Beer writer Melissa Cole on why the US city of Denver is her favourite foodie spot in the world

With its microbreweries, pubs and taverns, Denver is heaven for beer lovers. Award-winning writer Melissa Cole picks her top of the hops spots
Hardie Grant UK
By Victoria Stewart5 November 2018

Other than London, Denver in Colorado is the only other city in the world that British beer writer Melissa Cole would consider living in.

"Apart from the sunshine, it’s got a laid-back vibe and has everything you could want in terms of adventure," she says. "You can cycle, get to the mountains easily for skiing, go paddle boarding on reservoirs. It’s very beautiful - quite often you’ll have your breath taken away seeing The Rocky Mountains."

Sure, there's the beautiful scenery, but for Cole really it's all about the Denver locals. "The people are really nice," she says. "As you explore the city you realise that there’s a real sense of hospitality about it, and I’ve never felt unsafe there."

Cole, who has recently published a new guide to cooking with beer, ‘The Beer Kitchen: the Art and Science of Cooking and Pairing with Beer,’ has visited her favourite American city over 14 times, nearly always as a judge at the Great American Beer Festival.

GABF is the country’s largest festival of American beer, where both industry folk and the public - 62,000 attended this year’s event - can taste up to 4000 beers from 800 breweries.

Calling Denver “heaven for a beer lover,” Cole says the festival is teaming with knowledgable characters. “I've learnt so much from the people I've met there; whether that’s giving me the inspiration to make a beer cheese soup or asking specific beer questions, lots of which have found a place in my book.”

Hardie Grant UK

Below, we grill the beer connoisseur on her favourite spots in the Coloradan city.

What's your favourite place to eat and drink?

Falling Rock Taphouse is considered the bar to be at during Great American Beer Festival, and since I have become close friends with the owners Chris and Cheryl, I walk in to hugs and a beer, and I chat to everyone. The staff rarely change, it’s a proper boozer with wooden booths, a big sports screen, stools at the bar, a pool table, a dart board, and so on. It’s also the one place in the world that I’ll order beer-battered mushrooms because they’re not awful balls of water that explode in your mouth. They’re amazing, they feel almost meaty, and the batter is crisp and done to order, without any taste of old oil. The beer queso dip is always great, too. Normally I’ll drink the sublime Bierstadt Pilsner here, brewed locally.

And the best place for a drink and people-watching?

The Bull & Bush Brew Pub which is based on the one in Hampstead Heath. It’s an American idea of what a British pub should be - dark, with dark wood everywhere, but really great. Occasionally when I’ve been travelling for ages before arriving in Denver, I’ve turned up here and sat down with their incredible ESB (Extra Special Bitter beer) and their amazing fish and chips and it’s like being transported back home. It sounds stereotypical but sometimes you need that hug in beer form. The owners are lovely and there’s also a tiny brewery out the back and they make absolutely stonking award-winning beers. It’s one of those places where you can go and mind your own business, or strike up a conversation with the person next to you at the bar. It’s got a local feel to it.

The best spot for good for a local speciality dish...

The chef at Old Major has a meat curing room and he's keen on sourcing Coloradan produce; it’s one of the few place that I’ve eaten stunning Coloradan lamb, which is on a par with the Salt Marsh lamb that we get in Britain. It’s quite gamey, it’s never killed very young and they hang it for ages, so it’s got lots of flavour to it. There’s also a 25-strong beer list which is great for a restaurant. The other thing is that Denver is a real brunch city and it’s become a a tradition to have a Buck’s Fizz and share fun dishes like the chicken and waffles and the breakfast burger here on the Sunday after GABF.

Would should people bring back from Denver in their suitcase?

A bottle of Crooked Stave, which is made with local ingredients like Coloradan sage. Many beers are also spontaneously fermented (also known as wild fermentation), making them the beer equivalent of natural wine. The one I like is like a Belgian Lambic beer, and it’s barrel-aged, blended, and a real labour of love to produce.

And if you can only visit one place, what should it be?

The sour beer taproom called Goed Zuur. It's a beautiful space where you’ll have a tremendous time and get a fantastic welcome. Anthony Lopiccolo is the great chef/co-owner, John Fayman chooses the beers, and Rachel Smith is their incredible cheesemonger - not only are there spectacular beers here but if you order the whole selection or ‘flight’ of charcuterie and cheese, you also get a whole ‘flight’ of butter. I realise how ridiculous that sounds but it’s a genuinely astonishing experience.

‘The Beer Kitchen: The Art and Science of Cooking and Pairing with Beer’ by Melissa Cole is out now (£20, Hardie Grant).

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