Great Divide Barrel Bar

Rolled up with my crew on 2 wheels — brewery hopping — and had a fab time at this establishment. GD is a place for friendly faces, great brews and air conditioning. :) We personally want to shout out Alana and Cassidy for being very amicable and recommending the rice beer which I cannot for the life of me recall the name!!!
We’ll be back for more pints!

As other people have noted, this place has a strange vibe and bad service. Lots of hipsters, who don’t seem very knowledgable about beer. But, hey. We all come from somewhere, and we all learn about beer as we go. Nope. It’s not the customers. The vibe problem comes from the beertenders. I have been here several times and have NEVER had a personable beertender. Some have just been self-​involved, wanting to hang out with their friends rather than provide service. However, some have just been terrible. At times they have their mixes turned up so loud, I have had to go outside to have a conversation with my friends. Once I went in, the music was blaring, and it was Lil Wayne’s «Don’t Like» which includes lyrics like, «All my (derogatory term for African Americans) wanna (derogatory term for sexual intercourse), and she gone let us like a salad bar». It’s a classy song that degrades women, gay people, and glorifies violence against both. Blaring. Last night I went in, asked for a «splash» of two beers so I could decide between the two, and the beertender charged me. The other beertender offered to give me a dollar off of a pint, but then went over to the original beertender, pointed at me, and rolled her eyes as she apparently relayed the tale. Then, the bartenders played a game which involved throwing items from one side of the bar to the other apparently trying to get as close to customers as possible without actually hitting them.
So weird, because the beertenders at the downtown location have always been professional, helpful and informative.
This is all a real shame because the beer is good. Often, very good. So good, that until last night I have often overlooked prior bad experiences to check in and see what’s on tap. However, last night’s antics made me remember all of the other so-​so to bad experiences here. A good product absolutely ruined by unfathomably bad customer service.

Beer was great and OH! so delicious. However, the tour… Amazing, top notch, and at neck breaking speeds — this tour puts Michael Phelps, in an Olympic style pool chasing down tail and weed, to shame. Lasers, gamma rays, improperly filled beers? Check! Does not, will not, disappoint. Come here if you love America, or Sweden. Sweden has people too.

The barrel room is a refreshing experience compared to the great divide downtown. Both are great to go to. The same beer at both locations. However this location feels larger. Realistically it probably is smaller, but the patio is large and roomy. The interior room has a open flow. I haven’t waited more than 3 minutes to get a beer.

I may like the original tap house slightly more, but this is still under construction. Parking is a bit confusing, but it is in this area of Brighten boulevard, besides the main entrance of the Source.
The tap room features some pilot beers you cannot get anywhere else. and cans of beer to go that they will seal for you to take home.

Beers here are such a steal! $ 5 a pop! The descriptions for the beer flavors are apt and there’s even brewery tours every hour on the hour (I believe they start from 12pm-​6pm). However, the factory wasn’t really quite operating during the tour as our tour guide mentioned, they start pretty early in the AM and finish up by late afternoon. During the tour, you’re given goggles and you get to visit a barrel room and other production areas. The tour is complimentary and if you don’t finish your beer when the tour starts, they help you set it aside in a chilled area. As far as the beers go, I’ve got no complaints– I generally like dark beers and I ordered the Yeti – definitely tasted the «coffee-​ish undertones» for that one. Very cool. The bartenders were awesome and super friendly. I’m really glad I visited this place, would definitely recommend as a fun/​semi relaxing activity. I’d also prob do a beer sampler/​flight next time as well!

Sammy totally educated us not just on beer but local breweries but restaurants AND music. What a great afternoon l!

Much better experience this time time. We came in with a group of friends and it turned out that only one member of our group wanted to actually get a beer. They didn’t bat an eye and let us sit a table even though a bunch of us didn’t order. We as a group should probably not have come in if a couple of us were not feeling like drinking anything. I think it’s a testament to the barrel Bar that they didn’t come and pressure us to get more drinks. Additionally I noticed that on their beer board it lists all of the charities that they donate to, I really like that, good job!

We all know the beers that Great Divide offers from visiting them at the DT Denver location.
The beers are good… for this location my advice is to skip it and go to Mockery or Crooked Stave instead.
The one star rating is for the lack of atmosphere. Very Limited outdoor space and right along Brighton Blvd (gross).
We walked in on 12 – 27 around 1pm. There were 3 other people in the entire place and the bar tenders were playing rap music at a decibel level that was way beyond reasonable… we made reference to to the male bar tender, who looked at us like a deer in headlights. When we realized that turning down of the music was not an option that would be considered… we escaped and moved on to Mockery.
The staff has no consideration to the clientele… and with so many choices in the neighborhood, we will skip this place from now on.

If your a fan of the Great Divide brews then this is a great place They had a good selection and some that they don’t sell on the shelf. There is a sour that was really good. I also got the Yeti brewed in a red wine barrel… not a fan the flavor was too strong, something about it was just not right.
The thing that I would ding them for is that they close at 8 which in my opinion was really earlier. Also they charged out my card before I asked them too because they were closing… even though I was sitting right there the whole time and they easily could have asked me to. In my opinion this was poor customer service.
Also I forgot to mention that when I walked up to the bar to order the first girl who really was doing nothing looked straight at me then just did nothing and the other girl had to come help me. Honestly I thought this was really strange and I try not to leave reviews about one incidence of poor customer service but since they ignored me and charged me out early I was a little put off.
I could see myself giving them enough chance if someone wanted to go here but I woulnd’t seek out going again.

Great Divide is clearly the frontrunner for Denver’s best brews, but I’ve rarely visited their brewery on Arapahoe because the place is just too dang small. Enter the Barrel Bar, which has all the fantastic Great Divide beers but a much larger space in which to enjoy them.
I’m loving the new digs, with a spacious patio and large windows that bring in the light. Whether you grab a seat at the huge bar or grab one of the many tables, there is plenty of room for friends to talk over a few beers.
And of course the beers are delicious: Yeti, Hoss, Collette and even some seasonal selections. The new RiNo location near Mockery and Crooked Stave also means this is an excellent stop on a microbeer tour.

Where the heck did this place come from? I had this feeling while sitting on the patio across the street at Mockery (amazing by the way!). Never one to shy away from a new brewery I moseyed on over and was very impressed with what I found. On a Saturday afternoon, luckily it wasn’t too busy and we were able to snag some bar stools and enjoy some delicious Great Divide Beers. Obviously GD has a great reputation and you know their beers will be on point and of course they delivered. What I found nice though was the ability to enjoy the freshness without needing to go to their cramped location downtown which I really have shied away from since it’s always packed.
The ambiance is very comfortable with dark walls, low lighting and friendly wait staff. No TV’s which is somewhat refreshing, but may be a turnoff to those who need to be eyeballing a football game on the weekend.
Overall I really enjoyed myself and will be back I recommend the same for anyone else.

We know that the beer is good — anyone who’s anyone in Denver knows that. What I really like about this place is how well done it is. The ambiance is perfect for beer, for Denver, and for fun. I would totally go back over and over again.
Let’s talk décor — it’s friggin’ awesome. There’s a very old industrial feel to the place with it’s dark woods juxtaposed with metals. The bathrooms are awesome. You just have to check it out for yourself.
I really enjoy the open spaciousness. It’s welcoming and cozy at the same time. There’s plenty of room for groups or individuals and lots of space at the bar. All of the employees were awesome, attentive, and totally fun. When it comes to putting a good face on a business, this place has done a bang up job!

I was headed to the Crooked Stave and saw that the parking lot was completely closed off and questioned whether or not they were open. On my way, I was happy to have seen this new space for the Great Divide!
I drove over and had some difficultly parking. It was a bit confusing as to where you could and could not park.
Other than the parking issue, the beer is great, as usual! Plenty of seating. And they have a cool new beer to go option — a large aluminum can that they seal with a machine so you can bring home your favorite beer! Very cool.

As much as I love Great Divide and their beers, visiting their main brewery and tap room can be a «task» because of how crowded it can get, and quickly. It’s a narrow space so you often spend your time squeezing past people to get to the bar and order.
Enter the Barrel Bar! Great Divide announced it as a new space that would host a canning line, plus another tap room.
I was in the area to go to the 13^th Floor Haunted House (which is just a 10 minute walk up the street) and decided I would finally check it out.
First of all, it is a really beautiful building/​space. It feels very warm and inviting, and the design/​décor is really cool. Having said that… it’s not that much bigger than the original tap room. They do have a lot more seating aside from the bar, including some comfortable window seats at high top tables. But it’s not that much bigger, so if it’s ever busy, it can still be tricky.
Having said all that, it’s still got everything that makes Great Divide well… great. Their beers are all good (if heavy) and their bar tenders are super friendly.
Overall, not quite the improvement over the original tap room I was hoping for, but the beer and service are still top notch, so it’s worth stopping in.

Great Divide within walking distance of home? Yes, please. From day 1, Barrel Bar was busy. That’s because they offer so much. Wide selection of beers styles, some interesting experiments, and cheap tasters (the cost of which goes to a different local charity each month).
I was already a fan of Great Divide, so having them move in so close to me was like an early Christmas present. (The opening also meant that construction lights no longer light up by bedroom at night – yay!) So glad to have them here.
It’s close to Mockery and Crooked Stave, so you can impress your visiting friends (or locals) with one of the best tap room crawls ever. And the crowler machine is super-​cool. They fill and seal a 32-​oz can with your choice of beer for a great price.
All in all, this new location is a very good thing.

Great divide has long been a favorite ‘big beer’ for me. Whilst looking for a particular brewpup and having a largening (new word?) thirst I stopped in and asked what’s good like Nikki would do to Miley. I was led to Arrogant Bastard. I asked how the hell did they brew Stone’s iconic beverage and was informed that they were given the recipe and tasked with keeping it going. Stone would stop making it and only 5 breweries in the US are going to produce it and GD was chosen first.
I enjoyed it greatly and asked if they had any sours. they did. I left with a bottle of their 21^st Anniversary sour golden ale. The good thing about sours is, unlike IPAs, you can age them. I will try to do just that. Try

Yes this place is awesome. It’s great divide with more room.
Please note: the reviewer that didn’t get tastes was incorrect. We just had some and didn’t have to pay. Plus their full sized tasters are a good deal and hey donate to charity. It’s a shame that one inaccurate review can pul down the rating like that.

I had a really bad experience at Great Divide’s new Barrel Bar. We came in and were told we couldn’t taste beer without paying for tastes (pretty much every other bar will at least let you have a small sample). I saw they had a Flanders Red on tap and asked them to describe it to me — he said it was very tart, very sour, which is right up my alley, so I ordered the $ 10 10oz beer. At my first sip the beer was barely sour at all. I was hugely disappointed so asked if I could try something else and was just told no, sorry that the beer was inaccurately described, but I’d have to buy another beer (blindly) if I wanted to try something else.
Of all the breweries we visited while in Denver (which was 8) this was by far the most disappointing. I ended up trying my friends’ beers and honestly wasn’t impressed by any of their beers either.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend this place at all.

Really excited to see Great Divide with a location in my hood!
The Barrel Bar is the first installment at their new facility on Brighton Blvd. Over the next year they will also be adding a restaurant and beer garden (connecting to a park and the platte bike trail). They also are FINALLY starting to car their beer here.
The Barrel bar is very nicely designed. they used old barrel staves on the wall and some really nice looking wood for the table tops. The outside patio is large with some nice picnic tables too. The added touch of railway track for footrests is also cool!
I find the service here (ive been twice already) to be better than the location in LoDo. Even on friday night with a big crowd I was able to get a beer quickly. They also had some really awesome stuff on tap — barrel aged Yeti AND Hibernation. There was even a really nice pilot hefeweizen beer on tap too.