Growing up garage-style

River City celebrates its fifth year of operation on Friday with its first “garage party.”

When it closed its taproom at the end of December, the downtown brewery promised monthly First Friday parties during the new year inside the brewing facility itself. That kicks off Friday from 4 to 9:30 p.m., featuring a new beer for the occasion: Colonel Crusher barleywine.

It will be joined by previous anniversary offerings including last year’s Mad Latvian Baltic porter and both the 2016 and 2015 vintages of Congratulator doppelbock, along with 2014’s Midnight Marmot imperial stout. Get 12-ounce pours of each of those for $4.

There also will be $3 pints of standard beers including the Red, Girlfriend Golden and a pair of newer offerings: the first in a rotating series of Experience Pale ales, hopped with Simcoe and Amarillo, and a revised Oako-Coco stout.

The original Oako-Coco was a variation on Midnight Marmot conditioned on oak chips and cocoa nibs. The new, year-round version uses a less potent base beer similar to the brewery’s VB vanilla bourbon stout, but with more chocolate malt and less roast. Like the VB, it registers at 5.5 percent alcohol by volume, 55 International Bitterness Units.

Friday’s all-ages event also includes food from David’s Pizza (while it lasts) and live music by Funky Unkle.