City Star Brewing
West Coast IPA brewed with Columbus, Simcoe, Amarillo, Mosaic and dry hopped with Citra hops and OG Kush terpines from the Abstrax Hops Brew Gas series. A dank citrus earthy hop bomb that will keep the vibes as high as you are. Available on tap only.
New England style Hazy IPA brewed with Strata and Cashmere hops then dry hopped with Cashmere hops. This beer was brewed listening to Punk Rock Radio – tune in with us by scanning the QR code on your can.
The 12 samples are from the competing chili recipes for the 2024 City Star Chili Cook-Off. The cook-off this year will be March 27. (Courtesy photo)
By Shelley Widhalm
The Surveyor
City Star Brewing is home this winter to three chili cook-offs in keeping with the tradition of combining good food with friendly competition and supporting charitable causes.
“It’s a good excuse to get together and raise some funds for a good cause,” said Whitney Way, owner of City Star Brewing, 321 Mountain Ave. “When it’s cold outside, chili is a warm, comforting option. People get very passionate about their chili recipes.”
The three cook-offs will be in City Star’s taproom, the Zoller Barrel House, which can be reserved for free for parties, personal gatherings, benefits and other public events. The Barrel House is in a separate room with extra space and long tables, plus there are several outlets, necessary for bringing in lots of Crock-Pots.
“Every year, these three chili cook-offs happen at City Star,” Way said. “They know these spaces are set up well.”
First in the lineup is the Berthoud Veterans Club Presents Chili Cook-Off at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20. The sixth annual event will be headed up by American Legion Auxiliary Unit 67 and sponsored by American Legion Post 67, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12189 and VFW Auxiliary Unit 12189, all of which are part of the Berthoud Veterans Club.
“We use it for comradery amongst not only the veterans in the club, but among all veterans,” said Carly Stephen, president of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 67.
Veterans and community members can enter their chili for free to compete for prizes for the top three recipes. Those wanting to judge are asked to pay a $1 donation per tasting or $10 for 12, and they usually have 15 to 20 options.
“Chili is probably one of the most popular cook-offs because everyone has their own take or spin on it when it’s red, green or white chili,” Stephen said. “We make it lighthearted and fun. It’s a good time at City Star. They always can have a beer while they have their chili.”
The second chili cook-off is the seventh annual Colorado Facial Hair Chili Cook-Off, which will be 5-7 p.m. Feb. 22 and is a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The event is hosted by Sean Clark, a member of the Rocky Mountain Beard and Mustache Club, which has 63 coin-holding members.
The encouraged donation to taste and rank chili entries is $5. Tasters will get a judging slip to determine the best red, green and hottest and the best overall chili recipes. Typically, there are 10 to 13 entries submitted by members of the different facial clubs in Colorado from the Denver and Northern Colorado areas.
“We’re very generous people. We’re a fun-loving group of people,” said Clark, who started the event to honor his brother, who succumbed to Muscular Dystrophy 30 years ago. “It’s a good family event of hanging out with people who like chili and are facial hair supporters. It’s just a good hang-out time.”
The final cook-off is the seventh annual City Star Chili Cook-Off and will be from 5-8 p.m. March 27 to benefit RAFT, Rural Alternative for Transportation. The cost is $20 a ticket to be able to taste and vote for the Best Chili in Berthoud.
“That particular chili cook-off, we take more of an organizational role to determine the Best Chili in Berthoud,” Way said.
Each year, there are more than 12 chili entries by local businesses and community members for the cook-off. The winner last year was Rise Artisan Bread Bakery & Café in Berthoud.
Annie DeCoteau, co-owner of Rise Artisan Bread Bakery & Café, was the 2024 winner of the City Star Chili Cook-Off. This year’s event will be March 27, plus there will be two more chili cook-offs in February at City Star Brewing. (Courtesy photo)
“It’s usually a mix of chilis, white, green and red chili,” Way said. “It’s fun for residents and businesses to showcase their culinary skills.”
City Star donates $1 per beer sold to the City Star Chili Cook-Off to raise additional funds for RAFT, which provides transportation for adults living in rural Berthoud who are 60 years and older or have disabilities.
“It’s a fun event to showcase some of our other local businesses as well,” Way said.
BOMB-TACOS deliver’s delicious tacos with a kick. Fresh meat and salsas set the tone for street food. Rotating menu so as we like to say “BOMB-TACOS WE’RE NOT JUST TACOS”
Non-alcoholic, sparkling water with infused hops. Crisp, refreshing, and subtly juicy with a bit of a hoppy flavor. Available on tap only.
Colorado Gives Day is Tuesday 12/10, donate $1/beer sold to A Little Help in Berthoud, additional donations welcome: https://alittlehelp.org/ColoradoGivesDay
Join us Sunday 11/17 12-8pm to help raise money for The Greyson Project. Berthoud based, The Greyson Project donates bags of decorations to families spending the holidays in the hospital. By donating a bag, you can make one more hospital room feel a little more like home!
We will be giving $1/beer sold this day to The Greyson project. You can donate online at: https://www.thegreysonproject.org/donate-online
Berthoud residents lined Mountain Avenue Monday morning with eager smiles as they awaited free flapjacks given out with the return of a historic tradition revived almost 10 years ago.
City Star Brewing held its annual Flapjack Day throughout Monday morning into the early afternoon, offering residents free pancakes and sausage, beer flights, classic cars, ’50s music and community connection.
“Our community has embraced the event with open arms,” said Whitney Way, co-owner of City Star Brewing. “We have a pretty rich history in Berthoud and a very active Berthoud Historical Society.”
The event was first held in the late 1940s, coming to The Garden Spot in 1948 to celebrate Labor Day and “bring neighbors together and visitors from afar to enjoy one of the simple pleasures in life … flapjacks,” according to City Star’s website. The local Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce went on to host the event until 1959, serving up thousands of pancakes for people from all across the town and even the state to enjoy. The event ended in 1959, however, when the chamber decided to cancel it due to the high cost of putting it on.
For more than 50 years, the town went without the event until City Star brought it back. The revival of the event was held in 2015 with the brewery and event volunteers giving away 1,000 pancakes and raising $1,000 for the Berthoud Historical Society. This has continued since then, with volunteers gathering to make pancakes for the masses and raise money for the society.
“We are really honored that the community and the historical society … support us in bringing this event back, which I think speaks to the type of event we host and who we are in the community,” Way said. “When you bring back a historical event there is a lot of expectation that comes with that, and we want to honor what has happened in the past and in town in our community.”
“We, as a society, are so grateful for the partnerships with local businesses who appreciate history,” said Diane Levy, a former historical society board member and current events volunteer with the society, as well as the event’s “Batter Queen.”
As the festivities drew closer, the line for free pancakes stretched down the block as volunteers prepared sweltering skillets with batter pulled from large bowls. With a hearty “yeehaw” as the clock hit 11 a.m., residents were finally able to stack their plates with freshly made flapjacks. Just nearby, those waiting or finishing their free food could enjoy a line of classic cars, varying in make, model and color from across the years.
Tracy Briggs, a Berthoud resident and former museum director, was one of the first people in line to get a short stack and spoke highly of the event.
“I love the pancakes and sausages (and) I love the tradition and sense of community,” she said. “We come here, we see friends and get to look at great old cars. It is a great event.”
“We like the pancakes and it’s a good time,” said Meagan James, who came with several members of her family.
Ruth Fletcher-Carter was raised in Berthoud and recently moved back after having moved away. She said she remembers going to the original Flapjack Day in the 1950s, adding that, as a child back then, she remembers being drawn in by the pancakes, saying her sister even dressed her up to look like a pancake one year.
She added that when the event came back in 2015 she was “absolutely delighted.”I love the people, I love the pancakes,” she said. “I just love the sprit of camaraderie that it brings.” For those involved on the back side of the event, being able to have another Flapjack Day and support the Berthoud Historical Society is important.
Way said the event follows the philosophy that City Star lives by every day, that it is more than just the thing being served, be that beer or pancakes. “People are very important to us, so the people who walk in our door, the people we work with and of course our people, our staff,” she said. “This is another great opportunity to bring people together and have a celebration, have a party within our community”
‘“Berthoud has a wonderful, awesome community and a business community that really understands the importance of the history of Berthoud and wants to preserve that history,” said Andrew Wayland, museum manager for the historical society. “It is wonderful they are raising funds for us because people can spend their money on many things nowadays, but to have people come and support us at an event like Flapjack Day really shows we have an important (place) in our community.”
Levy said that the history of the event and what it meant to Berthoud when it started nearly 80 years ago is something important to remember and continue in the modern era.
“History is happening in the present,” she said. “So what we are doing now will be looked back on decades from now as we do today to the (’50s).”
A collaboration between City Star Brewing and Berthoud based Ursa Major, Cold IPA featuring Idaho 7 and Cashmere hops. Available on tap only.
Traditional German Pale Lager, bright, light and crisp. Brewed with Root Shoot’s Thunder Pilsner Malt.