The past chronicles of Cantero Brewing have noted that going from concept to opening was not an easy process, so please excuse the folks there if they want to throw one jumbo-sized party to celebrate a year in business.

“Honestly, all the things we went through this year, it was definitely a challenge,” co-owner Kane Oueis said. “I think the best way to end a challenge is to celebrate.”

“We wanted to invite our community to join in that, other breweries, just celebrate our accomplishments for the year, just support each other,” added his wife and co-owner Katey Taylor.

Cantero has done just that, bringing in neighbors like Canteen Brewhouse, Palmer Brewery and Cider House, and Left Turn Distilling to join in a party in the parking lot this Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m. In addition, Toltec Brewing will be making a rare trek eastward to take part in the fun.

“We love our neighbors, Canteen and Palmer, they’ve been so kind to us,” Kane said. “I’m not going to lie to you, we’re not used to that, not in business, at least. There’s a sense of camaraderie when something’s wrong, not when everything is going right. In this sense, everything is right, and there’s still this huge sense of camaraderie.”

“Camaraderie and support (was) definitely unexpected; we weren’t expecting that when we came into the brew scene,” Katey said.

UPDATE>>>Palmer and Left Turn will only be bringing spirits to make cocktails, while Canteen is bringing Oktoberfest, Sichler Green Chile Lager, High Plains Pilsner, and Exodus IPA, and Toltec is bringing Mystic Rye Lager, Raspberry Warrior, Sacred ALTar, and Lupulin Guardian IPA.

The event will span both the interior and aforementioned exterior of Cantero, which is located at 3351 Columbia Dr. NE.

“It’s going to be in our parking lot, we’re going to take a section and gate it off, putting some fencing up,” Kane said. “We’re going to have a 10-by-15 tent that people can sit under and drink.”

In addition to the guest breweries, there will be plenty of fun and games for fans of all ages to enjoy, along with some giveaways.

“We’re going to be giving a away a kegerator to a home brewer,” Kane said. “It doesn’t cost anybody anything. They just need to be present and talk to us about their home brewing experience. Then they get a raffle ticket, and that’s it.”

Throw in some hats, metal growlers, stickers, and other items, and plenty of folks should go home with more than just a full belly.

“We’re going to be running a different food menu, kind of limiting some things, so that way we can process things faster,” Kane said. “We’re still going to have the burgers, still going to have tacos, a lot of the favorites. As far as the beer goes, I know we are coming out with the Shaken Hazy, it’s a hazy milkshake IPA. We’re also bringing out our Glowdeo IPA.”

There will be live music as well, with Benny Bassett performing from 1 to 2:15 p.m., followed by the Julian Dossett Duo from 2:30 to 4:30, and the Dirty Brown Jug Band from 5 to 7.

The entire event will also give the Cantero staff a chance to reflect on that first year of operation, while also preparing for the second.

“This year just flew right by,” Katey said.

“It honestly feels like we just walked in here,” Kane said. “I’m not going to lie, it was a journey, a big journey. We now know that whatever we put our mind to, we can do. We’re new to this industry. There’s a lot of doubt in it. Now we understand it a lot better. We’re familiar with the clientele, with the process.”

A big thanks to Kane and Katey for taking the time to sit down and chat during this very busy week.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister