Today, March 21, is the first day of Colorado Craft Beer Week. Last year, the Colorado Brewers Guild took over this week-long celebration of the state’s beer and immediately involved Colorado’s 200+ breweries, craft beer-savvy restaurants and bars, and local organizations to host events in beer week’s honor. More than fifty special tappings, seminars, parties, beer dinners, and other events went on in its very first year.
“Craft Beer Week in Colorado is a somewhat recent phenomenon,” says John Carlson, the executive director of the Colorado Brewers Guild. “Colorado brewers have been hanging out with one another informally since the late 1980s. It’s our pioneering spirit that forms the glue. Lately, we have been stepping up our game and really put on a statewide celebration during Colorado Craft Beer Week.”
One year later, Colorado Craft Beer Week has doubled in size and gained some serious stakeholders, including Colorado’s lawmakers. Liberal alcohol legislation in the state and the “craft-conscious” Governor Hickenlooper (who was one of the original founders of Wynkoop Brewing in 1988) have helped to put craft beer on the political map. And now, it’s on tap.