by Denver/Boulder TapHunter – Alex Johnson

In Boulder there are so many places to grab your favorite craft brew and enjoy delicious food with good friends, but few establishments come close to the Southern Sun Pub and Brewery located at 627 S. Broadway. The Southern Sun is one of two affiliated Pubs in Boulder, the other being the Mountain Sun downtown and another in Denver, the Vine Street Pub. Setting these Pubs apart from the many others is the fact that they brew their own beers in-house and have around ten or more of their brews on tap at any one time as well as live music once a week. On tap you will find numerous beers on rotation along with a handful of the favorites that remain constant, so you always know the classics will be there.

• To begin, I frequent the Southern Sun once or twice a week, and each week they have a few new beers not available the week before. It is always a wonderful adventure when diving into their palate tingling variety, from deep Porters to hopped up IPAs and other uniquely flavored ales. Recently on tap is their Jah Mon Ginger, which is incredibly refreshing and delicious as well! With just the right amount of ginger balanced against a wonderfully hoppy beer, it will not disappoint if you are looking for a cool, crisp beer. Another favorite of mine is the Hoppingsworth IPA, which is the brainchild of String Cheese Incident keyboardist, Kyle Hollingsworth. It is only available every so often, and when it is, I suggest ordering a pint and enjoying it with a friend. Hoppingsworth IPA is not overly hoppy, but a perfect reflection of a well-balanced IPA, with a slight citrus note and appealing aroma.

• Among the many rotating brews on tap, the regular Ales are incredible as well. Three favorites of mine are the Annapurna Amber, Colorado Kind Ale, and the Illusion Dweller IPA. The Amber is great for those interested in a rich, full-flavored beer, with mild hop overtones. The Kind Ale is loaded with hops but balanced by the deep amber body, making it a pleasure to drink. And being the “Hop Head” that I am, the Illusion Dweller IPA is a tasty and refreshing IPA that is dry-hopped with UK Kent Golding Hops making it a wonderful standard to the Southern Sun lineup.

As for the food, to begin, the nachos are loaded with cheese and other ingredients and should be enjoyed with company, unless you are incredibly hungry! For the entree, the burgers are pretty good, and they have a mouth-watering variety of burgers piled high with anything from mushrooms, bacon or even sauteed chilies. A black bean burger is also available for those who prefer a vegetarian option. I must say that the wings are my favorite way to go for great flavor! They are huge and meaty and the classic wing sauce is phenomenal while not too spicy! I suggest ordering the wings with an Annapurna Amber!

• Some more details: Live bands are featured on Mondays at the Southern Sun and Sundays at the Mountain Sun and Vine Street Pub. Every pint is just $4.20, and you should know, they only accept cash. So, make sure you have enough cash for your meal (which is very reasonably priced) and your brews! The menus at each affiliated Pub restaurant is relatively the same as well as the beers available.

So head over to the Southern Sun, Mountain Sun or Vine Street Pub and grab a pint of any of their amazing brews and support your local brewers at the same time!