Today we went to Denver Beer Co. for the first time (they opened on 8/12). It was, as they say, the shit.

It’s reasonably roomy for a brewery. There’s a large bar and tables inside (some bar-height and some regular height — the regular height is good if you’re at the brewery with a toddler, holla), plus several long picnic tables with benches outside facing the street. There are giant garage doors on the front wall that were open today, making the transition from inside to outside almost seamless. Denver Beer Co. serves beer and pretzels. (The “tiny pretzels” for $5 as advertised on a sign above the bar are in fact gigantic and amazingly delicious, which is really saying something because I’m one of those people who always wants to like pretzels but usually finds them disappointing. They give you a huge pretzel in a little cardboard thing like you’d get when ordering a hot dog and then present you with a giant container of spicy mustard with a pump.) From what I understand, there’s usually a food truck outside. Today they had Paris on the Platte, which was serving some type of German sausage. The guy working the truck was very nice.

Ben and I both had the Gear Up IPA. It wasn’t the hoppiest IPA I’ve ever had by any means, but it was delicious and very fresh tasting. It was subtle. It’s one of those beers that tastes amazing fresh from the tap at the brewery. We also shared a taste of the graham cracker porter, and holy mother of God that beer is delicious. It’s one of the best porters I’ve ever had in my life. Porter is my second-favorite beer after IPA although, truth be told, I don’t often want to drink porter in the summer. This is the beer you want when you, I don’t know, spend the afternoon sledding on the nearby hill people use for sledding (I think it’s at Riverfront Park but don’t quote me on that) and want to stop for a beer before heading home, where you’ll try to kick the snow off your boots before walking through the house. You’re wearing the dorky hat you bought from J Crew or Banana Republic that’s made of off-white wool and has a big pom pom on top. Do you have that hat or is it just me? Porter manages to combine smoky and sweet into something that makes you think you’d be willing to camp in the mountains where it gets really cold at night as long as you have at least a couple growlers of it with you. If you don’t agree with my beer philosophy (“The hoppier the better.”), you should try porter because it’s dark, rich, complex, and quite possibly something you might enjoy.

Beers are $5 and taste-size portions are $1. The taste size is enough for two people to figure out that a beer is awesome. They also have growlers. We encountered no difficulty bringing a toddler here (we kept him busy with the aforementioned pretzel) and they are very dog friendly (there were polite dogs outside and inside). They also have fantastic goat and other farm animal artwork on the walls, which you can buy if you’re rich (the “Small Cock” painting was $500).

I’d say Denver Beer Co. is an awesome addition to Denver’s beer scene and we’ll definitely be back. Happy drinking!

*Note: I was not compensated in any way for writing this post. I’m just telling you about something I really enjoyed.