Amanda G.
Yelp
Some friends and I were in the neighborhood and decided to check out Renegade after another brewery fell a bit flat. What a pleasant surprise it was!
E and I had gotten a Renegade sampler pack a while back, and we really liked their Hiatus (coffee stout) and Hammer &Sickle (RIS), but I found the rest of their beers to be way more hop-forward than I generally like. Because of this, I think, Renegade never really showed up on our list of breweries to try when we moved back to Denver.
Well, my hoppy palate must be returning, because I really enjoyed two preeeeeetty hoppy beers at Renegade this weekend. I started off with the Summer Tan, a Double IPA with tangerine, and loved it. Not only did the name start my daydreaming of sunshine and vacation, but the beer was an absolute delight. The juicy citrus paired so well with the hop-forward base, and was absolutely perfect for swilling on the sunny patio. However, at 8.5%, it's a beer that, when coupled with sunshine, is guaranteed to lay you flat in no time, so my next pint was the more gentle Consilium, a pale ale with orange peel.
In truth, the two beers are like different intensities of the same base, and I liked them so much that I see at least one six-pack of each accompanying me on our annual Lake Powell trip this year.
This place is smaller than one might expect, given the prevalence of their beer on the local liquor store market. I can imagine it's quite cozy (i.e. cramped) when the weather is cold, but when the patio is available and the garage doors are open, there's plenty of room. Dogs are allowed on the patio - having left ours at home, I cozied right up to a friendly Husky - but be prepared for little shade, as the patio is south-facing and gets a LOT of sun. In other words - a perfect winter patio!
Verdict: Loved it. We'll be back, and I'll also look on their beers more favorably next time I'm in the liquor store!