For you ex-Boulderites who’ve left Shangri-La for careers, strippers and Rockies games down here in Cowtownthere’s now a glowing orb of a place that spews great beer and food like a solar flare.

Veering wildly off the marketing path by opting for an “un-Sun” name, the folks at Mountain Sun opened the Vine Street Pub (corner of 17th Ave. and Vine Street) on April 14th right here in Denver. That means the excellent micro-brews, creative food and laid-back, hippie atmosphere has joined this cozy little neighborhood just a couple blocks north of Colfax. I guess we Denverites need some Sun, too.

So, in case you’re wondering:

1. Yes, the food is the same. The nachos with waaaay too many black beans, the delicious Basil Bleu Cheeseburger and the hearty chicken burrito made it past all the prairie dog mounds. FYI, get the fresh-cut French fries. Trust me.
2. Yes, the beers are the same. For the time being, pub staff tells me, they’ll be hauling their Quinn’s Golden Ale, Annapurna Amber, Colorado Kind and other ales down from Boulder. Rumor has it they have to get a zoning clearance from all their neighbors to do their own on-site brewing. This will involve some kind of election that will take some planning so it’ll be at least 9 or 10 months before they get to brewing. But really, who cares? I’ll drink imported beer!
3. Yes, the atmosphere is largely the same. Somehow, these worker bees have turned the festering old Milagro Taco Bar into the vibrant Sun spin-off. When I went inside, I actually thought I had somehow ended up in the Southern Sun. And the décor? It keeps to the true mountain/hippie spirit of the Boulder originals.

They’ll be installing more of their beers over the upcoming weeks, but until then, the pub will serve from a bevy of guest taps. I’ve already tried a Dale’s Pale Ale poured with nitrogen. It was stupendous. (Note to Oskar Blues: You’ve really got try that with your beers.) Never thought I’d see Dale’s pour like Guiness.

So, if you’ve got the hankering for some of the Mountain Sun spirit but don’t feel like driving up to the Republic or polluting Superior with your petrol-guzzler, check out the Vine Street Pub. It’s definitely in the same orbit as our other favorite suns, but the beer is never warm.

Photos courtesy of Mountain Sun