Beer, Wine & Spirits in Denver

The vintners at Wild Women Wine, formerly D'Vine Wine, make it their mission to throw back the curtain on the mysteries of the winemaking process. Each day, they welcome visitors to watch their team of winemakers prep imported raw juice for its transformation into ode-worthy vino. The team also invites visitors to concoct a personal wine batch of their own, modifying favorite house varietals with touches of oak, tannin, spice and other flavors. Each custom wine culminates in a bottling party, where the wine auteur, along with family and friends, can bottle, cork and label their vintage instead of just drinking it out of a communal bucket like usual.

For less hands-on pours, the boutique winery's wine list hosts a vast array of already-bottled varietals. Vintages range from Centennial red, a high tannin wine with oak undertones, to whites, blends and fruit-flavored styles.

Upon sampling sips from among more than 100 wines culled from 13 countries, guests craft personalized batches of their favorite variety. Water 2 Wine’s knowledgeable winemaking team assists patrons in taking crushed grape selections and beginning the fermentation process by apologizing deeply to the grapes for being savagely crushed. After approximately eight weeks, customers return to prepare bottles and take them home. In addition to tastings and winemaking experiences, Water 2 Wine hosts sundry events, including painting classes enhanced by a complimentary glass of wine, parties, and private soirees.

Classic brewery meets modern family-friendly sports bar at Old Mill Brewery & Grill, where rustic beams arch over wood floors and an exposed brick fireplace, and big-screen TVs blare Colorado sports games. Within this comfortable hangout, a wait staff passes around platefuls of home-cooked American fare, hushing stomach grumbles with several types of burgers and sandwiches, and a slew of succulent entrees—such as homemade fish ‘n’ chips. House-brewed beers fill pints, pitchers, and growlers at the bar to quench patrons' thirst. Aside from midday through evening fun and grub, Old Mill Brewery also opens its doors early on the weekends for full breakfasts of omelets, skillets, and pancakes.

Roundhouse Spirits may be the archetype for the micro-distillery movement, but its ideas are anything but small. For Imperial Barrel Aged Gin, for instance, Roundhouse’s spirit specialists take the distillery’s namesake gin and age it for six months or more in oak casks, creating a one-of-a-kind tipple somewhere between gin and whiskey. To make each small batch of Corretto Coffee Liqueur, on the other hand, they start with organic, fair-trade beans, which are hand-picked by roaster Gerry Leary down the street at the Unseen Bean. And beginning this season, Roundhouse plans to unveil its latest creation: Roundhouse Pumpkin Liqueur, which will initially only be available at the distillery itself.

Thursdays through Sundays, Roundhouse offers an inside look at its laboratory of libations with complimentary distillery tours typically led by company president Ted Palmer, a 25-year veteran of craft distilling and brewing. Visitors can also opt to tuck into one of the handful of tables in the tasting room, where shuffleboard and foosball complement the spirits available for sampling on the spot or taking home.