There’s a new beer fest in town, and it’s taking a collaborative approach for some unique and creative brews. The SoCo Collab Frost Fest will help kick off the festival season in Colorado Springs on May 11 at Bear Creek Regional Park. Like the name hints, the weather might be a gamble, but that’s all part of the fun in celebrating the local brewery community and its spirit of camaraderie.
“This festival is not only about enjoying great beer but also about acknowledging the incredible breweries that have helped put Colorado Springs on the map for craft beer,” says event committee co-chair Carrie Simison. “It’s an opportunity for our community to come together, support our local breweries, and contribute to our beautiful regional parks.”
The SoCo Collab Frost Fest is putting the emphasis on that collaborative spirit, and the idea to brew together got strong support from local brewers during its formation. Simison says that’s not surprising since the local brewery scene is so supportive of each other.
“These guys and gals in the craft beer world in the Pikes Peak region are all friends. They drink at each other’s breweries,” Simison says. “It’s not unusual that you hit any one of these taprooms and see three or four or five brewers hanging out together, or you see the staff of one brewery heading over to the other brewery for events or celebrations. Frost Fest is a way to let them play together in a super fun way.”
The organizers also found inspiration in a popular beer fest just up the road: the annual Collaboration Fest in Denver. “Collaboration Fest is one of the coolest festivals in the world up in Denver, but we’ve got all these breweries down here now,” Simison says. “We wanted to get them to collaborate and see what can come out of the Pikes Peak region that’s just as cool as the big festival in Denver, but maybe on a more intimate level.”
Breweries such as Cerberus embraced the concept. “We look forward to opportunities we get to spend time with our brewing friends and flex our creative muscles to make new and unique beers, as well as compete with the other brewers to see who can come up with the best beer,” says Brian Koch, head brewer at Cerberus Brewing. “Frost Fest gives us the opportunity to do all of those things as well as hang out at the fest and share everyone’s beer in a great location. It’s a win for brewers and beer lovers alike.”
The 16 participating craft breweries chose their own brewing partners. Some breweries are collaborating on multiples beers, and in some cases, three breweries are working together. Each beer will be graded before the festival by judges certified by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), and winners will be labeled for festival-goers. But attendees will also get to vote for their favorite beer to name a champion beer. The overall beer fest winner will get their name on a trail or trailhead sign, and proceeds will support local trails and parks in El Paso County through the Trust for El Paso County Parks.
“Ever since Focus on the Beer hosted the Café Craft coffee and beer festival in 2017, where brewers and local roasters joined forces to make some sort of coffee beer, I’ve heard increasing demands from consumers and brewers alike for more collaboration-style festivals,” says Ryan Hannigan, co-host of Tap & Table podcast. “With the talent pool in our local brewery scene, the beer possibilities are endless. Plus with some professional BJCP judging and the beautiful setting of Bear Creek Park, Frost Fest is poised to become a yearly celebration for our local scene.”
Some noteworthy brewery collaborations include the crosstown pairing of FH Beerworks and Fossil Craft Beer Company. If there’s any East-side, Westside rivalry in town, these two breweries will be brewing something everyone can love.
Cerberus, Pikes Peak Brewing and Phantom Canyon have announced that their collab brew is The Sticky Situation. It’s a blond ale made with local Colorado honey and Aurora hops that present honey and floral aroma-tasting notes.
Simison points out a pair of threesomes with exceptional potential as well. The first brings together three downtown breweries: Brass Brewing, Mash Mechanix and Local Relic. “Brass and Mash both have really great flagships,” Simison says. “Local Relic never makes the same beer twice, so this could be a super wild beer.”
Fossil is also teaming up with OCC Brewing and Metric Brewing for another triple-team brew. “You’ve basically got masterminds in the brewery at all three of those places,” Simison says. “I’m really excited because when you get all these mad scientist brewers in a room together, brainstorming over a couple beers, you never know what’s going to come out of it.”
Beer Fest Sweet 16
Here’s a list of the 16 Colorado Springs breweries participating in Frost Fest:
Frost Fest will also be the introduction of South Park Brewing to Colorado Springs. The brewpub was located in Fairplay for nearly 10 years and is in the process of relocating to the Springs and reopening on the Westside in the former home of Smiling Toad Brewery.
As for its name, Frost Fest hints at the unpredictability of Colorado weather in May, but the festival will happen rain or shine — or snow or sun. The local adage is wait till Mother’s Day to plant your flowers to avoid a freeze. Frost Fest is coming in one day before that — only a couple hours, Simison says. “We all know how to dress for multiple kinds of weather in Colorado Springs,” she says. “At the end of the day, the beer will either cool you down or warm you up. So Frost Fest will happen rain or shine, and it should be a great time out in Bear Creek Regional Park.”
Frost Fest takes place May 11, 1-5 p.m. at Bear Creek Regional Parks. The festivities will include food trucks. Advance tickets are $30. Day-of tickets are $35. Find more details and tickets at SoCoFrostFest.eventbrite.com or enter to win tickets until May 6 here: Frost Fest Giveaway.
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