The job of writing reviews bars and breweries is somewhat silly work if you think about it. It’s a natural slacker’s job, a wordy drunk’s gloriously salvaged ship where he can sail the seas with Jack Daniels and Captain Morgan. But it feels nice when people say that they checked out a place after they read my review. I have only been going at this for a short while but I think there is a proper ratio of information and entertainment that must be had in any given review. It’s like mixing a cocktail. When you combine effort, interest, and a joy for what you do, the magic you make can excite and illuminate life even in the smallest ways. Ratio Beerworks in RiNo is working hard to find takes to find that perfect combination and it showed in spectacular form at a recent visit a friend and I had.
The Denver Hopper is looking for a logo and we started talking to a friend of mine about it. She is a crazy talented artist with a sweet and weird and wild streak. That’s how we like them here at The DH. Conventional be damned. We are here to party! So, Michelle and I decided that Ratio Beerworks, in the heart of the RiNo Neighborhood, would be a good place to discuss the logo and the realities of our existence.
Ratio Beerworks has the kind of layout that most would dream of with a giant outdoor space and ample seating inside. Open and Inviting. On the side of the building, there was a mural in progress when I visited. When we walked inside people were talking, life was happening and the last drops of summer were in the air.
I ordered a Rented World Session IPA and Michelle ordered a Hold Steady Dark Scotch Ale (with Novo Coffee) while a singer by the name of Alison Weiss set up her acoustic set. She had poise on that stage that made me nervous. I don’t have that in me but it was nice to see her stand and sing with passion and a raw, sandpaper emotion. Check her out at allisonw.com. The easy-to-drink session IPA complemented the music and the vibe, Rezzy’s Food truck waited if we were in need, the bartenders were friendly with $5 beers in hand, and Hold Steady with Novo Coffee is a treasure.
Michelle and I talked about the elements of the logo that will probably involve a rabbit drunk out of his mind, stumbling, and desperate for fun in the city that he loves. The Denver Hopper is coming to fruition, hopping along in life, and dying in the arms of you, Denver. But mostly we just caught up on life and people watched. As we chatted, I realized that a Bumble date that I stopped talking to after the date that was in a previous brewery review was there at the same time. Awkward times. These things happen.
We lined up a few more beers as the sunset. I had the Major Nights Lime Gose and I failed to write down what she had. I enjoyed the lightly tart and beautifully crafted beer as I watched that orange ball drop over the foothills with technicolored cotton shrapnel blasting off in every direction.
I leaned into that moment and took a deep breath. All that silliness melted away into purpose. We all need to take the magnitude of life in from time to time. With a logo in the works and vibrant lifelong friends by my side and great beer in tow – it’s clear why I am still here, in Denver, with you Hoppers. So, Cheers. Now go to Ratio Beerworks and find your existential sunset and some well-crafted brews and drink deep.
Ratio Beerworks
Website: ratiobeerworks.com
Address: 2920 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205