Hi everyone... My wife is visiting Colorado Springs for work this weekend and I was hoping for suggestions on good bottle shops she can visit to bring some goodies back to me in West Michigan. I remember finding good stuff out at Coaltrain when I was in town last year... Are there any other must stops? I'm particularly looking for: More limited Crooked Stave brews (options other than Surette and Vieille) Any Russian River Prairie I plan on putting together a list of specific wants and I'm hoping to get recommendations on shops known for good service who might spend a couple minutes with her so she isn't aimlessly wondering through. Thanks in advance for any feedback you can provide. Cheers! -Kevin
Coaltrain still has a great selection, but I personally don't like their attitude and don't shop there, Veteran's is my go-to spot (tell her to talk to Rob and she'll be more than taken care of) followed by J&K. RR typically sells out within hours of shipments arriving/being announced and we're not really due for a few more weeks. Right now, you can nab Flor d'Lees, Nightmare on Brett, Winter Bretta, Cranberry Spice Vieille, and a few others at the better bottle shops (mentioned). Prairie always has some stuff on shelves, just depends on what you're looking for (may be able to grab Funky Gold Amarillo).
If your wife is in town already, Veteran's got some Pliny the Elder in today (apparently some came in with our kegs of Younger). If she is quick she can snag one.
Thanks for the heads up @StrongRepublican... Unfortunately she doesn't arrive until this evening. Enjoy the Younger!
Bummer, thought I'd throw it out there just in case. No Younger for me though, the Denver crowd can wait in those lines...
@StrongRepublican- I wanted to give you a heads up that my wife ended up going into Veteran's last night and they were SUPER helpful. Rob and another employee (my wife actually got his contact info for me for possible trades) spent a good 15-20 minutes with her not only helping locate the things I requested but also suggesting other beers that people from out of the area typically look for when they are in town. It sounds like you have a pretty awesome bottle shop there... Thanks again for the suggestion. Cheers!
Happy to help and glad she was taken care (and you by proxy). There is a reason that Veteran's is my go-to spot here!
Will be in Colorado springs from new York on Friday for a week of skiing and visiting my 2 brothers ! This is some helpful information. Thank you guys
Phantom Canyon just redid their place and they usually have 8-10 beers on tap. 2.75 pints during HH (and free pool) is a great deal. Brewers Republic, The Ute & Yeti and The Wild Goose Meeting House are within walking distance from Phantom. Brewers often gets the rare stuff. South Tejon now has 4 breweries within a mile, 1.5 miles of each other (Iron Bird, Field House, Gold Camp, Bristol). Trinity, Red Leg (Off Garden of the Gods), Great Storm and Storybook (Off Nevada/Fillmore) are 4 others that are relatively close to each other too. If you head towards Manitou, there's Paradox in Woodland Park, Manitou Brewing Co in Manitou, Fossil is off 24/Cimarron and Smiling Toad is off 8th St. and about a mile from Bristol. Focusonthebeer.com for C Springs related beer news.
Phantom Canyon was probably my favorite stop on a weekend trip recently. $2.75 for a really solid mild on cask and free pool with a great view. Can't beat it.