Scooter's Bar Journal » Colorado

Prospect’s Urban Kitchen & Bar

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:22:00 +0000

(Central Business District, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1292nd bar, first visited in 2018.

Psych! We got back to the hotel and found that the hotel bar was (to our surprise) still open an hour past the time we thought it closed. Since we hadn’t visited yet and this was our last chance, we decided to stop in.

I had a Hardtrack Copper Ale by Declaration Brewing.

Denver, CO 80202
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(303) 297-1300
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Star Bar

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:21:00 +0000

(Five Points, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1291st bar, first visited in 2018.

My googling turned up a craft beer dive not far away, so we decided to make one last stop for the night.

“Oh! Here’s a beer I’ve never had before!” I said, ordering a Coffee Bender by Surly Brewing Company. Completely forgetting that I had that one on our previous beer trip, which was in Minneapolis.

After we finished up here we walked back to out hotel to call it a night. (Though I would later learn that had we gone a block around the corner, we could have visited the other Great Divide.)

2137 Larimer St
Denver, CO 80205
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(720) 328-2420
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Larimer Beer Hall

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:20:00 +0000

(Five Points, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1290th bar, first visited in 2018.

We walked over here next and ran into a friend of ours from KC inside! We knew he was visiting Denver at the same time, but still… what are the odds?

I had the Sad Panda Coffee Stout by Horse & Dragon Brewing Company.

2012 Larimer St
Denver, CO 80205
US
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(720) 550-7610
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10 Barrel Brewing

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:19:00 +0000

(River North Arts District, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1288th bar, first visited in 2018.

After 14er we decided it was time to head back to the hotel for a break, but were in a phone signal dead zone and had to start walking. Finally we got to an area with signa, but there were no Ubers to be found AT ALL. Eventually we found ourselves in front of 10 Barrel, and we decided to go on inside in the hopes that we could keep trying to get an uber someplace away from the sun.

I had the Biggie Smalls (Irish Stout) and the Koko Head (Coffee Stout).

After we finished here we were still unable to get an uber, so we exited through the back in order to make our way over to Larimer Street in hopes of maybe being able to flag down a cab if nothing else. After another block or two, though, an available uber finally appear and we snagged that bad boy. (I would later find that if we’d walked one more block west before finding that uber, it would have taken less time to just keep walking the rest of the way back to the hotel.)

2620 Walnut St
Denver, CO 80205
US
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(720) 573-8992
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Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:19:00 +0000

(Five Points, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1289th bar, first visited in 2018.

After what was really too long of a break at the hotel, we went back out on foot.

Neither of us had heard anything about this place whatesoever, but we both rather enjoyed it.

I had the Grizzly Peak Session Porter, Devil’s Abyss (2018) (Russian Imperial Stout), and the Oak-Aged Imperial Brut IPA

1139 20th St
Denver, CO 80202
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(720) 689-2337
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14er Brewing Company

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:18:00 +0000

(Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1287th bar, first visited in 2018.

Because the heat was starting to make us feel miserable, we skipped ahead of our initial planned route a little bit (missing Ratio and Our Mutual Friend) and came here next.

There’s a long bar area in the front, then another room in the back (where the stacks of canned beer are). There wasn’t any outdoor seating per se, but this back room is practically outdoor seating when the garage door is open.

I had the Mt Massive IPA and the Double Mt Massive IPA. Unless the bartender accidentally switched them (which I can’t rule out), I thought the single was the richer and stronger of the two.

2801 Walnut St, Unit A
Denver, CO 80205
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(720) 773-1437
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Epic Brewing Company

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:17:00 +0000

(River North Arts District, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1286th bar, first visited in 2018.

The walk here from Black Shirt seemed a lot longer than it really was, this was largely due to the fact that it had heated up to a blistering 95 degrees.

This same heat indirectly led to this tap room visit not being as fun as it should have been. The interior was absolutely packed, to the point where it was nearly impossible to get to the bar to order anything. Fortunately a server found us in the crowd and was able to take our order and get our drinks back to us.

To escape the claustrophobic conditions inside we went out to the patio and sat under the blazing hot sun. At first we were the only idiots out there doing that, but eventually several of the other tables filled up as people trickled out to escape the mayhem inside.

I had the Imperial Red Ale and the Son of A Baptist (Imperial Stout)

3001 Walnut St
Denver, CO 80205
US
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(720) 539-7410
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Black Shirt Brewing Co.

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:16:00 +0000

(River North Arts District, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1285th bar, first visited in 2018.

After crossing over the rail yard we decided to backtrack to here because we were getting hungry and the pizza here had good reviews. However we were a little rushed in eating and drinking because they were getting ready to close early for a private function.

In addition to the pizza I had the Black Beacon Sound Nitro.

I also thought I had a red ale, but I can’t find any evidence of it in any of my notes or photos. So perhaps that was something I had been thinking of ordering but didn’t get around to due to being rushed for time.

3719 Walnut St
Denver, CO 80205
US
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(303) 993-2799
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Crooked Stave Taproom at The Source

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:15:00 +0000

(River North Arts District, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1284th bar, first visited in 2018.

We stood around outside like idiots for several minutes, trying to find the tap room that our phones were telling us was supposed to be right here. Eventually we figured out that it wasn’t a standalone building, but was actually a storefront inside the odd little mall building we were standing in front of.

I had the IPA (good) and the Silly Cybies (Belgian Style Dark Ale Aged In Whiskey Barrels With Raspberries) (really good).

3350 Brighton Blvd
Denver, CO 80216
US
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(720) 550-8860
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Great Divide Barrel Bar

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:14:00 +0000

(River North Arts District, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1283rd bar, first visited in 2018.

This is the newer of the two Great Divide tap rooms we had planned to visit, unfortunately we would later never make it to the original location. (Which I was sad even even later I discovered we’d visited a bar just around the corner from it.)

I had the Yeti, Claymore Scotch Ale, and the Mexican Hot Chocolate Yeti

1812 35th St
Denver, CO 80216
US
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(303) 296-9460
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Mockery Brewing

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:13:00 +0000

(River North Arts District, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1282nd bar, first visited in 2018.

This was probably my favorite of the Denver breweries we visited on this trip. A very small but fun tasting room that made good use of the small space, a beer garden in front, a nice selection of beer varieties that were all excellent, and a great bartender.

I had the The Golden Child (Golden Porter, which I’d never heard of before) and the Malt Licker (Old Ale). After I finished those I had to also order a Hef Goldblum (Hefeweizen) based soley on its art on the menu board.

3501 Delgany St
Denver, CO 80216
US
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(303) 953-2058
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Blue Moon Brewing Company at RiNo District

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:12:00 +0000

(River North Arts District, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1281st bar, first visited in 2018.

I don’t think either of us had originally planned on visiting Blue Moon, but since it was right across the street from where we started, why not? It turned out a good decision to toi do.

We were surprised by the large number of available beer options covering several unexpected styles, and we rather enjoyed them. Even better, our bartender was pretty awesome.

I had their Mexican Chocolate, BA Bourbon Breakfast Brown, and 2nd Anniversary Blend (which was fantastic).

3750 Chestnut Pl
Denver, CO 80216
US
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(303) 728-2337
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Welcome Inn

scooterj — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:10:00 +0000

(River North Arts District, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1280th bar, first visited in 2018.

We began out day with a good breakfast nearby at The Butcher Block, but we greatly over-estimated how long it would take to get and finish breakfast. We found ourselves with about 40 minutes to kill before any breweries would be open. Fortunately, this (much larger than it looks from the outside) dive bar located just over the hill happened to be open early enough to give us a place to pass the time.

The building is kind of like an off-center donut on the inside, as you can make a complete circle from the bar area, through the room with the pool tables, to the back patio and the restrooms, then through a game room, before returning to the bar.

I had an ice cold Budweiser draft.

3759 Chestnut Pl
Denver, CO 80216
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(303) 296-7229
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TRVE Brewing Company

scooterj — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 17:18:00 +0000

(Baker, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1279th bar, first visited in 2018.

Hail Satan!

We had planned at least 2 more stops befopre coming here, but it was getting late (for us) and we had a big day planned fo the next morning, so we decided to skip ahead.

I still have no idea if you are supposed to pronounce the name of this place as each of the four letters separately, or if it’s supposed to be pronounced “True” like our Uber driver called it.

I had their “Stout O)))”, which I also have no idea if I’m supposed to pronounce as just “Stout” or if there’s something more to it.

227 Broadway #101
Denver, CO 80203
US
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(303) 351-1021
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PS Lounge

scooterj — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 17:17:00 +0000

(Congress Park, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1278th bar, first visited in 2018.

This cute little diver bar was about a block over from Crerebral, and I instantly fell in love with it. Cozy, fun, and old-school celebrity decor everywhere. There was another room with pool tables, but I didn’t check it out.

I had a Guinness, as well as the free shot that comes with your first drink.

3416 E Colfax Ave
Denver, CO 80206
US
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(303) 320-1200
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Cerebral Brewing

scooterj — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 17:16:00 +0000

(Congress Park, Denver, CO)

Scooter’s 1277th bar, first visited in 2018.

After returning to the hotel and resting for a few hours, we ventured back out for a short second round.

After a very annoying Uber ride (that took absolutely FOREVER to show up despite originating 4 blocks away, and the n the driver’s GPS wasn’t working so he was relying on us out-of-towners for directions), we made it here as our next starting point.

I had their Rare Trait (NEIPA), which was good, but even better was the sciencey decor. I particularly liked the logo that combined a hop and a brain (even though that fact needed pointed out to me) and the wall papered with pages from science text books.

1477 Monroe St
Denver, CO 80206
US
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(303) 927-7365
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FATE Brewing Company

scooterj — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 17:15:00 +0000

(Boulder, CO)

Scooter’s 1276th bar, first visited in 2018.

There are a lot of places we wanted to go to in Boulder that we regret not having the time for, we picked this one almost at random from a few finalists as the one other Boulder place we’d get to go to.

Like Avery, this was also located in an office park. But the setting seemed even more out-of-place, we almost didn’t see it and were sure our GPS had led us to the wrong spot. Until we spotted some guys who looked like beer drinkers getting off some bicycles, the setting looked more like where you’d go to get blood work drawn.

I didn’t notice any outdoor seating, but it’s possible there was some in the back.

I had their Imperial Stout.

1600 38th St
Boulder, CO 80301
US
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(303) 449-3283
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Avery Brewing Company

scooterj — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 17:14:00 +0000

(Twin Lakes Tech Park, Boulder, CO)

Scooter’s 1275th bar, first visited in 2018.

I wish I wasn’t going to have to drive for over an hour in rush hour traffic a little later after this visit, because there were SO MANY delicious high-ABV beers here I wanted to consume.

It was crazy busy here, but much of the activity was outside where some sort of celebration (possibly a wedding party) was taking place so we were able to get a table and get served almost immediately.

I had their Out of Bounds Stout, Out Of Mind Coffee Stout, and the utterly fantastic Raspberry Truffale. But I wanted so much more.

4910 Nautilus Ct N
Boulder, CO 80301
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(303) 440-4324
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Funkwerks

scooterj — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 17:13:00 +0000

(Fort Collins, CO)

Scooter’s 1274th bar, first visited in 2018.

I’m generally not a fan of sours, which is what Funkwerks specializes in, so I wasn’t sure if we’d like this place. Not only were both of the beers I tried exceptional, the bartender was great and the taproom was a really quirky-cool and comfortable environment.

I had their Sauvin Reserve (Saison) and their Dark Matter (Stout)

1900 E Lincoln Ave, Unit B
Fort Collins, CO 80524
US
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(970) 482-3865
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New Belgium Brewing Company

scooterj — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 17:12:00 +0000

(Fort Collins, CO)

Scooter’s 1273rd bar, first visited in 2018.

Our first brewery for the Colorado portion on this trip. This is a huge facility, and was rather busy, and everyone was crowding the front room instead of spreading out to the other seating areas.

I personally am not a big fan of Belgian beers (I’ve learned it’s something about the yeast that I don’t like), but I found 3 of the four beers in my flight suited my palate quite well.

I had their Salmon Safe IPA, Honey Orange Tripel (the only one I didn’t like), Abbey (Belgian Dubbel),and Trippel (Belgian Trippel)

There’s no food, but they do have a food truck permanently parked out front.

500 Linden St
Fort Collins, CO 80524
US
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(970) 221-0524
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Burnout Grill

scooterj — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 17:10:00 +0000

(Milliken, CO)

Scooter’s 1272nd bar, first visited in 2018.

We were heading to Fort Collins and I had found nice little family diner to stop for breakfast along the way. “Do they have Bloody Mary’s?” my friend asked. “Oh,” I said, and began a new search for breakfast AND booze available in the morning. That led us to this place.

I was disappointed at first when we pulled up and discovered it was a new looking place in a modern suburban strip mall. But that disappointment turned into relief when we stepped inside and discovered it to be a genuine dive bar.

While we drank and ate, we watched some sort of “Life Hacks” reality show on what I think was TLC.

In addition to my breakfast I had a 1554 by New Belgium Brewing Company, which if I had remembered sooner that that was a New Belgium beer I would have ordered something else as the New Belgium Brewery was going to be our next stop.

220 Alice Ave
Milliken, CO 80543
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(970) 587-9997
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Dillon Dam Brewery

scooterj — Fri, 26 May 2017 17:10:00 +0000

(Dillon, CO)

Scooter’s 1187th bar, first visited in 2017.

Family-friendly brewpub. My flight included King George’s Imperial Brown Ale, Here’s Your DAM IPA, Sweet George’s Brown, and McLuhr’s Irish Stout. The IPA narrowly edged out the others to be my favorite.

100 Little Dam St
Dillon, CO 80435
US
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(970) 262-7777
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