The Bolder Life: Beer, Please

My ego, my calves and my liver are still a little sore from the beating I took this past weekend during the 6^th Annual Boulder Beer Pearl Street Scavenger Hunt. Aside from a tummy full of beer, other things I took away from this highly sought after event (tickets sold out in 8 minutes!) included: an appreciation for those used concert tickets that always end up in your wallet, a renewed love for the locals of the fair city of Boulder that spend more time eating in restaurants on Pearl Street than in their own dining rooms and come in handy when scavenging artwork from the inside of restaurant walls—and an appreciation for the awesome awkwardness that is the Pearl Street Mall.

If you’ve never participated in the Boulder Beer Scavenger Hunt, I highly recommend you look into it next year. Although my team, Team BFF (Beer Friends Forever), didn’t take away the grand prize of beer of a year, and lost out to team Purple Rain in the costume contest, I still had a blast running around downtown Boulder– playing games like corn hole, Pictionary and Memory at different bars and restaurants, and collecting awkward items… like rubber babies, golf tees and colored paper clips.

Although you’ll have to wait until next year for this beer-lover’s event to come around again, here’s a list of upcoming beer-centric events that should tide you over for a while.

2012 Samael’s Release and Vertical Tasting
Thursday, April 26^th | 6:30 p.m. | Avery Brewing Barrel Aging Cellar
I spent some time in the Avery Brewing Barrel Aging Cellar last week, and let me tell you, these guys take their aged beers seriously! Samael’s Oak Aged Ale is part of the “Demons of Ale” series and promises to demonize your pallet! $20 gets you: in the door, a vertical tasting of Samael’s paired with some tasty desserts.

Microbreweries for the Environment
Friday, April 27^th | 8:00 p.m. | The Boulder Theater
This much-loved Boulder event is back again, and ready to serve up craft beers from 20 Colorado microbreweries! Tickets are $25.75 in advance plus an additional $12 for unlimited tastings or $2 per pint of beer. Proceeds from this benefit will be awarded to a slew of local non-profit organizations and the who’s who of the local music scene will provide the entertainment for the evening.

Oskar Blues/Upslope Brewing Beer Dinner
Thursday, May 10^th | Time TBD | Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids & Solids
Oskar Blues and Upslope Brewing will be kicking off Craft Beer week on Thursday, May 10^th with a collaboration beer dinner held at Oskar Blues Liquids and Solids in Longmont. Food by OB, with Upslope Beer pairings sounds like the makings of one delicious beer dinner. Time and price are still TBD. Keep an eye on the Oblongbar Twitter page for more info.

Chocolate Lab for Lovers… of Craft Beer
Wednesday, May 16^th | 7:00 p.m. | Piece, Love & Chocolate
Beer and chocolate go together like peanut butter and jelly—and the chocolatiers at Piece, Love & Chocolate are holding a tasting class to show you why. Join “Madame Chocolat”, Chef Sarah Amorese and Jeff Mendel of Left Hand Brewing as they guide you on your way to a new appreciation for fine chocolate and craft beer—together as one. Tickets are $45 per person. Register here.