Dry Dock Brewing Company

In our quest for delicious beer across the state of Colorado, I can't believe it took so long for Mr. Oyster and me to visit Dry Dock Brewing Company in Aurora.

Dry Dock is less than a 10-minute drive from our respective workplaces, and the brewery makes an outstanding Hefeweizen and Vanilla Porter.

So a couple Fridays ago, we dodged out of work a bit early to sample some beers at Dry Dock.

Dry Dock's exterior is just as unassuming as you might imagine for an Aurora Brewery.

The brewery won't catch your eye as you drive past it on Hampden, but the interior is impressive. The tap room is a giant, L-shaped space with a small bar and numerous long tables. The nautical motif pervades the decor and beer names.

Dry Dock seems to be the spot to grab an end-of-week beer for the local office-dwellers. In fact, we ran into several of my husband's coworkers there. It was moderately busy when I arrived around 3:30 pm, but was completely packed to standing room by the time we left just before 6 pm.

Dry Dock's brewing philosophy seems to focus on simple yet sharply-flavored beers. Their Hefeweizen is smooth, light, and easy to drink in large quantities, and it has an intense taste of bananas and bubblegum. Their Vanilla Porter tastes like dessert in beer form, with a very strong, sweet vanilla taste.

Dry Dock Vanilla Porter

We tried most of Dry Dock's other brews while at the tap house, but unfortunately none of them lived up to the perfection of their Hefeweizen or Vanilla Porter.

Adjacent to their tap room is Dry Dock's extensive home brew shop, where the staff was happy to provide the recipe for their Hefeweizen free of charge.

Dry Dock's expansive and popular Aurora tap room proved to be a great place to enjoy some of their excellent beers in a low-key suburban location. The ample seating room would make it a great place for a large happy hour - if you can get there early enough.


Website:
http://www.drydockbrewing.com/tap-room