Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Banas

Tucked away in downtown Denver only a few blocks away from Coors Field and the Colorado Rockies, resides Falling Rock Taphouse. This beer bar that features more than 75 craft beers on tap and an additional 130 or so in bottle, as well as a few bottles of wine. What’s interesting is that it’s both known and unknown to most. Essentially an underground place where craft beer reigns supreme and yet a place you can call your own.

Now I’ve been here many a time, and what always impresses me is not just the wide range of craft beer (that’s right, nor Miller or Bud Lite here), but the atmosphere that goes with it. It’s like New York industrial meets…beer. You walk in and immediately feel as if you walked into what used to be a firehouse. Lined all over the upper reaches of the main room are an incredible collection of beer bottles both past and present.

On this particular night, I was there meeting some of my family. Plenty of open space, as well as a few booths round out the upper level of Falling Rock. Make sure that you park a few blocks away though, there is not a lot in the way of parking out front. What amazed me further was the taps behind the bar. Wow, those tap handles looked amazing.

On the night we came by, it was moderately busy. This is the norm for Falling Rock most nights. You can walk in, find a table or booth and in a few minutes have a beer in hand. That’s what’s great, this maybe a place whose focus is beer, but it’s also a got a bit of a restaurant feel to the upstairs. It felt great to sit down after a day of running around town. Soon after a server came around with a beer menu. Yes, I aid a menu just for the beer! After looking over the selection, I had picked one out, but was told that they didn’t have it at the moment. The server explained that the menu carries most of what they have, but that the beers are constantly rotating and the menu was to give an idea of what they had. So, make sure you ask whats new when you arrive.

The Tap Wall (Photo courtesy of Falling Rock Taphouse)

They have beers from literally all over. Belgium, California, Colorado (of course!), Oregon, Washington, New York, you name it. Everytime I come here it’s like a kid in a candy store. You just do not know where to start. I finally settle on a Cuvee de Tomme from Lost Abbey in San Marcos, California, a strong wild ale that is aged in oak barrels with cherries. The sour partly comes from the natural bacteria that exists in the barrels. After we each had another beer, I had a Blind Pig IPA from Russian River in Northern, California, my aunt and I decided to walk around. As I mentioned, we were only on the top floor.

Beer and Pool. A Combo hard To Beat. (Photo courtesy of Falling Rock Taphouse)

As we walked down the stairs, more bottles line the walls. What’s cool is that the bottles seem to get older as you head down the stairs. Once downstairs, we were greeted by a few pool tables and more booths off to the side. Old signs adorned the walls. Florescent lights hang from the ceiling. We walk around for a few minutes transfixed by all the old beer bottles, then there it was: a bottle from the Denver Beer Co. This is significant, because my grandfather used to deliver this beer back in the 1970’s here in Denver.

Fabulous beer. Great decor and a must stop for anyone who loves a place with character. A place that I’d call home.