Denver Beer Travels

Beer lovers and beer bloggers from around the country will soon be on their way to Denver and/or Boulder for the Beer Bloggers Conference and the Great American Beer Festival. It’s my assumption they’ll want to check out the craft beer scene, do some tours, and drink great beer in general. Actually, I saw and responded to a tweet from Brewing Some Fun that posed the very question. It gave me the idea. So, here’s a guide to great beer places in the mile-high city.

First, a list of Places and why they’re mentionable and you should care. Second, a list of Itineraries for any given night. Each itinerary takes into account proximity as well as concerns for time of day and getting food in the gut. Without further delay, let’s get started.

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Places

Great Divide

Big, flavorful, award-winning beers that knock you on your ass. Possibly the most popular Denver brewery. I’ve written about it several times, other people have too. Located in North Denver, near the ball field. A cool tap room with full view of the brewery. Flights and 10 oz. glasses are available. My favorite beer (possibly ever) is the Yeti Imperial Stout.

If weather permits, sit outside, maybe a wanderer will sing to you. Ask about tours and check their calendar for tasting and pairing sessions. Don’t plan on eating here or coming late. I like to make this the first stop of the night.

http://www.greatdivide.com/ – 2201 Arapahoe Street – Denver, Colorado 80205, USA

Wynkoop

This brewery/bar/restaurant/pool hall is huge and in a beautiful brick building across from Union Station. Formerly owned by John Hickenlooper, Denver’s mayor, it’s very much a part of the city. The food menu is long and varied. The food is delicious and the portions are filling.

Upstairs, there is a second bar, a sea of pool tables, shuffle boards, and darts. The beers are all solid, tasty, and the selection is broad, covers the full spectrum from light lager to black lager to IPA to stout.

I prefer to sit in one of the bar areas (not the restaurant) and order food, preferably an app. Come here later in the evening, but this is not where I’d close out the night.

http://www.wynkoop.com/ – 1634 18th Street, Denver, CO 80202

Falling Rock

The best tap house in Denver. They claim 75+ beers on tap and 130+ different bottles in the cooler. I’ve been here many times; their claims are true. I feel like the selection caters to hop heads, lovers of the Belgians, and fans of giant beers in general. But I know there’s something for everyone. Located by the ball field. The food is nothing to write home about, but you can get some decent wings and sandwiches. Downstairs, there are pool tables, dartboards, places to lounge about. Out front is a patio area (watch the assholes on the way to the clubs is a fun game to play).

End of the night beer, dinner, happy hour, quick stop, all night bar fly—at this place, I would say you can do it all. Do your planning around the rest of the evening.

http://www.fallingrocktaphouse.com/ – 1919 Blake St., Denver, Colorado

Uptown Brothers

Even though new and in the process of nailing everything down, they already have a lot of things I like: A large and good beer selection (32 beers on tap, 61 in bottles), 19 47” TVs, and one of my favorite hamburgers. Yes, City Grille is across the street and claim to have the best burger in Denver, but I think Uptown’s is better. Maybe because they freshly grind their beef, daily?

Also, the staff is great. They work super hard, are friendly, and know their beer. My favorite is the bartender, Chuck. His sense of humor, always in the spirit of good, clean fun, is dry and biting, like a finger poke to the neck. Oh, and they have one of those digital, play-anything jukeboxes. One time, I played the Genesis song, Supper’s Ready. It’s over 26 minutes!

Personally, I think this is a place to go for happy hour and food. Watch out, though; it’s easy to eat too much. It’s on Colfax, next to Emilio’s. If you’re lost, look for the gold dome of the Capital building.

http://www.uptownbrothers.com/ – 320 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80203

Cheeky Monk

Okay, so I’ve only been here once and it was well over a year ago. I’m not a huge fan of Belgian beers, so it’s going to be really hard for me to genuinely sell this place. The bottom line is that it easily has the largest and best selection of Belgian beers in the city. So for Belgian beer lovers, this is the place. It’s on Colfax, a wonderfully sketchy and diverse street.

http://thecheekymonk.com/ – 534 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80203

Golden City (Golden)

“The 2^nd Largest Brewery in Golden.” The joke is obvious, but this is place is no joke. You can read all about it on hippolane.org. Simply put, it’s a unique experience. A beer garden in the middle of a residential neighborhood, you sit at patio tables, order from a window on the side of a carriage house. The beer is made in a barn. After last call, which BTW is 7pm, the bartender sings Irish drinking songs.

The beers that I had were quite delicious; food is not really an option, though pretzels are available. They’re open from noon to 7pm and it is 30 minutes from Denver, so plan accordingly.

http://www.gcbrewery.com/ – 920 12th Street, Golden, CO 80401

Tommyknocker (Idaho Springs)

This is our stop on the way to Frisco nights before skiing in the mountains. It’s just off of I-70 in Idaho Springs, in what always seems like a cool, sleepy town. The food, especially the wings and bison burgers, is always solid, good fuel for the next day. The beer selection (no guest taps), has some good options; I like their porter.

I would say to make this part of an activities-based trip, maybe to Golden, Frisco, or Breckenridge. Maybe do it before or after some hiking. The food is replenishing, so go for that too.

http://www.tommyknocker.com/ – 1401 Miner Street, Idaho Springs, CO 80452

Oskar Blues (Longmont and Lyons)

Easily the biggest brewery on the list, they have a small dynasty in Longmont and Lyons.

First, the brewery in Longmont. I did a tour with friends. You can read about it on hippolane.org. Our tour guide was perfect; the tour itself was cool. There’s also a place to drink, the Tasty Weasel Tap Room. Great beers, live music, it’s a cool space that has full visibility into the brewery.

Next, Home Made Liquids and Solids. It’s just up the road. It’s their restaurant and tap house. They have all of their beers and many others on tap. The food is southern soul food, comfort food. It’s delicious.

Finally, Grill & Brew. This is the original brew pub location. I’ve never been, but it appears similar to Home Made Liquids and Solids. Large menu, great beers, live music, perhaps arcades.

I would make a full trip out of Oskar Blues. Hit the brewery, do the tour, drink at the tap room. Head over to Home Made Liquids and Solids and eat. Stick around for some music, if possible. Take the bus to Lyons to Grill & Brew. Have a few beers. Take the bus back.

http://www.oskarblues.com/ – Go to site for specific address.

Itineraries

North to LODO

Great Divide, Wynkoop, Falling Rock.

Start off at Great Divide, early in the afternoon, say 4pm. Do a brewery tour. Stick to 10 oz. glasses or a flight and try a few things. Go to Falling Rock. Get an order of wings, a full pint of something strong. Hell, get a second pint. Then get out. Go over to Wynkoop and go upstairs to play some pool. After a game and a beer, treat yourself to an appetizer, maybe a second beer.

That is probably enough for a night, but while you’re in the area, here are a few more ideas:

The Cruise Room, based on the Queen Mary, is a great place to get some cocktails—namely a Martini, Greyhound, or Gin and Tonic. The waiters are dressed straight out of the fifties. They know their cocktails. There’s a free jukebox in the back.

McCormick & Schmick’s has a tasty, cheap-as-hell late night happy hour. Where else can you get a half-pound burger and fries or a full plate of calamari for under $3?

Colfax Crawl

Uptown Brothers, Cheeky Monk.

I think you can play this two different ways.

Option 1: Take it easy. Start at Uptown Brothers. Try to go with a lot of people. Get a booth and some apps, enjoy the beers. Don’t be afraid to go big. If there’s room in the gut, eat a meal. Overall, stick around for a while. Drink a few, play board games, talk, watch sports. Then, head up the street to the Cheeky Monk for one hellacious Belgian beer. After that, call it a night. BTW, Good Times is real close.

Option2: Do a true crawl. Still start at Uptown Brothers, but plan for one, maybe two beers, and an app. Travel lighter, meaning ditch unwanted friends. Move to the Cheeky Monk, have one, then get ready for more shenanigans. I would suggest you go to Sancho’s Broken Arrow, play some air hockey. After that, who knows? Colfax is loaded with bars. There are several hole-in-the-walls between Grant and Clarkson. I like to sometimes go further up (East) to Atomic Cowboy, Irish Snug, Senger’s, Rock Bar, or Mezcal; for some, you may need to take the 15 bus or a cab.

Head to the Hills

Golden City, Tommyknocker.

This is less of a night out and more of an afternoon. Golden City isn’t open terribly late, so you’ll want to plan to go early. I think exercise is good. So go out and do something active in the morning. You can hike, ride a train, take a mining tour, climb, or ski or snowboard in the winter. I don’t care what, just do it. Then, go to Tommyknocker for some lunch.

After a solid meal and one beer (maybe two if you’re bigger), putz around Idaho Springs for a few, then head back East. Get off at the exit for Golden. This should lead to a nice 20-minute drive through a winding canyon over a river. Look for climbers and rafters. Soak in the beauty. Then head into Golden to Golden City Brewery. You really want to get here with enough time to have one or two before 7pm to be there when they close so you can hear some songs. If time allows, fit in another activity before the trek to Golden.

Depending on the time, you might be able to stop by Strange Brewing before it closes. It’s right by INVESCO Field. It’s the newest brewery in Denver. If you need to get dinner and are in that area, I recommend Jack and Grill for some New Mexican. It’s on Federal.