It's all about getting Colorado booze out fast at Tap Fourteen's rooftop bar in Lower Downtown Denver.
Bartenders aim to get the average cocktail made in about six seconds especially when the space near Coor's Stadium is full of twenty- and thirty-something-year-olds looking to drink, said Ryan Earles, general manager of Tap Fourteen.
Tap Fourteen execs hope to expand their large selection of Colorado beers and spirits to a new spot in Uptown while also leaving the LoDo vibe behind. The brewpub featuring 70 beer taps and more than 100 spirits is slated to open near Logan Street and East 19th Avenue during mid-December.
For the uninitiated, LoDo is a neighborhood with just the just the right concentration of bars and people to create a perfect storm for debauchery. An area like this is a staple for big cities, — Wrigleyville in Chicago, Williamsburg in New York City, Old City in Philadelphia — and local residents learn to either avoid or embrace them.
Tap Fourteen opened on the second level of 920 Blake St. in 2015, after the owners opened the sports bar Hayter's in 2010 in the space below. The rooftop bar exclusively serves Colorado beers and spirits.
The new spot in Uptown is expected to be smaller and offer more sophisticated bistro and brunch food options. Chef Taylor Creedon, formerly with Omni Interlocken Hotel in Broomfield, is expected to move from LoDo to Uptown after it opens in coming weeks, Earles said.
The location at 400 E. 19th Ave. will feature three fireplaces, a fire pit, lounge area and outdoor patio. To the east, there's the popular date spot D Bar. Across the street, Las Delicias recently reopened its swanky Mexican restaurant. And developers are working on plans to convert the Cathedral High School complex near Grant Street and East 19th Avenue to a boutique hotel.
The owners originally hoped their dowtown location would have the sleek vibe they're shooting for with the new space, Earles said.
"It's really hard," he said. "Ballpark is just so fast pace it was impossible to keep with that."
If successful in Uptown, the owners could open somewhere around five new Tap Fourteens in Colorado in the next five or so years.
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Business & data reporter Adrian D. Garcia can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/adriandgarcia.
