Great Divide Brewing Company

MilwaukeeCrusher

Wisconsin

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

Stopped in one evening and the place was stomped. After waiting a little bit of time, and I had beer and it was exceptional, as expected. Their choices were as well, which made me think about how I would like to maybe spend more than a few hours here and the difficulties it was exert on my wallet and my orientation relative to altitude sickness. In the beer carnival that is Denver this is its shining star to me in regards to beer. The drawbacks are the diminished hours open, the relative small size of the brew pub, and its locale isn't exactly in the most ideal place (a homeless shelter is half a block away). If they build a facility on the outskirts of town that is laid out like some of the nice "experiences" I had in Michigan, this brewery would probably get a perfect score... but because of the beer, the choices, and the quality I will definitely have to go back again.

01-08-2011 20:19:52 | More by MilwaukeeCrusher

JEdmund

Kansas

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $

My wife and I had a great time visiting Great Divide's tap room while in Denver one Friday evening. Each bar tender we interacted with was genuinely friendly and helpful. We came during happy hour, so our two Titans only cost $6. Then the bar tender alerted us to the fact that everyone (new?) gets to have four free samples! And these are pretty generous pours. After lining up 8 samples, he then lines up two more of the casked Smoked Baltic Porter. After going through all the beers, we were done for--and had only spent $6. So, we purchased a number of glasses and a t-shirt (also all reasonably priced), and they tossed in a dozen free stickers and three bottle openers.

I already loved Great Divide beer, but the great time we had at the tap room ensured we will be returning each time we visit Denver, and it's a place I will encourage others to seek out while in the city.

12-06-2010 15:54:16 | More by JEdmund

ferrari29

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $

Walking into Great Divide I was not immediately impressed with the overall setup of the place. It's kind of small, and the bar takes up a lot of the space in the front room. We had a chance to take a took of the facility, which is again, pretty small compared to some of the other breweries I have visited in the past. But the staff was extremely knowledgeable, and at the time they were very excited about the million dollar bottling machine they purchased. Having that bottling machine meant they could increase production and meet the growing demand in US & Japan. With all that work I find it hard to believe that every GD brew comes out of that facility, but it does. For that I applaud the owners and workers on a job well done. Another thing sparked my interest is the fact that everyone strolls into work on a bike. I'm floored by the fact that people do that, since I work in downtown Chicago and deal with traffic all day. They also had a sincere appreciation for what they did and you can tell from the looks on their faces that they loved their job quite a bit. Great stuff.

After taking the tour, the bartender shared with my wife and I a wide selection of beers they had on tap for the weekend, Hoss, Titan IPA, Hades, Yeti, Hercules Double IPA, and Wild Raspberry Ale (one of my favorites). As you can tell we had quite a few brews but it made for a great occasion, especially when we got our tab. It was only $16.00. I also bought a bottle of 15th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA. It was a a great beer!

It's also located in a great area, down the street from Coors Field. We made our way over to watch a really good game between the Rockies and the Pirates. So that made for quite a pleasurable experience. Overall good town, good facility and great beer!

11-05-2010 22:14:56 | More by ferrari29

codewarrior

New York

3.28/5  rDev -21.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | $$

Having lived in Denver for a number of months now, it's surprising that I just got around to the Great Divide Tap Room.

The Tap Room is a long, skinny affair, resembling more a lower-east-side hole-in-the-wall than a Denver brewpub (although lacking any of the nuanced quaintness of such a Manhattan haunt). There is a nice patio out front, and the decor is generally pseudo-industrial in the tap room, and genuine industrial everywhere else.

Everything on tap was something I could find regularly in a bottle store. I understand that this is Great Divide, and I live in Denver, but I've become used to having a few brewery only tappers running at pretty much every brewery around these parts. That being said, you can get anything they have on tap for the most part, and they'll crack a bottle for you if they aren't tapping it at the moment. Did slightly better with the bottles (snagging a bunch of Old Ruffian 2009 bottles for the road).

Having said that, the staff was extremely helpful (in spite of the business), knowledgeable about beer (and also about great divide brewing schedules for 2010/2011), and pretty awesome to talk to.

Snagged a growler of Hoss on the way out, so much better fresh. All in all it was a good brewery trip, and great divide beer is hard to beat ... just come to expect a lot at breweries. I'm spoiled out here.

11-02-2010 14:11:30 | More by codewarrior

Prospero

Colorado

4.66/5  rDev +12%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

I've been here a couple times in the last 2 months. (9/2010-10/2010)

First time I went with a friend, early September early afternoon. Bar was moderately busy, there's a bar to sit at and more bar seating behind the bar, along with 3 round tables or so with high-back chairs to sit at. Service as usual is great. You get 4 free samples of whatever they have on tap that day, typically about 10 beers on tap, occasionally one on cask, and you can sample anything they have bottled as well, if it's not on tap they'll open a bottle for you. Pints after that are $4, pretty standard fare. Always great beer on tap.

Went a couple more times with family & friends and had pretty much the same experience. They do tours on the hour every hour upon request. Colin who's almost always there gives a great tour. It's a smaller brewery so it only takes about 30-minutes, but the staff is VERY knowledgeable about the beer and the process and I felt like they did an excellent job making it interesting and fun while answering a lot of good questions.

The brewery often holds events about twice or more times a month. Some with food, some tapping events. I went to an awesome event releasing Fresh Hop & Hibernation and the event was a blast. They had great live music and a local food-truck type food setup. It was $15/person for 4 pints and 2 food servings. Really good deal, and the beer was awesome.

The atmosphere is great as well, as it's just off the main 16th Street mall about 3-4 minute walk. They have a patio where you can sit and enjoy the 300 days of sun we get in Denver. They have hops growing outside and just a fun place to be. It does get crowded on weekends and gamedays, but for the most part I feel like most of the patrons are connoisseurs of beer or at least appreciate craft beer. I enjoy this place a lot and always wish I could come here more often.

11-01-2010 19:33:28 | More by Prospero

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev -1.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

July 31, 2010; visited 3:30-5:30pm

After a quick and bewildering drive through a neighborhood where both my parents used to live (mom grew up less than 10 blocks up Arapahoe, near Curtis Park), S and I let Dad head over to Coors Field while we 'pre-gamed' at Great Divide.

The taproom is a smallish and fairly austere corner of the larger brewery, just a daylit white room with minimal schwag/decor, a narrow stretch of bar (too tight for comfort on a stuffy day) and a pair of doors leading to the brewery (tanks and barrels and raw materials just inside). After standing for a few minutes, we opted for the last outside table available of about 10, tucked around the corner near the loading yard; I sat below a GDBC mural painted on the concrete edifice.

Simple beer system here. First 4 sample pours (mini-snifters) are free. Yes, I said FREE. After that, they're $4 pints/snifters. Happy Hour discounts on weekdays knock off a dollar. We sampled Hades, Hoss, Claymore and Yeti (regular), all very good and VERY fresh. Over the course of two hours, my wife had two full Hades pours (she loves those Belgian goldens) and I went with Hoss and then a wonderful Espresso Yeti. Server Colin was lighting fast, efficient but friendly (AND he led the final tour of the day!). It helped to have cash to pay the tab as we went; a tip: have your ID ready, they check it every time.

We missed out on the tour (seen a few breweries in my day and wife was more interested in sittin' & drinkin'), but I'd gladly do it next time. And there will be a next time ~ certainly a worthy stop (AND I want my red 'bottlecap' t-shirt that they were SOLD OUT of! ~ oh well, got a cool glass instead)

One side note: on the way in, we met a local couple who struck up a conversation about my 'Double Mountain' t-shirt. They gave some solid Denver-area advice and mentioned they loved visiting Portland. So, cheers, Britt & Bailey ~ if you're reading this, look us up when you're back in the NW!

08-02-2010 17:49:33 | More by msubulldog25

birchstick

Missouri

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 2 | $

I came to GD after hearing really good things / having a couple of recommendations. I walked into to a really small, crowded brewpub, which is good that it is being supported and bad if you want to try getting numerous drinks. I was hoping for some special, tap-room only brews but was disappointed to find their regular line-up, all of which I can get in St Louis. However, between my brother and I we were able to sample all but one of their beers for free, which was really nice / unexpected. I also did the tour, which was your run-of-the-mill micro tour, but it was cool to see. I would recommend going here if you have time in Denver to kill, but I would rather stay north and go to other breweries.

07-26-2010 01:33:06 | More by birchstick

champ103

Texas

3.7/5  rDev -11.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

I finally had a chance to visit Great Divide after a week in Denver. When I first walk in I am a little unimpressed. A very small patio outside, with a very small and cramped bar inside. No air conditioning. Very hot and crowded. Then I remind myself that I am at a brewery, not a bar. Then I remind myself that everyone here is here for really good craft beer. I get to talking to the patrons and the bartenders. After thinking about it, everything is cool. The service was attentive, and knowledgeable. Overall a very good atmosphere.

There was a decent selection, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. I can get everything at the tap room either in a beer store/bar in Denver, and most everything in Houston. Not that what they had on tap was bad, just predictable. On tap was Belgican, Hades, Titan IPA, Hercules, Hoss, Samurai, Pils, and the Claymore Scotch Ale. Along with some of there bottled anniversary beer and some of their RIS's. There were a few tours when I visited as well.

Overall, a very good brewery. Not one of my favorites, but still very enjoyable. A place you have ti visit if you are in downtown Denver.

07-24-2010 00:29:49 | More by champ103

jeremyn

Colorado

3.59/5  rDev -13.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | $

Went here this afternoon with 3 friends and it was quite crowded.

We snagged a table outside pretty quickly but had to go inside to order. No problem. 4 free samples per person is nice. If you share, you can taste their entire lineup with two people. But that's part of the problem. Only 8 beers at a tap room? Pretty much all of the special releases and seasonals were unavailable. I was disappointed.

The beer we tried was hit or miss. Really poor showing on the two belgian styles we tried (a strong golden and a saison), but that's not really what they're known for. IPAs were solid...so were the imperial stout and barleywine.

Nice vibe, and we had a good time. I was just a little disappointed that I couldn't try some of their harder-to-find beers.

03-14-2010 03:09:41 | More by jeremyn

alli4051

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev -4.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Tiny but comfortable tap room attached to the main brewery. They do regular brewery tours which we just missed. Place was busy but not at all uncomfortable while we were there. Obviously they offer Great Divide offerings exclusively and they will open a bottle of something to try if its not on tap, which I thought was a really nice touch. While it may not be my favorite brewery this is definitely a nice place to chill and have a casual beer. Location is nice too since considering its in downtown Denver a few blocks away from the ballpark.

02-26-2010 05:04:39 | More by alli4051