Denver Beer Fest - Part 3 - My Firkin Beer Blog

It’s hard to believe that three weeks have passed since I was at the Denver Beer Fest. Time flies when you are having fun!

One of my stops in Denver felt more like a stop in London. Pint’s Pub is a celebration of British food, culture, and beer.

Pint's Pub celebrates British food, culture, and beer. — Pint’s Pub celebrates British food, culture, and beer.

As soon as you walk in the door, you are transported to England. You’ll find photos of the Royal Family, a British phone booth, photographs of British landmarks, and prominent displays of the Union Jack.

Pint's Pub brews British-style ales. — Pint’s Pub brews British-style ales.

In addition to beer, Pint’s Pub offers the largest selection of Single Malt Whisky outside of Britain. My next Denver trip may just focus on sampling single malt whiskies at Pint’s Pub!

Single malt whiskies line the walls in the bar at Pint's Pub. — Single malt whiskies line the walls in the bar at Pint’s Pub.

The Denver Beer Fest featured a local Beer Trail guidebook and Pint’s Pub was included in the guide. It’s easy to taste why. The brew pub offers numerous self-created brews (known as Pint’s Pub Artisan Brews) in the British style that are tasty and well worth the stop. Here are my tasting notes (all samples were provided on tap).

Pint’s Pub Dark Star Ale – Cask Conditioned (6.4% ABV): Dark Star is a Yorkshire-style Olde Ale. The beer pours a dark brown color with beige foam. Dark Star has an aroma of malt and molasses. This ale is light-bodied with very mild cask conditioned carbonation. Dark Star tastes of mildly sweet malt and more malt. The ale has a mild hoppy and floral finish that is dry. This British-style treat is delicious!

Pint’s Pub Sir Perry Traditional English Pear Cider (5% ABV): This review is provided by my daughter. Sir Perry pours the color of a golden pear. The cider has a slight pear scent with a smell like a sparkling white wine. Sir Perry has tiny, tiny bubbles that tickle you tongue. The cider has a strong pear flavor that is not too sweet. Sir Perry is a little dry with a crisp finish and the alcohol is not noticeable. Sir Perry is a very good cider. I’d order it again in a heartbeat.

Pint’s Pub John Bull Brown Ale (5.2% ABV): This ale pours a clear light brown (almost amber) color with beige foam. John Bull has a malt biscuit aroma with hints of caramel and toffee. This ale is light-bodied with mild carbonation and has a flavor of malt and mild chocolate. I enjoyed the flavors but the beer tasted a little thin to me.

Pint’s Pub Airedale Pale Ale (5% ABV): This ale pours a clear amber and gold color with off-white foam. Airedale has a hop floral aroma with malt that is wonderfully highlighted by the scent of clover honey. The ale is light-bodied with mild carbonation. Airedale tastes of mild malt and clover honey with a mild hop finish and lingering hops bitterness integrated with honey. This ale is very good.

Overall we had a fun time at Pint’s Pub. Our server was friendly and very attentive. I look forward to returning and sampling Single Malt Whiskies!

Later in the day, I visited Falling Rock Tap House. Falling Rock Tap House serves a wide selection of craft beer and serves as a center for craft brewery events during the Denver Beer Fest and Great American Beer Festival.

Falling Rock Tap House is a key stop for premier brewery events during the Denver Beer Fest and GABF.

The beer board at Falling Rock Tap House lists special offerings that won't be found on the printed menu. — The beer board at Falling Rock Tap House lists special offerings that won’t be found on the printed menu.

During the Denver Beer Fest, many breweries feature beers at Falling Rock Tap house that have been submitted to GABF as well as other special releases. Be certain to check the “beer board” for beers that are not on the printed menu.

Falling Rock Tap House hosts numerous GABF events.

I sampled two beers while at Falling Rock Tap House – Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist and Oskar Blues Barrel Aged Sour Cherry. My tasting notes follow.

Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout (11.7% ABV): This stout pours a deep dark black color with nice brown foam that left a great lace curtain. Big Bad Baptist has a massive aroma of wonderful dark roasted coffee and Belgian dark chocolate with just a hint of molasses. This stout is full-bodied with moderate carbonation. Big Bad Baptist tastes of espresso with assertive dark chocolate followed by a hint of sweet milk chocolate and mild anise. The stout has a nice hops bitterness at the end with a dryish finish. Big Bad Baptist has excellent strong flavors that pound your tastebuds. Dark chocolate is definitely the dominate flavor. Give me the hymnal! I’m here to sing praises for Big Bad Baptist.

Oskar Blues Barrel Aged Sour Cherry (8% ABV): This beer pours prune juice black with thin brown foam. The beer pours smells like a box of raisins. Sour cherry is medium to full-bodied with mild carbonation. The beer tastes of tart/sour cherries followed by roasted malt, wood, and tannin. This beer offers puckery flavor but wasn’t as refined as I expected.