Tivoli Brewing Company - Bo Girl Pilsner

Despite the nod to Bohemia in the name, this pils is brewed somewhat more in the German style than the Czech style, though the prominent Saaz hops are quintessentially Czech. Bo Girl pours a golden straw color with good clarity, capped by a robust head of pale foam that retains well and leaves plenty of lace as it slowly recedes. On the nose, look for grassy and spicy Czech Saaz hop notes, along with slight floral tones, hints of pine and lime peel, and mild bready notes. In the flavor, the malts come through quite cleanly, with some crackery notes and a very slight tart impression. The use of a little rye malt seems to lend a certain slight spicy quality that works well with the complementary noble hop character and the good dose of upfront moderate hop bitterness and carbonation that keeps this brew dry and quenching. For pairing options, the brewery recommends salads and seafood, with which we agree. We’d also add fried chicken or any other fried breaded dish, including schnitzel. Cheers!

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 eight year-round and five seasonal brews, ranging from John Good’s original historic Helles Lager to modern IPA interpretations. Additionally, they offer the Tivoli Taproom, featuring 52 taps alongside Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, and a second location called Tom’s Urban at the Westin at Denver International Airport. For more info, call 720-458-5885 or visit tivolibrewingco.com.