Coal Mine Ave Brewing: A destination dog-park brewery

In the wake of my recent elk run-in, as you might imagine, I have been in the market for elk-free dog activities in the Denver area.

• That's how I stumbled onto Coal Mine Ave Brewing Company — an excellent dog park/brewery in Littleton.

Why it matters: As an owner of two dogs, I've tried my share of "dog park slash name-your-business." But the layout of this brewery and the quality of the 2,500-square-foot dog area stands out.

Zoom in: At Coal Mine, there's a clear delineation between where dogs can be off-leash and where they can't, but what's great is humans can sit along a bar inside the dog area, and still be served by the waitstaff on the other side.

• It's clean, there's shade, plenty of water and at least when I visited, the dogs were under control. (A waitress told me if things get heated among the canine customers, the staff just pulls out their airhorns.)
• The area is also heated in the winter.

Details: The brewery doesn't have a full menu but has rotating food trucks right outside. I had a delicious falafel wrap when I visited and tried the Funplex Cream Ale, which was not creamy but very sessionable.

• Coal Mine Ave is open at noon from Tuesday-Sunday, and closing hours range from 7pm-10pm depending on the day.
• Register your (vaccinated) dog for free before you go.
• If you don't want to drink, you can still go and just pay $5 per dog.