Tivoli Brewing Company - Mile Hi Hefe

Tivoli’s hefeweizen pours a bright golden yellow hue with light to moderate haze, and is capped by a head of white foam. On the nose, look for a classic hefeweizen yeast-driven aroma offering notes of banana, bubblegum, and coriander-like herbal spice, all atop a lightly bready malt undertone. As we take a sip, the first thing we notice is how fruity it comes across as the banana notes join up with an almost candied lemon quality to explode across the palate. The phenolic coriander tones find a partner in the hop contribution which delivers moderate bitterness and herbal spice. Tivoli mentions that they crafted their hefe to be somewhat crisper and drier than traditional hefeweizen, and we’d agree. It makes for an excellent warm weather beer that’s quenchable and super drinkable on its own while being quite food-friendly too. For pairing options, it’s hard to go wrong with German dishes. Roasted pork or fowl, grilled brats or other sausages, and even fresh soft pretzels with German mustard are good calls. Additionally, grilled shrimp with lemon and herbs, prosciutto-based hors d’oeuvres, smoked ham, and even fruity pastries like apple or lemon strudel are high on our list as well. Prost!

The story of Tivoli runs way back into the history of Denver. It begins with John Good, a German immigrant and store owner who imported European brewing ingredients and worked with Rocky Mountain Brewery to produce a helles lager in 1859. Good eventually left the brewery partnership and founded a bank. In 1864, the building that would become Tivoli Brewing Company was built by another German immigrant named Moritz Sigi in Denver’s Auraria neighborhood. At this new brewhouse, he produced an ale/lager hybrid known as “Buck Beer”, similar to a bock. After his sudden death in 1874, the brewery came into the hands of Max Melsheimer, who took out a large loan from John Good’s bank in order to install new brewing equipment. Sadly for him, he was unable to repay the loan, and the building came into the hands of John Good, who found himself back in the brewing business. He named his brewery Tivoli after the Tivoli Gardens amusement park in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The brewery survived Prohibition by brewing legal, low-ABV beer, and then grew rapidly after Prohibition to become one of the largest breweries in the country. Unfortunately, after a devastating flood and then a labor strike, Tivoli closed in 1969. The historic Tivoli building would become home to retail shops, a movie theater, and the Student Union for the Auraria campus, which serves multiple Denver area colleges.

In 2012, the Tivoli brand was acquired by Corey Marshall and his wife Debbie, who were dedicated to reviving the brand and the old German recipes. In 2015, Tivoli officially reopened, located in the original historic Tivoli building. Today, they offer multiple year-round and seasonal brews, ranging from John Good’s original historic Helles Lager to modern IPA interpretations, and you can enjoy them all at their adjoining Tivoli Tap House. For more info, visit tivolibrewingco.com.