Summer of Pubs VII - Miles, Views, Pubs, & Curry

History & Views

This is perhaps a good time to tell you a bit more about Carl, my host for my visit to the Denver area. As already mentioned, he doesn't drink apart from a possible excess of caffeine. He is also one of the more fit people I know, usually jogging about 5-6 miles every morning. Like many of my friends, I've known him for nearly 30 years and this realization makes me feel very blessed; when I talk to newer friends, they are frequently amazed that I have managed to maintain friendships with people for so long. 

2011 Nukestock - Pumpkin Display

Bret, the Nukestock Bartender

I attribute this in no small part to our annual homecoming/family gathering/Halloween party Nukestock, which naturally takes place towards the end of October every year and has done so since 1987; of course, back then in my college days, it was a small and drunken party as college parties are wont to me. These days, the focus is more on community, games (including geocaching), Mexican food, and top shelf booze as well as length (it now runs from Thursday evening until brunch on Sunday). In other words, quality time, not quantity excess. Carl is a regular, usually showing up and leaving a day early so he can focus on time with close friends rather than the larger masses that tend to arrive on Saturday. Admittedly, these are frequently my favorite times during the whole weekend, the quieter gatherings of small groups who have known each other for decades. It's about history, something we tend to forget about in these days of immediate gratification and short attention spans. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy the big nights as well, even taking my turn behind the bar to mix some ridiculous concoctions for those crazy enough to try them, but it's the quieter groups that feed the soul.

A huge gather of geocachers for Nukestock 2015

Carl is a reminder of those quieter times and an even bigger reminder that I better start cracking at this year's invitation. Anyhow, my first full morning with Carl dawned not nearly early enough because we were slated to follow one of his usual routes for a 5+ mile walk near his home in Thornton, CO, a northern suburb of Denver just east of I-25. Not early enough because Denver is HOT in the summer and my visit this time around would be no exception, with temperatures expected to reach the high 90s. So when we set out on the trails, it was already pushing 80, which meant I would sure be a massive, bloated sack of perspiration by the time we were done. Sure enough....

Kevin wasn't available until later in the day so Carl and I agreed to drive up to Boulder, where we do some shoe shopping for him, beer sample for me, and a bit of hiking/geocaching for both of us. Turns out that Carl's shoe store was right next to Southern Sun, a gastropub and brewery that I went to last year and thoroughly enjoyed. Perfect! I took advantage of the time to sample several of their wares, which they were more than happy to pour in abundance and for FREE if you were just getting samples (the bartender was quite generous, by the way). Guilt and general appreciation meant I was going to buy at least one pint as well but as long as I was tasting and blogging about beer, I was happy to take advantage of their generosity. 

Now about Southern Sun: they only accept cash so come prepared but it's well worth it if you do. First up was their fabulous ESB, the Colorado Kind Ale, another uniquely Rocky Mountain brew with it's distinct smokey malt and slight bitter, dank finish. Both of their IPAs I tried, the Illusion Dweller and the Mountain Sun FYIPA, illustrated the best of both worlds in the hoppy beers, the former reflecting a more English style while the latter being a more fruit forward West Coast style hopfest. The standout here, and the one which I later ordered a pint of, was their remarkable Ciel Sauvage, a Belgian style wild ale which brings out hop bitterness, spice, tartness, and unbelievable balance. Much less sour than most wild ales, this one is in the top ten I tried on the entire Summer of Pubs tour, and that is truly saying something given that I tried over 200 beers by July 8th alone! 

Carl finding a geocaching

After Carl had secured his shoes and he patiently waited for me to finish my pint, we decided to do some geocaching, both in town at the local library and on the overlook roads above Boulder. The library cache was a great way to indoctrinate Carl into the fine art of caching, given it's "scavenger hunt" nature of combing through books and researching old school Dewey decimal catalogs. After we happily secured the find, we worked our way to Flagstaff Drive which meanders well above Boulder into the mountains, stopping first to do a cemetery cache, which i subject Carl to the stupidest joke every created. "hey did you know this cemetery is super famous? yeah, people are dying to get in!" Thanks for that one, Bret. The trip up Flagstaff was well worth the distraction, the spectacular views of the city below a beautiful reminder of why this area is so popular. The refrain of The Eagles admonishment that to call some place paradise is to kiss it goodbye comes to mind here.

Boulder Overlook - Flagstaff Road

Pubs & Curry

We returned from our Boulder adventure, ready to rejoin with Kevin and my friend Victoria, who would meet us at Westminster Brewing Company before we headed down for dinner at Yak & Yeti, the aforementioned Indian restaurant that also brews their own beer. Vic is a master pub crawler, coming by it honestly from her dad, my mate Peter who I walk and drink with regularly in Las Cruces. Peter is a Liverpool boy, born and bred, so the man knows his beer and curry; Vic clearly inherited his predilections, meeting her future husband at a pub in Denver and developing an expertise in local beers and ciders. So a short pub crawl and curry had to happen, a moral imperative even!

Weirdly, Westminster was almost dead... and on a Friday night! This incomprehensible lack of customers certainly wasn't because of their top quality beer. Maybe it was the strange, almost rural setting.  Maybe the stars weren't aligned properly. Who knows? In any case, it was a pleasant reprieve from the usual pack houses so we spread out and enjoyed the brews for a leisurely tasting prior to dinner. Westminster earns top marks for their relaxed atmosphere and excellent beers, starting with their fable bitter called 1066, a beer I could drink all day with its low alcohol (ABV4.7%), slight bitterness, and smokey, citrusy finish. Delish! A step up in alcohol and bitterness came in the form of their hybrid Quetzal IPA, a spicy, almost saison like IPA. They also appealed to my latest obsession, the sour, with their fantastic Veruca Sour, a tart wild ale infused with cherries to balance the sour. It was a great way to finish our visit here and a perfect aperitif before Indian.

Yak & Yeti proved to be a great finish to the day and was a strangely deja vu experience; in fact, this particular location used to be a different Indian restaurant that I went to back in the 90s when I briefly lived up here. Back then it was slightly mediocre. Not so today; their buffet was one of the best, thoughtfully divided into vegetarian and meat sides and with no shortage of options to please even the most discerning curry fan. An endless stream of naan contributed to the awesomeness. Did I mention they also brew their own beer? In fact, I sampled both their Himalayan IPA and their Chai Milk Stout, both of which shined in their own ways. The former is huge and bold, perfect for a curry. The latter, however, was even better, a super spiced black brew that resonates with burnt brownie batter. Yum!

Next up: finishing off Broomfield brewpubs. Stay tuned!