Denver trip

Heh, not only that, but MEAD is wine too. So in theory, if you have a wine license you could produce cider, mead, and wine, all with the same license. BUT - wine legally can't have any grains in it, so you couldn't make braggot or graff.

If you have a beer license, then 51% of your fermentables have to be from grains, at least that is my understanding of it. Black Project made "mach limit" which was supposed to be 49% fruit. I'm guessing you already know all this though.

 

You guys need to lobby your state legislature! Here in PA, any brewery taproom can serve PA-produced cider, mead, wine, or liquor with no additional license. So most have at least a couple of options for the non-beer drinkers tagging along.

 

Apparently sake is classified as wine in the Colorado Liquor Code....

 

Bull and Bush serves cider, fruit lambics, and some experimental hybrids from Italy.

Beer-wise, Comrade is just a few minutes away. Those two places are my jam on this side of town.

Mead-wise, we have a couple places in Boulder and one in Palisade. They're mostly bottle sales, though.

 

There was some issue about the use of sake yeast as well, wasn't there?

 

I think the issue is source of the fermentables.

Stop by the Rackhouse Pub. Bierstadt Lager and C Squared Ciders inside the building for great beer and hard cider

 

There is a good Italian place on the east side of the main drag tucked in the back corner of what I would call the "river walk" area. It's across the street from the big park where the art shows are at. They had beer and wine, the food was damn good too, and the tap list had some real standouts plus a few bottles on hand as well.
Looking at the interwebs it looks like the name is Mama Rose's.

 

Be a quick Uber to Grapevine.

 

Lunch or Dinner: Bull & Bush is 1.8 miles away. Dinner: Asbury Provisions is 1.9 miles away. Bottle shop: Grapevine is 2.3 miles away. Bonus Brewery: Comrade is 3.3 miles away.

 

I hit Bierstadt for the Slow Pils and the Helles Lager (plus a damn good grilled cheese) before moving on to Crooked Stave for a killer sour flight. Now it’s time for a quick Falling Rock stop before hitting the Rockies game. Thanks all for the great suggestions so far!

 

That Grapevine and Comrade route is what I always recommend for visitors. Oasis on Evans I also highly( pun intended) recommend.

 

For future reference for anyone staying in Estes Park: you need to eat dinner / drink beer early!!

Last week we were hiking all day in the National Park and didn't get back to our hotel and showered up until around 8:30, only to find out that Mama Rose's and Poppy's Pizza both had closed at 8. Luckily we were able to get to Smoking Dave's by 8:50 as they stop seating at 9:00. And then Rock Cut Brewery closed at 10:00 so no option of stopping for an additional post-dinner beer.

 

So instead we ended up being downtown, and ate a great lunch at Euclid Hall. Great food, and a great beer taplist that also included cider for my wife. I would definitively recommend that place to anyone looking for a gastropub kind of a place. Order the Sausage Party!

 

How was Rock Cut? Will be in Estes Park this week and looking good food and beer recimmendations

 

Stop at St. Vrain Market in Lyons and grab a sandwich on the way to Estes. They are fantastic and the rest of the baked good there are tits. The original Oskar Blues is a block away if that interests you. If you like bicycles Red Stone cycles sits between em and is a great owner/operator shop.

I don’t know shit about Estes but RMNP is a wonderful place, have fun.

 

I only had one Rock Cut beer which was on tap at Smokin Dave's - it was good. The BBQ at Smokin Dave's was average. We were only in town one night so that's the only place we ate. We stayed the second night on the west side of the park In Grand Lake.
For breakfast in Estes Park check out Donut Haus. Just a little shack, but the donuts were top notch.

 

I think Rock Cut's one of the best small breweries in CO. Seriously. I've had 8-9 different beers from them and they've all been really good. Those even range from "trendy" (NEIPA, BA stout) all the way to borderline obscure and traditional (Westphal altbier).

As far as Smokin' Dave's goes, it's okay. There's better food in town, but if you casually like BBQ you'll probably be cool with it. If you want BBQ, there are two Oskar Blues locations within a reasonable drive. Theirs straight up mirrors what you'll find in most of Alabama.