One hour, 108 bottles of vodka and two Guinness World Records. That was yesterday for Mark Stoddard, mixologist at Happy/Bitter Bar in Boulder, and seven teammates in the 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup U.S. Final at the Ace Hotel. During the cocktail competition, Stoddard and his teammates set out to see…
It’s that time of year again: Russian River is shipping out small batches of Pliny the Younger, the rare triple IPA with ridiculous ratings and a fervent cult following, to the handful of lucky establishments. Westword’s Beer Man will have the full scoop on that tomorrow — and details on…
Happy Place: The Burnsley Hotel, 1000 Grant Street, 303-830-1000 The Hours: Monday through Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. The Deals: Half-price beer, wine, and cocktails; $3 tapas. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…
The only thing that could possibly have made the discovery of a new Pilgrim sandwich any better is that fact that I’ll soon be able to wash it down with a cold Colorado beer. Backcountry Provisions, the oddly-but-rustic-and-poetically-named LoDo sandwich shop, plans to start serving two beers on tap alongside…
Want to feel like a big fish in a little pond? Grab a seat at one of the two (!) bars at Ocean Prime, which docked last month in a prime piece of real estate, right on the corner of Larimer Square. The downstairs bar alone is several times the…
When the Colorado Press Association was in town for its annual convention this past weekend, Visit Denver, the convention and visitors’ bureau, took advantage of the concentration of journalists to host a cocktail party featuring Colorado beer, Colorado wine and Colorado spirits. And while press folk have the reputation of…
Stout Month comes to a close with a variety of tappings and other events at the Vine Street Pub in Denver, and the Mountain Sun and Southern Sun pubs in Boulder — and there are plenty of other sudsy celebrations to lift your spirits as well. Here’s what’s on tap…
Although Denver Restaurant Week has signed up 295 participants, the Wynkoop group of restaurants — which includes Cherry Cricket, Gaetano’s and Wazee Supper Club — are all sitting this round out. As Marty Jones, spokesman for the flagship Wynkoop Brewing Co., points out, the $52.80-for-two deal that’s the hallmark of…
Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 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…
In June 2008, Richard Betts, one of the handful of Master Sommeliers in the state of Colorado, ended his eight-year run at the Little Nell, saying he was retiring from restaurants forever. Since then, he’s moved his base to Boulder, where he’s gotten into both wine production, with Betts &…
Odell Brewing is adding a new beer to its permanent lineup for the first time since 2007, when the Fort Collins brewer started selling its no-named IPA in six-packs. Myrcenary, a double IPA named for an organic compound found in hops, will hit liquor-store shelves in early March. Weighing in…
Wow. Who knew that The Infinite Monkey Theorem (aka Denver’s little winery that could) scoring Colorado’s first 88-point Wine Spectator review would stir up so many passionate responses about the validity of wine reviews? Laura Shunk’s scathing critique of most wine industry rags’ random, somewhat archaic approach to rewarding lesser-known…
Westword photo intern Hunter Stevens brings back these photos from the weekend’s Avery Brewing Strong Ale Festival in Boulder. More than eighty strong beers from some of the best breweries in the nation were showcased at the Avery Tap Room. More pictures below…
Happy Place: Okinawa, 2301 East Colfax Avenue, 303-322-8886 The Hours: Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 5 p.m. The Deals: 2-for-1 on all beer, wine and sake; $4 to $12.95 sushi and salad specials Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…
Oskar Blues kicks off a massive beer weekend up and down the Front Range on Saturday with a party celebrating the renaming of its legendary beer, Gordon, to G’Knight. Although Oskar Blues has been making Gordon since 2005, it needed to change the name to avoid a trademark infringement lawsuit…
Esquire Magazine has atoned for a huge mistake that Men’s Journal made two years ago. Unlike that mag, it’s included Denver in its list of the nation’s seven best beer cities. The Esquire issue, which just hit newsstands, lists Chicago, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, St. Louis and San Diego…
Three months after Colorado’s Rock Bottom Brewing chain was absorbed in a financial partnership with the Gordon Biersch brewpubs, the new parent company, Craftworks Restaurants and Breweries, is thinking about bottling some of the Rock Bottom beers for the first time and selling them in liquor stores. If that happens,…
I’m sorry, Ben Parsons, but… I don’t really care that you and Infinite Monkey Theorem landed an 88 from Wine Spectator…
The Platte River Valley and Highland neighborhoods will be the beneficiaries of a new brewery this summer, when Charlie Berger and Patrick Crawford open Denver Beer Co in a former auto repair shop at 1695 Platte Street. Just up the street from Proto’s Pizza and Paris on the Platte, the…
Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 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…
Valentine’s Day came early for Ben Parsons, winemaker/owner of the Infinite Monkey Theorem winery. Not in the form of chocolate-covered corkscrews or any other such frippery; the gift he received was something every Colorado winemaker has been pining away for: a Wine Spectator score of 88 points. So when Parsons…
I’m flying to Durango this morning for a 24-hour adventure in beer. It will start with a plane that uses propellers to fly over the mountains. It will involve a lot of malt, a lot of hops and perhaps some honey. When it’s over, I hope to have helped Ska…
