• ENJOY CRAFT BEER WHERE IT'S BREWED!

  • MON-WED 3-8pm, THU-FRI 3-9pm, SAT 12-9pm, SUN 12-8pm

City Star Launches Crowlers and Online Ordering

 150 150 City Star Brewing

City Star Launches CrowlersAmid the COVID-19 pandemic, we are excited to announce the launch of online ordering and craft beer in crowlers at City Star Brewing!

Access online ordering at https://citystarbrewing.square.site/. Crowlers, growlers and kegs are available to order online. You can place your order at anytime and then pick-up when we are open: 3-7pm. In checkout you are able to add a tip for your beerslingers and we want to hook you up with curbside pick-up; just call the taproom (970-532-7827) when you are parked out front and we’ll bring your beer to you! Note: we are still refilling guests growlers, but this option is not available for online ordering. We do have other items for sale that also must be purchased at the bar: non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, merchandise, and gift cards.

What’s this about crowlers?! No time like NOW to step-up our craft beer ‘to go’ game. We spent the day filling 25.4oz crowlers (purged with CO2 before filling for a longer shelf life) and we’ll continue filling as long as the demand is there. 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 brewer fresher longer than conventional glass growlers. Shout-out to Oskar Blues and Crowler Nation for helping us make this happen; brewery camaraderie is definitely not lacking during this trying time.

A reminder, in compliance with this week’s Colorado health order the City Star taproom is open for ‘TO GO’ beer orders only with new hours: 3-7pm daily. Please help us respect this order and prioritize public safety by not lingering in the taproom.

The amount of support we’ve received (from all distances!) over the past few days has been incredible. We are truly honored to be a part of Berthoud and the greater NoCo craft beer community. We are a small, independently owned, family run brewery and we are grateful that we are able to continue conducting business at this time. Lifting up our staff, community, and business partners while navigating this closure is heavy on our minds. Thank you for your continued support!

???? Your City Star Crew

Rainbow of Taste article in THIRST

 150 150 City Star Brewing

City Star Brewing Rainbow of Taste by THIRST MagazineCity Star Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with Lucky Charms Flight

By Steve Graham

Your neighborhood pub might serve bright green beer on St. Patrick’s Day, but a Berthoud brewery is taking it up a notch and also serving purple, orange and red beers for the big day.

For the third year, City Star Brewing will lean into the leprechaun part of the Irish holiday and craft a colorful and “magically delicious” Lucky Charms beer flight. And unlike the pastel breakfast marshmallows (or the green Bud Light, for that matter), there are no artificial dyes or ingredients involved.

“Enjoy tasting the rainbow, sampling exotic brews of varying hues, and … rest assured that all ingredients are natural,” City Star co-owner Whitney Way said.

City Star opened in 2012, when home-brewing enthusiast John Way left his job at Oskar Blues to launch the first craft brewery in Berthoud with his wife, Whitney. The couple still owns and runs the brewery.

“We’ve just kind of stumbled through it,” Whitney said.

The brewery is in a rustic brick building that used to be the City Star livery stable, and the Ways draw on that history for the horseshoe logo and the “Western, historical vibe.”

City Star has five mainstay beers, including an IPA, a stout and a red ale, plus a range of seasonal specialties and barrel-aged offerings on tap. Everyone at the brewery has input on the lineup.

“Anytime our staff has ideas, we try to incorporate that as well,” Whitney said.

Staff members also suggested ingredients for the Lucky Charms flight.

The beers are a surprise each year, but Whitney expects to add butterfly peaflower to a golden lager, which naturally imbues a bright blue or purple hue. Whitney also purchased bee pollen for making a dry-hopped lager, and plans to revive a beet saison that was a taproom hit a few years ago.

Original article source: https://www.thirstcolorado.com/source/2020/3/4/rainbow-of-taste

City Star Joins the Craft Malt Revolution

 150 150 City Star Brewing

Root Shoot Malting and City Star Brewing partnershipCity Star Brewing, Berthoud’s small town brewery is one of the first Colorado breweries to join the Craft Maltsters Guild. The Guild is a grassroots movement in today’s malting industry dedicated to promoting and sustaining the burgeoning craft malt tradition across North America. Small-batch, independent maltsters are coming together, in a rising tide to bring heart, diversity, relocalization, and excitement to the marketplace.

Joining the Craft Maltsters guild was originally inspired by City Star’s partnership with local malthouse, Root Shoot Malting. The two local businesses were brought together in 2016, when City Star crafted Local Yokel, all-Colorado ingredient pale ale that led City Star brewers to work with the then newly established Root Shoot Malting. The fifth generation farmers had just kilned their first batch of barley in their state-of-the-art malting facility. The Olander family had been growing quality barley for decades, but craft malting was a new venture. Since that first collaboration brew City Star has moved to use Root Shoot’s Genie Pale Malt as the base malt for all ales in addition to brewing with various specialty malts.

Root Shoot Malting and City Star Brewing CollaborationCity Star is committed to craft and quality from grain to glass. This means an emphasis on quality ingredients and where they come from. The brewery is supporting local farmers and community plus using a quality product that incorporates the Northern Colorado terroir. City Star’s carbon footprint is lowered by using barley grown and malted right in its backyard.

Root Shoot is “Saving Farms One Beer at a Time” and City Star is proud to play its role. Frankly, brewing with craft malt is an easy business decision. City Star Brewing and the Root Shoot family have forged a strong friendship. Northern Colorado communities and the greater craft beer scene reap the benefits of this partnership. As one of Root Shoot’s first brewery partners, City Star is excited to support our local maltsters, the Craft Maltsters Guild, and the greater craft malt movement.
City Star Brewing Craft Malt Certified Brewer

Winter Solstice Party

 640 675 City Star Brewing

This December 21st, the darkest day of the year, we celebrate the Winter Solstice at City Star Brewing 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 coconut and coffee decaf 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.

Happenings of this evening include free live music, henna tattoos, night sky telescope viewing with the Little Thompson Observatory, flower crowns, photo booth by Phobia Entertainment, Cirque Kitchen food truck, tarot card readings with Mary D’Agostino, and there will be a limited amount of commemorative glassware available.

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 hosting this second annual event and celebrating the return of the light with good friends, great beer and fun activities. Festivities begin at 6pm with free entry in our downtown Berthoud taproom.

Step Back into the Fabulous 50’s this Flap Jack Day

 150 150 City Star Brewing

Flap Jack DayFree flap jacks, classic cars, breakfast beers, rockabilly, contests and small town love… 

In 1948 the Town of Berthoud created “Flap Jack Day” to be celebrated on Labor Day to bring neighbors together and visitors from afar to enjoy one of the simple pleasures in life…  flap jacks. The annual festivities that brought upwards of 3,000 people to the town was canceled in 1959. City Star Brewing brought this annual tradition back to life in 2015: giving away 1,000 flapjacks, raising $1,000 for the Berthoud Historical Society, and crowning the first Flap Jack Queen in 50 years – Caitlin Ascher.

City Star’s 5th Annual Flap Jack Day will be held on Labor Day, Monday, September 2nd from 11am-5pm. The event features FREE flap jacks, vintage car show, rockabilly music by the HIllbilly Hellcats, and the Flap Jack Queen contest. In a modern twist, the craft brewery will also offer a flap jack themed breakfast beer flight to serve throughout the day: Honeydew Pils, Banana Nut Bread Hef, Maple Brown, Froot Loop IPA, and Dirty Chai Stout. At 2pm there will be a contest for 50’s fashion, and at 3pm ladies will compete in the annual Flap Jack Queen Contest. The first lady to finish 5 flap jacks wins a tiara and prizes from local businesses. Local Lynsey Morgan has won the crown the past three years, posting her fastest time yet of 32 seconds in 2018. All donations and $2 per beer flight benefit the Berthoud Historical Society. Attendees should dress to impress as the town steps back into the fabulous 50’s. Learn more at http://berthoudflapjackday.com.

A bit of flap jack history courtesy of the Berthoud Historical Society… from 1948 to 1958 the local Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce hosted a Flap Jack Day in Berthoud Town Park that drew hordes of people to “The Garden Spot.” On the first Flap Jack 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, Flap Jack Day grew to include the crowning of a Flap Jack Queen, spike-driving, swimming and diving contests, a baton twirling competition, pet-and-doll parades, a pig catching scramble, a tractor driving challenge. The last Flap Jack 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.

Meet City Star Brewing in Voyage Denver

 150 150 City Star Brewing

An Interview with Voyage Denver:

Whitney, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
City Star Brewing first opened its doors May 4th, 2012 after a year of construction and rehabilitation of the 100-year-old downtown Berthoud building. The taproom and brewery’s namesake is the City Star Barn livery stable, operated at the same location in the early 1900s.

Proprietors John and Whitney Way opened City Star, motivated by their passion for craft beer, community and creating meaningful experiences. Head brewer John Way was an avid home brewer with one year of packaging experience at Oskar Blues. He built the brewhouse, featuring a 3.5 barrel (100 gallons) direct fire brew system and two 7 barrel (200 gallons) fermentation tanks. The brewhouse has since grown to include 80 barrels worth of fermentation tanks, the addition of a whirlpool vessel, comprehensive glycol chilling system, installation of a second cold room, and an oak barrel aging program.

City Star Brewing was awarded Gold and Bronze medals at the world renown, Great American Beer Festival in 2013 and a Bronze medal in 2015. An extensive taproom expansion was completed in 2017, opening an outdoor beer garden and barrel house that doubles as an event space.

Constant improvement on the experience front has likely allowed City Star Brewing to expand and further provide their loyal consumer base everything they love and desire. Growth is the obvious direction in which a business, whether it’s a brewhouse or a corporate service company, aims to move towards. Gathering the right information from customers via a meaningful questionnaire or two on a regular basis, and more importantly, acting on it, can help foster better business relationships, in turn benefiting the business and enabling it to grow.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Opening and operating City Star has been a more than a worthwhile journey. The adventure has not been without its ups and downs and continual navigation of the tumultuous craft beer scene. Day to day struggles include (though are not limited to) frozen water pipes, refrigeration malfunctioning (over and over again), maintaining relationships with vendors, food trucks, musicians, staff, town, neighbors, customers, etc. Navigating actively running City Star as a married couple (especially during construction) has been a struggle at times. From every struggle we learn and grow making the business stronger as well as ourselves personally.

City Star Brewing – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
City Star is a taproom centric brewery with a focus on community and producing quality craft beer. Our taps line-up features 5 mainstay approachable beers and 5 rotating specialty beers. There is always a beer for everyone on tap, including our 3 Great American Beer Festival medal winning beers. With our relatively small brew system, we are afforded flexibility in regularly releasing new specialty and experimental beers.

John and Whitney are both very hands-on in the business, creating an inspired culture for staff and great experiences for guests. We are proud of all the details in our space that we crafted with love (and blood, sweat, and tears!)… from the oak barrel chandelier to the re-purposed wood tables, and hops in the beer garden.

As a keystone business in our small town City Star has helped revitalize the downtown business district. We regularly donate beer, merchandise, funds, and time to support local causes. City Star Brewing hosts the annual Hops and Harley festival in Berthoud, attracting 3,000+ festival goers to a fantastic community event that supports local non-profit Harley’s Dream. In 2019 the event raised $38,000 to support the organization’s mission to end puppy mills.

City Star also has a strong connection with the Berthoud Historical Society, sponsoring their events as well as raising funds for them at City Star’s Annual Flap Jack Day. In 2015, we brought back this Berthoud Labor Day tradition from the 50s. Now it’s an annual throwback event featuring vintage cars, Flap Jack Queen contest, 50’s dress, breakfast beer flights, and 1500+ free flapjacks.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success for us is happiness… for us, our family, staff, and customers. Markers range from online reviews to nice notes left behind, from staff interest in our business to simple laughter.

We’re doing this interview on our way from a two-week road trip. While gone our staff went above and beyond to take care of the brewery and taproom. Regular customers sent photos and ideas (and mowed our lawn!). This is a success. ?

Original article: http://voyagedenver.com/interview/meet-whitney-way-city-star-brewing-north-denver-berthoud-colorado/

City Star Brewing Hosts 7th Annual Hops and Harley

 150 150 City Star Brewing

Celebrating dogs and craft beer, Hops and Harley festival expects to draw thousands of guests to Berthoud, Colorado from around the country.

City Star Brewing will host the 7th Annual Hops & Harley Festival on June 15th at Fickel Park in downtown Berthoud, Colorado from 11am until 6pm. The free community event features live music by Joe Kuckla and Irons in the Fire and By The Lee, City Star Brewing on tap, Spirit Hound Distillers cocktails, Shoes and Brews 5K Dog Jog, Hogs for Hops and Harley motorcycle ride to the event, food trucks, vendors and kids activities to raise puppy mill awareness. This year’s Woof and Wags Village will feature a dog agility course open to the public by Trust Your Dog Training, dog obedience class demo and mini training sessions with Double K Canine Training, Fluff and Buff Bar courtesy Dog Bath and Beyond. Visit Fun and Games Village to find yard games, photo booth, balloon twisting, interactive activities with Wildfire Community Arts and Berthoud Local, face painting, rocks painting, and a 2pm House of Joy Kids Show. Top sponsors for 2019 Hops and Harley are NomNomNow, Mile High Harley-Davidson, and Lamar Advertising. In 2018 Hops & Harley attracted well over 3,000 people from across the US and raised more than $25,000 .

100% of the proceeds from Hops & Harley will benefit Colorado-based nonprofit organization, Harley’s Dream, which was established in 2016 to create awareness and educate the public about the commercial dog breeding industry, also known as puppy mills. This event was created in honor of Harley, a tiny Chihuahua who was known as the “Little Dog with a Big Dream”. Harley’s life was truly a rags to riches story. After spending 10 years in a small cage he was freed and found a loving home where he began his triumphant journey. Harley’s efforts as a ‘spokesdog’ against puppy mills earned him the top honor as American Humane’s “Hero Dog of the Year”. Harley had been on The Today Show, HuffpostLIVE, Hallmark Channel’s Home and Family Show and numerous news segments. He also had the opportunity to testify during a congressional caucus on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Sadly, Harley passed away on March 20, 2016, but his legacy lives on … he inspired so many people to do great things, and he continues to be the voice for the hundreds of thousands of dogs suffering in puppy mills today.

Learn more about Hops and Harley at www.hopsandharley.com
Learn more about Harley’s Dream at www.harleysdream.org

City Star is 7!

 150 150 City Star Brewing

City Star Brewing opened its doors in small town Berthoud, Colorado 7 years ago. Berthoud was thirsty, drank City Star near dry, and the new craft brewery had to close the following weekend to catch up. Fast forward to 2019 City Star has expanded its brewhouse cellar and more than doubled the taproom seating capacity with a beautiful taproom addition, barrel house and outdoor beer garden. A few Great American Beer Festival medals, a cease-and-desist letter (from a winery), and 100+ beers later City Star has become a destination for locals and craft beer lovers alike.

Saturday, May 4th City Star Brewing officially celebrates 7 years of beers with two new beers, live music all day, two food trucks, reopening of the deputy mug club program, $10 commemorative t-shirts, free beers …and the annual cupcake toast.

Taproom doors open at noon with the release of Granatum sour pomegranate barrel aged kölsch in bottles and on tap. The beerslingers collaborated to formulate and brew their own beer just for the occasion. The result is Salud, a watermelon tajín wheat featuring lime zest, sea salt and habaneros ???.

5/4 HOOTENANNY SCHEDULE
12pm Beer Releases: Granatum and Salud
12pm Deputy Mug Club Opens, Commemorative T-Shirts On Sale ($10/ea)
12pm Food Trucks: Ohana Eatery and Nacho Mama’s Tacos
2pm Music: The Seers
6pm Cupcake Toast (by Rise Artisan Bread)
7pm Music: Wood Belly, 2018 Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest Winners!

During the Hootenanny the first 50 guests who check-in or share a selfie on Facebook or Instagram with hashtag #CityStarIs7 and show a beertender will receive a FREE BEER! ??

Pucker Up This Valentine’s Day

 150 150 City Star Brewing

She’s back and better than ever!

The newest creation from the City Star Zoller Barrel House – the 2019 vintage of Scarlet is a blend of sour stout aged in oak barrels for 2 years, sour imperial stout aged in oak barrels for 2.5 years, and Michigan Montmorency cherries. Soured with lactobacillus and pediococcus bacteria as well as brettanomyces yeast. The beer has a velvety smooth mouthfeel. Luscious waves of cocoa roll along the tongue, and the cherry sweetness rounds out the sour flavor profile. Each bottle is dipped in wax and hand stamped with the City Star Brewing seal.

22oz. Bottles: $17Scarlet Bottle Release
On tap for a limited time!

A Beer Dinner Pairing Experience

 150 150 City Star Brewing

We recently got to host an amazing beer dinner pairing with Juli Y Juan Kitchen and wow! What an experience it was. We originally wanted to collaborate with them after we had hosted them for a private celebration last year and we loved the food, energy, passion… EVERYTHING about working with this team. We recreated the magic and can’t wait to have them back again in May!

The 4 course dinner was expertly paired with 4 City Star beers served in our Zoller Barrel House and adjacent Great Room.

Here are some excerpts from Juliu Y Juan’s blog (https://www.juliyjuan.com/blog/2019/2/8/culinary-magic-under-the-city-star-brewery):

Nothing calls more our attention than a new challenge to make magic with new artists. This past January 31st we traveled to Berthoud where we had our first appearance and collaboration with another set of artistic hands in the world of brewing beer. Alongside John & Whitney, owners of City Star Brewing Co., the 4 of us joined passions and performed for 50 happy epicureans, as we share the delightful art of pairing. What an amazing and joyful time!!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TRUST!!
We want to thank everyone who attended this amazing and fun event, thank you very much for your trust and for letting us make magic together!! This will not be the last, we are already brewing and cooking some fun ideas for future appearances, so stay tuned!! =D

THE TEAM
Also we want to thank all the team who made this day possible, it is because of you that we can all have fun and create this amazing events. You guys are the souls and joy of our events and we are forever grateful for your time, patience, love and dedication to our art. Special thanks to Taylor, owner of Mountainside Events for her outstanding job, as well as John Robson, for his amazing photography. Please enjoy the pictures below!!

TO JOHN & WHITNEY
Thank you guys, for allowing us to share our magic at your home. Thank you for opening the doors and sharing your art. Your attention to details, and your presentation of tables and organization is beyond our words. You guys rock, and we look forward to making more magic together in the near future.

Al the Love from Juli and I, and our Kitchen Team.