going to Denver, where should I stop for beer?

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todd_k

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Great Divide is a given and I've read that Wynkoop and Strange Brews are good, where else should I be trying to hit while in town? I think we are also going to drive to Fort Collins for a New Belgium tour. I have no desire to go to the Ballpark brewery or any other BMC-brand breweries. :mug:
 
If you are going to Fort Collins, Odell's is right next to New Belgium and Fort Collins brewery (and I think it is the best of them all as well).
 
I have not been able to check out Crooked Stave yet, but I intend to as soon as Sober September is over. They are temporarily not able to serve on site, but you can still get bottles of their 100% Brett beers to go. They also happen to be in the same neighborhood as my LHBS, which is pretty awesome.
 
There are so many choices. Dry Dock in Aurora at Chambers and Hampden is a multi-award winner. There is a decent mexican place in the same center.

The makers of Dale's Pale Ale, Oskar Blues has a **** ton of beers, including some heavier ones. You can swing by on the way to Ft. Collins.

Falling Rock Tap House is near Great Divide and they have hundreds on tap, plus some good bar food.
 
Falling Rock will give you a huge selection of everything (local and not local, love going there, "no crap on tap"), but if you are here, might as well hit the taprooms. As above, I would recommend, in Denver: Dry Dock, Great Divide, Renegade, and Crooked Stave (Herbie- they opened the doors on their barrel room on Sept. 5th, hours are listed as: Regular hours of operation will be Weds. thru Fri. 12pm to 7pm and Sat. 11am to 7pm). Hit Crooked Stave's website for the address. Oskar Blues and Lefthand in Longmont. Odell and Fort Collins brewery up in the Fort. Avery and Mountain Sun in Boulder. Could keep going, but that should keep you busy.

Enjoy your stay,
B
 
Yeah, according to Westward there was a licensing issue with the Crooked Stave tap room, and they have been ordered to stop serving on site, as of last weekend. But you can still apparently score bottles to go for now.
 
herbie- my brother-in-law mentioned that very thing to me tonight, i had not heard. hope chad can get that worked out soon. got to love the red tape of bureaucracy.

b
 
if you go up to fort collins new belguim is a must but you will kick yourself in the nuts for not going to Fort Collins. They are so cool there, they gave us a private tour.

Also Avery wins the contest for the best deal of samplers, I mean $1 for like a 7oz sample of any one of their beers and I am talking belgium quad and all, oh the tour is ok.

Great divide is always a good stop too just for their selection.

One stop I wish I did was Renegade, I wish I went there but will next time I am up there.
 
herbie- my brother-in-law mentioned that very thing to me tonight, i had not heard. hope chad can get that worked out soon. got to love the red tape of bureaucracy.

b

I am primarily a bankruptcy attorney, but I have always thought about starting up a side gig helping breweries get through the regulations and into business. The regulations can be a mess- I remember an article in the NYT food section a few years ago about American absinth producers having their labels rejected by the federal taxing authority for having images that suggested that the product had psychotropic qualities (the label at issue had a monkey pounding on a human skull with bones)- so you never know what will trip you up. I don't know what the specific issue with that location is, but I know that there is a school near by, as well as a federal housing project, so I am sure that zoning is a mess. Hope the Source market where they intend to move in 2013 goes well.
 
I am primarily a bankruptcy attorney, but I have always thought about starting up a side gig helping breweries get through the regulations and into business. The regulations can be a mess- I remember an article in the NYT food section a few years ago about American absinth producers having their labels rejected by the federal taxing authority for having images that suggested that the product had psychotropic qualities (the label at issue had a monkey pounding on a human skull with bones)- so you never know what will trip you up. I don't know what the specific issue with that location is, but I know that there is a school near by, as well as a federal housing project, so I am sure that zoning is a mess. Hope the Source market where they intend to move in 2013 goes well.

If you end up doing this, let me know. Would love to chat with you about it.
 
I agree with Peaktopview 100% I make sure to make the trip up to FoCo to do the tours and hit the taprooms a couple times a year. There are a few nice disc golf courses up that way, too. I think that most brewery tours are the same and they get boring. Seeing the same equipment over and over is not that interesting to me. I think you should hit up the Falling Rock and get your tasting in there. They have a ton of beers that are hard to find anywhere else. Also, the Cheeky Monk, off of Colfax, has a great seletion of Belgian beers and is worth the stop. Enjoy your trip.
 
I am primarily a bankruptcy attorney, but I have always thought about starting up a side gig helping breweries get through the regulations and into business. The regulations can be a mess- I remember an article in the NYT food section a few years ago about American absinth producers having their labels rejected by the federal taxing authority for having images that suggested that the product had psychotropic qualities (the label at issue had a monkey pounding on a human skull with bones)- so you never know what will trip you up. I don't know what the specific issue with that location is, but I know that there is a school near by, as well as a federal housing project, so I am sure that zoning is a mess. Hope the Source market where they intend to move in 2013 goes well.

You could probably make good connections through the local bank loan officers. I remember driving into Denver in August and seeing billboards for some bank saying they finance breweries.
 
FYI - NB tours fill up fast and you have to sign up on their website.

Odell and Fort Collins Brewing are good hits in Fort Collins but don't leave out Funkwerks. They are right down the street from Odell and Fort Collins Brewing.

In between Denver and Fort Collins are several great places in Longmont and Boulder but I don't know how you can hit all those places in a single day, especially since I assume many will have special events/taps going on. Plus, Fort Collins is a 1-2 hour drive depending on traffic and speed.

I also recommend at least finding some Dry Dock beers if you can't get to Aurora. Copper Kettle in Denver also has some great beers. It's away from the downtown area but you should find one or two of their beers on tap elsewhere. I wasn't that impressed with Strange Brewing but they are right there in LoDo. Prost is right there and Breckenridge has a tap house there as well.
 
You can probably find better beer in town than Pints, but they have been serving pretty decent cask ale for years, which puts them on my favorites list. I have always been a Lancer IPA guy, but the Dark Star, which I think is their interpretation of Old Peculier, is quite tasty. When I was helping run a middle school youth group right after college, we used to go there after meetings to decompress a bit. It will probably be less slammed that some of Denver's better known spots. It may not be one of the best or most creative breweries in the area, but if you get a hankering for Real Ale, that is the place to go.
 
Got back from Denver on Saturday, here is my rundown:
1st stop - Wynkoop - awesome
2nd - Three Dogs Tavern (bar)
3rd - Oskar Blues in Lyons - don't bother, this place sucked
4th - Breckenridge (Denver) soooo disappointing
5th - Great Divide - very busy (Friday of GABF) but the beer was great
6th - Atomic Cowboy (bar)
7th - The Elm (a pub, not a brewery or brewpub)

I wish I had time to go to Renegade, Pints, and probably 20 more places but there are only so many places you can drag a 2 1/2 year old! What a great city. The people were so low key and the city is easy to navigate.
 
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