Another Keystone Bluegrass & Beer Festival is in the books, and once again Colorado’s longest running beer festival didn’t disappoint. The family friendly vibe, stellar beer selection from some of Colorado’s best breweries, and incredibly talented bluegrass musicians from around the country makes this one of our favorite Colorado beer festivals. Here are some highlights from our weekend in Keystone.
The Beer
With forty Colorado breweries spread across the Keystone village, the beer selection was good enough to keep any craft beer enthusiast happy.
New Wave, a strawberry Berliner Weiss clocking in at 4%, from Ratio Beerworks, one of our top five favorite Denver breweries, is our pick for best beer (#keystonebestbrew) of the festival. It’s currently on tap at Ratio’s (rad) Denver tap room. We’ll be making our way up there for more of this one as soon as possible.
Their impressive lineup and expansive tap room in Golden has quickly made New Terrain one of our favorite destinations in the Denver metro area. Situated at the base of North Table mountain, it’s the perfect launching point for a mountain bike ride or trail run, and they’re constantly hosting live music and weekly rides and runs. Their Golden Haze, a 6.8% New England IPA, was also a favorite at the fest.
Kjell Wygant of 105 West Brewing on the didgeridoo Saturday afternoon.
A healthy late Saturday afternoon pour of Crazy Mountain Brewing Lawyers, Guns & Money Barleywine!
Rare Trait is just one of the reasons Cerebral Brewing tops our list of favorite Denver breweries. It’s a must-stop destination if you’re planning a Denver craft beer outing. Pro tip: If you’re going to a show at Bluebird Theatre, this is your pre-show place, two blocks from the venue.
We’re longtime fans of eno and always enjoy seeing them at festivals!
The Bluegrass
The Brothers Comatose closed out the main stage on Sunday afternoon. A lot of Colorado beer festivals include live bluegrass, but few of them match the incredible talent featured on the stages at Keystone Bluegrass & Beer. And it’s FREE!
The Brothers Comatose return to Colorado in October, with shows in Denver (10/12 @ Ogden), Colorado Springs (10/13 @ Ivywild School), and Ft Collins (10/14 @ Aggie Theatre). You’ve been warned!
Durango based, Liver Down The River threw down an energetic Sunday afternoon set on the main stage.
Can’t wait to see The Wooks again. Kentucky rhythm and bluegrass, nuff said!
Legendary bluegrass singer song-writer Peter Rowan, backed by The Wooks, brought the Saturday session to a close.
All photos by Mitch Kline.
Up next for Keystone Festivals, Mountain Town Music Festival, August 19, featuring live music from Shovels & Rope, Ages & Ages, Mipso, and Strange Americans. Get all the details at keystonefestivals.com.