Congress Park Taproom opened its doors at 833 Colorado Boulevard in the space that last housed a boozy ice cream business, Twisted Cream, and an outpost of Heidi's Deli prior to that. Owner Mark Thompson, a former engineer who grew up in New Mexico, retrofitted the 2,000 space into an inviting neighborhood bar that features a 30-draft-line beer, plenty of TVs, and comfortable seating. There is no food menu but there is wine for those seeking an break from the brews.
Just a few doors down, inside the old timey Bar Car, Swine Emporium is now is slinging smoked meats. Chef Norm Schryver offers a variety of meats plus classic sides like potato salad, creamed corn, mac 'n cheese, or slaw all cooked on the smoker set out back and the small kitchen, which used to be home to Denver Deep Dish.
Back to the beer joint set at 8th and Colorado: Here's a construction time lapse video that the owners put together and shared on Facebook: