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Arapahoe Basin hosts 14th annual Festival of the Brewpubs

Krista Driscoll
kdriscoll@summitdaily.com
A new VIP tasting has been added to the Festival of the Brewpubs this year, where Broken Compass and Wynkoop, plus VIP-only breweries Elevation Beer Co. and Oskar Blues Brewing Co., will pour and discuss their small-batch, specialty brews.
Dave Camara / Arapahoe Basin Ski Area |

If you go

What: 14th annual Festival of the Brewpubs

When: Sunday, May 24; noon to 4 p.m. beer sampling and VIP tasting, and 1-4 p.m. music from Funky Johnson

Where: Base Area, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area

Cost: $25 in advance or $30 at the door gets you beer sampling from 11 breweries and a commemorative plastic mug, or a $55 VIP ticket includes sampling, a specialty beer glass and a VIP area with samples of small-batch brews and snacks; food is also available for purchase

More information: Visit arapahoebasin.com to purchase advance tickets and for more information on transportation and lodging. For a full Summit Stage bus schedule, visit http://www.summitstage.com, or to learn more about the music, visit http://www.funkyjohnson.com.

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area will host the 14th annual Festival of the Brewpubs springtime celebration on Sunday, May 24, with beer samples poured by 11 breweries from Summit County and around the state, plus live music, outdoor food stations and a new VIP experience.

Participating breweries include Pug Ryan’s Brewing Co., Dillon Dam Brewery, AC Golden Brewing Co., Avery Brewing Co., Ska Brewing, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Breckenridge Brewery, Left Hand Brewing, Great Divide Brewing Co., Broken Compass Brewing and Wynkoop Brewing Co.

A portion of ticket sales will go to first-time festival beneficiaries Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment (C-RAD) and the Avalanche Rescue Dogs of Colorado.



“We work closely with those organizations,” said Kristina Nayden, marketing and advertising manager for A-Basin. “We have two avy dogs here, and it’s really near and dear to our heart and we wanted to support them. They do a lot for the skiers and snowboarders out there.”

New VIP tasting



A new VIP tasting has been added to the event this year, where Broken Compass and Wynkoop, plus VIP-only breweries Elevation Beer Co. and Oskar Blues Brewing Co., will pour and discuss their small-batch, specialty brews in a more intimate setting outside on the 6th Alley Bar and Grill’s Perch.

“We really wanted to add another element, a better offering,” Nayden said. “It’s something other people have been doing at other festivals and have a lot of fun with, so we wanted to increase our offerings for the beer lovers out there in Summit County.”

In addition to likely suspects such as Ginger Pale and India Brown ales, which will be poured in the general admission tasting area, Jason Ford, head brewer at Broken Compass in Breckenridge, has a few special brews for the VIP experience.

“I’ll probably take a Coconut Porter, and probably a Chili Pepper (Pale Ale),” he said. “Those are the most unique beers that people dig on.”

A-Basin is only offering 50 of the VIP tickets, which also include light snacks, a specialty snifter-style beer glass and entrance into the main festival.

Be merry, drive safe

To go along with the beer tastings, A-Basin is also trotting out its Festival Fare, a mix of beer fest-style treats available for purchase in the Base Area. The menu includes Rocky Mountain oysters ($7.50 a bag), brats and sauerkraut served with German-style potato salad and dill-cucumber salad ($8.50) or pretzels with mustard ($4).

Entertainment for the Festival of the Brewpubs will be provided by Summit County’s Funky Johnson, playing dance music with funk and soul overtones. The band plays originals and covers ranging from Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire to James Brown, Aretha Franklin, the artist formerly known as Prince and The Funky Meters.

A-Basin is encouraging festival attendees to designate a driver or ride for free on the Summit Stage, which will be running its last day of bus service from Keystone to A-Basin on Sunday, May 24. The free bus will leave River Run in Keystone at 55 minutes after the hour until 4:55 p.m., and the last bus will leave A-Basin at 5:10 p.m. to go back to Keystone. Visit arapahoebasin.com to learn more.


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