Craft beer fans toasted to Collaboration Fest 2015 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday.
A beer brewed with four types of yeast and four hops. Another that tasted like liquid chocolate banana bread. And three brews made by big musical acts.
Nothing is off-limits when it comes to collaboration beers. when you put different brewers together and let their imaginations run wild.
Thousands of beer fans didn’t mind being indoors at Sports Authority Field at Mile High stadium on a sunny Saturday to taste about 75 concoctions from 150 brewers. The Colorado Brewers Guild and Imbibe event paired brewmasters from across the state and the nation.
The more inventive beers included a cherry wood smoked porter with hop hash that showcased the influences from Telluride Brewing and Atlanta’s Sweetwater; IPA show-masters Oskar Blues and Washington’s D.C. Brau combined on a delicious Smells Like Freedom IPA; Backcountry and Left Hand’s intriguingly good chocolate rye weizenbock (which is also ); and Ska and TRVE’s imperial brown ale aged in smoked bourbon barrels.
Others that drew lines included the dry-hopped golden ale from 12 Degree and Cannonball Creek; the Summit County breweries collaboration on a big barley wine; and the all-woman brewed double red IPA at Horse & Dragon’s table. A collaboration from Trinity and Epic didn’t even last an hour before it sold out.
The musical influence included Telluride Brewing partnering with String Cheese Incident to make nice rye pale ale with spruce tips; Wynkoop and Ska with Reel Big Fish on a huge oak-aged Russian imperial stout; and Boulder Beer and Florida’s Cigar City teaming with Umphrey’s McGee on a hoppy american session wheat beer called Jam Session.
Look for Boulder Beer to bring back the Umphrey’s McGee collaboration this summer when the band comes to Red Rocks. And find many of the other collaborations at the respective breweries in coming days.
