RAFT Chili Cook Off
2026-03-26 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver)
RAFT (Rural Alternative for Transportation) is hosting the Annual Chili Cook-Off at City Star Brewing to establish the Best of Berthoud for 2026! Red, green and white chilies by local restaurants and individuals.

Best of Berthoud will be determined by People’s Choice (voting ends at 7:30pm with winners announced by 8pm)

$20 tickets for sampling all of the chili entries and voting on the Best of Berthoud can be purchased online at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/chili-cookoff-8 and will be sold in the taproom the night of the contest.
City Star will also be contributing $1 to RAFT for each brew sold.

All proceeds will go to RAFT (Rural Alternative for Transportation) — a volunteer driver program serving older and disabled adults residing within the Berthoud Fire Protection District. In 2025, RAFT gave 4,131 rides for clients into Berthoud, Loveland, Longmont and adjacent areas! That’s over 75,500 miles driven and countless lives touched.

Beer Release: Humdinger Helles
2026-03-27 15:00 - 22:00
Traditional German Pale Lager, bright, light and crisp. Brewed with Root Shoot’s Thunder Pilsner Malt.

Jon Garson and Late For Supper
2026-03-27 18:00 - 20:30
Jon Garson and Late for Supper evolved out of a three year Friday night jam which took place at Jon’s Boulder home called POS (pickin on the strings) around 2014. Jon had the vision for LFS based on what he calls a “fluid band model,” a couple of core members joined by a changing blend of other musicians. Fronted by Jon Garson on upright bass, guitar, and vocals, Late for Supper draws from a who’s who of Colorado roots music bands. Members of The Railsplitters, Masontown, Monocle Band, Road West, Halden Wofford & the Hi-Beams, The Western Flyers, Flat Five, The Matt Flinner Trio, are frequent staples of LFS gigs.

LFS is unique. It combines high level musicianship and high degree of fun, with an uncomplicated and low stress dynamic. LFS plays local venues, with front man Jon Garson also handling the bookings, sound equipment and other details. Many of these folks have played multiple LFS shows over the years in addition to holding their primary musical commitments, teaching music, and touring with their bands nationally and internationally. But above all they are friends, some for many years. Some have been in bands together. When their schedules allow, these excellent folks may take a Late for Supper gig. They embrace the opportunity to perform with pals they haven’t gigged with for some time, to connect in the way they love, through music, on stage together and, of course, in front of a appreciative audience.

Late for Supper plays locally around the Front Range and Denver and can be called upon for all types of events. From 3 to 5 pieces, you’ll hear LFS’s great harmonies, smooth licks and see their heartfelt camaraderie always!
Bluegrass • Americana • Honky Tonk • Swing

Kelly Aspen and Branden Sipes
2026-03-28 18:00 - 20:30
Singer-songwriter duo:
www.kellyaspen.com
www.brandensipes.com

The High Road Home
2026-04-04 18:00 - 20:30
The High Road Home is a progressive bluegrass band with a soulful Americana and folk twist, based in the heart of Colorado.

Founded by songwriter David Allen Willis, the band crafts songs steeped in storytelling and raw emotion, drawing deeply from Dave’s roots in a family of railroaders and blue-collar workers. With lyrics that explore themes of wanderlust, generational resilience, and the pursuit of self-betterment, The High Road Home takes listeners on a journey through the complexities of life. Their music is a heartfelt celebration of breaking cycles and embracing a new vision of positive masculinity, anchored in vulnerability and self-awareness.
The band’s lineup features Dave on guitar and lead vocals, Adam Hines on banjo, Chase Marler on mandolin, and Lena Dow’s rich, grounding upright bass. Together, their sound is both timeless and contemporary, blending traditional bluegrass instrumentation with modern lyrical depth. Songs like “American Dream” and “Never Flown” speak to the restless spirit of a traveling man, while tracks such as “Lay My Burden Down” and “Gonna Make It” delve into the struggles of perseverance and redemption. Their music balances the tension between yearning for freedom and the pull of home, crafting a sonic landscape that resonates with authenticity and grit.
At its core, The High Road Home is about connection—between the past and present, between people, and between the open road and the comforting embrace of home. With evocative lyrics like “Take the next turn and try to get lost” and “Push on through to the other side,” their songs invite listeners to reflect on their own paths. Whether performing in a cozy mountain venue or under the expansive Colorado sky, The High Road Home captivates audiences with their emotive storytelling and intricate musicianship, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of all who hear them.
https://thehighroadhome.com/

Danny Shafer
2026-04-12 17:00 - 19:30
The Marquee Magazine writes “Rarely has one singer songwriter caused such a stir”. Danny Shafer with over 200 shows a year brings his acclaimed songwriting and fingerstyle guitar to every setting. “Shafer has kept the front range jumping and hollering for some time” – The Boulder Weekly. Both in a solo show or full Americana band The 21st Century Shafer has brought his music and audience to esteemed venues such as The Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, The Boulder Theater, The Fox Theatre,Swallow Hill and many more festivals, colleges, clubs all over the country. In the spring of 2013 Tolstar – Goathouse Records releases Danny Shafers new recording titled Wherever You Are. Varied yet Consistent The Colorado Daily writes, “Danny Shafer does it all”!
https://www.dannyshafer.com/

Jay Roemer & Jarett Mason
2026-05-01 18:00 - 20:30
Jay Roemer is the face of original, acoustic Americana and Bluegrass in the Colorado mountain town of Steamboat Springs. He can be found traveling throughout the state he calls home performing his own material with just a guitar and harmonica, or with the highly acclaimed, Jay Roemer Band. Deeply focused on intriguing lyrics, along with some fancy guitar work, his songs continue to connect with all types of audiences.
http://www.jayroemer.com

Hootenanny! Anniversary Celebration
2026-05-02
Join us Saturday, May 2nd for our 14th Year Anniversary Hootenanny! Beer releases, live music, food trucks, flash tattoos, deputy mug club sign up, and more!
Live Music
12-1:30pm: tbd
2-4pm tbd
4:30-5:30pm tbd
6-8:30pm Greg tbd
Food Trucks
12-8pm: tbd
12-8pm: tbd
Commemorative Tees are available for purchase in taproom.
Sign-up for your Deputy Mug Club membership in the taproom.

John McKay
2026-05-17 17:00 - 19:30
John McKay’s first instrument was piano, which he started playing at the age of 10. He quickly realized by the age of 11 that the drums were his real interest. By the age of 15, John was learning guitar and bass. From then on the guitar became his main focus. Throughout the years he played in various bands. In 1996 John earned a B.A. in Classical guitar performance from the University of Colorado Boulder. His first band playing his original music is the Wiley Cotton Band which was named after his father- Wiley Cotton McKay. This band got together in Feb. 2014 for a show at the Dickens Opera House in Longmont which was quite a blast!
Guitarist/singer/songwriter John McKay blends the deeply personal insights of a man immersed in nature, places of the past along with political observations of a protest singer, and the broad musical traditionalism of a folk rock musician with the passion and commitment tot a rock and roller. A musicians musician, McKay has an element of distraction to his performance as it is difficult to ignore the guitar playing which is in competition with vivid mind-expanding lyrics.
The John McKay Band is rich with musical talent which runs the musical gamete from jam band to folk rock to world musics. JMB is a combination of the familiar things that exemplify retro rock and roll and folk music that we all are presently yearning for from the past with modern touch of contemporary times and life today.
Rock • Americana • Blues • Guitarist
http://www.johnmckaymusic.com
