Colorado
10 iconic places in Colorado to have a drink
From the rowdy saloons of the 1850s to the roaring post-Prohibition days in the 1930s and ’40s to the craft brews and $25 cocktails of the moment, Colorado history has paired up with drinking culture in the same way that gin goes with tonic or beer goes with a burger.
But not all watering holes are created equal. While there are plenty of amazing place to tip back a bevvie, we rounded up a few of the most legendary spots in Colorado have a drink.
Columbine Cafe, Golden
A lot has changed in Golden over the past century. For starters, Prohibition ended in 1933, meaning that Coors Brewing got back into the business of making beer. But there’s also now a highway where the Arapaho tribe used to camp and fish, and there are houses and offices and restaurants and gyms where there used to be nothing but open space and elk.
Things have changed at the Columbine Cafe as well, but not by much. Founded as a restaurant by Mike Hatzis, who emigrated from Greece to the U.S., it became a bar in 1934, and a hangout for Coors employees, who would come down after work to trade rumors, tell stories and drink the beer they made — because for most of its existence, the Columbine only served Coors. And since some of those employees worked the third shift, typically 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., the bar opened at 7 a.m. to make sure that everyone could get a pint at the end of the “day.” In 1976, Hatzis gave the bar over to his nephew, Harry Artemis, who’d worked at — where else? — Coors since 1962. Harry continued the run the place past his retirement from the brewery in 1992 and into the 2000s.
It’s now owned by Harry’s kids, Chris, Steve and Tina. Today, the Columbine serves a few beers that aren’t Coors — Longmont’s Left Hand Brewing was on tap recently — and it showcases bluegrass music on Thursday nights in a park-like patio out back; Chris even runs a ski tuning shop in the basement. And it hasn’t opened at 7 a.m. for a decade or so. But the Columbine is still the place to come to trade rumors and tell stories about Coors Brewing, among other things, and it’s still the place to find someone to talk to at the bar, or behind it.
15630 S. Golden Road, Golden; facebook.com/ColumbineCafe
The Cruise Room, Denver
With an aura that jumps straight off of the silver screen, the Cruise Room looks like the kind of place where you might run into Humphrey Bogart drinking a gin martini or Bette Davis swilling an Old Fashioned. Opened the day after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the Art Deco bar is in the historic Oxford Hotel and it features a long and narrow layout — like a train or a ship — with slick booths on one side and a gleaming, neon-lit bar on the other. While the dress code here should be elegant if possible, you’ll likely find all kinds drinking at the bar.
1600 17th St., Denver; theoxfordhotel.com/eat-drink/the-cruise-room
Flagstaff House, Boulder
There are plenty of rooftop patios in Colorado. And they’re all fantastic. But in Boulder, there’s a patio that feels as if it’s on the roof of the world. Perched on Flagstaff Mountain, just to the west of Boulder, Flagstaff House — owned and run by the Monette family since 1971 — is a fine-dining destination known for elevated food, an award-winning wine list and breathtaking views. While dinner reservations book up far in advance, you can also visit the newly renovated bar and lounge area for a cocktail, a canape, or a dessert. It is seated on a first-come-first-served basis. There’s even a cozy fireplace on colder days where you can watch the sun set with, say, a glass of Caviar Dreams, made with prosecco, lemon, grapefruit, bitters, caper liquor and a bump of caviar.
1138 Flagstaff Road, Boulder; flagstaffhouse.com
Gray’s Coors Tavern, Pueblo
Sit at the bar on in one of the booths at Gray’s Coors Tavern for just a few minutes, and you’ll feel as though you’ve lived your entire life in Colorado. Not only does this timeless Pueblo bar and restaurant mostly serve Coors beer (history tells us that the brewery worked with bar owners after Prohibition ended to put the family name above the doors at a few saloons), but the walls are covered in Denver Broncos memorabilia from at least seven different decades and photos of Gray’s beginnings in 1934. But back to the menu, where you’ll find the perfect pairing for your Coors beer: an open-faced, double cheeseburger smothered in green chile (Pueblo-grown, of course, rather than Hatch), known affectionately as a Slopper.
515 W. 4th St., Pueblo; facebook.com/grayscoorstavern
Minturn Saloon, Minturn
Holed up alongside the Eagle River, the Minturn Saloon — and its predecessor bars at the same address — have been serving drinks in the Vail Valley since 1901. The beautiful backbar itself was built in the 1830s and spent time in Leadville before being hauled down the mountain. But the saloon is perhaps best known as being the end destination for the Minturn Mile, an experts-only backcountry route down Vail Mountain. Recently renovated, the saloon has upgraded its menu and become quite the tourist draw. But it will always welcome locals with a discount.
146 Main St., Minturn; minturnsaloon.com
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
My Brother’s Bar in Denver. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)
My Brother’s Bar, Denver
If you’ve been around for 150 years, you don’t need a sign to announce your presence. Such is the case on 15th and Platte streets in Denver. A watering hole since the 1870s, the building at 2375 15th St. has been home to My Brother’s Bar since 1970, when the Karagas brothers moved to town and took it over. It’s now owned by local preservationist Danny Newman, who has kept the legacy alive. Laid out like a darkened English pub — but with an unexpected oasis of a patio out back, My Brother’s is known for burgers and beer. And you can get that burger however you want it because it comes with a tray full of possible condiments. (We recommend the Jalapeño Cream Cheese Burger.) The bar is also one of several where Beat Generation writer Neal Cassady spent time while he lived in Denver. Visit, and you might feel enlightened as well.
2375 15th St., Denver; mybrothersbar.com
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew, Lyons
Beer has a long history in Colorado and there are plenty of storied places where that heady liquid has been brewed. One of the most unexpected, though, was a raucous Cajun restaurant founded in 1997 in Lyons by a homebrew-loving Alabaman. But Dale Katechis was also bold, and in 2002, he did something no one could believe: he started canning craft beer. Sure, the big guys — Coors, Bud, Miller — all canned their beer, but microbreweries were supposed to be better and more refined. Katechis was laughed at, but it didn’t stop him from building his business into one of the 10 largest craft breweries in the country. Katechis eventually sold the brewery, but he kept the restaurants, including the original in Lyons, which has hosted renowned blues musicians and jam bands going back in time to a more innocent era in this little town.
303 Main St., Lyons; oskarbluesfooderies.com
Silver Dollar Saloon, Leadville
In case you forget that the town of Leadville is 10,120 feet above sea level, a short and breathy walk down Harrison Avenue, to the front door of the Silver Dollar Saloon, will remind you. Once inside, though, it’s hard to forget the building’s 150-year history (it has been a bar for nearly that long), its antique fixtures and its many guests, like the 10th Mountain Division soldiers (who trained just down the road at Camp Hale), gunslinger Doc Holliday, and the miners, prospectors and Prohibition-era lawbreakers who enjoyed a drink here. Join them by choosing from an extensive list of Colorado-made whiskey, beer and wine, and revel in the fact that this is one of the highest-elevation bars in the United States.
315 Harrison Ave., Leadville; legendarysilverdollarsaloon.com
Woody Creek Tavern, Aspen
For nearly as long as college students have been absorbing the satirical chaos of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” it has been a Colorado rite of passage to visit the bar and restaurant in Woody Creek, just outside of Aspen, where the book’s author, Hunter S. Thompson, hung out — until his death by suicide in 2005. The rabble-rousing journalist would likely laugh at the Woody Creek Tavern’s legendary status today, not to mention the ritzy feel of Aspen. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop in to peruse the celebrity photos and memorabilia on the walls, drink a bloody Mary and offer up a toast to Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo.
2858 Upper River Road, Woody Creek; woodycreektavern.com
Helen H. Richardson, Denver Post file
The Wynkoop Brewing Company. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Wynkoop Brewing, Denver
When Wynkoop Brewing opened in 1988 — serving 25-cent beers that day to draw people to the then-desolate neighborhood — it was the first time a beer had been commercially brewed in Denver since Tivoli Brewing closed nearly 20 years earlier. Since then, the brewpub’s booths and bars have been many things: a gathering place for civic leaders, journalists and pot-stirrers; the launchpad for the career of former co-owner John Hickenlooper (now a U.S. Senator), the site of live pig races and pool tournaments and the catalyst for a neighborhood that would go on to become one of the hottest party spots in town. Across from Union Station and down the street from Coors Field, the Wynkoop is now a courtly grandfather among rowdy teenagers, but it’s also the only place you can find a beer made from Rocky Mountain oysters.
1634 18th St, Denver; wynkoop.com
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Colorado
Children victimized in Northern Colorado after convicted sex offender allegedly commits disgusting act of food tampering
A convicted sex offender who allegedly contaminated cupcakes for a child’s birthday party with his bodily fluids will remain behind bars through at least Dec. 20. Stephen Masalta is accused of masturbating in a Fort Collins Safeway grocery store, contaminating cupcakes, fruits, donuts and frosting at his former place of employment.
Masalta was first arrested by Fort Collins Police Services in early 2024 after the department spent months trying to find him. Police responded to dozens of reports of a short man exposing himself outside of coffee shops in Fort Collins and Loveland at early morning hours. The man was regularly described as being short, either White or Asian, wearing a mask and dark clothing.
After months of investigations, FCPS identified and arrested Masalta.
According to documents obtained by CBS News Colorado’s Dillon Thomas, police located many concerning pieces of evidence at Masalta’s property during a search warrant. That included clothing matching descriptions of the suspect at the coffee shops, several phones and hard drives with explicit content on them and a car that contained contents like binoculars. Police reported that they ran a black light through his vehicle and found the driver seat was covered in bodily fluid.
Police also reportedly found images on Masalta’s electronics that they believed to be both clothed and exposed photos of women who police did not believe were aware they were being photographed. Police said Masalta had taken notes about the sexual acts he wanted to do to the women and had even drawn sexual images over some of the photos.
However, potentially of greatest concern to some, police said they located videos of Masalta allegedly contaminating food items at Safeway off of Harmony Road in southern Fort Collins.
Police described videos of a man, who they presented as Masalta, touching pastries and other baked goods at Safeway with his genitals.
Police also said they saw videos of Masalta releasing bodily fluids onto fresh fruit, a bucket of pastry frosting and even onto a custom order of cupcakes. Fort Collins police said they were able to tell based from the video that the cupcakes were clearly decorated for a child’s birthday and even still had the customer’s order form taped to them.
Those cupcakes were then served at a child’s birthday party.
The parent of two of the children attending the party, ages 2 and 5, agreed to share their traumatic story exclusively with Thomas. However, because her children were victims of a sex crime, CBS News Colorado agreed to not share her identity.
“When police first come to your door, what goes through your head?” Thomas asked.
“I thought my husband was hurt,” she said.
While she was fortunate that her husband was okay, she would quickly learn her young children had been victimized.
“They asked me if my children, and or my husband and I, had eaten cupcakes that were served there,” she said.
“Could you have ever fathomed what they were about to tell you?” Thomas asked.
“No. I don’t think anybody could have ever imagined this,” she said.
Detectives then told her that they had confirmed the cupcakes her family consumed were the cupcakes seen in the videos allegedly found on Masalta’s devices.
Police said Masalta was employed at the Safeway at the time. Officers reportedly went to the bakery department and were able to confirm that the room the videos were recorded in was also in the Harmony Safeway.
“When you found out it wasn’t just you and your trust violated, but it was your children as well, what was that like?” Thomas asked.
“Luckily, they are so young that we haven’t communicated any of this to them. But, we as a family had to go get HIV and STD testing,” she said. “All the joy that comes with a birthday and cupcakes and all the amazing celebrations that happen with that kind of thing is now, in my mind, always associated with that. And, watching them enjoy those things is not the same anymore.”
Masalta, a registered sex offender, was previously arrested in California for placing video recording devices inside church bathrooms to see girls and women using toilets.
The woman Thomas spoke with said Masalta’s alleged actions in Colorado have tarnished her ability to enjoy everyday life. She noted she has to drive by the Safeway in question twice daily. She also said, when she goes to grocery stores now, she can’t see the bakery section as normally as she once could.
“You should be able to go to a kid’s birthday party and not worry about eating cupcakes,” she said.
After being arrested by FCPS, Masalta’s defense attorney and the prosecution reached a plea agreement. In exchange for a guilty plea, Masalta would’ve been sentenced to 364 days in jail with credit for time served. He would also have to undergo 10 years of intensive sexual offender probation supervision. The deal also had other financial stipulations. However, due to spending most of 2024 in jail, Masalta was nearly released to community corrections after the agreement would have been processed through sentencing by a judge.
However, Masalta was not accepted into community corrections, also known as a halfway house. The plea agreement was then voided, as acceptance into community corrections was listed as a deal breaker for the agreement which Masalta had already signed.
The woman CBS News Colorado interviewed was one of just several victims of Masalta’s alleged actions that told Thomas they felt the initial plea was poorly constructed.
“According to the documents we obtained, he was convicted of sex crimes in California. He is accused of exposing himself at coffee shops. He is accused of contaminating food your children ate. What was you response when you saw the plea agreement he was offered?” Thomas asked.
“Disappointment,” she said. “I don’t think what they have done is enough in my opinion,” she said. “In our opinion the harsh end of the spectrum should be given with the pattern and reach of these crimes.”
A Larimer County judge rescheduled sentencing for Dec. 20, giving several weeks for Masalta and the prosecution to potentially iron out a new plea agreement. It is also possible that the case could now more forward toward trial.
District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin’s office said they were unable to conduct an interview for this report due to the case remaining open as of Friday. However, they issued the following statement.
“As we’ve stated in previous hearings of this case, the law is completely inadequate to account for the nature of these incidents. We are constrained by the law and the required concurrent sentencing of most of these counts, and our goal remains to piece together the greatest level of accountability possible for the community. We are committed to doing everything we can to deter this type of behavior and get justice for these victims who are rightfully traumatized.”
The woman CBS News Colorado spoke with said her family is hoping the plea agreement falling through will result in Masalta being convicted and sentenced to extended time in prison.
“Has this changed how you see and experience life forever?” Thomas asked.
“It does. It is so upsetting,” she said as she wiped away tears. “I hope someday I will be able to move forward and not have that happen. I feel very upset that that has been something that has been taken from us.”
Colorado
Colorado funeral home owners plead guilty to corpse abuse after nearly 200 bodies found decomposing
The owners of a Colorado funeral home accused of piling hundreds of bodies in room-temperature conditions inside a dilapidated building and giving loved ones concrete instead of ashes have pleaded guilty to corpse abuse.
Jon and Carie Hallford, who own the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pleaded guilty to 191 counts of abuse of a corpse on Friday.
“The bodies were [lying] on the ground, stacked on shelves, left on gurneys, stacked on top of each other or just piled in rooms,” prosecutor Rachael Powell said in court.
Their loved ones are “intensely and forever outraged,” she added. Some of the families were in the courtroom when they pleaded guilty.
MIXED-UP REMAINS, ROTTING BODIES, FAKE ASHES: HOW GRIEVING FAMILIES UNCOVERED THESE 5 FUNERAL HOME HORRORS
Jon and Carie Hallford, who own the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pleaded guilty to 191 counts of abuse of a corpse on Friday. (Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
Crystina Page, whose son died in 2019, said outside the courtroom on Friday: “He laid in the corner of an inoperable fridge, dumped out of his body bag with rats and maggots eating his face for four years. Now every moment that I think of my son, I’m having to think of Jon and Carie, and that’s not going away.”
The Hallfords also faced charges of theft, money laundering and forgery, which were dismissed with their plea deals.
The couple spent $882,300 in COVID relief funds on things like vacations, cosmetic surgery, car and tuition for their child.
Jon Hallford could serve 20 years in prison under the plea deal and Carie Hallford could serve 15 to 20 years.
Six people who objected to the plea deals, calling their recommended sentences insufficient, will get a chance to speak before they’re sentenced in April.
Fremont County deputies guard the road leading to the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., Oct. 5, 2023. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP/The Gazette via AP)
MOURNING LOVED ONES TARGETED BY ‘DESPICABLE’ FUNERAL HOME SCAM
If the judge rejects the plea deal, the case may still go to trial.
The Hallfords already pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October in connection with their misuse of funds.
The accusations go back to 2019 and the improperly stored bodies were discovered after neighbors reported a stench coming from the building.
A hearse and debris can be seen at the rear of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., Oct. 5, 2023. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP)
Authorities in hazmat gear found bodies stacked on top of each other, some so decayed they couldn’t be identified, and the place was infested with bugs.
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Following the gruesome discovery, Colorado has tightened funeral home regulations.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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