It’s a Sunday night, and everyone in Our Mutual Friend is drinking the same thing: Dry Coffee Stout. The little startup brewery in a RiNo District garage has been so busy all day and the previous week that its selection is narrowed down to one beer.
“We can’t keep up with demand,” the tattooed guy behind the counter tells me.
But this isn’t a problem at all for the group that’s gathered there before the work week, clustered at the bar singing along to James Taylor without any shame or stage fright. You’d think it was their own living room.
And this room, a two-, maybe three-car garage, is just as it sounds, with a sheet-metal roof and six tables scattered about. Really, it’s a hipster man/woman cave, with ample bike parking, posters of Ty Segall on the wall and a thrift-shop bookshelf behind the bar accented with a typewriter, a record player and a schedule of the food trucks that park out front. A bearded guy with a guitar strums among the crowd, which has wandered into the print shop parking lot next door (called A Tiny Print Shop).
What’s important to point out about Our Mutual Friend is that while it does have the DIY, thrift-shop feel, that doesn’t mean you have to drink your beer with a slight fear of dysentery. A lot of times, what comes with such an atmosphere is also a certain amount of unkemptness. But not here.
Looking about, it makes sense why people could feel enough at home to sing with such passion to James Taylor and drink the same good, but not great, beer — it’s a comfortable place. Play cards, a board game, your guitar or even records here.
Even the name, “Our Mutual Friend,” seems to imply a sense of ownership for each patron. And, not to harp on the name, but part of the fun is the confusion on someone’s face when you say, “Let’s go to Our Mutual Friend,” and they haven’t yet figured out that this is an establishment and not an individual.
The only air of exclusivity is that of the beer drinker. Because if you want anything else, you’re out of luck. And as the place becomes more popular, you could even be out of luck as a beer drinker. This is kind of a sad thought, really. Because it was tough to shake the feeling that when Our Mutual Friend does upgrade to a bigger brewing system it might lose some of that indie-brewing charm, if there is such a thing.
So when we decided to leave after a few beers, a friend of mine must have been feeling just as I did. When the bartender picked up our empty glasses and wished us a good night, my friend said, “Thanks for having us,” as if we were about to step out his front door.
Matt Miller: 303-954-1785, mrmiller@denverpost.com
THE TIP: Even though parking is pretty easy on Larimer Street, it’s even easier to bike around the RiNO district — and Our Mutual Friend has plenty of bike parking. Also, don’t order a cocktail or wine — the only booze served is beer.
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. All beers are $5 at this homey, beer-only bar, and food trucks park outside throughout the week.2801 Larimer St., 720-722-2810, .
