Today’s featured festival is a nonprofit event I’ve been involved with since the beginning. You see, the event incorporates two of my favorite things—dogs and beer—and 100% of the proceeds of this festival go to Harley’s Dream. Harley had a dream of ridding the world of puppy mills, and I was lucky to have met him during his lifetime. An effective spokesdog against puppy mills, he made a big difference.
We sailed into Kearney after spending two nights in Grand Island, which is a little under an hour east. We had been booked by Visit Kearney into the Best Western Plus. In both Grand Island and Kearney, I encountered the nicest hotel receptionists. While these types of employees are supposed to be friendly, this isn’t always the case, but these hotel desk clerks were memorably amiable. Before checking into our
Ryan knew he had familial ties to Nebraska, he just didn’t realize how deep. When we returned from a recent trip to Grand Island and Kearney, we discovered that Ryan’s great-grandparents had come from Germany to farm outside of Omaha. Eventually, Ryan’s grandma married his grandfather who was also from Nebraska and they moved to Oregon, eventually settling in Colorado. It’s not a rare story. During our trip, we ran
There’s little need to find an excuse to travel, but a beer festival in a fantastic Colorado town is a good one. After all, what’s a more perfect way to celebrate fall than by drinking beer in Estes Park? This is a great fall town because it’s less busy in the autumn, the elk are plentiful and sweaters are extra comfy in Estes Park. Did I mention that beer tastes
It’s time to Oktoberfest in the Longmont-style and that means great beer from Longmont breweries and some harmonica. That’s right, crowds at this Oktoberfest will enjoy the all-American, bluesy sound of JJ Grey & Mofro. The Left Hand Brewery Foundation hosts this shindig and they know how to throw a party. The 7th Longmont Oktoberfest starts Friday, October 5 st 5 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m. This is the
Life is good for beer lovers in Colorado Springs. At last count, there were more than 30 breweries in the Colorado Springs area, so whether you live here or are just visiting, this brewery scene is hard to beat. What’s better than 30 breweries? Having someone else drive you to them. Colorado Craft Tours is the newest way to explore breweries and distilleries in Colorado Springs, and we hopped on
There are a handful of festivals that I’ve been involved with since the beginning and Hops & Harley is one of those fests. This year is the sixth Hops & Harley, hosted by City Star Brewing. I support this festival as an in-kind sponsor because I believe so strongly in the mission of the event. The mission is to educate the public about the commercial dog breeding industry, also known
When I arrived at Wibby Brewing in Longmont on a sunny Friday afternoon, Ryan Wibby was outside throwing a ball for his three-year-old German Shepherd, Mickey. Mickey’s intense focus on the ball is a lot like his owner’s intense concentration on beer, an unwavering 11-year immersion in his craft that resulted in a medal win at the Great American Beer Festival this past year. The History Ryan Wibby’s beer journey
Vail has grown on me over the years and I enjoy it now more than ever, so without further ado, here are five reasons to love Vail, Colorado. 1. It’s a BIG Mountain You may stand in lift lines at the base of Vail ski area but once you are on the mountain it’s easy to get away from the crowds. The size of Vail ski area is what makes it
… and now for something completely different. I’m always encouraging festival organizers to do something that sets their event apart. This is an example of a festival that’s doing just that. Nitro Fest is one of Longmont’s most anticipated beer events, because it’s not just about the beer, although that’s a big component. This will be the fourth year of this event that’s one-part circus, one-part dance party, and one-part
