This year’s Collaboration Fest saw more brewers, and a new venue. The National Western Complex served as the site for this years festival. There was a lot of beer. In total, there were 112 collaborations from 188 different breweries in Colorado and nationwide. Some growing pains were evident in the new space, but overall, it was a wonderful day. Wild Goose had a couple of beers being poured from two collaborations. The first was a Cream Ale with birch bark, brewed with Aaron at BJ’s in Boulder. The second was a sweet red ale, aged on French oak chips that had been soaked in three separate Colorado spirits; Spirit Hound whiskey, Jackelope gin, and Dancing Pines spiced rum. This beer was brewed with Bard at El Rancho in Evergreen. There were designated pourers this year, so we were able to mingle with the crowd instead of standing behind our jockey box the entire time. One of the wonderful things about this festival is the camaraderie, and it was evident as soon as you stepped inside. Good times, great friends, and lots of brainstorming remind me why I love this industry so much. Looking forward to next year!!
