On Friday, September 8, Rockyard Brewing Company, 105 West Brewing Company and Castle Rock Beer Company will sponsor the first ever Castle Rock Brew Fest Under the Stars. Rockyard Brewing Co. has been the host for a smaller-style beer festival known as Rendezvous at the Rock since 2014. With the hope to elevate and grow the event, they chose to team up with their neighbors from the craft beer scene, transitioning into a city-wide charity gala to benefit Douglas County Community Foundation.
“We wanted to create a fest that wasn’t like any other,” says Elaine Patch, marketing coordinator at Rockyard Brewing Co. “We wanted to find something different, a step up with an evening out kind of a feel.”
The festival receives an upgrade from the Rockyard Brewing Co. parking lot to a new location at the Millhouse and Amphitheater inside Philip S. Miller Park.
“The area is really, really pretty with trees and greenery,” says Patch. “There’s a lake, a fire pit, rows of grass seating in the amphitheater. A much more intimate setting for sure.”
Two bands with Colorado roots both perform to create a musical backdrop. Jazzy-funk trio The Symbols from Fort Collins, Colorado, alongside headliners, modern outlaw country group, Ryan Chrys & the Rough Cuts (Westword Music Showcase “Best Band” 2017) hail from Denver.
Castle Rock Brew Fest provides unlimited beer and eats from 5:00 until 10:00 p.m. Sample pours are available from over 20 craft breweries plus hors d’oeuvres that highlight five local chefs with servers on hand to dispense the high-end appetizers. Castle Rock and Denver based vendors and food trucks with representation include: Lante Brau-Casa, Mile High Cajun, Uncle Tapas (Spanish-American cuisine), Cheffin’s Cheesesteak’s & Cubano’s and Sokare.
“I love bringing the food into it,” says Patch. “And it’s not overwhelming with 40 to 50 breweries. You can still get a chance to talk to the brewers and mingle.”
Tickets are all inclusive: $65 for drinkers and $30 for non-drinkers, which includes food and any non-alcoholic beverages.
“We just wanted to do something different, something a little more upper class for a beer fest,” says Patch. “People can get dressed up if they want to, bring a blanket and sit under the stars.”
1381 W. Plum Creek Pkwy, Castle Rock, CO 80109
