2014: The Year of the Beer

As Nicole and I look forward to a fresh, new year we look back on the past 12 months of our lives and reflect upon all the sudsy good times we had both in Colorado and away.

• First and foremost, Nicole and I got hitched this summer.  You better believe craft beer inundated nearly every aspect of the event.  From the bachelor party to the ceremony to the reception, if our friends and family didn't already know we liked beer, our nuptials certainly clarified that point for them.   

Here are the bottle cap cuff links the groomsmen, my dad, and I wore for the ceremony; the bridesmaids had similarly-designed earrings

• We visited 32 new Colorado breweries: Westminster Brewing Co., Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery, Station 26 Brewing Co., Front Range Brewing Company, The Post Brewing Co., Odd13 Brewing, Two22 Brew, The Brew on Broadway, Diebolt Brewing, Kettle & Stone Brewing Co. (now Vindication Brewing Co.), Sanitas Brewing Co., J. Wells Brewery, Kokopelli Beer Company, LowDown Brewery + Kitchen, Saint Patrick’s Brewing Company, Mockery Brewing, Beryl’s Beer Co., Grandma’s House, Platt Park Brewing Co., FERMÆNTRA, Former Future Brewing Company, Bære Brewing Co., Alpine Dog Brewery, Lost Highway Brewing Company, Zephyr Brewing Co., Fiction Beer Company, and Creede Brewing Company.  Plus, Industrial Revolution Brewing Company, Comrade Brewing Co., Red Leg Brewing Company, Chain Reaction Brewing Company, and Joyride Brewing—breweries we visited but about which we did not have time to write a post.

• We also visited 14 non-Colorado breweries; five in Wisconsin, one in Indiana, seven in Michigan, and one in Nebraska: Vintage Brewing Co., The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company, One Barrel Brewing Company, Water Street Brewery, Lakefront Brewery, Three Floyds Brewing Co., Greenbush Brewing Co., Odd Side Ales, Old Boys’ Brewhouse, Founders Brewing Company, Brewery Vivant, Harmony Brewing Company, Schmohz Brewing Company, and Upstream Brewing Company.

• Furthermore, on our honeymoon, Nicole and I visited four international breweries; two in Ireland and two in Scotland: J.W. Sweetman Craft Brewery, The Porterhouse Brewing Co., WEST Brewery, and Drygate Brewery.  Plus, we went to the Old Bushmills Distillery and lots and lots of pubs.  

Nicole's extraordinary!

• We attended six Colorado beer events: VISIT DENVER’s Travel Writers Reception at The SandLot, the Craft Brewers Conference, New Brew Fest, and Great American Beer Festival (GABF).  For the second time, we attended the GABF Media Luncheon.  The beers and food were just as good as we remembered them.  Plus, the Biergarten Festival and Denver Beer Festivus about which we did not have time to write a post. 

• Both Nicole and I achieved major milestones on our Untappd apps.  At GABF, Nicole had her 1,000^th unique beer thus earning her the “Extraordinary” badge.  NoDa Brewing Company’s Van Winkle Barrel-Aged Monstro, a Russian imperial stout, had the honor of propelling her into the quadruple digits.  I, earlier in the year and in a quieter environment, achieved the same badge at CAUTION: Brewing Co. with their Ain’t Yo’ Mama’s, an imperial porter.

A happy New Year to you and yours!  May your 2015 be filled with good cheer and even better beer.  I look forward to next year’s boozy adventures.

Prost!

Chris