The Mile High City will once again celebrate its world-class beer scene during the 13th annual Denver Beer Week, taking place September 10-18, 2021. Featuring nine days of all things beer with more than 80 events throughout the city, Denver Beer Week is the perfect time to get out and support the more than 150 local breweries around the city.
Typically taking place in the nine days leading up to and including Great American Beer Festival, Denver Beer Week has grown to be the largest annual celebration of Denver’s thriving beer scene. This year, though GABF has gone virtual again, Denver Beer Week still aims to highlight all the reasons why Denver is known as one of the country’s top beer cities, as well as to bolster support for these local businesses as they continue to navigate the impacts of the pandemic.
Additionally, every year as part of Denver Beer Week, VISIT DENVER also releases the annual Denver Beer Trail – a helpful guide to some of the city’s top breweries. The 2021-2022 edition will be completely digital, featuring nearly 40 breweries – both new and well-loved – around the city, arranged by neighborhoods. The Denver Beer Trail also features links to tours, year-round beer events, information about the history of Denver’s beer culture and more.
Below are some of the events taking place during Denver Beer Week, as well as a few new breweries on the Denver Beer Trail to check out – including several BIPOC- and women-owned options. For a full list of events, go to the Denver Beer Week website.
Festival Fun
Great Mexican Beer Fiesta, September 11
The Great Mexican Beer Fiesta is a Mexican Street Fiesta to celebrate collaboration in craft beer with a few of the best brewers south of the border. Co-hosted by Cerveceria Colorado and Denver Beer Co, this year’s event will include Lucha Libre, live art, live music, food trucks, and mercadito featuring local artists and artisans, as well as some of Cerveceria’s Cervezas for Causes charity partners.
Westword Music Showcase, September 17-18
The Westword Music Showcase is back and bigger than ever. Now a two-day festival celebrating the city’s music scene, it will take over the RiNo Arts District and Mission Ballroom grounds, filling both indoor and outdoor venues with live performances by local and national musical acts, as well as visual and performing arts events, food and drink and more. Craft beverage sponsors include Upslope Brewing Company, Snow Melt Craft Hard Seltzer and Ironton Distillery and Crafthouse. Headliners include Young the Giant, Thundercat, Hippo Campus, Kaytranada and Duke Dumont among many of Denver’s best local bands.
Denver BBQ Festival, September 17-19
Typically held over Father’s Day weekend, Denver BBQ Festival is back this fall. Pitmasters from around the country will smoke more than 30,000 pounds of meat, and the festival will feature live music, barbeque demos and more, all held outdoors at Empower Field at Mile High.
Denver Oktoberfest, September 17-19 & 24-26
Celebrating 51 years in 2021, Denver Oktoberfest – dubbed “The Best Oktoberfest” in the U.S. by Maxim and USA Today – will once again feature beloved traditions like the stein hoisting competition, keg bowling and the costume contest, as well as live music each day, traditional German food and plenty of German beer. General admission and VIP tickets are available for both weekends.
Take a Tour
LoDo Craft Beer Tour, weekends
Denver Microbrew Tours offers a guided walking tour through downtown Denver’s historic LoDo (lower downtown) and Ballpark Neighborhood districts. Learn more about the history of beer, how it is made, what the different types are and how they differ, and why Denver has been dubbed a top beer city while stopping at four breweries for samples behind-the-scenes tours.
RiNo Food + Beer Tour, September 11 & 18
On this three-hour Denver food and beer tour, taste some of the best bites and brews the city has to offer and explore the RiNo Arts District, known for its world-class street art, local breweries and incredible dining scene. In between tastings, a local food tour guide will talk about the colorful murals and graffiti that cover the streets and alleys of the RiNo Arts District.
Sip & Taste
Beer + Bunnies, September 10-18
The Bindery will serve up their famous Smoked Rabbit & Pecan Pie paired with a “Plattmosphere” Hazy IPA from local brewer, Platt Park Brewing Co.
Beer Week Dinner with Four Directions Cuisine, September 17
Dos Luces Brewery will host a three-course beer dinner with Four Directions Cuisine, a Native Andean Chef and local women-owned business, as part of their celebration of the Festival of Inti Rayme. Each course will be paired with a Dos Luces Chicha, Pulque or Tepache.
Live Music
Concerts at Number Thirty Eight
Number Thirty Eight features an always-rotating selection of Colorado taps spanning the Eastern plains and the Western Slope. With an array of big-name and soon-to-be-discovered craft brewers, winemakers, and distillers, there is always an old favorite and something new to be discovered. The new venue also features live music every week, including Sam Bush, Danno Simpson and the Friday night lineup of the Westword Music Showcase during Denver Beer Week.
Matt Flaherty Duo at Farm House at Breckenridge Brewery, September 12
The Matt Flaherty Duo will play live on the Beer Garden Stage at the Farm House from 12-3pm.
Tap Takeovers
Cart-Driver Hosts TRVE and Burial Brewing, September 10
Popular RiNo pizza and oyster joint, Cart-Driver, will host local favorites TRVE Brewings and North Carolina’s Burial Brewing for a tap takeover.
Cerebral Brewing Takeover at Hops & Pie, September 11
Hops & Pie will host a Cerebral Brewing tap takeover along with some live music to celebrate Denver Beer Week. Beers available will include Krocodile Kilometer, Ripe Trait, Scam Likely, Tactical Maneuver Foeder Helles, Mysterious Forces, and a brand new West Coast Pilsner (yet to be named).
“Attend” GABF
GABF Awards Watch Party with Pink Boots Society, September 10
Prost Brewing Co. and Pink Boots Society will host a Great American Beer Festival awards watch party. The awards ceremony starts at 5:00 pm and will be shown on all TVs at Prost.
Great American Beer Festival Medal-Winning Post Beer Flights, September 10-18
The Post Chicken & Beer is known for its award-winning beers; and during Denver Beer Week, they will offer an $8 flight of three of their GABF medal-winning brews.
Visit Some New & Unique Breweries on the Denver Beer Trail
Novel Strand Brewing is a partly BIPOC and woman-owned brewery serving beers inspired by traditional techniques in Denver’s historic Baker neighborhood.
Ska Brewing Company is a Colorado beer-drinkers’ favorite located in Durango – a great stop while exploring the Rocky Mountains in Denver’s backyard.
Raices Brewing Co. is a Latino owned and operated brewery featuring award-winning craft beers, a rotating Latin American food selection and ongoing cultural events. With the brand pillars of Community, Culture, Cerveza, Raices aims to be a resource center for Latinos and those interested in learning about Latin culture.
Wah Gwaan Brewing Company is a Jamaican-inspired craft brewery focused on distinctive, vibrant beer flavors and a welcoming atmosphere. Opened in June 2021, Wah Gwaan plans to share authentic Jamaican culture through education, taproom events and community outreach while increasing diversity in the industry.
Gordon Biersch, founded over 25 years ago, is where German precision brewing meets American craft beer. Everything on the menu is prepared fresh-to-order by chefs, creating an elevated brewery restaurant menu crafted to pair perfectly with the locally brewed beers.
River North Brewery, the now-hip neighborhood’s oldest brewery, offers 12 beers brewed onsite including pilsners, IPAs, and imperial and barrel-aged big beers as well as a dog-friendly patio to enjoy Denver’s 300 days of sunshine along with those beers.
