MILESTONE

This week is Issue #52, which means Foothill Crew has officially hit one full year.

What started as a simple Reddit post has turned into a weekly newsletter read by nearly 3,000 people across the foothills and Front Range. Over the past year, we’ve covered local history and landmarks, trails, events, small businesses, and the places that make these towns worth calling home.

In that time, I’ve written roughly 54,000 words, and the newsletter has been read more than 128,000 times. That only happens because you keep showing up and reading each week.

So thank you for being here. This project has been a pleasure to build, and I’m grateful for everyone who’s been part of it—whether you’ve been here since the beginning or this is your first issue.

Onward and upwards,
Tyler

CRAFT BREW HISTORY

We love our craft beer here in Colorado, and the growler has long been the go-to way to take great beer home from the brewery. But where did this iconic jug come from? The folks at local favorite Mountain Toad Brewing break it down below.
(Thanks to Mountain Toad Brewing for sharing this with us.)

Enter Mountain Toad….

Growlers are a staple of the craft beer scene, but their history is far older than the modern microbrewery. First used in the late 1800s, the very first growlers were lidded metal buckets that would be filled at the bar then delivered to your home or work. The gurgling of carbonation escaping through the poorly sealed containers produced a type of growl that gave the growler its name. They fell out of use during Prohibition for obvious reasons, but remained relatively unchanged until the 1950s when the old metal bucket was replaced by a large wax coated carton; similar to take-out container. In the ‘60s many bars switched to plastic jugs, but the whole practice of to-go beer generally fell out of favor with the rise of cans and bottles.

It wasn’t until the late 1980s in Wyoming that we saw the modern glass growlers take shape. Charlie Otto, co-founder of Grand Teton Brewing, wanted to sell his beer to-go, but lacked any method to bottle. It was then that his father recalled the old tin growlers bars used for the very same purpose. The Otto’s began putting their beer in clear glass jugs; the modern growler was born. Growlers became a staple of craft breweries that were dealing with local outdated liquor laws that limited taproom sales to certain hours or days of the week.

Over the years, the growler has been upgraded to keep beer as fresh as possible: glass became brown to protect the beer from light, better stoppers to prevent loss of carbonation. Some growlers are even made of stainless steel. In the more recent craft beer era, canning technology has become more widely available to microbreweries and the crowler (can-growler) has since become the most popular method in which to take beer home.

THE BRIEFING

Sunrise 7:15 AM
Sunset 4:37 PM
Snow Report: Lacking

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TUESDAY

Green Mountain Brewery, Lakewood- Weekly Run Club, 6pm. Run, then beers

Buffalo Rose, Golden- Golden Beer Talks: Phil Weiser, Colorado Attorney General, 6:30-8pm. Learn more

WEDNESDAY

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Ski & Board Tune Night, 5-9pm. Wax and a beer

Miners Saloon, Golden- Live music Wednesdays, 6-9pm.

Bentgate Mountaineering, Golden- Summit Huts 101: overview of huts network, 6-8pm. Plan your adventure

Buffalo Rose, Golden- A Holiday Evening w/ Jefferson Symphony Orchestra, 6:15pm. Dinner & a show

THURSDAY

Mountain Toad Brewing, Golden- Cheese Night w/ Cheese Ranch, 5-10pm. Good pairing

Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden- The Polar Express Train Ride, 5-10pm. Santa may show up

Golden Outpost, Golden- Reindeer Games: A Holiday Mystery Fundraiser. Family friendly on Thursday

Runner’s Roost, Golden- Weekly Run Club, meet at 6pm

BP Run Co, Wheat Ridge- Weekly run club, starting at 6pm. Lace ‘em up

Cactus Jack’s Saloon, Evergreen- Thank you Thursday. Locals get 10% off all day while the kitchen is open, and a great warm up for Open Mic Night 👇️ 

Cactus Jack’s Saloon, Evergreen- Almost Famous Open Mic Night, starting at 7pm

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Music by the Mesa: Smorgasgrass, 6-9pm. Multi-genre bluegrass

Mountain Toad Brewing, Golden- Awkward Family Photos, 6-9pm. Get yours!

The Woodcellar, Evergreen- Almighty Open Mic Night, 7-11pm. Show off

FRIDAY

Cheese Ranch Artisan Deli, Golden- Fondue Friday, 5pm. Yummy

Colorado Tap House, Arvada- Soup & Sauna w/ Nomadic Fire Mobile Sauna, 5-9pm. Limited tickets

Center for the Arts, Evergreen- Art Bar: Stained Glass Gnomes, 6-8pm. Crafts

Center Stage Theatre, Evergreen- A Christmas Carol, 7:30pm. Tickets

The Woodcellar, Evergreen- Ramblin Band: Rocky Mountain Tribute to the Allman Brothers, 8pm. Rock on

SATURDAY

Downtown Georgetown- 3rd Annual Hops and Holly Beer Festival, 8am-5pm. Festive

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Saturday Morning Yoga, 10-11am. Flow State

Downtown Golden- Jingle on the Avenue, 11am-1pm. Holiday Spirit

Olde Town, Arvada- Holiday Pop Up Market, 11am-3pm. Last one of the season

Evergreen Lutheran Church, Evergreen- Colorado Mountain Holiday Concert, 3pm. Details 

Boone Mountain Sports, Evergreen- Late Night Shop Night, 4-9pm. Last minute Xmas shopping

Little Bear Saloon, Evergreen- Young & Dead in concert, 8pm. Ramble on

SUNDAY

Arvada Beer Garden, Arvada- Breakfast with Santa, 9-10am. Reserve your spot

Mountain Toad Brewing, Golden- Board Game Night, 5pm-close. Have fun

Buffalo Rose, Golden- Spinphony Electric String Quartet Holiday Performance, 6pm. Rocks & Classics

MONDAY

Gold Mine Cupcakes, Golden- Decorate a cupcake for Santa, 1-3pm. 10 year tradition

Golden Game Guild, Golden- Teach Me to Play Mondays, 6-9pm. Learn new games

New Terrain Brewing Co, Golden- Yoga on Tap 🧘 Yoga from 6-7pm, beers anytime. Get your ticket

Central City, circa 1899

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See you around the next bend!