Taste of the West – June 9, 2016

Taste-of-the-West-logo-finalThursday, June 9, 2016
Jeffco Fairgrounds, 15200 W. 6th Ave. Frontage Rd, Golden, CO 80401

Taste of the West is the premier culinary event in Jefferson County, Colorado. The “Taste” will feature award-winning cuisine from many of Jeffco’s best restaurants and caterers. In addition to tasty food samples, the festival will feature an assortment of beer from local breweries, wine, spirits, culinary exhibitors and networking with over 1,200 attendees. 2016 marks the 2nd year for our Taste of The West beer garden, which highlights the great local craft beer from Jefferson County! Check out the full vendor list below:

Celebrating more than 20 years of “Great Tastes,” this is an event enjoyed by attendees of all ages. The West Chamber hosts Taste of the West each June at venues in Jefferson County. This year the event will be held at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 15200 W 6th Ave Frontage Rd, Golden, CO 80401.

Tickets are $20 each or 6 for $100. Tickets include unlimited food tasting and 5 beer, wine or spirits tastings! Join us for Taste of the West and experience the best food and drink that Jefferson County has to offer! Click Here to purchase tickets. Your ticket stub will be good for a BUY ONE – GET ONE FREE drink at World of Beer – Belmar the weekend following Taste of the West (June 9-12).

Beer-Garden-Sponsor-Banner-Web6Breweries:
AC Golden Brewing
Barrels & Bottles
Brewery Rickoli
Caution Brewing
El Rancho Brewing
Golden City Brewery
Holidaily Brewing
Ironworks Brewery
Joyride Brewing
WestFax Brewing

Restaurants, Wine & Spirits Vendors:
240 Union
Applejack Wine & Spirits
Buck’s BBQ
Chad’s Grill
Coyote Gold Natural Margarita
Enstrom Candies
Flights Wine Café
Grappa Italian Bisto
Hana Matsuri Sushi
Hurricane Grill & Wings (Littleton)
IHOP Belmar
Jose O’Shea’s
Mount Vernon Country Club
Old Chicago
Outback Steakhouse – Denver West
Pink Zebra Cupcakes
The Grove Restaurant @ Raccoon Creek
Table Mountain Inn
The Vista @ Applewood Golf Course
Village Roaster

WestFax Brewing Grand Opening March 19, 2016

WestFax-logo

WestFax Brewing Company will officially open to the public on Saturday, March 19th in Lakewood, CO next the the famous Casa Bonita Restaurant. WestFax will be the fourth craft brewery in Lakewood, the other three include; Caution, Great Frontier and Ironworks. The Grand Opening will include raffles, merchandise, giveaways and more. The first fifty visitors to purchase a pint will get to keep their glass.

WestFax Brewing Company’s mission is: “To artfully craft quality brews that everyone can enjoy.  Whether the beer meets a style guideline or not, the beer will be of the highest quality, and most importantly taste delicious.”

WestFax Brewing Comany
6733 W. Colfax Ave.
Lakewood, CO 80214
(303) 233-3742
westfaxbrewingcompany.com

WestFax Flyer

Ironworks Brewery & Pub – Lakewood, CO

Ironworks logo - FINALIronworks Brewery & Pub is located in Lakewood, CO on Alameda Pkwy. Ironworks sits on the eastern edge of Green Mountain, a popular area for mountain bikers and hikers, and is only a 15 minute drive from Downtown Denver. Ironworks has been brewing craft beer for nearly 25 years, or as they describe themselves, “Suppliers of great beer to all beer drinkers of Lakewood, Colorado, since 1989” (www.Ironworkspub.com).

Ironworks Brewery & Pub was opened by a working class, blue collar iron worker that loved beer, and saved enough money to open his own brewery. The atmosphere at Ironworks is a direct reflection of the original owner’s blue collar roots, and has an industrial, hard-working feel. You’ve probably seen a movie where the main character works hard with their hands all day and can’t wait for the day to end. On the way home they stop at the local pub for a fresh beer from the tap, and have a beer with all of the other hard-working folks from the neighborhood. Ironworks could be the set for this type of scene. While Ironworks has an industrial, tough as nails appearance, their beer is outstanding, and as fresh as you will find anywhere in town.

Ironworks Brewery

Owner, Mike Mader (left), Master Brewer, Mike George (right)

I was able to meet with Owner, Mike Mader, and Master Brewer, Mike George. It was great to find out the background of the name, and the history of Ironworks Brewery & Pub. Ironworks was the first craft brewery in Lakewood, CO, and went nearly 25 years as the only brewery in Lakewood (Caution Brewing opened earlier this year). Ironworks has great history, and is a staple to those living in the Green Mountain area. The brewing equipment at Ironworks is the same equipment that was originally used in 1989. While the equipment is the same, ownership has changed, and the production at Ironworks is on the rise. Mike George was proud to share that Ironworks averaged 350 barrels per year, prior to last year. In 2013, Ironworks produced 852 barrels of beer! The goal is to increase this number in 2014, while keeping the same great quality that Ironworks currently offers its loyal beer drinkers.

Mike George has been brewing at Ironworks for two years. Prior to that he was a regular patron at Ironworks. Mike decided he wanted to try his hand at brewing, and started training at Estes Park Brewery. New to brewing, Mike worked at Estes Park Brewery and at Ironworks in order to learn as much as he could, often putting in 90 hour weeks. Eventually, Mike became the Master Brewer at Ironworks. Mike has been on a mission to improve the quality of all the beer at Ironworks, while also trying out new styles along the way. In my visit with Mike, it was obvious how much he loves beer, and that he puts everything he has into brewing great beer. He’s not happy sticking with the status quot, and is constantly stepping outside the box to try something new.

A cool new addition in 2013 was a hop garden in the back of the building at Ironworks. Ironworks has been busy growing hops of different varieties that will eventually be used in some of the beer at Ironworks. If you’ve never seen hops grown, you’ll have to check out the hop garden at Ironworks. Mike’s passion for hops is not just evident in the hop garden. He’s working on a coop with 30+ breweries in the Denver area to ensure they have great hops available to them. There have been shortages of hops in the past, that have made it difficult for some smaller breweries to have the hops they need. To find out a little about Mike’s hop coop, check out this link: http://www.hop.coop/.

The Beer! Ironworks has 9 beers available at this time. They rotate seasonals in addition to their regular lineup. Ironworks has a good assortment of different styles, and there is something for nearly any taste in beer. My neighbor, a beer lover and someone that visits a different brewery each week, says his favorite beer of any brewery he’s visited is the Green Mountain Pale Ale. I agree with him, the Green Mountain Pale Ale is an outstanding beer. Below is a full list of the current beers at Ironworks Brewery & Pub:

  • Alameda Amber (5.1% ABV): Employees and patrons have been having fun with this one! The Alameda Amber is an approachable blend of nutty malt character and a touch of citrus hops. It is a good all-around ale “with training wheels”. The hops won’t knock you out; nor will the malt sweetness glue your mouth shut. You will enjoy the subtle addition of Rye and Honey Malts that round out Alameda Amber.
  • Agave Wheat (5.4% ABV): Everyone’s favorite easy going style just got a new twist! This wheat beer includes the unique nuance of pure organic Agave Nectar and a hint of lime zest. The result is a sweet yet crisp and refreshing American Wheat. The allure of the agave leaves you wanting more.
  • Golden Crisp IPA (6% ABV):
  • Raspsody Rye Pale Ale (5.1% ABV)
  • Green Mountain Pale Ale (5.5% ABV): For those that enjoy hops but can’t commit to the extremes of India Pale Ale, we offer Green Mountain Pale. This Pale Ale is a pleasant blend of malt and hops. Enjoy the heady, mouthwatering aroma of citrussy domestic hops without the debilitating alcohol content. At 5.5% ABV, it won’t put you under the table before you’re ready!
  • Hop Killa IPA (6.8% ABV): The “Hop Killa” defies hop shortages, bringing you the resiny citrus blast that you crave in an American IPA. This beer has a fresh, clean hop presence that will leave you wanting more.Flavor and aroma additions include Summit, Mt, Hood, Northern and Columbus hops.
  • Krausen Kolsch
  • Chocolate Milk Stout (7% ABV)
  • The Bitchen’ Belgian White (5% ABV)

Ironworks brewed 32 different styles of beer in 2013. They plan on brewing 40 styles in 2014, as they’re constantly looking to try new things. The beer at Ironworks is extremely fresh. It goes straight from the fermentation vessels to the serving vessels, then over to the tap! At this time, Ironworks does not distribute their beer outside of the pub. They do fill growlers, or any 64 oz container for $11 (IPAs are $12.50). If you want to purchase an Ironworks growler, they go for $5.

Recently a bet between Colorado and California Congressmen included an Ironworks brew. If the Denver Broncos had lost to the San Diego Chargers last week, Ironworks would have sent their Pigskin Porter to California Congressman Scott Peters. According to Colorado Congressman Ed Perlmutter, “In Colorado, craft beer is as important as water to economic and job growth in our communities. As a Colorado Native, I’m confident the Broncos are going to Sic ‘Em when the Pigskin crosses the goal line.” While the Broncos won, and Ironworks didn’t ship off any of their beer, it’s pretty cool that they were included in this bet. I think it speaks to the quality of the beer at Ironworks that they were included in such a high profile bet.

Activities: Ironworks has many activities throughout the week. Below is a list of the activities included at Ironworks.
– Monday: Trivia Night
– Monday, Wednesday: Free Pool
– Tuesday: Service Industry Night
– Thursday, Sunday: Karaoke
– Saturday: Live Music

I had a fun visit with Mike George and Mike Mader at Ironworks Brewery & Pub. I was able to try out some of their beer, and really enjoyed the Battlecat Black IPA, and Green Mountain Pale Ale! Ironworks is a great example of a Colorado craft brewery that brews awesome small batch beers! I highly recommend visiting Ironworks, you will not be disappointed!

Ironworks Brewery & Pub
12354 West Alameda Parkway
Lakewood, CO 80228
Phone: 303-985-5818
www.IronworksPub.com

Caution Brewing To Open 2nd Location In Lakewood, CO.

Caution Brewing Logo

Caution Brewing Company is currently located in Northeast Denver. They announced last week they will be opening a 2nd location, which will be in Lakewood, CO. This 2nd location will make Caution the 2nd craft brewery in the City of Lakewood. Currently Ironworks is the only craft brewery in Lakewood. This is surprising given the fact that Lakewood is Colorado’s 5th largest city.

According to their website, “CAUTION soon to be had with more CAUTION! We just announced the lease signing of our second location. Want more details? Come to our anniversary party on May 18th! You can’t say no to 16 beers on tap, live music, and big wheel races, right?

The 2nd location for Caution Brewing will be at 1057 S. Wadsworth Blvd. Unit 60. The new location will have a larger taproom than the Denver location and will be more retail-oriented. Caution’s Owner Danny Wang says he plans on being “more hyperlocal,” working with area businesses, such as homebrewing shop Barley Haven. This Lakewood taproom is slated to open in October, and will have 12 taps with 4-6 regular, or “flagship” beers. Caution also plan to can and sell Lao Wang Lager in 4-packs of 16 oz cans.

Caution Brewing Company
12445 E 39th Ave #314 Denver, CO 80239
(970) 315-2739

Lakewood Location:
1057 S. Wadsworth Blvd. Unit 60
Lakewood, CO. 80226