Photos: The 1Up Arcade & Bar grand opening, 4/30/11

Back in March, we warned you that 1Up Arcade & Bar had planned to score big in LoDo. And that seems to be the case for the subterranean arcade/bar/restaurant on Blake Street (See photos from a recent Saturday night at 1Up), which is packing in the crowds. On Saturday night,…

Crooked Stave will rely on sour beers for sweet success

Chad Yakobson has a master’s degree in beer. And like most academics, he’s putting that degree to use for the greater good, namely by researching different kinds of yeast strains — primarily brettanomyces, which is used in certain styles of “sour” ales — and brewing beers based on what he…

Drinking the night away at Vesta Dipping Grill

Happy Place: Vesta Dipping Grill, 1822 Blake Street, 303-296-1970. The Hours: Monday through Friday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The Deals: $3-7 Colorado beers and spirits; $2-6 small plates. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…

Ask the bartender: The sun rises on Japanese whisky

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…

Copper Kettle Brewing opens today just off Parker Road

Copper Kettle Brewing, a new brewery on the border of Denver and Aurora, opens today at 3 p.m. with five beers on draft — a saison, a pale ale, a helles, a summer ale and an altbier — and a beautiful 52-seat living room-like tasting room. Owned by Jeremy Gobien…

Congress Park drinks at Shells and Sauce

Happy Place: Shells and Sauce, 2600 East Twelfth Avenue, 303-377-2091. The Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The Deals: $2-4 beers; $4.50 wines by the glass and well drinks; $4.95 antipasti. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…

TAG lands top bar talents James Lee and Bryan Dayton

It’s been a busy spring for Troy Guard and Leigh Sullivan-Guard, who opened TAG | RAW BAR in a below-ground spot in Larimer Square just before they became operating partners at Madison Street, the Larimer Associates project over on 12th Avenue and Madison Street. And now, they’ve announced a couple…

Strange Brewing celebrates a bittersweet transition tomorrow

Strange Brewing will celebrate a bittersweet anniversary Saturday, April 23, with a slightly sweet beer, a Belgian trippel that has been waiting for a year. The brewery actually opened on May 19, 2010, but owners Tim Meyers and John Fletcher brewed their first Strange beer a few weeks earlier, called…

Colorado Native follows Blue Moon into cans

AC Golden Brewing, the tiny MillerCoors-owned beer maker located inside the Golden factory, will begin packaging its signature Colorado Native in cans for the summer; it will be sold in twelve-packs starting May 1. “Our retailers and drinkers have been requesting cans, especially for summer, so they can take Colorado…

Ask the bartender: Whisky without the “e,” from A to Z

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…

Reiver’s: Where everybody knows your name

Happy Place: Reiver’s Bar and Grill, 1085 South Gaylord Street, 303-733-8856 The Hours: Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to close. The Deals: $2.50-$6 beer specials; $10 buckets of beer; $2.50 cocktails, half-price appetizers. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…

Tommyknocker Brewing doubles its output, changes its look

Many of the bigger craft breweries across the country overhaul their image every three or four years, adding beers to the lineup, changing their look or their labels. But time moves a little slower in Idaho Springs. “We are doing a whole image revamp,” says Steve Indrehus, the head brewer…