Best Artisan Wine List 2005 | Swimclub 32 | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Artisan Wine List

Swimclub 32

Swimclub 32 owners Chris Golub and Grant Gingerich ought to know a little bit about the grape-juice game. Before opening their hipper-than-hip, Asian-inspired, fusion-bistro-slash-tapas bar in the Highland neighborhood, they were both laboring in the cellars of one of the world's best-known wineries, Veuve Clicquot. The knowledge that they gained there certainly didn't go to waste, because now it's all for sale -- by the glass and by the bottle -- on Swimclub's short, sweet and intriguing list full of bargain Spanish reds and deadly good whites. With vintages and varietals drawn from around the planet's wine-producing regions, the fellas take particular pride in highlighting bottles from small, lesser-known wineries, listing them right up there with the big boys. And then they go the distance, making sure that every customer in the place gets, if not the glass he was looking for, then certainly the glass he needs.

Best Sake List

Swimclub 32

Mark Manger
Plunge into sake at Swimclub 32, which offers a straight-artisan, almost uncomfortably funky board of both old classics and newcomers. In some case the prices may seem high, but bear in mind that the house is doing a six-ounce wine pour on these bad boys. We don't know of another place in town where you can sip a clean, pure, ultra-premium free-run Ginga Shizuku, chase it with a crisp hit of cheap Bishonen, then do a final round of super-artisan Ama no To "Heaven's Door."

Best Sake List

Swimclub 32

Plunge into sake at Swimclub 32, which offers a straight-artisan, almost uncomfortably funky board of both old classics and newcomers. In some case the prices may seem high, but bear in mind that the house is doing a six-ounce wine pour on these bad boys. We don't know of another place in town where you can sip a clean, pure, ultra-premium free-run Ginga Shizuku, chase it with a crisp hit of cheap Bishonen, then do a final round of super-artisan Ama no To "Heaven's Door."

Best Beer List

Falling Rock Taphouse

Walking through the door of Falling Rock Taphouse is enough to make a beer fan fall in love all over again. This comfortable, casual saloon is serious about its brews, and it has over seventy of the world's best beers on tap, as well as an impressive collection of bottles both rare and wonderful. And Denverites aren't alone in their appreciation of Falling Rock: It's got a national reputation as the best taphouse in the nation. God bless the USA.

Best Beer List

Falling Rock Taphouse

Walking through the door of Falling Rock Taphouse is enough to make a beer fan fall in love all over again. This comfortable, casual saloon is serious about its brews, and it has over seventy of the world's best beers on tap, as well as an impressive collection of bottles both rare and wonderful. And Denverites aren't alone in their appreciation of Falling Rock: It's got a national reputation as the best taphouse in the nation. God bless the USA.

Best Microbrew

Avery Brewing Co.

In a state rich with craft brews, it takes big flavor and muscle to stand out. Avery Brewing's Hog Heaven does that and more. Rich with malt, gooey with hops and deep with alcohol, this beer hogs the spotlight, thrilling beer geeks and gourmands and scaring off swill-sippers. Avery Brewing rules the roost of local breweries, and Hog Heaven is the true king of beers.

Best Microbrew

Avery Brewing Co.

In a state rich with craft brews, it takes big flavor and muscle to stand out. Avery Brewing's Hog Heaven does that and more. Rich with malt, gooey with hops and deep with alcohol, this beer hogs the spotlight, thrilling beer geeks and gourmands and scaring off swill-sippers. Avery Brewing rules the roost of local breweries, and Hog Heaven is the true king of beers.

Best New-Old Brewpub

Bull & Bush Pub & Brewery

Evan Semón
While the brewpub industry has fallen flat in recent years, the Bull & Bush proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Now more than thirty years old, the Bull was modeled after the 300-years-older Bull & Bush near London and spent its first few decades as a classic Glendale watering hole -- which means the amount you drank (and who you drank it with) was sometimes more important than what you drank. But the introduction of a microbrewery three years ago poured new life into this animal. Today, the Bull & Bush pumps out award-winning brews that make an already good bar even better. Throw in the Bull's live music and more than a hundred kinds of Scotch, and better becomes the best.

Best New-Old Brewpub

Bull & Bush Pub & Brewery

While the brewpub industry has fallen flat in recent years, the Bull & Bush proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Now more than thirty years old, the Bull was modeled after the 300-years-older Bull & Bush near London and spent its first few decades as a classic Glendale watering hole -- which means the amount you drank (and who you drank it with) was sometimes more important than what you drank. But the introduction of a microbrewery three years ago poured new life into this animal. Today, the Bull & Bush pumps out award-winning brews that make an already good bar even better. Throw in the Bull's live music and more than a hundred kinds of Scotch, and better becomes the best.

Best Anytime Drink Special

The Lounge

Lots of local watering holes offer great happy-hour specials and fleeting drink deals on whatever rotgut they've got clogging up their back stock. But the Lounge doesn't mess around. Instead, the barkeeps here serve one-buck cans of Old Style, all the time. The staple of a million Midwest union meetings and monster-truck rallies, Old Style is richer than Budweiser and less played out than Pabst. And the Lounge, with its amiable staff, hit-heavy jukebox, creative appetizers and chill atmosphere, is the perfect place to wash away those day-before-payday blues.

Best Of Denver®

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