Collaboration Fest marks start of Colorado's beer festival season

Colorado's beer festivals are poised to return to full strength this year.

What to know: Collaboration Fest kicks off the beer festival season April 2 at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver.

• Back after a two-year, pandemic hiatus — like others on this year's calendar — the event features more than 135 breweries from across the state collaborating on 95 different beers.

Of note: The camaraderie that marks Collab Fest holds new symbolic value for an industry that struggled to survive the pandemic.

Mark your calendars: Other festivals set to return this year include the exclusive WeldWerks Invitational in June and the Great American Beer Festival in October.

John's thought bubble: The innovative, one-off brews that define Collab Fest make it something special.

• A bonus: I'll be signing copies of my book, "Beer Lover's Colorado" and our copy editor Jonathan Shikes will sign his new book "Denver Beer: A History," along with other local beer authors.

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