Cerebral Brewing

Cerebral runs a great, killer, and friendly taproom. Great vibe, but mostly stands out for its service that, even when fully taxed and mobbed by drunken Denver yuppies, still stands out for its competent, and upbeat attitude. Really solid range of beers but mostly leaning to the hop-side of things, there was one sour, a couple of lagers, and a big stout when we were there just yesterday (early July 2019). But this place is just awesome... great neighborhood feel to the place as well, even though there were car plates from Cali, Iowa, and Texas too.

Awesome outdoor space, really chill vibe. Service was great, I commented on how great the place smelled, and the bar tender told me about their last brew which used peach puree, which got into a discussion of peaches. Next thing I know, he brings me one of the peaches they used from the back that he was swearing are the best. Just great all the things are up. It doesn't hurt that I love IPAs and they brew some great ones here. This would be my go to spot if I lived here, for sure.

 

 

 

 

I visited Cerebral on Monroe towards the end of their evening on a Friday night in March. So the party-atmosphere as things neared last call might not be the most indicative of the overall vibe. Busy and bustling, but I still had an opportunity to talk shop and work my way through a range of their offerings.

 

 

Visiting Denver, my wife and I greatly enjoyed our visit to this chill and casual atmosphere neighborhood brewery in the Bluebird District.

My buddy Slander handles the details in his review, for a change....LOL

Modern NEIPAs, interesting sours, over the top and delicious stouts....to go in tall cans or waxed top bottles, or to stay...pleasant, inviting, pleasant staff...extra large outdoor space and a food truck readily available or bring other food in...added bonus is the tequila n taco restaurant next door....we enjoyed several tasty NEIPA's, some saison and a few wee pours of some pastry kinda stouts...yum....well worth checking out

 

 

 

 

Now closer to departure than our arrival a few days before. I feel that having finally mastered the first meal of the day not being a crippling breakfast, I should be rewarded with beer (completely reasonable, I wasn’t asking, I was telling). Our first brewery of the day finds us parked up the block in a residential neighborhood as their lot was full at 2pm on a Friday. Was going to ask ‘Does nobody work in Denver?’ but really, I was just jealous. I suppose it’s good ‘not work’ if you can get it…

To the rear, a black shiny concrete topped ‘C’ shaped bar, with a lime green subway tile base and your feet rung in the steel framed wood chairs, there be a dozen of them. Long bar tower row of stainless with non-descript handles on a white subway tile wall backing. Projection screen tap list above, carved out by descriptors (Wild/Sour, Lager, Wheat, Hoppy, Dark), showing beer, style, hop varietals and/or flavor profiles, ABV, pricing for shorty and full pours, and crowler or 4 pack where applicable. Framed shelving to both sides of center with hats, bottles, cans, books, snacks, crowls, potted plants, medals, framed pics, a globe, a skull, lab beakers, dinosaurs, of course, and glassware. shirts lined above across the wall, and sampler paddles and crowlers below the bar.

Brick, cinderblock, & framed walls with garage doors opening to the front. Concrete floors, white wood plank on rafter ceilings with ductwork, drop spots, dangle single filament bulbs over the bar, and alt height drop filament bulb barrel band chandeliers throughout the room. Spam can foeders (if you saw one, you’d know what I mean) and barrels fronting the brewery proper on the far end, and a can & bottle cooler in the rear corner.

In the center of the room, 4 hightop shared tables stooled with inlays in the middle of 2 long black strips showing hop leaves, malt varietals, & yeast strains. And then 2 shorty black tables on the brewery end and 7 on the other end; 4 of those tables are sharing benchage below a wall of magazine pages pasted. And something of a lightning bolt seating pen out front with a half dozen green mesh tables under strung lighting lit awnings there.

18 beers on tap (Monochrome, Oak Aged Grisette, 4.6%; Auditory Illusion, Gose, 5.2%; Bird of Paradise, Smoothie Sour, 5.2%; Tactical Maneuver, Foeder Helles, 5.1%; International Waters, Foeder Pils, 5.2%; Sight Unseen, Foeder Export Lager, collab with Threes, 7%: Vital Linguistics, Witbier, 6%; …And Then There Were Two, IPA, 6%; Rare Trait, House IPA, 6.4%; Secret Chat Room, IPA, 7%; Hollow Fang, IPA, 7.4%; Pineapple Stuff, Milkshake DIPA, 7.6%; Cheat Code, DIPA, 7.9%; Ales For ALS, DIPA, 8.3%; Forbidden Idol - Zombie, Tiki Sour DIPA, 9%; Dark Galaxie, Oatmeal Milk Stout, 4.9%; Dark Galaxie with Coffee, Coffee Oatmeal Milk Stout, 4%; Impulse Purchase, Almond Soy Stout, collab with Moska, 12.3%), + a house made cold brew, and 3 bottles on site/to go (Single Barrel: 45, Oak Aged Saison, 5.8%; Raspberry Drupaceous, Oak Aged Wild Ale with Raspberry, 7.5%; Trembling Giant, Barrel Aged Biere de Garde, 8.9%).4 DIPA’s and 4 IPA’s, eh? Hmmm, I don’t know…

Looking for lager in all the right places, I started with Tactical Maneuver (Foeder Helles) & International Waters (Foeder Pils), before switching to the hoppier side of things with Rare Trait (House IPA), & Secret Chat Room (IPA). Good Foeder play and the IPA’s are solid, hazy and otherwise. Forbidden Idol – Zombie (Tiki Sour DIPA) was just pineapple face and I didn’t need that, and while Dark Galaxie with Coffee (Coffee Oatmeal Milk Stout) was pleasant enough, I don’t know what I was thinking not just getting the straight non-coffee’d up version (I do dumb shit sometimes).

The place is now packed with moms and dads and kids. Davo says ‘it’s a modern café’ (as there are laptop users a-plenty). Good chill house, kids notwithstanding, and the beers work for me just fine. Time to see what else Denver has in store for us.

 

 

 

Cool little space just on the fringe of a residential neighborhood, one block off a main throfare. Large open courtyard leading into the tasting room, with a wall of barrels on the left, and a long straight bar across the back wall that seats about 8 and has an open service area in the middle. Additional communal tables inside and umbrallaed picnic tables in courtyard. 20 well assorted beers on tap, I had the Hollow Fang which was very nice. Fast, efficient bartenders. Very chill laid back vibe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This place has everything a newer taproom can possibly offer. Hazy IPA's, Pastry Stouts, BA bombs. I was really planning on being absolutely blown away by this place, but, while it was very good, I didn't quite get the experience I thought I would. That's on me more than them. This is a great place in a great beer town.

 

 

 

 

Fun Place to enjoy a beer.