Freshcraft

bditty187

Nebraska

4.13/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

I was told by a regional beer rep that Freshcraft was "built to take on Falling Rock." Whoa, okay... that raises one's expectations. Ironically, after having a couple pints at FR we headed to Freshcraft for a beer and then off to dinner. Upon walking up to it we seen they served food. Cool but the plan was to check it out, have a beer and go.

We both loved the vibe, clean, fresh, new... modern but homey. It was chill but still felt like a bar. It was a win-win. We like places like this, they had music playing, the TV was on sports but this was more "complex" than your average bar. There is a place in Omaha called Jake's that has the same hard to get vibe. We were sold. We sat at the bar by the bottles cooler. Wow, great selection of beers. The bartender handed us a menu. I looked for the tap list. Sorry, I wasn't impressed. For Denver I thought it was tame. Yes, plenty of great beers but not more than a couple I would call elite. Then I realized this place is not Falling Rock 2. I looked around at the people and the place... I wasn't so sure they want to be Falling Rock 2. Okay, so I moved past that notion. The first two beers I ordered they were out off. Of course, they were the only two beers I can't back home in Nebraska so I had a couple old favorites and just chilled.

We saw a few people eating and the food looked food. The menu sounded good so we pulled the trigger and stayed here for dinner. Jackpot. The fried pickles were rocking, thin cut like a potato chip. I ordered a burger and it was the best burger I've had in quite a while. My fiancée got the reuben and loved it. The food was fresh and delicious.

So once I got past what this place wasn't and realized what it was I really liked Freshcraft. If the tap selection had two or three "rare" beers, a crazy seasonal or two it would really standout. I want to come back.

The service was good, the bartender was new. He was attentive but didn't know anything about beer. One of the owners (I assume the beer geek of the two) talked to me for a moment and tried to make recommendations. His picks were safe. He seemed surprised when the Imperial Stout I wanted blew that I ordered a barleywine instead of the Dry Stout he recommended.

Overall, we really liked Freshcraft. I will be back. I love Falling Rock because of what they offer (beer-wise). Freshcraft... might be my second favorite bar in Denver. Very much recommended.

01-12-2011 18:06:43 | More by bditty187

spoony

Colorado

4.28/5  rDev +1.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4 | $$$

A-Freshcraft is located near my office in the heart of lower downtown Denver. The space is moderately-sized with a smaller bar up front, a half-dozen booths, and a smattering of tables toward the back. There are also a few, tightly-spaced tables on the sidewalk. The vibe is friendly, middle-market restaurant (think Chilis), but with a local, non-chain feel and an emphasis on beer.

Q-Freshcraft does a good job rotating their tap list to include a variety of high-quality brews from Colorado and elsewhere. The bottle list is also well-curated and seems like it rotates with some regularity. The beers are poured correctly and into appropriate glassware.

Ser-Most of the servers and bartenders know their beer and the restaurant menu. They are happy to answer questions regarding both, and will offer educated suggestions on beer and food pairings. Every now and again, the timing of food service will be off, or they will botch an order in a small regard (e.g., cole slaw instead of fries), but on the whole, the crew here does a good job.

Sel-On any given day, the tap list includes roughly twenty beers that are in pretty consistent rotation. I have never counted, but the bottle list includes at least 100 beers of various styles and sizes. Freshcraft also does a pretty decent job of bringing in rare beers on tap, e.g., they have poured PtY the past few years. Their import selection is not as solid as some places, but, on the other hand, their US selection is better than most.

F-I enjoy Freschcraft's food. It is one or two steps up in quality from bar food, but far from fancy or elegant. The sandwiches, in particular, are pretty tasty and make for a great lunch. The food is not anything mind-blowing, but I will happily eat lunch or dinner here.

V-The beer prices are on the higher side of reasonable, but nothing exorbitant. Food is reasonably priced and competitive for this part of town.

06-16-2013 20:36:54 | More by spoony

pinnser

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Might have found a new favorite spot in Denver. Great draft selection, great bottle selection, and a nice vintage selection of beer as well. Food and service were great. Family owned and operated, which is always nice. Will definitely be making many return trips.

06-06-2013 17:29:26 | More by pinnser

BigbROB

Illinois

4.67/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 5 | $$

Was here a couple times. Once during GABF and was amazing. The tap list and bottle list had some very rare desirable beers. The second trip back still had a great selection, but not nearly as rare. That is what is expected during GABF though. OVerall a great experience. If you can not get a seat though it can be a little annoying. Not a ton of room to just hang out and drink without a table. Not a problem usually except during GABF.

05-17-2013 14:21:51 | More by BigbROB

carteravebrew

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Ah Freshcraft, one of my favorite joints to take people from out of town. Exposed brick, a great menu with modern/eclectic food, and an impressive beer selection. I like it because there seems to be something for everyone: the food menu is diverse; they have a lot of different beers, wines, and liquor; they've got televisions with sports if you're interested but they don't deter from the rest of the atmosphere. I wish there was more standing room as it can get pretty crowded. The bartenders seem to be more informative and friendly than the table waitstaff, but that's almost typical nowadays. Reasonable pricing for downtown. Always one of my favorite stops.

07-06-2012 17:24:35 | More by carteravebrew

denver10

Colorado

4.45/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$

A very chill place to eat and drink. Laid back, to the bones, casual. A nice large bottle selection but its the rotating tap line up that is most impressive. The food is solid...they take casual food and prepare it with a little more attention and care than typical. My biggest complaint is their limited appetizer list, which is small and doesn't really offer anything of much appeal. I end up buying a salad instead which is good but I come here to eat and drink and I generally prefer to heat something a little heavier when I drink. Service is okay, they have a decent handle of the beers and food they serve. Value is in line with what you'd expect...affordable but sometimes I feel as though the price and portion size could be a little more balanced. Probably the result of their choice of ingredients they use to prepare these meals.

02-21-2012 16:55:25 | More by denver10

SalukiAlum

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This is one of my favorite beer bars! Nice simple tap selection, maybe 20 beers on tap, but always amazing selections! Then they have a cooler of bottled and canned beers that is on par with their tap selections. Went in for lunch this past Saturday and enjoyed a Great Divide Espresso Yeti with a very good breakfast burrito! Then my wife an I split a few barleywines from Lagunitas and Sierra Nevada. The service here is always excellent and the staff is very friendly and knowledgable. It goes to show you don't need 50+ taps to be a great beer bar. Service also goes a long way! Also a good place to watch sporting events, with some midwest influence definitely apparent. We will return!!! Great food and beer, they also ave great daily specials and happy hour specials.

01-30-2012 03:47:49 | More by SalukiAlum

ArrogantB

Colorado

4.18/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I recently went to this place after wanting to visit for several months. Its kind of long and narrow but on a Saturday afternoon it was roomy, plus they had happy hour from 3-7 which is unheard of on a Saturday. Craft selection is excellent, both bottles and taps. They had several beers on draft I had not seen elsewhere and the best part is they offer your choice of 16oz pints or 10oz glasses of all the drafts. This is very nice since I prefer to have several smaller beers. The menu was fairly priced and I ordered some garlic chile chicken wings which were delicious. I liked this place and will definitely return soon.

10-16-2011 22:56:42 | More by ArrogantB

JustEarl

Massachusetts

3.89/5  rDev -7.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2 | selection: 5 | $$

Great selection and well thought out. Did not eat here, we just stopped in for pint while in town. They had many signs around the bar and in the front windows advertising beer events during GABF week, but times and dates were unclear. Great Craft Spirit selection as well. Bartender seemed overwhelmed with having 6 patrons at the bar and had little time to show her hospitality. I will return next year when back in town, and encourage you to also stop in. There might just be too many events scheduled in the most popular places during GABF that overwhelm owners, servers, and Bartenders. Anything Negative with my review is probably atributed to the week's madness.

10-09-2011 02:18:06 | More by JustEarl

SeattleBeerBlog

Washington

3.95/5  rDev -6.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$$

Checked this out during GABF as well as a few others around town.

Overall it is a great beer bar with a great beer list, hands down if you want something different they will have it. Had a great Crooked Stave beer here, fantastic Fort Collins Brewery start up.

Food was good but not great. Basically exactly what I expected a great beer bar with good food (mac and cheese was pretty good). I had high expectations and they were met but not exceeded. Service was ok, and I played which way do I go with Sam from Dogfishhead down the bar, which at least gave me some indication of the quality of this place. Worth a try for sure.

10-08-2011 00:14:38 | More by SeattleBeerBlog