Wow. Who knew that The Infinite Monkey Theorem (aka Denver’s little winery that could) scoring Colorado’s first 88-point Wine Spectator review would stir up so many passionate responses about the validity of wine reviews? Laura Shunk’s scathing critique of most wine industry rags’ random, somewhat archaic approach to rewarding lesser-known…
Westword photo intern Hunter Stevens brings back these photos from the weekend’s Avery Brewing Strong Ale Festival in Boulder. More than eighty strong beers from some of the best breweries in the nation were showcased at the Avery Tap Room. More pictures below…
Happy Place: Okinawa, 2301 East Colfax Avenue, 303-322-8886 The Hours: Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 5 p.m. The Deals: 2-for-1 on all beer, wine and sake; $4 to $12.95 sushi and salad specials Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…
Oskar Blues kicks off a massive beer weekend up and down the Front Range on Saturday with a party celebrating the renaming of its legendary beer, Gordon, to G’Knight. Although Oskar Blues has been making Gordon since 2005, it needed to change the name to avoid a trademark infringement lawsuit…
Esquire Magazine has atoned for a huge mistake that Men’s Journal made two years ago. Unlike that mag, it’s included Denver in its list of the nation’s seven best beer cities. The Esquire issue, which just hit newsstands, lists Chicago, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, St. Louis and San Diego…
Three months after Colorado’s Rock Bottom Brewing chain was absorbed in a financial partnership with the Gordon Biersch brewpubs, the new parent company, Craftworks Restaurants and Breweries, is thinking about bottling some of the Rock Bottom beers for the first time and selling them in liquor stores. If that happens,…
I’m sorry, Ben Parsons, but… I don’t really care that you and Infinite Monkey Theorem landed an 88 from Wine Spectator…
The Platte River Valley and Highland neighborhoods will be the beneficiaries of a new brewery this summer, when Charlie Berger and Patrick Crawford open Denver Beer Co in a former auto repair shop at 1695 Platte Street. Just up the street from Proto’s Pizza and Paris on the Platte, the…
Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can…
Valentine’s Day came early for Ben Parsons, winemaker/owner of the Infinite Monkey Theorem winery. Not in the form of chocolate-covered corkscrews or any other such frippery; the gift he received was something every Colorado winemaker has been pining away for: a Wine Spectator score of 88 points. So when Parsons…
I’m flying to Durango this morning for a 24-hour adventure in beer. It will start with a plane that uses propellers to fly over the mountains. It will involve a lot of malt, a lot of hops and perhaps some honey. When it’s over, I hope to have helped Ska…
Yee-haw! Twenty-four Colorado breweries will round up some wild firkins this weekend and drive them down to Colorado Springs for the seventh annual Firkin Rendezvous. Hosted by Bristol Brewing Company, the rendezvous — February 19 from 1 to 5 p.m. — is a fundraiser for the Colorado Brewers Guild, a…
Happy Place: Tastes Wine Bar and Bistro, 1033 East Seventeenth Avenue, 303-459-2311 The Hours: Daily from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The Deals: $5-7 wines by the glass; $3-7 beers; $5-7 specialty cocktails; $3 small plates; $7 shrimp cocktail. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…
There are plenty of lovey-dovey beers to drink with your honey on Valentine’s Day — the Coupler from Wynkoop Brewing, Red Ale from Odell’s, and Cherry Dip Stout at the Vine Street Pub, to name a few — but you’re drinking alone this year, right? For that, you need something…
If you’re a fan of big beers then you’ve heard of Pliny of Elder — a double IPA from California’s Russian River Brewing that some say is the best beer in the world. When a liquor store gets the rare shipment of Pliny, words spreads and it sells out quickly…
Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can…
Members of the Colorado Distillers Guild and the Colorado Bartenders Guild gathered at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver last night for the kick-off party for the Colorado Cocktail Project, a joint effort by the guilds, the MCA and Westword to craft the quintessential Colorado cocktail. Colorado distillers will be…
Next Monday is Valentine’s Day, and while most adore this heart-riddled holiday, plenty of peeps loathe everything about it. With all the pressure to be coupled up, there’s only one thing to do to avoid the drama: fall in love with a sexy, enticing stranger with a past. Be warned:…
Regular readers of Cafe Society know that Westword — in conjunction with the Colorado Distillers Guild, the Colorado Bartenders Guild and the Museum of Contemporary Art — has started the Colorado Cocktail project, an ambitious effort to craft the drink that perfectly captures our colorful state. At 7 p.m. on…
Happy Place: Earl’s Chery Creek, 201 Columbine Street, 303-320-3275. The Hours: Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. The Deals: $2 drafts; $3 well drinks; $4 vodka cocktails; $5 to $7 appetizers Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…
Although plans for the Colorado Cocktail Contest, which will culminate in a two-day event in June at Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art, are fairly fluid right now, one event is solid: On Monday evening, the contest will kick off with a private party at the MCA, where bartenders will mix…
Nine months after Uptown Brothers Brewing Co. opened on East Colfax, the craft beer and sports bar finally has the gear it needs to back up that name. Last week, owners Paul and Nancy Lumbye bought three 31-gallon fermenters, a brite tank and the other equipment they’ll need to fulfill…
