Ska Street Brewstillery Opens For Take-Out in Boulder During Safer-In-Place

Photo by The Brewtography Project

BOULDER, CO— After having to close its doors just one hour and eleven minutes after statewide on-site dining was shuttered, Ska Street Brewstillery will reopen to the public Wednesday, May 6 to serve a new to-go menu.

The limited menu at Ska Street Brewstillery will include some of the new establishment’s signature sandwiches such as The Dave and the Breeze BLT, as well as a new Family Meal menu with serving size options from 2 to 10 people. Many of the menu items are vegetarian and vegan. There will also be Ska beers, Peach Street spirits, and cocktails to-go. 

Ska Street Brewstillery will be open Wednesday through Friday from 3pm to 7pm, and Saturday from noon to 7pm. Orders must be placed online or over the phone to minimize onsite contact and exposure. 

 “This is truly unprecedented for us all— homeschooling our kids, cancelling family and friend gatherings, postponing our travel and exploration of not just Colorado but our wide and wonderful world,” says Ska Street’s General Manager Katie Nierling. “We hope there is a silver lining in this all— we are stronger together and because of one another.”

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about the Ska Street Brewstillery, Ska Brewing, or Peach Street Distillers. 

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award- winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

ABOUT PEACH STREET DISTILLERS

Peach Street Distillers was founded in 2005 in the heart of Colorado’s Fruit and Wine region, Palisade Colorado, where the high desert meets the mountains. The warm days and cool nights in Palisade make the local fruits and grains unimaginably delicious. Living the very definition of “craft” we do everything the hard way to turn these fermentable raw materials into extraordinary spirits. Because, this is what we consider fun and what makes for a mighty fine drink. Peach Street Distillers is Colorado’s oldest continuously owned and operated distillery. Visit Peach Street at www.peachstreetdistillers.com for more about the spirits and the spirits squad.

Laws Whiskey House Releases Bottled in Bond Four Grain Straight Bourbon - Six Year

DENVER, CO— Laws Whiskey House, the award winning Denver based distillery, is proud to announce the annual release of its Bottled in Bond Four Grain Straight Bourbon. Aged six years, this distinctive offering of the company’s flagship bourbon exemplifies the craftsmanship, patience, and perseverance that are the hallmarks of the Laws There Are No Shortcuts mantra. This whiskey has an SRP of $75 and is now available across Laws national distribution footprint with approximately 500 9L cases produced.

As the first Colorado distillery to produce a bonded whiskey, Laws Whiskey House continues to set the standard for Bottled-In-Bond expressions. Since that inaugural release, Laws has expanded their Bonded portfolio to six different expressions including Bourbon, Rye, Malt, Wheat, and Corn whiskies. 

“Patience is an important part of all excellent whiskey,” says founder and CEO Al Laws. “Time in conjunction with the vintage nature of the Bottled in Bond act creates the basis for this special release. For Laws Whiskey House, Bottled-In-Bond expressions are ingrained in our culture. They exemplify who we are as whiskey makers.”

The Laws Bottled in Bond Four Grain Straight Bourbon – Six Year is made with the same bourbon mash bill as the Laws flagship Four Grain Bourbon, with 60 percent corn, 20 percent heirloom wheat, 10 percent heirloom rye, and 10 percent heirloom malted barley. All of these grains are grown and harvested from family-owned Colorado Farms. Furthermore, the distillery’s traditional practice of open air, on-grain fermentation captures the essence of Colorado’s terroir and produces a truly unapologetic authentic American Whiskey. 

The Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897 was an important turning point in the history of bourbon that set forth exacting standards that offered consumers a guarantee of transparency, process, and quality. Specifically, it stipulated that the whiskey must be the product of one distilling season, from one distillery, aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least four years, and bottled at 100 proof. 123 years later, this designation continues to offer those same guarantees, providing consumers with the knowledge of where, how, and when Bourbon was produced and aged.  

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com for more information about Bottled in Bond Four Grain Straight Bourbon - Six Year and with any other media inquiries about Laws Whiskey House.

ABOUT LAWS WHISKEY HOUSE

Established in 2011, Laws Whiskey House is a purpose driven, grain to glass whiskey distillery founded on the principle that the soul of its whiskey is comprised of the people who grow it, the people who make it, and the people who drink it. Using the traditional method of open-air, on grain fermentation, Laws' whiskeys feature high altitude grown American mother grains and mountain spring water while aging in 53-gallon charred American oak barrels. With a collection of award-winning whiskey, including several Bottled in Bond expressions, Laws Whiskey House invites you to visit their tasting room in Denver's historic Gates neighborhood and enjoy the Laws experience. For more information visit www.lawswhiskeyhouse.com.

The Empourium To Release A Plethora of Piñatas Mexican Lager For First Friday in May

DENVER, CO— Coronavirus can’t stop The Empourium from their First Friday beer release tradition. The Berkeley neighborhood brewery will release A Plethora of Piñatas Mexican Lager on Friday, May 1— just in time for Cinco de Mayo (Zoom) celebrations.

This Mexican Lager is crafted with flaked corn in its grain bill that imparts soft mouthfeel and a tinge of malt sweetness on the finish. True to its style, A Plethora of Piñatas is light, clean, and crisp— and a sessionable 4.9% ABV. 

The Empourium hits another home run on 80’s pop culture-inspired beer names, this one a reference to the western comedy Three Amigos circa 1986. “This movie always makes us giggle!” says Head Brewer and Co-Owner Greg Fetzer.

The Little Red's Kitchen food truck will be available for takeaway orders and The Empourium will have beer available to-go from 2 to 6pm on Friday, May 1. 

Contact Erin Hamrick at erin@radcraftbeer.com for more information The Empourium Brewing Company.

ABOUT THE EMPOURIUM BREWING COMPANY

Located in the heart of Denver’s Berkeley Neighborhood, The Empourium is a gathering place for all— patrons and beer styles alike. Armed with true to style recipes and local pride, owners Greg and Sara Fetzer, Mike Cugini, and Justin Vallely focus their efforts to craft a warm, lively community hub centered around balanced, sessionable beers guaranteed to bring people together. Visit The Empourium at 4385 W. 42nd Avenue or online at theempourium.com.

4th Annual Rapids & Grass Beer Festival Cancelled

BUENA VISTA, CO— The organizers of Rapids & Grass, Colorado’s quintessential craft beer, music, and river festival slated to return to the Arkansas Valley July 4th weekend, announced today that the beloved event is canceled to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

This would-be fourth annual festival would feature beer from 50 breweries, local bands, and world-class white water rafting on the Arkansas River. After much thought and careful consideration, festival organizers The Jailhouse, Rapidgrass, and South Main/ Surf Hotel decided to cancel this year's Rapids & Grass Beer Festival as a preventative measure to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“All of us are struggling with the continued uncertainty of what the next few months look like in Colorado, but I don't know any community stronger than the brewing industry,” said Jailhouse founder Sarah Stewart in an email to the participating breweries last week. “We will get through this and we'll all drink beers together by the river again! Until that time comes, stay safe, healthy and strong.” 

Stewart and all of the Rapids & Grass crew extend their deepest gratitude to the breweries, bands, vendors and sponsors of the 2020 festival, and look forward to collaborating on the 2021 event.

Learn more about previous years of the Rapids & Grass festival at rgfest.com. Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries. 

ABOUT RAPIDS & GRASS BEER FESTIVAL

Rapids and Grass is a craft beer, music, and river festival conceptualized by Jailhouse owners Sarah and Shane Stewart, Mark Morris of Rapidgrass, and Jed Selby of South Main/Surf Hotel. The festival brings craft beer from the intermountain west and world-class bluegrass music to Buena Vista where its founders are proud to call home. This legendary weekend wraps up with The Freedom Float, a 7-mile raft trip through Class 3 whitewater. Stay in the loop at rgfest.com.

Craft Industry COVID-19 Update - April 21, 2020

photo at Root Shoot Malting by Emily Sierra Photography

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.” —Jane Goodall

Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day— a friendly reminder to dig just a bit deeper when we celebrate out communities during pandemic. At the root of the barley community is the agriculture and land that give breweries and distilleries their ingredients. How will you make a difference This Earth Day, and every day?

The Can’d Aid Foundation shares that although COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in their original plans, they’ve still got all the ingredients for a people-powered spring cleaning. YOU can make a difference. ONE CAN can make a difference. Can’d Aid is encouraging you to spread the do-goodery by picking up just one piece of trash each day on your walk around the block.

Can ONE really make a difference? YES! 80% of Americans are at home right now. That's 262 million people; if each person picks up just one piece of trash a day, well...we'll let you do the math!

“It's a trying time for everyone, and Mother Earth is no exception - so get out there, breathe some fresh air and show Mama Earth a little love,” shares Can’d Aid, “Be sure to post a picture of your daily trash treasure on social, tag Can'd Aid and nominate a friend to do the same.” The foundation decided to do a giveaway as a way of further encouraging the do-goodery. So, on 4/25, they'll select the strangest piece of trash and the winner will receive a set of earth-loving Happy Wraps.”

More Do-Goodery

Alaskan Brewing Co. donates one percent of Icy Bay IPA proceeds to the Coastal CODE (Clean Oceans Depend on Everyone) initiative to support the health and sustainability of oceans, waterways and coastlines. Cheers to Icy Bay IPA!

Colorado-based Root Shoot Malting and Traverse Image are proud to introduce their new documentary 100 Year Lease, created to convey the importance of family farms and conservation of Colorado agriculture. Preview the film here.

Celebrate Earth Day with Findlay Brewing and be one of the first to try Blanchard River Brew Pale Ale! This beer on Earth Day and will be available for growler fills. Proceeds of this new brew will benefit the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership. The BRWP mission is to encourage water quality improvements through sustainable land and water use, collaboration, conservation and enhancement of natural and man-made resources. “Beer cannot be brewed without a strong and healthy water source,” the brewery says. “We are excited to collaborate with the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership!”

Earth Day goes virtual this year, with hundreds of web-based events around the world. Check out this global events calendar and add your own on the Earth Day Network.

Free RadCraft Co-Op Memberships- Apply Before May 1

Marketing is more important for barley crafters than ever before, but budgets have never been tighter. That’s why we decided to open up our co-op membership application early, waive fees for applications submitted by May 1st, and offer the membership at a discounted price for those who apply after May 1st. Applications will be accepted until the end of June. 2020-2021 memberships run July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. Apply for your RadCraft co-op membership at radcraftbeer.com/jointhecoop. For more details, contact coop@radcraftbeer.com.

As always, if you know of a community or nonprofit effort that supports hospitality businesses in need, we want to hear about it. Comment here, or email us so we can help get the word out.

We’d also love to continue sharing your stories and help you keep track of your evolving changes around COVID precautions. Please email your COVID statements to karen@radcraftbeer.com.

Stay safe, healthy, and resilient!

—The RadCraft team

Peach Street Distillers Pear Brandy Named Best Brandy in the USA

Peach Street 2020 American Distilling Institute awards

PALISADE, CO— Peach Street Distillers was honored with a gold medal at the  American Distilling Institute’s 2020 Judging Awards last week, and with gold earlier this month at the American Craft Spirits Association Awards for best brandy in the United States.  

Peach Street’s Pear Brandy is crafted from a 100 percent pear base, with pears grown a matter of blocks from the distillery in downtown Palisade, Colorado. The pears are pressed, fermented, and distilled onsite before they age in French oak barrels for a minimum of 2 years.

Peach Street Distillers has now received 31 ADI medals in total. The distillery was proud to take home five medals for its five entries this year— a gold medal for Pear Brandy; as well as silver medals for American Whiskey, Colorado Straight Bourbon, and Smoked Rye Whiskey; and a bronze for Amaro.

The American Distilling Institute accepts entries in all classes and categories of craft spirits from small, independently owned distillers, blenders, bitters makers, and producers of aperitif and fortified wines. Each year, both United States and international entries are tasted blind and evaluated by expert panels of judges made up of distillers, journalists, bar owners, bartenders, retailers, wholesalers, distributors and importers. Learn more at distilling.com.

2020 marks the first year that Peach Street submitted spirits to the American Craft Spirits Awards, which honor excellence in the categories of Vodka/Grain, Gin, Brandy, Rum, Whiskey, and Specialty Spirits. In addition to a gold medal for Pear Brandy Peach Street also took home a gold for Colorado Straight Bourbon. A carefully selected group of more than 30 expert judges evaluated more than 500 entries for this year’s competition. Learn more at americancraftspirits.org.

“Our rickhouse is more well known for holding Bourbon and Whiskey, but it’s a great honor to win two gold medals in the same voting season for one of our more delicate expressions in Pear Brandy,” says Dustin Lemoine, Peach Street’s Director of Sales. “The local growers and the climate of Palisade, Colorado make it all possible. We’ve actually got a couple barrels of Pear Brandy that will be turning 6 years old this fall.” 

For more information about Peach Street Distillers’ decorated Pear Brandy, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT PEACH STREET DISTILLERS

Peach Street Distillers was founded in 2005 in the heart of Colorado’s fruit and wine region, Palisade Colorado, where the high desert meets the mountains. The warm days and cool nights in Palisade make the local fruits and grains unimaginably delicious. Living the very definition of “craft” Peach Street does everything the hard way to turn these fermentable raw materials into extraordinary spirits. Peach Street Distillers is Colorado’s oldest independently owned and operated distillery. Visit the distillery online at peachstreetdistillers.com for more about the spirits and the spirits squad.

RadCraft Opens Co-Op Membership Application Early; Offers Free Membership to Barley Crafters Impacted by Coronavirus

Photo by Emily Sierra

Coronavirus really turned our world upside down, and we’ve heard from so many of you that’s the case for you too. We’re here to help, and we can think of no stronger way to show that than to open our doors up to the craft barley community— for business, for support, and for our community across the globe.

Accordingly, we opened up the application period for our communications co-op a month early, we're waiving all annual fees for all breweries, distilleries, and maltsters who apply for the 2020-2021 co-op membership before May 1.

The RadCraft co-op membership is an annual program designed for craft barley crafters with in-house marketing or communications professionals. Membership includes media relations resources like press release publishing and media lists; design services professional photo and video assets; subscriptions to our annual catalogue, vendor directory, and Craft Marketing emails; free tickets & discount pricing to all of RadCraft’s educational offerings, including registration to the annual Craft Social Media workshop; and more. 

Apply for your RadCraft co-op at radcraftbeer.com/jointhecoop. All fees will be waived for applications submitted by Friday, May 1. Applications will be accepted until the end of June. 2020-2021 memberships run July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. 

Companies who apply after May 1 can use the promo code COVIDSUCKS for 25% off the cost of annual membership.

For more information about the RadCraft communications co-op, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

Craft Industry COVID-19 Update - April 14, 2020

Captured by The Brewtography Project at Odell Brewing’s RiNo location.

"Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." —Mattie Stepanek

Another week under our belts of this pandemic and it seems like things have somewhat hovered around where they were the previous week, a refreshing lull after a rush of change. Dare we ask: Is the new normal?

While it does seem like things are slowing down a bit with regards to new developments and policy changes, it may leave us asking ourselves, “how long will this last?” — whether it’s pertaining to how long it’ll be until the next major change, how long we’ll have the shelter-in-place order, how long it’ll be till we can enjoy our craft barley beverages at our favorite brewery, distillery, etc. We’re in serious limbo.

Despite it all, our incredible community keeps collaborating to achieve strength through teamwork. Day after day, there’s pieces of news that bring light during these darker times. There’s just as much positive as there is negative to Coronavirus if you’re looking in the right places. Here are a few of them:

• Dustin Hall of The Brewtography Project is supporting the community through book donations. His generous efforts have raised $4,293 and counting for Colorado craft breweries!

• Four Saints Brewing Company continues to connect with their community in creative ways as they adjust to the new situation as the first and only brewery in Randolph County, North Carolina. Check out what they’re doing here!

• Root Shoot Malting is donating 16,000 pounds of corn to Colorado distilleries to make hand sanitizer to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. The maltster has donated more than 6,000 pounds to-date for hand sanitizer efforts to Ballmer Peak Distillery, Big Fat Pastor Spirits, Conflagration Distilling, Denver Distillery, Golden Moon Distillery, Idlewild Spirits Distillery, Molly Brown Distillery, Rocker Spirits, and The Block Distilling Co., with more to come.

• Other Half Brewing out of New York launched a new campaign, All Together — similar to that of Sierra Nevada’s Resilience campaign. All Together is a worldwide collaboration created to raise awareness and funds for the craft industry. “#AllTogetherBeer invites any brewer, from any corner of the planet, to participate by providing the tools needed to make the beer at the lowest possible cost, including an open-source recipe, artwork, and name. In exchange, the collective asks that a portion of the proceeds go to supporting hospitality professionals in each brewery’s own community. The rest should be donated to keeping the brewery in business to weather this storm.” Read more on Brewbound.

• 33 craft maltsters responded to a recent survey conducted by the Craft Maltsters Guild (CMG) regarding the impact COVID-19 has had on their businesses. As expected, 88% of those responded said that they have already been impacted through reduced sales, however, only 9% of those surveyed made employee lay-offs. That equates to only 3 of the 33 that maltsters forced to make that difficult decision. Support maltsters during this time, and always, by purchasing beer made with local malt or who sport the Craft Malt Seal. Learn more on 5280 Magazine.

• The COVID pandemic has forced many business owners to think outside of the box as they’re adapting to the “new normal” we’re living in. Andy Jessen of Bonfire Brewing share this in a recent Forbes article:

  "It has also made us realize how little we were taking advantage of the opportunity to engage in a broader fashion with our diverse online customer base. With no options for communicating in-person, we've successfully created brand new channels of engagement that are proving successful. The crisis has also shown us the strength of our team and the support they garner in the community. Leaders are emerging.”

If you know of a community or nonprofit effort that supports hospitality businesses in need, we want to hear about it. Comment here, or email us so we can help get the word out.

We’d also love to continue sharing your stories and help you keep track of your evolving changes around COVID precautions. Please email your COVID statements to karen@radcraftbeer.com.

Stay safe and healthy out there!

—Karen Mills, RadCraft Content Editor

Ska Fabricating Debuts Magic Bus Fully Automated Can Depalletizer

The Magic Bus at Allagash Brewing Co.

DURANGO, CO—  The latest product from Ska Fabricating, the Magic Bus, joins the fabrication company’s portfolio of canning options today. The Magic Bus is a fully automated can depalletizer with pallet management capable of speeds up to 600 CPM. It is ideal for any application where speed is important, increased automation is needed, and operator involvement can be minimized, and is now available to beverage companies worldwide.  

The Magic Bus is all about two things: speed and true automation. Gone are the days of pouring time and labor into the manual handling of pallets, top frames and tier sheets on canning lines— the Magic Bus allows packaging teams to “set it and forget it” by simply loading cans, debanding, and pressing start. A standard two-pallet infeed pulls pallets of cans into a depalletizer, where they are automatically emptied, stacked, and have their top frame and tier sheets removed and stored. Learn more about this radical new machine in this video. 

Two craft breweries have already implemented use of the Magic Bus in their canning operations. This new product can be found in the wild at Allagash Brewing in Portland, Maine and Maui Brewing on Maui island in Hawaii. 

“It’s a pallet loader that lets us queue up a full pallet of empty cans in an infeed system that will then automatically index that next pallet into the depalletizer rather than waiting for a fork lift driver to do it. It’s one more way of making sure we keep the filler running and don’t starve it of cans. We were the first to install one of these systems from Ska.” - Sean Diffley, Engineering Director at Allagash Brewing Co.

Join the Ska Fabricating team for The Magic Bus virtual release party on Friday, April 24 at 10am MST, with a live demonstration of this new product followed by a q&a segment with Ska Fab’s fabrication experts. 

Ska Fabricating is now accepting orders for the Magic Bus. Contact sales@skafabricating.com for more information. 

ABOUT SKA FABRICATING

Founded by Ska Brewing Co-Owner Matt Vincent, Ska Fabricating automates packaging lines for craft businesses, specializing in depalletizers, palletizers, conveyance systems, rinsing, drying, filling and date coding products. With more than 800 customers worldwide, Ska Fab has the products and experience to help you increase your production while saving expenses. Learn more at skafabricating.com.

Bonfire Block Party Postponed to August

EAGLE, CO– Due to worldwide uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic, and to ensure the safety of guests, artists, vendors, and the Eagle County community, Bonfire Brewing and Optimum Events announced today that the 2020 Bonfire Block Party will be postponed to the last weekend in August. 

2020 marks the eighth annual Bonfire Block Party, three-time winner of the Best of Vail's Best Summer Festival title. Originally slated for June 12-14 with its most ambitious lineup yet, the new dates for this community event are August 28-30. Eagle, Colorado’s annual Outside Fest that takes place in tandem with Block Party is also postponed to these dates.

A refund process will be available via the Bonfire Block Party website within the next week, for current ticket holders unable to attend the August dates. Tickets purchased for the original June dates will be applied to the new August dates with no further action needed.

The brewery and its event partner Optimum Events are working to keep the original band lineup and all intended weekend plans intact. They will make announcements accordingly at a later time, and continue to prioritize public health over good times as challenging as this reality may be.

 “With circumstances far out of our control, we're more grateful to the Town of Eagle, our ticket buyers, the bands, and our partners than ever before,” says Bonfire co-owner Amanda Jessen.  “Over the last few weeks, keeping the Bonfire family safe and together has been our top priority, and we’re relieved that that has been possible so far,” Jessen continued. “With the announcement of the postponed dates, we’re excited to all have something to look forward to, and ready to bring our community the best Bonfire Block Party yet, circumstances permitting. Beer in the street may never taste so good,” she concludes. 

Live music tours, events, and festivals all over the world have been cancelled or postponed due to the continuing safety concerns as a result of the pandemic. “The music industry, and every business type associated with it, has been absolutely decimated by this crisis,” notes Optimum Events owner Ted Wenninger. “We’re driven to keep the Bonfire Block Party going not only for the community here in Eagle, but also for all the artists, vendors, and staff that have seen their livelihoods disappear.”

A portion of all Bonfire Block Party proceeds benefit Eagle County nonprofit partner, The Cycle Effect. For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit www.bonfireblockparty.com.

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with all media inquiries about Bonfire Brewing and Bonfire Block Party.

IF YOU GO:

What: 2020 Bonfire Block Party

When: Friday, August 28 - Sunday, August 30

Where:  Downtown Eagle, CO

Cost: $40 - $140

More Information: visit www.bonfireblockparty.com

Craft Industry COVID-19 Update - April 7, 2020

Photo courtesy Drifter Brewing Co.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” —Helen Keller

Over the last couple weeks, the craft barley community has gone through quite a rollercoaster ride, to say the least. Our community has taken it in stride, adapting as much as we can. That’s just a small reminder of the strength and resilience of craft brewers, distillers, and maltsters— and just how much we can accomplish together.

Breweries operating under new guidelines across the world continue to release new beers and innovate. Brewers guilds are working tirelessly to communicate daily changes. The social experience might be turned upside down, but beer lovers still have so much access to craft. We mentioned last week that we never realized how much we take our third spaces for granted; and that continues to ring true— on a global scale.

Our friends at Drifter Brewing Company in South Africa are having a helluva lot harder time than some of our partners in the United States. The entire country is under strict lockdown— no beer sales of any kind (or dog walking!). They shared their Captain's Log lockdown story with us here, a creative and comical way to keep the lights on in their part of the world.

We want to continue to share ways you can help, and there’s definitely still so much more to come…

• Service Industry Tips was set up to help the food and beverage professionals that are impacted by restaurant closures and the drastic decrease in workforce with the shift to take-out. During this time of social distancing, consider tipping a local service industry worker through Venmo or Cash App.

• Our friends at C-Star Provisions is donating all profits from the pre-sale of their newest flavor, Nashville Hot Jerky, sales to the staff who have been impacted by the shut downs.

• Good Word Brewing will continue operating their soup kitchen now that they’ve reopened, and will be donating any leftovers to Meals by Grace. They also encourage donating to The Giving Kitchen, an organization that aids restaurant workers when they are in need.

If you know of a community or nonprofit effort that supports hospitality businesses in need, we want to hear about it. Comment here, or email us so we can help get the word out.

Stay safe, stay positive, stay resilient – taking things one day at a time.

—The RadCraft Team

Lone Tree Brewing Rolls Out First-Ever Year-Round IPA, Castle Rock Pale Ale, and Strawberry Kiwi Blonde Ale

LONE TREE, CO— 2020 is a revolutionary year for Lone Tree Brewing Company’s canned portfolio. Fresh off the release of New Zealand IPA early in the year, Lone Tree presents three new brands that are now available across Colorado: India Pale Ale, Castle Rock Pale Ale, and Strawberry Kiwi Blonde Ale.

Lone Tree’s new India Pale Ale is a clear, West Coast-style IPA recipe that Lone Tree has long been tweaking to perfection. This medium-bodied 6.2% ABV India Pale Ale has bold hop character from Centennial, Cascade, and Zythos with copious amounts of CTZ dry-hopping that yield fruit-forward and citrus aromas— all balanced out with a strong but not overpowering malt backbone. “We launched our canned brands with our Double IPA and we’ve always experimented with different hops in our Hoppy Little Trees project, but we’ve never had a year-round flagship IPA until now,” says someone cool at Lone Tree. “This IPA is a long time coming, and we can't wait to share this final product with our customers.”

Castle Rock Pale Ale also joined Lone Tree’s canned lineup this spring. This 5.6% ABV Pale Ale is everything one needs in a classic Pale Ale recipe: well-rounded, both malty and bitter, with a pleasant citrus-forward dry-hop aroma. Lone Tree crafted to celebrate the opening of Castle Rock, Colorado’s new Whole Foods store. It is now available at Whole Foods locations across the Front Range, and of course to-go from Lone Tree’s tasting room. Long live the easy drinking Pale Ale. 

Strawberry Kiwi Blonde Ale hits shelves across Colorado and Kansas this week. Blonde Ale makes for the perfect base for these subtle fruit flavors in this refreshing spring seasonal that weighs in at 5.2 percent ABV. This warm weather crusher will be available all summer long. 

Find all of these new cans for sale to-go at Lone Tree’s tasting room, and at liquor and grocery stores across Colorado. Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com for more information or to connect with the brewery. 

ABOUT LONE TREE BREWING COMPANY

Lone Tree Brewing Company was the first brewery in Lone Tree, Colorado that opened near Park Meadows Mall in 2011. The neighborhood-focused, family-friendly brewery and tasting room regularly hosts community events that gather around a stylistically diverse lineup of flagship, seasonal, and limited release beers. Lone Tree’s cans are sold across the state of Colorado, and in select locations in Kansas. Its draft beer is poured at many bars and restaurants across its distribution footprint as well. Find the brewery online at lonetreebrewingco.com.

Craft Industry COVID-19 Update - March 31, 2020

Photo by The Brewtography Project

"Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work." —Warren Bennis

The craft barley community is taking one for the team. In the United States, many of these businesses have been deemed essential by most government authorities— which means that many of the agriculture and service industry professionals in our community are out on the front lines.

(That’s not the case for every country, and we’ll get into that with some of our friends across the globe next week.)

We never realized how much we take our third spaces for granted.

We trust these establishments with our family gatherings, our first dates, our last dates, our meeting agendas, coveted catch-ups between friends, and so much more. COVID-19 gave us a harsh wake up call that it’s about time we show the service industry it can trust us back.

Let’s keep the lights on for craft. Let’s do so safely, with positivity and resilience. Here are a few ways you can help, with much more to come…

• Restauranteur Connection rounded up more than 20 relief programs for restaurants and their employees in this helpful article.

•  IGC Hospitality launched a program to ensure that out-of-work hospitality workers don’t go hungry. Family Meal will provide FREE meals to anyone in the industry. 

• Our dear friends at The Brewtography Project will give you a FREE BOOK if you send them your receipt for $50 or more at your local craft brewery. Learn more about their generosity here.

If you know of a community or nonprofit effort that supports hospitality businesses in need, we want to hear about it. Comment here, or email us so we can help get the word out.

Hang in there, everyone. One day at a time.

— The RadCraft team

Laws Whiskey House to Release Award-Winning 6-Year Bottled in Bond San Luis Valley Rye

DENVER, CO— After a top-notch showing at the World Whiskies Awards in February where the Denver-based distillery was the category winner for American Rye Whiskey (12 years and under), Laws Whiskey House proudly released its 6-Year Bottled in Bond San Luis Valley Rye. This time-honored new whiskey will be available this month at premium retailers in California, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Texas. 

“The world-class quality of our whiskey stems from the grains we get from the Cody Family Farm in Alamosa,” says distillery founder Al Laws. “The heirloom San Luis Valley rye varietal is a standout as it distills into a distinctive spirit that gets better every year.” 

Colorado’s first-ever Bonded Rye Whiskey is now two years older. This rye expression was first released after aging four years, and Laws is now proud to present it again after two additional years of aging. It was crafted from Colorado Malting Company’s  San Luis Valley rye grain harvested from a single season, shaped by Laws as the single distiller, and then aged in our federally-bonded rack house for six years. You will find sweet grass with honey on the nose, cooling notes of wild mint and fennel, followed by deeper accents of sea salt, orange tea and brown sugar on the palate. It finishes with a rich and buttery mouthfeel, accompanied by tobacco notes.  

In addition to the newly released 6-Year Bottled in Bond San Luis Valley Rye, Laws Whiskey House also has a number of bonded single grain expressions including 6-Year Bottled in Bond Four Grain Bourbon, Henry Road Bonded Malt Whiskey, Bottled in Bond Centennial Straight Wheat Whiskey and Bottled in Bond Straight Corn Whiskey.

For more information about Laws Whiskey House or their award-winning 6-Year Bottled in Bond San Luis Valley Rye, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT LAWS WHISKEY HOUSE

Established in 2011, Laws Whiskey House is a purpose driven, grain to bottle whiskey distillery founded on the principle that the soul of its whiskey is comprised of the people who grow it, the people who make it, and the people who drink it. Using the traditional method of open-air, on grain fermentation, Laws' whiskeys feature high altitude grown American mother grains and mountain spring water while aging in 53-gallon charred American oak barrels. With a collection of award winning whiskey, including several Bottled in Bond expressions, Laws Whiskey House invites you to visit their tasting room in Denver's historic Gates neighborhood and enjoy the Laws experience. For more information visit www.lawswhiskeyhouse.com.

Craft Industry COVID-19 Update - March 24, 2020

Photo at Root Shoot Malting by The Brewtography Project

“You aren't alive if you aren't in need.”  — Henry Cloud

Wise words above by leadership expert and psychologist— a combination of skill sets I certainly need in my life right now, and I can’t imagine I’m alone in that statement. Sudden, widespread Instagram reinforcement that we’re all in this together couldn’t be more true right now, trite as it may already be.

The craft barley community has long been known for camaraderie, and the Coronavirus can’t touch that.

#COVIDcanttouchdis, amiright?!

In effort to bring y’all together from afar, provide critical resources, and to help remind ourselves why we do this every damn day, we’re working on a Coronavirus relief hub for the craft community. It’s a scramble that’s changing by the hour, but here’s what we’ll promise you today:

• A page on our COVID-19 newsfeed if you’re a brewery, distillery, or maltster — to keep track of your evolving changes in response to virus precautions. Eventually these individual company pages will be organized by state and other categories so they are more accessible. For now, each small business that sends us this information will get a custom link for easy sharing. Submit yours to karen@radcraftbeer.com.

• Regular updates on our newsfeed.. If you have a question or a tip for a news share please email karen@radcraftbeer.com.

• Weekly updates on this Craft Industry COVID-19 report that we’ll publish every Tuesday for the foreseeable future.

• Resources, tools, and opportunities for supporting the wellness and stability of your staff and your business. Sign up for our email newsletter, Craft Marketing, to get these resources delivered to your inbox.

Thank you for reading. Stay resilient, friends!

— Emily Hutto, RadCraft Founder & CEO

Craft Industry COVID-19 Update - March 17, 2020

Photo at Root Shoot Malting by The Brewtography Project

After multiple states announced yesterday mandated COVID-19 prevention closures affecting all of our partners and colleagues, we’ve intensely deliberated on what the hell we can do to help. We live by the words Rise to the occasion, and do so with your skillset. Hardly the St. Patrick’s Day we had imaged, but here we are.

Craft breweries and distilleries have jumped into action adjusting their tasting room hours and sales strategies. There’s a lot we can still do, even from our homes, to ensure the longevity of these businesses.

RadCraft is committed to keeping our community in the know as COVID-19 develops. Today we started a craft and service industry specific newsfeed covering all things COVID-19. Our mission is to support breweries, distilleries, maltsters, and service professionals in the wake of a pandemic, and keep you posted on how you can help. Stay informed at radcraftbeer.com/covid19.

We are actively seeking volunteer contributors for this newsfeed. Please email coop@radcraftbeer.com with inquiries about how to share your content or keep this feed flowing.

Thank you for your support of the craft community during this unprecedented dumpster fire.

-Emily Hutto, RadCraft Founder & CEO

Craft After Dark Canceled Alongside Craft Brewers Conference

Photo by Garrett Allen

SAN ANTONIO, TX— Following last week’s cancellation of the 2020 Craft Brewers Conference and World Beer Cup, Ska Fabricating announced today the cancellation of Craft After Dark on April 21. 

Craft After Dark hosts Ska Fabricating, Ska Brewing, Wild Goose Filling, and presenting sponsor American Canning have canceled this CBC anchor event in response to recommendations about public gatherings during this state of national emergency. 

The hosts of Craft After Dark extend gratitude to the headlining band, Galactic, and all of the event sponsors who collaborated to make it possible. 

“While this event and CBC as a whole are gatherings that we eagerly look forward to every year, our concerns about and commitment to health and safety echo those passed down by the BA, state and local governments,” says the Ska Fab team. “We will be announcing follow-up communications regarding what we'll be doing in place of these events, and we look forward to the next time we're able to connect with all of our favorite industry folks on the scale that CBC provided. Thank you all for understanding, and please take care of yourselves and others. For more information on how you can help to stop the spread of COVID-19, familiarize yourself with the CDC’s guidelines.”

For more information about this announcement, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA FABRICATING

Founded by Ska Brewing Co-Owner Matt Vincent, Ska Fabricating automates packaging lines for craft businesses, specializing in depalletizers, palletizers, conveyance systems, rinsing, drying, fill detection and date coding products. With more than 800 customers worldwide, Ska Fab has the products and experience to help you increase your production while saving expense. Learn more at skafabricating.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit skabrewing.com.

ABOUT WILD GOOSE CANNING

With decades of experience in brewing, canning, and bottling craft beverages, Wild Goose Filling Systems provides filling systems for beer, cider, kombucha, cannabis, wine, and other ready-to-drink beverages. Having pioneered the first craft canning and bottling systems on the market, Wild Goose systems have patented technology that maintains the highest quality levels for packaged beverages. Their expertise in engineering and focus on craft beverages sets them apart from other systems on the market. With unmatched efficiency, operational control and excellence in customer service, Wild Goose provides canning and bottling systems to thousands of customers around the globe. To find out more, visit wgcanning.com.

Canceled: Block Party Preview Vail Ale House on March 13

The Mammoths

UPDATE on March 12, 2020: This event is canceled as a COVID-19 precaution.

EAGLE, CO– Buy fee-free tickets for the 2020 Bonfire Block Party this Friday, March 13 at Vail Ale House. 

From 8pm to 12am this Friday, guests at Vail Ale House can snag these ticket prices, the cheapest of the year if they didn’t make it to the Lineup Release Shindig. From 9pm on, enjoy a preview of this year’s event with live music by The Mammoths, who will also play Block Party in June. 

Kind Hearted Strangers will also play, and Vail Ale House will serve beers on tap from all three breweries in Bonfire’s pilot Block Party brewery collaboration: Woods Boss Brewing, Strange Craft Beer Co., and Vail Brewing Company. 

Woods Boss is sending The Oswald Hazy IPA; Strange Craft is sending Cherry Kriek, and Vail Brewing Company is sending Blur NEIPA. Bonfire Brewing will also have three beers on tap. More details about the Brewery Collaboration will be announced later in the year.

Bonfire Block Party 2020 includes  performances by Sam Bush, The Record Company, Dumpstaphunk, The Main Squeeze, The Broadcast, The Runaway Grooms, and House with a Yard. They join Keller Williams Grateful Grass, The Mammoths and Mo Lowda & the Humble. Five  more bands coming soon.

Ticket options for Bonfire Block Party currently on sale include Two-Day General Admission tickets, Two-Day Sili-Package tickets, regularly priced Two-Day VIP Experience tickets, and Bloodies & Bluegrass brunch tickets, which include bottomless Bloody Marys and mimosas. This multi-day street festival in downtown Eagle, Colorado takes place Friday, June 12 through Sunday, June 14 as a kick-off to summer. Kids 12 and under are free for General Admission, and two and under are free for the VIP Experience and Sunday’s Bloodies & Bluegrass event.

A portion of all Bonfire Block Party proceeds benefit Eagle County nonprofit partner, The Cycle Effect. For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit www.bonfireblockparty.com.

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with all media inquiries about Bonfire Brewing and Bonfire Block Party.

IF YOU GO:

What: 2020 Bonfire Block Party

When: Friday, June 12 - Sunday, June 14

Where:  Downtown Eagle, CO

Cost: $40 - $140

More Information: visit www.bonfireblockparty.com

Root Shoot Malting Spearheads Craft Malt Seal in Colorado

Photo at Woods Boss Brewing Company

LOVELAND, CO— As an advocate and Member Malthouse for the Craft Maltsters Guild’s Craft Malt Certified Seal program, Root Shoot Malting is excited to announce Colorado’s twelve new craft malt certified breweries. 

City Star Brewing, Comrade Brewing, Grist Brewing, Iron Mule Brewery, Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery, Joyride Brewing, Launch Pad Brewery, Mockery Brewing, Station 26 Brewing Co., Timnath Beerwerks, Woods Boss Brewing Company, and Guanella Pass Brewing Co. are the newest Member Breweries in the Craft Malt Certified Seal program, which allows brewers and distillers to communicate their use of and support for distinctive, locally produced raw materials. 

These breweries have demonstrated their commitment to locally grown and roasted barley by joining this membership program, and they’re proud to do so. “We joined because we buy malt from Root Shoot Malting. It's important to support our local economy and a fellow manufacturer like ourselves,” says David Lin, Chairman & Founder at Comrade Brewing in Denver. “We were impressed with their dedication to quality, along with their malting facility. Root Shoot helps differentiate our beer while meeting the customers’ desire for local products.”

Photo at Comrade Brewing

Jordan Fink, Co-Founder and Head Brewer of another Denver brewery, Woods Boss Brewing, is another advocate for the Craft Malt Seal. “We have a deep and abiding commitment to sustainability, community, education, personal relationships and of course, making amazing beer,” he says. “To that effect, we developed a partnership with Root Shoot Malting pretty much right out of the gate and at this point, almost all of our base malt is supplied by them. Given the opportunity to join the Craft Maltsters Guild and be able to showcase our participation through the use of the Seal was a no-brainer for us. It allows us to promote the folks who supply our grain, what they do, and showcase our beer all at the same time.”

Another of the country’s leading maltsters and craft malt membership crusaders, Riverbend Malt in Asheville, North Carolina, has also encouraged 12 breweries to join the Craft Malt Seal. Learn more about the Seal at craftmalting.com.  

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Root Shoot Malting.

ABOUT ROOT SHOOT MALTING 

Root Shoot Malting’s family of farmers grow, harvest and malt the finest grains to give brewers and distillers high-quality taste in every glass. Opened in 2016 on 1,500 acres of Olander Farms’ irrigated land in Loveland, Colorado, Root Shoot harvests alfalfa, wheat, corn, rye, and barley. Root Shoot gives breweries and distilleries the ability to procure local, consistent and high quality craft products. Find this craft maltster online at rootshootmalting.com.

Ska Street Brewstillery to open in Boulder on March 16

Photo by The Brewtography Project

BOULDER, CO—  Ska Street Brewstillery will open to the public on March 16, followed by a grand opening celebration slated for April 9. 

A joint project of Ska Brewing and its sister company, Palisade’s Peach Street Distillers, Ska Street Brewstillery in Boulder will include a restaurant, a 10 BBL brewing system, a 450-liter still, thirty taps for serving Ska beers, a mixology program, and all of the music-inspired silliness the has established Ska and Peach Street as iconic Colorado destinations.

The Ska Street Brewstillery menu will include vegetarian and vegan options, as well as the farm-to-table ethos championed by Peach Street and executed by recently hired Head Chef Travis Messervey. The taproom will pour all of Ska’s flagship beers — including Modus Hoperandi IPA, True Blonde Ale, Pinstripe Red, and Pink Vapor Stew— as well as experimental one-offs and other specialties brewed on-site, along with whiskey, gin, vodka, and other spirits also made at the facility. 

Join Ska Street Brewstillery at 1600 38th Street in Boulder on its first day open to the public on Monday,  March 16 at 11am. Business hours are 11am to 10pm Monday through Friday, 10am to 10pm Saturday, and 10am to 9pm Sunday.

Ska Street will be open during regular business hours through the month, and will celebrate its grand opening on April 9. The brewstillery will share more information about this party soon.

For more information about Ska Street Brewstillery, Ska Brewing, or Peach Street Distillers, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT SKA BREWING

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award- winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.

ABOUT PEACH STREET DISTILLERS

Peach Street Distillers was founded in 2005 in the heart of Colorado’s Fruit and Wine region, Palisade Colorado, where the high desert meets the mountains. The warm days and cool nights in Palisade make the local fruits and grains unimaginably delicious. Living the very definition of “craft” we do everything the hard way to turn these fermentable raw materials into extraordinary spirits. Because, this is what we consider fun and what makes for a mighty fine drink. Peach Street Distillers is Colorado’s oldest continuously owned and operated distillery. Visit Peach Street at www.peachstreetdistillers.com for more about the spirits and the spirits squad.