Yard House (Downtown Denver, CO)

Beautiful main bar and ring of taps

7/8/12

I didn't have the Yard House of downtown Denver on my to-drink list for the trip, but it was happily across the street from our hotel. In 2002, I had been to a Yard House in Irvine, CA, and, while it was a good, I had a mediocre impression of the chain.

Yard House Denver was clearly a step above. Not sure if it was the change in location or the decade later, but the beer list was extensive and touted more than a few hoppy selections to keep me entertained, including Green Flash Palate Wrecker and Odell's Mercenary DIPA. My wife's first draft was Avery's The Reverend, an excellent quad that kept her happy. On our various stops, the tap list had a nice mix of beers to have something for wide range of drinkers without catering to the lowest common denominator, even a few new drafts for the database.

The food was also quite incredible. With an entire portion of the menu dedicated to Gardein meat substitute selections, it was almost like being at a vegetarian restaurant for choices (even some vegan). We fell in love with the BBQ [fake] Chicken Salad so much we went back for it and recreated our on version at home. Gardein products have since been distributed extensively, including local grocery stores. The fish tacos were also excellent, a tasty combination of crispy fish and fresh guacamole.

We had such a great time at the Yard House because of the very attentive staff plus the restaurant was lively without being too noisy to talk. With several stops, including once for just a beer en route to a concert, the service, beer and food were always consistently excellent. Since this positive experience, my intent is to try the Yard House in other locations to see if the chain has improved or if the Denver location is just that good.  I haven't had the opportunity for further testing yet but hope to in the future. GALA 2016 is again going to be in Denver, and I look forward to tasting some more taps and digging deeper into the veggie menu with my singing friends again.

Denver Beer Co (Denver, CO)

Christmas in July chalk art work

7/10/12, 7/13/12

I originally heard of Denver Beer Co from a Brewing TV episode last spring. Walking in, I liked the vibe immediately.  The near wall facing the street is an entire bank of glass garage doors—not sure if they came with the place or were added. Very flexible to maintain temperature, which was comfortable on both of our visits. And, I'm guessing that it would be pretty sitting at the bar in a Rocky snowstorm. Denver Beer Co works on a model becoming popular right now: serve great beer and have food trucks fill'm up outside.

When staying downtown, a thirsty traveler gets to Denver Beer Co by taking the free shuttle on 16th Street to its northwest end in LODO. Walk up the stairway to the park, over the bridge and then cross the freeway bridge. Just over the freeway, take a right and 1/2 a block later the pub will be on the left. Very easy but a little off the tourist path. I sit at the long, lovingly made bar and order a set up of samples for a very reasonable dollar a glass:

• Leibling's Kolsch: clean and light, and very much to style with a slightly assertive hop and fruitiness for the style 
• Kaffir Lime Wheat: struggling to imagine that I like this beer this much. Extremely pleasant lime taste blended with a wheat punch plus some peppery notes/spice. Can't tell, but might be from the yeast or the hops. At any rate, it's well blended and fun. Nothing wimpy about this beer. I'd drink a pint of this if I had more time.
• Brett's Go-To Amber: hoppy amber with a healthy malt base, caramel and biscuit blending with a hop spice. Solid.
• Double Trouble Belgian Dubbel: smooth, vinous, full bodied dubbel, strong spice underneath that supports the body; good, even on a hot afternoon
• Ameri-IPA: an assertive west coast IPA with citrus, spice and underlying earthiness. Sharp hop bite on the mouth—no apologies here. Good, but raw and not subtle. Perfect, if that's what is wanted.
• Graham Cracker Porter: actually tastes like graham crackers but with a heavy roast across the top. Roast and strong sweetness and graham cracker fight in the nose; however, the taste is dominated by a sharpness that counterpoints the nose. Very nice and I can see why it won a medal. Complex and fun.
• Belgian IPA: bring on the funk with a yeasty spice and pepper fueled IPA that blends well with a highly hopped beer.
• The Wilderness RIS: a smooth Russian Imperial Stout with loads of flavor. Strong vanilla, sweet dark malt, amazing lace in a sample glass that adds up to an epic beer.  



Denver Beer brewhouse with a view



The Wilderness on draft

• The Wilderness Barrel Aged: the barrel adds a strong woodiness and the alcohol is very apparent. I really liked the RIS straight up, but the barrel does a lot for this beer in spite of being sticky sweet and a bit hot. Having this to sip on a cool winter would be transcendent. Amazing beer. 

With one GABF medal for the Graham Cracker Porter, Denver Beer Co is off to a very good start and I predict they will add more medals in the future.  Of the places I visited by myself on this trip, I specifically took my wife back to try the porter, which she appreciated. To offset the big beer, we shared a large and surprisingly light and fluffy $5 pretzel, which was delectable with or without the pump jar of spicey Gulden's mustard that comes along with it. I settled in and took a crack at a draft of the barrel aged The Wilderness. We chatted and sipped with a background of classic/alt rock track while checking out the local art for sale and the Christmas in July chalk drawings.

When I beer travel, I secretly make a list of brewpubs that I want to live by in retirement.  Besides great beer, a pub that makes this list is a place that I yearn to become a local, to belly up to the bar with a friendly face and the newest draft in front of me.  Happily, at the latest, I plan to visit again at the next GALA in 2016.  So, please, go to Denver Beer Co and drink here to make sure I can return some day.

Stranahan's Whiskey Tour (Denver, CO)

Stranahan's tasting room

07/07/12

From my former students who live in Denver and other sources, I've only heard good things about the Stranahan's Whiskey tour. Their popularity would support my evidence, so sign up well in advance on the website.  I was quite excited since this was my very first distillery tour.  Akin to brewing, much of the basic information is similar but it's still fun to play and learn the differences.

Stranahan's is owned by the same folks as Flying Dog, starting as a side project in the Blake Street location. Now, it has moved to the former brewhouse of the defunct Heavenly Daze Brewery and Grill with the new restaurant called the Rackhouse Pub.

We were about 30 min early for the first tour at 10 am, but the doors were open and they let us hang out in the tasting room on a massive leather couch that's so big, I felt like a little kid sitting on it.  Barrel theme for the tasting counter and standing tables—even one with a saddle.  Hanging out, the angel's share of the malt whiskey permeates the room, heightening the senses for the actual tour.

This first distillery in Colorado started with 5 barrels a week and now is up to 45 barrels of all malt whiskey. Lots of distilling details that I will let the reader find out on the tour of how they turn an 8% nut brown ale base into 110 proof whiskey.

For me, the barrel room is the most interesting.  Stranahan's whiskey is aged five years max in the barrel and they are two years from an expansion because they are short of five year stock. However, the good news is they already own the block around the distillery, so they have room for a planned future expansion. A misting system regulates the humidity of the cellar to keep the $30,000 worth of whiskey in each barrel in proper condition. Stacks of the beautifully aging barrels were just fun to walk through.  All of the Stranahan bottles are filled by volunteers with free beers (2), pizza and a bottle as payment; locals can add themselves to the long list of volunteers.

The very friendly tour guide led us through samples of whiskey, teaching the niceties as we sample straight up and cutting with water—an enlightening and interesting tasting that was clearly designed to make sure the whiskey was fully appreciated by the many tour members who would soon be buying bottles for home.

Overall, especially when combined with lunch afterwards at the Rackhouse Pub, this tour is worth the effort of the advanced reservations and the short trek from the downtown area.  We drove since we were making the transfer to our hotel in downtown Denver, but there's public transportation that can get you there with a bit of walking.

Rackhouse Pub (Denver, CO)

07/07/12

Rackhouse Pub is directly attached to the Stranahan's distillery, so a very natural choice for dinner before or after a tour. In the space of the defunct Heavenly Daze Brewery, the one BA review of Heavenly Daze sounds like Rackhouse is a retro-fit of the previous incarnation.  The long black bar and big screen TVs provide a nice dimly lit place to drink.  We chose the cut down copper kettle booth just because it was fun.




I started with a Ska Modus Hoperandi because of its rep and cool name; sadly, I was disappointed with it, though not because of how it was served.  It just seemed a bit light in the glass.  We were very happy with our Quattro Formaggio pizza for lunch that paired well with a Great  Divide Belgian Yeti. Only detraction was that the music was a bit loud for us middle aged folk.

A bit out of the way to go for just the Rackhouse Pub, but the
combination with a Stranahan's tour is unbeatable. Due to time constraints, we didn't take the time to hit the nearby Breckenridge Brewery tasting room or Renegade Brewing, but I've noted this as a possible future combination, especially using the downtown Denver public transportation to shorten the trek.

Dry Dock Brewing (Aurora, CO)

The Brew Hut

07/06/12

Dry Dock Brewing from the back looking
towards the taps near the front door

First round with one of my favorite views

Gloria and I are in town for GALA, but we got a hotel in Aurora to have an evening at Dry Dock Brewing before the singing started.  Brewing TV did an episode on Dry Dock before Northern Brewer came out with their Dry Dock brew kits.  Between that and hearing about the start of the pub on Basic Brewing Radio, having a pint here was at the top of my drinking list for a trip to Denver.















Today, Dry Dock is the fully expanded version of a tap room of original business on site: The Brew Hut.  From the bar, it looks like a pretty cool brew shop, but closed at the moment.  Great idea to have the two side by side to support the making and drinking of very local craft beer.  Dry Dock is still very much a tap room with limited hours and free popcorn is your only sustenance.  Eat ahead of time, bring it along (saw a group with Chinese take-out) and come for the company and the beer.  My favorite feature of the pub was a self serve water station to stay hydrated without bothering the bartenders. JL Beers needs to take a lesson from Dry Dock.

I started with the Double IPA, which was very solid.  The Urca Vanilla Porter was a strong, extremely sweet porter full of vanilla, like a beer milkshake.  My favorite of the night was the U.S.S. Enterprise IPA that reminds me a bit of Masala Mama from my home pub Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery.  These and a couple of other drafts made for a mellow start to an exciting week in Denver.

Denver Beer Tour (Denver, CO)

07/12/12

Ale House at Amato's

After a fantastic week of music with One Voice Mixed Chorus at GALA, an intrepid band of beer drinkers within the choir stayed an extra day to taste Denver. We started by taking the free MallRide to the northwest end of 16th Street to shorten our walk to our first stop across the river.  Here's a map of our path for the day.

We started at Ale House at Amato's because it opened earlier for lunch than anything else downtown.  Plus, the walk across the river in the late morning was a fun start to the day.  Two former students, who were in the midst of packing to move to DC, paused filling boxes to have lunch with us.  It's great when the timing of life works works in one's favor.  Because we had a long day ahead, I splurged and enjoyed the Fish n Chips but Gloria thought the flatbread, while good, was a bit weird.  Overall, the foodies in the group were fairly happy with it.  Great local beer selection, which allowed me to taste new beers: Yak and Yeti Himalayan IPA and Bristol's Edge City Imperial IPA.  Solid start.

Great Divide patio

Walking back over the river, the next stop was the famous Falling Rock Tap House.  I've been to Falling Rock before, but only during GABF.  Far less crazy on an early Thursday afternoon, we settled in the comfortable coaches.  A collaboration beer between Falling Rock and Pikes Peak was my high point: a Double Belgian IPA; pale, lager yellow but with a serious funk bite.  Sadly, Falling Rock was a tough stop for us.  One member fell off the several inch drop off and hurt her ankle and another member didn't notice her wallet fall into the deep coach (we returned for it later).  Great beer place in spite of our confluence of troubles.

Falling Rock Tap House

On my last GABF, I did a pub crawl with BeerAdvocate that included Great Divide. With BA, we not only got the VIP tour, but they didn't let us pay for any of the beer.  This was my first opportunity to pay back the kindness and my group of hop heads didn't mind.  My top beer of the stop was a Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti that was very worth the effort.

Even though the main brewing is done in Maryland now, Flying Dog still has a tasting room in Denver.  Hard to find (go around the back of the building for the address), we finally got into the tasting room for my favorite puppy in the pound: Double Dog.  Plus, I really liked the Wildeman Farmhouse, a funky farmhouse ale that was brewed for the famous beer bar (and personal favorite) In de Wildeman in Amsterdam.

A bit of ironic humor at
Flying Dog tasting room

Needing sustenance again, we finished at old reliable: Wynkoop Brewing in LoDo.  We love it and generally start, and this time end, every trip here. Tonight we returned for the amazing Mac & Cheese and the fantastic Veggie Green Chili, the latter being a particular treat for this vegetarian—didn't even know I missed it until this week. Added the ColoRojo Double Red to the database tonight, a fine ale to finish the day and the week.

In short, drinking in Denver is a bucket list day for any beer geek.  Taking a slow pace today, our tour is simply one of many options in the downtown area, much of which can be facilitated with efficient public transportation.  We just learned GALA 2016 is returning to the fabulous music facilities of downtown Denver and this beer geek can't be happier.  To quote the great philosopher Ferris Bueller, "It's so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend it."

Wynkoop Brewing (Denver, CO)

7/12/12

First night of GALA the weekend after the 4th of July and we head to Wynkoop for dinner between tech rehearsal and the opening concert.  Love the downtown Denver free bus that runs along the 16th Street Mall that kept us out of the rain and got us within a two block walk of the bar.

We've been to Wynkoop enough times that I've lost count--bellied up to the bar more often than any pub outside of the Twin Cities.  I have notes from 2003, 2005 and 2008, doing the the tour during one of those visits.  Eight bonus pints from the ticket stubs of our first Great American Beer Festival (GABF) helped us learn a well worn path through the LoDo District.  My wife is a big fan of Wynkoop's B3K Black Lager and I drink whatever is new and hoppy, making Wynkoop a sure bet for a great start to any Colorado vacation.

Today's visit only confirms Wynkoop's status. I started with the Brewjolais (brew-szha-lay) Nouveau. Described as sour brown, it was light and wine-like with the filling body of Flemish brown and a solid sourness that's clear but not overpowering.  Excellent and a hit with a range of drinkers in our party.  Added another new brew to the list with the London Calling IPA on cask, which was a fine English Ale.  After a sip of my wife's B3K, I ordered my own draft to savor this smooth dark lager.  I could live next to Wynkoop's and be quite happy.

In between, we had dinner. Time has really helped Wynkoop's food. Veggie options used to be limited and perfectly adequate--nothing that I remember getting very excited about. We had developed a habit of drinking at Wynkoop and finding fool elsewhere.  However, last night we were blown away by our dishes. First was the Veggie Green Chili that came with fresh soft toritillas for dipping (and we doubled checked that it is vegetarian and not just veggies).  So good and just enough heat to make it interesting.  We also shared the Mac-n-Cheese with Gratineed Cheddar and Asiago sauce with bread crumbs.  It was baked and a took a little while to show up, but very worth the wait and being late to our show--our fault, not Wynkoop's.

We also had a great conversation with a local couple sitting next to us the bar. One was a regular volunteer at GABF and it was interesting to learn some of the behind the scenes going ons of the fest. Plus, we chatted about more local beer places to hit up in the future, which nicely confirmed some of my drinking choices for the week.  Friends we brought to Wynkoop overwhelmingly approved and enjoyed the food and beer, even those that aren't committed beer geeks.  Wynkoop is a must stop in Denver.  I'm already looking forward to my next trip.

Fulton Beer (Minneapolis, MN)

Finally, the stars aligned and I made it to Fulton Brewery for a tour and for some drafts. The Minnesota Home Brewers toured last Monday night as a club, which is always my first choice for doing a tour.  However, I was feeling ill and had to miss it. Since they club obviously wouldn't be doing Fulton again for a while, I capitulated and went by myself for the release of the fall seasonal, The Libertine, and for The Anchor Fish & Chips food truck.

There's pay parking all around the brewery, but it's with credit card or cash by machine and number. On a Saturday, it was just a quarter an hour.

I walked in a few minutes after noon and the place is already lively. I had to ask twice before finding the right person to sign up with for the tour, but finally got it. By quarter after noon, the tour for 1 pm was approaching half full, the 2 pm tour was empty, but a group had already signed up for the 4 pm tour. If you want to do a later tour, it seems to be fine to send someone to sign up and everyone can show up later.

View of bar from far side with The Libertine

My main mistake on the day was underestimating the temperature. The tap room today is outside temperature from a garage door being open to an old dock that has a railing now. Everyone else with fall jackets looked quite cozy drinking their beers.

Around the pub, barrels lazily sitting on racks on the wall opposite of the bar, and a mad assortment of long and square tables with a couple of high tops. Fulton doesn't win the award for matching decor, but it  doesn't seem like anyone cares.


What I assume is the original garage homebrewer set up that started the company (confirmed on the tour)  is proudly displayed on top of a large cooler. A large screen TV with football is above the bar to provide patrons with digital entertainment, as needed, but few care to look its way.  Retro rock tunes from high school are playing over top the din of friends chatting.  Fulton reminds me a lot of the Denver Beer Co, but smaller. So, pretty much a homebrewer's dream garage to brew and serve friends--except every beer is $5.

The Anchor Fish & Chips with Sweet Child of Vine

Since it's the new release, I started with The Libertine, an imperial red ale. Hazy amber in the goblet with copper edges in the light. Off white head falls without a lace around a nose that's rye and hop spicy, though the blend is hard to distinguish what comes from what. A thick caramel flows from the nose to tongue and ends with a rye kick. 8.5% shows some legs on the side of the glass and adds an oilness that's almost sticky to the taste. Very nice beer and can see why folks are coming out for it.

Also, there's three casks of The Libertine on various flavors: red oak, cherry and hard maple. Guy at the bar was drinking all four side by side--not a bad choice among them he said. Started with the red oak since it was more unusual: no head and the nose is muted, but the heavy oak came through in the taste, thick and chewy. Seems a bit much at first, but it's growing on me as the flavor washes away the original Libertine.

The food truck sit outside the door and bringing food in is welcome, but bringing your beer outside is not allowed. The doorman checking IDs nicely watched my beer while I got lunch, but groups were sending a representative to bring back food to the tables.  Most folks were eating fish and chips from The Anchor, but at least one family walked in with McDonald's.

I purposely saved getting a draft of Sweet Child of Vine to drink with my fish and chips, which was a very good plan on my part; however, not that hard of a call to drink and English styled IPA with fish and chips.  Out of time and room in my tank, I took home growlers of The Libertine, Sweet Child of Vine, and Lonely Blonde to compare at home this week.

Overall, a good day at Fulton that I plan to repeat in the future, especially the next time I go to a Twins game down the street from the tap room.

Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti (Great Divide Brewing, Denver, CO)

Started off sharing Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti with my wife, so my leftover taste is pictured.  Roastiness built up for her too much, so I ended up with all of it.  Oh no!

Fluffy, tightly bubbled brown head wasn't as high on the main pour, which falls to a light film and lace.  Smells like Yeti pretty much straight up, as I remember it since I haven't had a glass in a while.  Heavy, dark malt, light fresh vanilla and huge chocolate with alcohol and hop in a supporting role.  As it warms, the hops fight their way to the surface and have a sizable impact.  9.5% ABV leaves clear legs on the side of the glass when I return it to the beer coaster.

More clear Yeti in the taste, but the roast and bitter chocolate grows fully.  The spice that I missed placing in the nose becomes apparent in the taste (after reading the description): cayenne pepper.  Probably the spice in the nose coming through as well.  The spice burns lightly off the back of the tongue and becomes uncomfortable as it warms.

Very good beer to try, though the cocoa nib bitterness and cayenne pepper are too much for me.   Chocolate so prominent in the name threw me for a loop.  I was thinking that I was getting a big chocolaty version of Yeti that would suit my wife to a tee, but got much more in the bargain.  I can imagine a neophyte grabbing this beer with similar reasoning and not liking it.  I wouldn't buy this one again but glad I tried it.  Great Divide is a great brewery and this is a well done beer that I'm sure if perfect for someone. Back to just plain and spectacular Yeti for me.

Bourbon Barrel Stout (Odell Brewing, Fort Collins, CO)

Poured a bit hard into a pint glass, the 10.5% ABV imperial stout piles up high with a tan, thick, rocky head that looks like foamy snow drifts after a storm.  Dark black body that's opaque except for fleeting dark maroon highlights that appear with a strong back light.  Nose seems a little subdued, but a quick swirl opens up a very pleasant roast that predominates over bourbon, alcohol hotness, light hop spice and oak.  Creamy roast taste to start the beer, and a clean spice with caramel, malt and vanilla. Odell website description includes coffee, but I get it only after reading it.  For an imperial stout, it has a prickly mouthfeel, seemingly from a carbonic bite which contributes to the very strong head formation.  Letting the bottle warm up while open, the top-off pour forms a more stable and tightly bubbled head.  Might be a bit over-carbonated in the bottle.  Oak off the back of the tongue with a sting of bourbon.

As this beer warms, the dark fruit, especially cherry notes, come out of hiding.  Didn't notice the fruit flavors at all when colder--a solid argument for drinking beer slowly.  A strong beer should improve as it warms--an important trait for big beers for me.  However, for this beer, the mouthfeel thins and the alcohol becomes very hot in the nose with the increased temperature causing the balance to worsen and become acrid.   Nothing is wrong with this imperial stout per se, but tonight's pint lacks a certain pizzazz. Well worth the price of admission for a good beer that won't become a cult hero.

Claymore Scotch Ale (Great Divide Brewing, Denver, CO)

Dark tan head that fell quickly over a dark brown with ruby highlighted beer. Strong malt with light peat and smoke in the nose. Light and pleasant. Some dark fruit in the nose as well. All of the nose continues cleanly in the taste with the fruit increasing a bit. Mouthfeel is a bit light for the style. Overall, the beer is well done and perfectly adequate. However, it's not a stellar beer that's going to get me to pick up a six pack.