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City Star Brewing Trades Beer for Trash this Earth Day

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City Star Brewing is hosting an Adopt YOUR Town campaign this Earth Day. The Berthoud, Colorado brewery is sponsoring this littler clean-up by offering free beer in exchange for a bag of trash. Participants can earn a beer by showing their City Star beer slinger a photo with their bag of trash. Alternatively community members can drop off at City Star’s roll-off dumpster rented just for the campaign. A red City Star tent will be setup with the dumpster, located in the parking lot on the SE corner of 3rd and Mountain Ave. Litter will be traded for free beer coupons at the tent Sunday 4/24 (note: date changed to windy Friday forecast). Families are encouraged to participate with their kids. There will also be root beer on hand at the City Star tent to trade for trash!

Bin There Dump That is an event sponsor. The Northern Colorado company helped make the roll-off dumpster a possibility. City Star asks community members to help make the event a success by not dumping any prohibited items: electronics, appliances, hazardous waste or tires. This isn’t a Town clean-up day accepting any and all trash. The Town of Berthoud will actually be sponsoring a Town Clean-Up Week in May so residents should hold out for that event to schlep old mattresses away. The intention of City Star’s Adopt YOUR Town campaign event is to clean-up litter around the area, not from personal property. Unfortunately after a spring of W-I-N-D there is a lot of roadside litter.

City Star strives, not only on Earth Day but every day, to be earth conscious with their business decisions. They practice this by recapturing brewing water, sending their spent grain to Long Shadow Farm, offering recycling in their taproom, using biodegradable plastic cups when needed, re-using 4-pack holders and sourcing local ingredients. Earth Day is a day to celebrate our planet and recognize what changes we can make to better it. When it comes to environmental stewardship there is always space to improve, but the small town brewery is proud to do its part, recognize what can be improved upon, and work to do more. City Star holds great value in bettering their Berthoud community in all ways and can’t wait to come together to clean up this weekend!

City Star Ladies Brew Together on International Women’s Day

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City Star Ladies Brew Together on International Women’s Day
Calamity Jane, Experimental Sour Pale Ale 

On International Womens Day, Tuesday March 8th, City Star staff came together to brew an annual ladies collaboration, Calamity Jane. The tradition of brewing a unique female led beer each year began back in 2015. Past year’s brews include collaborations with Root Shoot Malting, Spirit Hound Distillers (2016 and 2017), and Grimm Brothers Brewhouse (2018). City Star’s 2022 Women Day brew was an in-house collaboration. The female brew day is an opportunity to have fun and highlight empowered women at City Star, within our community, and in the beer industry.

The beer brewed this year is an Experimental Sour Pale Ale: a blend of sour barrel aged golden ale with a citrus pale ale. City Star ladies brewed the pale ale together on IWD with fresh lime and sumo tangerine zest. The brew was then dry hopped with the Pink Boots 2021 Hop Blend (HBC 630, Idaho Gem®, Loral®, Talus® and Triumph). Yakima Hopsdonates $3 per pound sold of the blend to the Pink Boots Society scholarship fund. Calamity Jane is scheduled for release Friday, April 1st along with Calamity Jane “Be a Legend” T-Shirts. The release event will also feature female owned Italian food truck Ting’s Things and local musician Andrea Deepe of 10 Year Echo.

The annual event of Calamity Jane is valued by City Star because it highlights the celebration of women in craft beer. In 2021 male brewery owners outnumbered women brewery owners 3-to-1. City Star staff brew this beer in solidarity with their female co-workers and in support of 50% female ownership. It important to offer a welcoming environment for all and honor the work that women contribute to the beer industry. This beer is admiringly named after Calamity Jane herself, a woman of the Wild West known for her sharp shooting, whisky-swilling and kindness towards others. And as she so famously quotes, “I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one.”

City Star Brewing Releases Biggest Beer of the Year

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City Star Brewing Releases Biggest Beer of the Year
Outlaw Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

The Berthoud, Colorado brewery’s biggest annual beer release of the year, Outlaw, will be unleashed this weekend.  The 2022 vintage of this imperial stout was aged 1 year in Deerhammer Whiskey oak barrels and weighs in at a whopping 12.7% ABV. Flavors of rich chocolate, dark dried fruit, oak, vanilla and of course American whiskey. A rich and creamy mouthfeel leaves you lingering for another pour.

Outlaw will be available on tap for sampling starting at noon on Saturday, February 5th. 400 wax dipped 22oz bottles will be for sale in the taproom ($20/each with a 12 bottle limit per person).

City Star’s Barrel Aging Program
City Star’s Zoller Barrel House is home to 48 oak barrels from wineries and distilleries near and fear. Each barrel is branded with a number for tracking barrel and beer history along with tasting notes. Stainless nails are pulled every 3-6 months to sample the barrel’s contents. The room separates clean and sour barrels. Most barrels age one or two clean beers and then are re-purposed as sour barrels.  Occasionally barrels are retired from City Star, but the original barrels #1 and #2, first filled in 2014, are still in-use as some of the preferred City Star sour barrels.

The Zoller Barrel House building was constructed in the early 1900’s. Its current name pays homage to a piece of its history: immigrant Jake Zoller operated the Zoller Shoe Shop in the space from the 1930’s to 1980’s. In 2014 John and Whitney Way purchased the property and remodeled the building to accommodate stacked barrels along each of the long walls. Radiant floor heat was installed to facilitate beer aging and complex sour development year round.

Beer Behind Local Street Artist in Snow Sculpting Competition

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Gamma Gallery Paints at City Star BrewingBerthoud, Colorado’s City Star Brewing is bringing artist Gamma Acosta (Gamma Gallery) back to town for this week’s Colorado Snow Sculpting Competition. Four years ago City Star commissioned Gamma to paint “All In at City Star” in the taproom’s beer garden. The mural was created completely free-hand, using only spray cans (no stencils, etching or projector) on the 700 square foot concrete canvas. Gamma’s work is a main feature at the decade old craft brewery, admired by regulars and newcomers alike.

In the Colorado Snow Sculpting Competition Gamma Acosta leads team Frio Trio along with Colorado based tattoo artist Thyris Rodney. Together they will carve one of 9 giant snow cylinders in Fickel Park. Gamma’s experience in carving snow most notably includes a snow sculpture he carved (and spray painted!) for his 95 year old grandmother to view outside her window. However, this competition will be his first of its nature. With less than 48 hours until teams begin carving Gamma hasn’t settled on a final concept for the team’s sculpture. He promises something intricate and thoughtful.

“Sponsoring Gamma’s participation in Berthoud Snowfest is a small token of gratitude from City Star for the piece of himself he has given to us. We are truly honored to feature his art. His creative contribution has left a lasting impression on our family, City Star, and our community. Gamma’s work comes from more than a creative space. His creativity is intertwined with passion, love, and a commitment to make our world a better place.” – City Star Co-Owner Whitney Way

The Colorado Snow Sculpting Championship is the main focus of Berthoud Snowfest, with team carving throughout the week. The event culminates with “tools down” and final judging at 10am this Saturday, January 15th. Winners will go on to compete in the US National Snow Sculpting Championship in Wisconsin. Competition organizer Steve Mercia has been making snow and packing snow cylinders in anticipation of the event. Carving begins this Wednesday, and spectators can follow Gamma and all the artists’ progress through the week at Fickel Park and online at facebook.com/CoSnowSculptingChampionship. Follow Team Frio Trio at @gammagallery and @thyristattoos on Instagram.

Gamma Acosta is a local street artist with a passion for public art. He creates works of art that are incredibly moving, meaningful and usually provocative. He gives color and illustration to community emotion. His large-scale projects are often completed without compensation. His decade of work features powerful pieces that evoke a range of emotion from all passerby: Skin Condition,  Sandy Hook Elementary Tribute, Mural on 37th and Downing, Peyton Manning, and the largest mural in Denver dedicated to graffiti artists. Gamma’s work can be found in his hometown of Longmont, Colorado (Four Generations, throughout Denver, across the country and as far away as Belgium, as a North West Walls project artist.

Gamma Acosta with City Star Owners John and Whitney Way

City Star Releases 50th Specialty Beer of the Year

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City Star Cans by Emily SierraCity Star Brewing, a small town craft brewery, had a big year of beer! Their New Years Eve beer release marks their 50th specialty beer of the year. Aegir (pronounced eye-ear) is a hazy IPA brewed with Norwegian Kveik yeast and double dry hopped with Citra and Galaxy hops. The Berthoud, Colorado brewery released 50 specialty beers in the year 2021 in addition to their mainstay beers available year round. City Star packaged 570 barrels (17,670 gallons) of beers throughout the year, brewed 100 gallons at a time on a humble 3.5 barrel brew system.

Inspiration for recipes comes from past experiences, staff ideas, culinary influence, industry trends, unique flavors, and available local ingredients.  The majority of City Star’s grain is grown and malted right up the road at Root Shoot Malting. Specialties released were made with a variety of yeasts: German lager and American, Norwegian and Belgian ale yeasts. The 2021 beer line-up featured classic hops as well as new varieties, including Sabro, Cashmere, Talus, Strata, El Dorado.  The most noteworthy hops though are the Centennial hops grown right in the City Star beer garden. They’re handpicked and added fresh to City Star’s Homegrown IPA each fall. City Star’s 2021 specialty beers incorporated many fruit adjuncts: pineapple, cherry, passionfruit, orange, strawberry, tangerine, peach, blackberry, soursop, raspberry, blueberry, watermelon, lime and mango. Vegetables made an appearance too: cucumber, carrot, pumpkin, sandia hot chili peppers, and even locally grown rhubarb.

These fifty specialty beers brewed at City Star Brewing throughout the year included a handful with philanthropic backgrounds. Honey Graham, brewed in memory of Jason Buehler, raised $1,200 for his family. Black is Beautiful blackberry stout was brewed to support equality and justice for people of color and raised $1,000 donated to NAACP. Harley’s Honey Wheat is brewed in honor of Harley’s Dream, a non profit who’s mission is to educate and spread awareness about puppy mills.

The greater Berthoud community has reinforced City Star’s expression, “You keep drinking it, we’ll keep brewing it”. Community support has enabled City Star to keep the fermenters full, and encouraged creativity in brewing. In 2022 City Star Brewing will continue creating craft beers you can hang your hat on.

City Star Celebrates Anniversary and Colorado Manufacturing Award Win

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City Star Brewing celebrates 9 years in business this week, a milestone after an unprecedented year. In advance of this weekend’s celebration the Berthoud craft brewery is honored to be recognized as the 2021 Colorado Manufacturing Awards Outstanding Craft Brewer, selected from a trio of finalists including Denver Beer Company and Holidaily Brewing Company. City Star Brewing joins a reputable group of past CMA craft brewer winners including Dry Dock Brewing, WeldWerks Brewing, Left Hand Brewing, Crooked Stave and Ska Brewing Company.

CMA founder and CompanyWeek publisher Bart Taylor said, “As it is every year, this was a very competitive category, with three companies representing distinct tiers in Colorado’s incredible craft brewing industry. Congratulations to the City Star team and the city of Berthoud.”


City Star Brewing’s 9th anniversary comes with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Berthoud, Northern Colorado and the greater craft beer community have been incredibly supportive since before the doors opened in 2012. The past year City Star has received generosity beyond words: from propane tanks and heaters to volunteer efforts and private donations. In appreciation of the community, City Star Brewing will be giving away 500 crowlers to-go (a glass growler aluminum can combination) during this Saturday’s celebration.

“City Star’s Hootenanny” anniversary celebration will span all day Saturday starting at noon with two new beers on tap: Salud wheat with watermelon, sea salt and lime and Easy Does It session pale ale featuring Sabro hops. Nacho Mama’s Tacos and Sweaty Moose food trucks will be out front all day. Live music on the beer garden stage will feature Dave Frediani and Joe Kuckla & Irons in the Fire. The Hootenanny is also defined by the annual relaunch of the Deputy mug club program, $10 commemorative t-shirts…and a cupcake toast courtesy B Sweet Cupcakes.

The downtown Berthoud brewery has remained open the past year as a staple in the community, pivoting as required, maintaining staff, and “keeping it flowing”. At the onset of the pandemic City Star Brewing launched crowler sales, online ordering, local deliveries, and canning. Annual events like Flap Jack Day and Lucky Charms Beer Flights adapted to be to-go friendly. City Star has worked hard to be a friendly, safe space for everyone the past year. The next year will be all about embracing local growth, stabilizing, and bringing a new 7 barrel brewhouse online for more efficient brew days.

Shoutout Colorado Features Whitney Way

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Meet Whitney Way: Jill of All Trades at City Star Brewing

December 15th, 2020
Shoutout Colorado Interview

We had the good fortune of connecting with Whitney Way and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Whitney, how do you think about risk?

I haven’t gotten to this point in my life without taking risks. Smart, calculated risk taking is integral to growth and decision making. Amid the pandemic this year my partner and I made quick, pivotal decisions. We promised our staff continued employment without guaranteed income and later in spring we purchased a canning line, our most expensive piece of equipment purchased to date. Looking back some risks we took were probably more foolish, but good intuition and luck prevailed. For example, diving all in to open City Star Brewing in 2011 without a business plan or understanding of the demands of the local community was probably a foolish risk. Fortunately we took that risk and Berthoud proved thirsty.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
City Star is a taproom centric brewery with a focus on community and producing quality craft beer. We have become a keystone business in our downtown. The community believes us; they believe in what we’ve created and our messaging. Subsequently they’ve really shown up in strong support throughout 2020. Almost 9 years since opening our doors, we’ve gotten where we are by embracing organic growth, sticking to our principles, and doing what we love. Breweries are really passion pursuits, not money-making ventures (though there are notable exceptions). It is not easy to operate a brewery, balancing business finances and navigating the nuances of the industry. Many challenges along the way I’ve overcome by learning to be a better partner – in marriage and business. John Way and I opened City Star Brewing together in 2012 (before we were even married). Our most difficult times have been during big construction projects, in times of being overworked while understaffed, balancing having young children, and of course 2020 has thrown challenge after challenge our way. Relying on one another and working as a team in crisis has gotten John and I through. Being introspective, reviewing the data and facts, and boldly making hard decisions has been integral in times of struggle.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Berthoud is a big, small town full of character and quirks. A tour of the town would have to include insider information on Berthoud, including the fixtures of the area. Headed to Berthoud from I-25, notice the 12-foot-tall silhouette of a camel who has stood near the Berthoud exit for 20 years (Bert is his name). Before entering downtown Berthoud pass Chewy the dinosaur, often dressed in the spirit of any upcoming holiday. Downtown Berthoud undoubtedly requires a stop at City Star Brewing. Retail shopping features Wishful Living, Simply Shabulous, The Rancher’s Wife and more. An afternoon at the Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum translates to a new appreciation for the area and all of the historic buildings throughout town. An entire day could be spent walking among old brick buildings, the iconic grain elevator, and through old neighborhoods. The Wildfire Arts Center of Berthoud hosts regular classes and events. Even if they aren’t open check out the mosaic dragon bench out front, affectionally named FireHeart. There is one copper penny hidden on him. Can you find it? Stop at Kofe House for a beverage, grab a fresh baked loaf of bread at Rise, enjoy a breakfast burrito at a different joint each day (share your favorite!), enjoy a Berthoud Pizza to-go, and be sure to pick up City Star beer brats at Hays Market if you are grilling. Larimer County’s Carter Lake and Pinewood Reservoir are great spots for fishing (Bennet’s Bait and Tackle in Berthoud is legit), camping, boating, and solo time on a SUP Board. Back in town you can enjoy some fresh air in Berthoud’s Fickel Park and a stroll through the hidden Hillsdale Park. The new TPC Colorado golf course is a must for golfers, and the beautiful club house boasts a fantastic restaurant…. plan on a sunset happy hour! Berthoud is the Garden Spot so be sure to take in and appreciate all the agricultural beauty in the area. In the spirit of beer, be sure to drive by the Root Shoot Malt House north of town and the Coors Grain Storage facility south of town (just admire both from the road please!). Did you grab your City Star cans to go?!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

So many have influenced who I am today: naturally my parents Dan and Rudi Taylor, my little sister and biggest advocate Emily Taylor, my partner in everything John Way, and Eric Adams who has taught me so much through martial arts and CrossFit.

Image Credit: all photos by Emily Sierra emilysierra.com

Original article source: https://shoutoutcolorado.com/meet-whitney-way-jill-of-all-trades-at-city-star-brewing/

Winter Solstice at City Star

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Widow MakerA celebration of the shortest day and the darkest beer. 
This weekend, City Star Brewing celebrates the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year with the release of our darkest beer of the year. Widow Maker is a colossal Imperial Stout, to be released on draft and in bottles alongside toasted coconut and vanilla variants. This nod to the Winter Solstice boasts a big, bold and complex flavor profile. Smooth, rich and ready to sip and savor. Not for the faint hearted.

Celebrate the Solstice in style with a flower crowns handmade by local florist, The Flower Gypsy. Pre-order yours online here and pickup at the taproom. We’re also adding a little magic to all bottle orders for the weekend! When you purchase any bottle of Widow Maker we’ll add in Flying Wish Paper. In spirit of looking forward to the changing of seasons and the return of the light we invite you to write down your hopes and wishes for the coming year and light the paper to watch it fly and disappear into the air!

The Solstice is a celebration of the return of the Light. It is indeed the twenty four hour period when the day-time or light is shortest and the night is longest, but the very next day is when the daytime starts to become longer! This brings hope and light for better things to come, along with our dreams, and hopes for love and all good things “coming to light”. Bringing out, love, inspiration and joy are always the basis of my readings, with positive insights, blessings and wisdom thrown in for good measure.

We look forward to welcoming the return of the light with good friends and great beer!

City Star Oompa Loompa – Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket

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Willy Wonka’s Oompa Loompas have been busy packaging beer and hiding GOLDEN TICKETS at City Star Brewing! Golden Tickets have been tucked under the caps of select City Star 4-packs. If you’re the lucky winner bring your ticket into the taproom to redeem for a FREE 4-pack! Order your cans at citystarpickup.com

WATCH the City Star Oompa Loompa in action….

Flapjack Day – 2020 Style

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Flapjack Day Crowler and 4-PackCity Star Brewing’s 2020 Flapjack Day will look a little different from past years. Even in these unprecedented times the Berthoud tradition of flapjacks and breakfast beers with 50’s flair will carry on. In lieu of a community pancake breakfast, crowlers of Diane Levy’s famous flapjack dry mix will be available in the taproom so folks can flip flapjacks at home. Breakfast beers will be sold in 16oz can mix 4-packs. This year’s flavors include Morning Coffee Stout, Maple Brown, Fruit Cup IPA, and Jasmine Green Tea Pale Ale. Flapjack mix crowlers and breakfast beer 4-pack sales launch Friday, September 4th… available for purchase all Labor Day weekend!

100% of the proceeds from crowler sales will benefit the Berthoud Historical Society. Flapjack dry mix is packaged in 32oz crowlers with an innovative, resealable twist lid. A crowler is a large can that can be filled with draft beer and seamed right at the source; they are cheaper, lighter and keep craft beer fresher longer than conventional glass growlers. At the COVID-19 shutdown, City Star immediately began filling crowlers with to-go beer with the help of Crowler Nation.

Flapjack Day 4-PackOn Flapjack Day, Labor Day, Monday, September 7th, the taproom will be open 11am-5pm with flights of five breakfast beers and the waffle lab food truck serving out front. Vintage cars and 50’s dress encouraged all weekend long.
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A bit of flapjack history courtesy of the Berthoud Historical Society… from 1948 to 1958 the local Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce hosted a Flapjack Day in Berthoud Town Park that drew hordes of people to “The Garden Spot.” On the first Flapjack Day (1948) an estimated 1,000 persons descended on Berthoud to devour 5,000 free pancakes. By 1949, The Berthoud Bulletin announced that 3,700 visitors from 21 states downed a whopping 7,400 flap jacks. Over its eleven-year span, Flapjack Day grew to include the crowning of a Flapjack Queen, spike-driving, swimming and diving contests, a baton twirling competition, pet-and-doll parades, a pig catching scramble, and a tractor driving challenge. The last Flapjack Day was held in 1959 when the Chamber of Commerce decided to cancel the event due to the high cost of hosting such a spectacle. City Star Brewing brought this annual tradition back to life in 2015: giving away 1,000 flap jacks, raising $1,000 for the Berthoud Historical Society, and crowning the first Flapjack Queen in 50 years.