The Denver Seven
I thought it might be high time to compile a list of places in Denver I regularly frequent. My favorite watering holes, brewpubs, and breweries. These are in no particular order.
The Horseshoe Lounge
Not that I want everyone to know where I live, but this place is really really close to home. My favorite bar staff in Denver, I’m often greeted with handshakes and “how-you-dos”; it’s my Cheers. They know what I drink and keep them coming. The bar has a rockabilly vibe with a laid-back lounge area and patio area in the back. The selection of taps is solid, if not terribly expansive, and accompanied by an even larger assortment of bottles and cans, as well as a full liquor bar. Arguably the best pizza in Denver. Arguably one of the most authentic, neighborhood crowds around. This is my, and Hector’s, home away from home; look for us at the bar.
414 East 20th Avenue Denver, CO 80205-3201The British Bulldog
Where else can you get a wide variety of British suds with a menu of both English grub and Pakistani food? In all of my years, in all of the many cities I’ve been to, The British Bulldog is the only one I’ve found. The Pakistani food is my favorite; it’s always tough to decide between the Saag Paneer and the Chicken Masala. I’m a big fan of the cask-conditioned Fuller’s ESB. The cast of characters that run this joint are all a surly and fun bunch, especially “Not Natalie.”
2052 Stout St. Denver, CO 80204Great Divide
I know, I know, this place comes up a lot in my writing. Sorry if it’s getting old. I, as well as Beulah Q., Randy J., Griffin McKleski, and Judy blanch, just really like it here. It all starts with the beer. Big, badass stuff with all sorts of flavor and variety. From the beer it goes to the people; everyone that works here is friendly, inviting, and knowledgeable about brewing and beer. From there it’s the fact that it is a brewery; you can see it in the back. You can do tours, and attend the hop disciples meetings and other tastings. But ultimately, a full spectrum of full-bodied beers is what keeps us coming back.
2201 Arapahoe Street Denver, CO 80205Thin Man
This place always bursts with some sort of hipster energy I can hardly describe. I don’t know what it is–the weird Jesus paraphernalia, the bottles of homespun, fruit-infused vodkas, the east-side, city park neighborhood where it’s at–but this place is always teeming with cool. Maybe I’m just partial to all the cute, short-haired girls with all the bitchin’ toos.
1025 E. 17th Ave. Denver, COFalling Rock Tap House
Without a doubt, the most taps in the area–a lupulin-lover’s dream. The beer list has over 200 beers. They have a great patio, a downstairs pool area, and some pretty decent bar food, and are less than two blocks from Coors Field.
1919 Blake St.Denver, Colorado
City, O’ City
This place is relatively new to me–introduced recently by Judy Blanch and Griffin McKleski. At first, it appears to be a coffee shop–which it might be by day–but if you look closer you’ll see beers and other spirits in peoples’ hands, even if they are working on a laptop or reading a book on the couch. It feels like something out of a bigger city, a place where people come to work alone or meet for political discourse, yet has a comfortable, charming quality and isn’t at all pretentious. Most of the menu is vegetarian (if not all); they have spicy seitan wings that are possibly better than any real chicken wings I’ve ever had. Many of their taps are Great Divide or other locals. I don’t know, I find myself often yearning to come to this place.
Forest Room 5
If you stop by, there’s a good chance you’ll see my buddy, The Captain, sipping (understatement if there ever was one) on Jack and Diets at a table with his laptop or at the bar with his roving eyeballs (ladies, watch out). This bar is the 2nd bar I ever visited in Denver, many years ago, over a year before I moved from Columbus, OH. The atmosphere is the most striking quality; it somehow combines trippy with trendy, moody, and comfortable. FR5 is upscale yet affordable, a great place to take a date, be a bar fly, or meet a group of friends. They play old nature films on the walls behind the bar, but if you want to hear the sound, you need to go to the john. My recommendations are the tapas and the beers from Deschutes Brewery.
2535 15th St. Denver, CO 80211
