DENVER INC: Nonprofit Cable Center at DU finds a niche hosting events

Jane Hoback and Gil Rudawsky

Friday, May 2, 2008

Jess Graber owns Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey.

The Cable Center at the University of Denver is an educational institution that in part celebrates the cable-TV industry through a library, educational programs and other industry-related initiatives.

But in recent years, the nonprofit center, which opened in 2001, also has found a niche in hosting weddings, bar mitzvahs, even high-school proms and reunions.

"We're doing a lot of social events," said Lisza Gulyas, director of events.

She said the board was receptive to branching out from corporate events "due to the fact the cable center brings in a great, high-end clientele."

Fees start at $6,000 for a wedding and $7,000 for a bar mitzvah or prom. The venue includes the Daniels Great Hall, a three-story atrium with 98 video screens, and the Rogers Amphitheater and Drendal Gardens outside.

The latest twist, Gulyas said, is that corporations are booking the outside space for company picnics and events like "movies under the stars."

Beer and whiskey mix

Here's a story with a happy ending.

Back in December we reported that Flying Dog's decision to shutter its Denver brewery - and relocate its beer-making operations to Maryland - had put Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey in a jam. The tiny Denver maker of super-premium whiskey had been relying on neighboring Flying Dog for its "distiller's wash," a custom-made, fermented liquid that's based on a proprietary recipe made just for Stranahan's. Stranahan's owner Jess Graber was forced to find a new source for the wash.

As luck would have it, he's rounded up a new partner in the form of Oskar Blues Brewery, the Lyons craft beer maker known for its Dale's Pale Ale packaged in cans.

"When I heard that Flying Dog was leaving, I immediately called (Stranahan's) and offered our service," says Oskar Blues spokesman Marty Jones, noting that he's a "big fan" of the whiskey.

Jones calls Graber "a pioneer."

"He's doing for whiskey what craft brewers have done for beer," Jones says. "He and his little team have defied the status quo and the Goliaths of the distilling world and shown that spine-tingling whis key can be made by daring individuals right in one's own community." 

Oskar Blues will soon begin trucking more than 5,000 barrels of wash a year to Stranahan's from the beer maker's new Longmont brewery. The deliveries will be made weekly. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Graber, for his part, is one happy whiskey maker.

"They're a really good company and they make a really good beer," he says of Oskar Blues. "We want to maintain our quality, and we don't think we could have done any better than hook up with these guys."

DIA touted for its beer

With airline gurus predicting delays and headaches for air travelers this summer, there's one bright spot: Plenty of airports now serve good craft beer if you happen to be stranded.

And Denver International Airport is among them, according to Draft magazine, which serves up an "airport guide to beer hunting" in its May/June issue.

DIA is among 14 U.S. airports singled out for its craft beer offerings. Draft offers heady praise for the airport, calling it "one of the West Coast's craft beer meccas."

"Rock Bottom Restaurant (Concourse C) provides safe but flavorful taps, while nearby Timberline Steaks and Grill (Concourse C) pours an array of local brews," the magazine notes in a news release. "New Belgium provides the brewery's standard lineup, including the coveted Fat Tire Amber Ale."

The magazine's "recommended pint": New Belgium 1554 Brussels Style Black Ale.

Other airports that get Draft's nod include Oregon's Portland International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Assistant Business Editor Jane Hoback and Deputy Business Editor Gil Rudawsky can be reached at business@RockyMountainNews.com.