River North Celebrates 1st Anniversary w/12.5% Anniversary Imperial Stout

Clocking in at 12.5% ABV, the River North 1st Anniversary Imperial Stout is the brewery’s highest-gravity offering thus far. It will release Saturday, February 16th at 1pm to kick off the brewery’s first-anniversary party, when the brewery will open its barrel garden to the public. Both draft pours and bombers-to-go will be available.

This celebration represents the culmination of a productive first year for River North. Including the anniversary beer, the brewery released nine unique “mainline” ales this past year, in addition to seven barrel-aged varieties of those brews. Since acquiring its first two whiskey barrels in March, the barrel program has grown to include more than 30 whiskey, wine and rum barrels of varying brands.

Aside from cranking out creative and unique beers, River North Brewery has cemented itself in Denver’s new beer district, RiNo, establishing close and personal relationships with local residents and businesses. In addition to promoting a “drink local” mentality, River North connects with customers through social media. The brewery hosted a Twitter contest where followers could submit suggestions for fermenter names, with the winning suggestions going on the tanks. The two winners: “Think Tank” and “The Louis Pasteur Cultural Events Center.”

Matt and Jessica Hess opened River North Brewery in downtown Denver on February 18th, 2012. Matt, who walked away from his engineering job in the aerospace industry, heads the brewing operation and focuses on Belgian-style beers and Belgo-American hybrids.