Gin may have come from genever, but you can’t really put the two in the same box, according to Jacob Grier, Portland-based bartender and brand representative for Bols Genever. “Genever is really its own category,” he explains. “We compare it to early tequila importers. They labeled the spirit ‘Mexican whiskey’…
It’s not easy to keep up with Colorado’s brewers. It seems like they release a new beer — or two or three — in bottles or cans almost every week. And as soon as you think you’ve caught up on the new ones, you find a couple that you’ve missed…
If you smelled bacon last week in LoDo, you weren’t dreaming. The Blue Moon Brewing Company @ the Sandlot was adding it to a new beer. “We put thirty pounds of bacon in the kettle along with dark chocolate, cocoa nibs and hickory smoked bacon. The savory bacon helps balance…
Bob Wilson graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in finance but wanted, he says, “to do something I was interested in — something I thought would be fun.” That’s why he went into wine: “I ended up working with a distributor with a goal to work at…
In this week’s behind the bar interview, Colt & Gray’s Kevin Burke weighs in on how he started bartending, his favorite spot to blind taste spirits and the Mustache Series…
Happy Place: Cellar Wine Bar, 2556 15th Street, 303-455-9463 The Hours: Daily from 5 to 7 p.m. The Deals: $5 select glasses of wine, $5 wine cocktails, $1 off all beer selections Were We Happy? Flip the page to find out.[page]…
Breckenridge Brewing loves poking fun at the mega brewers — something they’ve done with a series of humorous TV ads called “Truth in Beervertising” over the past two years. Now the Denver-based brewery plans to run two more spots on Super Bowl Sunday on KDVR-TV, Denver’s Fox affiliate. Although the…
Colorado brewery lore is full of stories about mistakes that turned into successes — batches of beer that turned out well despite the odds. Of course, Colorado brewery lore is also full of stories about carefully planned beers that went horribly wrong, but those stories are more often that not…
The concept of the modern “breastaurant” is a purely American one, born of man’s desire for Buffalo wings and light beer, and often resulting in unrequited love for a lass twenty years his junior. But what really weaves a “breastaurant” into the American fabric is that everything is bigger at…
Colorado will get a new specialty brewer later this month when Elevation Beer Company near Salida opens, crafting seasonal barrel-aged beers on a fifteen-barrel system. We’re not talking about your classic, blondes, reds, browns and IPAs here. Elevation’s first two beers will be a Belgian-style Quadrupel made with caramelized honey…
Just tell the truth, already: you are totally freaked out by Italian wine. By “freaked out”, we mean shaking like a leaf. Shivering in your shorts. Just plain scurrred. Ask a wine retailer which category they find most challenging to sell to less experienced consumers, and you’re likely to hear…
In the two-plus decades that I have been behind bars, I’ve noticed some fads when it comes to what my brethren drink while we work. I’m not talking about sipping cocktails or some rare craft beer; I’m referring to the shots we do during a shift, after a big rush…
The hosts of what had been Denver’s only craft beer radio show have gone their separate ways, an amicable split that has nevertheless created a somewhat awkward situation: two craft beer radio shows, both airing at the same time on the same day. Gary Valliere, the creator and co-host of…
Over the last few months, I went from the worst shape of my life to the best while continuing to eat like a food critic. Don’t punch me in the face; instead, read how I did it in this series: No one trusts a skinny food critic. That sentiment was…
February is Stout Month for the Mountain Sun group, which means all three locations will be featuring a rotating draft selection of stouts (including some stellar guest taps), along with various other happenings in honor of the increasingly popular style. It’s an annual tradition that’s become a much anticipated festival…
Jonathan Greschler, who recently landed behind the bar at Fuel Cafe, started bartending right after college. “I was in North Carolina working at a microbrewery,” he remembers. “The guys behind the bar were older than me, and they took me under their wing. We had an advantage, because it was…
Happy Place: Rodney’s, 2819 East Second Avenue, 303-394-3939. The Hours: Monday through Friday, 3 to 6 p.m. The Deals: Half-priced bottled beer, wines by the glass, well cocktails and appetizers. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…
Six months ago, Eric Dutton, bar manager at Vesta Dipping Grill, unveiled a Vieux Carre he’d let sit in wood for a few weeks — the first barrel-aged cocktail we’d seen on a Denver menu. Since then, though, we’ve noticed barrel-aged cocktails popping up on a handful of lists, making…
Old Chicago, which has put a renewed emphasis on serving craft beers over the past two years, has once again scored a couple of exclusive brews…
Brothers Todd and Scott Leopold have been distilling since 1999, but only in the last two or three years have they really had the freedom to exercise their creativity in the market. “We’ve been in the business for thirteen years, and it’s almost like there weren’t bars for the first…
Cult-favorite, pricey and snooty — three adjectives you may have heard associated with Silver Oak Winery at some point in your life as an oenophile. The first two are true enough: A passionate set of followers obsess over the brand, hoarding prized vintages in cellars for future generations to savor;…
Lone Tree is a long bike ride away from City Park, which makes it tough on the typical inner-city cyclist to try the beers at Lone Tree Brewing. So Lone Tree Brewing, which opened just six weeks ago, has teamed up with the Denver Bicycle Cafe, another brand new business,…
