• Cory Pelc
• On July 1, 2013
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Our Mutual Friend Malt and Brew, located at Larimer and 28th avenues in the RiNo District in Denver, is the quintessential neighborhood brewery and taproom that you would want to live next to. Its sizeable taproom is a place to grab a pint with a friend and catch up.

The neo-industrial charm and large community tables and exposed ceilings provide ample opportunities to chat with others about the amazing brews these folks are crafting. If you want to grab a pint outside, head through the garage-style door leading to a nice little outdoor patio. Back inside, as you cozy up to the bar, you can’t help but take notice of the bookshelf housing a library fit to please the biggest of bookworms. The aesthetic is very warm with a vinyl collection that is expansive – not just for show; this is the music source for your enjoyment while you sip you suds, along with many other tchotchkes to keep your eyes moving while you belly up for a pint. Seven taps, sometimes rotating quickly when everyone drinks up all of this goodness, pour solid and balanced ales. This is a place for community to coalesce and get away from the day-to-day grind.

Our Mutual Friend Malt and Brew, or Our Mutal Friend or OMF for short, takes this community-minded approach to their brewing as well, making a concerted effort to use local ingredients whenever doable. Our Mutual Friend uses Huckleberry Roasters, its coffee crafting neighbors, to help make their Huckleberry Coffee Stout. Along side locally roasted coffee, OMF takes brewing to a whole new level. All of its malts come from Colorado Malting Company, an Alamosa based maltster that produces 100 percent Colorado malts. While this malt carries a higher price tag, OMF feels the increase in quality, paired with supporting local producers, is well worth the cost. As a small maltstery, the OMF has more influence over the quality and freshness of its beers that the company pours in the taproom, and more opportunities to source ingredients locally. Our Mutual Friend then takes these Colorado malts and roasts and toasts them in house. Not too many breweries are taking the DIY approach as seriously as these fine blokes. In fact, no other brewery in Denver currently toasts and malts its own grains. Next, OMF is developing a small scale malting system in house. In the near future, please take note that a lot of micro-malting will start taking place and that these guys are on the forefront of this movement.

While OMF’s approach to locally sourced ingredients is not uncommon, it really exemplifies a collective of the industry that appreciates the beer culture that it is a part of. In a climate and culture where American breweries are going big and bold with hop bombs and barrel-aged beers right from the get-go, Our Mutual Friend pays homage to the craft beer of yesteryear by keeping things simple but doing it extremely well. The brewery hosts six standard beers: an IPA, Brown, Dry Stout (on nitro), Saison, Pale, and session ale called the Proletariat. Aside from the draft selection, OMF has done a limited run of hand numbered and labeled bombers (22 oz.) of its winter seasonal, Winter Warmer and recently released its IPA2 in the same format in late June 2013.

Although OMF has Cracker Jacks for purchase (which rules – I am a huge fan), some folks may hunger for more while they are taking back a Saison with friends. If this is you, don’t worry. Our Mutual Friend has a standing schedule of food trucks parking out front for your beer pairing pleasure. Wafflegänger and Baba’s Falafel, among others, all make stops by the brewery to help you get a good beer swilling base before you get your PorchDrinking-on in the patio area!

Stop in to share a story and a pint with Our Mutual Friend Malt and Brew from 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays or 2 p.m. – 12 a.m., midnight, on Fridays and Saturdays.

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