Arvada Beer Company

Having walked right past the Arvada Beer Company last week on our way to the Braun Taphaus, we returned this week to sample the local beers. Located literally just opposite of the Braun, Arvada Beer Company brews on premise and offers a large tap room to taste their brews. They neither bottle or can, but do offer beer to go in growlers or kegs, and provide kegs to locale bars. With no kitchen, the owners allow food to be brought in from local restaurants. Sharing the building with them is Manneken Frites, offering Belgian style pom frites with a selection of sauces. The tap room is family friendly, with board games in the corner and sports on the TV. There is limited outdoor seating in warmer weather.

Our selections of the night:

• Lemon Shandy - A Golden ale mixed with lemonade. I have heard of this mixture also called a Bicycle. The sweetness of the lemonade is offset by the hoppy ale. A good summer drink.
• Ralston Golden  Ale - A balance of malt and hops, crisp and clean. Named after the first man to find gold in the area in 1850.
• Pool Hall Porter - Dark but clear porter with a coffee taste. Mari passed on this one.
• Arvada Irish Red - Amber colored, well balanced, almost neutral.
• Vanilla Porter - Limited special brew, the vanilla was very forward, with a cocoa taste on the back of the mouth. We both liked this beer.
• Winter Schwarzweiss - Seasonal black wheat beer with marshmallow points.
• Sour Cherry - Cherry added to the Irish Red, aged in a whiskey barrel for 11 months with lactobacillus yeast added to sour the beer. Subtle cherry taste with a true sour beer. I liked this beer very much.

We order a pizza from the D Note, just two doors down, and it was delivered to our table at Arvada Beer. Good hand made pizza to complement good hand made beer. Mari ordered a half pint of the Vanilla Porter and I had a Sour Cherry. A nice Friday night in Old Town Arvada.

Here is a link to a great story about the owners of Arvada Beer.