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Rock Bottom - Denver

(Brewpub)

Last updated: September 8, 2000

1001 Sixteenth Street #A-100
Denver CO 80202

Phone: +1 303-534-7616
Fax: +1 303-534-2129

Opened December 1, 1991.
Brewer: Deb Svaboda.
5,100 bbl annual capacity.

Very conveniently located on the 16th Street Mall...you can take the free bus instead of staggering around Downtown Denver. After my first visit in May 1995, I said that this place had the most consistently-tasty beer of any Colorado brewery, Wynkoop and CooperSmith's fans notwithstanding. I got a lot of comments about "mediocre" (or worse!) beer coming out of Rock Bottom lately, so I gave them another try on my last trip to Denver. The beer wasn't bad...it wasn't nearly as good as the last time, but it wasn't as bad as I'd heard, either. Stop by and make up your own mind. They get $3.50 a pint, whereas most other micros in the area were going for $2 or $2.50. Sampler sets go for $5.95.

Rock Bottom raised some $50 million in two public offerings, and plans to use the money to build even more brewpubs around the country. The same folks own Denver Chop House.

My Opinion Of The Beers That I've Tried:
16.5 points overall

• 16th Street Wheat
  Style 6 - American-style Pale Ale
  • 14.5 points - Beer #21-1707, at the brewery, September 27, 1996
    Golden, some haze, big head. Hint of wheat aroma. Sweet, good wheat flavor.

• Black Diamond Stout (beer engine)
  Style 6 - American-style Pale Ale
  • 16.5 points - Beer #8-542, at the brewery, October 22, 1994
    Black black, big brown head. Subdued burnt aroma. Burnt and bitter flavor. Lots of astringency...OK.

• Black Diamond Stout
  Style 11 - Stout
  • 14.5 points - Beer #21-1713, at the brewery, September 27, 1996
    Black enough, creamy head. Awfully clean aroma for a Stout. OK body, OK coffee flavor and finish.

  • 17 points - Beer #5-279, at the brewery, September 8, 1993
    Black opaque, good brown head. Very burnt aroma. Burnt flavor, a bit sour, contrary to their blurb. Thick, bitter, slightly astringent.

• Falcon Pale Ale
  Style 6 - American-style Pale Ale
  • 15.5 points - Beer #21-1710, at the brewery, September 27, 1996
    Golden-amber, good head. Fruity hop nose. Good body and balance. Malt and hop flavors work well together.

  • 18 points - Beer #5-276, at the brewery, September 8, 1993
    Tough to judge the color...we're outside, it's nighttime, and there's nothing but soft neon lights. I'd say "amber". Minimal head and carbonation. Nice caramel aroma...fresh hops, too. Great balance! Caramel flavors blend well with the hops. Fine body. (That goes for the beer, too...hi, Chris!) Just a bit too bitter in the finish, but OK. Crystal and Munich malts, Tettnanger (!) and Mt.Hood hops.

• KTBI ("Rockies") Rye
  Style 23 - Specialty Beer
  • 14 points - Beer #21-1709, at the brewery, September 27, 1996
    Dark golden, low carbonation, good head. Hint of rye aroma. Good body, very clean flavor. Rye is there, but subtle. This beer is named after a local radio station, and I'm not sure I got the call letters right.

• Molly's Titanic Brown Ale
  Style 4 - Mild / Brown Ale
  • 16 points - Beer #21-1712, at the brewery, September 27, 1996
    Brown, good head. Slightly toasty aroma. Thick, roasty, brown. Good bitter and roasty finish.

  • 19.5 points - Beer #5-278, at the brewery, September 8, 1993
    Deep deep red. Looks flat. Lots of crystal aroma. Holy cow. That's good beer. Perfect Brown Ale. VNI!

• Red Rocks Red (beer engine)
  Style 4 - Mild / Brown Ale
  • 17 points - Beer #8-541, at the brewery, October 22, 1994
    Red-amber hazy, great white head. Spicy nose, but subtle. Smooth, flat. Great caramel flavor, no bite at all.

• Red Rocks Red
  Style 4 - Mild / Brown Ale
  • 15.5 points - Beer #21-1711, at the brewery, September 27, 1996
    Red amber, good head. Hint of caramel aroma. Maltier than the Falcon. Good hop flavor and finish.

  • 16 points - Beer #5-277, at the brewery, September 8, 1993
    Certainly red, no head nor carbonation. Some aromatic caramel, but not much...and not much else. Lots of caramel flavor. Good hop balance. Great body. Another good beer. So far, these beers taste sort of the same, but the flavors get more assertive as you move up the line.

• Rockies Premium Draft
  Style 16 - American Lager
  • 14 points - Beer #21-1708, at the brewery, September 27, 1996
    Golden, low carbonation, good head. Hint of hop aroma. Good body, good hop flavor. Bitter finish goes away quickly. (How the mighty have fallen.)

  • 20 points - Beer #5-275, at the brewery, September 8, 1993
    Yellow, very clear. Very nice malt/hop balance. Flavors very well-balanced, and good body too. VNI. Crystal and Munich malts, Willamette, Mt.Hood, Cascade hops. Rockies? As in Rockies of Boulder? Naaah...

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