Breckenridge Brewery turned 22 this weekend, and we were there to help them celebrate. And by “help them celebrate” I mean drink their beer, eat their food, and generally enjoy wandering around the brewery like we were some sort of VIPs. This is the party of the summer, and we haven’t missed one yet. Okay, that’s a total lie. We never even knew about this party until our friend Jessica heard about it last year. But since that 21st-anniversary party, we haven’t missed one yet! Jessica joined us again this year and the three of us had a blast!
The Breckenridge Brewery 22nd Anniversary Party & BBQ Bash
The ticket in the door for the 22nd anniversary the tickets were, not coincidentally, $22. This price includes everything which makes it a steal! The fine cooks at Breckenridge BBQ always roast up a pig or two and serve it up with all the fixins. You serve yourself up buffet style and enjoy your food at some big community tables, giving it the feel of a friendly family barbecue. If only my family cooked grub this good…
Also included are all the fine beers that Breckenridge Brewery offers, and then some. This year not only did they pour all of their own brews, but the friendly folks from Renegade Brewing Company were also on hand to help supply more great beers. If beer’s not your thing, they also had Root Beer from Wynkoop. With such great beverages all around, there was no excuse for an empty cup, ever.
Totally worth 22 bucks, right? But wait, there’s more! Every year Breckenridge Brewery makes up some very special firkins for their celebration. To find these small-batch brews, you have to wander back in the brewery where one of the talented brewers at Breckenridge can tell you all about their creations. Everything we sampled was unique, and many were outright amazing. For example, the Lucky U infused with Ghost Peppers and Simcoe Hops. It wasn’t as scary as the ghost peppers make it sound, but instead had a wonderful chili flavor with a nice warm heat in the finish. And let us not forget about the Barrel 72 Imperial Chocolate Stout aged in Buffalo Trace Whiskey Barrel, which was so divine I imagined I was drinking it from a snifter in front of a fireplace, perhaps on a bearskin rug! They also had some good fruit beers, such as a Strawberry Infused Agave Wheat and a Blueberry Double IPA, to name a few. These one-offs are our most anticipated part of the day, and they didn’t disappoint.
Other highlights of the day included the bands that graced the stage all afternoon and the fact that Breckenridge Brewery swings open the doors of their brewery and invites you to wander around like you own the place. Better than any tour, it’s wonderful to really get to see their operation up close and very personal.
The brewery also provided some good shelter from the weather — the heat when we first arrived, and the rain later in the afternoon. This weather pattern is exactly the same as we experienced last year, but it doesn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. After a few hours in the afternoon sun, the rain was a welcome reprieve from the heat. Besides, since only the real die-hards stay through the storm, things loosened up a lot after the rain. For example, this happened…
We had a blast at Breckenridge Brewery’s 22nd Anniversary, but it was a little bittersweet. From what we heard in the press (and confirmed with some Breck employees in the know) Breckenridge has outgrown this Kalamath Street location, even with their recent expansion. Time will come when they leave this spot for bigger and better stomping grounds. While we’re thrilled with their success, we’ll miss this quaint little party in the parking lot, standing in the shadows of their giant silver fermenters. One thing you can count on is that we’ll be there for their 23rd-anniversary party, regardless of where it’s held.
Cheers!