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Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery — Denver

Denver, Colorado, United States
Bar/Tasting Room

1001 16th Street #A-100
Denver CO 80202
Telephone: +1 303-534-7616
Brewer: John McClure
[Contact] [Map] [Update]

Notes

Updated: November 11, 2008

Visited: September 29, 2004

Opened: 1991

Annual Production: 5,100 bbl

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.

Beer List

16th Street Wheat

Light American Wheat Ale or Lager with Yeast
- Date: September 27, 1996 (#1707)
  
  Package: draught
  
  Place: at the brewery
  
  Score: 14½ points
  
  Overall Impression
  Golden, some haze, big head. Hint of wheat aroma. Sweet, good wheat flavor.

Black Diamond Stout

Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout

Date: September 27, 1996 (#1713)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 14½ points

Overall Impression
Black enough, creamy head. Awfully clean aroma for a Stout. OK body, OK coffee flavor and finish.
Date: October 22, 1994 (#542)

Package: real ale

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16½ points

Overall Impression
Black black, big brown head. Subdued burnt aroma. Burnt and bitter flavor. Lots of astringency...OK.
Date: September 8, 1993 (#279)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression
Black opaque, good brown head. Very burnt aroma. Burnt flavor, a bit sour, contrary to their blurb. Thick, bitter, slightly astringent.

Falcon Pale Ale

American-Style Pale Ale

Date: October 24, 2007 (#6664)

Package: bottled

Place: Hy-Vee, Council Bluffs IA

Score: 13 points

Appearance (3)
Bright deep golden. Some flakes. Huge fluffy head.

Aroma (3)
Huge fresh malt, a hint of smoke. Lots of Belgian fruitiness and spice.

Mouthfeel (6)
Huge, chewy beer. Fairly fizzy. Intense maltiness. Oddly bitter. Mild alcohol flavor at the end. Not balanced. Autolyzed.

Overall Impression (1)
"Best by March 06". That explains it.
Date: September 27, 1996 (#1710)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15½ points

Overall Impression
Golden-amber, good head. Fruity hop nose. Good body and balance. Malt and hop flavors work well together.
Date: September 8, 1993 (#276)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 18 points

Overall Impression
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.

Date: September 27, 1996 (#1709)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 14 points

Overall Impression
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.

Date: September 29, 2004 (#5428)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 18 points

Appearance (3)
Bright brownish. Nice white head.

Aroma (3)
Big fruity hops.

Mouthfeel (9)
Light-medium body. Nicely malty with a big fruity hop flavor and a mild bitterness. Tasty clean finish.

Overall Impression (3)
This beer was brewed by five Denver brewers. I also tasted it at Denver Chop House and at Breckenridge.

Date: September 27, 1996 (#1712)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression
Brown, good head. Slightly toasty aroma. Thick, roasty, brown. Good bitter and roasty finish.

Date: September 8, 1993 (#278)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 19½ points

Overall Impression
Deep deep red. Looks flat. Lots of crystal aroma. Holy cow. That's good beer. Perfect Brown Ale. Very nice indeed!

Date: September 29, 2004 (#5427)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Black. Good dense head.

Aroma (3)
Spicy, earthy hops.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium-big body. Creamy, chocolatey. Nicely roasty. Finishes sweet and milk-chocolatey.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: September 27, 1996 (#1711)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15½ points

Overall Impression
Red amber, good head. Hint of caramel aroma. Maltier than the Falcon. Good hop flavor and finish.

Date: October 22, 1994 (#541)

Package: real ale

Place: at the brewery

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression
Red-amber hazy, great white head. Spicy nose, but subtle. Smooth, flat. Great caramel flavor, no bite at all.

Date: September 8, 1993 (#277)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression
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.

Date: September 27, 1996 (#1708)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 14 points

Overall Impression
Golden, low carbonation, good head. Hint of hop aroma. Good body, good hop flavor. Bitter finish goes away quickly. (How the mighty have fallen.)

Date: September 8, 1993 (#275)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 20 points

Overall Impression
Yellow, very clear. Very nice malt/hop balance. Flavors very well-balanced, and good body too. Very nice indeed. Crystal and Munich malts, Willamette, Mt.Hood, Cascade hops. Rockies? As in Rockies of Boulder? Naaah…

Date: September 29, 2004 (#5426)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15 points

Appearance (3)
Bright red-brown. Nice thick head.

Aroma (3)
Mildly malty, toasty.

Mouthfeel (7)
Medium body. Very low carbonation — a little too low, even for a German beer. Real tasty toasty sweet malty flavor from start to finish. Very mild hop flavor in the finish.

Overall Impression (2)
Good beer, but it's missing something.