It is getting warmer here in Denver, and one of the things I love to do after attending an afternoon Colorado Rockies baseball game is to have a beer on the Wynkoop Brewing Company's patio. It is just two blocks south of Coors Field, and you can sit, have a beer, and watch all the fans going past as they leave the ballpark, usually after another loss. This brewery was started by current Senator John Hickenlooper and his partners back in 1988 in what is now called LoDo (officially, the Lower Downtown Historic District), although back then instead of an entertainment district it was more like skid row. Then came Coors Field, dozens of bars and restaurants, lots of lofts (including directly above the Wynkoop), and all manner of hipsters ready to party. The Wynkoop is located in the J.S. Brown Mercantile Building, built in 1899, which thanks to its high ceilings and historic charm makes it the perfect place to brew and drink beer.
The bar area at the Wynkoop is indeed a very cozy place to sit, but when the weather turns nice, the patio is definitely the place to hang out and is where I took the photograph on the right of my sister Susan, seen enjoying a pint. In addition to the brewery, Hickenlooper also renovated the upper floors into 15 lofts, one of which was owned at one time by Joyce Meskis, who made the Tattered Cover Bookstore into a one of the largest bookstores in the country at the time. Years ago, there was an annual LoDo loft tour every October, and one of the lofts open to the public was her loft, which I myself got to tour. A very fun experience. And I was so overwhelmed by that experience, I had to immediately head downstairs for a beer. Very handy indeed.
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