In Denver with heavy bags & want drinks

August 12, 2009 4:17 PM

Going to be in Denver for a few hours and want to get a few drinks...

In a few weeks, my girlfriend and I are going to be going to Boulder to visit some friends. However, after our plane lands in Denver, we have about 5 hours to kill until our friend gets out of work. We are looking for an area to wander around in Denver where we can get a few drinks (either good beer or well crafted cocktails). We can't wander far since we are going to be loaded up with a few bags.

posted by toddst to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

Unfortunately, DIA is the middle of nowhere.

Is your friend picking you up? If you can get a cab or shuttle to either downtown Denver or Boulder, you'll be set and I'll happily recommend some places. Otherwise, uh...
posted by McBearclaw at 4:59 PM on August 12

We are friendless until the late afternoon so we were thinking of taking a shuttle and checking out a little bit of Denver before heading to Boulder to meet our friend.
posted by toddst at 5:02 PM on August 12

Well, okay, then.

The Falling Rock Tap House is what immediately springs to mind for good beer. They have a pretty amazing selection. However, they also have a bit of a reputation for being a bit surly toward non-regulars - I don't know because I always go with regulars - but that might work against you if you're hauling bags around.

The Great Divide Brewery isn't far from Falling Rock, and they have a number of good beers, including some barrel-aged stuff (if you're into that, bluh).

It has less local flavor, but the Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery downtown brews its own beer. There are two other benefits: it's right on the 16th Street Mall, so you can easily walk around and do some people watching, and the Titan Toothpicks are magnificent.

Finally, Pints Pub. If you like British-style cask-conditioned beers, you're in luck; if you don't, that's okay, because they have the Western Hemisphere's largest selection of single malt whisky. Looking over this list, I'd probably recommend this over the others - it's a really unusual place (for Denver, anyway). It's got better service than Falling Rock, a nicer room (but worse beer, IMO) than Great Divide, and WAY more character than Rock Bottom.
posted by McBearclaw at 5:27 PM on August 12 [1 favorite]

I've liked Wynkoop Brewery downtown near the Amtrak station and the Rockies stadium when I've been in Denver for long train layovers. They have interesting beers that I can't get on the east coast.
posted by mmw at 5:57 PM on August 12

I went to the Falling Rock before a Rockies game and it was a fantastic time. We didn't plan this as we were killing time after a ski trip before our flight. If you are from East of the Mississippi and you like beer you'll find that the Falling Rock has a lot of great beers that don't see distribution outside of the Western states.
posted by mmascolino at 7:07 PM on August 12

You will need to leave the airport somehow, because as previously noted it if out in the middle of nowhere.

Depending on how much money you are willing to drop you could take a cab, or save that cabbage for beer and take the RTD (our fine rapid transit system).
There is an RTD counter in the main terminal (giant white tent), and for $10 each you can take a bus right downtown. It may take 1hr to 1.5 out of your time, but it beats trying to kill time in the airport.

Just take the Cold Springs / Downtown / DIA route and get off at Market street station. That will place you right downtown on the 16th st walking mall, and much closer to the places mentioned above.

As for bars/brewers, the above are all good picks. I like the Wyncoop for the beer and the food personally
posted by Widepath at 7:52 PM on August 12

Thanks for suggestions...I'm really looking forward to tasting some beers that I can't get in Boston. I'm going to map out these places and see which works for us the day we get in. Then, I'll probably hit some of the other places when we head back to Denver later in the week.
posted by toddst at 7:52 PM on August 12

I'd argue the easiest is to just jump the RTD AB Skyride bus which will drop you off darn near Pearl Street in Boulder. There are more good beer-bars than you can count in that part of town, so just walk out of the bus station and into the first place that looks good. Then you'll already be in Boulder where your buddies are too.
posted by u2604ab at 9:32 PM on August 12

We had the Mefi10 meetup at Falling Rock and had an excellent waiter. Maybe someone in the group is a regular, but it wasn't me. We've been there a few times, good every time.

You could get the day started without leaving Denver: New Belgium Restaurant in DIA. The food is nothing special (it's basically Old Chicago style fare), but they have most of the New Belgium beers on tap. It's at the end of Concourse B, past B99 or whatever, before the escalator/stairs that lead to the bus-station-themed extra gates.
posted by dr. fresh at 9:38 PM on August 12

Argh, "get the day started without leaving the airport."
posted by dr. fresh at 9:39 PM on August 12