Having said that, you tragically can’t subsist on beer alone, so Sparhawk points out some of the best places for beer and food in town. Beginning with Colt & Gray (1553 Platte St.) this upscale gastrotavern sports an ultra meaty menu. Start with their charcuterie plate or keep it simple (as simple as they get anyway) with the grass-fed beef burger or truffled turkey burger. The beer list rocks some of Boulder’s best like Upslope Lager on draft to hard-to-find bottles of Avery Dihos Dactylion sour ale aged in Cabernet Sauvignon oak, the latest in their barrel-aged series. It likely pairs well with the house
Out in West Highland (take a cab), Hops & Pie (3920 Tennyson St), enjoy either the regular or deep-dish pies with a brilliant toppings list, topped by beer-braised brisket! On your pizza! Their star-studded list ranges from Modus Hoperandi IPA from Ska Brewing in Southwest Colorado to the latest magical elixir in Odell’s Woodcut series.
East of Highland isn’t East Highland, it’s just regular Highland, which makes it the perfect neighborhood for Highland Tap and Burger (2219 W. 32nd Ave.), where Sparhawk insists you order the Shroom Luva burger (sautéed shrooms and truffled aioli) “with a side of their wings smoked over Stranahan whiskey barrel staves,” which is a pretty amazing thing to use the spent barrels for from Colorado’s best-known distillery. He suggests pairing it with Oskar Blues G’Knight (Imperial Red).
One of his last-but-not-least recommendations is Euclid Hall (1317 14th St.), a gastropub that loves playing with its food. The surf’n’turf consists of octopus and pork belly and they’ve turned the ultimate Quebecois drunk food—poutine (fries with cheese curds and gravy)—into a snack befitting craft brewers with “Duck, Duck Goose” that’s poutine topped with duck, a sunny side up duck egg, and foi gras. The beer menu equates to dozens of draft, canned, and bottled offerings as well as beer cocktails. And coming to Euclid might make the most sense given its proximity to the convention center that hosts the fest and your hotel room. Having said that, if you don’t have reservations yet, you may be out of luck. Hot spots like The Curtis and Hotel Monaco filled up months ago! Feel free to check GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com/Travel/Hotels for nearby recommendations. Rooms are likely to run over $200, so consider doing what I did my first GABF: stay at a hostel. A bunk at the Denver International Youth Hostel (630 E. 16th Ave.) will only run you $15 a night and with all the sampling you’ll have done, you’re sure to sleep through anything. As a last ditch effort, check if VRBO.com (vacation rental by owner) has anything available for an extra homey touch.
Seeing as overdoing it is a given, when you roll out of your bed or bunk, roll up to either of the two locations of Snooze (Park Ave. & Larimer or 700 N. Colorado) for Mile High’s best breakfast. You’ll wish you had an extra stomach when pouring over their menu that includes dishes like Breakfast Pot Pie, four various eggs bennies including Chilaquiles Benedict with carne asada, and the most inventive pancake menu with options such as Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes and Cherry Bourbon Street with bourbon-soaked cherries and chocolate chips topped with more bourbon sauce. Can’t decide which ones to get? Just like at a great beer bar, you can order a sampler flight. As a matter of fact, Sparhawk adds, “The Snooze concept is that they want you to try everything. So a half order of these bennie, quarter-order of those pancakes…”
Snooze is so successful (expect a line) that they’ve opened up other Colorado locations including in Boulder and Fort Collins, so let’s look at those beer scenes next.
