Denver Beer Company, Denver

Denver Beer Company, visited on 2/18/12  (http://denverbeerco.com/)

After our long day of beer at various Denver-area locations, we ended our Saturday at Denver Beer Company. The location of this brewery is practically unbeatable for downtown: right on Platte by the river in a huge and spacious industrial-vibe warehouse-y building. Most of the front of the facility is lined with the summer-appealing glass garage doors which I'm sure also lends itself well to the sun shining through in the cooler months. We were here late on a Saturday in February, so none of these positive traits prevailed in our visit. However, a few negative ones did.

Here's what we drank:

Graham Cracker Porter - real dark in color; nice half-inch head; solid lacing; good coffee aroma; very minimally sweet; good light porter flavor; very drinkable, although I desire a bit more taste in a "graham cracker" beer.

Powder Day DIPA - no clue about hops, booze, or anything else; dim amber color; light lacing; good hoppy aroma; light grapefruit; tastes too light in IBUs for a double; easy drinking; expect more from anything calling itself a double IPA.

In general, there's a cool industrial vibe brew pub; I might be wrong however, but there may have been a straight-brimmed hat dooshbag convention here that night. It may have had something to do with being somewhere newish, downtown, on a Saturday during Mardi Gras, but the crowd was less than awesome. They sell $5 soft pretzels, but that's it for food. They are giant...and look great...but a little 'undone'. Chili Billy Quesadillas was here but we didn't indulge...their menu looks good. My last note on the clientele: how many people with double ear piercings can high five each other in a 60-minute period? DBC has the answer.

Despite my notes from the night-of, I want to go back. I have to believe that such a cool location/building so close to where I lived in LoDo has the redeeming qualities I think it has, or should. Despite all of it, I wasn't overly impressed with the beer. I'm hoping a return visit in the warmer months, maybe during the week, will shed a better light on the brewery. I think some of the beer kinks are reflective of 'not having been in the game' long enough. That said, there's definite potential for the beer, the brewery, and DBC as a whole...why hasn't anyone called themselves Denver Brewing until now?!