World of Beer Holds Its Own Among Denver Beer Bars

I'll admit I was skeptical about World of Beer in southeast Denver. As part of a national chain of craft beer taverns, I wasn't sure World of Beer could measure up to the level of character and quality that many Colorado Front Range beer bars have set. After finally stopping in and checking the place out on a recent Saturday night, I'm happy to say I was wrong. World of Beer stands up to the best of Denver's craft beer bars in many ways, starting with its vast selection of draft and bottled beers.

World of Beer was founded in 2007 in Tampa, Florida, and has since launched dozens of franchises around the country. The Denver location opened in early 2013 in the CitySet development in Cherry Creek, which includes a handful of great restaurants and a couple of hotels. There's also a World of Beer franchise in the Belmar shopping center in Lakewood, and one in the works in downtown Denver. For a corporate chain of bars, World of Beer has a surprisingly authentic look and feel inside. There are logo signs from different U.S. craft breweries lining the walls and upper area railing. Brick walls placed strategically around the interior, including behind the bar, add a nice touch. There's no food service, which may surprise and frustrate unknowing patrons. However, World of Beer allows food to be brought in or delivered, and there are plenty of nearby options if you choose to go this route.

Sitting at the bar, my experience is that service was friendly and relatively quick, even when the place became packed. The draft menu is excellent, with more than 50 rotating taps of craft beer from near and far. There were a lot of beers I haven't seen on tap at other bars, so I was able to try beers that were new to me. One such beer was the Bourbon Barrel Aged Quad from Funkwerks in Fort Collins. Funkwerks is a great brewery known for crafting saisons and other Belgian style ales, and just won a silver medal at the 2014 World Beer Cup for its Belgian Style Golden Ale named Deceit. The Quad is an excellent complex Belgian strong ale with flavors of vanilla, bourbon, caramel, and dark fruits. It's smooth and highly drinkable despite its elevated ABV of 11.5 percent.

In addition to the extensive draft list, the bottle and can selection includes hundreds of beers from all over the world, filling several large coolers behind the bar. It's quite impressive how much choice World of Beer gives customers who stop in to savor and explore. World of Beer also hosts special events like its recent sour beer night and Epic Brewing tap takeover. While I love to check out a lot of different beer bars, this is one that I'll definitely return to sooner rather than later.