Denver, CO

At Vine Street Pub, nothing is different — but everything has changed

Published

2 years ago

June 14, 2024

At Vine Street Pub, nothing is different — but everything has changed

Places matter. Spaces matter. That’s never been more clear than it was when the Vine Street Pub & Brewery reopened its doors this month, four years after closing them for the pandemic.

“People have been so kind, sharing memories and telling stories, said Kevin Daly, who founded the Mountain Sun Pub and brewery group in Boulder in 1993 and opened Vine Street in 2008.

“It feels great. I’ve always felt like I had a mission-based job that creates community, that offers that third place for people to go. I think we will do well,” he added.

Kevin Daly, the owner of Vine Street Pub & Brewery, poses outside of his restaurant in Denver on Thursday, June 13, 2024. (Photo by Zachary Spindler-Krage/The Denver Post)

The brewpub, at 1700 Vine St., officially reopened last weekend and will maintain hours Thursdays through Sundays for now before expanding them down the road.

In many ways, not much has changed on the inside over those four years. The homey interior looks much the way it did in early 2020, and the menu still offers wings, burgers, sandwiches and classic Vine Street beers like Colorado Kind, F.Y.I.P.A and Megatron Imperial Stout. There is also an old ATM in the corner, although Vine Street finally accepts credit cards now.

And yet, everything is different on the outside, Daly said. People don’t go out as often as they did before the pandemic, restaurant prices have skyrocketed, hospitality workers have moved on, and commuters who used to come into the city to their jobs now work from home. That means it’s harder than ever to run a restaurant and make a profit, he pointed out.

But the problems didn’t show on Thursday as employees smiled ear to ear, carrying dishes from the kitchen to excited tables full of old regulars and curious newcomers.

Steve McConnell, who lives across the street from the pub remembers watching people from his porch on the day the business first opened in 2008. He also recalls his first visit when he showed up without any cash — as many people did — to the cash- and check-only restaurant and was told to just come back the next day to pay. He did, and he kept coming for years.

“Monday burger-and-beer night was my favorite,” he said, joking that he wanted to install a rope connecting his house to the pub so that he could find it in case of a blizzard.

Other changes at Vine Street include:

— The kitchen was gutted and remodeled to make it more efficient.

— The Buffalo wings are sadly smaller and come without the breading that made them stand out in the old days — a victim of rising food costs — but they still taste delicious.

— Some old menu items are missing, but new chef Lincoln Humphrey plans to bring some back as weekly specials. He’ll also add pizza and dishes of his own creation. “We don’t want to change too much because of the culture here, but we’ll change them just enough,” he said.

— The beer list has been updated with more modern selections, like the delicious Tank Top hazy IPA, and there is now a house-brewed hard seltzer (currently pineapple passion fruit).

It took Daly four years to reopen Vine Street, in part, because he also runs four other pubs, Mountain Sun, Southern Sun and Under the Sun, all in Boulder, and Longs Peak Pub & Taphouse in Longmont — and Vine Street was the furthest from his home. He also wanted to take his time finding the right group of people to run it, he said.

The company, which owns the building, has continued to use the brewing facility in back over the past few years. Three of those restaurants reopened in 2021, while the fourth returned in 2022.

A large crowd forms inside Vine Street Pub & Brewery in Denver on Thursday, June 13, 2024. (Photo by Zachary Spindler-Krage/The Denver Post)

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Denver, CO

Where do Packers stand in NFC playoff picture after loss in Denver?

Published

10 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Where do Packers stand in NFC playoff picture after loss in Denver?

The Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) dropped from first to second in the NFC North and from the second seed to the seventh seed in the NFC after losing to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Significant injuries suffered against the Broncos will mean lasting implications are felt past Sunday. The Packers are also now a long shot to catch the Los Angeles Rams for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and it’ll take a win next Saturday night in Chicago to retake control in the NFC North.

But the Packers are still in a good spot in terms of making the postseason field, especially after the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys all lost on Sunday.

NFC playoff picture after Week 15

Los Angeles Rams (11-3, 6-3 vs. NFC)
Chicago Bears (10-4, 6-3 vs. NFC)
Philadelphia Eagles (9-5, 7-3 vs. NFC)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7, 5-5 vs. NFC)
Seattle Seahawks (11-3, 6-3 vs. NFC)
San Francisco 49ers (10-4, 8-2 vs. NFC)
Green Bay Packers (9-4-1, 7-2-1 vs. NFC)

Others: Lions (8-6), Panthers (7-7), Cowboys (6-7-1)

According to The Athletic’s NFL playoff simulator, the Packers have a 92 percent chance of making the postseason with three weeks to go. They become all but guaranteed of a playoff spot if they can beat the Bears in Chicago in Week 16. In fact, just one win over the final three weeks could be enough for the Packers to get in.

The NFC North winner looks like a coinflip. The Athletic’s model gives the Packers a 48 percent chance of winning the division right now, and it would go up to 82 percent with a win over the Bears on Saturday. Chicago took down the Cleveland Browns with ease in bitter cold temps at Soldier Field on Sunday.

The Athletic’s model also gives the Packers a 98 percent chance of being the No. 2 seed if Matt LaFleur’s team can win out. That will be much easier said than done without Micah Parsons (and potentially Christian Watson) down the stretch.

Two very possibilities for the Packers: Win the NFC North and host the Bears in the NFC Wild Card Round, or get in as the No. 7 seed and go to Chicago to play the Bears in the NFC Wild Card Round. A third round of the rivalry is increasingly possible in January.

Packers remaining games

Nothing easy here. The Bears, Ravens and Vikings all won Sunday. The Bears and Ravens won comfortably; the Vikings upset the Cowboys — who desperately needed to win — in Dallas. The Bears and Ravens are both playing to win division titles. The Vikings are a dangerously talented spoiler team, and winning at U.S. Bank Stadium is never easy. The Athletic’s model gives the Packers roughly a 40 percent chance of making the postseason even with an 0-3 finish. The Lions are the biggest threat to pass the Packers in the event they finish 0-3.

It appears the Packers can clinch a playoff spot next week with a win over the Bears and a Steelers win over the Lions.

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Denver, CO

Packers vs. Broncos Week 15 Game Discussion Thread

Published

22 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Packers vs. Broncos Week 15 Game Discussion Thread

It’s time for the AFC’s #1 team to meet the NFC’s #2. Today the Denver Broncos host the Green Bay Packers in a key late-season inter-conference matchup that could have playoff seeding implications for both teams.

In Denver, the Broncos will be trying to hold on to the top spot in the AFC and keep their impressive win streak rolling. Denver has won ten straight games, some of them in fairly ridiculous fashion, but they sit at 11-2, sharing the top record in the NFL with the New England Patriots, who are just behind them in the playoff picture based on conference record.

The Packers, meanwhile, want to hold on to the lead in the NFC North before they have their rematch with the Chicago Bears next Saturday night. Green Bay sits behind only the Los Angeles Rams in the playoff race in the NFC, and they want to return to the Central time zone with that lead intact.

Join us here at Acme Packing Company to discuss today’s game, and Go Pack Go!

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Denver, CO

Denver hosts Houston on 4-game home skid

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Houston Rockets (16-6, third in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (18-6, second in the Western Conference)

Denver; Monday, 9:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Denver hosts Houston looking to end its four-game home slide.

The Nuggets are 13-5 in conference games. Denver averages 125.5 points while outscoring opponents by 9.6 points per game.

The Rockets are 9-5 in Western Conference play. Houston is fifth in the NBA scoring 120.6 points per game while shooting 48.6%.

The Nuggets’ 13.5 made 3-pointers per game this season are only 0.8 more made shots on average than the 12.7 per game the Rockets give up. The Rockets average 120.6 points per game, 4.7 more than the 115.9 the Nuggets give up.

The teams meet for the second time this season. In the last meeting on Nov. 22 the Nuggets won 112-109 led by 34 points from Nikola Jokic, while Reed Sheppard scored 27 points for the Rockets.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jokic is averaging 29.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 10.9 assists for the Nuggets. Hunter Tyson is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Alperen Sengun is averaging 23 points, 9.4 rebounds, seven assists and 1.5 steals for the Rockets. Amen Thompson is averaging 20.0 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 126.7 points, 41.4 rebounds, 30.3 assists, 5.8 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 53.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.8 points per game.

Rockets: 7-3, averaging 115.7 points, 47.2 rebounds, 24.8 assists, 9.3 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.0 points.

INJURIES: Nuggets: Christian Braun: out (ankle), Aaron Gordon: out (hamstring), Julian Strawther: day to day (back).

Rockets: Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Dorian Finney-Smith: out (ankle), Tari Eason: out (oblique).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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