Mr. Oyster's Top 10 Colorado Beers

Mr. Oyster loves beer, he loves Colorado, and he really, really loves Colorado-brewed beers. We are fortunate in Denver to be surrounded by so many great breweries, and Mr. Oyster takes advantage by trying just about every local beer he can get his hands on.

After all that taste-testing, he has narrowed down a list of his top 10 favorites.

To make the list, contending brews had to meet the following criteria:
- Be brewed in Colorado
- Be available for purchase outside of a tap room or brew pub (sorry, Mountain Sun)
- Be available for some indefinite time into the future

Here, in no particular order, are his top 10:

Odell Mountain Standard
Double Black IPA
Odell Brewing Company  Fort Collins, CO

Odell Mountain Standard

Mr. Oyster says: Complex beer with a deep flavor profile. Citrusy, fruity notes mix with roasted, chocolate and toffee flavors.

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Odell IPA
India Pale Ale
Odell Brewing Company  Fort Collins, CO

Odell IPA

Mr. Oyster says: Traditional and distinct hop profile. Strong grapefruit notes. Very drinkable and smooth.

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Odell Friek
Oak Aged Sour
Odell Brewing Company  Fort Collins, CO

Odell Friek

Mr. Oyster says: Has an intense cherry/raspberry flavor and fruitiness. Oaky, slightly acidic, slightly sour.  

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Left Hand Brewing Company Nitro Milk Stout
Sweet Stout
Left Hand Brewing Company Longmont, CO

Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout

Mr. Oyster says: Love this beer on nitro. Creamy, smooth flavor. Strong chocolate and vanilla flavors.

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Dry Dock Vanilla Porter
Porter
Dry Dock Brewing Company Aurora, CO

Dry Dock Vanilla Porter

Mr. Oyster says: Intense vanilla smell and flavor. Not too sweet and very drinkable. This is my "dessert" beer. 

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Dry Dock Hefeweizen
Hefeweizen
Dry Dock Brewing Company Aurora, CO

Dry Dock Hefeweizen

Mr. Oyster says: Very drinkable and refreshing. Strong banana flavor, also hints of clove and bubblegum. I could drink this every day and never get tired of it.

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Great Divide Titan IPA
India Pale Ale
Great Divide Brewing Denver, CO

Great Divide Titan IPA

Mr. Oyster says: Grapefruity and malty. Plenty of hop flavor and bitterness. A very solid IPA.

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Avery Samael's Ale
Oak Aged Ale
Avery Brewing Company Boulder, CO

Avery Samael

Mr. Oyster says: Think of it almost more like wine than beer. 15% alcohol content. This ruby-colored beer is very sweet, oaky, and fruity.

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Oskar Blues Ten Fidy
Imperial Stout
Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont, CO

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

Mr. Oyster says: The name Ten Fidy is a reference to the beer's alcohol content - 10.5% ABV. Very dark and smooth beer, with strong malt and chocolate flavors.

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New Belgium Mothership Wit
Organic Wheat Beer
New Belgium Brewing Company Fort Collins, CO

New Belgium Mothership Wit

Mr. Oyster says: Wit with citrus and spice flavors. This is a refreshing, light beer that is great for summer.

5280 Best New Restaurants of 2011

5280 Magazine's March 2012 issue lists the eight best new restaurants in Denver.

Their top selections include three spots that have been reviewed in the Rocky Mountain Oyster: Pizzeria Locale, Le Grand Bistro and Oyster Bar, and Linger.

5280's complete list of the Best New Restaurants of 2011:

Pinche Taqueria
Tag Raw Bar
Charcoal
Pizzeria Locale
Le Grand Bistro and Oyster Bar
Trillium
CafeBar
Linger

Looks like I've got five more restaurants to add to my queue!

Check out the article and let's look forward to more great new restaurants in 2012.

Braised Lamb Shank @ Le Grand Bistro and Oyster Bar

Go Vote! 5280 Top of the Town and Westword's 2012 Best of Denver Readers' Poll

Westword and 5280 both have reader polls open for the best of Denver 2012:

Westword 2012 Best of Denver Readers' Poll

5280 Top of the Town Ballot

Westword's closes March 22, and 5280's closes March 18.

The polls pertain to all things local, but since I only leave the house to work, eat, and drink beer, I could only comment on the food and drink scene in Denver.

Oh, and feel free to vote for the Rocky Mountain Oyster as "Best Blogger"!

Below are my picks; I only voted when I felt strongly about a certain restaurant or food.


From Westword's Poll:

91. Best brunch
Duo

99. Best expense-account dinner
Opus

100. Best first-date restaurant
Root Down

101. Best restaurant for a last meal
ChoLon

108. Best bakery
Pierre Michel French Bakery

116. Best brewpub
Southern Sun

117. Best tap house
Avery Brewing Company

119. Best bottle beer list
Hops & Pie

120. Best draft beer list
Hops & Pie

123. Best house margarita
Lola

133. Best hot dog
Biker Jim's

137. Best mac and cheese
Hops & Pie OR Biker Jim's

138. Best pizza
Mellow Mushroom OR Marco's Coal Fired Pizzeria

142. Best free chips and salsa
La Loma

164. Best French restaurant
Pierre Michel Organic French Bakery OR Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar

165. Best American restaurant
Root Down




From 5280's Poll:

Bakery:
Pierre Michel Organic French Bakery

Breakfast:
Snooze

Brunch:
Duo

Burger:
Larkburger

Dessert:
ChoLon

Donuts:
Salt

Gluten-Free Menu:
Root Down

Hot Dog / Sausage:
Biker Jim's

Ice Cream / Gelato:
Sweet Action

Kid-Friendly Restaurant:
Parry's Pizzeria OR Mellow Mushroom (SouthGlenn)

Meatball:
Wooden Table

Patio Dining:
Lola

Pizza: 
Mellow Mushroom OR Marco's Coal Fired Pizzeria

Half Order of Curious Jorge French Toast at Snooze

5280 Restaurant Week

Denver Restaurant Week is coming up soon. From February 25 - March 9, you can enjoy a multi-course meal at many of Denver's restaurants for only $52.80 per couple.

Menus (and restaurants) are currently available on Facebook until January 20, after which the public can view them. You can find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/visitdenver, and at their main webpage at http://www.denver.org/denverrestaurant/.

There are nearly 300 restaurants participating in the 2012 Denver Restaurant Week, and I've sampled a small fraction of the menu items of maybe 40 of those restaurants.

Many of Denver's top restaurants participate in Denver Restaurant Week, including 9 of 5280 Magazine's 25 Best Restaurants of 2011: Mizuna (#3), ChoLon (#5), Luca D'Italia (#6), Olivea (#15), Duo (#17), Rioja (#19), Edge (#23), Il Posto (#24), and Vesta Dipping Grill (#25) are all participating restaurants. Those restaurants, and many others, will fill up fast.

Of all the restaurants I've eaten at, ChoLon is one I'd really like to return to for Denver Restaurant Week.

You can read full reviews for the following restaurants participating in 2012 Denver Restaurant Week that I've reviewed for dinner:

ChoLon Bistro

Row 14

Root Down

Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar

Euclid Hall

Vesta Dipping Grill

Restaurant Kevin Taylor

Lola

Mizuna

Marco's Coal Fired Pizzeria

Strings

Beatrice & Woodsley

Wooden Table

Please remember to tip generously during restaurant week!

Lamb Poutine @ Euclid Hall

Savored.com

I don't normally post opinions or reviews about anything you can't ingest on this website, but I had to carve out a special spot to mention my love of Savored.com.

Savored.com is a website that provides a 30% discount off the total tab (including alcohol!) at participating restaurants in exchange for paying $10 for a confirmed reservation at that particular restaurant.

So far, we have used Savored.com reservations once each at Colt & Gray, ChoLon, and Sushi Sasa. Each time we've visited, we've reminded the waitstaff before ordering about the savored.com deal, and they've never had any issues processing it.

Registering at savored.com is free and very easy.

Because of the $10 charge per reservation, you're making a little bit of an investment in your dinner. The more people and the more food and drinks you order, the more the initial $10 pays off. However, be aware that Savored.com maximizes party size at four people. They do offer to refund your money if your meal savings are less than the reservation fee. You also have until two hours before reservation time to cancel or make changes.

I have had one small snag with savored.com. A few months ago, we made Savored.com dinner reservations for four at ChoLon that savored.com overbooked and was subsequently forced to cancel. They refunded our $10 reservation fee, and awarded us $30 to use toward future reservations. Normally this would only buy us three reservations, but because of a $5 post-Thanksgiving sale, were were able to stretch that $30.

The biggest downside to Savored is probably the limited number of participating restaurants. There are only 20 restaurants in Denver to choose from, although among that number are some of the best restaurants in town.

I would strongly recommend a savored.com membership for anyone who eats out frequently.

Please note that I have no affiliation whatsoever with Savored.com, and I am writing this review purely out of my own positive experiences with Savored.

Mussels at Colt & Gray

Soup Dumplings at ChoLon

Sushi Rolls at Sushi Sasa

Website:

http://savored.com

The Best Things I Ate in 2011

I ate a lot of great food this year, and a few of those foods were particularly memorable. In no particular order, here are my favorites from 2011:

Devils on Horseback @ Root Down

The Bronx Pizza @ Marco's Coal Fired Pizza

Guacamole @ Lola

Moules au Saffran @ Le Central

Roast Colorado Lamb Rack @ Restaurant Kevin Taylor

Cider Glazed Pork Benedict @ Duo

Any hot dog from Biker Jim's, AND the Fried Mac 'n' Cheese at Biker Jim's

The Larkburger

Vegetable Risotto (Served with Butter Poached Salmon) @ Opus

Glazed & Cinnamon Doughnuts @ Salt

Red Velvet Cupcake @ Euclid Hall

Salmon on Potato Chip @ Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar, 5280 Dines

Boneless Berkshire Pork Chop @ Vesta Dipping Grill

Panang Curry Chicken @ Tuk Tuk Thai Grill

Pork Tenderloin @ ChoLon

S'mores Tart @ ChoLon

IPA Mac 'n' Cheese @ Hops & Pie

Crispy Risotto Arancini @ Linger

Thank you for following the Rocky Mountain Oyster in 2011. Happy New Year Everyone!

5280 Dines

5280 just published the The 25 Best Restaurants of Denver in their October 2011 issue.

They are hosting 5280 Dines this Wednesday, to celebrate the unveiling with dishes from chefs of 6 of the winning restaurants.

The Top 25 list contains a striking number of newcomers, a trend that I'm sure will only continue as Denver's restaurant scene matures.

Of note on the list: Mizuna (at #3), Duo (#17), and Opus (#21) have reviews here on the Rocky Mountain Oyster. Colt & Gray (#10) review is coming very soon.

I'm amazed at how many restaurants I haven't been to on the list, and disappointed that Root Down didn't get a place among the top restaurants.

See you all at 5280 Dines!