Sunday, July 20th, 2pm.
First Stop: Ship Tavern at the Brown Palace Hotel
321 17th Street.
Denver, CO 80202
Kelly and my first stop for 30 MILES OF COCKTAILS was almost by accident. We were walking east on 17th Street on a bright Sunday afternoon (way too bright, in my opinion, but that is Colorado where you cannot escape the sun) with plans for cocktails at the Avenue Grill, but a scorching 90+ heat was blasting down upon us as we trudged up the street (damn Death Orb in the sky! When will you relent?!) Where shall we find sanctuary? On seeing the historic Brown Palace Hotel come up to view, I suggested a cocktail break before we reach our further destination, where we knew there would be snacks. Kelly suggested Churchill Bar inside the hotel. I suggested Ship Tavern, since neither of us have ever been there (and have been to Churchill’s many times. I think Kelly only wanted to go there since it is one of the very few remaining bar in which you can still smoke.) In this particular case, I won. Bright shiny idea of Newness beat out cigarettes, which is funny since this bright shiny new bar has been around since 1892.
We’ve seen the doorway to Ship Tavern many times, as it’s right by the restrooms in the Brown Palace lobby. Fleeting impressions on the times we’ve passed it: wood, ship,… and that’s about it. I’ve always wondered why the hell a land locked city and state would have a nautical themed bar in their most prestigious hotel? I mean, the closest bit of water is the Platte River, which is much more of a creek from the rivers I’ve seen growing up. Are they being ironic? Or is it some lost memory? Either way… these fleeting impressions hit us, punched us full on in the face as we walked into the Tavern. Wood… ship… blue… sails… anchors…. and it just didn’t stop. If the old Original Arthur Treacher’s served booze (and it may have), it would look like this.
Now, that is not to say that we didn’t like it. Actually, both of us found it kind of enjoyable… like being in a tiki bar, it ran the knife-edge between kind of kitschy and bad taste tacky. However, as a hotel bar, it was all utterly apt. More than that, in fact. What we found interesting about the place was, unlike the rest of the stiff collar Brown Palace, the sort of comfortable air of the Tavern. This was the corner of the hotel where you could let your hair down and unfasten the top button of your shirt. A place where I wasn’t worried that I left my suit coat at home (well, it was 90+ degrees).
Now, that is not to say that we didn’t like it. Actually, both of us found it kind of enjoyable… like being in a tiki bar, it ran the knife-edge between kind of kitschy and bad taste tacky.
The Tavern, serving booze and food, was still quite busy for a Sunday afternoon – although, like us, the heat probably drove many of the patrons on a quest for AC. Most of the tables were taken, which didn’t bother us at all as we moved to the few free stools at the bar. A quick glance at the taps and shelves made us aware of a bar well-stocked with local and regional beers and whiskeys. Kelly went for the old reliable Newcastle while I wanted to try one of the two cask beers taps that I found in front of me. Our bartender, Daniel, unfortunately found that the ESB cask beer was blown, so he gave me a taster of the other: Palace Caskcraft, which was brewed specifically for the Brown Palace by the Wynkoop Brewing Company. Very good.
We chatted with Daniel (who is also a transplant to Denver from the East Coast) about the city and the bar. …And this is one of the reasons Kelly and I decided to do this project. I’ve lived in Denver for about 7-8 years now, never been to this bar, and never heard the story of Frank Henwood, who shot and murdered two people (one an innocent bystander) over a love triangle in this small bar in 1911. Apparently there was a book written about it (‘Murder at the Brown Palace’.) No clue… and finding out about this little bar, that bit of history, meeting new people, and finding new beer is all utterly brilliant.
