Headin' to Denver

[wild]

I’m going to Denver in June on the weekend of the 20th and I’ll be staying out by Cherry Creek. After doing a little searching I found the best spots to be:
Pints Pub
Falling Rock Taphouse
Breckenridge Brewery
Great Divide Brewing Co
All of these happen to sound and look great from their websites. Are there any places around Cherry Creek or Washington Park that are equally good?

TIA

[fretlessman71]

Well, there's this place called Elway's in Cherry Creek that you might want to visit... ;)

[wild]

I do enjoy a good steak and that's one heck of a wine list. Do you know if they have any good beers?

[fretlessman71]

It rotates. They always have Fat Tire, Odell 5 Barrel Pale Ale and Easy Street Wheat, and Guinness, and they usually have one or two pretty good craft beers besides that on tap. But, alas, like you alluded to, it is a wine and steak place...

[wild]

Thanks Fret. So me and my playmate will be hangin' out in Dever during June from the 19th to 23rd if anyone wants to join us for a beer or 10.

[PhotoMonger]

Check out the Cherry Cricket, located in Cherry Creek. This has more of a bar feel then Elways. They also serve a pretty mean burger and you're sure to have a good time.

[denver brewhoo]

wild, you'll want to hit The Bull & Bush in Glendale, actually on the banks of said Cherry Creek. Not sure what hotel you'll be in but it will be less than a mile from any hotel accurately billing itself as "in Cherry Creek." They have an award winning ESB, called Tower, and an IPA called Man Beer that are frequently on cask dispense. The cousins who run the joint (their dads started it, it was a classic 70's fern bar/"singles bar" back in the day) are BIG belgian fanatics and frequently have pretty decent and unusual Belgians on the guest taps (Stille Nacht, for just one example).

I'm not a fan of Pints, but it's a far better place to drink Scotch (a taste I have yet to acquire) than it is to drink beer IMHO.

There's a new Belgian joint on East Colfax maybe 3 blocks from the Capitol called The Cheeky Monk; haven't been in but am hearing very good things about it.

Also on the East Denver front, a little further east, the folks who own Mountain Sun and Southern Sun in Boulder have a new joint a couple blocks north of Colfax at 17th and Vine which won't be TOO far away from your hotel, called The Vine Street Pub. They say they WILL be brewing there when some legal hassles are being taken care of, but for now are serving Mountain Sun/Southern Sun brewed beers plus offerings from other local breweries--want to say Avery, Left Hand, and Great Divide when I was there--until then.

WARNING--they don't take credit cards but they have an ATM on site. This pisses some folks off but I understand them not wanting to pay 2.5-4% of every sale on credit card processing fees, it's an interesting business model to say screw it, fits in perhaps with the hippie ethos the place is awash in....

Also not a single TV in the house, you'll have to entertain yourselves, also a hippie concept that works for some more than others. (I like it, but I also like watching Avs/Rockies/Nuggets/Broncos, when they're on; turn the sound off and let the music play, but let the folks who want to, follow the game)

I feel Mountain Sun/Southern Sun are strongest on hoppy pale ales, IPAs and IIPA's, and their other stuff maybe a little less successful, but it's good-to-great on the hoppy stuff IMHO.

[wild]

Thanks DB. The Bull and Bush Brewery was already the #1 stop for being 0.47 miles from the Cherry Creek Hotel. The Vine Street Pub is 3.42 miles from the Hotel and the Cheeky Monk was already on the list at 4.07 miles from the Hotel. These beat out the Mountain Sun, Great Divide, Southern Sun, Dry Dock, and Falling Rock only because we're on foot. But I hear Dever has one hell of a mass transit system so who knows? I might find myself drunk in several Denver pubs.

[denver brewhoo]

I'm assuming your hotel is, therefore, on South Colorado Boulevard at roughly Cherry Creek Drive. (Two choices there) Check with the RTD (Regional Transportation District) website, but at the very least you can take the #40 bus north to Colfax and catch a #15 bus eastbound on Colfax to get to the Cheeky Monk without walking a foot. Or get off at Vine St and walk the two blocks to Vine St. Pub.

Don't throw out Falling Rock, or Great Divide, I'm sure there is a bus or a combination of bus and light rail that will get you close. Here's the link, try the "trip planner" function:
http://www.rtd-denver.com/

[TeufelBrew]

Brewhoo's led you in a wonderful direction and RTD works really well. That said, be careful on the 15 bus on Colfax. Best not to take it after 8:00 pm as it is almost always full of drunks and obnoxious folks. The drivers are usually very helpful about telling you your stop is coming, espcially if you let them know when you board the bus.

I'd add trying to get to Breckenridge if you can as well. Great selection from hoppy to not too, and usually something fun only available on tap.