River North Brewery

 

 

 

Fun place until building sold and they were forced to move. Have not been to the new location yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a very small place and worth stopping by given its excellent location. The selection was good, especially considering the size of this brewery. The quality, however was hit and miss, with a mix of above average to to below average beer with nothing really hitting either far end of the spectrum.

 

 

V-The tasting room is small; just a few booths, a few tables, and a bar that seats maybe 8-10 people. The brewing equipment is mostly hidden in back. There is a small "patio" that is more of an extension of the parking lot than a patio, but its outside. I visited on a Tuesday after work and the place was pretty mellow. Some Radiohead playing (too loudly) and a few small groups chatting. The space feels cramped, but it is serviceable, I guess.

Q-I'm generally a fan of River North beers (I've had a few in bottles before my visit) and the two that I tasted tonight were decent enough. They do nice things with barrel aging, but the base beers I could take or leave.

Ser-The bartender was prompt and friendly. She filled my glasses, but left a little head on there, which is nice. They also use appropriate glassware and the beers were served at the right temperature.

Sel-There were a half-dozen offerings from IPAs to tequila-barrel aged saisons to stouts when I visited. A nice spread of styles. I did not notice any non River North beers on offer.

O-I am ashamed to say that this is my first visit to River North despite living just a few blocks from the place. The small space isn't cozy, just cramped, but otherwise, the place is alright.

Update (11/2018)
Updated ranking based on new location. They have more space, better (faster) service, and a greater variety of beers. They have improved in every way, except for location- and that is going to change soon with the new satellite brewery/taproom back in RINO. Great job. They had a good mix of regular beers and one-offs to try. Mr. Sandman is an excellent award-winning imperial stout, and the barrel aged sours have been decent. The surprise is that their Mountain Haze IPA is very crushable, and the River North Pils is possibly the 2nd best Pilsner in the entire state. They really make good products at RN - truly a hidden gem.

Vibe: Eh. Sort of ho-hum here, but see my notes about the service (which is great). Pretty small space with a good view of the brewing setup. Certainly wouldn't be my first choice of spots to sit and drink beers in this area (or my second or third).
Quality: The beers are pretty tasty here, and any of their barrel-aged beers are borderline great.
Service: Friendly and knowledgeable. Attentive.
Selection: Pretty good; albeit, the times I've been here the beers are pretty similar. Nothing mind-blowing, but solid selections nonetheless for someone who has not been.

 

This might be my favorite place in Denver to day drink. When the weather is nice and the garage door is open to the taproom, it is the absolute perfect spot for a beer. Just a few blocks from Coors Field, River North is an easy walk from a Rockies game.

The crowd can be pretty thick, even on non-game days, but it's worth it for the beer. Just get their a little early and stake out your high top or spot at the bar and enjoy some really great beers.

The taproom staff is among the most knowledgeable out there for a brewery and there is always something new, different and probably barrel-aged on draft. Plus, barrel-aged bottles are typically available to go as well.

With about 10 beers on draft there is usually something for everyone, even those people who "don't like Belgian beers". They'll at least enjoy White or IPA and beers like Unified Theory and Avarice might even open their minds to the possibilities of what a Belgian-style beer can be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visited on Halloween. Well there was million dollar bodies but nickel brains, at least when it comes to beer. Beer geeks beware the girls know nothing about the beer. I asked for help on barrel aged beer bottles, she said "I'll be back." 20 mins later me and my other beer geek friend left because she didn't come back. Its like dont you want beer geeks buying expensive bottles?! Go to mr b liquor and drink at the hotel/house before you go here. Just bad service that I dont need, especially on vacation from cali

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Small space but there was enough room on a Saturday afternoon.
Q: Went with the sampler, ranged from OK to Good, but nothing that stood out
S: Service was good and efficient
Sel: Relative to most places not a lot on tap, especially for the sampler
V: In line with other places in town
O: Enjoyed my time there, but nothing that would put it on the must go back to list

 

 

 

 

I ducked in here on a brewery hop that included Epic, Great Divide, and Jagged Mountain and the beer I had here was easily the most memorable.

I like saisons, for their occasional tartness, the heavy presence of sweet malt, and the zestiness and yeastiness that are usually present. Having the Unified Theory, River North's Saison, I got everything I wanted out of this style of beer. It was excellent. As an added bonus, my pour, which I think was sixteen ounces in the snifter (but maybe 12) only cost me five bucks. That seems to be a rarity in Denver.

Yeah, drinking in Denver is expensive.

But River North didn't break my bank. Plus the beer I had was tremendous.

I only stuck around for one, but I loved it.

I will note that the drinking area of this brewery is tiny, so there are very few seats. It's more of a place to go and enjoy a beer than it is a place to socialize and spend the afternoon. Unless of course you get there super early and beat the crowd.

Anyway, I highly endorse this place as far as the beer.