Brewery Tour in Golden

We went to the Capital Grill because it is one of two restaurants in the world where you can order the special Coors Barman Pilsner. The other place you can get it is the Buffalo Rose Saloon, but we wanted a restaurant. The bar area is very rustic, with exposed beams and an elaborate bar setup, but the restaurant area where we sat was a little lame. It was plain and kind of in a country style, a little like a Perkins. There was a very nice dining room down the hall from us. I don't know if that's used primarily for dinner or private parties, but no one was sitting there for lunch.

My lunch was okay. As far as vegetarian options, I was limited to the Ceaser salad (which isn't strictly vegetarian), fried zucchini, and artichoke dip. The fried zucchini was very good, but the Caesar salad was strange. It didn't taste like any other Ceasar salad I've ever had, but I can't really describe the flavor. It wasn't bad, just different. The Barman Pilsner did not disappoint. It takes 7 minutes to pour because they fill the tall glass fully with head and then wait for it to settle. It's very golden tasting and not heavy. For the price we paid for lunch (about $60 for three people with five beers and two appetizers), I'd say it was worth it.

The Coors Brewery is located in Golden, Colorado, which is a quaint small town in the mountains near Denver. Every day except Sunday and holidays, they offer a free tour open to all ages. The tour begins on the shuttle bus from the parking lot, which takes a short tour through downtown Golden.

The tour guide points out some historical sights, such as the old capital building as well as two restaurants where the special Coors Barman pilsner is served. The Barman is a special beer that is not served anywhere else beside these two establishments.

Once inside, we waited in the lobby for about 15 minutes before our tour guide, Peggy Sue, came and collected us for the tour. First she explained the different products made in the brewery as well as internationally. Then she explained how the three ingredients combine to become beer. From there you walk by the copper kettles where beer is stored during the malting process.

Then you get to see the roasting kiln and the employee break room, which, up until about 10 years ago, had beer available for free for employees while they were working. Continuing down the hallway, they have displayed some of the labels from the other products that the factory made during prohibition. Instead of laying off his workers during prohibition, Adolph Coors instead started making nonalcoholic beer and malted milk.

After that, it’s on to watch packaging, which sounds kind of lame, but it’s really cool, because it goes so fast it makes you head swim. Then it’s off to the lounge to enjoy three free beers. This is a free tour that’s fun and interesting, and then they give you beer, or if you prefer, Pepsi products. They also have a slushy machine with three flavors of Zima in it.

Overall, the tour exceeded my expectations. I figured that it would be fine, neither good nor bad, and they would give me beer. I didn’t expect it to be so much fun. Peggy Sue was hilarious and knew everything we asked her, even though she admitted that she doesn’t like beer. She really likes Zima, though.