The Virginia Village/Ellis Community Association’s Community Hops Program released its Carnation Cream Ale Thursday at Esters Pub, 1950 S. Holly St. This ale is the first community-brewed, publicly available beer in Colorado. VVECA also unveiled the newly developed, community-driven logo. Both the release of the ale and logo are part of the VVECA initiative, “Virginia Village Beautiful 2015” program, new approaches for building a stronger community and identity.
“The efforts to create this ale and a logo are perfect examples of what a community can do when they work together,” said Scott Whitfield, president of VVECA.
The Carnation Cream Ale is a simple cream ale brewed and dry hopped with Virginia Village-grown Cascade and Brewer’s Gold hops. The dry hopped process adds a tart finish and the carnation petals represent the neighborhood. Virginia Village housed many carnation greenhouses during Colorado’s carnation heyday that started in the 1920s. By the mid-20th century Denver was known as the “Carnation Capital of the World,” and Colorado remained the number one producer of carnations worldwide until 1974.
The VVECA Community Hops Program, launched in 2015, brings together local gardeners and homebrewers around the dream of not only growing hops, but turning those hops into a community-brewed beer. Neighbors collaborated with Brew on Broadway, an Englewood-based brewery, to craft the beer.
“The motivation for creating a community hops program comes from the idea that historically people organized their communities around growing crops, sharing resources, and, not surprisingly making beer,” said Seth Gregg, leader of the VVECA Community Hops Program. “We found gardening and beer-making to be relaxing as well as create a strong sense of community.”
The neighborhood also sought to develop a stronger identity for its residents, and held a logo contest to solicit ideas that captured the neighborhood’s character. A community contest drew hundreds of online votes and much debate about how to represent a changing neighborhood of low-slung ranch homes from the 1950s and 1960s. Joe Schlue’s design was selected as the winner by the community.
“Crafting a logo is no different than crafting a fine neighborhood beer. You strive to capture the essence of place, balance its complex characters—sour, spicy, bitter, sweet—and compliment the rich heritage,” Schlue said. “I have a real connection to Virginia Village and being able to contribute in this way was a rewarding experience. Besides, who wouldn’t want to see something they made on a bottle of beer?”
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