This post was originally published on January 19, 2017.

Some days all you want is an affordable beer and burger meal. For those of us in north Denver, look no further because CHUBurger in the RiNo neighborhood is now open as of today! Last night I attended a pre-opening party thanks to Yelp Denver and got a sneak peak into one of my new favorite spots (brews ‘n’ burgers put a strange spell on me….). CHUBurger is an offshoot restaurant of Oskar Blues, a brewery and eatery founded way back in the late ‘90s in Lyons, Colorado. The first CHUBurger in Longmont opened in 2013; this is the second location. Focusing on locally-raised meats from Colorado farms, CHUBurger is your classic farm-to-table restaurant with a plethora of alcoholic beverages (think Oskar Blues beers and Colorado whiskey) to whet your whistle. Down the hallway, another Oskar Blues venture, Hotbox Roasters, brews sustainably-sourced coffee. They’re now open for business as well. I really love Oskar Blues and all of their businesses; they like to keep the focus on LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE, and IMPECCABLE TASTE.

The pre-opening event was the perfect introduction to the new neighborhood spot. There were food and beer samples from CHUBurger, live music from a string duo, impressive gift bags for attendees, and coffee and donuts at HotBox Roasters next door.

CHUBurger has 30 taps filled with Oskar Blues beers and other craft beers, ciders, and sours. As keeping in line with the local attitude, many of the taps are from breweries or cider houses in RiNo, like C-Squared and Hogshead Brewery, or from other spots along the Front Range. My beers of choice last evening were all brewed by Oskar Blues: the Priscilla (an American Wit with notes of orange peel and coriander), Beerito (a Mexican lager with flavors of walnut and toasted bread), and Droppin’ Beets dry-hopped French saison, which was my favorite. They also have boozey shakes… That’s right. Shakes with booze. Last night I sampled the chocolate Hard Hand Shake, aka a shake made with Colorado-proud Spirit Hound whiskey, chocolate shake mix, and Old Chub Nitro. I never thought I would like the mixture of chocolate and whiskey, but you better believe I do now.

I got to sample some things of CB’s new menu including:

Chuburger: Grass-fed black angus beef, CHUB bun, house dressing, smoked American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles
Crispy Clucker: Crispy chicken, CHUB bun, roasted garlic mayo, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato
Berk Burger: All natural Berkshire pork, honey wheat bun, house dressing, balsamic grilled onions, bacon, blue cheese, butter
Gonzo Garbanzo: Veggie falafel, honey wheat bun, Greek yogurt tartar sauce, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, tomato, red onion
Roasted Beet Salad: IMT wine roasted beets, trendy raw greens, dried cranberries, goat cheese, candied walnuts, quinoa
Shoshito Fries: Made with shoshito peppers
Mama’s Beer Battered Onion Rings

My favorite items were the Chuburger and the roasted beet salad. The burger was cooked to perfection and the salad’s flavors were perfectly layered for a sweet, complex taste. I am itching to try the cheese curds, salmon burger, and potato pierogies next time I stop in. Needless to say, I’m pretty ecstatic that CHUBurger is now located within walking distance from my house and offers a great selection of beers and affordable food! You really can’t go wrong with a concept like this.

CHUBurger RiNo and HotBox Roasters are located next door to each other at:

3490 & 3450 Larimer Street, Denver, CO 80205