One of the most enjoyable aspects of reviewing bars and breweries is that makes an easy excuse, in a busy life, to hang out with old friends. It affords the opportunity to meet up and talk for a while about the life we have developed from different parts of the human experience. In this review I found myself hanging out in the RiN0 neighborhood of Denver proper with my high school English teacher and her kiddo at First Draft Taproom.
First Draft Taproom embraces the “do-it-yourself” mentality from the hand-crafted beer and food they provide to free-wheeling, pay by the ounce, pouring of said beers. Their model allows the visitor to take a leisurely stroll down some drunken highway or a brisk trot on a connoisseur carriage ride. And you do it all at your own pace. With over 40 taps of hand selected craft beers there was no rushing – only embracing the hot, mid-summer day.
After the initial “Hellos” and “How are you’s?” we walked down a long row of taps that you pour out to your desired amount. I tried a wee bit of The Menacing Strawberry Saison by Trinity Brewing Company and found myself filling up a whole glass at about $.70 and ounce. It was worth the price and I was well on my way.
I hadn’t seen my old teacher and her son in about a year. The little had graduated from a cute cuddly baby in a car seat to a walking, talking, pointing and exploring child. I have to say that First Draft Taproom had the right atmosphere to for the situation we had. The ambiance was open and inviting for all walks of life – it was family friendly and a mixed bag of young and relatively old.
We talked about life and all of that other human stuff and I was reminded of lessons she taught in my more formative years. She would constantly remind our English class that the first draft is only the beginning. You need rework and rewire the prose until it’s crafted down to a viable piece that satisfies the owner. But eventually, you have to be OK with the result.
Now, years later, as I sat on that patio sipping a Luponic Distortion No.2 from Firestone Brewing, I realized what she wasn’t just talking about writing. She was telling us one of the fundamental laws of getting the best out of oneself. Life is a work in progress, and if you think about it, much of life is spent in first-draft-mode. And then you die. Haha. Good teachers tell you things and let you discover delicious truths about life like that and Good bars like First Draft Taproom let you pour your own beer unveiling that good stuff to help keep you grounded in this life.
First Draft Taproom + Kitchen
Website: firstdraftdenver.com
Address: 1309 26th St. Denver, CO 80205