Beer and LoDo
John Hickenlooper is the man who brought brewpubs to Colorado. In 1986, the collapse of Denver's energy industry cost Hickenlooper a job as a geologist. So he turned his attention to beer.
He lobbied the state legislature to change a law that prohibited brewing beer and serving food in the same place. And he kept busy raising money to renovate a warehouse in historic Lower Downtown.
The work paid off. The law was changed and in 1988 the Wynkoop Brewing Company opened. It is now the largest brewpub in the United States.
Hickenlooper says that opening shop in LoDo was a natural.
"I have always believed in trying to find a way to revitalize urban areas," he explains, "so by going back to the historic way of making beer, putting it in a historic building seemed like it could be a good catalyst for downtown."
Beer has long been a part of Denver, today's brewpubs evolved from turn-of-the-century saloons. But Prohibition nearly wiped out the American brewing industry.
Locally brewed beer started making a comeback in the late 1970's in the Northeast and the Northwest. But Colorado is where the practice has found the most success.
There are more than 700 brewpubs nationwide, 50 of them in Colorado, more than any other state. Downtown Denver has 10, including The Sandlot (pictured on the Blake Street page), the nation's only brewpub inside a baseball stadium.
The Sandlot's brewing equipment is in the corner of right field in Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies.
"At any one time, we have five or six beers," says the brewery's John Legnard. "It's a really nice feature here to have a full complement of 500 people every single game drinking my beer, saying this beer's good, this beer's great."
On any given day in Denver, there are at least 50 beers on tap that can't be found anywhere else. And as the suds have come of age in Colorado, so have the taste buds, brewpub patrons have become on-the-spot ale experts.
"The questions that they are asking show just how much knowledge they've come into," says one brewpub bartender.
John Hickenlooper is one of those. Tasting a batch of his beer, he's not shy at all in complimenting it. And it's that kind of confidence that keeps Colorado's brewpubs tapped into prosperity.
John Hickenlooper is currently Mayor of Denver, Colorado.
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LoDo is the most exciting, fun and hip part of the city of Denver.
If location is the most important thing in real estate, then Jackson's Hole Sports Grill occupies some prime turf. It is almost in foul ball striking distance located directly across 20th Street from the ballpark.
Jackson's Hole serves great burgers and pizza in a large complex with large seating areas inside and plenty of outside patio seating.
1520 20th Street
Denver, CO 80202-1222
303-298-7625
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Wynkoop Brewing Company
Denver ChopHouse & Brewery 1735 19th Street 303-296-0800
The Denver ChopHouse hosted the 1996 and 2001 Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup parties and the 1997 and 1998 Denver Broncos Super Bowl Parties. Also, each year the Denver ChopHouse hosts Miracle on 19th Street, an event that feeds those in need from partnering shelters every Christmas.
Fado Iris Pub 1735 19th Street 303-297-0066
This authentic Irish Pub was imported from Ireland, lock, stock and barrel. The interior has beautiful wood furnishings, cobble stone floors and magnificent murals depicting scenes in Ireland. Fado has some of the best authentic Irish food in Denver. This pub provides a warm Irish welcome along with a welcoming fire, hearty grub along with the perfect pint of Guinness.
Swanky's 1938 Blake Street 303-297-2399
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Swanky's is one of my favorites because of its unpretentious, dive-bar atmoshere, great food and PBR Drafts at great prices.
Sports Column
The Sports Column gave these hipsters free shots on their birthday.
The Sports Column has everything you would want in a sports bar; lots of big screen TV's, games including a basketball shot game, great cheeseburgers, cool roof top patio and a vintage bar. The Sports Column is just the right size also. On the busy days when the Rockies are playing, the tables are close enough and the standing fans are mingling enough that conversations with strangers are bound to happen. It has great game day ambience.
The Sports Column always receives great ratings; "Top 20 Sports Bars in America" Sports Illustrated Magazine, "Top 25 Sports Bars in America" Sporting News Magazine, "Best Sports Bar in Denver" Fox Sports Net - AOL City Guide - City Search - Top of the Rocky.
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Falling Rock Tap House 1919 Blake Street 303-293-8338
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The building pictured below is representative of the type of structures that occupied the surrounding LoDo area before Coors Field was constructed.
