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Ever wanted to brew your own beer without having to buy the equipment and really learn the process? Well, now’s your chance—sort of.
More than 150 breweries will be partnering up in teams of two or three to create inventive, fresh brews at the fifth annual Collaboration Beer Festival on March 31. And for the first time, festival organizer Two Parts is working with Jefferson Park-based Little Machine Beer—one of the participating breweries—to create The People’s Beer, a brew that self-identified connoisseurs (or you know, just ordinary beer-loving people) can help formulate in the weeks leading up to the festival.
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Here’s how it works: Each week, fans and followers can visit the Collaboration Beer Festival’s website to vote for the special brew’s ingredients. For example, the first question was to select the grain—the people chose rye—and this week’s question, which was released February 14, asks what additional flavor profiles should be added (the options include dry hops, citrus zest, spice and citrus zest, or dry hops and citrus zest).
In the coming weeks, visitors will be able to vote on more flavor profiles and, ultimately, the beer’s official name. The only detail that “the People” won’t decide is the beer’s style. It’s a saison, because, as Ben Chenard, co-owner and manager of Little Machine Beer, puts it, “Saison is a style that was traditionally brewed with whatever was available at the time.”
With amateurs choosing the selections, one might wonder how the resulting beer will taste. Never fear—the expert brewmasters from Little Machine designed the poll questions to build upon one another in order to formulate a cohesive and tasty recipe. As the selections are made, the brewmasters will craft the official recipe and set a brew date to bring it to life. The People’s Beer will be available for tasting alongside the rest of the collaborative brews at the festival.
So go ahead and tap into your inner brewmaster, and you too can brag about creating your very own beer for this anticipated event.
If you go: Collaboration Beer Fest takes place March 31, 4 p.m. Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center, 650 15th St. Tickets are available now (general admission is $65; “connoisseur” access is $85).