Drinking Local in the South Denver Suburbs

The Denver beer scene keeps expanding outward in every direction, with great beer being brewed in many of the city's surrounding communities. I recently visited one of the newest breweries in the southern part of the metro area, Grist Brewing Company in Highlands Ranch. What I found was a sizable, inviting taproom that served a wide variety of high quality beer.

In brewing, the term "grist" means the milled grains that are steeped with warm water to produce the base of the beer. All beer recipes start with a grist of whatever types of grains used to produce that particular style. Grist Brewing, which opened in October of 2013, showcases beers that have German, English, Belgian, and American origins, and which are mostly true to their style. The facility features 6,700 square feet of brewing and taproom space, which provide plenty of room to serve a lot of customers and carry out brewing operations. The large, horseshoe-shaped bar is in the middle of the taproom, with tables surrounding it. The decor is simple and somewhat industrial, but it works for the space. Food trucks are on-site on certain nights to satisfy customers' hunger. During this visit, East Coast Joe's was serving up delicious seafood-based comfort food.

Wanting to get a taste of everything on tap, I shared with my wife, Kris, a flight of samples of all nine beers Grist currently serves. The more sessionable beers include a Kolsch, a hefeweizen, an English brown ale, and an American nitro stout. Three beers are in the 7% ABV range - an English IPA, an American IPA, and a hoppy stout. A Belgian strong ale and Russian Imperial Stout round out the menu, providing some serious kick at close to 10% ABV or higher. Everything was very good, but the beers that stood out to me most were the American IPA, hoppy stout, and Belgian strong ale, the latter of which I ordered a glass after the sampler glasses were gone. Named 3rd Ring Belgian Strong, it's a delicious and complex beer that's surprisingly delicate for clocking in at 9.6% ABV. It's a medium-bodied golden ale with pear and apple notes, and very well-balanced Belgian flavors and aroma.

It's great to experience local beer in a place like Highlands Ranch, long often thought to be just a bedroom community of Denver. Many craft beer lovers live in the Denver suburbs, so the need for more local beer exists in all parts of the metro area. I applaud brewers like those at Grist who have seized the opportunity to satisfy that need, adding more depth and diversity to Colorado's booming craft beer scene.