Dads & Dudes Breweria sets opening-day plans

Dads & Dudes Breweria, a new pizzeria and brewpub in Aurora, 6730 South Cornerstar Way, is planning to open on November 1, after having to push back its first day by a week. Once it opens, the father-and-son team of Tom and Mason Hembree will toss pizza made from the…

Check, please: Rack & Rye’s happy hour falls abysmally short

Happy Place: Rack & Rye Gastropub, 1320 15th Street, 720-620-4920 The Hours: Monday through Saturday, from 3 to 6 p.m. The Deals: $4 house wine and cocktails; $2-11 draft beers and pitchers; $5 Washington caramel apple shooters; $2-4 small plates What did we think? Flip the page. The Digs: “We…

Old Chicago drinks from the mug of craft beer relevance

Fifteen years ago, Old Chicago was the place to go in Denver if you wanted to try unusual beers. Known for its World Beer Tour, the restaurant — a part of what is now the Colorado-based Rock Bottom empire — offered unusual and international brews. And while the craft-beer scene…

Blue Moon beers complete your Steven Slater Halloween costume

Don’t be surprised if you see a lot of male flight attendants on Halloween. Costumes making fun of Steve Slater, the JetBlue steward who cussed out passengers before grabbing a couple of beers and sliding down the emergency exit chute, could be very popular this year. Hell, there’s even a…

Beatrice & Woodsley picks up bartender Mike Henderson

A few months ago, award-winning bartender Mike Henderson left his gig at TAG to spend a couple of nights a week behind the bar of Colt & Gray, 1553 Platte Street, while he irons out the details of his own project. Those plans are still moving forward, but now, in…

Five stellar New Zealand reds under $20

New Zealand produces some damn fine wines, and it’s high time you started drinking them. Surely by now you’ve consumed more than your fair share of Australian red wines, right? Plenty of big, fleshy shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, each of which bears the telltale signs of an Aussie sipper:…

East Seventh Avenue’s restaurant row could get some Cold Comfort

Four business partners have applied for a liquor license for a former carpet warehouse located behind Colorado Lace at 200 East Seventh Avenue. Aside from the cleaners, the large building is currently gutted inside. The location is just a block from East Seventh Avenue’s restaurant row — a stretch that…

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey: Straight or on the block?

Is Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey for sale? If you believe the bar talk, it’s already a done deal. Jess Graber, managing partner and co-founder of Stranahan’s, says he’s been getting a lot of questions from people who have heard the rumors. But he won’t confirm or deny any of them. Still,…

Drunk of the week: An energy-shot newbie chugs it down at Jackson’s

Next to the two-dollar tubes of cherry-flavored Chapstick, above the eight-dollar packs of Parliament Lights and Marlboro Reds, and beneath the one-dollar bags of Sun Chips sit three, maybe four rows of 5-Hour Energy bottles. Berry-flavored. Two ounces for three bucks. Before tonight, I’d never tried the trendy energy shot…

Ask the bartender: How to break into the business

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…

Get fresh with fresh-hopped beers this weekend

It’s Friday afternoon. Do you know where your fresh-hopped beers are. If not, then here are two suggestions. All 27 Old Chicago locations began pouring Colorado IPA Nouveau this week. It’s a limited release that was made especially for Old Chicago by Tommyknocker Brewing in Idaho Springs. The beer uses…

Oskar Blues does it The Old Chubway

The Oskar Blues Brewing Company has expanded its empire of oddly-named eateries yet again, adding The Old Chubway: Expeditious Chow Dispensary in Lyons. Oskar Blues already runs its original Grill & Brew in Lyons, the Tasty Weasel Tap Room in Longmont and Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids and Solids, a full-service…

The old Argonaut Liquors could come down as soon as today

Nearly two years after Argonaut Liquors moved into its new store at 760 East Colfax, the shell of the old one next door could finally come down. A fence surrounded the property today, and demolition material was on hand; a tangle of zoning restrictions had prevented Argonaut from tearing it…

Wild hops keep Central City’s history alive

Who planted the hops vines that cover the hillsides around Central City? And when? Could they simply be a native species, or were they introduced by the beer-loving denizens of Central City after the Gold Rush of 1859 put the town on the map? Buddy Schmalz and Dave Thomas don’t…

If Coors won big at the Great American Beer Festival, who lost out?

Four of Colorado’s biggest and best-known craft brewers, Avery, Breckenridge, Odell and Oskar Blues, were shut out of last month’s Great American Beer Festival awards ceremony, while several other major brewers in the state barely made the cut. In fact, of the 41 medals awarded to Colorado beer makers, Odell,…

Three chenin blanc wines to amp up your autumn

Cugnette. Steen. Pineau de la Loire. Vouvray. What do these four wine terms have in common? They’re all synonyms for chenin blanc, a stunningly drinkable white wine so worthy of your affection that you may find yourself tempted to consume it in abundant quantities shortly after reading this post (and…

Electric French Kiss at Japoix

When I sat down at Japoix and took my first sip of the Electric French Kiss ($11), made with Ty Ku Liquor, lemonade and a Szechuan button, I was shocked — for myriad reasons. The most obvious was the Szechuan button (sometimes referred to as an electric or sansho button)…