Kona Grill: Not really our cup of vodka

Happy Place: Kona Grill, 3000 East First Avenue, 720-974-1300. The Hours: Monday through Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 9 to 11 p.m. The Deals: $3-$4 beer speials; $4-$5 cocktail specials; $5 wines by the glass; $7.50 sake bombers; $4-$6 food specials. Were we happy?…

Small is big on New Belgium Brewing’s new pilot system

New Belgium Brewing started small in 1991, but in the 21 years since, the Fort Collins beer maker has grown into the third-largest craft brewer in the county — and it will get even bigger in 2014 when it opens a second major brewery in North Carolina. But New Belgium…

Five stellar South African wines

Wine drinkers typically skew into two categories: those who love the taste of dirt, and those who are all about big fruit flavors. Put another way, the first group consists of peeps who worship at the altar of everything old world, including wines from across the pond (read: Europe), usually…

Getting sauced with spicy snacks at Phat Thai

Happy Place: Phat Thai, 2900 East Second Avenue, 303-388-7428. The Hours: Monday through Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. The Deals: $3 draft beers; $5 specialty cocktails and wines by the glass; $1-$5 small plates. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…

Squeaky Bean starts pouring Sean Kenyon’s new cocktail menu tonight

Fall means many things to people: pumpkins, football, piles of leaves. But to nationally-recognized bartender Sean Kenyon, designer of the cocktail menu at Squeaky Bean (which I review this week), it means something else: aromatics. “When I think of fall and winter, I think aromatics right away,” says Kenyon, whose…

Three incredibly cool wine concepts to try in 2012

After reading last week’s column, you may have correctly deduced that we were less than thrilled by a set of half-witted wine branding ideas designed to insult the intelligence of women everywhere. Lest you think we were unduly harsh in our assessment, trust that we understand that it’s gotta be…

Photos: The best beer swag of Great American Beer Festival 2012

Sure, you like beer — but have you ever worn it? Wrapped your entire being in it and then spent three days at a convention devoted to it? That’s what the country’s most dedicated boze enthusiasts (enbooziasts?) did at the Great American Beer Festival, held at the Colorado Convention Center…

Twenty best costumes of Great American Beer Festival 2012

Beer lovers aren’t exactly known for their high fashion, but they do know how to stagger in style, and thousands of people showed off just how crazy they could look last week during the three-day Great American Beer Festival. From Viking horns to Waldo costumes, this year’s hops lovers were…