Denver Rare Beer Tasting IX

In the next few days we will be announcing the complete list of 68 breweries that have agreed to appear at this year's Denver Rare Beer Tasting. That number is up 25% from last year as we test a new approach to accommodate more craft brewers who have asked to take part. The event will begin with 58 brewers pouring and as some breweries start to run out of beer, they will be replaced by one of the 10 "Bullpen Brewers" we will have in reserve. This will give guests some new rare beer options to try during the last 90 minutes of the event.

 

250 VIP tickets -- same as last year. Ticket limit for VIP and GA is max of 10. We only have a couple of groups who come back year after year buying the maximum. The vast majority of our sales are 1-3 tickets per purchase.

 

Only one person purchased the maximum in VIP. The "No Tickets Available" message first hit at the 3 minute mark, but tickets did not officially "sell out" until around 70 minutes. The issue was not with people buying 10 tickets. It was with a bunch of people going in and selecting 3, 4 or 5 seats and then never entering a credit card or finalizing the purchase. People were able to get those tickets after the "hold time" ran out and they were released from people's shopping carts. There is no practical way to prevent that without setting a very low hold time for tickets. People would then complain that they did not have time to complete their purchases and lost their tickets. We do have a few groups of 6 people that buy year after year. They have a tradition of going with friends and lowering the seat limit would not be good customer service for these loyal supporters.

 

The Denver Rare Beer Tasting has more first-time participating breweries than ever before, 26. Which ones are you most interested to try?

· Against the Grain Brewery, Louisville, Kentucky
· The Alchemist, Waterbury, Vt.
· Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, Denver, Colo.
· Cerebral Brewing, Denver, Colo.
· Crank Arm Brewery, Raleigh, N.C.
· Destihl Brewery, Normal, Ill.
· Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora, Colo.
· Forager Brewing, Rochester, Minn.
· Grand Basin Brewery, Sparks, Nev.
· Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project, Denver, Colo.
· Joyride Brewing, Edgewater, Colo.
· Kane Brewing, Ocean, N.J.
· Lakewood Brewing, Garland, Texas
· Libertine Brewing, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
· The Lost Borough, Rochester, N.Y
· Mikkeller Brewing SD, San Diego, Calif.
· Ozark Beer Co., Rogers, Arkansas
· Pappy Slokum Brewing, Abilene, Texas
· Perry Street Brewing, Spokane, Wash.
· Prison City Pub & Brewery, Auburn, N.Y.
· Rhinegeist Brewery, Cincinnati, Ohio
· Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe, N.M.
· Scratch Brewing, Ava, Ill.
· Side Project Cellar, Maplewood, Mo.
· Uberbrew, Billings, Mont.
· Unknown Brewing, Charlotte, N.C.

 

Denver Rare Beer Tasting IX Breweries Announced
Tickets for Pints for Prostates Awareness Event on Sale Father’s Day

DENVER, CO – More than 60 of America’s leading craft breweries have agreed to take part in the ninth annual Denver Rare Beer Tasting to raise funds for the Pints for Prostates campaign.

The prostate cancer awareness event will be held on Oct. 6 in Colorado during the same weekend as the Great American Beer Festival. The Denver Rare Beer Tasting IX features the chance to sample rare, exotic and vintage beers from 68 craft breweries and the opportunity to meet the men and women who made them.

“An amazing collection of American craft breweries are generously helping us to reach men through the universal language of beer by donating prized brews to pour at the Denver Rare Beer Tasting IX,” said Rick Lyke, founder of Pints for Prostates. “These brewers have joined the fight against prostate cancer for what has become an annual celebration of beer passion and brewing craftsmanship.”

Brewers who have committed to attend the event include:

· Against the Grain Brewery, Louisville, Kentucky*
· Alaskan Brewing, Juneau, Alaska
· The Alchemist, Waterbury, Vt.*
· AleSmith Brewing, San Diego, Calif.
· Avery Brewing, Boulder, Colo.
· Bells Brewing, Kalamazoo, Mich.
· Big Sky Brewing, Missoula, Mont.
· Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, Denver, Colo.*
· The Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, N.Y.
· The Bruery, Placentia, Calif.
· Cascade Brewing, Portland, Ore.
· Cerebral Brewing, Denver, Colo.*
· Coronado Brewing, Coronado, Calif.
· Crank Arm Brewery, Raleigh, N.C.*
· Crux Fermentation Project, Bend, Ore.
· Destihl Brewery, Normal, Ill.*
· Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora, Colo.*
· Firestone Walker Brewing, Paso Robles, Calif.
· Forager Brewing, Rochester, Minn.*
· Fremont Brewing, Seattle, Wash.
· Full Sail Brewing, Hood River, Ore.
· Fullsteam Brewery, Durham, N.C.
· Funky Buddha Brewing, Oakland Park, Fla.
· Grand Basin Brewery, Sparks, Nev.*
· Grand Teton Brewing, Victor, Idaho
· Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, Colo.
· Grimm Brothers Brewing, Loveland, Colo.
· Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Richmond, Va.
· Haw River Farmhouse Ales, Saxapahaw, N.C.
· Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project, Denver, Colo.*
· Jester King Craft Brewery, Austin, Texas
· Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, Mich.
· Joyride Brewing, Edgewater, Colo.*
· Kane Brewing, Ocean, N.J.*
· Lakewood Brewing, Garland, Texas*
· Libertine Brewing, San Luis Obispo, Calif.*
· The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, Calif.
· The Lost Borough, Rochester, N.Y*
· Matt Brewing, Utica, N.Y.
· Maui Brewing, Lahaina, Hawaii
· Mikkeller Brewing SD, San Diego, Calif.*
· New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, Colo.
· New Holland Brewing, Holland, Mich.
· NoDa Brewing, Charlotte, N.C.
· Ozark Beer Co., Rogers, Arkansas*
· Pappy Slokum Brewing, Abilene, Texas*
· Perennial Artisan Ales, St. Louis, Mo.
· Perry Street Brewing, Spokane, Wash.*
· Prison City Pub & Brewery, Auburn, N.Y.*
· Rhinegeist Brewery, Cincinnati, Ohio*
· River North Brewery, Denver, Colo.
· Rogue Ales, Newport, Ore.
· Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe, N.M.*
· Samuel Adams Brewery, Boston, Mass.
· Scratch Brewing, Ava, Ill.*
· Side Project Cellar, Maplewood, Mo.*
· Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico, Calif.
· Spangalang Brewing, Denver, Colo.
· Stone Brewing, Escondido, Calif.
· Sun King Brewing, Indianapolis, Ind.
· Thirsty Dog Brewing, Akron, Ohio
· Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Ind.
· Uberbrew, Billings, Mont.*
· Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City, Utah
· Unknown Brewing, Charlotte, N.C.*
· Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project, Loveland, Colo.
· WeldWerks Brewing, Greeley, Colo.
· Yazoo Brewing, Nashville, Tenn.

(* Indicates first appearance at Denver Rare Beer Tasting.)

Breweries bring some of their rarest brews to the annual tasting. The beer list for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting IX will be released prior to the event. Twenty-six breweries will be pouring beer at the event for the first time, while eight breweries have participated in all eight previous Denver Rare Beer Tastings. Breweries representing 28 states are on the list.

In addition to the beer and silent auction donations made by participating breweries, the Denver Rare Beer Tasting IX is being sponsored in part by Cargill Craft Malt and DRAFT Magazine, with logistical support from MicroStar. Additional sponsorship packages are available for companies that wish to take part in this boutique tasting.

Tickets for the event go on sale on June 18 at 10 a.m. (MT) via ETIX.com. VIP tickets are $165 and include early admission starting at Noon. General Admission tickets are $115 for the 1-4 p.m. tasting. Each attendee receives a commemorative tasting glass, t-shirt, program and pen. A special beer centric lunch created by Jensen Cummings of Brewed Food is included in the ticket price and guests will have the chance to bid in an exciting silent auction that includes a variety of unique beer experiences and collectibles. During the event, attendees can also participate in the Brewers Health Initiative, a free men’s health screening.

The first eight Denver Rare Beer Tastings sold out several weeks in advance. The event will be held this year on two floors of the McNichols Civic Center Building at 144 W. Colfax Ave.

All Denver Rare Beer Tasting ticket holders will be entered into a drawing for a five night Carolinas on My Mind Beer Adventure for two to Charlotte and Asheville, N.C., and Greenville, S.C. VIP ticket holders will receive three raffle tickets and general admission ticket holders will receive one ticket. Anyone wearing a Pints for Prostates t-shirt or hat to the event will receive another free entry for the drawing. Additional tickets will be available for a donation. The winner will be drawn during the event from tickets collected exclusively at the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. The winner and a guest will travel to North and South Carolina in October 2018 on a trip that includes roundtrip airfare from the continental U.S., 5 nights hotel, ground transportation, brewery tours, pub crawls, beer lunches and beer dinners.

“The Denver Rare Beer Tasting is a celebration of beer passion with a serious mission: raising awareness about prostate cancer. Beer fans get to taste a collection of beers that few people have the opportunity to enjoy, while rubbing elbows with some of the world’s most talented brewers,” said Lyke. “It is a fun afternoon and a great atmosphere. And 100 percent of the proceeds go to help men’s health.”

Pints for Prostates is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity and all net proceeds from Denver Rare Beer Tasting go towards the group’s awareness mission and help to fund the education and support programs of the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, and free prostates cancer screening programs provided by the Prostate Conditions Education Council.

About Pints for Prostates
Pints for Prostates reaches men through the universal language of beer to encourage them to take charge of their health. The group was founded by prostate cancer survivor and beer writer Rick Lyke in 2008. The grassroots effort raises awareness among men about the importance of regular men’s health screenings by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 161,000 new prostate cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2017 in the U.S. More information is available at www.pintsforprostates.org. Pints for Prostates also has a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@pints4prostates).

 

VIP tickets are sold out. It took 24 minutes for all shopping carts to process and/or clear. Thanks for the support. General Admission sales are brisk.

 

General Admission tickets are running well ahead of last year's totals. Here is the link: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/85387...ission-denver-mcnichols-civic-center-building