The man was in a group of four skiers who left the resort at the Peak 6 backcountry access point just before noon, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The group was planning to ski the K Chute of the Sky Chutes, which are steep avalanche paths on the west side of the Tenmile Range.

After the man triggered the avalanche, he was swept down the path for about 1,100 feet and lost his skis, according to an accident report from the CAIC.

He was able to escape the still-moving debris field as the avalanche slowed down and was helped off the mountain by the other skiers, one of whom skied down the mountain, found an extra pair of skis and hiked back up so the injured man could ski down.

He was treated for unspecified injuries at St. Anthony Summit Hospital in Frisco.

Two other groups came across the avalanche later that day and called 911 after finding the man’s skis as they descended.

Six other people have been caught in Colorado avalanches so far this month, including two climbers at St. Mary’s Glacier, but none reported injuries, according to the avalanche center.

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The modern version of the brewery, which has occupied a high-profile space in the Auraria campus’ student union for a decade, and the organization that runs the facilities shared by three onsite colleges weren’t able to come to a lease agreement after months of negotiations, according to Devra Ashby, Auraria’s marketing and communications director.

“Since 2015, [Tivoli] has been an integral part of the Auraria Campus, contributing to the campus community and collaborating on educational initiatives until 2021,” Ashby said in a statement. “While brewing operations on campus ceased in fall 2023, the Tivoli Tap House served as a gathering space for students, faculty, staff, and the broader Denver community. We appreciate Tivoli’s contributions over the years and extend our best wishes for their future endeavors.”

Auraria is currently “in discussions” with a potential replacement, she added.

Although the taproom is closed, the brewery will continue to operate a production facility in the southeastern Colorado town of La Junta, where it primarily makes a lager called Outlaw Light. The Tivoli name is also still attached to the taproom at Denver International Airport, but the company is no longer connected to the space, which is run by an airport concessionaire called SSP America.

The original Tivoli brewery was founded in 1900 in the same building as the new one, at 1900 Auraria Parkway. The company and its owners had brewing roots on that site dating back to 1859, however, a year after Denver’s founding. Tivoli was one of just a handful of Colorado breweries to survive prohibition and later became one of the largest beer makers in the West. It went out of business, though, in 1969, for several reasons, including a strike and a flood.

In 2012, Corey Marshall, a former Coors executive who had been a bouncer at a bar that was located in the student union building in the 1990s, began researching and collecting old Denver beer trademarks and brands from the 1800s and early 1900s. His goal — as the craft beer industry began to boom — was to update some of the beers and sell them to thirsty Denver residents.

In 2015, Marshall struck a deal with AHEC to reopen in the Tivoli building, adding modern brewing equipment, but keeping some of the historic kettles that remained as decoration. But by 2018, Marshall had left and been replaced by a new ownership group. During the COVID-19 pandemic, conditions got even worse as the campus was shut down.

In recent years, CEO Ari Opsahl has steered the company away from its historic beers and toward Outlaw Light, which has been selling well, according to the company.

Last year, Opsahl told The Denver Post that he hoped to find “a mutually amicable path forward.

“The taphouse is a cornerstone for the campus,” Opsahl said then, pointing out that the brewery and the building share a name. “We love it, but operating there is a challenge, as it is pretty dead all summer (when classes aren’t in session). We can’t even break even.

“We want to be there,” he added. “But have to find a way to make it work for both parties.”

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In January, the Trump administration rescinded job offers to 5,000 seasonal park service employees, the ones who provide most services to the public in peak months, but later the administration reversed course and told park service officials they actually could hire more seasonal employees than they did last year.

Uncertainty remains, although Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently ordered national parks to “remain open and accessible,” saying they would receive the federal resources they need to do so.

Kyle Patterson, public affairs officer for Rocky Mountain National Park, wrote in an email that resources to support National Park Week events were expected to be “similar to past years.”

Rocky Mountain National Park was the nation’s fifth-busiest in 2024 with 4,154,349 visitors, an increase of 38,152 over 2023, according to figures recently released by the park service. Great Smoky National Park was the busiest at 12.2 million, followed by Zion (4.95 million), Grand Canyon (4.92 million) and Yellowstone (4.74 million).

Park entry fees will be waived on Saturday, although all other administrative fees remain in effect. Entry fees normally are $35 per motor vehicle and $15 for those entering on foot or by bicycle. The park’s timed-entry reservation system doesn’t go into effect until May 23.

The National Park Week observance will include events celebrating national parks and Earth Day. On April 19, National Junior Ranger Day events at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center near Estes Park will include booths, interactive activities and an opportunity for children to earn Junior Ranger badges while learning about plants, wildlife and hiking safety. Similar activities will take place on the west side of the park at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center near Grand Lake.

A full list of activities for the eight-day series is available on the park’s website.

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Above the family name was the number 100. What began as a humble mom-and-pop grocer and butcher shop a century ago is now a well-greased sausage factory, selling its products to big-name distributors such as Shamrock Foods, US Foods and Sysco, which get them to major sporting venues such as Ball Arena and Coors Field.

Later this month, the brother-and-sister duo behind the sausage links will transfer their delivery system to Dot Transportation, a food redistribution company that will bring Polidori Sausage to all 50 states, Melodie Polidori Harris said. It’s a significant undertaking for the family and company, one that she and her brother, Steve Polidori, are not taking lightly as they strive to make Polidori a household name around the country.

Passing distribution duties on to Dot Transportation is “scary and exciting at the same time,” said Polidori, who bought the business from his grandfather in 2001 and brought his sister on board the following year. The company has grown exponentially after decades of “small, sustained growth,” he said, at the same time keeping its recipes and business mantra simple.

“Isn’t the sausage fun enough on its own?” he asked from inside Coors Field, where Polidori Sausage expanded this season to three standalone concessions. A chorizo brat, a hatch chile-and-cheese brat and a jalapeño-cheddar brat are all on the menu and stacked with grilled corn, onions and even more peppers and cheese.

The siblings’ great-grandparents were Italian immigrants who met in Magna, Utah, and moved to Denver to open their grocery store in 1925. Their grandfather, Louis Polidori, and great-uncle took over and ran the store for decades.

Their parents were far removed from the business, their father an attorney and mother a retired judge. Steve Polidori joined his grandfather at the family’s meat-processing facility while studying at Colorado State University in the early ’90s and stayed on after graduation.

“I’d call my restaurants, get their orders for the week, make the sausage and then deliver it,” he said. On a good week, the plant would prepare 5,000 pounds of raw sausage.

Now, at the company’s facility in the Park Hill neighborhood, where Polidori Sausage relocated nine years ago, they are moving 80,000 to 100,000 pounds a week, Polidori said. About 80 percent of that, Polidori Harris estimated, are orders from restaurants, stadiums, hotels and colleges.

Its newest client is Anthony’s Pizza and Pasta, Polidori Harris said, a Colorado franchise with 18 locations in the state.

“Their century-long, family-run legacy in Colorado aligns perfectly with our values and commitment to quality,” Anthony’s CEO Garrett Brizendine said in a statement. “You’ll soon see their bold, authentic flavor featured in several of our sausage-based items — a true local collaboration we’re proud to share.”

The siblings and Polidori Harris’ son, William Polidori Harris, were at McGregor Square for a pregame mixer organized by the team for its major supporters and partners. After seven years inside the stadium, their brats are now in almost every concession, Melodie said. Her brother still gets excited every time their company logo and last name flash on the stadium’s digital banners.

William represents the fifth generation of the Polidori Sausage family. He did so proudly at the game, crowned in a black cap with “SAUSAGE” written on the front. He attended CSU and joined the company soon after, first with human resources and now as part of the sales team.

“I order a lot of pork and a lot of spices,” he said, adding that customers in general are trending toward a “clean label” like that of the family’s recipes.

As much as the family would like to keep control of their growth, it hasn’t felt that way this year, Melodie Polidori Harris said. The jump from the company’s current delivery system to Dot Transportation will spread its sausage links across the country. The larger customer base and consolidation of purchase orders has felt like a big responsibility for the family name, she said.

“We’re so used to holding the hands of our customers, and it’s gonna take some of that away,” she said, her eyes gazing steadily at the future.

And they’ve got a solid history to brag about: Later this month, Polidori Sausage and other Colorado organizations turning 100 will be honored at the 2025 Business Awards hosted by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

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I get complaints from coworkers that her flesh-baring outfits are distracting and unprofessional. I contacted HR and their response was for me to handle it. I know you’re not meant to comment on appearances, and this is a touchy sensitive topic. Help!

— Work Attire

Dear Attire: Ask your HR department for clarification about what they mean when they say you should handle it. What does handling it look like? Is there a dress code that you can cite? And, most importantly, by engaging with your coworker about her attire, could you potentially create liability issues for yourself or the company?

Ultimately, unless your company has an applicable policy that HR can point you toward, and that is enforced consistently, you’d do best to focus your feedback on her job performance. If other coworkers have an issue with her style of dress, direct them to talk to HR. Your coworkers may feel that her style of dress creates a hostile work environment. HR needs this feedback to help create or clarify applicable policies that keep everyone safe.

Remember that workplace standards should be applied equally to all employees. Document any guidance you receive from HR before taking action to protect yourself and your employee.

Dear Eric: I have been in a second marriage for 15 years. For the past few years, I have been concerned that my second husband’s story about his first wife may be untrue. This is strongly affecting my feelings about him and his adult daughter. I am seeing more signs of distrust. How can I put my negative suspicions at rest? Can I contact the first wife?

— Marital Doubts

Dear Doubts: It’s possible this is a chicken-and-egg situation, as in you may have doubts because of the story or you may be thinking about the story because of doubts that were already working their way through your marriage in other areas. Before contacting the first wife, ask yourself some questions.

Why do you think this story isn’t true? Why is this affecting your feelings about your husband’s daughter? Is it possible they’re both telling an untrue story? After so long, did something happen that changed your thinking? Are there other aspects of your marriage that you have doubts about? If the story isn’t true, would that give you cause for concern or indicate that you’re unsafe?

Next, talk about your questions and concerns with a friend or other loved one. It will be helpful to get another perspective. Even if they don’t have insight into your husband’s story, they can help you navigate the mental and emotional stress.

After that, the best course of action might be to talk it through with your husband. This, of course, is dependent on the nature of the story and your friend’s feedback. I don’t like being so general or vague, but there are many unknowns here. What’s most important is that you keep yourself safe and loop in someone you trust.

Dear Eric: In the letter from “Frustrated Sister-in-Law”, the writer wanted to know what to do with her brother-in-law constantly asking for her share of the inheritance left to her by her father. What she should do is tell him she considered his point-of-view and that she agrees with him that it was not fair that she and her husband received as much as the less wealthy sisters. In that light, she has donated the entire sum she received to her dad’s favorite charity. And then thank him for helping her realize the best use of the money that he felt she didn’t need or deserve. That may quiet him down.

— Regifting

Dear Regifting: This gave me a good chuckle. It’s a creative solution that may not stop his ire but will certainly put the money to better use. (And I hope the letter writer does consider spreading some goodness around via donation to worthy causes.)

Another reader pointed out that, were the letter writer to acquiesce to her brother-in-law’s unreasonable demands, the money would be considered a gift and thereby subject to taxes. That’s not what her father intended, either.

Lastly, to the letter writer, I want to underscore that your brother-in-law’s aggressive behavior is not only an inappropriate intrusion but could indicate an unhealthy dynamic in his marriage to your sister. Consider talking with her — away from him — about the risk of emotional abuse through isolation (or even coercive control of finances). Remind her that she’s not alone and she doesn’t have to accept this.

(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)

“Is writing a letter and copying 140 people on it the best way to go? Sometimes,” the owner of Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar said of the email he sent in early February. “Sometimes you got to make a lot of noise. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

An increased police presence, which Johnston announced at a news conference earlier this month, is the main reason Query is optimistic about LoDo’s future.

A four-person, mounted horse patrol unit, 10 extra officers and a safety hub kiosk at 16th and Arapahoe streets are among the changes Johnston announced to improve conditions along the 16th Street Mall. He also touted additional private security presence and expanded mental health and paramedic support for the area.

“That’s all we were asking for,” Query said. “Let’s reinstate law and order down here so that if people need help, they get the help they need and they’re not just left on the corner to just be unhinged for hours at a time.”

Query is hopeful that downtown infrastructure, like sidewalks and trees, will get cleaned up too. This is the first year the city is responsible for sidewalk repairs and maintenance following a 2022 ballot measure.

He said a decrepit Westword distribution box in front of Jax, which is at the corner of 17th and Wazee, and a dumpster taking up two parking spaces have already been moved by the city.

“This is your marquee, showcase, tourist destination,” he said. “When you got big roll-off dumpsters, the (parking) meters are bagged, the sidewalks and the curbs are all cracked, the tree wells are broken, some of the trees are dead. It’s like, ‘Wow, this place really needs some love.’ And they’re promising that love.”

Query said he and a group of LoDo restaurateurs and business owners met with Johnston, Police Chief Ron Thomas and Adeeb Khan, the director of Denver’s Economic Development and Opportunity office, in early March, going line-by-line through his February letter for 90 minutes.

Query noted that the city officials agreed with most of the letter and promised to come back with a plan to address his big asks, like more police, better infrastructure and parking solutions.

Query said he met with the group a second time on April 2 after Johnston’s news conference, where they laid out how the new initiative corresponds to Query’s original complaints.

Though Query had nothing but positive things to say about interacting with the city, he noted that follow-through still needs to happen. He said things like Colorado’s use of personal recognizance bonds, which allow someone to get released from jail without paying bail as long as they promise to appear in court, need to change too.

“(Cops are) walking into situations where they don’t have the authority they need to do the job, to enforce the laws,” he said. “They’re just there to be babysitters at times.

“But I do think (more police downtown) will create an uncomfortable situation,” he added. “Nobody wants to party with their parents, so you go to where your parents aren’t.”

As far as parking goes, Query said he thinks the increased patrol will lead to better enforcement of meters with yellow no-parking bags on them from Wednesday through Friday. He said oftentimes the city doesn’t take them off when they should at 11:59 p.m. on Fridays, effectively eliminating parking throughout the weekend.

He also said getting food trucks more spaces in front of empty storefronts rather than closer to open retailers is another necessary step to open up more parking spaces. He said Seattle and Portland, Oregon, which have parks and alleys dedicated to the mobile kitchens, are good examples to follow.

“It’s not a light switch. It’s going to take a minute. And that’s cool. … Of course it’s going to take a minute,” he said. “But just the whole energy and positioning and what seemed to be a real forthright commitment to, ‘Yes, we hear you. Yes, we agree with some, if not most, of what you’re saying, … and that we’re committed to making it right for downtown.’”

Story via BusinessDen

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Beer is supposed to be fun. Yes, brewing is full of history and tradition and skill, but the reason for its existence in modern society is as a social lubricant, a communal endeavor. And fun.

And you won’t find a more pure expression of that notion than at Collaboration Fest, an annual beer gathering that brings together 180 breweries, primarily from Colorado, and 140 beers — all made specifically for this event.

The brewers can make anything they want, as long as they do it with someone else: another brewery, several other breweries, another business or organization. The beers they make can be serious attempts at experimentation, one-off larks, ironic statements or simply an excuse for people to spend a day or two together during a work week.

This year’s fest, which takes place Saturday, April 19, from 2 to 6 p.m. at The Westin Westminster, 10600 Westminster Blvd., is no different. If you go (tickets are $20-$95 and available at collaborationfest.com), you’ll find something to shock, soothe or satisfy any palate.

Here are some of the most interesting, unusual and fun beer collabs on the taplist.

• Woods Boss Brewing and Oregon’s Silver Moon Brewing reconvened to make Stihl Crazy (After All These Years), a beer they last made six years ago. To do it, the brewers ran hot wort from the kettle down the channel of a split 12-foot section of a pine tree. The goal is to impart the character of the tree into the resulting beer, a Norwegian farmhouse-style saison.
• You wouldn’t blink an eye at a Southeast Asian restaurant if the menu listed a spicy peanut sauce made with sriracha sauce. In a beer, though? No matter. Verboten Brewing in Loveland and Gravity Brewing in Louisville will be serving Peanut Butter Sriracha Imperial Porter. The goal, according to the breweries, is to “make something weird but not too weird.”
• The brewers at Mountain Toad Brewing in Golden and Evergreen Brewery decided to make a beer with fonio, an ancient West African grain that is drought-resistant and sustainably grown, according to the collaboration notes. It’s also relatively new to the brewing world. “Brewing with fonio and pilsner malt created a unique beer with aromas and flavors of white wine, lychee, and citrus with a soft, rounded finish.” The beer is called Friend of Fonio.
• Pouring beer is an art form in the Czech Republic, so much so that even foam gets a style designation all its own, called mliko. In fact, in some bars, you can drink just the foam, which, when meted out with specially screened, side-pouring faucet taps, has a rich and creamy feel that is fun to drink (and to make a foam mustache out of). A handful of local breweries offer mliko pours, including Wild Provisions Beer Project in Boulder, which has partnered with Denver’s Great Divide Brewing on TmavYeti, a Czech-style dark lager, tmave, that was aged in whiskey barrels and will be blended with more lager and poured as mliko.
• For its unusual collaboration, Aurora’s Cheluna Brewing teamed up with Oaxaca Brewing in Mexico to make Red Tepache Sour. Made with fermented pineapple rinds and colored with cochineal, a traditional natural dye, the beer harkens back to pre-Columbian times, when tepache originated. This version also includes cinnamon and clove.

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The narrative here has always been driven by nomads and newcomers, people who rolled — or later, flew — across plains and settled into place with open minds and fresh perspectives, inspiring new chapters in the story. That has been especially true over the last century as the population grew, and as photography emerged as an important practice within fine art.

And geography has always been the great, irrepressible motivator of our actions. Our connections to the region’s exaggerated landscape have inspired everything from how our economy developed to how we spend our leisure time. Photographers, endlessly searching for great scenery, have been animated by that backdrop, as well.

“Outside Influences” weaves these ideas together into a show with dozens of photos created from 1945 to 1995 — five crucial decades in American art history — by what can fairly be called Colorado’s most “important” lens-based artists. It is built on exhaustive research undertaken by curator Rupert Jenkins, who will soon publish a book on the same topic.

The show, at DU’s Vicki Myhren Gallery, is an academic lesson, for sure, and one that has never been executed so cohesively. But it is also an adventure, an art star-studded journey through both the local terrain and the minds of people who pushed the discipline forward.

The show’s strength comes from its material, which is organized in a mix of chronology, style and movement. Rather than going year-to-year, Jenkins takes us from interesting moment to interesting moment, letting the dates of each photo fall where they fit best.

That said, it does start in a specific time and place with a section titled “Mid-Century: 1940s–1960s.”  Here, visitors are introduced to the pioneers of regional photography, such as Herbert Bayer, Hal Gould and James O. (Jim) Milmoe.

Bayer’s piece, in particular, sets the exhibition’s tone. Titled “in search of times past,” the 1959 work is an example of Bayer’s photomontage process, for which he cut up existing photos, pieced them back together in provocative ways, and then made a final photo of the reassembled parts.

But what is interesting in the context of this exhibit is the imagery itself, which features the trunks of aspens — the state’s signature tree — integrated with disembodied human eyes. The photo is surreal, no doubt, and not at all logical, but it serves as a swell example of how photographers have used Colorado’s landscape as a starting point but then let their imaginations run wild.

From there, Jenkins tells the tale of this golden age of Colorado photography in groupings of photos connected to themes or to the relationships between photographers themselves.

For example, one section groups together work by Eric Havelock-Bailie, Ruth Thorne-Thomsen and Wes Kennedy, who, Jenkins writes in the accompanying text, made “some of the most resonant, emotionally gripping artwork ever produced by a photographer in Colorado.”

That point is well-made by the dark, death-themed photo collages on display by Kennedy, who made them in 1990 while suffering from HIV complications. They are powerful works, but so are the four portraits of Kennedy hanging right next to them in the show that were taken by Havelock-Bailie just days before Kennedy succumbed to the disease. Death and drama define these works as well.

Meanwhile, Thorne-Thomsen fits into the group because she was a teacher of Kennedy’s at the University of Colorado in Denver. Her photos play heavily with shadow and light — more with shadow, actually — and you can see her influence on the other photographers in the setting.

Other groupings are centered on important periods of time. One calls out “The Denver Salon,” a loose collective of photographers first brought together by Mark Sink in 1993. Sink, who gets his props as “arguably the most influential photographer in Colorado,” organized salon shows in Denver but also in places like New York City and Japan.

The group was known for elevating unusual techniques into the stuff of fine art, including “plastic and pinhole cameras, non-traditional materials, and nascent digital technologies,” and we get to see that in this show, starting with Sink’s own set of “Five Autographed Polaroid Portraits” that he made in the 1980s and through work by Reed Weimer, Eileen Mullin, Joel W. Dallenbach and Jeff Hersch.

“Outside Influences” focuses on the history of photography but it also provides glimpses into the broader narrative of the state and how it has changed over the years, and that will be of great interest to fans of local history.

There are images that cross the line between documentary photography and art. For example, two black-and-white images by Dallenbach — “Graduation at Currigan Hall, Denver” and  “Young Woman at Demonstration” — nostalgically take viewers back to a time when people still used pay phones and public protests meant something, while at the same time capturing both interesting visual geometry and some rich aspects of human experience.

Those photos appear in a section of the exhibition titled “The Social Landscape,” which features photographers whose specialty was freezing moments of upheaval in the Colorado social order, including portrait and street photographers such as Dona Laurita, Mark Kiryuk, Susan R. Goldstein and Gary Isaacs.

There are also a few celebrity-driven moments in the overall exhibition, including John Bonath’s 1981 portrait of Andy Warhol in Fort Collins, and John Schoenwalter’s shot of Allen Ginsberg performing at Denver’s Mercury Cafe in 1982.

As Jenkins points out repeatedly in his text, many of these photographers were not born in Colorado. They moved here to study or teach, or because it was a place of opportunity and renewal. But they mingled, unavoidably, with both the social and creative scene they found here, and with the always-imposing natural environment that surrounded them.

And they made pictures. “Outside Influences” builds a solid argument that there exists a thread that sews the best of their efforts together into a common identity, a shared history. Fortunately, for viewers, it does that job with scores of images that deserve to be looked at well into the future.

Ray Mark Rinaldi is a Denver-based freelance writer who specializes in fine arts.

IF YOU GO

“Outside Influence: Photography in Colorado 1945-1995,” continues through April 27 at the Vicki Myhren Gallery on the DU campus. It’s free. Info: 303-871-3716 or vicki-myhren-gallery.du.edu.

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Colorado distillers are raising a toast to this new standard of identity for domestic whiskey, one that formally defines what ingredients can be used and how American single malt should be made. Instituted in December by the federal alcohol regulators, the designation joins vaunted labels like bourbon, rye and Irish Whiskey. This is the first time since 1968 that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has added a new one.

While U.S. distilleries have been making single malt spirits for a long time, local whiskey producers believe the designation will allow them to better compete with powerhouses like Scotland and Japan. They are also confident that Colorado can take the lead in popularizing American single malt, thanks to the state’s strong beer heritage, which has cultivated a generation of distillers familiar with using its base ingredient, one that is frequently grown here as well.

“Colorado was and is at the forefront of craft beer in the country. We have a lot of people like me, who were brewers, who understand malt and who started distilling and making malt whiskey,” said Craig Engelhorn, co-founder and master distiller at Spirit Hound Distillers in Lyons. “Just like we were pioneers in the ’90s with craft beer, we’re pioneers now with malt whiskey.”

Creating a category

The TTB defines American single malt whiskey as a beverage made from 100% malted barley that is mashed, distilled and matured in the U.S.

It must be aged in oak barrels that are a maximum of 700 liters (185 gallons) and bottled at least 40% alcohol by volume. While the spirit is required to be distilled entirely at one distillery, the definition leaves room for companies to either make it in-house or source it from another producer.

The parameters were largely informed by whiskey producers, who spent the nine years lobbying regulators. The movement started in 2016, when Steve Hawley, then working at Seattle’s Westland Distillery, convened with eight other spirit makers at a Binny’s Beverage Depot in Chicago. The group’s objective: To find consensus about what makes American single malt whiskeys distinct.

The meeting took roughly one hour and catalyzed the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission, which took the lead advocating for the code update on behalf of U.S. producers. (The spelling of “whiskey” differs across organizations. (The TTB uses “whisky” in its American single malt definition, but for clarity, The Denver Post will spell the word as “whiskey” in this story.)

Hawley, who serves as president of the commission, submitted a formal petition to regulators shortly after that initial meeting. As the rulemaking process inched forward over the years, the organization worked to “spread the gospel” of American single malt whiskey, rallying distillers, maltsters and liquor stores around its cause. Today, it boasts 113 members.

What galvanized so many producers, Hawley said, was an opportunity to level the playing field between American-made spirits and the world’s most coveted Scotch and Japanese single malts.

“America has been known for bourbon for such a long time, but it’s not the only kind of whiskey that’s being made here,” Hawley said. American single malt “stands toe to toe with Scotch whiskey, Japanese whiskey and whiskey being made all over the world.

“I think what you’ll find with American single malt whiskey is, in a broad sense, a very intentional approach to be distinct — to have our own voice in the world of single malt,” he added, “not just be a copy of Scotch or to replicate what other people are doing.”

Colorado’s role

Malted barley is the primary ingredient used to make beer and the majority of whiskeys, and many local distillers transitioned to the spirits industry after cutting their chops at breweries.

That means local drinkers have access to some of the best single malt whiskeys in the country, said Spirit Hound’s Englehorn, who helped develop the original recipe for Dale’s Pale Ale in the early 2000s while he was a brewer at Oskar Blues.

Spirit Hound sells six different single malts, including one called Colorado Honey, which is finished in barrels used to store local honey. It was awarded the title of American Single Malt Whiskey of the Year at the 2024 London Spirits Competition.

It’s not only the technique that sets Colorado single malt whiskey apart, however. Many craft distillers use locally grown barley, which gives their spirits a sense of place and showcases the Rocky Mountain terroir, said Justin Aden, head blender at Stranahan’s in Denver.

Stranahan’s has been making exclusively single malt whiskey since it was founded in 2004. Every spirit starts with the same base recipe: A 100% malted two-row barley mash that’s fermented off the grain husks, distilled and then aged for at least four years in new American white oak barrels. After that, Aden gets to have some fun concocting various flavors by finishing the spirits in different casks – like those previously used for sherry or rum – and by blending different ages together for complexity.

But what makes Stranhan’s whiskey distinct is the Colorado grains, most of which are grown on the Front Range, Aden said. He expects distilleries in other states to use their own barley in single malt whiskeys as well, in order to highlight local agricultural communities. (That’s why the growth of American single malt whiskey is a potential boon for farmers, Engelhorn said.)

“There’s a whole bunch of varietals of barley that grow in different regions of the country better than others,” Aden said. “That’s a really fun thing for whiskey geeks to discover.”

To commemorate the new federal designation, Stranahan’s will soon debut a new blend called Founder’s Release. The 12-year-old whiskey is one of its oldest and highest-proof expressions, clocking in at 60% alcohol by volume. It’s expected to be available for sale in late spring for $199.99.

Flavor and creativity

What most excites Ironton head distiller Laura Walters is the opportunity for creativity and innovation. The single malt definition mandates that distillers use 100% malted barley, but it doesn’t specify what kind or how it is roasted, which creates room for experimentation.

For example, her flagship American Straight Malt Whiskey features 60% specialty malts roasted to various levels, drawing out different sugars and flavors. But a recipe Walters developed for Colorado State University athletics featured a different ratio of base malts and specialty malts, which created an entirely new flavor profile.

The freedom to design a mash bill like this, plus the ability to leverage barrels and even elevation, means there’s an almost endless well of flavor combinations to play with. “Everybody talks about terroir in wine, but it’s definitely a thing with whiskey, too,” she said. “Even in our state alone, a barrel that is aged at Denver’s level is going to be totally different than a barrel in Aspen.”

Or even in the Boulder County town of Louisville, where Ironton Distillery is moving its production at some point in the next few years.

So, how will American single malt sell? Hawley said he hopes to see new sections at liquor stores denoting the style to help customers more easily identify it. But one of the best ways to try the local tipples remains bellying up where they’re made.

“Go out there, try new single malts, support local distilleries,” Walters said. “It’s an exciting time.”

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I’ve been back in my hometown for a few years now and have spent quite a lot of time with him doing things friends do. He has had some intermittent blindness, and his sight is back to normal after a few hours.

I’ve asked him what his doctor has said about it, and his response is “they want me to do an MRI and I’m claustrophobic and not doing that.”

Eric, how do I respect that decision when it could be a life-threatening issue? He and I have talked about it but it always ends by changing the subject. I know there’s nothing I can do. Your thoughts, please?

— Caring Friend

Dear Friend: Respect has multiple definitions. You can respect his decision by acknowledging it and abiding by it without necessarily agreeing with it or thinking highly of it. Even if it doesn’t feel like it, you may already be taking the best approach in this difficult situation.

When a mentally competent adult refuses medical care, sometimes the only option is to listen and validate their feelings. Intermittent blindness is indeed alarming and could indicate serious conditions. His previous cancer experience may have left him traumatized, fearful or simply exhausted by treatments.

Communication is key to understanding what’s really happening — whether it’s medical anxiety, hopelessness or a deeper mental health issue that might require intervention. If you haven’t already, consider asking about options like open MRIs or CT scans instead of traditional MRIs. Through conversation, you can explore alternatives and better understanding his needs in hopes of offering different kinds of support. Does he want or need someone to come to the doctor with him, for instance?

While armchair diagnoses won’t be helpful for either of you, asking thoughtful questions about his current medical care, comfort level with his doctors and the information he’s received might reveal new perspectives or options he hasn’t considered.

As you work to support him, please remember to care for yourself. This situation is undoubtedly frightening and stressful for you as well. Make time to process your own emotions by reaching out to someone you trust.

Dear Eric: I have a wonderful relationship with my neighbor, “Jody.” We have gone to church and Bible study together, we have gone out for dinner, we have exchanged recipes and dinner items and prayed together. That’s why my problem is such a sensitive one. Jody has a mentally challenged son “Troy” who lives independently and takes the bus up from a different city each Friday to spend the weekend with his mother. He is a very sweet boy who is a big help to his mom who has myriad health problems. On occasion when Jody is having a bad day, she has asked me to drive to pick Troy up. This has happened on six occasions so far. It is a 30-mile round trip from our neighborhood. While I’m happy to help Jody when I can, driving 30 miles uses up a lot of gas in my SUV. I know that Jody is not hard-up for money, but my income is quite limited (Social Security).

Can you suggest how I might broach this issue to my good friend without causing a rift between us? I can’t think of a way to phrase it that wouldn’t put her off. I don’t want anything to come between us because she is a dear woman, and I wouldn’t hurt her for the world.

— Carpooling

Dear Carpooling: At the risk of overanalyzing, I wonder if there’s a part of you that thinks it’s uncharitable to ask for reimbursement from a friend. I humbly suggest that it’s not, and Jody may not think it is, either. You’d still be spending your time and energy doing this out of the goodness of your heart; it’s good to let your friend know how she can help you help her.

The words you wrote to me are perfect: “Jody, I am happy to drive Troy and it’s really meaningful that you trust me to help in this way. The only thing is that gas is hard for me to manage financially. Would you be willing to cover the cost of a tank (or whatever portion of a tank it is)?” You could even, if you feel comfortable, share your concerns that this request might affect your friendship.

Think of it this way: how would Jody feel if she knew these trips are creating so much stress for you, both financially and emotionally? Surely, she’d want to do what she can to alleviate it.

(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)