Blue Stag Saloon in Breckenridge celebrates first anniversary

The Blue Stag Saloon, located at 323 S. Main St. in Breckenridge, is hosting a one-year anniversary party from 11 a.m. to close Saturday, June 27, with drink specials, live music and a silent auction to benefit the Summit County Rescue Group.

“Blue Stag was an idea that we had four years ago,” said Terry Barbu, owner of the Blue Stag, which last year took over the space previously occupied by The Whale’s Tail. “We wanted to find a location, and we put what’s now turned out to be a little more than a half million into the remodel. We opened it up with great success.”

The restaurant’s mix of high-quality food and inviting atmosphere, along with great bar and late-night menus has made it a popular hangout, Barbu said.

To thank locals for their support, the Blue Stag is putting up a tent behind the restaurant, with live music from 3 to 7 p.m. and brewery reps serving up quarter beers from partners including Dillon Dam Brewery, Green Flash Brewing Co., Dry Dock Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing Co., Ballast Point Brewing, South Park Brewing, Upslope Brewing Co., Strange Craft Beer Co. and the Fort Collins Brewery.

Representatives from the Breckenridge Distillery also will be on hand sampling their world-renowned spirits and hosting a Frisbee-style KanJam game, with prizes including distillery swag. All the money collected from the quarter beers, donation jars and the silent auction, with items “from people from all over,” as well as 10 percent of all additional beer sales, will go to Summit County Rescue Group, Barbu said.

“We have a lot of idiot friends that need to get saved, so we’ve got to give them extra money for what they do,” he said with a laugh. “They’re looking for money, and they’re a great group. They’ve helped a couple of people that we know.”

Colorado Brewers’ Festival this weekend in Fort Collins

The 26th edition of the Colorado Brewers’ Festival is set for Friday, June 26, through Sunday, June 28, in downtown Fort Collins. The festival debuted in 1990 and is one of the five oldest beer fests in the United States, last year drawing 18,000 attendees to the city’s Civic Center Park area.

This year’s festival will include about 60 different beers from more than 40 Colorado breweries, plus a Friday night pre-festival event called The Summit, a fundraiser for the Colorado Brewers’ Guild with more than 30 exceptional and rare beers from Guild member breweries.

“We’re excited to join forces with the fest for this intimate experience for Colorado craft beer lovers,” said Steve Kurowski, marketing director for the Colorado Brewers Guild. “We are asking our brewery members to dig deep and bring something very special, something they typically don’t serve at public events.”

Tickets for the Colorado Brewers’ Festival, which start at $25, and more information can be found at downtownfortcollins.com.