Denver trip

There is a great search function on this website that will bring up everything Denver. There’s been 420 related events in years past, not sure what’s going on this year though (not my thing). You’ll be able to scalp tickets to Rockies/Cubs no problem.

 

Unless they are having a Broncos scrimmage between innings, you won't have a problem getting tickets at Coors Field.

 

As far as traditional steakhouses with beer go, the Denver Chophouse is criminally underrated. The steaks are on par with what you'd get anywhere else (Ruth's, Sully's, Del's, etc.) but they also happen to have 6-7 house beers that are damn good. They also have a partially blended BA stout on all of the time, too. The best you can hope for from any of the others would be something like Titan or unintentionally aged bottles of Chimay.
Some nicer places like Mercantile or the Kitchen will also serve steaks, but I'm partial to the big 'ol hunk of beef with shared sides you get from traditional steakhouses. They do have good beer at those places, though.

 

Must Visit Breweries:

Epic, Weldwerks, Odd13 (if you like IPA), Crooked Stave (if you like Sours), Black Project
Avery, Odd13, Cerebral.

You'll be busy!

 

Iffin you want good bar food, hit Highland Tap and Burger. Good taps and a great Cuban sammich.
Freshcraft and Lucky Pie downtown usually have great taps as well. As for breweries, you can swing a dead cat and hit several.

I don't know much about the 4/20 scene. You could say that for said topic, I'm.....in the weeds .


*** NOTE: Don't swing a dead cat

 

Last time I went into FRTH, 3 of the 4 beers we ordered were oxidized and past their prime. Personally, that experience was enough to say I'm not going back after being a loyal customer for the better part of a decade.

Some of my favorites that I would choose 10/10 times over FRTH: Freshcraft, First Draft ($/oz pour your own), Finn's Manor (food trucks galore), Crafty Fox, Goed Zuur (an absolute must if you dig wild beers), Hops & Pie, Star Bar (if you need that dive bar fix a la FRTH), Euclid Hall (great food).

Mercantile is awesome if you're looking to have one nice meal with excellent craft options. They have a cicerone on staff, so you're not going to get shit tasting, old kegs that's for sure.

 

I'm still a fan of the FRTH, but I don't make it down there as much as I used to. There are plenty of other places with similar quality now. See the post from @Canada_Dan for some of the best ones.

As far as breweries you need to hit up, I'd go with Bierstadt Lagerhaus if you like German stuff and Hogshead if you like English stuff. If you don't like either...well...skip 'em. Call to Arms is run by some former Avery guys and is worth a stop. Great Divide has gotten back to peak form, although most of what they serve is available elsewhere. They do have some taproom one-offs, though. If you're going to Black Project, TRVE is on the way. It's worth a stop for sure. I actually prefer them to BP thanks to their greater variety. Our Mutual Friend, Blue Moon (it's not what you think) Ratio, and Beryl's are all downtown or slightly north of it. Easy walking distance.

 

So funny you said this because Falling Rock just posted this on their Facebook about 40 minutes ago and the first thing I thought of was this comment.

http://fallingrocktaphouse.com/the-more-you-know-keeping-it-clean/

 

Came here to post the same thing. Seems like a "coincidence".

 

Gotta give a second nod to Bierstadt- that place is incredible. Great location, even better beer, and a cool vibe with games and shit.

Aaaand in the interest of muddying the water, be sure to check out Spangalang.

There’s weed everywhere- shop around and be sure you eat at least twice the recommended dosage when you’re fuckn with edibles to increase your likelihood of complete ego death.

 

Finn's Manor is trouble. First you start with beer, then grab some food. Then the whiskey calls you. After several rums you'll have to drink the Mezcal through your underwear you thought would feel better on your head. Or maybe that's just me

 

For me personally, if I am visiting Denver my must stops are Comrade, Trve, Baere and Bierstadt.

 

We definitely have FRTH to thank for setting an early precedent with draught quality, very few people cared or understood the significance of what they were doing when Chris and co built, maintained on their own and updated that system to serve a "perfect pint." Don't want to sound ungrateful for their contribution and influence. It's nice to see the transparency and willingness to educate the consumer on things they may not already know. I'm sorry FRTH, I didn't mean to contribute to the bashfest that social media seems to bring out the best of. I had a poor experience, but in no way should that be indicative of the business as a whole.

 

Since you are staying downtown and it's a short trip, you'll probably be best served with many of the places already mentioned (and by all means, please hit Bierstadt if you have even the most passing interest in lagers, because they are some of the very best you'll find).

If you are willing to venture out a little further, then I'll second Comrade as an amazing spot.

Another idea would be just to scoot a few miles east in Denver and hit up Vine Street Pub and Cerebral (FYI if you are trying to look up the kind of beers that Vine Street produces on BA, you actually want to look up "Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery" since that is the original location). Since you mentioned steakhouses, a trip out this direction would take you by Bastien's, which is kind of a Denver classic from what I gather (and is in a pretty outrageous mid-century modern "Googie" building the likes of which are rapidly vanishing in the US these days).

 

Haven't thought about Bastien's in forever. That place is old school as hell.

 

I'm all about sense of place, so pretty partial to homegrown/only in CO spots for food/steak:

• Guard and Grace - Prob best steak selection in town at this point. The beer list isn't going to blow you away, but if you're after steak it's probably your best bet.
• Mizuna - Been around a long time, but definitely one of those 'worth the splurge' spots, with lots of big, rich beef selections (at least as of a few weeks ago). Menu changes often. Definitely a top fiver for me if I'm going big for dinner.
• Hop Alley - Nope, it's not steak, but definitely worth a trip. Chinese food (with modern twists). Great tap list, and equally great bourbon selection.
• Mercantile - As mentioned by others, it's a great spot, and they have some pretty special, but HUGE cuts of meat designed around multiple diners. They have a rotating cast of great beer on tap from Comrade, Cerebral, etc.

Brewery-wise I second Baere, Comrade, TRVE, Cerebral.

If you want to get out of Denver, but keep the driving to a minimum, Golden is a good bet. Good/easy hiking, and some great beer too. Red Rocks is always a fun day spot with some nuggets.

 

Interesting. My old lady asked if I wanted to go to the Falling Rock on Friday and I said "nah, the last several times we've been there the beer wasn't very good." I feel like their lines have been dirty for awhile, maybe its time to give them another chance.