Hops and Pie

It’s still rare these days to find a craft beer restaurant that takes the right approach with the beer they serve and the food they create. Often times the food is okay and the beer selection not much better than the typical bar around the corner. One establishment that has successfully combined a good beer selection with great food is Hops and Pie in North Denver, Colorado.

Owners Drew and Leah Watson opened Hops and Pie just over a year ago with a goal of having not just a great craft beer selection, but also creating artisan pizzas that paired specifically with the beers they served.

They bring a combined 23 years experience in the fine dining industry and were looking to take their destiny into their own hands when they chose to re-locate to Denver from the San Diego area.

In fact, it was while they were in San Diego close by to beer giant Stone Brewing Co, as well as Green Flash, Ballast Point, Lost Abbey and Alesmith, that their appreciate of what beer could be was born. Denver was a logical choice for opening up their own place.

As I was not able to stop by during the Great American Beer Festival last year, I made sure to stop by on a recent family trip back to Denver (where I grew up) and headed over on a weekday with my kids. Hops and Pie is in a quaint little neighborhood in North Denver filled with character, known as Berkely. It’s a neighborhood with a lot of history and sense of family and also, it turns out, within blocks from my grandmothers childhood home and my first home.

The entrance to Hops and Pie fits right in with the historic look of Tennyson street and when you walk in you’re instantly greeted with the decor that gives you a sense that you’ve just entered an art deco version of your neighborhood pizzaria. As I walked in the delicious smell of cheese and pizza sauce warmly greeted me as I found a table by the window to sit down. They were moderately busy at the time and filled with an eclectic assortment of customers, all eagerly eating pizza and enjoying one of the craft brews from their 22 taps.

A quick glance over at the bar that runs the length of the wall and I was greeted with those 22 taps of heaven that had brought me here in the first place. Never fear though, Hops and Pie has even more in the bottle. The beer menus is wonderful and features a well balanced mixture of local and national craft beer. Absolutely nothing of questionable quality is on tap or bottle here.

I.P.A. Mac & Cheese

I came for the hops to be sure, but was it was the pizza pies that kept me there. With so many artisian pizza options, such as their steak & mash potato pizza that melds caramelized bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and gruyere cheese. There are also many customizable options making it almost too much to take in. Fortunately my kids had already dissected the pizza options for me and we quickly settled on an all cheese pan pizza with a side of IPA Mac & Cheese. Wow, we were stuffed!

Even more amazing is the integration of beer into the food. A house IPA (Hops & pIe P.A.) is used in the Mac & Cheese, as well as all the pizza crusts. The IPA is brewed just for Hops and Pie by Strange Brewing right here in Denver at 13th and Zuni.

As we were finishing our delicious food, and I a nice Brown Ale from Denver’s Upslope Brewing, owner Drew Watson had come over to the table and chatted a bit.

I asked Drew a little more about their start and how they chose this almost out of the way location for Hops and Pie. “Leah and I are both east coasters and we wanted to find a neighborhood that was reminiscent of the areas where we are from. That still had a sense of neighborhood, with a good mix of demographic classes and possessed that “main street America” feel.”" said Watson. “This street is exactly that in our minds. It’s funny I am only 33 years old but I can see myself being a part of this neighborhood for the rest of my life, such amazing people live and work here.”

Watson went on to say that their early success (they were named best beer bar with the #2 selects in Denver by Westword in May 2011) has already spawned the need for expansion. They recently purchased the space next door and have already started construction. The expanded Hops and Pie with feature a larger kitchen, more seating space and more room for the brews. This seems to work out well for them, considering the live music they often have, as well as special events like firkin tapping on Fridays.

North Denver is in close proximity to Denver’s downtown and many area hotels, such as the historic Brown Palace Hotel, making the trip well worth your time. So go ahead and walk around the 16th Street Mall, head to the Denver Zoo, even take in a Broncos or Rockies game, but stop by Hops and Pie when you’re done, you’ll be happy you did.