A Recap of the 2019 Denver Pop Culture Con Beer Release Party

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

You know, it’s extremely difficult for any particular event to maintain the magic and wonder that one finds when you first attend it. Because by year two and beyond, you know what you’re getting into, which gives one a sense of routine and comfortability to the point where sometimes, you eventually let that event fade into your memory because hey, been there, done that. But, believe it or not, there are events out there that remain special and wondrous every time you swing by and in the city of Denver, there are two events that meet that particular criteria. One of them, is Denver Pop Culture Con, since it offers something new and lively every single year and the other, is the Denver Pop Culture Con Beer Release Party, an event put together by local beer wunderkind, Breckenridge Brewery.
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Which quite frankly, is quite the incredible feat, because on paper, this whole event should seem quite routine. You go in, you grab your collector’s glass, taste the beer in question and get on with your day. But every single year that I’ve attended this event, I’ve done so with a smile on my face, and I’ve looked forward to it every single year simply because this event really is something special and worth celebrating and after attending it for the umpteenth time this past weekend, I really took the time to reflect upon what makes it so special and so wonderful and it just so happens that the answer to that particular question ended up being far simpler than I expected it to be. For the real magic when it comes to the Beer Release Party is that it offers up loads of fun and, it provides the nerds and geeks that attend it, with a sense of community and for proof, look no further than this year’s event.

Because just walking up to the Monkey Barrel Bar, there was a sense of joy and excitement hanging in the air courtesy of the smiles that were plastered on everyone’s faces as they sipped on the new beer and chatted it up while the music gently thrummed in the background and that’s the kind of vibe that instantly perks you up. Because it means you’re about to share in the fun that everyone else is having and that just puts you in a good place mentally and, the smile on my face only grew when I stepped through those doors. For everyone inside the bar was simply basking in the moment, and reveling in the celebration and it was just a delight to see people complimenting one another’s costumes and talking about what they were looking forward to seeing at DPCC and really, all of this relates to that sense of community I made mention of a moment ago. Because everyone here was relaxed and clearly felt at home and the fact that I was able to say hello to some familiar faces that I hadn’t seen in ages only added to that vibe and once we all settled in with our nerdy brethren, that’s when the fun started.

Because thankfully, I got there right before the final word came down on who won the costume contest and that meant that I was in for quite the treat. For there was a tie for first place, and the only way to determine a winner, was to have a good old-fashioned dance off and this was outright amazing. In large part due to the fact that a Thanos costume was part of this final challenge and well, dear reader, I suppose it’s safe to say that you haven’t lived until you’ve seen Thanos twerk in real life and that happened here and the hilarity of that moment, and the joy it brought to the crowd only added to the energy of the night, and once the dance-off had concluded with Thanos as the loser, the crowd took to the dance floor and let loose with their nerdy selves and while I’m not one to cut a rug, seeing people dance from afar, and enjoying the new beer with my friends was enough to keep me happy and the fun and the laughs just kept rolling as the night went on, and it was wonderful to see people heading home for the night still grinning and from what I can tell, the party kept on going long after I left, and my group left pretty darn late.

Oh, but I’m almost getting ahead of myself here, because we cannot forget about the beer and whether or not Bocks Machina is worth a taste and, in a nutshell, the beer is outright delicious. It’s flavorful, it delivers on everything that Breckenridge Brewery promises, and it definitely goes down smooth and I’ll absolutely be having another one of these at the con. But, outside of that, this really was another incredible beer release party, and I cannot thank the folks at Breckenridge Brewery and Denver Pop Culture Con for taking the time to put on this event so close to the convention itself because I’m sure they have plenty of prep to do. But the awesomeness of the beer, and the care that went into this party, just goes to show that both organizations truly care about the community they serve, and the fans that make DPCC a rousing success and I’ll definitely be back next year to see what wonderful brew the Breckenridge folks have planned for all us to enjoy and to take part in that magnificent sense of community that’s present at a party, that’s truly designed for nerds and geeks.  

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