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BOULDER BEER

COMPANY

2880 Wilderness Pl. • Boulder, CO 80301 • (303) 444-8448

boulderbeer.com • @boulderbeer • Established: 1979

SCENE & STORY

Opened with a homemade, one-barrel system (thirty-one gallons) by two University of Colorado physics professors, David Hummer and Randolph “Stick” Ware, in a goat-shed outside of town, BBC became the first microbrewery in Colorado and was among the first to open nationally—they were granted the forty-third license to brew beer in the United States. The two friends even consulted the Coors family, who, according to Ware, called them “crazy,” but early supporters included famed beer writers Michael Jackson and Fred Eckhardt, joining a nascent groundswell of beer drinkers ready for sweeping change in the beer aisle. While Hummer and Ware ceded financial control of the brewery to the Rock Bottom chain in 1990, the Boulder beer scene had been well launched, and their brewpub became an institution.

With the Flatiron Mountains rising behind Wilderness Square, the brewpub taproom is a popular spot, with free tours of the brewery offered daily. Should they be full, you can settle for the view of the bottling line from the taproom.

PHILOSOPHY

While the policy of offering a generous sample of beer with a tour of the brewery speaks to the overall relaxed feel of BBC, the company works ceaselessly to keep up with the ever evolving tastes of the American beer lover.

KEY BEER

The easy-sipping, 4.9% ABV Singletrack Copper Ale, an APA launched in 1990, helped establish BBC as a major regional brewery. Today, its piney, copper-hued Hazed & Infused APA (4.85% ABV) is leading the company’s charge throughout some twenty states.

THE KITCHEN &

THE KITCHEN

UPSTAIRS

1039 Pearl St. • Boulder, CO 80302 • (303) 544-5973

thekitchencafe.com • Established: 2005

SCENE & STORY

A farm-to-table restaurant catering to Boulder’s most discerning foodies, there’s always something cooking at the Kitchen seven days a week, from classes to winemaker and brewer dinners, “community hours” that offer discounted dining, and other charming gastro pursuits.

Chef-owner Hugo Matheson expanded his busy restaurant in 2005 to include the “Upstairs,” a candlelit and fireplace-warmed wine bar area above the restaurant with a deep wine cellar. Soon after, bar manager Ray Decker overhauled the beer list, giving it star treatment and including a number of vintage and rare beers. Beer is served with care here and food pairings are readily suggested. It’s one of Boulder’s most assured restaurants, with knowledgeable, attentive service. It also commands higher prices than some craft beer lovers will be accustomed to paying. But with award-winning chefs at the stove, it’s a refreshing change from the usual pub grub, and perhaps the ultimate way to cap off a trip to GABF in Denver.

PHILOSOPHY

Sunset magazine named it “The West’s Greenest Restaurant” in 2008, praising Chef Hugo Matheson’s fare and eco-friendly approach. And beer steward Ray Decker has assembled a superb, international beer list to complement the cuisine, with special attention to Belgian ales and American path-breakers like Michigan’s Jolly Pumpkin.

KEY BEER

Ask Decker or a server to recommend beers with your meal, as all the menus and lists change constantly. A reddish, Belgian-style farmhouse ale like Jolly Pumpkin’s La Roja (recently sampled here) or a barrel-aged beer from Norway’s HaandBryggeriet or Belgium’s Drie Fonteinen would complement many of the Kitchen’s richer dishes.

WEST END

TAVERN

926 Pearl St. • Boulder, CO 80302 • (303) 444-3535

thewestendtavern.com • Established: 1987

SCENE & STORY

Boulder has become a craft brew capital with Avery, Oskar Blues, and Upslope breweries, just to name a few. But there’s a deep craft brew passion in select bars as well. At the multilevel West End Tavern, New York-born chef-proprietor Chris Blackwood brings a touch of down-home Southern soul to upscale Boulder, with a vast tap list heavy