Looking at the gritty streets of the River North Art District, the overgrown weeds alongside the South Platte River and the graffiti-strewn walls of the former industrial neighborhood, you wouldn’t expect to see inspiration for a beer recipe.
But you’d be wrong. In July, staff from 7 breweries walked through RiNo with two naturalists, a graffiti expert, representatives of the River North Art District and Eric Steen, who founded an unusual project in 2011 called Beers Made by Walking. Over the years, he has organized dozens of walks in Colorado and other states that not only get brewers outside of their buildings, but also help them to connect with their surroundings, whether it’s in the mountains, a park or open space or in an art-filled urban corridor.
“Beers Made By Walking is a program that asks brewers to make place-based beers inspired by what we see on the trail,” Steen said during the walk. “The whole intention behind this is that you all are making beer that is a portrait of this moment.”
That portrait includes Succulent City, a Belgian saison brewed by Our Mutual Friend Brewing and conditioned on dried purslane, a succulent with a tart and herby flavor; and Flowers Where Your Beer Should Be, a pilsner with three florals — lavender, rose hips and dandelion root — that Ratio Beerworks brewer Bess Dougherty saw found during the walk.
And then there’s the saison made by Strange Craft, which was brewed with pink peppercorns and inspired “by the amount of pink color we see in murals across the district,” the brewery explained.
Flower Shop Beer Werks, Full Frame Beer, River North Brewery and Woods Boss Brewing also participated in the project.
All of the beers will be tapped on Sunday, Oct. 4 at Truss House in the RiNo Art Park, 3400 Arkins Court. The event lasts from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and costs $35 in advance; get tickets at . There will also be a free guided nature walk from 10 to 11:30 a.m. (limit 30 people).
The tappings are part of Art RiNo, a three-day festival that begins Friday with RiNo Eats, a one-night culinary tasting experience with nearby restaurants. That is followed by Art RiNo, a Saturday festival with live music, artist activations and live mural painting.
Steen, an artist and PR rep who now lives in Portland, founded BMBW in Colorado Springs. During its first year, he teamed up with Daisy Fodness-McGowan, who then worked for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs’ Galleries of Contemporary Art. She is now executive artistic director of the RiNo Art District, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Beers Made by Walking was most recently in Colorado in 2022.
