Regular Joe's Guide

First visit: Sep 2022 I haven't been to Casper since 1994, a trip that wasn't accompanied by many memories. It was a couple of years before Mrs. RJG had entered the picture and I was in my first residence with Colorado Springs. For whatever reason, I hopped into my Mitsubishi Eclipse with a handful of CDs, and headed north to Wyoming for the weekend. Honestly just to get away. Get away from what? Nothing in particular. Just the oppressive work conditions I was dealing with at MCI (what a terrible place to work) and other things that trouble a single man's mind at age 29. Besides I'm sure I'll find a lot of records while there. Not one. Not then... and not now. Casper is still record less. Not really - actually head to the antique mall and there's some decent vendors selling records. I just didn't find anything this time. Better than having nothing to look at as was the case 28 years ago. The drive from Laramie is almost surreal. Yellow fields of grass and en...

Latest visit: Aug 2024 (Montpelier, Idaho) First visit: Sep 1998 (Boise, Idaho) Locations: There are two TacoTime's. The original is based around the Seattle area. The other TacoTime (same brand) was purchased by Kahala, and that's the focus here. The website is difficult to navigate but they thrive in Big Sky country. This is where we had lunch on Monday in Bozeman, but we sadly learned they were closing down the location in the next couple of months. That was going to be our sole visit, but we were struggling to find an early lunch spot in Montpelier. Yet another beautiful drive landed us in this pleasant town. I wanted to try the Arctic Circle chain but Mrs. RJG kept "making a face". Following her instincts, she wanted tacos again. Something light yet filling. Otherwise we would have had to wait for other places to open at 11:00 and we needed to get a move on. This TacoTime sits in a gas station, so Mrs. RJG insisted on the drive through. We grabbed a bag and parke...

First visit: Sep 2022 Now it's Sunday around lunchtime. After some thrifting, we wanted to grab a lunch before heading out of town. Mrs. RJG wasn't excited about a brewpub and not everything was open since it was Sunday. After some deliberation we settled on The Crowbar & Grill which looked like a place I could get at least one local beer, watch a little NFL, and we'd both find something good to eat. Well forget the sports - no TV's here. That's weird, the place just screams macho. Not a big deal, we just like it as background noise since it recalls the crisp Fall air of the season that we enjoy. It appears that their beer menu is fixed but they did have one Wyoming beer I hadn't tried before (from Black Tooth), though I'm sure it's ubiquitous there. As for the food, I went for the Crowburger, which promises a ground beef and Italian sausage blend with mozzarella and basil. And she went with the Sparrow, a traditional cheeseburger. We both enjoyed th...

First visit: Sep 2022 Still walking upright, I wanted to squeeze in one more brewery for this visit, especially since we were shutout for dinner. Bond's has a completely different feel than Coal Creek TAP even though it's only a whopping two blocks away. This brewery appears to appeal more to the middle aged local set, who enjoy watching sports or large social get togethers. Or maybe this is where mom and dad go after the game with their kids in college. It's a large space, with decent lighting - except the brew tanks have super bright lights that carry over into the taproom. Beers are very good, but are more typical offerings. Well worth a stop, but on the next visit, I'll insist on appending another place to the mandatory Coal Creek TAP stop. 9/25/22 (new entry)

Location: Grand @ 1st (downtown) Last visit: Sep 2022 First visit: Mar 2020 In a repeat of our first visit, we walked over to Coal Creek TAP to have a couple of beers. Though in this case we showed up completely sober and thirsty. Next door is Coal Creek Coffee and they also have a little restaurant as well. I'd like to try it sometime. When talking breweries it's hard to avoid the term "vibe". Some breweries just have that perfect vibe, and Coal Creek is one of them. I would love to come here some freezing January evening. With the mood lighting and atmosphere of college. It seems each time we go, I'm reminded of my own college days discussing epistemology and the reality of artificial intelligence (true experience actually - in the middle 80s no less). And they always have a great selection of beers. I'm at the point where I rate a brewery at the highest when they offer an ESB. I don't know why every brewer decided to stop making classic beers and only o...

Closed 2014 - 116 E Broadway, Granville, OH 43023.  My elder daughter was a student at Denison when I saw Brews listed among the top 50 beer bars in the world while sitting at Moeder Lambic (another entry on the same Ratebeers list). For those who have not been to Granville, this is a little bitty town in Central Ohio. My visits to Brews were few but fruitful, and it was a pleasure to discover they also had carry-out beers. Great variety of beers from across the globe, food also quite good, and great character to the place. If memory serves, Brews closed down after an incident with a student who had substance abuse issues over-imbibing at Brews (and other places). Parents came after the bar rather than taking ownership for their parenting, etc... – same old story, very sad. - Rude Dante review

This looks like my kind of place! Still no one here to compete with Max's Taphouse in Baltimore though (100+ rotating beers...) ---  A new opening summer 2022, this neighborhood gathering spot has a nice selection – 20+ brews – and includes some options for the slightly finicky palate or tummy (ciders & gluten-free options). Situated in a renovated neighborhood grocery story called Ben’s, the owners have maintained some local flavor, including the sign from Ben’s and a small selection of groceries (Kraft Mac & Cheese, Campbell’s soup, etc). Owner’s Shannon & Weston were present and fun to chat with, while barmaid Tracee provided attentive but not oppressive service. Will look for opportunities to expand on their offerings as they are stumble distance from Rude Dante’s current home. - Rude Dante review

I've been to the Colorado Springs location once, but never put notes down for the RJG. The Tampa Pound was kind enough to take me here after I was out of work (but on severance) last summer (2021). It's name comes from the fact that they have large expansive windows and rooftop seating to see the mountains. In Colorado Springs, all one has to do is go outside to see Pikes Peak, so it's fairly redundant. In Denver, the mountains are much further off, so it benefits from the layout. It's a gimmick that comes with a hefty price tag. I found their food better than average for this kind of setup. And they do feature local craft beers including their own. Technically it's a brewpub. They currently have 3 locations in Denver and 1 here in the Springs. If I go again, I'll format differently. --- ViewHouse provides a good selection of beers, a fairly broad and diverse menu – generally pretty good quality – and a catering staff that focuses on special & corporate even...

Pl. Fontainas 8, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium Tel +32 2 503 60 68.  Yet another recommendation from my man in Luxembourg Denis Goffinet, this proved one of those amazing places to try beer from a variety of sources – but all (or most) were Lambics. My recollection on which I tasted are fuzzy – this visit was in 2011 – but I avoided flavored lambics and went for the pure form. Pretty amazing place! - Rude Dante review

Borough Market, 14A Winchester Walk, London SE1 9AG, UK  Recommended by knowledgeable beer guys in Luxembourg as a fave beer bar when traveling to London, I gave it a try while on a long weekend in the UK. The place is a short walk from London Bridge. The guy pouring my first beer was coming off shift when I sat down, so I bought him a couple beers and picked his brain. My 4 beers – only remember 3 of them – were a German smoked lager, plus 2 different beers from a local London brewery (The Kernel). By far my favorite was the Kernel Pale – far better than the IPA from the same brewery. Crisp, a bit hoppy but not over the top, this was my favorite beer in a weekend spent in the UK.  The other funny about this place: very high ceilings, maybe 12 foot. In a corner on the top of the wall near said ceiling, someone had signed the wall and placed a sticker from Left Hand. On a fundraiser bike tour a few years later, was riding with Left Hand co-founder Eric Wallace, a lanky fella an...

How interesting, I just had one of their beers last week. They're not regularly distributed to Colorado, just via the Canarchy group, as RD mentions below. Though the beers I've found were different than his. --- 5910 Comstock Park Dr NW, Comstock Park, MI 49321 Before I discuss the beers – and they are some pretty amazing beers – that come out of this Grand Rapids-area brewery, a note about ownership as they are part of an interesting group. Just after my first – and only – visit to the brewery in 2015, I discovered that Perrin had been ‘acquired’ by Oscar Blues. In later poking around, I discovered that such ‘acquisitions’ are really more like joining a coop, in this case one known as CANarchy, itself a subsidiary of Monster Beverage. CANarchy should be an entry of its own, but suffice to say that Oscar Blues, Deep Ellum, Cigar City and Wasatch are some of its other brands. Enough on ownership, on to the beer. Perrin shares most letters with the surname of Rude Dante, so he ...

Agree with RD here, AC Golden are serious brewers. Their mainstream brands are awful, but that's where the revenue lies. But give their craft beers a chance. --- A craft brewer within a great big macro-brewery, AC Golden has some commercially-known brands along with a broad array of mostly unknown, but often quite excellent – even award-winning - beers & ales. My familiarity with the beers predates any knowledge of the brewery itself: I’ve been drinking Barmen, their Czech-style pilsner, for at least 20 years (and loving it!). But one of my first days working at the Golden brewery for the organization then known as MillerCoors, I joined some of my colleagues for a beer at the employee pub. Expecting limited variety that included Coors and Coors Light, I was set straight by one of my old friends with a beer called Ctayt, a barrel-aged strong stout that had recently won the gold medal at Great American Beer Festival (this was late 2015). It was remarkable – easily one of my 5 fav...

Originally brewed in an industrial strip mall near 2nd and Bryant, then later brewed within the confines of Strange, I first enjoyed these guys sometime in 2012 or so, then last had them probably 2020 or 2021 (or whenever they stopped brewing with Strange). Great small brewery, with awards for Jean-Claude Von Blonde and Lindauer Lager. My faves also included Green Man American IPA and Super Fly Black IPA. For a short-lived brewery, they struck me as small but mighty. 2 of these were among the Colorado beers I brought to my friends in Cali after having a bit of Pliny in the fall of 2018. - Rude Dante review

Only had one beer from this brewery, and it's been 6 years since then. Never seen here in Colorado Springs. Haven't even found them recently in the liquor stores in Denver either to be honest. --- 1330 Zuni St Unit M, Denver, CO 80204 For many years when I lived a mile or so away, Strange was my go-to on a Friday night. Some of my favorite beers ever come out of this brewery, including a fabulous recurring collaboration with Epic dubbed “Strangely Epic” – a blend of Strange’s slightly sour Cherry Kriek and Epic’s Big Bad Baptist, a monster stout. Other stars include 1000 Barrel (ed: and this is the one I had!) and Heathers, a couple IPAs with excellent seasonal fresh-hopped variations. I’ve also been a fan of a couple of their seasonal offerings: a green chile / sweet potato beer that is a perennial Thanksgiving feature, and a February Valentine’s Day Raspberry Chocolate Love Stout. But my growler generally leaves with a fill of Breakfast Grapefruit IPA, which is in my opinion ...

Yep - had a few beers from this brewery before, but not been to the taprooms. --- 925 W 9th Ave, Denver, CO 80204 Will keep this one short and sweet. My initial interest in Renegade was geographic: their second location (see Renegade Public House below) was stumble-distance from my place near University of Denver 2012-2014. As result, I had the opportunity to have a number of their beers. Noteworthy in this list were Beetnik Beet Saison, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Stout, Redacted Rye IPA (formerly had a different name) (ed: had this one) and a triple IPA that was forced by copyright issues to change names 2-3 times during this period (now marketed as Endpoint, formerly E3 and Elevated) (ed: and this one - known as Endpoint then). Enjoyed all, but found that a couple of their seasonal offerings (Beetnik and Reese) were quite inconsistent. My understanding - these guys are not great at recipe management, thus explaining the inconsistency. Still and all, nice beers and pretty good experien...

Now I have tried beers from this fine brewery, though I haven't been to the actual place. In fact, I have yet to have an Indiana beer in Indiana, something that's on one of my lists in the Bier Reise. Hope to rectify that some day. --- 9750 Indiana Parkway, Munster, Indiana 46321 – Tel 219 922 3565 Due to high ABV content, the brain cell containing my first tasting or knowledge of 3 Floyds has been purged. Suffice to say I’ve been enjoying them for a long time, particularly considering the fact that I have lived in Colorado since a year before their founding in 1996; and as of my last knowledge, 3 Floyds still does not distribute to my home state (ed: this is true! I've only had them in Chicago). What I can say, for sure, is that sometime prior to 2012 I was very much aware of 3 Floyds – and I somehow got invited to their ‘after’ party for GABF in either 2012 or 2013. It was a joint affair with True, Surly and one other brewer that pairs its theme with death metal (cannot...

I remember RD talking about this brewery way back when. Haven't even had one of their beers yet! --- 1680 E Waterloo Rd, Akron, OH 44306 Probably the last great find in beer I had during my 2+ years living in NE Ohio. For those looking for one great beer, I will hold up as perhaps my 1 great beer by category in the entire world, B.O.R.I.S the Crusher. Yes, the name is an acronym, as the format implies: Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout. The brewery produces a wide range of other products, but I will only focus on the original BORIS (not DORIS – the Double variant, nor Barrel-Aged Boris, nor any of their other line of products). To me this beer embodies everything one should expect in a great big stout beer (as opposed to a porter, black IPA, milk stout or any of the other varietals oft lumped together as ‘dark beer’). In my 10+ year history with this remarkable beverage, I’ve most often had it in bomber form, which means it is good to share (at 9.4 ABV). Also good for compar...

Rue Maurice Grévisse 36 6724 Rulles (Habay) Belgium, Tel: +32 (0)63 41 18 38. This brewery – back in 2011 – had an open tour & public tasting day once per year – in midsummer. I was fortunate enough to A) be working in Luxembourg at this time, and B) be working with a guy who is more of a beer enthusiast than myself – or anyone I know, for that matter! We managed to taste all 5 beers tapped for the event: a blonde, brune, dubbel, trippel and a quad (later had their stout elsewhere). Each beer proved satisfying and representative, but I think the brown & double were my faves. Denis’ spouse had offered to drive us, so no real danger in having one more (or more than one). One of my best brewery experiences ever! - Rude Dante review

64 South Terrace, Fremantle, WA, 6160, tel (08) 9431 1666.  Visited as first stop of a pub crawl with former Aussie navy guides (Danger! Danger!). It was a long night, and I won’t pretend to recall each beer at all 4-5 stops (Navy bloke was banned from one of our stops). But the last beer from Sail & Anchor kept calling me back. I had ridden a bike the 15 or so miles to Fremantle, then took a train back to Perth after the pub crawl, so I had to return and retrieve said bike the next day. The encore tasting was primarily (exclusively?) for the purpose of verifying my cloudy recollections of the Brass Monkey stout. Upon further review, Brass Monkey Stout showed up as my favorite beer in Australia, hands down. It was a milk stout, with similarities to Left Hand (though not on nitro if memory serves), and a bit more bite like Hopping Frog. All in all, a top 5 stout in memory on my palate! - Rude Dante Review

My first brewery in Australia while working in the Perth area Sept-Oct 2012. This was the first place where I understood how expensive this part of the world can be: pint of beer on happy hour was $10, fast casual burger $25, hotel room $300. (Part of the problem was the exchange rate at the time was roughly 1:1.) My first couple beers were unimpressive, but after additional visits, I discovered an excellent ESB at the Squire. This remained my go-to beer over the 5-6 weeks in the area when the group chooses a Squire location. Third fave Western Aussie beer after Sail & Anchor Stout and Little Creatures Pale. - Rude Dante review

40 Mews Road, Fremantle WA Australia 6160         (08) 6215 1000 Little Creatures was acquired by Lion (part of Japanese Kirin organization) in 2012 – the same year as my handful of visits to the brewery while working in nearby Perth. This acquisition puts them in the same portfolio with New Belgium, Bells, Brooklyn and distiller Four Roses, among others - so unlikely they will screw up the beer very quickly. My general impression of Australian beer prior to Little Creatures was mixed: very expensive, mixed quality, less interesting than the nearby Margaret River wine country. That impression started to really shift with my first visit to Little Creatures. While they offer a broad spectrum of ales, their Pale really caught my attention. In my recent experience, this Pale was second only to the remarkable Kernel from the UK in overall quality. Certainly tried many other beers here, but the Pale is the go-to. While there are a handful of other beers I...

As promised, we launch Rude Date's tour. Image captured the last time he was there... --- Abbaye d'Orval, Orval, n°1, B-6823 Villers-devant-Orval, Belgium tel [32] 61 31 10 60 Orval was my first experience with a Trappist ale. My first Orval was while working (ok, I was unpaid entertainment in the one decent pub at Old Faithful) in Yellowstone National Park summer of 1985. Over the ensuing 2-1/2 decades, I had Orval whenever I found it on a beer list – and it was more readily available than I would have expected during those years. Later, during a working visit to Luxembourg in 2009 or 10, one of my first stops was the Orval abbey / brewery – about 30 minutes from my location on the north side of Lux. Beer was as I had remembered: malty, high yeast profile, not high on the IBU scale. Very drinkable (I bought a case to take back with me to my hotel). Later travels proved that Orval is one of the craft Belgian beers that is most readily accessible through much of Europe. My bes...

He's sent in a pile of entries from various breweries that he's frequented in the past, part of our new decision to record drinking establishments in addition to restaurants. We'll get a couple in soon, and continue this next week. And we'll have some new entries from the upcoming RJG's weekend trip too!

Latest visit: Jan 2024 (Colorado Springs - Bass Pro) First visit: Feb 2020 (Colorado Springs - Powers) Locations: In addition to the two locations in Colorado Springs, their original spot is in the beautiful northern Colorado mountain town of Steamboat Springs. I hadn't really planned on revisiting Vaqueros anytime soon. For us it seems a better place to take out of town guests given its stunning setting and reasonably good food. But on this cold and dreary Sunday, as we await a snowstorm, a Mexican lunch sounded perfect. Our original plan was to go to El Padrino but we forgot they're closed on Sunday's. Just up the road a piece is Vaqueros, so let's go there. Walking in I was reminded of El Paseo in Keller - a large elegant restaurant - for no apparent reason to be that way... My voice text notes state: We're at Vaqueros where they're playing some incredible Norteno music (lol)... I had the two enchilada plate, one with chicken and one with ground beef. Refried...

Mobile location - food truck Mr. Music (that's me!) has accompanied Lady Music to San Jose, CA to attend her mom's 80th birthday party! Lady Music's brother-in-law is from Jalisco and a foodie specializing in regional specialties. Now, I have eaten plenty of birria (meat cooked slowly over hot rocks and shredded) in my day and a huge fan of some fresh birria de borego (lamb) with a cup of consommé (broth made from the meat drippings), but when Senor Food asked me to go with him for some quesabirria tacos, I was excited to try something new! Mariscos Los Compas is a food truck, or should I say a pair of food trucks (ed: love the logo!). Mariscos, or seafood, is what they specialize in on their main food truck at a local farmers market. And from what I've seen, it looks excellent! I want to try it. The other truck specializes in quesabirria tacos! As you can draw from the name, quesabirria is birria with cheese. But it's not quite that simple (or plain). The birria i...

Orange Ave @ 17th. They have a second location in Torrance. Lady Music had never had Salvadoran food and had recently read an article about some in the area. We decided to try a close by place called La Esperanza. They have a large menu with many Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Mexican dishes. But we were there for Salvadoran delights! They make handmade papusas to order with quite an array of fillings including loroco (an herb from Central America) and chiltepin (a small, potent chili pepper) as well as the usual meats, shrimp and other veggies. We ordered pork with cheese and decided to try spinach and cheese (definitely not traditional fare). We also got sauteed plantains with refried black beans and Salvadoran crema. And got a Guatemalan tamale with chicken and Guatemalan rice. The young lady that took my order was super nice and spoke English very well, which was good as I had questions. I watched the woman working there form the masa and make the papusas. Nothing like fresh made food...

OK, Mr. Music is back in the game. He's in So Cal now, so let's see what he has to offer... --- Lady Music and I were in Laguna Beach to explore an isolated beach. What a great place! We thought we'd have some sushi or seafood for dinner, but nothing caught our eye. Lady Music suggested a Mexican restaurant called Asada right on PCH in Laguna. My first thought was how good will it be in the middle of a touristy area of Laguna Beach? Then I wondered how spendy it might be. Much to my surprise, the prices on the menu were very reasonable. The food choices were intriguing too. Off we went! Asada is a very small and cute place. There are plenty tables outside and several tables inside. It has a tropical feel. At first look it seems a little like a fast food joint. But let me tell you, the food is not nor does it taste like fast food. This is fresh, handmade fare! The menu has many choices. They offer soft tacos, hard shell tacos, enchiladas, or burritos filled with choices ...

Latest visit: Sep 2022 First visit: Sep 2018 They have a newer location in Fountain and they moved the brewery there. This spot is strictly a taproom now. ---original 9/4/22 review Since I was already in the area after eating at Mici, I decided to stop by and have a cold one at Peaks N Pines. This is my first visit since before the pandemic. Mrs. RJG had joined me on the other 2 visits, but she's not going much in for the breweries these days (something about waistlines again...). It's mental in her case, and has no affect for me. Though I suppose if I drank a lot it would... Anyway, this is one of the more comfortable breweries in town, reflecting the area it sits. Even though it's in Colorado Springs proper, this part of town out east is pure suburbia. All new, clean, and filled with every shopping and eating chain you can imagine. The pandemic probably had less effect here than in other parts of Colorado. So you lose a little edge (see LowDown) but you gain comfort. I ca...

First visit: Sep 2022 (Colorado Springs - Carefree) I had read about Mici's recently and it looked like something I would enjoy. Going to their website, the closest location is on Union not too far west of Powers. So I finally went there, only to find a storefront similar to Domino's, Jets, Papa Johns, etc.. What? I thought it was a place to sit down and eat. And it is - but I guess it depends on the location. Their website doesn't designate any difference, which isn't very smart. Whatever the case, the other Colorado Springs location is only another 10 minutes south down Powers, so I went there instead. And yes, this is a counter serve, sit down place. Perfect. I ordered what I came for - spaghetti and meatball (note singular). The restaurant was empty when I arrived and I started to get a bad feeling about all this. But I persevered. And I'm glad I did... The chef hand delivered the meal to my table. I was looking at a sumptuous bowl of thin spaghetti, 2 slices of...

First visit: Sep 2022 (Chapel Hills Mall area) Colorado Springs has an inordinate amount of taco shops within its city limits. Despite the gringo name, they are really taquerias. And most are pretty gross to be honest. I like a dive, but not dirty places. The number #1 name in Taco Shops for The Springs is Monica's. And I'd never been, so I thought I should at least try it, though I had a feeling this wasn't going to be my place. And since there's a location up north not too far from where we reside, I thought maybe this would be an exception. Nope - might as well have been on South Academy. Now I fully admit to being rather guero when it comes to Mexican food in general. For example, I think Zapata's Taco Shop is great - just like Taco Fiesta in Baltimore. These places are more geared towards non-Hispanic Americans (and the decidedly Hispanic Mrs. RJG). What I refer to often as Tacos y Margaritas. That name, BTW, was created by me after having received a couple of ...