From: binkley@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Jon Binkley)
Subject: Re: *****Advice Wanted on Beer Pubs in Denver/Colorado Springs Area
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Distribution: usa
Date: 25 Jul 92 03:24:24 GMT

noring@netcom.com (Jon Noring) writes:

>I'm going to be visiting the Denver/Colorado Springs area in early August and
>would like to get feedback on pubs/bars serving a good selection of beers, 
>foreign and domestic, including local brews.

I'm going to limit my recommendations to brew pubs; we supposedly have
18 of them now.

Denver:

Wynkoop Brewery, 20th and Wynkoop, Lower Downtown

This was the first in Colorado, and is the best.  They have
a whole bunch of regular beers, and week to week specialty
beers.  My favorites of the regulars are St. Charles Extra
Special Bitter and Splatz Porter.  Their ales are all served
by hand pumps, just as English Real Ale ought to be.  In
addition he usually has a couple of mediocre lagers, and a
mead and/or hard cider available.  Food ranges from decent,
well priced pub grub to rediculously expensive yuppie chow.
Clientele covers the same range.  Go here for sure.

Rock Bottom Brewery, somewhere on the 16th St. Mall, Downtown

I was only here once when they first opened, so it's unfair to
judge them too harshly- it takes a while for the dust to settle
in a new brew pub.  Given that, I was unimpressed with the beer.
The food was all overpriced yuppie chow (tasted good though),
the people were all there to see and to be seen.

The Champion, Larimer Square, Downtown

I like the atmosphere here better than any other pub I've been
to.  It's a sports bar, and thus very unpretentious; good
All-American type food.  Beer's so-so.  Wynkoop has nothing
to worry about here.

Boulder:

Wilderness Pub, Boulder Brewery

As a former Boulder Beer basher, let me proclaim loud and clear:
Boulder Beer is back, better than ever.  They're under new
management, one which takes making good beer more seriously
than appealing to the mass market.  Boulder Sport, the
Corona Clone from Hell, is now nothing more than a bad
memory.  The once insipid Extra Pale Ale is now a very
pleasant light amber beer tasting very strongly of
crystal malt (I'm sipping one as I type).  They also
have an roasty amber ale, a killer porter, and a decent
stout; all very good.  The pub fare is good, not spectacular.
You'd do just as well buying a few six packs of their
beer; they're pretty cheap locally.

Oasis Brewery

Another brewpub in the area with severe yuppie disease;
food's good but all overpriced.  Beer's getting better;
the Capstone ESB is worth the trip.  Stop by for one
on your way to...

Walnut Brewery

Boulder's best pub.  Operated by the same folks as
Boulder Brewery.  Good pub menu to balance out the
Y-word menu.  They have 6 regular beers, two of
which are "cask conditioned," the rest over-chilled
and artificially carbonated.  The cask conditioned
beers change week to week, but are always far superior
to the others.


These are the only ones I've been to.  There's a whole slew
of micros and brewpubs up in Fort Collins, all of which are
supposed to be great, all of which I keep meaning to visit-
if only I could find someone to drive me home afterward!!
There's one in Colo. Springs which I haven't heard anything
good about (not that much bad either).  In addition there's
one each in Breckenridge, Aspen, Vail, Telluride, Crested
Butte, and Durango, should you find yourself thirsty and in
the mountains.

Jon Binkley