United Nations of Beer

Vine St. Pub, Denver

by Lucia Novara
(Denver, CO)

Vine St. Pub
Mountain Sun Brewery, Denver, CO, USA

If I were to recommend someone the perfect place for a low-key beer on a Denver summer night, I would steer them to Vine St. Pub's patio.

The place is a perfect combination of opposites: totally relaxed but with great service, totally hippie but shockingly light on hair in your food, totally low key (no TV), but lively- the kind of place where no one minds if you want to form a human pyramid once in a while.

I've enjoyed a few different beers there in my time, but this review was dedicated only to the Mountain Sun Brews, crafted at their parent brewery in Boulder. Much like a parent who thinks their kid is getting all As in school, only to discover their kid is actually a Labrador Retriever, I was shocked and disillusioned.

Only one of the five I tried was even okay, the rest a watery graveyard paved with good intentions and wasted hops. I'm sorry, Vine St. I still love you and your sassy chalkboard art, I just can't hang with your house brews. Links to my reviews:

Quinn's Golden Ale
Blackberry Wheat
Annapurna Amber
Colorado Kind Ale
Isadore Java Porter

The general blah-ness of the house brews is the bad news on Vine St. Pub, the good news is they have a selection of other beers to choose from as well. So fear not, you can still enjoy this mecca of good times kids and summer fun in Denver with a good beer.

Just steer clear of the house blends- good advice for potential Vine St. Pub patrons and Charles Manson's cellmate, both.