How to drink local beer in Denver for St. Patrick's Day

For the love of the Irish, skip the green beer this year — and the imports like Guinness, too.

Drink smart: Colorado breweries and beer shops offer plenty of great red ales and stouts to mark St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday.

• The old-school red ale is actually making a return to popularity right now as a malty alternative to the IPA craze.

Reality check: Irish beer styles differ quite a bit from their American counterparts, which are typically hoppier and sweeter.

Beer lover's picks: Here's a few local options for St. Patrick's Day.

• Platt Park Brewing's Astronaut Amber: One of the few Irish-style red ales on tap year-round.
• Elevation Beer Co.'s Monarch Throwback: A special release red ale that hits all the right notes.
• Left Hand Brewing's Milk Stout Nitro: Far from the Irish style, but a great beer in a shamrock can.

My thought bubble: Pouring a nitro beer into a glass (even if it's Guinness) is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. The chemistry of the cascading bubbles is like a beer ballet. Sláinte!

This story first appeared in the Axios Denver newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard.

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