Three Cheers, Beers, and Events for Stout Month 2018

Happy February! This may be a short month, but it’s packed full of fun times. We get to spend a day paying attention to groundhogs, shower our true love with greeting cards and flowers, and we even get to celebrate the birth of one of your favorite Bottle Makes Three folks! But best of all, we also get to celebrate Stout Month! With big roasted malts and full bodies, February is the perfect month to indulge in some great stouts. To help you celebrate we have a few suggestions for some great Stout Month events and beers. 

3 Great Craft Beers for Stout Month

1. Our Mutual Friend & Fort George Brewery’s collab, Deepest Darkest Fear

Think you aren’t a fan of stout? Does all this dark beer scare you? Well, tap into that fear by enjoying the stout month release of Deepest Darkest Fear at Our Mutual Friend. This imperial stout was brewed in collaboration with Fort George Brewing in Oregon. The name may sound scary, but the beer, brewed with honey and molasses and then aged in Deerhammer Whiskey barrels for eleven months, sounds totally delicious. This is a Deepest Darkest Feer that we look forward to confronting. Find Deepest Darkest Fear locally on tap this month at Our Mutual Friend and at all five Mountain Sun Locations.

2. Great Divide’s Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti

There have been several incredible variations of Great Divide’s legendary Yeti Imperial Stout, but for Stout Month we recommend going big, barrel-aged, and filled with chocolate. For the Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti, Great Divide toned down the hops in this brew to allow cacao nibs to bring out a pleasing bitterness, and when you add the vanilla notes from the oak it create an aroma and flavor akin to a gourmet chocolate bar. A dash of cayenne provides a lively finish. This is one Yeti we cannot wait to get our hands on! Find it on draft and in bombers at both Great Divide taprooms, or look for 22-ounce bombers at your local craft beer bottle shop.

3. Call to Arms Brewing’s Dust in the Wind

Stouts are sometimes mistaken for always being strong, alcohol heavy brews, but that’s not always the case. At just 5.2% ABV Call to Arm’s Dust in the Wind is a good choice for when you want to keep your party in check. This Irish Dry Stout is described as having roasty notes, with a hint of molé on the nose, a light smoke aroma, and flavors of chocolate and cinnamon. And unlike the song, this Dust in The Wind is not from Kansas, it’s only available in Colorado. Find it on draft this month at Call to Arms Brewing Company and at all five Mountain Sun locations.

3 Awesome Stout Month Events

1. Mountain Sun Stout Month’s 25th Anniversary (All Month)

While you’re sure to find some special stouts on tap at many of your local breweries, there is no place quite like the five Mountain Sun chain of breweries and pubs for Stout Month. This year Mountain Sun celebrates their 25th Stout Month with more than 30 Mountain Sun made stouts plus 30 more guest stouts from other Colorado Breweries. Some of the names of their brews are a mouthful on their own, like the Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oatimus Prime Imperial Oatmeal Stout or the Chocolate Thunder Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout. There are also great Stout Month themed events happening at all locations throughout the month. Visit the Mountain Sun website to check out their full Stout Month menu, then head over to any of their five locations, including Vine Street Pub Denver, to celebrate with a pint of something dark and delicious. 

2. Stout Month at Black Sky Brewery (All Month)

Another brewery that does stout month big is Black Sky Brewery in Denver. Beginning February 1, Black Sky will be serving a variety of dark beers, including some of our favorites like the Blackberry Stout and the Mint Pistachio Stout. This year we’re most looking forward to trying the Scotch Barrel-Aged Chocolate Stout … yum! Best of all, starting in February Black Sky is doing brunch every Saturday and Sunday, so you get your stout month drinking started early, with some tasty Black Sky breakfast specialties on the side. Check out the Black Sky Brewery Facebook page for loads of other Black Sky events to pair with your dark beer, including live music, metal karaoke, and a heavy metal flea market. Beer, brunch and heavy metal… that’s what we call a good time!

3. Call to Arms Brewing’s 3rd Annual Mardi Gras Rumpus (Saturday, February 10)

Okay, you got us…. this isn’t technically a stout month event. It’s an awesome event nevertheless. And hey, we already mentioned that Call to Arms Brewing has a great new stout, so that’s enough for us! The Call to Arms Mardi Gras Rumpus brings together brewery friends and fans alike for some good old-fashioned fun. Enjoy New Orleans style food, Mardi Gras inspired sweets, and of course, plenty of delicious Call to Arms craft beers. The World’s Tiniest Mardi Gras Parade will march second-line style down Tennyson Street, led by the Mile High Brass Band. The parade will feature mini floats from Avery Brewing, Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Mountain Sun, Station 26 Brewing, Little Machine Beer, Beryl’s Brewing, Goldspot Brewing, and of course, Call to Arms. The party starts at noon, the parade happens at 4 pm and you can laissez les bons temps rouler until 9 pm. Check out all the event details on the Call to Arms Facebook page.

Have a Happy Stout Month!

We gave you your 3 beer and 3 events, so as promised, here’s your 3 cheers:

Cheers to great Colorado craft beers!

Cheers to fun Colorado craft brewery events!

Cheers to Stout Month!

Now you are armed with some great places to kick off your Stout Month. If there are any other great craft stouts or local Stout Month events we should check out, please share them with us in the comments below. No let’s all go have a stout!