On March 3rd, 2018 ROTR Events will be celebrating the 4th annual Winter Craft Beer Festival here in Boulder. The event will take place again at the 29th Street mall in Boulder in the covered and heated portion of the underground parking structure. Last year Winter Craft boasted 50 breweries from 8 states in attendance and the organizers are predicting a similar lineup to last year’s, with one twist. “The world of craft has become murky and confusing. So we will only be inviting independent brewers to this year’s fest, says co-founder Ross Bowdey. We don’t care how big the brewery is or where they come from, but we want to help the independent brewers continue to grow. Our attendees will leave knowing the breweries who attended are some of the best independent breweries in Colorado and beyond.” The event will also include food trucks, live music and many other fun surprises. There is also an option to host the event outdoors if the early March weather allows.
Ross Bowdey and Trevor Rhodes started the festival back in 2015 to celebrate the different styles of craft
beer that show up in the winter months. They chose to host it in their hometown Boulder, Colorado as they felt it had the space for a larger style festival and has proven to be a craft beer mecca. “Beer festivals can be a great way to introduce all levels of beer drinkers to new things happening in the industry.” says co-founder Ross Bowdey. “*Beginner drinkers* have an opportunity to taste lesser known styles like saisons, sours or even tea infused beer. They get to discover what a large spectrum of beer styles exist today. The “beer nerds” will have a chance to try new styles from some of their favorite breweries and to figure out which up and coming taprooms to fill their growlers at this winter season.”
The festival raises funds for a local nonprofit, Community Cycles. Through the partnership last year they were able to raise over $4,000 for this great organization and hope to double that in 2018. WCBF has also had a great relationship with our premier sponsors, Hazel’s Beverage World in Boulder and KBCO radio, since the very beginning. “One of our main goals in starting the event was to create a space where brewers, sponsors, vendors, food trucks, our nonprofit partner, our venue and our attendees all leave the day feeling that they won. A major part of Craft Beer’s DNA is community and we want this to be a great extension of creating that community.”
WCBF has multiple levels of ticketing for the event. General admission gets you 4 hours of unlimited 2 oz samples of all the beers and ciders. VIP entry gets you in an hour early and this year they will get exclusive access to rare beers from 20+ of the brewers in attendance. They also have a $5 entry for designated drivers to encourage responsible drinking. “One of the reasons we love hosting WCBF at 29th street is its central location. When the festival ends at 5pm you don’t have to call it a night. People can keep the fun going at the nearby restaurants and shops that are all within walking distance.”
The lineup of brewers at WCBF promises to be the best ever as they bring in new and old independent brewers from around Colorado and across the country. Some early commits are Odell, Upslope, Ska, Call to Arms & Left Hand from CO. Full Sail, Surly, La Cumbre, Melvin & Dogfish Head are some of the great out of state brewers attending. “There is no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Boulder”, says Bowdey, “Amazing beer, people, music, and food, all for a good cause. This fourth year is not to be missed.”
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