Beethoven and Brews

Is it a classical symphony featuring some beer? Or a beer fest with some Beethoven jams thrown in? “Who cares?!” I concluded as Danielle and I strolled up to Beethoven and Brews at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. 

On a toasty upper 90’s late July afternoon, I was a little worried we might bake in the sun, left to shrivel amongst the elements as vultures circled our raisined remains. Thankfully a couple factors kept us out of harm’s way. My wonderful wife had the foresight to insist I wear shorts – at first a weird thought for a symphony but most other guys did the same. It is casual Colorado after all. The weather was a bit overcast, providing some relief, and there was a good amount of shade in the Sculpture Park to relax and escape the sun’s rays. 

Issues of personal comfort mostly settled, it was beer time. The event is scheduled as an unlimited sample beer fest outdoors from 4-6 PM, selections from Beethoven 6-6:45 in Boettcher Concert Hall, an hour intermission for more beer and food truck snacks, and a final hour back in the symphony hall. 

Many samples were tried by me (and not by my pregnant wife) as I sought to get my money’s worth. While this was not a crazy #hypeboi beer fest, there was a nice selection of drinks from national and local breweries. Some of my favorites included two from Incantation Brewing, a local brewery who consistently had the longest lines at the fest. Ritual was a highly crushable Mexican lager seemingly made for the weather at hand and Master of the Moon a floral sour using some unique ingredients with a delicate touch. Some oldies but goodies also made impressions as I was reminded that Victory Sour Monkey and North Coast Old Rasputin are great beers that pack some serious ABV punch. Lagers and beers generally on the lighter side of things were the drinks du jour. A couple hard seltzers even snuck their way into the mix.

With an Old Rasputin in hand, we headed indoors to enjoy the Beethoven half of the event. While I enjoy classical music and taking in the atmosphere of a symphony, I am by no means an expert on the subject and will not even begin to describe the experience in any technical manner. That being said, the first 4 notes to play (dun dun dun dun!) from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 immediately hyped me up, and I enjoyed every minute of the show. Watching the concentration on musician’s faces as they expertly play their instruments is mesmerizing, and knowing they’ve spent their whole lives practicing to be here is admirable. I’ve spent a lot of time practicing drinking beer, but I don’t imagine many people would pay to watch me do so. OnlyFans beer account perhaps…

Being a symphony combined with a beer fest, there were naturally some light hearted moments during the performance. The lead horn, Michael Thornton, came out after intermission rocking full lederhosen and an ~8 foot Ricola style alpenhorn. Truly a sight to behold, and the horn somehow seamlessly blended into Beethoven’s classic pieces. Not to be outdone, the conductor, Christopher Dragon, made a costume change mid-set and appeared onstage in his own lederhosen donning a stein of beer. A couple healthy chugs later and he was back on his conductor’s podium, leading the orchestra through their final pieces. 

Solid beer paired with Colorado’s own symphony orchestra proved a winning combo, and the $80 price of entry felt justified considering the unlimited libations and professional entertainment. What seems at first an odd pairing proved to be symbiotic as the brews loosened the atmosphere of the symphony while the Beethoven elevated the beer fest aspect, ensuring patrons didn’t get too stumble around sloppy. Or at least there were not any that I saw. I even managed to behave myself. In the future I’ll be on the lookout for more Beethoven and Brews and the opportunity to wear shorts to the symphony, fitting right in with hundreds of my fellow beer drinking, music loving friends.