End Brewing Co

Baere Brewing Co

Declaration Brewing Co ● ● Dos Luces Grandma’s House

Lady Justice Brewing Oasis Brewing Co

Animas Brewing Co ●

Steamworks Brewing Co ●

EAGLE COUNTY

Prost Brewing Co ●

7 Hermits Brewing Co ●

Novel Strand Brewing Co

RINO

Gore Range Brewery ●

Burly Brewing ● ●

Platt Park Brewing Co ●

10 Barrel Brewing ● ●

BRU Handbuilt Ales ●

The Elizabeth Brewing Co

TRVE Brewing Co

14er Brewing

Cellar-West Artisan Ales ●

Iron Mule Brewery

Crystal Springs Brewing Co

Rockyard Brewing Co ●

CAPITOL HILL/E COLFAX/ PARK HILL

Echo Brewing Co

Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co ●

Alpine Dog Brewery

Blue Moon Brewing Co ● ●

Cerebral Brewing ● ●

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

Counter Culture Brewery & Grille ●

Epic Brewing Co ●

Fiction Beer Co ●

Great Divide Brewing Co ● ●

Long Table Brewhouse

Mockery Brewing ●

Pints Pub ●

New Belgium - The Woods at the Source

BJ’s ●

CASTLE ROCK AREA

Lowdown Brewery + Kitchen ●

Bootstrap Brewing ● ●

105 West Brewing Co ●

Boulder Beer ● ●

Endo Brewing Co

CENTENNIAL/LONE TREE/ HIGHLANDS RANCH

Finkel & Garf Brewing Co Front Range Brewing Co ● ●

3 Freaks Brewery ●

Gravity Brewing ● ●

Blue Spruce Brewing Co ● ●

Gunbarrel Brewing Co

C.B. & Potts Highlands Ranch ●

Industrial Revolution Brewing Co

Grist Brewing Co ●

James Peak Brewery & Smokehouse ●

Halfpenny Brewing Co

Station 26 Brewing Co ●

Bierstadt Lagerhaus ● Black Shirt Brewing Co ● ●

Bonfire Brewing ● Vail Brewing Co ● ●

ENGLEWOOD AREA

Boggy Draw Brewery boggydraw.com 720.940.0338 3535 S Platte River Dr, Unit L Englewood

Brewability on Broadway ● ● C.B. & Potts Denver Tech ● Dead Hippie Brewing

Odell Brewing Co

Peak View Brewing Co

Our Mutual Friend

ESTES PARK

Ratio Beerworks ● ●

DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Avant Garde Aleworks

River North Brewery

Estes Park Brewery ●

SOUTHEAST DENVER

Lumpy Ridge Brewing Co

Bull and Bush Brewery ● ●

Rock Cut Brewing Co

Thirsty Monk ● ● Vine Street Pub & Brewery ●

Kettle and Spoke Brewery

Lone Tree Brewing Co

Knotted Root Brewing Co

Resolute Brewing Co

Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co ● ●

Rock Bottom Park Meadows ●

Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery ●

COLORADO SPRINGS AREA

Tom’s Urban Diner and Tivoli Brewing ●

Atrevida Brewing ●

FIVE POINTS

FAIRPLAY

BierWerks Brewery ● ●

Liberati Osteria and Oenobeers ●

South Park Brewing Co ●

Black Forest Brewing ●

Spangalang Brewery

Brass Brewing Co ●

Woods Boss Brewing

Odd 13 Brewing Inc ● ● Oskar Blues Brewery ● ● The Post Brewing Co ● ● Redgarden Restaurant & Brewery ● Sanitas Brewing Co ● ●

44 ThirstColorado.com

January-February 2020

®

Westfax Brewing Co

BAKER/SOUTH BROADWAY

Florence Brewing

7677 E Iliff Ave Denver

J. Moe’s Brew Pub ●

Rock Bottom Orchard Town Center ●

CAÑON CITY AREA

Asher Brewing Co

Comrade Brewing ● comradebrewing.com 720.748.0700

TILLERY & CIDERY LINEUP FORT COLLINS AREA

GRAND JUNCTION AREA

LOVELAND/BERTHOUD

GUNNISON/CRESTED BUTTE

Sixteen Twenty Three Brewing

Anheuser-Busch

Dented Face Brewing Co

5030 Local ●

Elk Ave Brewing Co ● ●

Sleeping Giant Brewing

BJ’s ●

Edgewater Brewery ●

Berthoud Brewing Co

High Alpine Brewing Co ●

Social Order Brewing

Black Bottle Brewery ●

Kannah Creek Brewing Co ●

Big Beaver Brewing Co ●

Irwin Brewing Co

Swole Beer

Coopersmith’s Pub & Brewing ●

Mad Russian Brewing Co

Big Thompson Brewery

Crooked Stave Brewing

Palisade Brewing Co ● ●

Buckhorn Brewers

DC Oakes Brewhouse & Eatery ●

The Rockslide Restaurant and Brewery ●

City Star Brewing ● Crow Hop Brewing

Colorado Boy Brewery - Montrose, Ouray, Ridgeway ●

Equinox Brewing ●

GREELEY AREA

Drätz Brewing Co

Golden Block Brewery ●

Funkwerks

Brix Taphouse and Brewery ● ●

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse

Horsefly Brewing Co ● ●

Gilded Goat Brewing Co

Broken Plow Brewery ●

Loveland Aleworks

Ouray Brewery ●

Horse & Dragon Brewing Co

Crabtree Brewing ● ●

Rock Bottom ●

Ourayle House Brewery

Intersect Brewing

G5 Brew Pub ●

Rock Coast Brewery

Red Mountain Brewing ●

Jessup Farm Barrel House ●

Green Earth Brewing

Verboten Brewing Co

Smuggler’s Brewpub ●

The Marmot Fort Collins

High Hops Brewery ● ●

Veteran Brothers Brewing Co ●

Telluride Brewing Co

Mash Lab Brewing

Lonesome Buck Brewing Co

Maxline Brewing

Mighty River Brewing Co

McClellan’s Brewing Co ● ●

Rocky Mountain Taphouse ●

New Belgium Brewing Co ● ●

WeldWerks Brewing Co

NORTHEAST COLORADO

Odell Brewing Co ● ●

Wiley Roots Brewing Co ●

Parts & Labor Brewing Co

Envy Brewing

Old Colorado Brewing Co Pitchers Brewery ● Prost Brewing Co

IDAHO SPRINGS/EVERGREEN/ CENTRAL CITY/GEORGETOWN

Purpose Brewing

Dostal Alley Saloon & Gambling Emporium ●

Rally King Brewing

El Rancho Brewing Co ●

Ramskeller Brewery ●

Evergreen Taphouse & Brewery ●

Red Truck Beer ●

Guanella Pass Brewing Co

Snowbank Brewing Soul Squared Brewing Co Sparge Brewing Timnath Beerwerks Zwei Brewing Co ● ●

FRUITA Copper Club Brewing Co ● Suds Brothers Brewery ● ●

MONUMENT Pikes Peak Brewing Co ● ●

Tumbleweed Brewing & Wine Co

NORTHGLENN/THORNTON Mother Tucker Brewery ● ●

SOUTHWEST COLORADO Avalanche Brewing Co ●

Two Rascals Brewing Co

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS Butcherknife Brewing Co Mahogany Ridge Brewery & Grill ● Mountain Tap Brewery ● Storm Peak Brewing Co Yampa Valley Brewing Co

Syndicate Brewing Co Uhl’s Brewing Co

DISTILLERIES DENVER/BOULDER 12 Point Distillery - Lafayette Altitude Spirits, Inc. - Boulder Anders’ Vodka - Parker Archetype Distillery - Denver Arta Tequila - Englewood Art of the Spirits Colorado Whiskey - Denver Ballmar Peak Distillery - Lakewood Bear Creek Distillery - Denver The Block Distilling Co - Denver Broken Arrow Spirits - Centennial Denver Distillery - Denver Deviant Spirits - Boulder Deviation Distilling - Denver

SUMMIT COUNTY

Devil’s Head Distillery - Englewood

Angry James Brewing Co

Downslope Distilling - Englewood

The Baker’s Brewery ●

Elwood Distilling - Boulder

Breckenridge Brewery & Pub ●

Lariat Lodge Brewing Co ● ●

PAGOSA SPRINGS/ DEL NORTE/ALAMOSA

Broken Compass Brewing

The Family Jones Spirit House Denver ●

Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub ●

The Colorado Farm Brewery

Dillon Dam Brewery ● ●

Geek Spirits - Boulder

Westbound & Down Brewing Co ●

Pagosa Brewing Co ●

HighSide Brewing ● ●

Golden Moon Distillery - Golden

Riff Raff Brewing ● ●

Outer Range Brewing Co ●

Hogback Distillery - Wheat Ridge

KREMMLING

San Luis Valley Brewing ●

Pug Ryan’s Brewery ●

J & L Distilling Co - Boulder

Grand Adventure Brewing Co

Square Peg Brewerks

WALSENBURG

LA JUNTA

Three Barrel Brewing Co ●

Dean & Co Brewing

PAONIA

LAKE CITY

Chrysalis Barrel Aged Beer

Lake City Brewing

Periodic Brewing ● Satire Brewing Co ● ●

Ironton Distillery - Denver

Crafty Canary Brewery

Laws Whiskey House - Denver Leopold Bros - Northeast Denver

WINTER PARK AREA

Local Distilling - Golden

Camber Brewing Co

Mad Rabbit Distillery - Westminster

Paonia United Brewing Co

Fraser River Beer Co

Mile High Spirits - Lodo

LITTLETON AREA

PARKER

Hideaway Park Brewery

Mythology Distillery - Denver ●

Blind Faith Brewing

Barnett and Son Brewing Co ● ●

Never Summer Brewing Co

Rising Sun Distillery - Denver

Carbondale Beer Works ●

Blue Spruce Brewing Co

Downhill Brewing Co ●

The Peak Bistro & Brewery ●

Rocker Spirits - Littleton

Casey Brewing and Blending

Breckenridge Brewery ●

DISTRIBUTION ONLY

Glenwood Canyon Brew Pub ●

Coal Mine Ave. Brewing Co

Los Dos Potrillos Mexican Restaurant y Cerveceria ●

Roaring Fork Beer Co ●

Jackass Hill Brewery ●

GLENWOOD SPRINGS/ CARBONDALE/ASPEN Aspen Brewing Co ● Capitol Creek Brewery ●

GOLDEN Barrels and Bottles Brewery ● Cannonball Creek Brewing Co ●

Acidulous Brewing Co

Spirit Hound Distillers - Lyons State 38 Distilling - Golden Stranahan’s - South Denver

Lariat Lodge Brewing

Amalgam Brewing

Living the Dream Brewing Co

Brues Alehouse Brewing Co ● ●

Atom Brewing Co

Locavore Beer Works

Reservoir Brewing Co

Strongwater Spirits & Botanicals - Denver

Barrel Dog Brewing

Shamrock Brewing ●

Talnua Distillery - Arvada

Beer by Design

Walter Brewery & Taproom

Tighe Brothers Distillery - Denver

Black Sheep Brewery

Tingala - Denver

Centennial Beer Co

Vapor Distillery - Boulder

Ceria Brewing

Weaver’s Spirits - Parker Whistling Hare - Westminster ●

LONGMONT

Coors Brewing Co

300 Suns Brewing ●

Golden City Brewery ●

Bootstrap Brewing

801 Brickyard Cir., Golden

AC Golden Brewing Co

PUEBLO AREA

Coda Brewing

Holidaily Brewing Co Holidailybrewing.com 303.278.BEER

Welcome Home Brewing

Santa Fe Spirits - Littleton

Collision Brewing ●

SALIDA/BUENA VISTA/ CRESTONE/LEADVILLE

Grossen Bart Brewery ● ●

Crestone Brewing Co ●

Divebar Brewing Co

Left Hand Brewing Co ●

Eddyline Restaurant and Brewing Co ●

Donovan Brewing Co

Elevation Beer Co ●

Gemini Beer Co

Moonlight Pizza and Brewpub ●

Good River Beer

Periodic Brewing

Idylwilde Brewing

Soulcraft Brewing

The Larimer Beer Co

Bouck Brothers Whiskey - Idaho Springs

New Planet Beer

Coyote Gold Margaritas - Fort Collins

Open Door Brewing Co

Coppermuse Distillery - Fort Collins

Rustica

Dry Land Distillers - Longmont

Mirror Image Brewing ● ● Oskar Blues Brewing ●

Mountain Toad Brewing ●

Primitive Beer

New Terrain Brewing ● ●

Pumphouse Brewery ●

Ohm Brewing

Shoes and Brews

Over Yonder Brewing

Wibby Brewing ● ●

Durango Brewing Co

NORTHERN COLORADO Anvil Distillery - Longmont Big Fat Pastor - Loveland Black Canyon Distillery - Longmont

January-February 2020

ThirstColorado.com 45

WINERIES

Elevation 5003 Distillery - Fort Collins

Le Fuselier Winery at Spring Creek Vineyards - Canon City

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN Buckel Family Wine - Crested Butte

Elkins Distilling Co - Estes Park

GRAND JUNCTION AREA

Legatum Cellars - Canon City

Feisty Spirits - Fort Collins

Avant Vineyards - Palisade

Mountain Spirit Winery, Ltd. - Salida

Continental Divide Winery Breckenridge

The Heart Distillery - Windsor

Carlson Vineyards - Palisade

Sette Dolori - Black Forest

Monkshood Cellars - Minturn

Longtucky Spirits - Longmont

Colorado Cellars Winery - Palisade

Vines at Vail Winery - Wolcott

Mobb Mountain Distillers - Fort Collins

Colterris Winery - Palisade

Songbird Cellars - Beulah The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey Canon City

DeBeque Canyon Winery - Palisade

The Winery at Pikes Peak - Cascade

Desert Sun Vineyards - Grand Junction

Vino Colorado Winery - Colorado Springs

Steamboat Winery - Steamboat Springs

Still Cellars - Longmont

Garfield Estates Vineyard & Winery - Palisade

Vino Salida Wine Cellars - Poncha Springs

Spring 44 Distilling - Loveland

Grande River Vineyards - Palisade

Steamboat Whiskey Co - Steamboat Spring ●

Graystone Winery - Clifton

Syntax Spirits - Greeley

Hermosa Vineyards - Palisade

Tower 56 Distillery - Greeley

Maison la Belle Vie Winery & Amy’s Courtyard - Palisade

NOCO Distillery - Fort Collins Old Elk Distillery - Fort Collins Old Town Distilling - Fort Collins

SOUTHERN COLORADO

Gubbini Winery - Palisade

CENTRAL FRONT RANGE Allis Ranch Winery - Sedalia Aspen Peak Cellars - Bailey Balistreri Vineyards - Denver Bigsby’s Folly - Denver

Mesa Park Vineyards - Palisade

Black Arts Cellars - Littleton

Peachfork Orchards and Vineyards - Palisade

Blanchard Family Wines - Denver

1350 Distilling - Colo. Springs Axe and the Oak - Colo. Springs

Plum Creek Cellars - Palisade

Carboy Winery - Littleton

Black Bear Distillery - Green Mountain Falls

Ptarmigan Vineyards - Grand Junction

Colorado Sake Co. - Denver

Ram’s Point Winery - Grand Junction

Creekside Cellars - Evergreen

Red Fox Cellars - Palisade

Deep Roots Winery & Bistro - Denver

3 Hundred Days of Shine - Monument

Blackhat Distillery - Colo. Springs Cockpit Craft Distillery - Colo.

Springs

Bonacquisti Wine Company - Denver

Restoration Vineyards - Palisade

Gaijin 24886 Sake - Denver

Colorado Gold - Colorado Springs

Shiras Winery - Grand Junction

Golden City Winery - Golden

Deerhammer Distilling Co - Buena Vista

St. Kathryn Cellars Winery & Gift Shop - Palisade

Golden Valley Winery - Denver

Distillery 291 - Colo. Springs

Summit Cellars - Palisade

InVINtions, A Creative Winery Greenwood Village

Lee Spirits - Colo. Springs

Talon Winery - Palisade

Kingman Estates Winery - Denver

Meridiem Spirits - Elizabeth

Two Rivers Winery - Grand Junction

Ladrón Cellars - Englewood

Mystic Mountain Distillery - Larkspur

Two Swedes Glögg - Grand Junction

Leap of Faith Winery - Wheat Ridge

Sand Creek Distillery - Hugo

Varaison Vineyards and Winery Palisade

Point Blank Winery - Centennial

Sangre Distilleries - Westcliffe Spirits of the Rockies - Pueblo

Whitewater Hill Vineyards - Grand Junction

Wood’s High Mountain Distillery - Salida

CENTRAL WEST AREA

WESTERN SLOPE 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Co - Vail

Coal Creek Distillery - Crested Butte Durango Craft Spirits - Durango Highlands Distillery - Grand Junction Honey House Distillery - Durango

Alfred Eames Cellars at Puesta del Sol Vineyards - Paonia

The Wine Barrel - Parker

Endless Endeavor Winery - Paonia Evening Grace Vineyards - Hotchkiss Jack Rabbit Hill - Hotchkiss Leroux Creek Vineyards - Hotchkiss

Idlewild Spirits - Winter Park

Mesa Winds Farm and Winery Hotchkiss

KJ Wood Distillers - Ouray

Qutori Wines - Paonia

Marble Distilling Co - Carbondale ●

Stone Cottage Cellars - Paonia

Montanya Distillers - Crested Butte Peach Street Distillers - Palisade Peak Spirits - Hotchkiss

Spero Winery - Denver The Infinite Monkey Theorem Denver

Black Bridge Winery - Paonia

808 Distillery - Eagle

Silver Vines Winery - Arvada

5680' - Paonia

Azura Cellars - Paonia

39 North Spirits - Eagle

Purgatory Cellars Winery - Parker

DELTA & MONTROSE COUNTIES Chill Switch Wine - Cedaredge

Flying T Wine - Cortez Four Leaves Winery - Durango Fox Fire Farms - Ignacio Guy Drew Vineyards - Cortez Pleasant View Vineyards - Pleasant View Sutcliffe Vineyards - Cortez Yellow Car Country Wines - Cortez

Apple Valley Cider Co Artisan Craft Cellars - Westminster Big B’s Juices and Hard Cider Hotchkiss Boco Cider - Boulder Boxing Brothers Cider - Colorado Springs Branch Out Cider - Fort Collins C Squared Ciders - Penrose ● Clear Fork Cider - Denver Climb Hard Cider Co - Loveland Colorado Cider Co - Denver Colorado Common Cider - Colo.

Springs

Bad Bitch Cellars - Eaton Blendings at the Preserve - Fort Collins Blue Mountain Vineyards - Berthoud BookCliff Vineyards - Boulder River Garden Winery - Fort Lupton Settembre Cellars - Boulder

Woodshed Distilling - Pagosa Springs

Stoney Mesa Winery - Cedaredge

Snowy Peaks Winery - Estes Park

Woody Creek Distillers - Basalt

Winery at Cedars Farm - Cedaredge

Stonebridge Farm Winery - Longmont

Decadent Saint - Boulder

Sweet Heart Winery - Loveland Ten Bears Winery - Laporte Turquoise Mesa Winery - Broomfield Viewpoint Wines - Boulder Vinnie Fera - Boulder

Honnibrook Meadery - Castle Rock Hunters Moon Meadery - Severance Meadery of the Rockies - Palisade Mechalore Meadworks - Loveland Medovina - Niwot Miracle Stag Meadery - Loveland Queen Bee Brews - Denver Randy Buzz Meadery - Golden Redstone Meadery - Boulder

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Augustina’s Winery - Nederland

Dragon Meadery - Aurora

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Black Forest Meadery - Colorado Springs

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Wild Women Winery - Denver Wine & Whey - Denver

MEADERIES Annapurna Mead - Colorado Springs

Colorado Honey Wine - Distribution Only

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Mountain View Winery - Olathe

January-February 2020

FOUR CORNERS

Telluride Distilling Co - Telluride

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Reds Wine Boutique - Sterling

What We Love, The Winery - Boulder

Garrett Estates Cellars - Olathe

Evergood Elixirs - Palmer Lake

Mummy Hill Winery - Holyoke

Waters Edge Winery - Centennial

Storm King Distilling - Montrose

D’Vine Wine - Manitou Springs

Claremont Inn & Winery - Stratton

Water 2 Wine - Centennial

Cottonwood Cellars/The Olathe Winery - Olathe

Byers Cellars - Cripple Creek

PLAINS

Vino Passarelli - Lakewood

Stoneyard Distillery - Dotsero

SOUTH FRONT RANGE

Winter Park Winery - Fraser

Colorado Plus Cidery - Golden Fenceline Cider - Mancos Golden City Winery - Golden Haykin Family Cider - Aurora The Ice Cave Cider House Monument Locust Cider - Boulder Old Mine Cidery & Brewpub - Erie Scrumpy’s Hard Cider - Fort Collins Snow Capped Cider - Cedaredge St. Vrain Cidery - Longmont Stem Ciders - Denver ● ● Stem Ciders Acreage- Lafayette ● ● Summit Hard Cider - Fort Collins Talbott’s Cider Co - Palisade Teal Cider - Dolores Waldschänke Ciders - Denver Wild Cider - Firestone Zanamiel - Centennial

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Centennial – COMING 2020 - 6507 Racine Circle Highlands Ranch 2 – COMING 2020 - Santa Fe and Town Center Drive

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