Most hipster hubs are off the beaten path and tucked between art galleries and record stores, but DU’s latest restaurant, Renegade Publik House, is out in plain view.
Right in the midst of the commercialized University Blvd. near DU’s campus, Renegade Publik House’s exterior does not exude hipster territory, but step inside the low-lit restaurant/bar and you will be taken outside of the DU scene and into a quiet escape where menus are served in between pages of classic ‘renegade’ novels such as “The Catcher in the Rye,” “The Grapes of Wrath” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” As the Renegade crew also operates the Renegade Brewery in the Sante Fe Art District in Denver, beer connoisseurs can rest easy knowing there are no phonies at the Publik House.
Walk through the door and you’re greeted with a dark and intimate atmosphere where the music is overpowered by the chatter of people enjoying their craft beers.
With over 25 local and domestic/imported beers on tap and even more bottled brews, the wrap-around bar awaits thirsty customers, but beware: This classier establishment lacks bearded bartenders or tattooed waitresses and instead is home to one bartender and a few female waitresses. If you want to enjoy a more intimate experience, take a seat towards the back of the restaurant where you are enclosed behind a carved-out wooden divider.
This literary lounge lacks any TVs and instead promotes intellectual conversation. Pages of the same classic novels in the menus are displayed underneath the glass countertop of the bar, so as you are sipping your beer amongst a crowd of grad students, a couple with flannel and dreadlocks amid a few frat guys, you can know you are amongst a diverse crowd.
At an average of $5 a pint, the beers won’t break a hipster’s budget but the food might. The pizzas, between $9-13, are pricier and include options such as the Fahrenheit 451 Pizza.
The Renegade Brews offer a less trendy taste and more authentic style. The Scarlett Letter, an Imperial Red, is for the hops-loving hipster and the Hammer & Sickle Russian Imperial Stout is for the more serious stout lover. If you want to stick to the local lifestyle, try the Wit’s End Wilford Belgian Pale from Wit’s End Brewing Company in Denver or the Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale from the Great Divide Brewery in downtown Denver.
Any hipster looking for the ultimate night out might be put off by the hours. Open Monday through Wednesday 3-11 p.m., Thursdays from 3 p.m. to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 2 p.m. to midnight, it’s less of a late- night location and more of a pre-party hot spot.
Like its definition, Renegade is for an individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior.
A hipster’s haven? Not quite. But Renegade Publik House is a happy medium for anyone looking to escape the DU scene, take a seat and get some authentic craft beer.
