stride and TRVE, Denver
The trip involved a lot of walking, willingness to be flexible, more walking, and general attitude of curiosity. By day two I could feel altitude sickness setting in, something I have struggled with my whole traveling life. But with lots of water, some deep breathing, and Advil, it was bearable.
The daunting list of breweries to be tackled was only growing as more and more beer fanatics made suggestions.
On Monday at the conference I got to hear many incredible speakers who were quite inspiring. I’ll point you to three of them worth investigating, before we get to the serious drinking.
After the conference I stumbled upon a chic little gift shop called I Heart Denver featuring all locally made items, some of which are soon to be given as gifts.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
On Tuesday Lillian met me at TRVE (pronouced “true”) brewing which is south of the capitol and has a heavy metal theme, not unlike Minnesota’s Surly, but even more overt.
The first brewery of the trip was a great place to start! I let the tattooed bartender at TRVE pick out a flight for me and was not at all disappointed. With beers named after metal songs and a variety of styles, we both enjoyed ourselves despite my sunburn and Lillian’s brewing head cold.
The Black Cascade is classified as an American Black ale, and while slightly too roasted to be called a Cascadian Dark Ale, it is quite close (I don’t know if that is why Cascade is in the name). It was another winner with an impressive and intriguing combination of piney and cirusy hops, not something often found in a beer of this color.
TRVE is a great space for socializing and enjoying solid beer. They seem on the verge of some more creative and interesting beers, and I am excited to see what comes out of these barrels. TRVE has a strong personality, especially in a city dominated by breweries.