Denver Beer and Connecting with Friends

It was day two of my press trip with SpringHill Suites Downtown Denver and Infinite Monkey Theorem Wine.

We had tasted and paired the wine on day one, and now it was time to check out some more food and beer.

Our schedule didn’t start until 9:30 a.m. so we got to sleep in a bit, which was much needed after the late night.

We got started by all meeting for breakfast. The SpringHill Suites offers a nice hot breakfast to begin with, and the chef from the Degree restaurant next door brought us some scones and treats to go with it.

After breakfast, we all piled back into our limousine to hit some of the breweries of Denver in the nearby LoDo and RiNo Art District.

Even though I don’t drink beer, the tours were fun and informative as we went through Wynkoop Brewery, Falling Rock Tap House, and Epic Brewing.

We then went back to the SpringHill Suites to say goodbye. Most of the group was heading home, but I decided to stay another day.

Since I was finished with the press group, I was able to make more plans for my last day in Denver.

The first was with Jesse Davis, Director of Public Relations for the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau.

We had a nice talk about all the improvements coming to the city, including a train directly from the airport.

After Jesse left, I headed to Avanti Food and Beverage to meet up with Chris Moose Koons, whom I had met during a trip to Colorado. He does marketing for Peach Street Distillers, a favorite artisan distillery of mine.

We had kept in touch over the years and I was glad to hear the company was doing well. We toasted to it with the Peach Street Gin.

He took me around Avanti Food and Beverage, a very interesting concept.

They had all types of food booths as well as a bar, set up with general seating in between. The seating ranged from tables and chairs to couches and loveseats.

Avanti also has a great rooftop with terrific Denver views.

We left together and he dropped me off at Amato’s Ale House.

I’d known my dinner partners for more than half their lives, but hadn’t seen them in a few years and not together in more than five.

Catrina and Christian Thompson, and Christian’s boyfriend Stephen Bass, had all played junior tennis while I was covering it and then later on played for (and graduated from) Notre Dame.

Catrina had ended up back at Notre Dame as an assistant coach while Christian was now the Head Coach of the University of Denver. As luck would have it, Catrina was visiting Denver with her boyfriend Matt the weekend I was there.

I had a glass of wine at the Ale House while I was waiting for my friends. It was so great to see them and catch up. Although most of my writing now is travel and not tennis, I am grateful for the relationships like these I’ve made and kept.

I also have to give a shout out to the Ale House’s Four Cheese Penne.

Christian and Stephen brought me back to the SpringHill Suites.  

I went straight to sleep when I got back. I had an early flight to head home.

The trip ended as good as it began, with my second straight upgrade on American Airlines and looking forward to visiting Denver again sometime soon. 

Wine, Dine and Fun in Denver

My press trip invitation from Zimmerman Public Relations was very different than any I had received, but it definitely peaked my interest.

The trip was a collaboration between SpringHill Suites Denver Downtown and Infinite Monkey Theorem Winery. It was only two days long and it sounded like a lot of fun, so I cleared my schedule.

I was one of the first to arrive in Denver, a city I hadn’t visited in a few years.

It had been a while since I’ve stayed at a SpringHill Suites and this one was even nicer than I had remembered.

The lobby was very warm and welcoming, as was the staff. I would learn that the staff here was especially friendly as they were all students from the Hospitality School at the Metropolitan State University.

The school was right next door and there was a very unique partnership between this SpringHill and Metropolitan. Not only did the hotel employee many students, but profits from the hotel also went into scholarships at the school.

The relationship of SpringHill Suites Downtown Denver did not end at the front desk. 

Degree Food and Drink was also next door to the hotel and served as its only restaurant.

I had a delicious lunch at Degree with the staff from Zimmerman while we waited for the other guests to arrive.

My room was ready right after lunch and I settled in since we had some free time.

I was quite impressed with the suite, one large room with a divider between the living room area and the king sized bed.

The ladies from Zimmerman had left us all a big selection of goodies, ranging from snacks to samples of Infinite Monkey wine, and even a hangover kit for those of us who ended up indulging too much during our night time activities.

As I glanced at the schedule I realized here was a very good chance of that!

We met in the lobby at about 5:00 pm. It was the largest group of journalists I remember ever traveling with.

Within the group was Kristen Hanson. We had traveled together on quite a few trips and had become friends over the years. It was great to have a chance to catch up between the festivities.

We all hopped into the oversized limousine and headed to Infinite Monkey Theorem Winery. 

I was one of the few who already knew a bit about the company having attended their Swine on the Mine event at the Aspen Food &Wine Festival.

This winery is a very unique “urban winery,” located in a factory in the city and using some unique wine making. 

They are also known for their canned wine, still delicious using a special method to keep the wine from taking on any aluminum flavor.

My previous experience with Infinite Monkey had only been about “white or red?” but I soon learned this company has drastically expanded their bottles and cans, including the addition of a bottled sparkling wine and a canned pear cider.

We left the winery and returned to SpringHill Suites for a unique “Can & Cheese Dining Experience.” Cheese was a huge underestimation of the spread we saw.

The chefs at Degree had whipped up a wonderful selection of pairings with the Infinite Monkey Theorem wines that included Black & Blue Sliders with the Red Wine and Brown Butter Pouchettes with Rose.

After sampling some desserts with the Pear Cider, we headed out for some cocktails and popular Denver nightspots.

Our first stop was at Beatrice and Woodsley. It teetered on the whimsical with toilet paper on the bathroom walls and a community sink outside the restrooms, but it was also quite formal in some ways.

The cocktail menu was unique and enjoyed some interesting play on words. I had, for example, the Violet, You’re Turning Violet, a reference to a line in the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory movie.

It was a concoction with house-infused Violet Vodka, made with teas, blueberries, and ginger, then covered with lemon juice.

We finished our drinks and then headed to The Blake StreetVault in Denver’s LoDo neighborhood. Despite the very decorative front of the building, it had a classic pub fee inside.

What we didn’t know until after we got our drinks was the place had a very long history that included ghosts. We took a tour through the basement and vault, where we heard the story, but had no sightings.

We returned to the SpringHill Suites Downtown after midnight.

I was a bit disappointed that we hadn’t made it to our last stop, Linger, as it had been a favorite of mine on my last trip to Denver. 

Unfortunately, they were closing earlier than we could get there.

I settled into my very comfortable king suite, resting up for another full day in Denver.

Exploring Denver and the Great American Beer Festival

The Colorado Tourism Board had scheduled Thursday as my free day to explore and I did just that, taking in as much of Denver as I could and spending some time at the biggest beer festival in the world.

It had been a total coincidence that I ended up in Denver (with an unscheduled day) at the start of the Great American Beer Festival. The truth is, everyone knows about all of the breweries in Colorado and I was there to write about the spirits. There was also one other little detail…. I don’t drink beer. It’s not that I haven’t tried. An unfortunate incident years ago left me unable to even let it get to my lips. I’m working on it (anyone know a good hypnotist?), but despite the fact that I’m not a brew fan, I wasn’t going to miss a chance to check out the Great American Beer Festival, dubbed by everyone I know as the greatest in the world.

Julia Herz, Craft Beer Program Director for the BrewersAssociation, took me around the convention center before the festival even started. I was amazed at all the distributors from around the country, and impressed with the emphasis on food, including: beer and cheese combos from the American Dairy Society; a Farm to Table Pavilion; and an area devoted to seminars on beer and food pairings. We walked around for a while and I promised her I would return in the evening and check out the open festival.

I had a few hours to kill before I was meeting Moose Koons at a party I had been invited to with a group of beer and spirits makers.  I thought it was about a half mile so I figured I’d check out Denver while I walked over there. A half mile turned into two miles, but I enjoyed the scenery on an unusually warm and sunny day for the fall. I also found a little solace after about a mile at My Favorite Muffin with a Cinnamon Cheesecake Muffin, basically my lunch since the time had passed as I walked.

I finally arrived at Amato’s Ale House, one of the locations belonging to the Breckenridge Brewing family. In addition to 40 beers on tap (available to servers in the kitchen and at all the bars), Amato’s also has Infinite Monkey Wine on tap and I enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc. I finished off with Moose’s Agave Silver (smooth and delicious) from his Peach Street Distillery, and hen took off for a last Great American Beer Festival run, this time happily getting a ride back.

It was quite a difference from the afternoon when there were no spectators, though I have to say it wasn’t overly crowded. The festival had 466 brewers with a total of 2,300 beers. This was certainly in contrast to the 20 exhibitors at the festival’s first event in 1982. The beers are grouped by geography, making them easy to find. I really enjoyed walking around and meeting some of the brewers, as well as talking to participants. I was probably (no, definitely) the only one there not drinking beer, but I was able to balance my camera and notepad better that way! I would also like to mention a few of the charitable events – Pints for Prostates and Beers for Boobs were the biggest ones.

I went back to my hotel and headed to bed for my last night in Colorado. It had been a great week, trying terrific spirits and eating wonderful food. I’m sure I will be back to taste some more.

Boulder Spirits to Lingering in Denver

I go on a lot of wine country trips, but my Colorado adventure is based on spirits. On day two it was time to get to some serious sampling of what the area had to offer in food and drinks, but first I had some mountains to check out.

After a good night’s sleep in my beautifully decorated room at Hotel Boulderado, Kim from Boulder’s visitor’s Bureau picked me up and we headed up to Chautauqua Park. It was a clear and warm day and she told me about this beautiful place as we walked the trail. I honestly could have spent the day in the fresh Rocky Mountain air, but I had a job to do and the first course of business was at Boulder Distillery & Clear Spirit Company.

Boulder Distillery is just a bit bigger than most garages, yet you would not believe all the spirits that come out of there. They are most known for their 303 Vodka which is “infused” on the premises with seasonal ingredients. The Colorado liquor laws actually allow for distilleries to not only serve samples, but to act as bars, with cocktail menus and events. This has been taken to the limit at 303 – in a very good way.

First, we have the infused vodkas. On my visit, the choices were Vanilla, Peach, Raspberry Cucumber, Pickle, Strawberry and Olive. I sampled a bit of them all and could certainly tell the difference between these freshly infused libations (with organic fruit) and flavored vodkas in bottle. I was encouraged to try some of the cocktails and before I knew it there was a Pickletini in front of me. Yes, pickle infused vodka with pickle juice and pickles.

When it comes to pickles, I can take them or leave them. Honestly, I stared at the drink for a few minutes with no desire to taste it, but I was encouraged by the knowledge that it was a best seller around here and I have to say it was delicious!  I think I’m still a gin girl, though, and there was someone there to take care of that too. It seems Rob’s Mountain Gin shares this same space and his Formula No. 11 has an ingredient known publically as “angel’s tears” (I will never tell) that really makes it an outstanding product. (For those who like the darker spirits, Boulder Distillery also makes 303 Whiskey, aged in French Oak.)

My last stop in Boulder was at Salt Bistro and it was quite a food and drink extravaganza. Kim and I were joined by the restaurant’s public relations rep, Kuvy, Beverage Manager Evan Faber and my friend Jackie, who works at nearby Babolat. We were quite a large group, but we didn’t have to worry about running out of food as it looked like they brought out everything on the menu! The theme was as I saw it on this trip – fresh and local, with lots of fruits and vegetables.

Before we knew it, the table was filled to the brim with such treats as Quinoa Fritters; Tomato Salad with Mint; Vegetable Tasting (with the best soft polenta I’ve had); Duck Confit Salad (perfectly cooked); Peach Flatbread; and Fried Polenta with honey.

As good as the food was at Salt, I was most impressed with the drink options. Stoddard came up with an ingenious idea: Pick your glass size, add your favorite liquor; chose a flavor; and pick a style.  Patrons are actually given a menu to mark off their choices in each category. I had two small ones – a Gin & Blackberry Martini and a Rum, Mango & White Wine Sangria.

Elysia from Colorado Tourism drove me back to Denver. I had a few hours back at the hotel to try to get my ailing computer to function (and work up an appetite) before Elysia picked me up for dinner. It’s not often you get to have dinner in a mortiuary, or even a former one. That’s exactly what Linger is. It’s a large restaurant with great views of Denver in the home of the former Olinger Mortiary. The restaurant plays on that theme throughout, with everything from menus that look like charts to business cards that look like body tags.

Elysia is a vegetarian and I always welcome meatless nights, so we decided to fill the table with small plates. Linger divides their dishes into the areas the dishes originated and we picked an assortment that covered the bases: Meze Plate with Smokey Eggplant Spread  & Naan from Africa; Saag Paneer Fries with Rhubarb Ketchup & Spinach Puree and Masala Dosa from Southwest Asia; Carrot & Lentil Kofie with Tahini Yogurt wrapped in Lettuce from Eurasia (my favorite); and Cold Peanut Noodles from Asia.

To go with our food, we had Linger’s Bar Manager Anika Zappe mix us up a few specialties from her seasonal cocktail menu. I enjoyed the Pueblo Chili Flip and Elysia had The Last Sunset, with a Colorado Coffee to finish off.

We ended the day on a perfect note, with a freshly made cobbler with Colorado peaches, topped with homemade vanilla ice cream. It was time to call it a night because there were still more spirits to check out in the morning.