Tuesday 20th of May 2014 03:49:16 PM

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Denver - Mile High City - Super Bowl Champs AND most recent Super Bowl Losers (2014!) - and one of the best beer cities in the world!

Downtown Denver sports Great Divide Brewing, Breckenridge Brewing, Strange Brewing...and now, tucked in the shadow of Coors Field, a block away from 2 of the 3 above sits River North Brewing.

A small tasting room offering a half dozen different brews from white to dark, light to heavy with an outside beer "garden" over-looking a parking lot...(which, if you park there on a baseball night, the bartenders announce abruptly when it's time to move! There is a very, VERY short window before the car gets towed)...the brewery leaves something out.

Not sure what but when wife Persimmon and I along with sons Lewis and Clark descended on an over-cast, 65-degree day...we walked away un-impressed. It's not that the beers weren't good -- they were okay, not unique but nothing special. The service was fine...the bartenders cordial and accomodating. (I was poured a 10 ounce tulip of their Belgian Quad and the head reached half-way. The bartender promptly filled a 16 ounce pint with water, poured it into the tulip and proved how his initial pour was right on!)

The brewery appears to be a hang-out for the 20-30-something crowd...but then now, at my advanced age, I'm probably more atuned to most places paying attention to people much younger than me. I've come to realize that I am long past the target demographic of media commercials and breweries.

So, a pleasant hour spent with family over brews but nothing that would allow me to rave and insist that, when in Denver, you must visit. (Later in the weekend, we DID visit such a place; Colorado Plus in Wheatridge.)

And yet, in Denver, a true beer enthusiast must try as many breweries / brewpubs / tasting rooms as possible so don't pass up this one...but DO look carefully on Blake Street. The area is packed with beer "places" and this one might not get your attention IF you're not looking.

Wednesday 4th of December 2013 08:19:18 PM

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I visited on a Friday afternoon. The very small tap room has five tables and a dozen chairs at the bar. They place was already crowded. They had eight beers on tap and the 4-ounce samples are $1.50 each, $2 for big beers. Music was jamming throughout the tap room but they don’t have any TVs. They have mostly Belgian beers with a Belgian-style Imperial Stout being my favorite. They have growlers for $5 deposit and $12-27 for the fill depending on the beer. They also bottle 22 ounce beers that are available in stores. As with many of the Denver area tasting rooms they don’t have food service but do have a rotating selection of food trucks in the evenings. There is some street parking available but I just walked from the 16th Street Mall free bus. They are close to the baseball park so it’s easy to stop in for a beer or two before a Rockies game.