Good beer is everywhere in Colorado. Great beer can be found without much effort too. But special or limited beer — that is the type of thing that gets the beer drinkers of Colorado excited. These limited or special release beers are worth the excitement.

If you find a beer being released that you just can’t resist from a favorite brewery, do a little bit of research. Visit the events page on their Facebook to check out both past and future events along with Instagram posts from similar releases to find information. How limited is the beer? Is there a certain number of cans or bottles available? Using those numbers and the comments of people who have previously attended will help you create a plan of attack.

Here is a breakdown of the three main types of releases and how you can best prepare for them.

Level One: The Accessible Release

This release is more about trying something new and trying something first. This beer is generally being made one time but they are making enough to ensure plenty of their fans get a taste. You can arrive anytime on release day and enjoy a sip or if it’s being bottled pick up one before everyone else. There might be lines, but they will be minimal and will move fast. Often there are taproom party events to celebrate the distribution of this special beer.

Level Two: The Competitive Release

This release will require some planning. Whether on tap, in bottles or in a can, there may not be enough for everyone. The brewery will often share the quantity of the beer produced, even if the figure seems high, it’s being released for a reason. You will want to arrive on time to make sure you get what you are after. You will need to decide if waiting in line for beer is for you.

Level Three: The Extremely Limited Release

This is a challenge. The quantity of beer being released more than likely will not meet the demand of the number of people in attendance. There will be a line and people will begin to line up extremely early. This doesn’t mean you have to be there at the crack of dawn, reach out to the brewery and ask what time has been the best to show up in advance. Come ready to have fun, it’s limited and people will be people but if you are lucky enough to snag the sought-after beer it will be awesome. If you happen to miss out, you can still enjoy the other beers on tap and meet new members of your beer community.

Below is a list of upcoming releases in and around Denver for this summer and we have included the type of release we expect them to be. The list is broken down by month and the breweries are in alphabetical order. Save this list because we will be updating it throughout the summer as more dates become firm and other releases are announced. 

May

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Photo courtesy of Copper Kettle Brewing Company

 Avery Brewing Company

Location: 4910 Nautilus Ct. N., Boulder
Beer Release: The Reel Peel IPA (Tangerine IPA – draft and canned) and Twenty Four (Imperial IPA – draft and bottle)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: May 15 and May 19 respectively

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales 

Location: 1290 S. Broadway A51, Denver
Beer Release: PEACEMAKER (Part of their experimental Series – aged in cherry wine bottles that were originally bourbon barrels – bottle only)
Release Type: Level Three
Release Date: May 27

Call To Arms Brewing Company

Location: 4526 Tennyson St., Denver
Beer Release: It’s Dark & Hell is Hot (Russian Imperial stout aged in whiskey barrels with orange peel and vanilla added — bottle) and The Shadow (Russian Imperial stout aged in red wine barrels with pomegranate molasses added — bottle)
Release Type: Level 2
Release Date: May 20

Cellar West Artisan Ales

Location: 1001 Lee Hill Dr. #10, Boulder
Beer Release: Zep (Brett Pale Ale — bottle)
Release Type: Level Two
Release Date: May 13

 Cerebral Brewing

Location: 1477 Monroe St., Denver
Beer Release: Here Be Monsters (Imperial stout aged for 12 months in Woodford Reserve Barrels and there is a vanilla variant — bottle only) Ripping Through Dimensions (Dry hopped Brettanomyces Saison — bottle only)
Release Type: Level Two
Release Date: May 13 and May 27 respectively

 Comrade Brewing

Location: 7667 E Illiff Ave., Denver
Beer Release: The Specter (Belgian style wheat ale — draft)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: Anticipated end of May

Copper Kettle Brewing Company

Location: 1338 S. Valentina St., #100, Denver
Beer Release: Sobremesa (Tequila barrel-aged pale ale — bottle)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: Anticipated end of May

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

Location: 3350 Brighton Blvd., Denver
Beer Release: Salvador Cybies (Dark sour aged in oak barrels with Colorado cherries — draft and bottle)
Release Type: Level Two
Release Date: May 12

Declaration Brewing Company

Location: 2030 S. Cherokee St., Denver
Beer Release: Slippery When Wheat (Ale aged on Wheat Whiskey barrels — draft) and Hops & Healing IPA (IPA $1 of every beer goes to Brent’s Place  — draft)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: May 1oth and May 24

Denver Beer Company

Location: 1695 Platte St., Denver
Beer Release: Blood Orange Tandem Pedal (Double IPA — bomber bottle) and Maui Express (Coconut IPA — canned)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: May 15 and May 20 respectively

Diebolt Brewing Company

Location: 3855 Mariposa St., Denver
Beer Release: Wiggy Wiggy (Honey hibiscus saison — draft and canned)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: May 13

 Fermaentra Brewery and Taproom

Location: 1715 E Evans Ave., Denver
Beer Release: Voxel (Lime gose — draft), Saleos (Belgian golden strong — draft), Caballito (Mexican lager — draft) and a To Be Named passion fruit orange guava beer (draft)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: Anticipated to go on draft by end of May

Fiction Beer Company

Location: 7101 E. Colfax Ave., Denver
Beer Release: Adjunct Lovers (Guava Kolsch – draft)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: May 27

 Great Divide Brewing Company

Location: 1812 35th St., Denver
Beer Release: The next installment of Great Divide’s Local Knowledge Series, Apricot Colette (farmhouse with apricots — draft and bottle in taproom only)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: May 27

Odd13 Brewing

Location: 301 E. Simpson St., Lafayette
Beer Release: Barrel Aged Liftmaster 13,000 (Mixed culture Saison — bottles only), Ubern00b (Double dry hopped IPA — draft and canned) and Double Troll (Double IPA with Citra and Motueka — draft only)
Release Type: Level Two
Release Date: Uber00b May 27th, Liftmaster May 27th and Double Troll by end of May

Powder Keg Brewing Company

Location: 101 2nd Ave., Niwot
Beer Release: Twilight Rendezvous (Imperial Stout aged in Woodford Reserve Bourbon barrels)
Release Type: Level Three
Release Date: May 20

 Renegade Brewing Company

Location: 925 W. 9th Ave., Denver
Beer Release: 5:00 Bangkok Style Ale (Their 5:00 Afternoon Ale with the addition of ginger and lemongrass — draft and canned)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: Anticipated May 26

 Resolute Brewing Company

Location: 7286 S. Yosemite St., #110, Centennial
Beer Release: American IPA (IPA — draft and crowler)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: May 26

River North Brewery

Location: 6021 Washington St. Unit A, Denver
Beer Release: Whiskey Quandary (Quad aged for 18 months in whiskey barrels — bottle) and Barrel Reserve 2017 (Blend of barrel-aged dark ales hand selected by their brewers — bottle)
Release Type: Level 2
Release Date: May 20

WeldWerks Brewing Company

Location: 508 8th Ave., Greeley
Beer Release: Steambarrel 2.0 (Their OG IPA, West Coast-style IPA — draft), Key Lime Berliner (Berliner with key limes, lactose, vanilla beans and graham crackers — draft), Double Dry Hopped Juicy Bits (The return of their highest rated East Coast-style IPA — draft) and Coffee Maple Achromatic (Imperial stout with infused with freshly roasted coffee and obscene amounts on maple syrup — draft)
Release Type: Level 1, but it will move fast with to-go growlers
Release Date: WeldWerks is taking a new approach to their releases, they are just releasing their beers as they are ready. With that being said these beers are expected to be released over the next three weeks, you can see their up to date tap menu here

June

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Photo courtesy of Cerebral Brewing

Avery Brewing Company

Location: 4910 Nautilus Ct .N., Boulder
Beer Release: Ginger Sour (6th installment of their Botanicals and Barrels Series — bottle) and The Nuttiest Professor (Bourbon barrel aged imperial peanut stout — bottle)
Release Type: Ginger Sour is Level One and The Nuttiest Professor is Level Two
Release Date: June 16 and TBD in June

 Comrade Brewing

Location: 7667 E. Illiff Ave., Denver
Beer Release: German Hefeweizen (Collaboration with Bierstadt Lagerhaus — draft)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: Anticipated first week of June

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

Location: 3350 Brighton Blvd., Denver
Beer Release: L’Brett d’Blueberry (Golden Sour Ale aged in oak barrels with Washington Blueberries – bottle only)
Release Type: Level Two
Release Date: June 2

 Denver Beer Company

Location: 1695 Platte St., Denver
Beer Release: Rickshaw IPA (IPA — bomber bottle)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: June 20 

Fiction Beer Company

Location: 7101 E. Colfax Ave., Denver
Beer Release: Wheels of Soul IPA (Charity collaboration with Tedeschi Trucks Band — draft) and Awaken The Intellect (Cream Ale with coffee whose beans were bourbon barrel aged – draft)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: June 1 and June 3 respectively

 Great Divide Brewing Company

Location: 1812 35th St., Denver
Beer Release: The next installment of their Local Knowledge Series, Raspberry Sour (Draft and bottle in taproom only)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: June 24

Mockery Brewing Company

Location: 3501 Delgany St., Denver
Beer Release: Funken Stupor (100% Brett Pale Ale – bottle)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: June 23

Our Mutual Friend Brewery

Location: 2810 Larimer St., Denver
Beer Release: New Boot Goofin’ (Sour on Cherries – bottle)
Release Type: Level Two
Release Date: June 23

Outer Range Brewing Company

Location: 182 Lusher Ct., Unit #2, Frisco
Beer Release: In The Steep (New England style IPA – can)
Release Type: Level two
Release Date: June 24

Powder Keg Brewing Company 

Location: 101 2nd Ave., Niwot
Beer Release: Twilight Union Batch 2 (Blonde Sour Ale – Bottle)
Release Type: Level Three
Release Date: June 17

Ratio Beerworks

Location: 2920 Larimer St., Denver
Beer Release: New Wave (Strawberry Berliner Weisse – draft) and Major Nights (Lime Gose — draft)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: June 8th and the anticipated date of June 30th respectively

River North Brewery 

Location: 6021 Washington St. Unit A, Denver
Beer Release: Unified Theory (Oak-aged double witbier – bottle and draft)
Release Type: Level 2
Release Date: June 3

Strange Craft Beer Company

Location: 1330 Zuni St., Unit M, Denver
Beer Release: Watermelon Hefe (German Wheat with Watermelon – draft and bottle)
Release Type: Level one
Release Date: June 30

 TRVE Brewing Company

Location: 227 Broadway #101, Denver
Beer Release: Ostara (Spring mixed culture ale with dandelion, lemongrass and lemon peel — bottle with tentative release date in June)
Release Type: Level Two
Release Date: Anticipated end of June

Ursula Brewery

Location: 2101 North Ursula St., Aurora
Beer Release: Angel of the Odd (Dark farmhouse with and without tart cherries – bottle) and Lazy Brewer (Double New England Style IPA – draft and bottle)
Release Type: Level Two
Release Date: June 3

July

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Photo courtesy of TRVE Brewing Company

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales

Location: 1290 S. Broadway, A51, Denver
Beer: UNKNOWN. The information around this beer and this particular event is strictly confidential but what we can share is that it is going something you cannot miss. Follow their AFFAIRS page here.
Release Type: Level 3
Release Date: To be determined in July

Casey Brewing and Blending

Location: 3421 Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs
Beer Release: The Cut: Raspberry (The first ever release of this style beer with raspberries — bottle only)
Release Type: Level Three, in order to get the chance to buy this beer when it’s released you will need to book a tour at the brewery. The Casey beers are worth the extra effort.
Release Date: Anticipated July 13

 Cerebral Brewing

Location: 1477 Monroe St., Denver
Beer Release: Dreamy Thing (Re-release of their GABF silver medal winning collaboration with Our Mutual Friend, a 100% Brettanomyces fermented farmhouse pale ale — bottle)
Release Type: Level Two
Release Date: To be determined in July

 Copper Kettle Brewing Company

Location: 1338 S. Valentina St., #100, Denver
Beer Release: Maple Snowed In (Imperial coffee stout — bottle)
Release Type: Level Three
Release Date: July 30

 Denver Beer Company

Location: 1695 Platte St., Denver
Beer Release: Mind Control (Bomber bottle)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: July 3

Odd13 Brewing

Location: 301 E Simpson St., Lafayette
Beer Release: Robot Librarian (Collaboration double IPA — draft and canned), Robot Libertarian (collaboration double IPA — draft only) and Lupulin Amnesiac (Zero IBU Double IPA – Can)
Release Type: Level Two
Release Date: Only Lupulin Amnesiac has a release date which is July 1

 

August

Craft Beer, Colorado Craft Beer, Denver Craft Beer, Beer Releases in Denver, Beer Releases in Colorado, Alysia Shoemaker, 303 Magazine, Odd13 Brewing Company, Copper Kettle Brewing Company, Fermaentra, Resolute Brewing Company, Renegade Brewing Company, Cerebral Brewing, Denver Beer Company, Ursual Brewing, Comrade Brewing, Avery Brewing Company, Declaration Brewing, Fiction Beer Company, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, Great Divide Brewing, Diebolt Brewing, Casey Brewing and Blending, Powder Keg Brewing Company

Photo courtesy of Denver Beer Company

Casey Brewing and Blending

Location: 3421 Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs
Beer Release: Dry hopped stone fruit beers in apricot, peach and nectarine (Bottle only)
Release Type: Level Three, in order to get the chance to buy these beers when they released you will need to book a tour at the brewery. The Casey beers are worth the extra effort.
Release Date: Anticipated Aug. 17

 Denver Beer Company

Location: 1695 Platte St., Denver
Beer Release: Anniversary VI Ale (Bomber bottle)
Release Type: Level One
Release Date: To be determined in August

Whether or not you want to drive across the state, wait in line or just be the first person to try a beer fresh off the canning line, there is a beer release for you. Find the beer release that matches your tastes and enjoy the best of the special and limited beers the Colorado craft beer scene has to offer.