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.  

Tradition is a word that holds great weight with all of us. Because we all have traditions that we carry out that are near and dear to our hearts, for various personal reasons. For some, it’s about keeping something unique and wonderful going, and the thought of helping to create wonderful and joyous memories is what motivates us to pass it along from generation to generation and for others, well, sometimes tradition is all about keeping the memory of a loved one alive. Yet what truly makes tradition special, is the sheer fact that it unites us in ways we never thought possible. For when we take part in it, there’s a feeling of community that comes along with it, and that’s why I’m so happy this time of year.
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Because spring time and/or the beginning of summer is when nerds and geeks in Denver take part in their own unified tradition, the kind that celebrates everything we love about our favorite fandoms when we all assemble at Denver Pop Culture Con. But while the con in and of itself is important, what this convention has meant to the community speaks volumes to its wonder since it has helped to spring forth all kinds of wonderful new events, traditions if you will, that we can all take part in before the con kicks off and one that everyone loves to celebrate is the annual unveiling of the Denver Pop Culture Comic Con beer and wouldn’t you know it? The time has come once again to celebrate that new brew, come next Saturday night.

Yes, that’s right, come May 25th, anyone who heads down to The Monkey Barrel at 7 p.m. can get their hands on the latest Pop Culture Con brew from Breckenridge Brewery, Bocks Machina, and well, it looks like this this year’s party is going to be quite the wonderful event. Because not only will the first 200 nerds through the door get their hands on the fancy pint glass (pictured below) designed by artist Nick Hughes, there were will also be a DJ present, who will belt out tunes for everyone to dance to atop an LED Dance Floor and of course, it’s best you take the time to ready the costume you’ve been dying to wear because there will be a cosplay contest as well and the winner of this competition will get their hands on free tickets to Denver Pop Culture Con 2019.

But, since traditions hold their own magical meaning for everyone, I know that some people swing by this event to simply share in the wonder of a once in a year brew and thankfully Breckenridge Brewery is planning to take good care of the beer nerd as well. For Bocks Machina (which is a play on Vox Machina, the group from the web series Critical Role, and don’t forget you can see the cast at the con!), is another unique and exclusive entry in the DPCC beer family, since it just so happens to be a Malbock recipe. But, it’s not just any recipe, this particular one is Breckenridge Brewery’s own concoction and it managed to win a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival and what makes this golden and malty lager so special is its honey and grain taste, and sweet fruit sense, elements that should delight every beer lover at the con.

If anything, this is truly going to be a magical event. Because I don’t know of any other convention out there that’s inspired this kind of build up to the big weekend itself, nor do I know of any other brewery that goes the extra geeky mile to produce something as unique as a yearly beer for a convention and well, it’s just wonderful to know that every single year, nerds and geeks in Denver can take part in these lovely set of traditions and chat about the fandoms they share in over a cold and delicious brew and I cannot wait to see what fun will be had next week at Monkey Barrel, when we all kick of the countdown to DPCC 2019 in style.