Home Sweet City

Alright, I suppose I have to stop putting this off. It’s one of those situations where the longer it goes, the more there is to write, so I put it off, and on and on. You know.

We’ve been in Denver for about a week, and I gotta say, it is so nice to be back in a city! I’ve been falling in love with small Colorado towns along the way, but there was something about my first day here, reading in a coffee shop surrounded by young people on laptops and a latte in my hand that makes me go Ah, that’s better! Denver is completely fantastic, and a real contender in the Quest for a New Home. It’s got all of the elements: the coffee, the weather, the food, the music, and plenty of the must-have hipsters on bikes. Oh, and the sweet, sweet microbrews. :)

One of the main reasons I wanted to come to Colorado was for the beer. They have more microbreweries per capita than any other state, and my goal has been to try as many of them as possible, sampling as many different kinds as I can get my hands on. I’m up to seven breweries. Pagosa Springs has an awesome brewery! Their taster tray included all of their beers (usually you have to choose just a few), and all the beers were solid. But the reason it’s getting special mention was their Alaskan Salmon Fish and Chips. We made it to Durango for two days, but it’s not quite “the season,” so all the outdoor activities were pretty much unavailable. But they have four breweries! Dinner and tasting at one, then on to another taster tray at one of the others, two nights in a row. We ended up preferring the Carver Brewing Company, which had some really fantastic specialty beers. Dark Belgians and Cask ales are quickly becoming my and Sam’s favorites. (My and Sam’s? Sam and I’s? Where are the grammar nazis when you need them?)

In Denver, so far, we’ve only made it to Wynkoop and Great Divide. Wynkoop was ok… nothing to write home about, although I hear the food is really good. Great Divide, however, is awesome! They specialize in high-flavor, high-alcohol beers, and I didn’t have a single one I didn’t like. Colette, Hades and Wild Raspberry Ale are perfect for a spring or summer day. The Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti is seriously something special. Sam had a couple of IPA’s he was excited about. Not to mention the whole thing smells like a brewery, which just adds to the experience, and the bar tenders and patrons are really cool as well. Saturday will be my very favorite, Breckenridge Brewery, and it looks like there are about 17 more. Clearly we will not get to all of them.

So other than beer tasting, I went to an Earth Day fair, we’ve been to a Nuggets vs. Clippers game, a Rusko/DJ Shadow/Paper Diamond show on 420, and mostly have otherwise been hiking around parks and eating at some of Denver’s top restaurants (subsequent review blog to follow). I’ve also gotten to spend some time with my Aunt Donna and Uncle Denny, and their family of eight kids, plus a son-in-law and new granddaughter. It’s quite the zoo! Oh, and I didn’t do anything for three days besides read the Hunger Games trilogy. I’m totally on the bandwagon... I saw the movie and had to know what happened next! I’ve been only in the mood to read novels lately… I finished American Gods before that, and am anxious to get started on the next Sword of Truth book, if I can even remember what was happening! Anybody have any good fiction book suggestions?

So that’s about it for now. Voltron seems to be holding up, at least since we got here. Fingers crossed. I’m sorry to everyone I need to call… you know who you are. I love you guys, and everyone back home and I hope you’re doing awesomesauce!