There’s been a lot of debate in the wine world of late, the gist of which revolves around whether popular, top-selling new world wines deserve their acclaim. It’s an interesting debate, for sure. Are Napa Valley cabs every bit as good as their Bordeaux-based brethren? For that matter, should fruit-forward,…
Caffeinated malt beverages may have been pushed off the shelves by lawmakers worried that young, ignorant drinkers would be unable to resist the marketing tactics, but that didn’t put an end to unpalatable alcohol masked by artificial flavoring: fruit-flavored booze-packed caffeine-free replacements are quickly filling the post-Four Loko void. In…
Happy Place: Washington Park Grille, 1096 South Gaylord Street, 303-777-0707 The Hours: Daily from 3 to 7 p.m. The Deals: $3 select house wine, draft beer, and well drinks; $1 off imported draft beers; half price appetizers. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…
Just a few weeks after they joined forces, the Breckenridge and Wynkoop breweries have taken on an unexpected challenge: slapping together a new concept to fill the former Rocky Mountain Diner space at 800 18th Street, which closed last month after a twenty-year run. The two companies, which are run…
It’s not often that you’ll find Republican representative Larry Liston and his liberal colleague, Democrat Crisanta Duran, on the same side of an issue. Nor is it common to see the United Food and Commercial Workers and the supermarket chains fighting together for a cause. But all of those strange…
The Southern Sun pub in Boulder will tap a firkin of its FYIPA today, the first of what brewer Brian Hutchinson hopes will lead to many more in the near future. In fact, the Southern Sun and Denver’s Vine Street Pub, which are both owned by the Mountain Sun Pub…
Guinness, Jameson, car bombs, bag pipes, corned beef, Harp and an awful hangover: Those are just some of the things that come to mind when the average person thinks of St. Patrick’s Day. And the list is the same for bartenders at Irish pubs — with the notable additions of…
Green beer, St. Paddy’s Day, blah, blah, blah. Why not try something besides Guinness or Coors Light dyed green this year? FreshCraft will be pouring $4 Irish Divides (a name it made up), which are similar to black and tans and consist of Great Divide Hoss and O’Hara’s Irish Stout…
Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora will change the name of its acclaimed Seven Seas Double IPA sometime in the next few weeks after getting a “nasty” letter from a lawyer representing 7 Seas Brewing Company in Gig Harbor, Washington. “I was disappointed I didn’t get a phone call,” says Dry…
When Coloradans elected former beer man John Hickenlooper to the state’s top post last November, they had no idea they’d be letting the entire craft-brewing industry into the Governors’ Mansion as well. But that’s what happened last night when the residence played host to Pints & Bites, a gourmet food-and-beer…
Happy Place: Seven 30 South, 730 South University Boulevard, 303-744-1888 The Hours: Monday through Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. The Deals: $2.50 draft beers, house wine, and well cocktails; $3 you-call-its; $4 premium wine and cocktails; $4-5 food specials. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…
The Breckenridge and Wynkoop breweries officially sealed the deal on their joint venture and celebrated their future on Tuesday by tapping kegs of each other’s beers at their respective breweries. And later this month — possibly as early as March 28 — Breck will open its newest location, Ale House…
Vine Street Pub is getting ready to raise the roof on its new brewery. But first it had to lower the floor. “We dropped the whole thing about three feet,” says Brian Hutchinson, head brewer for Vine Street. The goal is to make room for a twelve-barrel brewing system and…
Earlier today, Swirl Girl Kendra Anderson lamented common wine-service flubs in Denver restaurants, berating spots that propagate listless lists and serve poorly temped juice. And while each one of her points rings true with us, we’ve got another bone to pick: the etiquette of the tasting pour…
What the hell is up with the wine service at certain Denver restaurants lately? A slew of recent visits to a number of reputable spots around town resulted in being treated to some pretty egregious wine service faux pas. None of these restaurants were places where you’d know better than…
Craft beer has been the star of a recent documentary, a television series and a couple of YouTube videos over the past year. Now another feature-length documentary is scheduled to be released this summer. Most of these efforts have been serious, noble — sometimes overly so. Leave it to the…
The Fort Collins and Wynkoop brewing companies are the the latest Colorado beer-makers to introduce new black ales, and while the Fort Collins bottle label made me raise a P.C. eyebrow, black ales are definitely becoming more popular. The Incredible Hop Imperial Black IPA is part of Fort Collins Brewery’s…
Happy Place: Annie’s Café, 3100 East Colfax Avenue, 303-355-8197 The Hours: Daily from 3 to 6 p.m., and 9 p.m. to close. The Deals: $2 PBR cans and all draft beer; $3 house wine and well drinks; $5 well martinis and mini margaritas; $3 food specials. Were we happy? Flip…
There’s a battle brewing at Govnr’s Park. On Saturday, from 5 to 8 p.m., the ageless watering hole will host its second annual Spring Meltdown Beerfest, pitting 35 breweries against each other. They’ll be fighting for the love of Gov’s patrons, and the winner gets a draft handle for an…
At 11 a.m., the Wynkoop Brewing Company, 1634 18th Street, will release its new beer, Skull & Crossbones Black Ale, inspired by Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship, the new exhibit that sets sail today at the Denver Museum of Nature &…
Can’t get enough locally-made craft beer? You’re in luck! Brian and Khara O’Connell plan to open Renegade Brewing this summer at 925 West Ninth Avenue, just off Santa Fe Drive. “We are really excited to be in the arts district and to be a part of First Fridays,” says Brian,…
Old dog. New tricks. The Wazee Supper Club, which has been dishing up Denver-style pizza pies for almost forty years, is adding to, and revamping, its beer lineup to focus more on craft beer. “We used to have twenty taps. Now there are 32, and some of those original twenty…
