On Saturday, October 26, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., LIBERATI Restaurant & Brewery and The Modern Eater hosts the inaugural Colorado Harvest Grape Stomp, a joyous, best foot forward occasion that celebrates the autumnal harvest season, just as it’s done in the old country.
LIBERATI Restaurant & Brewery, which opened in 2018, is the vision of Alex Liberati, restaurateur and brewer, who relocated to Denver in 2014 from Rome, and introduces Coloradans to his unique oenobeers, a beer-wine hybrid that showcases different grape varietals in their fermentation process. Liberati is well-versed in the beer game opening his first brewery, Revelation Cat, located in the UK, Brasserie 4:20, a craft tap house in Italy, as well as owning and running several other restaurant and pubs.
We are enormous fans of both liquid presentations (beer & wine) and find that Liberati’s oenobeers offer unexpected and new flavor profiles (which is an ardent task these days with beers that include everything from candy to carrots) that will certainly wow even the most prolific beer geeks and enthusiastic winos. They even highlight the quote “I’ve never had anything like it,” attributed to “-pretty much everyone” as their unofficial, yet accurately on point, motto.
LIBERATI is also the home to 42 rotating guest taps, a full bar and a beautiful from scratch menu the features homemade Italian pastas, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, sinful gelato and glorious plates that include the seared scallops with crispy guanciale on a shallot, pea and white wine purée that recently took us to food nirvana. We also HEAVILY recommend the picture perfecto Polpette Meatball Sliders.
The space itself is spacious and warm with lots of wood accents and a patio that screams dine al fresco. It exudes an elegant and refined air, in contrast to most breweries, yet it still maintains a relaxing, sexy atmosphere, thus inviting a more diverse and atypical beer drinking clientele.
Currently, Liberati is brewing his first oenobeer made with local grapes sourced from Carlson Vineyards in Palisade, Colorado, who will harvest and deliver the actual stomping grapes for the festivities. Guest chef Josh Niernberg from Bin 707 Foodbar, located in Grand Junction, Colorado, steps in for a guest cooking spot offering a seasonal menu “full of local fall flavors,” and The Modern Eater will broadcast the entirety of the event live.
“It excites me to no end to see local business come together to celebrate Colorado and all the goodness it has to offer with this collaboration,” says Greg Hollenback, founder of The Modern Eater. “Local chefs, scratch made food from Colorado sourced ingredient, Colorado grapes and hops to make a LIBERATI oenobeer and the people of our community coming together for this special event will be a story that deserves to be told.”
Tickets are available to purchase for $40 per person or, opt for the discount, and snag two for $70, which includes:
- The opportunity to stomp grapes with a commemorative photo
- Bites courtesy of chef Josh Niernberg from Bin 707 Foodbar
- Wine pairings from Carlson Vineyards
- Oenobeer pairings from LIBERATI
- Early access to special pre-sale bottle releases
“The Colorado Harvest Grape Stomp Party was inspired by a desire to celebrate and support other local business and the bounty of incredible ingredients right here in our backyard,” says Liberati, owner of LIBERATI Restaurant & Brewery. “We’re excited to partner with the entertaining personalities behind The Modern Eater, to bring chef Josh Niernberg’s delicious food to Denver, and to collaborate with Root Shoot Malting and Carlson Vineyards to create some delicious and local new brews.”
Get your tickets via the Facebook event or Eventbrite and let’s stomp the yard.
Guests must be 21+ to attend.
*Header image courtesy of LIBERATI Restaurant & Brewery
