When you’re feeling peckish and craving a quality beer, BRU Handbuilt Ales and Eats has you covered. Still one of the newer-comers on the craft beer scene, BRU has built an excellent reputation for both its food and beer since its inception in 2012. They’re known for their unfiltered, naturally carbonated ales and made-from-scratch sourdough. I have to admit to some favoritism among those ales. My number one from BRU is the Solus Patersbier. This easy-drinking beer packs a spiced flavor, with bitter orange and coriander used during the brewing process. It owes its hazy golden color to being... Read More

Hiking and beer. Pilates and beer. Macaroni and cheese and beer. These are some of my favorite beer pairings this time of year (though mac and cheese with beer is more of a year-round delight). But there is one more pairing that I just can’t get enough of when the patios are open and corn hole is on the yard. That is live music and beer, particularly a little jazz, folk-rock, and bluegrass. Well, lucky for me and for you, Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery has a live band lined up for every Sunday night this summer as well as Monday nights at their Southern Sun location and Wednesday night open bluegrass... Read More

Even in a saturated craft beer market, there are still niches to be filled. Cellar West Artisan Ales found one for themselves in creating oak barrel fermented ales using a particular blend of wild yeast—Brettanomyces. This particular yeast can be intimidating to work with, as it can be aggressive and overpowering, but Cellar West has made an art of the challenge. Each beer is forged in a small batch and released in 500 ml bottles. That’s right, no six packs from this experimental little brewery. That doesn’t mean you’ll be left wanting, though because these brews pack smooth, fulfilling... Read More

A staple of the Boulder craft beer scene since 1995, Twisted Pine Brewing Company has been winning awards for their amazing beers since 1996 at national and international festivals and competitions. Yet, I have been remiss in having not visited their brewery and ale house. That is, until today. As I like to do when I visit a new brewery, I opted for a taster flight. Twisted Pine lets you choose any 5 of the 25 beers on tap. To get my variety, I selected the Basil Instinct saison, Alternative Facts Imperial Brown Ale, Secret Handshake wheat-based pale ale, Agaveras IPA, and Ghost Face Killah dry-peppered... Read More

The other day, I was strolling along in the liquor store, gazing through the doors of the beer fridge, and taking on the task of deciding which beer I wanted to sip on. With all of the new options that seem to pop up every week, I was drawn to the Upslope selection for their classic Pale Ale. Yet, those white cans with their maroon stripes and label were nowhere to be found. In their place was Upslope’s newest addition to their year-round offerings: the Citra Pale Ale. To earn that place in the Upslope family of beers, I figured it had to be worth a try. I was not disappointed. Self-described... Read More

Variety is the spice of life! Certainly at FATE Brewing Company, that seems to be the case. This Boulder brewery offers up 30 different beers on tap, 23 of which are made by FATE. The other 7 are brought in all the way from Belgium and round out the tap list with an international flare. In addition, they carry a number of bottled gluten reduced beers and hard ciders. With all those options and decisions to make, it can be tough to determine just what pint you want to commit to. Lucky for us, the core beer flight gives you a 5 oz pour of each of the five beers that FATE always has on tap. These... Read More

I remember the day in high school, all those years ago, when my German teacher, Frau Sussak, expressed to me the virtues of learning German. Like any student who somehow gets caught up in Deutsch, rather than a perhaps more functional language like Spanish, I started to question whether learning German was actually worth my time, being in, you know, America. Around my junior year, I decided to express these concerns to my teacher, a kindly woman who had been in the industry of teaching kids western Europe’s most distinctive (and perhaps, most made fun of) language for some thirty years.... Read More

I am a sucker for springtime in Colorado. Aside from the random and inevitable snow that will blanket the Flatirons every once in awhile, springtime in Boulder is simply majestic. People will emerge from their Netflix and delivery pizza hibernation, flip on a pair of Ray-Bans, don a stylized tank top, and will then explore the great eateries (and drinkeries!) that this city has to offer. The Pearl Street Mall, in all its glory, becomes once again a destination for Coloradans from all over, eager to take in the joviality of buskers, ice cream, and sunshine. Now, head a few minutes east of the Mall... Read More