Category Archives: Beards Passing Through

Jun 07 2016
Leave a comment
Bad Ass Beards, Beards and Bands, Beards Passing Through

Banjo Beard

We know it’s been ages since we’ve brought joy to the masses with our documentation of the lovely bearded men we encounter in Denver. But, fear no more, beardies. We have a backlog of bearded interviews dating back a few years that we are aiming to bring to you this summer (and perhaps some new beards, too)! And summatime starts now.
————————————————————————-

PalmerLowestPairDec2013Just before Christmas in 2013, we had the delight and privilege to see the Americana duo The Lowest Pair perform at Swallow Hill in Denver. Now, on the eve of their show at Hi-Dive tomorrow, we bring you a dated yet delightful interview with Palmer T. Lee, who makes up one half of the lowest pair with the lovely Kendl Winter.

Palmer, who hails from Minnesota, shared with us that since he’d been able to grow a beard, he couldn’t remember a time he’s been clean shaven, and when we spoke with him, he had had that version of his beard for at least three years. Palmer made some changes in June 2013, and for the sake of hitting the road, he rid himself of all his possessions—including his beard trimmer—so he kept his beard proportional by occasionally using a simple scissors (with The Lowest Pair’s continued success we hope he’s been able to snag a trimmer again!) As far as Palmer’s family’s take on his beard, he said his grandparents “think it’s weird” but Kendl is a fan. Occasionally fans come up and caress his beard without permission, which he readily embraces. For beard-upkeep, Palmer uses a specific brush (which he said was unnecessary for grooming of his actual hair). You’ll want to catch The Lowest Pair with their amazing banjo skills–and Palmer’s beard–at the Hi-Dive tomorrow (June 8th), especially as they’ve just released two new albums and are touring this summer. Plus, local gem Patrick Dethlefs is opening. We can’t wait to hear them, and see how the past few years have treated Palmer’s fantastic beard!

Oct 28 2015
Leave a comment
Bad Ass Beards, Beards and Bands, Beards Passing Through, Burly Beards

Buckled, Bearded, and Balmed

Buckled, Bearded, and Balmed

They often say rebirth takes place in the spring, but for Beards of Denver, we’re all about the fall. After (more than) a year (!) hiatus, we are re-launching BofD close to our three-year anniversary with one seriously burly beard.

Fans of Beards of Denver, meet Scott Griffin Padden, or as his friends and the Beards of Denver ladies call him, SGP. We happened upon this handsome hunk of bearded dude at the acclaimed Lost Lake Lounge on East Colfax, a favorite haunt of the ladies of Beards of Denver, where we like to sip whiskey on weeknights and catch great shows. SGP was playing guitar this fateful night with the band Goodnight, Texas and took time after the show to share with us the inspiration behind his beard dedication, which is two-fold: a combined hatred of shaving plus embarking on several tours with different bands made up of an assortment of bearded bandmates lead to this fine beard specimen. (SGP swears he doesn’t have Beard Envy, although we’re guessing many of our readers now may after seeing his beard). SGP has been growing his fantastic beard since February 2014—no small feat, as he shared with us it takes time, care, and patience to navigate slow beard-growth spurts.

SGP keeps his boss beard beautiful through a beard trimmer his loving mother bought him for his birthday, a small dose of hair product, and his secret ingredient: Beard Balm he’s modeling here, which a friend of his created. We know Beard Balm works magic because we witnessed SGP fending off beard-kisses bestowed on him by an adoring fan (though he told us he does miss the neck kisses his longer beard blocks). Such are the daily struggles of a dashing bearded dude.

Though not a Denver boy, SGP is rumored to be making a reappearance in our fair city very soon! When not touring the world and wowing people with his beard (and music) he plays and composes music in San Francisco, where he currently resides. “You’ll have bad beard days. But Fuck ‘em!” A wise-bearded man’s creed if we’ve ever heard one.

Jan 05 2014
Leave a comment
Bad Ass Beards, Beards Passing Through, Burly Beards

Beard-liner!

If you have followed Beards of Denver for a bit, or if you are familiar with either beard or beer culture, you now know well that there is often a direct correlation between a bomb-ass beard and an excellent craft beer. Based on that cardinal knowledge, you won’t be surprised that we met Tony Drewry (left, pictured here with Will Golden, Head Brewer at Austin Beerworks in Austin, TX) at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver in October. Tony, who is an independent craft beer consultant across the state of Texas, was visiting our fair city for GABF from his home in Fort Worth, Texas. His beard is just over three years old, but he’s had some iteration of facial hair for all of his adult life, including goatees, mustaches, chops, but we must say we favor his beard. Tony hails from a long line of Baptists and moonshiners, which we hear are both huge appreciators of the beard. All of Tony’s sweethearts have appreciated his beard, and he assured us “Hell, even my mama digs it.” To care for those precious locks, Tony washes, conditions, brushes, and even applies a bit of Kieh’s Superbly Restorative Argan Dry Oil for good measure. Even with all this primping, occasionally he does experience “bed beard” (think bed head, but on your face), but when it gets that wild he’s able to braid it to keep it in check. Regardless, it always smells fabulous (we have no doubt). When asked if strangers fondle his beard without his permission, Tony said he does occasionally get confused with other men who are part of the bearded brethren brotherhood, and he even has a name for these folks: “Beardists” (no comment as to whether the Beards of Denver ladies would qualify for this label, but we’ll take it as a compliment if so). Tony stressed that Beardism is “not a laughing matter” and has noticed over the years that a big, beautiful beard does seem to fascinate a huge spectrum of the populace and garners loads of, mostly humorous, comments, though he did say if he ever hears another “Duck Dynasty” reference “It will be too soon.” Tony’s family, on the whole, loves his beard. His 10-year-old daughter dictates his facial hair growth and her most recent instruction was for him to grow his beard to his waist (we can’t wait for the progress report on that)! One of his nephews once wore a fake beard to Tony’s birthday party, and his very young nephews and nieces find solace and comfort in his beard. Tony’s favorite story about his beard is when his nephew Parker was three years old, he asked Tony how he grew his beard, and Tony told him, “Kid, I get up every morning, look at myself in the mirror and let out a seriously manly grunt.” About a week later, Tony received a text from my sister that read, "Well, I hope you're happy. Parker was trying to grow his beard this morning and shit his pants,” Tony told us “I laugh every time I tell that story.” Besides growing an awesome beard, Tony is also the Co-Founder/Art Director at lemonjuice.us. He works with the Texas Tavern League and is the co-pilot of The Beerliner (which we were lucky enough to experience). Tony also sings and plays banjo/guitar/jug/kazoo in the band Shotgun Friday, which plays hill hop music and is the official unofficial band of Texas Craft Beer. We’ll be sure to try and catch them next time we’re in the Lone-Star state! Tony put it best when he told us that truly, “Beards make the world a better place.” We couldn’t agree more. You can follow Tony on Twitter at: @BeerPedaler

If you have followed Beards of Denver for a bit, or if you are familiar with either beard or craft beer culture, you now know well that there is often a direct correlation between a bomb-ass beard and an excellent craft beer. Based on that cardinal knowledge, you won’t be surprised that we met Tony Drewry (left, pictured here with Will Golden, Head Brewer at Austin Beerworks in Austin, TX) at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver in October. Tony, who is an independent craft beer consultant across the state of Texas, was visiting our fair city for GABF from his home in Fort Worth, Texas. His beard is just over three years old, but he’s had some iteration of facial hair for all his adult life, including goatees, mustaches, and mutton chops, but we must say, we favor his beard. Tony hails from a long line of Baptists and moonshiners, which we hear are both huge appreciators of the beard. Additionally, all of Tony’s sweethearts have appreciated his beard, and he assured us “Hell, even my mama digs it.”
To care for those precious locks, Tony washes, conditions, brushes, and even applies a bit of Kiehl’s Superbly Restorative Argan Dry Oil for good measure. Even with all this primping, occasionally he does experience “bed beard” (think bed head, but on your face), but when his beard gets that wild he’s able to braid it to keep it in check. Regardless, Tony’s beard always smells fabulous (we have no doubt). When asked if strangers fondle his beard without his permission, Tony said he does occasionally get confused with other men who are part of the bearded brethren brotherhood, and he even has a name for these folks: “Beardists” (no comment as to whether the Beards of Denver ladies would qualify for this label, but we’ll take it as a compliment if so). Tony stressed that Beardism is “not a laughing matter” and has noticed over the years that a big, beautiful beard does seem to fascinate a huge spectrum of the populace and garners loads of, mostly humorous, comments. He did say if he ever hears another “Duck Dynasty” reference “It will be too soon.”
Tony’s family, on the whole, loves his beard. His 10-year-old daughter dictates his facial hair growth and her most recent instruction was for him to grow his beard to his waist (we can’t wait for the progress report on that)! One of his nephews once wore a fake beard to Tony’s birthday party, and his very young nephews and nieces find solace and comfort in his beard. Tony’s favorite story about his beard is when his nephew Parker was three years old, he asked Tony how he grew his beard, and Tony told him, “Kid, I get up every morning, look at myself in the mirror and let out a seriously manly grunt.” About a week later, Tony received a text from his sister that read, “Well, I hope you’re happy. Parker was trying to grow his beard this morning and shit his pants,” Tony told us “I laugh every time I tell that story.” (That may be the best beard story we’ve heard thus far as well!)
Besides growing an awesome beard and working in the craft beer world, Tony is also the Co-Founder/Art Director at lemonjuice.us. He works with the Texas Tavern League and is the co-pilot of The Beerliner (which we were lucky enough to experience in person). Tony also sings and plays banjo, guitar, jug, and kazoo in the band Shotgun Friday, which plays hill hop music and is the official unofficial band of Texas Craft Beer. We’ll be sure to try and catch them next time we’re in the Lone-Star state! Tony put it best when he told us that truly, “Beards make the world a better place.” We couldn’t agree more. You can follow Tony on Twitter at: @BeerPedaler

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
Dec 06 2013
Leave a comment
Bad Ass Beards, Beards and Bars, Beards Passing Through, Burly Beards

Beard Jesus

Beard Jesus Sometimes, when the Ladies of Beards of Denver happen upon an amazing beard, it feels as if we’ve been saved. Which is why when we met Adam whilst sippin’ brews and sitting in a 1974 craft beer bus called the Beerliner in October during the Great American Beer Festival, we felt like we’d truly seen the light. After all, Adam, who hails from Ft. Worth, Texas, has been growing his beard for four years, and hasn’t even trimmed it once (though he has touched up his moustache) and we do believe Jesus himself might be envious of Adam’s holyier-than-thou beard. Adam prefers to go au naturel when caring for his beard, washing it as infrequently as possible, and he doesn’t comb it all that much, which gives his beard its unwieldy delightful nature. When asked if people accost him to caress his beard, Adam said he can fend off most admirers since he’s a lot taller than most people, but he does make the ladies work for it if they make the request. Adam, who was one of the more humble beards we’ve encountered, said he didn’t grow his beard for attention but receives it anyway (which we think is rather well-deserved). When asked whether his sweetheart likes his beard, Adam told us he was recently un-engaged, and enjoying a new sense of freedom. The ladies of Texas better be ready, they are certainly in for a treat. When not growing out his magnificent beard, Adam brews beer at the Zio Carlo Magnolia Brew Pub in Fort Worth, and we’ll be sure to stop by the next time we’re in the Lone Star state! Thanks Adam!


Sometimes, when the Ladies of Beards of Denver happen upon an amazing beard, it feels as if we’ve been saved. Which is why when we met Adam whilst sippin’ brews and sitting in a 1974 craft beer bus called the Beerliner in October during the Great American Beer Festival, we felt like we’d truly seen the light. After all, Adam, who hails from Ft. Worth, Texas, has been growing his beard for four years, and hasn’t even trimmed it once (though he has touched up his moustache) and we do believe Jesus himself might be envious of Adam’s holier-than-thou beard. Adam prefers to go au naturel when caring for his beard, washing it as infrequently as possible, and he doesn’t comb it all that much, which gives his beard its unwieldy delightful nature. When asked if people accost him to caress his beard, Adam said he can fend off most admirers since he’s a lot taller than most people, but he does make the ladies work for it if they make the request. Adam, who was one of the more humble beards we’ve encountered, said he didn’t grow his beard for attention but receives it anyway (which we think is rather well-deserved). When asked whether his sweetheart likes his beard, Adam told us he was recently un-engaged, and enjoying a new sense of freedom. The ladies of Texas better be ready, they are certainly in for a treat! When not growing out his magnificent beard, Adam brews beer at the Zio Carlo Magnolia Brew Pub in Fort Worth.  We’ll be sure to stop by the next time we’re in the Lone Star state to sample the brews and check out Adam’s beard progress! We have a feeling his beard is still going to go a long way.

Tagged , , , ,
Oct 29 2013
3 Comments
Bad Ass Beards, Beards and Bands, Beards Passing Through, Burly Beards

Are you READY for this beard?

The Ladies of Beards of Denver are always ready, willing, and able to meet an impressive bearded man, but it was a first to meet a fabulous bearded man whose name IS Ready, but that’s just what we’ve got for you today. Ready, who we encountered at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver while waiting for the band Shel to perform, proudly declared that he hasn’t shaved in five or six years, hence his burly mane. His beard is generated largely from laziness, and we don’t mind one bit. Ready said he can easily keep his beard long and luxurious because he’s been traveling so much: he lives in upstate New York and was visiting Denver to attend all three Phish shows at the end of August, and then was planning to head to South America. When asked his mom’s opinion of his beard, Ready shared that she doesn’t like it much because she thinks it makes him look “old and scruffy.” Move to Denver, Ready, where the beard love is unabashed and literally ready to embrace you!

The Ladies of Beards of Denver are always ready, willing, and able to meet an impressive bearded man, but it was a first to meet a fabulous bearded man whose name IS Ready, but that’s just what we’ve got for you today. Ready, who we encountered at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver while waiting for the band Shel to perform, proudly declared that he hasn’t shaved in five or six years, hence his burly mane. His beard is generated largely from laziness, and we don’t mind one bit. Ready said he can easily keep his beard long and luxurious because he’s been traveling so much: he lives in upstate New York and was visiting Denver to attend all three Phish shows at the end of August, and then was planning to head to South America. When asked his mom’s opinion of his beard, Ready shared that she doesn’t like it much because she thinks it makes him look “old and scruffy.” Move to Denver, Ready, where the beard love is unabashed and literally ready to embrace you!

Tagged , , , ,
Oct 15 2013
1 Comment
Bad Ass Beards, Beards and Bars, Beards Passing Through, Burly Beards

The Thrill of the Chase Beard

As fans of Beards of Denver have likely come to know, the Ladies of Beards of Denver are very dedicated to the documentation and appreciation of The Beard. This story may not surprise most of you, then, as The Pursuit of Donald (as we'll call it) involved chasing him down Broadway (a rather busy Denver thoroughfare) into Sputnik (one of our preferred watering holes) to get the story of his fantastic beard and bring it to you, our much-loved public. Donald and his impressive black beard, were on vacation a few months back in our fair city. From Kansas, Donald told us he had road-tripped to Denver to attend a family reunion and he said his family tolerates his beard because "They know I won't change." We would never want you to change that beard, Donald. Not ever. Donald told us his beard originates from laziness and that it also is a mechanism to become instant friends with other dudes with beards, and we can see why. When not attending to his beard, Donald reads a lot of non-fiction and plays a lot of guitar. You can serenade us and read to us by the fire any day Donald, as long as you keep that beard growing!

As fans of Beards of Denver have likely come to know, the Ladies of Beards of Denver are very dedicated to the documentation and appreciation of The Beard. This story may not surprise most of you, then, as The Pursuit of Donald (as we’ll call it) involved chasing him down Broadway (a rather busy Denver thoroughfare) into Sputnik (one of our preferred watering holes) to get the story of his fantastic beard and bring it to you, our much-loved public. Donald and his impressive black beard, were on vacation a few months back in our fair city. From Kansas, Donald told us he had road-tripped to Denver to attend a family reunion and he said his family tolerates his beard because “They know I won’t change.” We would never want you to change that beard, Donald. Not ever. Donald told us his beard originates from laziness and that it also is a mechanism to become instant friends with other dudes with beards, and we can see why. When not attending to his beard, Donald reads a lot of non-fiction and plays a lot of guitar. You can serenade us and read to us by the fire any day Donald, as long as you keep that beard growing! (In case you’re curious, Donald’s bad-ass t-shirt features this band).

Tagged , , ,
Oct 01 2013
Leave a comment
Beards and Bands, Beards and Bars, Beards Passing Through, Red Beards

British Beard

It’s not everyday you meet a stand-up beard who also plays the stand-up bass, but the ladies of Beards of Denver were in the right spot at the right time on a recent fine, fall evening to meet Max and admire his ginger-bearded fantasticness. Max, a musician from London, England, currently plays bass and stand-up bass in Tom Odell’s band, and we were lucky enough to hang with Max and his bandmates (curly-haired Max, Matt, and Tom) at Goosetown Tavern after their show at The Bluebird in Denver. Max has been growing his beard for the past three years, and is a firm believer his face looks better bearded. We agree, though his mom isn’t in our same camp, as she wishes he would shave so she can more freely admire his handsome face. Max’s sweetheart, Ann-Marie, is on our side, though, as she is adamantly against Max shaving, and Max loves her the more for it, claiming “She’s the sweetest girl in the world and puts up with me quite a lot.” Such sweet words from such an amazing beard aren’t that surprising, but we imagine Max is a bit easier to put up with while sporting his impressive beard. Luckily, the life of a touring musician seems quite appropriate to continue his bearded-mastery. Look for Max, his beard, and his bandmates on Leno soon, and follow him on Twitter @max_goff for beard and other sure-to-be-intriguing updates. Cheers Max! We’ll happily tip some scotch and fireball back with you anytime you’re back in our lovely Denver.

Tagged , , , , ,
Jul 28 2013
1 Comment
Bad Ass Beards, Beards and Bars, Beards Passing Through, Red Beards

This Beard Will Make You Go Boom

It's not every night that you're having a PBR at your neighborhood bar (in this case, The Atomic Cowboy on East Colfax) and spot an amazing red beard rockin' AK-47 t-shirt, but when you do, you know the stars have aligned. Such was the case when we met Owen recently. From Santa Fe, Owen was visiting friends in Denver with his girlfriend GiGi. GiGi loves Owen's beard, and we can certainly see why. When he's not taming that masterful beard Owen works in carpentry and framing, and of course, picking food out of his beard also keeps him occupied. Owen's had this iteration of his glorious red beard since December and plans to keep it for at least a full year. But, really, why stop there Owen? We'd vote for FOREVER.

It’s not every night that you’re having a PBR at your neighborhood bar (in this case, The Atomic Cowboy on East Colfax) and spot an amazing red beard rockin’ an AK-47 t-shirt, but when you do, you know the stars have aligned. Such was the case when we met Owen recently. From Santa Fe, Owen was visiting friends in Denver with his girlfriend GiGi. GiGi loves Owen’s beard, and we can certainly see why. When he’s not taming that masterful beard Owen works in carpentry and framing, and of course, picking food out of his beard also keeps him occupied. Owen’s had this iteration of his glorious red beard since December and plans to keep it for at least a full year. But, really, why stop there Owen? We’d vote for FOREVER.

Tagged ,
Jul 20 2013
Leave a comment
Beards and Bands, Beards Passing Through

Seafaring Beard

The ladies of Beards of Denver were lucky enough to meet the delightful and charismatic Levi Wells last month at the Ogden Theatre before the They Might Be Giants show. And, where there might be giants, there will definitely be Great Beards. Levi, who is originally from Cody, Wyoming, told us his beard is a result largely of laziness and a hatred of shaving, combined with the fact he previously was a documentary filmmaker for the Semester at Sea program, and shooting footage during at sea doesn't bode well for doing a lot of shaving, obviously. He told us he was also working on a documentary currently that was going to require him to sail in the Carribbean for two months, so we can only imagine the lengths his beard may reach. A talented photographer as well, you can check out more of his work here. Keep up the great work darlin!

The ladies of Beards of Denver were lucky enough to meet the delightful and charismatic Levi Wells last month at the Ogden Theatre before the They Might Be Giants show. And, where there might be giants, there will definitely be Great Beards. Levi, who is originally from Cody, Wyoming, told us his beard is a result largely of laziness and a hatred of shaving, combined with the fact he previously was a documentary filmmaker for the Semester at Sea program, and shooting footage whilst at sea doesn’t bode well for doing a lot of shaving, obviously. He told us he was also working on a documentary currently that was going to require him to sail in the Caribbean for two months, so we can only imagine the lengths his beard may reach! A talented photographer as well, you can check out more of his work here. Keep up the great growin’, Levi!

Tagged ,
Jun 07 2013
Leave a comment
Beards Passing Through, Burly Beards, Red Beards

Wooden Hat Double Trouble

Who knew spirits and beards went so well together? The ladies of Beards of Denver, that’s who. A few months back at the D-Still spirit-tasting event in Denver (during the American Distilling Institute conference), we were lucky enough to happen upon Gary Hinegardner and his son Jeremy and their amazing father/son beards’ combo. The elder Hinegardner, who lives in Montgomery City, Missouri, with his wife, Katy, dabbles in making spirits (gin, whiskey, and vodka) and also makes the impressive wooden hats they’re modeling here. Jeremy, who has called Boulder home since 2000, runs his own company called Copious Free Time, where he helps people solve complex technology problems. Jeremy used to only have a goatee (for shame) and after attending a conference in Ireland last year (where attendees were asked to grow out their beards) he smartly decided to stay on the beard-path. Gary has had a beard or ‘stache most of his adult life (wise man indeed). Gary was a wood turner for a long time before he decided to learn how to make wooden hats, and now, spirits. His distillery is in New Florence, Missouri and he plans to let his beard continue to grow as he pursues his new passion. http://woodhatspirits.com and http://facebook.com/woodhatspirits).

Who knew spirits and beards went so well together? The ladies of Beards of Denver, that’s who. A few months back at the D-Still spirit-tasting event in Denver (during the American Distilling Institute conference), we were lucky enough to happen upon Gary Hinegardner and his son Jeremy and their amazing father/son beards’ combo. The elder Hinegardner, who lives in Montgomery City, Missouri, with his wife, Katy, dabbles in making spirits (gin, whiskey, and vodka) and also makes the impressive wooden hats Jeremy is modeling here.
Jeremy, who has called Boulder home since 2000, runs his own company called Copious Free Time, where he helps people solve complex technology problems. Jeremy used to only have a goatee (for shame!) and after attending a conference in Ireland last year (where attendees were asked to grow out their beards; sounds like a great conference) he smartly decided to stay on the beard-path. Gary has had a beard or ‘stache most of his adult life (wise man indeed) and he  was a wood turner for a long time before he decided to learn how to make wooden hats, and now, spirits. His distillery is in New Florence, Missouri and he plans to let his beard continue to grow as he pursues his newest passion. Check out Gary’s distillery both here and here. Thanks for keeping beards in the family, guys!

Tagged , , ,
← Older posts