Beer in Boulder. Part 1: breweries

by Jonathan Kosakow for Examiner.com

Aside from the countless hiking trails, bike rides, coffee shops, restaurants and overall beauty of the culture, one of the many things that makes Boulder, CO such a great place to live is the fresh, local beer. And, while walking into your favorite restaurant or bar may be the easiest way to get a sampling of what the town has to offer, some people prefer to go straight to the source.

There are a number of breweries in town who serve all of their beers on tap, and others that like to offer a little nosh on the side. Here's a comprehensive (and alphabetical) list for those of you want just a little bit more freshness in your mug:

Avery Brewing is open for food and drinks 7 days a week from noon until 10pm. Tours are free every day at 4pm Monday thru Friday and 2pm on weekends, and there is live music every Thursday and Sunday. Tap Room located at 5757 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder.

Boulder Beer Company was Colorado's first microbrewery. The Wilderness Pub offers dining hours Monday thru Friday from 11am until 9pm, with free tours at 2pm as well. Check their calendar for events like live music and beer festivals. 2880 Wilderness Place, Boulder.

Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery has two locations in Boulder and one in Denver. The Mountain Sun and Southern Sun in Boulder both brew their own beer, while the Vine Street Pub in Denver is currently working on that very project (not to be completed for some time, according to an employee of the Pub). All three provide a diverse menu and live music weekly, just check the calendar. Mountain Sun is located at 1535 Pearl Street, Boulder; Southern Sun is at 627 South Broadway, Boulder; and Vine Street Pub is at 1700 Vine Street (corner of 17th Ave), Denver.

The Boulder Draft House and Colorado Brewing Company, formerly Redfish Brewing Company, is open daily at 11am for food and drinks. Check their events calendar for live music and happy hours, including a weekly "Reggae Wednesday." 2027 13th Street (between Spruce and Pearl), Boulder.

Though it's not exactly beer, The Redstone Meadery specializes in Mead, also known as honey wine, that is brewed in a form very similar to beer (but you'd better talk to the brewmaster about that one). You can visit the Meadery for tours weekdays at 1pm and 3pm and Saturdays at 12:30. Or, if a tour's not your thing, just visit the tasting room Monday thru Saturday starting at noon. 4700 Pearl Street, Boulder.

Walnut Street's Walnut Brewery features food, beer, and weekly trivia every Thursday night. Tours of the small microbrewery within the restaurant can be arranged by appointment. 1123 Walnut Street (between 11th Street and Broadway, one block south of Pearl Street), Boulder.

Twisted Pine Brewery specializes in 100% natural, unpasteurized brewing. Their experimental style lends itself to many full-flavored beers, available to drink in the Tap Room or in your living room. And, they've got the MLB package for all your baseball viewing needs. 3201 Walnut Street, Boulder.

Heartland Brewery

by Jonathan Kosakow

The first time I went to a Heartland Brewery, I had high expectations.  "A brew pub in New York City?" I thought.  "How could you go wrong?"  Well, I'll tell you how you could go wrong: by walking into a Heartland Brewery with high expectations.  

On this first visit I ordered the flight of beers, and was able to sample all of their brews within an hour. Needless to say, I was drunk by the end of this, and most likely slurring my speech. Luckily, the friend I was with followed suit, and neither of us was trying to sleep in the other's bed (his name is Andrew, and he has his own big boy bed). Towards the end of the sampler, I could hardly tell the difference between the stout and the porter. I thought this was just because my senses were dulled by the hour's worth of alcohol I had imbibed, but since then I have been proven wrong.

For whatever reason, I have gone back to the Heartland Brewery a number of times since then, and I am always disappointed in their beer. At this point, I feel like I have tried just about all of the 20-odd concoctions they have hastily thrown together, and for the life of me I can't remember ONE that stands out above the rest. Aside from the flashy logos that they assign to each new recipe, there is literally no reason for me to even read the description of each beer, besides fro the sake of being polite.

I've assessed the problem over and over in my head (I know, there are more constructive things I could be doing, but I won't defend my useless analytical leanings), and what I've come up with is that the Heartland Brewery is not a spot for beer lovers. Hell, it's hardly a spot for New Yorkers. It is a spot for tourists, for people looking for a theme, for people more interested in decor and surroundings of a restaurant than in what they are ingesting. The Heartland Brewery is more concerned with making money than making beer, so they follow the simple recipe for that: over-advertise, overcharge, under-work (that is nothing against the wait staff or bartenders, the service is actually quite good).  So, I realize now, that this is less of a review of a beer or a brewery than it is of a tourist trap. Sorry to everyone, if I've wasted your time.

Recession Beers

by Jonathan Kosakow

In these times of financial peril, alcoholics and non-alcoholics alike are feeling a pinch on their leisure activities. Unfortunately for those of us who enjoy a beer with actual taste, having to watch our wallets also means often having to abstain from those rare bottles that our distributor picks up on a one-time-only basis. Now, you might be saying "Jonathan, how dare you drink a cheap beer!" or even "Dude, you've changed," but never fear my dear friends, I am simply a slave to the world around me, and am no different from you. We must adapt to our financial situations or be bitterly tossed off the island in Darwin-esque fashion, only to find out that all we had to do was eat pig testicles to win the million dollars. It is necessary to save a dollar here and there so that when the time counts, we can throw our shoulders back and our chests forward and buy the pretty girl on our left a Malibu and Pineapple Juice for $9.50. So with that said, I bring to you my very short list of beers that, even in a recession, we can enjoy to their fullest potential, without smashing the piggy banks our mothers gave us for our 5th birthday with the hammers our fathers gave us for Christmas later that year.

Pabst Blue Ribbon - At my local grocery store (Key Food in Astoria on 30th Avenue at the corner of 43rd Street - a fine establishment, I suggest you take a walk through), a 12-pack of PBR goes for $7.99 plus tax. Pick up a bag of chips on top of that, and you and a friend can each throw in $5 and be set for the night (or at least until halftime on Sunday). If you ask me, this is the best deal you can find. Though Natural Light and Milwaukee's Best might be a dollar cheaper, a cold can of PBR will go down smoothly with a hint of malts and hops, and will have far less chance of giving you an ulcer from the acidity. Some of you might prefer a Budweiser (or for the ladies, a Bud Light), but my question to you is, why spend $15 on a taste you can have for half that? And hell, in 2006 it won back that "Blue Ribbon" for the first time since 1893. Now that's quality that lasts.

Yuengling Lager - For Beer Guys like Tom and Chris, they can pick up a case of this delicious Lager at their local Pennsylvania distributor for under $25 (that's about $1 per beer), and for me here in New York, a 12-pack of long necks generally goes for about $14 (in cans for $12). That's not bad considering Coors and MGD sell for closer to $16 or $17. It also tastes like heaven.

Miller High Life - It may not live up to it's slogan, but the "Champagne of Beers" does go down smoothly when drunk (drank?) from the bottle (the can leaves a lot to be desired, besides the aftertaste of cheap aluminum). I couldn't tell you how much it costs these days, but I do know that the lightness in your wallet will feel worth it when you start getting a little light headed at around 10 this evening.

Colt 45, 40 oz. - Two dollars and twenty-five cents for forty ounces of beverage. That's cheaper than a bottle of "designer" water, whatever the hell that means. Speaking of water, here's another way to save money: pick up your jock and drink from the tap. Einstein did it, and so should you. (Note - I'm only guessing that Einstein drank from the tap).

Now, there are other options of course, but to be honest I'm just too lazy to do the "research" (by research I mean it's Monday evening and I don't feel like getting tanked just to educate you lazy cheapskates on how to save a couple bucks but still get a good buzz). Take my advice, or don't, see what I care, but don't come asking me for a dollar unless you put it to good use.

4th of July

Happy 4th to everyone and don't forget to enjoy the weekend with some American beers. Now I'm not talking about your watered down, mild lagers, but rather some original pre-prohibition beers. I thought about this just now, "what should I drink this weekend?" and so I've done some research and came up with a few suggestions for everyone. Wikipedia has an article about 'American beer' that speaks of beers such as the classic American pilsner, steam beer, and of course craft beers. I think I am going head to my local favorite package store, Walsh Wine & Spirits in Brighton, MA, and peruse the American beer section. And I think I am going to stick with the east coast in honor of our country's founding. I'll let you know what I pick up and of course a review will follow.