Behind the bar at Ernie’s with Maura Schuster

After stints at LoHi SteakBar and Caldonia’s, Maura Schuster is now behind the bar at Ernie’s Bar & Pizza. The place is new, but the bar is old-school, complete with a back bar salvaged from the old Armory in Greeley. And Schuster is an old-school bartender, “not a big performance/flair…

Root for your home team at these BCS Championship game bars

The BCS Championship game is set for January 7 between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas Longhorns, but it’s never too early to get your party plans in order and identify the bars that will provide a friendly haven for your cheering pleasure. Here’s a rundown of where to…

Beer and Cheer: The Bruery’s 2 Turtle Doves

The Bruery in Orange County, California, has become one of the most recognized up-and-coming craft breweries in the country in only a couple of years, in part because of its enormous, extreme and experimental beers. And 2 Turtle Doves is no exception. Part two in The Bruery’s 12 Beers of…

Beer and Cheer: Alaskan Winter Ale

Alaskan Brewing Company offers one of the most unusual and refreshing tastes of the season with its Winter Ale, with is smooth and rich from start to finish.. Although the beer is brewed with spruce tips, it tastes more like honey and sweet melons than trees. And if trees can…

Guess where I’m drinking?

Nothing says holiday party like a tall Bloody Mary the morning after.And this one even supplies some much-needed protein and vitamins, to help you bounce back in time to enjoy all the parties ahead. Can you guess where I was drinking? Special bonus: Every Friday, anyone who gave the first…

Happy hour hunt: Squeaky Bean

Sometimes the universe puts you right where you need to be, and if you’re lucky, that place has a killer happy hour, a menu you can slowly eat your way through and a staff that makes you feel like you’ve all been kickin’ it for years. The universe told me…

Beer and Cheer: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Sierra Nevada Celebration is back with a zesty, tongue- tingling bang in 2009, bringing the full host of hops that had been missing from a couple of its previous incarnations. This is the holiday beer that should be in everyone’s fridge; it’s one that takes advantage of all the powerful…

Free beer! Get Blitzen at the Rock Bottom tonight

Donner may have been Rudolph’s dad in the 1964 TV special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but Blitzen will be responsible for giving you a red nose when downtown’s Rock Bottom Brewery taps its venerable holiday seasonal beer at 6 p.m. tonight. Even better: Pints are free between 6 and 6:30…

Party like a playboy at the Warwick

In December 1967, Denver’s Playboy Club opened at 1776 Grant Street. Today, the club is just a memory (one that leaves a smile on a certain generation of businessmen’s faces). The address now belongs to the Warwick Denver Hotel, which is celebrating the infamous former tenant with a special drink…

Beer and Cheer: Shiner Holiday Cheer

There are many more holiday beers on liquor store shelves this year, especially offerings from out-of-state brewers. Shiner Holiday Cheer was a nice surprise among them, not just because I hadn’t seen this beer in Colorado before, but because of its unusual pecan and spice flavors, which fill an important…

Beer and Cheer: Left Hand’s Fade to Black

The Left Hand Brewing Company made me cry this year when VP of Operations Chris Lennert announced it would no longer make its Snow Bound spiced ale, which was been one of my favorite holiday beers over the past few years. I I like beers with hints of holiday flavors…

Behind the bar with Jared Boller

You can find Jared Boller behind a number of bars — at TAG, Root Down and Corridor 44. He says he loves working with the different styles and clientele at each location and that it makes him a better bartender. It certainly makes him a winning bartender: Last month, Boller…

Wino alert: Instawine.com brings the drink to your doorstep

Well, it’s official. You never have to leave your house again. You can get your groceries delivered. If you don’t feel like cooking, you can get your dinner delivered. You can shop online, and you can have your new couch delivered. And now, thanks to Instawine.com, you can get your…

Beer and Cheer: Coors Winterfest is back!

It’s not often that a powerless little blogger can claim to have influenced a billion-dollar conglomerate like MillerCoors. After all, the big boys of beer spend ungodly sums of money on marketing teams and focus groups and executive vice presidents who are supposed to make the decisions that matter. So,…

Leo’s Manhattan at Jax Fish House

I was sitting at the bar at Jax in LoDo on a snowy Sunday afternoon, enjoying the quiet while also enjoying Leo’s Manhattan ($10), made with New York Apple Whiskey, Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry, muddled apple and pumpkin pie spice. And I couldn’t have been happier. As the snow piled…

Behind the bar with Erin Clark at Jax

Erin Clark used to work in the advertising industry; today you’ll find him behind the bar at Jax, at 1539 17th Street in Lodo. And although he hasn’t won any bartending awards, “my family really, really likes me,” he says. “I think.” Now serving: Erin Clark…

The Drink hosts its grand opening tonight: free beer!

The Drink, the first of the three spots that Paul Piciocchi, owner of Tryst, is putting into the former home of Alto at 1320 15th Street, will hold its grand opening tonight, with free Coors Light from 6 to 7 p.m., and other deals through the weekend, including a free…

Behind the bar with Jimmy Zanon of Lola

Jimmy Zanon grew up in Oregon, and in 1998 moved to Colorado for college. He fell in love with both his future wife and the restaurant business here and decided to stay in Denver, where you can currently find him behind the bar at Lola. Now serving: Jimmy Zanon…