It's About the (RV) Journey....: Golden and a little beer..................

Our new backyard is in Golden, Colorado....a lovely suburb of Denver. Our site is one of the largest we've seen in this campground, and we are lucky to have no back neighbors. The only tricky part of this site is the little hill we are on. Doesn't look like much in the picture, but we really have to watch our step getting into and out of the camper because the ground slants down immediately once we get off our steps.

our new backyard in Golden, CO

Golden is a nearby suburb of Denver, with lots to do right in town. Tom discovered a quilt show happening right in town at the Rocky Mountain Quilt museum and he was kind enough not only to tell me about it....but to go! What a guy!! The show exhibited New York Beauty quilts from the collection of Bill Volckening. Some of the quilts were old (1870) and others were very modern. They all had the same pattern, with different variations.

Golden, CO

heading into town

just love the colors

all the quilts were so different, even though it was the same pattern

I'm drawn to the colors

What??? What was I thinking went I mentioned this quilt show??

its a really nice exhibit, isn't it?

again...the colors!

Tom looks interested!

The town has tons of shops and restaurants, some great scenery and lots of parks and museums. Too much to do! We walked the streets for a bit, and then headed out to the Coors Brewery for a tour.

hahahah...we saw this right after the quilt exhibit

a modern version!

The Coors Brewery Tour is very popular, and that line we were in was an hour wait. Thankfully, there was shade once the line moved, and misters helped with the heat. Whew! You can see one of the brewery's buildings in the background there, but the actual campus is pretty big. That line we were in....was for the shuttle bus to the self-guided tour in another building.

There's Tom on the left....we are at the end of the line....waiting to wrap around into the shade and mist

some nice young fellow offered to take our pic (I think he wanted to kill some time-we had an hour wait!)

Once we were shuttled to the Visitor Center, we were hooked up with headsets so we could listen to the virtual tour guide at our own pace as we walked from exhibit to exhibit. Of course, some of the information was via display posters and exhibits of ingredients.

who new?

listening to the tour guide re: ingredients Starts with fresh mountain water!

barley, grain, hops

Then the fun began as we got to look at the manufacturing areas. The brewing vats were huge, and since beer is all about time and temperature, there is a control room to handle those details.

getting into the manufacturing area now

looks like a regular tour ahead of us...complete with a tour guide

steps to brew beer

the vats are huge

control room!

this room was enormous

looks like a leak

Next we entered the Quality area....of course, one of my favorites. The lab was pretty quiet when we walked by, however there was another area with labs, but those doors were tinted with bubbles and we couldn't really see in. I always get a bit nostalgic when looking at labs. I cannot believe its been two and a half years since I've retired. Time is zooming by. I did not see R&D labs. They were most likely in a more secure area....out of the public's eye!

ahhh...a lab bench

QC Lab

what? flowers in a lab?

looks like they make their own agar plates to grow yeast

looks familiar....automated agar plate preparator

At one point, we were given samples to taste. Pretty good...though I am no expert. Its been a long time since I've been a beer drinker....ahhahah. Anyway, there are professional taste-testers to ensure the taste of the beer is not affected if another raw material is used. Apparently there are a lot of inquiries about job openings!

ready for my taste

ohhh...refreshingly cold!

We were very impressed by what we learned about sustainability and recycling at Coors. The aluminum can was "invented" here, and was the beginning of the recycling movement. There was no patent requested in the hopes that other companies would also use the cans and recycle. The company and its employees are very active in giving back too. Hours of volunteering are given by the employees, and millions in donations between employees and the company. Sounds like a great place to work.

The highlight of the tour was the packaging lines. Its always fun to see the engineering of these lines and to see how much is automated. Every detail taken into account. There were 4 lines running when we were observing this area, and we only saw two employees. You can see one in the picture-unfolding a box.

the lines for Coors in cans (kegs and bottles on different lines)

fun watching the cans line up

the cans are being packaged into the cardboard boxes here

close up

fun to watch

Last but not least, a visit to the Coors Lounge, for a glass of beer! Actually, we were given wristbands, and allowed 3 beers. I had the Killian, and Tom had Blue Moon. I also got a diet Pepsi and a bag of chips....more my style. The beer was delicious though, and of course, very fresh!

waiting in line for the bar

As we waited in line, we enjoyed looking at some of the advertisements posted on the walls. There was plenty of seating and tables for the visitors. What a nice tour....to see how Coors Beer is made! No wonder why its such a popular tour. (Or is it the free beer-haha?)