OK guys, so I have a crazy weird trip coming up. I have cause to be in Gunnison, CO next Wednesday for work. Gunnison. I know. Nothing is final yet, but Wednesday is the most likely scenario. I'm flying in to Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional at around noon, spending about 2 hours in town, and then driving to Denver to catch a flight back to NY. No flights out of GUC that afternoon, and I don't have enough time to catch an afternoon flight out of Grand Junction or Denver, so I'm probably taking the red eye out of Denver around midnight. Assuming I get to Denver around 7pm I'll have a couple of hours to kill. Having been to Denver within the last year, I know which stores to hit, and I'm also planning on going to Black Project. Does anyone have any other suggestions for my trip, either in the Gunnison area, something on the way to Denver, or in Denver itself? I don't have much time, so it would have to be quick. Also available for IP trades if anyone is interested. Thanks, Mountain Region!
Might be a slight detour on the way back, but Outer Range in Frisco is a great spot if you're into IPAs. The liquor store that it shares a parking lot with has a great selection, which frequently includes either CFP or Cut beers from Casey.
Thanks! I am not a big IPA fan, but if they stock Casey stuff it might be worthwhile. Will take me about 30 minutes out of my way plus the time it would take to shop. If my stay in Gunnison is shorter than I anticipate then I will give it a whirl; maybe I'll call in advance to see what they have in stock. I can also cut out one of my stops in Denver. Do you think Outer Range would be more worthwhile than Mondo Vino or Mr. B's in Denver? Last time I was there in September I skipped Mondo and got a few goodies at Mr. B's. As far as I'm concerned Small Batch is a must.
This is awful. Two hours in Gunnison then leave? Couldn't you do this over the phone? Or fly out the next day? I'd probably spend my spare time finding another job if not.
Fair assessment. In theory I would stay overnight, but my wife had a C-section 3 weeks ago and can't take my 2-yr old out of her crib, so I need to be around in the morning. And unfortunately I do need to be there in person; it's a real estate thing.
With Denver traffic and all that traffic, honestly, I would use such little free time as you have hanging out elsewhere.
The Jailhouse in Buena Vista has a killer taplist and is an awesome little spot. Check their Instagram before you head to Denver to see whats on tap. It's not really a detour at all. Don't stop at Outer Range if you don't want IPAs. If stocking up on CO beers is what youre interested in this short amt of time—and if you want Casey—I would just stop in at Mile High Wine & Liquor en route to Black Project and grab bottles from both. Mile High is *probably* the best bet for Casey, unless that has changed recently. Those two breweries are still the best sours in the state for my money. For other things... Grab some Cellar West off the shelves if you want some more oak-aged saison stuff. They are killing it right now. Also grab some TRVE off the shelves, or just stop into their taproom on S Broadway after BP. Metal scene and killer beer. Or stop at Baere on S Broadway. People in the last thread raved about their saison which is an excellent take on the standard saison.
Sorry -- Outer Range is a brewery (if you're not into IPAs I'd say you can skip it). Basecamp Liquors is the store across the parking lot.... and they absolutely have a better Casey selection than any store in Denver proper. Not sure if its worth a 20-30 min detour for you, but if you want to bring a CFP/Cut back home, that's gonna be your best bet that I know of.
Both routes to Gunnison go right through Poncha Springs, where Elevation Brewing is located. It's one of our hidden gems, IMO.
If I wanted to do that I would have checked in at Black Canyon Advocate. I hear you're a poobah over there.
Thanks for all the help, everyone. I wish I could give a positive report of what I bought, but my bag never made it onto the plane from Denver. It was turbulent flight, and I was nervous about breakage, so at least I know everything is still intact for the moment. I ended up with 10 bottles and a 4-pack of Weldwerks Juicy Bits, so overall a successful haul pending breakage results. If there is any breakage, TSA and I are going to have words. Here's my haul: 4-pack of Weldwerks Juicy Bits Crooked Stave / Omnipollo Bianca Persica Wild Wild Brett Avery Plank'd 4 Noses Mondo Birra (collab with Mondo Vino) Wild Woods BA Black Smoke Ursula 180 Gram (this broke the last time I bought it, so I'm glad I got to get it again) Casey Saison (slim pickins - they had CFS Bing Cherry everywhere, but I already have at home, and Low End, which didn't interest me) - the Saison is amazing though. River North Whiskey BA Mr. Sandman B&B Legend of the Liquid Brain (very happy to find this; didn't know it was recently released) At Black Project I tried 5 different beers and bought a bottle each of Supercruise Malbec Merlot and Roswell S-4. Thanks again, Colorado!
