Beer Guide 2014: Old Town

By MARTIN CIZMAR

Old Town

5201 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 200-5988, oldtownpizza.com. 11:30 am-10 pm Sunday-Wednesday. 11:30 am-11 pm Thursday-Saturday.

Not so long ago, Old Town Pizza was best known for delivering deliciously doughy pies and growlers by bicycle from a ghost-infested building in a neighborhood overrun with clubgoers and happy-hour heroes. Then, in 2008, this 40-year-old shop decided to reinvest the proceeds of many, many meatball subs into a barn-sized brewery and restaurant—built, coincidentally, from century-old reclaimed barnwood—in the Vanport Plaza. Old Town trades in bold flavors: the garlic knots seem to use a clove each and the Shanghai'd IPA claims only 65 IBUs but seems hoppier. The brewpub's new claim to fame? Taking gold in the hotly contested fresh hop category at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Come September expect to see it flying out of the shop as fast as Old Town's little cargo bikes can carry it. MARTIN CIZMAR.

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