“The biggest issue with me growing up was I didn’t have any friends who were into sim racing,” the 27-year-old told BusinessDen. “So I got into it very slowly.”

He hopes to kick that process into higher gear for newcomers, while also bringing in veterans, at Peak Sim Racing, his upcoming project at 1236 S. Broadway in Denver.

When the spot opens in the coming months, Sevilla will bring 12 racing simulators to the former home of Burns Family Artisan Ales, which closed in May last year after eight years in business.

Motorheads can experience “every type of racing imaginable” at Peak Sim Racing, Sevilla said. The spot will also allow customers to upload their own car into the machines to cruise in everything from a Ford Mustang to a Toyota Camry around the track.

Sevilla said Peak Sim will offer a more authentic racing experience than other simulator businesses, such as F1 Arcade in RiNo.

“This is as close as you can get to being inside a real race car without the money or the risk,” Sevilla said.

Sevilla brought a sim to Pikes Peak in June for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. (Courtesy Peak Sim)
Each simulator is custom-made, and Peak Sim will have 10 standard machines alongside two premium ones. The former each cost around $20,000 to build out, while the premium ones run upward of $30,000. Patrons drive the cars in a first-person screen setup sitting down using a steering wheel.

Generally, sims sell anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000, Sevilla said. He built one for himself five years ago, having caught the racing bug from the 2019 Netflix docuseries “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.”

“Most companies don’t make every component you need to build a full simulator, so for the past 10 years the only option is to build it yourself,” he said. “It����ap similar to custom-built PCs, but now, especially after COVID when it exploded a bit, more companies are offering turnkey options where they do all that and ship it.”

It’ll cost $30 per 30 minutes to use a simulator, with the per-minute amount decreasing the more time is bought up-front. Peak Sim will also use adaptive pricing, so it’ll be cheaper on quieter weekdays versus busier weekends for people walking in.

Sevilla will also offer memberships for regulars, though he hasn’t ironed out the format and pricing just yet. He does plan on holding weekly “driving academies,” he said, where people can learn and compete in sim races. The 3,200 square feet will also be available to rent for private events like birthday parties and corporate team building.

Peak Sim will have finger foods like wings, pretzel bites and fries alongside beer, soda, chips and candy. Sevilla also plans to host watch parties for races.

“We are targeting not only people who are completely unaware what sim racing is, but additionally we want people who are avid fans,” he said. “Mainly those 9-to-5 people who can’t afford to have a sim in their house and are looking for a community center to meet and talk with other racing fans.”

Shortly after Sevilla got hooked on racing during the pandemic, he started working at a similar sim center near his home in California. After that job, Sevilla, who moved to Colorado just a month ago, worked at a dealership doing marketing.

With Peak Sim, which is named after the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, he’s managing operations and branding. His parents, who are originally from Mexico but moved to Denver a couple years ago, are also his business partners in the project. His mother is an interpreter and is handling the administrative work, and his father works in dairy product exporting and is on the financial and executive sides of the business, Sevilla said.

The trio signed a five-year lease for the space and expect to spend $100,000 to convert the brewery.

“When people come in, we’ll ask them their experience level and help them find something that fits,” Sevilla said. “We won’t stick a newcomer in an F1 car because that����ap the most difficult thing you can drive. We’d probably start you on a lower horsepower.”

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Sept. 24 will be the last day of business at Bruz Off Fax, located 1495 York St., before the business’ lease is up, said co-founder and CEO Ryan Evans. He expects to throw a proper goodbye party sometime in the next month, but the specifics have not yet been nailed down.

As the taproom closes, the brewery is also preparing to build a new facility in Golden. That project will likely take a couple years to come to fruition, Evans said, but lucky for fans, Bruz Beers’ original brewery and taproom at 1675 W. 67th Ave. in Denver will remain open.

Bruz Beers first came on the scene in 2016 with the opening of its Midtown location on 67th Avenue and quickly honed a niche for itself brewing Belgian-style ales exclusively. Bruz Off Fax debuted about four years later, serving its first pints in February 2020, Evans said — right before the COVID-19 pandemic forced breweries across the country to pivot in how they got beer into the hands of drinkers.

Evans and co-founder Charlie Gottenkieny hadn’t ever planned to sell their beer in cans, but ended up investing in a canning line so local fans could take it home to drink during the height of stay-at-home orders and social distancing. That investment and continued growth required the company to begin looking for more space to expand its operations, Evans said.

“That’s why we kept looking for another location that we could own and control our destiny a little bit,” he said.

While construction on a new public transit system on Colfax Avenue, called the BRT line, has been a nuisance, Evans said his brewery hasn’t experienced the kind of downturns in visitation lamented by other restaurants and hospitality establishments. There wasn’t “anything dramatic” involving Bruz lease renewal either, he said. The company just outgrew its current space.

Evans and his wife Rachel, who are Bruz’s owners, had been looking for new real estate for more than five years before they eventually purchased a property at 17575 S. Golden Road in Golden, near the popular Blue Pan Pizza. The deal closed in November 2025, and as time dwindled on the Bruz Off Fax lease, the couple decided it was time to sunset the location, which has been a favorite neighborhood joint since it opened.

“We‘ve got such a loyal fanbase at Bruz Off Fax and I hope some of those guys can migrate to either the Midtown location or to the Golden location eventually,” Evans said. “It����ap a tough decision, but it����ap been the right decision.”

Bruz Beers is growing amid a broader slump in the craft beer industry. Focusing specifically on Belgian beers has worked in its favor, Evans said, as has diversifying to offer other beverages beyond beer. Last summer, the brewery obtained a brewpub license, which allows it to sell wine and cider. Bruz also began importing Belgian-made beers and now boasts a selection of more than 100 different ones to choose from.

“We’re the experts in this area, on Belgian beer. It����ap what we live, eat and breathe. It fuels us, and I think it sets us apart from just your run-of-the-mill brewery,” he said.

Evans said production is on track to grow 22% this year, to roughly 1,000 barrels of beer. The brewhouse’s capacity is much more than that, however, so once it is operating in Golden, Evans hopes to increase production even further.

Project plans for the Golden brewery are still in the beginning stages, but Evans envisions having a two-story taproom with a 5,000-square-foot patio designed to embrace the local outdoor-focused ethos. Plans call for the building to face west toward the foothills, so that drinkers can watch the sunset each day with a beer in hand, he said.

The new location will take the place of the former Golden Animal Hospital, which was . Originally, Ryan and Rachel Evans wanted to renovate the historic building, but they may have to demolish it, Ryan said.

For more information about Bruz Off Fax’s going away party, stay tuned to the brewery’s social media.

Canada is Colorado’s largest trading partner, selling $5.3 billion in imports to the state and buying $1.6 billion in exports in 2025.

That combined $6.9 billion in trade last year with Canada dwarfed the $2.7 billion in combined trade from the state’s next largest trading partner — Mexico, according to trade statistics provided by the World Trade Center Denver from the WISERTrade database.

“Canada, Mexico and the U.S. have so integrated their economies that this really disrupts that,” Sandi Moilanen, vice president of operations with the WTC Denver, said regarding the trade conflict.

After trade discussions, which appeared close to wrapping up, broke down late Friday, the U.S. placed new and higher tariffs on more than 550 Canadian product categories representing $20 billion in imported goods.

The administration turned to section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which allows a U.S. president to impose tariffs of up to 50% on imports from any foreign country deemed to be “discriminating” against U.S. commerce or products.

Those rarely used duties supersede exemptions given under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which was implemented in 2020 during the first Trump administration.

That treaty required a mandatory review in July 2026, and the U.S. declined to renew the agreement in its current form, which set off the current round of negotiations.

Citing long-standing trade imbalances, the U.S. wants Canada to dismantle its supply management system for dairy and provincial alcohol distribution barriers and to streamline regulations.

Canada wanted tariff relief for medium- and heavy-duty pickup trucks, which it argued had become too costly with added tariffs. But the U.S. rejected any adjustments beyond light-duty passenger vehicles.

U.S. officials also expressed frustration that Canada has strengthened trade ties with Europe and China. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney defended Ottawa’s foreign policy, stating Canada was an independent nation entitled to strike international trade deals as it saw fit.

When Canada walked out of talks late Friday, claiming the U.S. was asking too much and giving too little in return, it was hit with 50% tariffs effective midnight Saturday.

On Tuesday, Canada countered with a list of tariffs on more than 700 U.S. product categories effective Sept. 8.

They include 50% tariffs on U.S. steel, aluminum, clothing, apparel and furniture, as well as 25% tariffs on U.S. appliances, dairy products, seafood and steel and aluminum derivative products. Other categories face a 15% tariff.

Lacking a port, Colorado’s trade strategy emphasizes serving as a key U.S. link on a trade corridor stretching from Canada to Mexico, and it has built close ties in both countries.

Moilanen said the WTC Denver, which supports global trade, is urging Colorado companies doing business in Canada to keep their partnerships alive.

“We have had business relationships with Canada for years and years. Don’t ignore those because of changing U.S. policies. You don’t know what will happen in the future,” she said.

Gov. Jared Polis also made a statement of support for maintaining .

“Canada is an important trading partner for Colorado businesses, and we will do all we can to grow a strong, predictable trade relationship with our neighbors to the north. A strong partnership benefits both Colorado and Canada,” Polis said.

His post was met with a barrage of negative comments from supporters of taking a tough stance against Canada.

About $230 million of Canadian imports to Colorado, or roughly 4.3% of the total, face added tariffs of up to 50% in the latest round, according to an analysis by the WTC Denver.

Canadian trade is a tiny sliver of Colorado GDP, around 1.2%, and the share of total exports facing tariffs is small. But many of the targeted products are ones that U.S. consumers rely on, and higher tariffs could compound local inflation, which was running at 3.9% in Denver in July.

Canada is the largest foreign supplier of toilet paper to the U.S., and it also supplies much of the softwood pulp that domestic makers like Procter & Gamble use.

Although analysts don’t envision a pandemic-like supply chain collapse, consumers could strain the existing inventory if they stock up in an attempt to lock in lower prices.

That includes other paper products like facial tissue and paper towels. One place to watch if that is happening would be the shelves of bulk retailers like Costco and Sam’s Club.

Maple syrup in the morning will cost more, and so will a shot of Canadian whiskey in the evening. Expect new home construction and existing home renovation costs to rise as lumber and building supplies become more expensive.

Prices for winter apparel and hockey gear are already going up, impacting youth sports leagues. And gardeners could face higher seed and bulb prices come spring.

Starting next year, tariffs on new autos assembled in Canada and sold in the U.S. could shoot up to 50% from current levels of 25%. One failed goal of the talks was to get the rate down to 15%.

Between 6% and 9% of vehicles sold in the U.S. are made in Canada.

Among the models most at risk of a price spike next year are the Toyota RAV4, the Honda CR-V, the Honda Civic, the Dodge Charger Daytona, the Chrysler Pacifica and Voyager, the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra.

Colorado residents, however, have dodged what would have likely proven the greatest pain point — petroleum products, which are excluded from the current round of trade talks.

Petroleum products account for about 63% of the dollar value of imports from Canada to Colorado, and much of that represents bitumen extracted from oil sands in Alberta, which is used as feedstock at the Suncor refinery in Commerce City.

Colorado consumers are already coping with gasoline prices above the national average, $4.32 per gallon vs. $4.10 per gallon nationally, according to the AAA.

A 50% tariff on Canadian oil would have likely widened that gap even more.

On the flip side, Colorado exporters of industrial machinery, chemicals, transportation equipment and auto parts are vulnerable to higher Canadian tariffs.

Some bigger names in those areas include the Gates Corp., Woodward Inc., Hexcel Corp., Boulder Scientific, Ball Aerospace and Sierra Nevada.

A few companies find themselves caught squarely in the middle of the trade fight with nowhere to hide, chief among them the Molson Coors Beverage Co.

The company, based in both Montreal and Chicago, widely distributes its Canadian brands, like Molson, in the U.S. and does the same in Canada for its American brands, like Coors.

If a 50% tariff on both sides of the border wasn’t bad enough, heavier tariffs on raw aluminum from Canada will drive up the cost of cans, further eroding already-shrinking profit margins.

Beer consumption was already on a downward path, and higher prices could accelerate that slippage. Lower sales could mean lower production at the Coors Brewing plant in Golden, which is the largest in the company’s network.

Molson Coors shares, which trade under the ticker TAP, are down nearly 10% so far this year and 16% over the past year.

But what if I told you that there are better and — dare I say — tastier alternatives that are just as thirst-quenching? Many such beers that share one ingredient in common: wheat.

Wheat beers

While most beer is made with barley, wheat has been used to brew beer for centuries. The early Sumerians and Egyptians brewed with wheat up to 8,000 years ago. And while wild barley proved to be better for converting starches into fermentable sugars, some brewers continued to make wheat beers, often using primarily barley and a smaller percentage of wheat. Several brewing cultures developed their own distinctive beers featuring wheat. These beers first became popular in Europe in the areas around southern Germany, the Czech Republic, and the Flanders region of Belgium in the 12th or 13th centuries.

Beers made with wheat tend to be softer, smoother and very easy-drinking, and retain a distinctive flavor that����ap rich, creamy and malty, almost bread-like. They tend to have generous foam heads, and some, like hefeweizens, are served in tall glasses to accommodate those heads. They’re usually low in bitterness, which allows the wheat and barley flavors to shine. Some add flavors like orange peel and coriander, while for others, the yeast itself creates the flavors of clove and banana.

These are not watery beers. They have complex flavor profiles yet remain ideal for hot weather thanks to their smooth mouthfeel. They’re light and gentle, but not too sweet, and often have slightly lower alcohol levels.

Types of Wheat Beer

Today’s brewers make a variety of wheat beers, either based on the European styles or of their own invention.

Weissbier is the O.G. of wheat beers, and is also commonly known as hefeweizen (which means “yeast wheat”) because the yeast is not filtered out of the beer, making its appearance cloudy. It����ap essentially the original hazy beer, though it����ap not at all bitter. Instead, the yeast used gives it notes of bananas and cloves. Weissbiers became so popular that they threatened the wheat supply needed to make bread.

That����ap partly why the Reinheitsgebot (a law that declared beer could only be made with barley, hops and water) was enacted in Germany in 1516 — to reserve wheat for making bread. But an exception was made for royalty, and the Duke of Bavaria kept brewing wheat beer as a monopoly for several centuries.

Eventually its popularity fell, and in 1872 the duke sold the rights to Georg Schneider, who continues to make his beers to this day. Other beers similar to hefeweizen include kristallweizen, a filtered version; dunkleweizen, a maltier dark version better suited to later summer; and Weizenbock, bock beer brewed with wheat malt.

Early craft brewers took traditional styles and made them their own. in Portland, Oregon, created the American hefeweizen style in 1986 using its house ale yeast, which created a cleaner but still light ale without the clove and banana notes. The softer wheat character lends itself well to letting added fruit come through while retaining its essential beer personality. That����ap why putting a lemon wedge in the glass became a craze. Many brewers took that style and began experimenting with adding different fruits, creating a host of new fruit wheat beers.

White beer or witbier originated in the Flanders region of Belgium. Like hefeweizen, it����ap also cloudy and unfiltered, but flavored with added coriander and orange peel. This fruit and spice combination gives witbier a distinctive and quite refreshing taste profile. The style originated in the Middle Ages, and all but died out by the 1950s. Fortunately, it was revived by Pierre Celis, a milkman in Hoegaarden, Belgium, who began brewing the style again in the 1960s. Happily, it became wildly popular again. In the U.S., Coors created its own popular version, which it named Blue Moon. But for my money, the best American witbier is Allagash White, brewed in Portland, Maine.

Two other wheat beers that are not as widespread but do have their devoted fans include Berliner weisse and gose. Berliner weisse originated near Berlin, and is a lightly sour, low-alcohol beer made with half wheat malt. It was also frequently served with an added fruit syrup, and as a result, many fruit versions exist in modern interpretations, too. Gose originated in Goslar, Germany, and is a style of low-alcohol sour beer brewed with wheat. Goses are frequently brewed with salt, giving them a unique flavor, and contemporary goses often have added fruit or other flavors. These can be some of the most refreshing sour beers available.

Contact Jay R. Brooks at BrooksOnBeer@gmail.com.

Friday-Sunday. Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace started as an experiment in food hall-style culture far from downtown when it took over the 140,000-square-foot Stanley Aviation factory a decade ago. Now the unique collection of eateries, craft brewers, boutiques and service providers — from fitness classes to stylists — is marking its anniversary with Stanley10. The Aug. 21-23 event features “three days of music, tastings, makers, and good company,” organizers wrote, with the main event, “Taste of Stanley,” on Saturday.

That one offers “bites from our restaurants, beer samples, whiskey tastings (and) retail discounts,” with Neighborhood Music’s live jazz trio on the West Patio from 3 to 5 p.m. Tickets for the 2-5 p.m. tasting are $50 and include up to 20% off in-store purchases at participating retailers, plus a Stanley Marketplace tote. 2501 N. Dallas St. in Aurora. Admission is free and all ages .

Museo turns 35

Friday-Sunday. Denver’s Museo de las Americas isn’t just unique in Colorado, it’s one of the country’s best all-around museums specializing in diverse, vibrant Latin American art. If you haven’t been, this weekend’s 35th anniversary celebration is a great excuse to swing by its home in the Art District on Santa Fe.

Following the Friday, Aug. 21, gala, the museum’s Saturday, Aug. 22, event features artist Ana Maria Hernando presenting a live art performance at 6 p.m., along with an 8 p.m. “surprise concert by an internationally recognized music band,” organizers wrote. Sunday, Aug. 23, brings the 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Family Fun Day, with art workshops and cultural experiences “embodying the spirit of access and belonging at the heart of Museo’s mission.” 861 Santa Fe Drive in Denver. Admission is free. Call 303-571-4401 or visit for more.

Breck goes art-crazy

Through Sunday. If you’re looking to visit the high country before it’s flooded with leaf-peepers next month, check out the Breckenridge International Festival of the Arts. The ski-town’s picturesque main street will host this year’s event, headlined on Friday, Aug. 21, by Denver drag queen/lighting rod Patti Gonia, with a keynote speech and dance party.

Other performances through Sunday, Aug. 23, include the sculptural “Blue Birds” by Close-Act Theater, artist Bill Ostrich’s “Undercurrents” sound installation on the banks of the Blue River, the Inner Harmony Listening Lounge immersive-art tour, Trail Mix live music series at Alpine Garden, and the “Other Worlds” from Breck Create featuring “a tactile exhibition where visitors wander through a yarn-wrapped monster realm and an enchanted ‘Jamboree’ forest,” plus plenty of other events to walk around and discover.

It takes place in venues at the Arts District Campus in downtown Breckenridge, 136 S. Main St., and many events are free. Visit for more details.

Flour power

Sunday. Cooking for Culture, a grassroots community bake sale featuring more than 25 bakeries, restaurants and vendors — think Blackbelly Market, Convivio Cafe, Ultreia and Yuan Wonton — returns for its second year on Aug. 23 as a fundraiser for two Colorado nonprofits supporting immigrant rights, Kaizen Food Rescue and the Rocky Mountain Immigration Advocacy Network. All participants donated the baked goods, and 100% of proceeds support these organizations.

“The bake sale was created in response to policy changes threatening immigrant and refugee communities, and last year raised over $8,600 for its beneficiaries,” organizers said. Other vendors include: Leven Deli, Root Down, Santo, Luchador Tacos, Xiquita
Work & Class, Daughter Thai, Luchador Tacos, Molino Chido, Olive & Finch and Raquelitas Tortillas. Cooking for Culture begins at 10 a.m. on Aug. 23 and continues until goods sell out; it takes place at Joyride Brewing, 2501 Sheridan Blvd, in Edgewater. Get more information at instagram.com/cookingforcultureco. — Jonathan Shikes

The Centennial outpost had been there for nearly 30 years, opening in 1997. Rock Bottom opened in Highlands Ranch in the late 2010s.

It����ap not the only recent closure for the chain, whose website still lists locations in Loveland; Boston, Massachusetts; and a Chicago, Illinois, suburb.

The original downtown Denver store, which kicked off national brand expansion in the 1990s before contracting in the 2000s, shuttered in June on the ground floor of Independence Plaza. That move followed Rock Bottom closing a Colorado Springs location in April.

California-based Kelly Cos., which bought the chain in late 2024, and its CEO Michael Kelly did not respond to requests for comment from BusinessDen.

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“We want to share our knowledge, our customs and our culture,” Vallarino told BusinessDen. “We’re not just burritos and tequila.”

The three will open Terruño Ancestral Spirits in the LoDo space later this month, showcasing spirits from their native Mexico along with traditional dishes beyond the Tex-Mex style that has become commonplace in the states.

Castillo, along with Vallarino and Salgado, who are married, have been distributing tequilas, mezcals and lesser-known Mexican spirits like raicilla and sotol together for the last three years. They supply restaurants and bars across the state and hold events to teach their clients about the drinks, how they’re made and the farmers that make them.

At the time, Salgado also started experimenting with making his own cocktails, many of which will be served at Terruño.

“And that����ap when we were like ‘we should get a place to do this,’” Vallarino said.

At Terruño, which is Spanish for terroir, they’ll have hundreds of spirits to choose from, along with beer, whiskey, vodka, gin and other liquors. Most will be sourced from farmers in Mexico, while the rest will be made by local distilleries, breweries and the like.

They’ll keep up their educational sessions several times a month, they said, even inviting farmers from Mexico to come to Colorado and talk about how they make their product. Vallarino also mentioned they’ll do a similar thing with Mexican chefs to feature cuisines from different parts of the country.

“The principal idea with all of this is to give help to the producers in Mexico,” Vallarino said, noting they work with small and medium-sized brands only. “They know they are getting a fair price from us for their products.”

The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., offering foods from around central Mexico with recommendations for spirit pairings. There will also be a grab-and-go café serving coffees, energy drinks and Mexican pastries from 7 a.m. through 1 p.m.

“We will have no waiters, only guides sharing with you and exploring the history behind every drink and cocktail,” Vallarino said.

Vallarino and Salgado, along with their two boys, moved to Colorado in 2019 after spending all their lives in Mexico City, where Salgado had an importing business. But after facing threats from gangs, they decided to leave their home country.

They became importers of Mexican candies and other small goods, which is how they met Castillo. She had a similar business during that time, after decades as an accountant in the U.S., where she’s been since leaving Mexico in 2000. The three joined up and pivoted to alcohol three years ago, a business they will still keep while running the restaurant.

They found the home for Terruño while delivering spirits to one of their accounts a few doors down, D’Corazon Mexican Restaurant.

The space — formerly home to Honor Farm, a haunted house-themed bar that closed at the end of last year — was being marketed by Zach Cytryn of Axio Commercial Real Estate, who set up a tour just days later.

In May, Terruño locked down a 10-year lease for the space, which they only had to make cosmetic changes to. It����ap had a bar in it for over a century, Salgado said, and also used to be a hostel.

“Something told us we should be here,” Vallarino said. “It����ap everything we were building in our minds.”

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“Do they necessarily need the money? I don’t think so,” Marilyn Venard of Littleton, a Broncos season-ticket holder for seven decades, told me Monday when I brought up the concept of personal seat licenses, or PSLs. “If they want to keep happy fans, they wouldn’t charge it.”

Marilyn is one of those orange-and-blue lifers, the spine and soul of ����apountry. She’s had seats in the north end zone at old Mile High, and now Empower Field at Mile High, since 1965. She’s watched a chain of quarterbacks that runs from Jacky Lee and Mickey Slaughter to Bo Nix.

Venard didn’t hesitate to renew her season tickets for 2026 for $3,000, including parking. boasting an estimated net worth of $146 billion, it does raise eyebrows. And blood pressures.

“Let’s put it this way: I think paying for the privilege of paying them money is something I find a little offensive,” Steve Altman told me by phone Monday. He’s held season tickets at Mile High and Empower since 1987.

“And frankly, I think with this particular ownership group, with the money they have, doesn’t really need it. To me, it just seems a gouge on the fans’ side of that.”

In basic terms, PSLs are a one-time fee to pay for the right to then purchase season tickets. In Buffalo, for example, buying a PSL to the new Highmark Stadium grants you those “rights” for a 30-year span. Those licenses can be eventually be sold if the buyer surrenders their season tickets.

Prices vary by stadium and seat location, but the average minimum price point among 18 NFL teams that offered them last September was $2.744, according to PSLSource.com, a third-party marketplace. Per-seat PSL charges last fall on the site ranged from $50 to $50,000.

“Oh, gracious,”  Venard said. “Well, it’s a lot of money. I don’t think I would pay it.

“I understand that football organizations are charging that now, but my goodness.”

“Would that stop you renewing?” I asked.

“It would certainly take some thought,” she replied.

PSLs are a way for owners to defray big costs, such as stadium construction. They’re as much a part of the NFL lexicon now as Bill Belichick, and twice as soulless.

It’s the sort of scheme would set upon the denizens of Springfield, a gratuity to billionaires from the working class, a mandatory tip collected by corporate overlords. In entertainment terms, it’s a 100-drink minimum to watch the latest slice of low comedy served up by the Las Vegas Raiduhs.

With the Walton-Penner Group planning to build a new stadium privately at Burnham Yard, it’s been presumed for years that PSLs were coming to ����apountry, just as standard NFL practice. This past Saturday at training camp, team president Damani Leech said the quiet part out loud.

“It seems like it����ap a pretty likely thing to happen,” Leech told reporters when asked about PSLs, “but we haven’t made any formal decisions on that.”

All we’d humbly ask of Carrie Walton Penner and Greg Penner as they crunch the numbers is to keep Marilyn in mind. To keep Steve in mind.

And the hundreds of thousands of Broncomaniacs who sat through Paxton Lynch, Kendall Hinton and Lord knows how many snowstorms. The faithful who pack hills and metal bleachers on a scorching August day, because by God, they’d walk through Hell in a gasoline suit to see this franchise back in the Super Bowl again.

“I would (ask), ‘What do they really need the money for?'” Altman said. “I mean, are they interested in the Broncos purely as a business matter, or are they doing this because they want the pleasure of owning an NFL team? You’re talking about some of the richest people in the world.”

Given that the Broncos boast a ticket wait-list of more than 100,000, the market’s betting that if you won’t pay a cover charge, somebody else will. While the introduction of PSLs isn’t designed to purge the voter rolls, so to speak, it can have that effect — especially with older and less well-heeled Broncos faithful.

Altman understands why his season tickets in the 300 level cost $2,800 to renew. But he worries about losing ����apountry’s most loyal, about trading the folks who celebrate a touchdown with a beer and shot with, shall we say, more of your wine-and-cheese crowd.

“‘Would they really need (the PSL money)?'” Altman wondered. “The revenue they’ll get from the seats themselves, that’s pretty much all theirs.”

It’s a fair question. The Walton-Penner Group are the richest owners in the NFL, and it’s not close.

In fact, you’d have to add up the NFL’s second-ranked through seventh-ranked owners’ net worths as of February ($126.6 million) to match or exceed the Walton-Penner Group’s clout. To put that number in more context, Rams owner Stan Kroenke, whose portfolio includes the Nuggets, Avalanche, Rapids and Mammoth, checked in at No. 4 on the NFL’s owners list tis past winter, with a reported net worth of $21.3 billion.

To them, the Broncos are a line item on a budget. To Marilyn? They’re family.

Losing her seats would meaning losing contact with old friends, losing a sense of of community. Venard went to Super Bowls with her neighbors in Section 323. To conference title games. Tailgates.

“And you do become a family,” Venard said. “At the beginning of the season, everybody hugs everybody, welcoming them back.”

Time and tide wait for no man, but she’d miss those hugs dearly. You can’t spell “unscrupulous” without “PSL.” You can’t spell “powerless,” either.

The state is home to some seriously old drinking establishments, several of which predate Colorado’s official statehood in 1876. And if those walls could talk, they’d tell of days operating as bordellos and speakeasies, of miners and notable names who visited, and yes, even of some shootouts that took place there.

When local historian Rick Gardner thinks about the oldest bars in Colorado, he usually thinks of three: The Buffalo Rose in Golden, an institution that originally opened under a different name in 1859 and has operated in some form or fashion ever since; the Peck House in Empire, which is the oldest physical building in Colorado, built in 1862, that was home to a saloon; and Denver’s Buckhorn Exchange, which opened in 1893 and acquired the state’s first liquor license post-Prohibition.

While all respectable in their own right, there are additional haunts along and beyond the Front Range still serving cold ones today — and some are said to be just that, haunted.

Here’s a toast to 11 of the oldest bars in Colorado.

The Buffalo Rose Saloon (Golden)

Located in the heart of downtown Golden, the buildings that house events complex have roots that are as old as the city itself. The spot where the restaurant resides originally opened in 1859 as The International Bowling Saloon, so-named for Golden’s first sport, which was not done inside but out on the back lawn with three 70-foot lanes. Shortly after opening, the site saw two shootouts, in 1860 and 1868, respectively. The saloon underwent construction over subsequent decades as the area grew; the joint has been called The Buffalo Rose since 1981. Today, the business includes several additional historic buildings that comprise The Buffalo Rose Events Center, which is used for concerts and private parties. Each one has its own unique history worth celebrating. Perhaps most notable this year is the Golden Plunge indoor swimming pool, which was originally constructed around 1926 and still resides under the venue’s floor, empty of water of course.

The Gold Pan Saloon (Breckenridge)

When it debuted in 1861, the then-called Long’s Saloon was effectively a tent serving residents in the mining town of Breckenridge. The bar moved into a building in 1879, but it����ap unclear exactly when its name changed to . At times a speakeasy and a brothel, the bar used to have tunnels under the building that ran to the local courthouse. General manager Chris Butler says their purpose remains murky, but local lore is that they helped obscure high-ranking officials visiting for booze or perhaps other attractions in the rooms upstairs. Today, The Gold Pan Saloon also serves as a tasting room for Colorado’s own .

The Mint Steakhouse (Silverthorne)

Opened in 1862, has survived many years as well as many moves. The bar was originally located in a mining village known as Kokomo (in present-day Leadville) under the moniker Jack Ryan’s Saloon. It was moved to both Frisco and Dillon before landing in its current home in Silverthorne sometime before 1961, as the Denver Water Board made way for . The Mint was at one time a bordello with six rooms upstairs, according to co-owner Tom Ricci, who purchased the business in 1984. During a remodel that year, a local woman on horseback stopped by to tell the new owners of the times she spent visiting The Mint with her father and visiting with “the girls” upstairs. “My wife asked her what she meant by the girls. She winked and said, ‘Missy, you know what I mean!’” Ricci recounted. Today, The Mint is known as a popular steakhouse.

My Brother’s Bar (Denver)

Located in Denver’s Highland neighborhood, is famously regarded as the longest continually operating bar in the Mile High City. Originally called Highland House, the bar opened in 1873 and has been slinging beers in a no-frills atmosphere ever since. Its name changed many times, but it became My Brother’s Bar around 1970 after siblings Jim and Angelo Karagas purchased the business. Known as a hangout for Beat writers Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg, it����ap endured as a favorite among locals for never having a sign or TVs and for only playing classical music.

The Silver Dollar Saloon (Leadville)

Step inside Leadville’s and you join the ranks of legends like Doc Holliday, The Unsinkable Molly Brown and playwright/poet Oscar Wilde, who are said to have visited in the time since it opened in 1879. Originally called the Board of Trade, the bar had many names, going by M&O Saloon around the turn of the 20th century and then The Silver Dollar Saloon sometime in the 1930s, said CEO Eric Johns, whose family has owned it since 1943. He credits the bar’s longevity to its, shall we say, adaptability. “We operated as a speakeasy during Prohibition and again discreetly as a speakeasy during COVID,” Johns said.

Ace Hi Tavern (Golden)

When it opened in 1879, the spot now known as in Golden was home to the Opera House Restaurant, serving patrons who attended the Golden Opera House. Unlike the bars on this list, however, the restaurant never served alcohol until after Prohibition ended. Throughout its history, the restaurant had more than 20 owners, Gardner said, the latest being in 1961, when it became Ace Hi Tavern, the now well-loved downtown dive.

J-Bar (Aspen)

Aspen’s Hotel Jerome and its signature date back to 1889, when the town was a hotspot for silver mining. During Prohibition, J-Bar took the unique approach of converting into a soda fountain instead of a speakeasy. But locals could still come by and sneakily catch a buzz by ordering the “Aspen Crud,” a vanilla milkshake that came spiked with bourbon. Guests can still order the cocktail today.

The Creede Hotel & Restaurant (Creede)

Originally known as Zang’s Hotel, has been serving locals since it opened in 1892, the same year Creede was officially incorporated as a town. In addition to serving famous faces like actors John Wayne and Johnny Depp, the hotel is notoriously host to paranormal activity. Guests and staff have reportedly heard footsteps in empty hallways, seen glassware moving and doors slamming on their own, or experienced lights acting unusually. One recurring story involves a woman in period clothing being seen briefly in hallways or near staircases. Perhaps the spirits missed last call?

Monaghan’s Bar and Grill (Denver)

When founder Roy Monaghan decided to open a bar, he wanted to do so near Fort Logan, south of Denver, to be able to serve the soldiers there. And so Monaghan’s Saloon was born in 1892 in a wooden building, which was upgraded in 1901 to the brick structure the bar and grill currently calls home. Even after the Fort Logan base closed post-World War II, Monaghan’s continued serving locals. It����ap rumored patrons included President Dwight Eisenhower and Alfred (sometimes spelled Alferd) Packer, known as the “Colorado Cannibal.”

The Buckhorn Exchange (Denver)

has been proudly serving Denverites since 1893, when Henry H. “Shorty Scout” Zietz opened a saloon that catered to railroaders working across Osage Street at the Burnham Yards of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. (That����ap why the spot was originally named the Rio Grande Exchange.) Famously, the restaurant obtained the first liquor license issued in Colorado post-Prohibition for $25. It is still displayed in the bar. The menu here harkens back to the Old West with a focus on wild game.

The New Sheridan Bar (Telluride)

Telluride’s original New Sheridan Hotel was built in 1891, only to be destroyed by a fire two years later. When it was rebuilt in 1895, it included the New Sheridan Bar to serve residents of the bustling mining town. Much of the aesthetic remains intact more than 100 years later, including the original wooden bar imported from Austria. Rumor has it that the bar utilized secret underground tunnels below the building during Prohibition so people could still get their fix. Locals affectionately call this watering hole “the old bar,” given its long history. Belly up and try the city of Telluride’s signature libation, the Flatliner, when you go.

Saturday. Woof! Dog Days of Summer premiered last year at Larimer Square, and it was so much frisky-fun it’s back for another bite. The 2-6 p.m. event invites pups and their humans to Lower Downtown for “a fun afternoon of dog-friendly activations on Denver’s most historic block.”

Those include not just business pop-ups, but professional pet portraits, dog treat giveaways for the first 100 dogs, bandanas, doggie cooling zones (courtesy Sploot Veterinary Care, who’s handing out frozen bone treats), misting tents, and free live music from Michael Cec, Before the Sun, and Damn Tall Buildings. All of it’s free.

“Sip craft beverages from Larimer Square establishments Garage Sale Vintage, NADC Burger: Denver, Tamayo and Osteria Marco,” they wrote, adding “all partners will be handing out free canned water to attendees.” All pups are welcome, of course. 1430 Larimer St. in Denver. Visit for more information. — John Wenzel

Boat beers

Saturday. Grab your captain’s hat and set a course for the Yacht Rock Beer Festival, which takes place in the upstairs space above Full Frame Beer Company, 2000 Lawrence St. in Denver, on Saturday, Aug. 1 from 2 to 6 p.m.

More than 15 Colorado breweries brewed a beer using Yacht Rock Malt from Troubadour Maltings; “this hyper pale, Colorado-grown base malt creates a clean, crisp foundation that allows each brewery’s recipe and creative approach to stand out,” Full Frame said. You can try unlimited pours for $55. Attendees also get a commemorative tasting glass. There will be yacht-themed games as well as soft-rock classics from DJ Skinny Rabbits. Get tickets at . — Jonathan Shikes

Colorado Day celebrations

Saturday. The annual statewide celebration known as Colorado Day returns Saturday, Aug. 1, this time with the extra oomph of the state’s sesquicentennial (150th anniversary). And what better way to celebrate than with local artisans, creatives and businesses?

Denver BAZAAR has a worthy event from noon-6 p.m. Saturday that should check all those boxes. Nearly 150 vendors, a “homegrown music stage,” and more (acts include Los Mocochetes, Brothers of Brass, May Be Fern, and School of Rock). “Start on the 16th Street walkway, the stretch between Commons Park West and the bridge. Food trucks the whole way, cold drinks, plenty of Colorado-made. Eat, grab a beer, then head for the water,” organizer Gum Pop Presents wrote.

The event is free and all-ages near 2101 15th St. in Denver. Visit for more information. — John Wenzel

Table tops

Saturday. The Mile Long Table is back in Denver on Saturday, Aug. 1, for its second year as a way “to enjoy a shared meal, foster meaningful conversation, and celebrate the values that have shaped the state and city for generations,” according to Longer Tables, the nonprofit that hosts the event.

This year’s event will take on special significance as it honors the state’s 150th birthday (also on Aug. 1); there will be 5,280 seats available, and tickets cost $5.28. The dinner begins at 5 p.m. on the Main Campus Plaza at the National Western Center, 4850 National Western Drive in Denver. Get tickets and more information at . — Jonathan Shikes