Ryan Pachmayer

2 weeks ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

How do you start a distillery focused on American single malt whiskey, when making such a product requires several years in a barrel? For Hoot + Howl Spirits, that meant emphasizing a range of other spirits while the single malt sits in casks. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau just made American single malt an official category earlier this year, but Hoot + Howl was ready for it. “I grew up in the mountains.

2 weeks ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

Bruz Beers is bringing Belgium to Colorado: The Denver-based artisanal brewery will host the Belgian Import Festival on June 7. The festival is a milestone “get” for Bruz and a chance to showcase some of Belgium's finest beers for Denver residents and the many out-of-towners expected.

1 month ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

It's a dream for many people working at large food and beverage companies to put a personal stamp on the products being made every day. For Ross Koenigs, that dream has become a reality: Steel Horse, an amber ale in the vein of Fat Tire, launched last week at Koenigs's Second Dawn Brewery at 2032 Dayton Street in Aurora. Koenigs worked at New Belgium Brewery for years, helping develop what is now the Voodoo Ranger series, while making plenty of Fat Tire.

1 month ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

Hosted by the Colorado Brewers Guild, Collaboration Fest is one of Colorado's most popular beer festivals. It's also home to some of the wackiest beers ever made. According to Propagate's Charles McManus, one of the best parts of the fest is that half the entries are usually "weird" or trying something that's never been attempted before. Special batch collaborations between two breweries that excel at specific styles are frequent fest highlights.

2 months ago | beerandbrewing.com | Ryan Pachmayer

When longtime friends Michael Key and Eddie Leal joined Silver Reef and helped open it in 2019, the southern Utah beer scene was a desert as dry as the Mojave. In a largely Mormon area where the craft-beer learning curve can be steep, bringing a regular rauchbier to the table might sound crazy—but the pair had seen it work before.