"Bring your instrument and join in on the fun, or just hang out and listen to some great pickin'!" That invitation sits on MainStage Brewing's Gunbarrel page. It goes with a Wednesday open pick at 6035 Longbow Drive, and it's the first of three bluegrass nights in a row in this corner of 80301.
On Wednesday, anyone can play. On Thursday, a second brewery on Nautilus Court holds a longer jam. On Friday, the music moves back to Longbow Drive for a showcase where the players are picked by hand, and you come to listen. Over three nights, the person holding the guitar changes from you to musicians whose names show up on Colorado festival bills. Once you see the week that way, an October evening in Gunbarrel is easier to plan.
Wednesday Through Friday, Rung by Rung
This is how the three nights stack up, using each brewery's own October 2026 calendar:
- Wednesday, MainStage Gunbarrel, 5 to 7 p.m. This is the open bluegrass pick. Each week it's led by members of The Sweet Lillies, The High Road Home, "and/or their friends." The next one on the calendar is October 7. It's the easiest of the three to join. Bring an instrument, or just a pint glass.
- Thursday, Asher Brewing Company, 6 to 9 p.m. Asher lists a Bluegrass Jam every Thursday in October: the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th. Asher's taproom is at 4699 Nautilus Court South, Suite 104, and it stays open until midnight on Thursdays. The jam runs three hours, so it lasts past dinner.
- Friday, MainStage Gunbarrel, 6 to 9 p.m. This is MainGrass, a free bluegrass showcase. It's the only night of the three where you don't pick up an instrument.
The pattern runs from playing, to jamming, to listening. Anyone who plays bluegrass can work through Gunbarrel's week the same way: play on Wednesday, jam on Thursday, then watch the curated lineup on Friday.
Why Friday Is the Hardest Night to Get On Stage
MainStage launched MainGrass in 2021 with Emma Rose of WinterWonderWomen. The brewery says the format draws on "some of the best band scrambles and picks from around the nation." The brewery books each lineup by hand. It picks musicians from Colorado and around the country, choosing them for their own playing and for how they fit with the others. No two groups are the same, and the players are often sharing a stage for the first time.
Past lineups give a sense of the level. MainStage lists Nick Piccininni of Yonder Mountain String Band, Kyle Tuttle of Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, and Bonnie Sims, Eve Panning, Joy Adams and Hazel Royer of Big Richard. Charlie Rose of Elephant Revival and Sam Armstrong-Zickefoose and Jean-Luc Davis of the Lil Smokies have played too. All of that is free on a Friday in an office-park taproom.
The Longbow Drive room has a bluegrass history that started before MainStage put its name on the door. Beyond the Mountain Brewing ran the space for more than seven years. MainStage started brewing and packaging its beers with Beyond the Mountain in 2023, and later took over the location as its second taproom. Beyond the Mountain closed on April 27, 2025, and MainStage reopened the taproom under its own name on May 2, 2025. The Wednesday and Friday nights now run under MainStage's name in a room that was already a Gunbarrel brewery.
MainStage posts each MainGrass lineup on its events calendar once it's set, and it says lineups can change at any time. Check the calendar on Friday afternoon before you head over.
Tuesday Sets Up the Week on Nautilus Court
Nautilus Court has a busy Tuesday the night before the bluegrass starts, and it's mostly at Avery Brewing, 4910 Nautilus Court. Lems Gravel Bike Rides go out at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday, and trivia with Trevonious Monk runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The gravel group meets at the brewery.
On October 6, Asher also holds Trivia Tuesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. That puts two trivia games on Nautilus Court with the same start time. Asher's runs an hour, which suits people who want an early night. Avery's runs two.
Avery's other weekly events fill the gaps around the bluegrass nights. Kids eat free all day on Wednesdays. Magic: The Gathering nights run from 4 to 9 p.m. on Fridays. Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. are Beer & Board Game Day. Bring a game and you get a free side of fries and tasters.
How October's Dated Events Fit Around the Bluegrass
October adds dated events on top of the weekly schedule. Some line up neatly with the bluegrass nights and some run into them. Here's the month week by week:
- Week of October 4. MainStage's open pick on Wednesday the 7th, Asher's jam on Thursday the 8th, and MainGrass on Friday the 9th. On Saturday the 10th, Asher holds Bonsai Bar from 2 to 4 p.m. On Sunday the 11th, Gunbarrel Library holds "Potions for Little Spellcasters" from 2 to 3 p.m. The library is at 6500 Lookout Road.
- Week of October 11. The library's "Spookie Stuffie Slumber Party" is Wednesday the 14th, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. MainStage's open pick starts at 5. Asher's jam is on Thursday the 15th.
- Friday, October 16. Gunbarrel United's Twin Lakes nature walk leaves at 4:30 p.m. from the Twin Lakes Trailhead entrance off Nautilus Drive. It lasts 60 to 90 minutes, and no RSVP is needed. Afterward, the group plans to get a beer at Asher around 6 p.m.
- Sunday, October 18. The Avery Fall 5K has start waves at 10 and 10:30 a.m. Registration is required and the race is open to all ages. Runners 21 and over get a free beer at the finish.
- Thursday, October 22. The library's Halloween-themed "Zombees" Book Club meets from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Asher's jam starts at 6.
- Saturday, October 24. Asher's second Bonsai Bar runs from 2 to 4 p.m.
- Sunday, October 25. Asher's "Make Art. Drink Beer." runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the taproom, according to its Eventbrite listing. Asher's own calendar shows no events that day, so check before you go.
- Tuesday, October 27. Avery hosts its Next Stop Comedy Night.
- Thursday, October 29. This is the last Asher jam of the month.
- Saturday, October 31. Avery Halloween starts at 4 p.m. The dog costume contest is at 5 p.m. in the beer garden, weather permitting. A live DJ plays upstairs from 6:30, and the adult costume contest is at 8.
Where October Breaks the Bluegrass Pattern
Two dates in the month throw the Wednesday-to-Friday pattern off. Knowing them ahead of time makes them easy to plan around.
The first is Friday, October 16. The nature walk is set to finish at Asher around 6 p.m. That's when MainGrass starts at MainStage. Asher's calendar shows no events on Fridays. That makes the post-walk beer a quiet one, with Friday's music running on Longbow Drive at the same hour. The showcase runs three hours, so you can make the walk, the beer and the second half of MainGrass in one evening.
The second is Saturday, October 31. MainStage's Gunbarrel page lists hours for Monday through Thursday, Friday and Sunday, but none for Saturday. Gunbarrel United's community calendar still lists Saturday live music there. On the one Saturday this month with a big event on Nautilus Court, check MainStage's calendar directly before you plan a double stop. The two sources also give different unit numbers for the taproom, so use 6035 Longbow Drive when you map it.
The end of the month also lines up well. Asher's last Thursday jam of October falls on the 29th, two days before Avery's Halloween party, so the jam is the last bluegrass night before the 31st.
A Note on Getting Around
Biking between these stops will get easier soon. The CO 119 Safety, Mobility and Bikeway Project includes a nine-mile paved bikeway along the Diagonal and an overpass at 63rd Street. The bridge was lifted into place this summer, and the county expects the project to be finished in January 2027.
Sara Vaughn knows Gunbarrel by its weekly calendar as well as by its streets, from the Wednesday pick on Longbow Drive to the Thursday jam on Nautilus Court. If you're thinking about what your home here is worth, or which part of Gunbarrel fits how you spend your evenings, Sara Vaughn can help. Schedule a personalized market consultation, and bring your questions about Gunbarrel along with your goals.
