College Inn 4400 E 8th Ave, Denver CO (303) 329 9532
It's no coincidence that College Inn is my first official post. It's a sentimental favourite of mine, a place that I've been going to since I was 15. Since the legal drinking age in the US is an absurd 21 years old, that meant many years of visits, sans beer. So, being able to legally drink beer there now makes it that much sweeter.
What drew me to the place to begin with (besides its close proximity to where I lived) was their outstanding wings. It's been about eight years since I first chomped down on the crispy CI (that's what us regulars call it) wings and I have yet to find a place that matches. I've seen many changes over the years, some great, others not so. The price of wings is up to about 60 cents a wing, but there's always a discounted wing day and those are usually the best times to go. One of the better changes that I've noticed is their new non-smoking policy. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big fan of smoking bans in bars, but in the past a trip to the old CI would have left every article of clothing smelling like you'd just spent the day in Joe Camel's private smoking room. The atmosphere completely changed when they went non-smoking (your eyes wouldn't hurt anymore from being in there too long), and fortunately, they've kept smoking on their heated patio.
Beer selection is rather diverse at College Inn. There's usually some sort of deal on the big beers, but they also keep a good stock of micro-brews such as New Belgium (Fat Tire) and Odells (5 Barrel). If you don't like beer, they also have Jaggermeister on tap as well!
What makes CI so special is that, unlike many of the new sports bars nowadays, it's all about the sports, food and beer. TV's are everywhere and they carry pretty much anything worth watching. The room is divided by a 360 degree island bar. To one side are the pool tables and classic bar entertainment such as
Big Buck Hunter,
Golden Tee and an MP3 jukebox. On the other side of the bar is tiered table seating with more TV's than one could imagine.
Like any worthwhile bar, CI has nightly events from Poker and Trivia nights to live music. Quite frankly, CI has it all. Whether you're stopping by for an afternoon brew, burrito and some NTN trivia (there's usually always someone to play against) or looking for a fun evening with a young professional crowd (University of Colorado Med School is
currently located right across the street so you can usually spot more than a few scrubs kicking around) College Inn has what you're looking for
Ages ago I was in rambling around Europe, sampling all the libation delights of the old world. One that's stuck with me after all this time is the Cha Cha Cha in Budapest. The experience summed up a lot of what I've noticed about drinking in Europe. By day, it's a small drinking hole in a subway station in downtown Budapest. There's not a lot remarkable about it. There's room for four bar stools and a couple tables. At night, though, they pull out the foosball tables, extra tables and chairs, bring in a DJ, cover the lights with coloured fabric, and presto, a really cool bar. Drinking in public is not taboo over here. In some places, it's encouraged. You can crack open a case of beer on public transport and no one even lifts their eyes. The Cha Cha Cha was rocking that night. I was there with a bunch of crazed Belgians I had met at the hostel.
After chilling out for a bit and losing constantly at foos, we went up to the street and drank beer with a group of locals playing guitar. We went to countless shitty bars, but each one tend to have their own character and reason for existing. It's not to say that Europe is unique in this way, but it's certainly opened my eyes to the potential of drinking venues.