Located at 2810 Larimer Street in Denver, one of Denver's newest brewery picked a great spot for it's tap room. It is in the heart of Denver's Five Point area. One of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods, with block after block of Victorian homes mixed with luxury lofts and new housing development. You'll find a variety of coffee shops, restaurants, live music venues like the Larimer Lounge or the Meadowlark...and now OMF.
Our Mutual Friend uses predominantly local sources to brew their local ales. As a small maltstery, they have more influence over the quality and freshness of the beers they pour in our taproom, and more opportunities to source their ingredients locally. 100 percent of OMF's barley is grown right in Colorado. And as much as possible, they source their hops and specialty ingredients from farms in this state. Makes me want to drink their beer even more.
I was surprised to hear that they had just opened up a couple of days before the day we went there.
The brewery was steadily busy and the line up of already seven beers pretty impressive.
Of course, I went for the flight of all seven: Proletariat, IPA, Saison, Brown Ale, Pale Ale, Huckleberry Roasters Coffee Stout & Tart Saison (not on list). I am kind of wondering if they will come up with names for all their beers eventually?
Like I said, I was impressed by the number of different beers they already have available. I also think the choice of beers is great - there's something for everyone's taste.
Usually I am not a big brown ale fan (usually too sweet for me), but OMF's was surprisingly deliciously balanced and very drinkable! The IPA & Pale ale were good, but you know that hoppy beers are usually not my favorite. The Proletariat was a very light ale (almost too light) but would be something for the 'beginner beer drinker'. It has a light 4.5% and an IBU of only 6.
I really liked the Saisons; and my eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning (well almost) when I saw they had a 'Tart Saison'! Belgium & sour beer = best combination ever!
The winner for me that day though was the Huckleberry Roasters (their neighbors) Coffee Stout!
What a beautiful combination of beer & coffee. It really had a lost of roasty, coffee goodness flavor. I could have imagined a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it for an adult iced coffee.....
Our Mutual Friend's decor is unique and cozy. I could image Ernest Hemingway hanging out here back in his day (although they should've probably added Absithe to the menu then).
The bar is framed by a large old book shelf, with the beer tabs in the center. Next to plenty of books, there are knick-knacks like candle sconces, figurines, a ukulele etc. OMF also has a nice record collection (I heard they are real music geek, which I highly appreciate).
The string of light bulbs spun across the ceiling, adds a nice atmosphere (think of an authentic, Italian restaurant). They also have a nice patio of decent size. Can't wait to sit there in the summer, or maybe even one of the last few warm fall evenings.
