Author Archives

James Burrus

No More Light At the End Of Moffat Tunnel

February 16, 2010 Like 1 James Burrus

Derailing the Ski Train that pulled skiers from Denver to Winter Park and back for 69 years is a big F-U from the rail transportation industry in general. The rich and powerful monopolies that own and dictate the use of…

Closing Scene

A Mother’s Milk

January 6, 2010 Like 0 James Burrus

Mom knew it was good stuff—she’s a CU (Ski-U) grad, after all. So every year following my first high at age 6, a jones for the white stuff would start around Thanksgiving and peak about the time hockey games broke…

Scene

Bonding With the Hair of the Dog

January 6, 2010 Like 0 James Burrus

For those who love their craft-brewed beer as much as they love their dog(s), Brian and Becky Bennett have created a fetching tome that pays heartfelt homage to the two ubiquitous things we cherish most in Colorado.

Closing Scene

Pine Away

December 3, 2009 Like 0 James Burrus

When I was a kid, I knew it was Christmas when after going to church on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, my parents loaded up my brother, Danny, and I (and later David) into the blue, ’60s vintage Buick Skylark station…

Scene

Giving the Gift of Booze

December 3, 2009 Like 0 James Burrus

Stashing for the holidays The stealth gift that will reap huge rewards is an aged case of imperial beer. Like fine wine, high alcohol beers age and mellow with time. Varieties brewed now will taste much different in March or…

Scene

The Pettyjohn Spirit Lives On

November 12, 2009 Like 0 James Burrus

When done right, a local mom-and-pop shop thrives, not only because of a loyal customer base but because it grows up with the neighbors it serves. And for a textbook example, look no further than Pettyjohn’s Liquor and Wine in…

Closing Scene

Elections are Report Cards

October 19, 2009 Like 0 James Burrus

Challenging an incumbent in a primary election is a clear signal that A) the extreme fringe of the party is upset about said incumbent tracking to center or B) severe incompetence or grievous moral lapse has chummed the waters.

Scene

Burrus at the Bar: Dry Dock Christened Brewery of the Year

October 19, 2009 Like 0 James Burrus

As much as anything, medaling at the Great American Beer Festival is about bragging rights. Putting together a beer that fits a particular style—especially when that style is being attempted by another four or five dozen brewers around the country—and…

Scene

Bier Essentials

September 10, 2009 Like 0 James Burrus

As Oktoberfest approaches and you prepare for polka music and brats, let’s celebrate what unites us as Coloradans: beer. Here, we raise our glasses to fall beer, locally brewed Märzens and our hop-loving forefathers.

Closing Scene

Everything I Needed to Know…

September 10, 2009 Like 0 James Burrus

Exactly why, at age 9, I began showing up with my dad (who had an office in the same space above the Katz Drug Store on the Square in Independence, Mo.) to work in my grandfather’s law office is vague.