Craft beer fans toasted to Collaboration Fest 2015 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday.
The craft beer world likes to tout collaborations — where two more breweries combine on a beer — as a sign of the camaraderie in the industry. But for beer drinkers, the lure is the chance to try
that come from the team effort.
Whatever the motivation, one of the nation’s premier collaboration beer festivals is preparing on March 19 — and this time with some impressive special guests. .
The third annual Collaboration Fest will take place at Sports Authority Field at Mile High and serve as the official launch for Colorado Craft Beer Week. Itap hosted by Imbibe Events and the Colorado Brewers Guild and features 75 different beers.
The event pairs Colorado breweries with each other — and with out-of-state beer makers. The 2016 Collab Fest features a huge roster of big-name beer makers from across the country. (Full lineup below.)
The collaboration teams this year include Boulder Beer and Fat Heads Brewery (Ohio); Breckenridge and Starr Hill (Virginia); Cannonball Creek and Pizza Port (California); Comrade and Fat Heads; Crazy Mountain and Stillwater Artisan Ales (Maryland); Crooked Stave and Evil Twin (New York/Denmark); Denver Beer and D.C. Brau (Washington, D.C.); Epic and Green Flash (California); FATE Brewing and Reuben’s Brews (Washington state); Funkwerks and Wicked Weed (North Carolina); Joyride and Heretic (California); Kannah Creek and Moab (Utah); Oskar Blues, Horse and Dragon and Three Floyds (Indiana); Prost and Dogfish Head (Delaware); TRVE and Prairie Artisan Ales (Oklahoma); and many more.
A few Colorado-only teams are sure to draw crowds, too, including Avery Brewing reuniting with who now run Call to Arms Brewing; the hop specialist trifecta with Station 26, Cannonball Creek and Comrade; and GABF-winning Our Mutual Friend and Denver newcomer Cerebral.
“Each Collaboration beer is created as a fusion of two or more brewery personalities,” said PJ Hoberman of Imbibe Events in a statement. “The recipe formulation is then developed through multiple meetings and email chains. All parties then join forces to brew and put the final touches of the project together.”
Here’s a look at the full lineup:
300 Suns Brewing and Gemini Beer Co
Avery Brewing Co and Call To Arms Brewing Company
Baere Brewing Company and Mother Road Brewing Company
Baere Brewing Company, Mockery Brewing and Inland Island Brewing and Consulting
Barrels & Bottles Brewery and AC Golden Brewing Company
Beryl’s Beer Co and Goose Island Beer Co
Big Choice Brewing and Black Bottle Brewing
Blue Spruce Brewing Co and Rock Bottom, South Denver
Boulder Beer Co. and Fat Heads Brewery
Breckenridge Brewery and Starr Hill Brewery
Call to Arms Brewing Company, Denizens Brewing Co and Conshohocken Brewing Co.
Cannonball Creek Brewing Company and Pizza Port Carlsbad Village
CO-Brew and Mu Brewing
Comrade Brewing Company and Fat Heads Brewery
Crazy Mountain Brewing Company and Stillwater Artisan Ales
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project and Evil Twin Brewing
Denver Beer Co and DC Brau Brewing Company
Denver Beer Co and Spangalang Brewery
Diebolt Brewing Company and River North Brewery
Epic Brewing Company and Green Flash Brewing Co
Factotum Brewhouse and Tow Yard Brewing
FATE Brewing Company and Reuben’s Brews
Fort Collins Brewery and Renegade Brewing Company
Funkwerks and Wicked Weed Brewing
Gravity Brewing and Marshall Brewing
Great Divide Brewing Co and TRVE Brewing
Grist Brewing Company and Koala San Brew
Hall Brewing and Kokopelli Beer Company
Holidaily Brewing Company and Yak and Yeti Brewpub
Horse & Dragon Brewing Company and others
Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery and Brewery Rickoli
Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery and Uber Brew
Joyride Brewing Company and Heretic Brewing Company
Kannah Creek Brewing Company and Moab Brewery
Kannah Creek Brewing Company, Roaring Fork Beer Company and Colorado Boy Brewing
Left Hand Brewing Company and Wibby Brewing
Liquid Mechanics and Bagby Beer
Liquid Mechanics and Odd 13 Brewing
Little Machine and Joyride Brewing Co
Living The Dream Brewing and Grist Brewing
Living The Dream Brewing and Rip Current Brewing
Locavore and Tommyknocker Brewery
Lone Tree Brewing Company and Chain Reaction
Lone Tree Brewing Company and Sycamore Brewing Company
Mockery Brewing and Saucony Creek
Mockery Brewing and Baere Brewing
Oskar Blues Brewery, 3 Floyds Brewing and Horse and Dragon Brewing Company
Our Mutual Friend Brewing and Cerebral Brewing
Platt Park Brewing Co., Moody Tongue and Old Redwood
Post Brewing Company and Prost Brewing Company
Prost Brewing Company and Dogfish Head Brewing
Sanitas Brewing Company and SixPoint Brewery
Sanitas Brewing Company, BRU handbuilt ales & eats and Wild Woods Brewery
Shamrock Brewing Company and Fitger’s Brewhouse
Ska Brewing Company and Devils Backbone Brewing Company
Ska Brewing Company and Epic Brewing
Station 26 Brewing Co, Cannonball Creek Brewing Company and Comrade Brewing
Steamworks Brewing Company and Dry Dock Brewing Co
Strange Craft Beer Company and Freetail Brewing Company
Telluride Brewing Company and Elevation Brewing Company
Telluride Brewing Company and NYNÄSHAMNS ÅNGBRYGGERI AB
The Bakers’ Brewery, Broken Compass, Dillon DAM Brewery, JP Vander Veen, Pug Ryan’s Brewery, Breckenridge Brewery OG and Angry James Brewing
Tommyknocker Brewery and Mallaskosken Panimo
TRVE Brewing and Prairie Artisan Ales
Twisted Pine Brewing Co and Blind Tiger Brewery
Twisted Pine Brewing Co and Pizza Port – Solana Beach
Two22 Brew and Echo Brewing Company
Wibby Brewing and Left Hand Brewing Company
Wit’s End Brewing Company and Ale-Mania
Wonderland Brewing Company and C Squared Ciders
Zwei Brewing Co and Bierstadt
