Crystal Springs Brewing Co., Great Divide Brewing Co., and Lone Tree Brewing Co. Collaborate on Colorado Sweep Wheat Ale
Colorado Breweries Collaborate on American Fruit Beer after sweeping 2021 GABF Category.
Photo courtesy Nikki A Rae Photography
DENVER, CO— Last year three prized Colorado craft breweries made headlines when they swept the competitive American Fruit Beer category at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival®. Their collaboration brew Colorado Sweep, an American Wheat Ale, is now available at each brewery’s tasting room.
The hardware that the Crystal Springs Blood Orange Kölsch (gold), Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale (silver), and Lone Tree Peach Pale Ale (bronze) took home last year was the perfect impetus for these Front Range breweries to join forces for a collaboration beer to celebrate and serve at the annual Colorado Brewers Guild Collaboration Fest.
“This idea came about immediately after the GABF awards were announced in September 2021,” says Matt Sandy, Great Divide’s Marketing Manager. The winners were Crystal Springs Blood Orange Kölsch (gold), Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale (silver), and Lone Tree Peach Pale Ale (bronze). “Because Colorado swept the American Fruited Ale category, we thought it would be fun to collaborate with the other breweries and keyed in on Collaboration Fest as being the perfect arena to celebrate this group effort. Not only has the fest become one of the country’s premier showcases for unique collaborations, it also fell around the same time we were planning on releasing our winning beer, Wild Raspberry Ale, in 6-packs.”
Crystal Springs, Great Divide, and Lone Tree gathered last month to craft an American Wheat Ale with both white and flaked Wheat, and Hallertau Magnum, Saaz, Cascade, and Lemondrop hops to create complexity of body, and refreshing, citrus and fruit-forward flavors. The breweries then added blood orange, raspberry, and peach to represent the fruits in all three of the award winners.
“The combination of fruits contributed by each brewery should create a fun and refreshing beer that we are all excited to share with the public at Collaboration Fest,” says Lone Tree Sales & Marketing Director Dennis Stack.
Festival-goers at Collaboration Fest should be on the lookout for this inspired fruit beer before it’s gone. Catch Colorado Sweep on tap at each brewery’s respective locations while supplies last.
Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Colorado Sweep.
ABOUT CRYSTAL SPRINGS BREWING CO.
Crystal Springs Brewing Company is dedicated to brewing craft beer that utilizes the potential of hops, malt, yeast, and adjuncts to make the world a happier and better place. The brewery was started in the owners garage in 2010 and opened in Louisville, CO in 2013 where we have expanded our production to serve the Front Range of Colorado. Visit Crystal Springs online at crystalspringsbrewing.com.
ABOUT GREAT DIVIDE BREWING CO.
Founded in 1994, Great Divide Brewing Company is Denver’s oldest and largest packaging brewery and one of the most decorated breweries in America, recognized for brewing some of the globe’s most balanced yet assertive and flavorful beers. These beers have landed an impressive amount of acclaim, earning 18 Great American Beer Festival® medals, five World Beer Cup® awards and 14 spots on Beer Advocate's "Top Rated Beers: Colorado.” Here at Great Divide, Bold Character isn’t just a catchphrase. It’s the philosophy behind what we brew, how we think and what we believe. For more information visit greatdivide.com.
ABOUT LONE TREE BREWING CO.
Lone Tree Brewing Company was the first brewery to open in Lone Tree, Colorado in Denver’s South Metro area in 2011, and has remained a local staple for a decade. Lone Tree creates community around a stylistically diverse lineup of flagship, seasonal, and limited release beers that are sold in cans and on draft across Colorado, and in select locations in Kansas. Find the brewery online at lonetreebrewingco.com.
Craft Industry COVID-19 Update - May 19, 2020
Talking Coronavirus impacts on the independent music industry with Andrew Barrack.
Andrew Barrack is going live on the RadCraft Industry Relief Zoom chat this week!
I’m excited that I get this opportunity to work with Andrew, not just because he’s a great musician but also because he’s such a critical thinker. Behind-the-scenes, I’ve had the pleasure of picking his brain over a series of calls and Zoom chats in preparation for this presentation.
Andrew is committed to getting it right—sure he’s going to nail his songs, but more importantly he’s got a message for us that gives a voice to an often forgotten part of the community: musicians.
In the craft barley space, musicians often reside in the fringe as entertainers at events or occasional collaborators. They’re often forgotten in the bigger picture too, Andrew reminds me. Live music is a luxury; Venues are an amusement. Pandemic or not, these are easy components of our lives to give up on a budget— wants, not needs.
Musicians and owners of independent venues have needs too, though, and Andrew tells me he’d like to shed light on these artists that we often take for granted in the corner of the beer festival.
NIVA, a new coalition of independent venues, reported to Rolling Stone on earlier this month that 90 percent of its 1,300 member venues report they do not have cash on hand to last more than six months without federal intervention, and just over half of them say they do not have enough to last more than three months. Pretty wild when you consider this is just a sampling of the venues in the United States, and even wilder when you compare these stats to the 30 percent of brewing company that reported to the Brewers Association in April that they would shutter if forced to shut down for more than three months. As breweries are granted permission to re-open slowly, independent venues have no re-opening plan in sight.
“Can you imagine a world where the only venues were big box?” Barrack asked me in one of our conversations. We’re discussing how independent music related to craft beer, but sometimes he’s so passionate that he makes me feel like we’re solving worldwide dilemmas. “I would rather pay a little bit more to see one of my favorite bands in an intimate venue than a huge stadium with a half dome. We’re losing iconic venues to Coronavirus.”
If your brewery or distillery was focused on music before pandemic, Andrew can’t stress enough the importance of staying committed to relationships with bands. “You’ll have to get creative,” he says, “but if you had live music rock the livestream, or find another way to keep moving.”
Listen to Andrew Barrack’s tunes, and get his industry relief insight this Thursday, May 21 at 3pm MTN on the RadCraft Industry Relief Zoom chat.
(Zoom Meeting; Password: 223518)
Check out Andrew Barrack’s new CD In Seasons, available on Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, Apple Music, and Soundcloud. Cheers to indie music and beer!
— Emily Hutto, RadCraft Founder & CEO
Elevation’s Throwback Red Ale Helps Monarch Mountain Celebrate 80 Years
Red Ale is a true throwback— a classic beer brewed true to style with Crystal malts, Munich malt and perfectly balanced with a touch of Magnum hops.
PONCHA SPRINGS, CO— Elevation Beer Company, the official brewery of Monarch Mountain, will help the mountain celebrate 80 years of independence in the Arkansas Valley this season with the specialty release of Monarch Throwback. This Red Ale will be available on draft and in 12-ounce cans at Monarch Mountain and Elevation’s tasting room beginning September 9th and available across Colorado beginning September 16th.
Powered by independence, precipitation, and their local community, Monarch Mountain and Elevation decided to brew a crowd-pleasing, easy-drinking Red Ale to commemorate the Mountain’s 80th anniversary.
Red Ale is a true throwback— a classic beer brewed true to style! Crystal malts and Munich malt provide a strong malt character that is perfectly balanced with a touch of Magnum hops. Weighing in at 5% alcohol by volume, you can definitely throw back a few of these at lunch and still get some afternoon runs in.
Throwback Red Ale will be released in cans and on draft, Friday, September 20 during a special release party at the Elevation tasting room. Come dressed in your best throwback ski gear and party with the Monarch Mountain and Elevation crews from 5-8pm enjoying happy hour pricing on Throwback Red Ale and free koozies with the purchase of Red Ale six-packs. Come prepared with your collection of old Monarch Mountain passes to win prizes for Oldest Pass, Largest Previous Season Pass Collection, and Best Season Pass Picture. For more information on the Throwback Red Ale Can Release Party visit the Elevation Beer Company Facebook page.
For more information about Elevation Beer Company’s seven years in business and their anniversary beer, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.
ABOUT ELEVATION BEER CO.
Proudly operating in the remote mountain town of Poncha Springs, Elevation Beer Co. is more than just a beer company— we are a family, a community, and a collective of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Dedicated to creating sustainable, meaningful careers in rural Colorado, we take the preservation of our home as seriously as we do the quality of our beer. Taste our flagship 8 Second Kolsch and a lineup of other usual suspects and seasonals at our tasting room, and in canned 6-packs and specialty bombers across Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. Go higher at elevationbeerco.com.
ABOUT MONARCH MOUNTAIN
Perched at the top of the continental divide, Monarch Mountain is a ski area that has something for everyone. Monarch boasts 1,162 vertical feet of diverse, skiable terrain that can accommodate skiers and snowboarders of all levels from beginner to expert. Known for its amazing powder among avid riders, Monarch receives more than 350” of natural snow every year. What Monarch boasts in annual snowfall, it lacks in crowds, so you can find ample stashes even days after a storm. In this day and age where the ski area landscape is dominated by large corporations, Monarch, which has been operating since 1939, remains fiercely independent because they believe that having many independent ski areas is the best way to ensure creative innovation, elevate the guest experience, and keep skiing affordable for locals. Find the mountain online at skimonarch.com.
Karl Strauss and Drake’s Release Collaboration Beer in Celebration of Their 30th Anniversaries
Karl Strauss Brewing Company and Drake’s Brewing Co. celebrate 30 years of pioneering the craft beer industry.
SAN DIEGO, CA— Karl Strauss Brewing Company and Drake’s Brewing Company join forces as they celebrate 30 years of pioneering the craft beer industry in California and beyond. Introducing Level 30 Complete, a collaboration (and joint anniversary) beer. This Hazy IPA is brewed with Simcoe, Cascade, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops. Citrus and sweet fruit aromas are backed by a juicy finish.
“We’ve always respected our friends at Drake’s and the fact that we’re both celebrating our 30 th Anniversaries this year made this the perfect time to collaborate on a brew. Level 30 Complete is a delicious example of a Hazy IPA, and the name summarizes how proud we both are to have made it to this milestone!” – Matt Johnson, Brewmaster, Karl Strauss Brewing Company
Level 30 Complete Hazy IPA is available on draft and in 16oz cans throughout California during the month of February – just in time for San Francisco Beer Week up north and Karl Strauss’ 30th Anniversary celebrations down south. For more information about Level 30 Complete, visit www.karlstrauss.com.
ABOUT LEVEL 30 COMPLETE HAZY IPA
1989’s greatest creation had to be the Game Boy—but hey, the opening of a couple scrappy breweries could be a close second. Karl Strauss and Drake’s began the brewing quest at Level 1 (the difficulty setting? Hard mode.) After grinding for 29 years, we’ve come together to celebrate our 30th Anniversaries and bring you this 1up in beer form. Level 30 Complete is a Hazy IPA brewed with Simcoe, Cascade, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops. Citrus and sweet fruit aromas are backed by a juicy finish. Venture forth, beer in hand. It’s dangerous to go alone, drink this!
ABOUT KARL STRAUSS BREWING COMPANY
Karl Strauss Brewing Company has been proudly independent since 1989, pioneering the craft beer scene with innovative beer releases like Aurora Hoppyalis IPA, Queen of Tarts Dark Sour, and Boat Shoes Hazy IPA. The brewery has won 110 medals since 2009 and was honored with the “Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year” award at the Great American Beer Festival in 2016. For more information, visit www.karlstrauss.com or call the brewery at (858) 273-2739. Share it. Cheers.
ABOUT DRAKE’S BREWING CO.
Drake's Brewing Co. is an independent craft brewery located in San Leandro, Calif., that's been dedicated to bringing people together over great beer since 1989. Drake’s has become known over the years for consistently producing a wide variety of hop-forward craft beers. From the groundbreaking 1500 Pale Ale to innovative creations like the Denogginizer Double IPA, and a growing collection of artisan barrel-aged and sour beers, the brewery’s commitment to quality and integrity shines through in every beer. Go to drinkdrakes.com for more information.