Top five porch-pounding wines of summer 2011

A great many learned individuals spend a significant amount of their time advancing the notion that the enjoyment of wine is an incredibly serious, sophisticated pursuit. And some of these people, having spent countless hours in pursuit of the ever-nebulous nuances of what makes a particular wine great, work hard…

Old Chicago’s latest Mini Tour is a canny beer move

Canned craft beers have surged in popularity so much this summer that Old Chicago is running its latest Mini Tour based solely on aluminum. Each of the Colorado-based restaurant chain’s 97 locations, spread throughout 22 states across the country, is featuring an interesting mix of eight canned beers…

Sake to me! We love Izakaya Den’s happy hour

Happy Place: Izakaya Den, 1518 South Pearl Street, 303-777-0691 Hours: Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The Deals: $5 hot or cold sake, cocktails, wines by the glass, and appetizers; two-for-one Kirin draft beers Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…

Denver Beer Co opens today, and seasonal beers are on the menu

Denver Beer Co doesn’t have a kitchen, but the city’s zoning inspectors may be tempted to double check. The brewery, which opens today on Platte Street, serves Kaffir Lime Wheat as fresh and nuanced as any chef’s signature appetizer, a rauschbier that smells and tastes like a plate of smoked…

Three great reasons to judge a wine by its label

It’s a well-known fact in the wine industry that the majority of consumers decide which bottle of fermented grape juice to spring for based solely on their attraction to the label. If you’d count yourself as a member of that particular buying demographic, we feel compelled to tell you’re generally…

Linger? Why, yes, we’d love to!

Happy Place: Linger, 2030 West 30th Avenue, 303-993-3120 The Hours: Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. (Food service begins at 4:30 p.m.) The Deals: $3.50-$7 small plates; $3 select draft beer; $4-$5 specialty cocktails; $5 glasses of house red and white wines. Were we happy? Flip the page…

The Scorzie keeps the score so you can drink

It’s officially the season for altering the koozie. Hot on the heels of the Flowzie, a shotgun koozie, comes the Scorzie, a koozie that keeps the score of any game up to twenty-one. The Scorzie is the brainchild of two Denver residents who repeatedly found themselves in a predicament…

International #IPAday. Are you raising a pint or a protest?

Every day may be IPA day for craft beer aficionados in states like Colorado, California and Oregon, but for most beer drinkers, that is far from the truth. So the point of International #IPAday, which takes place Thursday, August 4, and has already stirred a little controversy, is to use…

Rob’s Mtn Gin crafts a spirit to benefit Boulder’s Growing Gardens

“Gardening is very important to me and my family,” explains Rob Masters, the creator of Rob’s Mtn Gin. “I found out about Growing Gardens, which teaches teenagers about the benefits of growing produce and eating green. It sells produce at local farmers’ markets to fund the garden, and gives what…

Ask the Bartender: A bartender by any other name….

Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can often…