06 Spit: Top Beers and CO Beer Spots

-A Blue Moon at the Hotel Colorado outdoor bar- Any trip to Glenwood Springs would be remiss without a stop to this historic hotel. The claim to fame is Teddy Roosevelt stayed there and named the “teddy bear” in the Presidential suite. The real highlight is a awesome Mountain Summer night sipping a cold one with close friends and family.

-A Corona on the roof of the Downtown Tavern- Nothing hits the spot on a blazing Summer day better than a cerveza con limon on the LoDo rooftop. After a Rockies game, or a pregame wet-the-whistle is a must during the MLB season. If you stick around long enough and the suds flow a bit more freely, you may see some tatas in an impromptu “flashing war” with the other local bar rooftops.

-A Coors Original at the National Western Stock Show- Go old school and down a classic “Yellow Dog” with all the cowboys, vaqueros, ranchers, and city slickers at the NWSS. You can hang out in the basement of the complex at the bar, or go mobile while looking at miles of pleasant smelling livestock. Don’t forget your ten gallon hat, Wranglers, and shit kickers to match 16 ounces of Rocky Mountain refreshment.

-A CL at the Boulder Illegal Pete’s- As my tolerance for the Harvest House wore on (too many opposing fans, too much Miller- yuck!) we shifted to The Hill and the newer upstairs bar at Illegal Pete’s. With ice cold smoooooooooooth CL pints for $2, early games on the TVs, and giant burritos, this was the perfect place to discuss the ills of our 2-10 football team.

-A BL at the Carbondale Mountain Fair- A cold plastic bottle of the enemy's brew is a cool refreshement in the strange mountain town. Among hippies, artsy fartsy types, mountain men, Aspen elite, immigrants, and the everday folk, the international language of beer puts us all on the same page. (NOTE: This was the only time this past year that the Kid was told it was too early to have beer; they made me come back in 10 minutes when the beers were "ready".)

-A Bloody Mary at Denver Intl Airport- Okay, it’s not a beer, but crafting a Bloody Mary is a fine art, and DIA has it down. Whether you’re all geeked up to get to some tropical locale, going to root for your local team to lose, going to see Grandma and her dog Pebbles, or going to get shut down on a sales call, the DIA BM is the perfect elixir.

-A Green CL at Fado’s- The local LoDo Irish pub nearly quadruples its size on St. Patrick’s Day Saturday by renting out the entire Coors Field west parking lot. That’s enough room for countless Colorado denizens (home of the country’s second largest SP Parade) to get extremely drunk and pretend they’re Irish for a day on Golden’s finest with added green food coloring.

-A Michelob Ultra at Folsom Field- Who said they banned beer at Folsom in 1995? After a Memorial Day jaunt through Boulder in the 10K Bolder Boulder, the best reward for your physical fitness is an ice cold Ultra compliments of the race organizers.

-A CL on my front porch- My favorite beer is an ice cold smoooooooooth CL on my own front porch. Me and my beautiful wife and my mellow yellow dog sit back, relax, and watch our suburban world go by. Most of you will never make it to my porch, but you all have someplace similar and someone special to share a spot with like mine. Next time you’re there, take it in and crack a smile and think of the Kid at the SG Summer, because like me, there’s not a place in the world you’d rather be. Happy New Year!