Entry No. 4 — the Denver file — filed under: beer
Wynkoop Brewing Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout
“25 pounds of hand-sliced, roasted bull testicles per batch”
Denver's oldest brewpub keeps a stout on the board brewed with 25 pounds of hand-sliced, roasted bull testicles per batch. It started in 2012 as an April Fools video; fans demanded it, so John Hickenlooper's old brewery actually made the thing, and the 'ballsiest beer in the world' never fully left. It drinks like a normal roasty stout with a weird savory umami edge, which is exactly the unsettling part. Order it without telling your date what's in it.
The story
In 2012, Wynkoop Brewing Company released an April Fools' Day video announcing a mock beer brewed with Rocky Mountain oysters—the classic Colorado euphemism for fried bull testicles. The prank was meant as a quick laugh, showing head brewer Andy Brown dumping sliced testicles into the kettle and advertising three "BPB" (balls per barrel). But the joke backfired in the best possible way: craft beer drinkers, media outlets, and pub regulars took it seriously, and dozens of people showed up at the LoDo brewpub on April 1 demanding a pint.
Rather than back down, John Hickenlooper’s historic 1988 brewpub—housed in the 1899 J.S. Brown Mercantile Building directly across from Union Station—decided to actually make the thing. Brown crafted an eight-barrel batch using 25 pounds of hand-sliced, roasted bull testicles alongside seven specialty malts, roasted barley, Styrian Goldings hops, and sea salt. When they debuted the 7.5% ABV stout at the Great American Beer Festival later that year, the international press went wild, eventually prompting Wynkoop to package it in two-packs labeled as the "ballsiest canned beer in the world."
What makes the stout genuinely unsettling isn't that it tastes like offal—it's that it actually tastes like a legitimate, deeply rich stout. The roasted bull testicles impart a subtle, savory umami depth and a faint salty finish beneath heavy notes of dark chocolate, espresso, and roasted grain. You won't find bits floating in your glass, but that lingering savory edge will quietly remind you what was in the mash tun.
What it's like
Stepping inside Wynkoop feels like entering classic 1890s industrial Denver, with exposed brick, heavy beams, and a steady hum of commuters from Union Station and Rockies fans heading to nearby Coors Field. Walk up to the long main bar and ask what's flowing, but check Untappd or call ahead first—the stout is a rotating pour that occasionally vanishes or shifts into experimental variants like oak-aged batches. When available, you'll get a dark, viscous pour with a dense tan head. The move here is taking the train straight to Union Station to avoid LoDo parking, ordering a pint downstairs to split with a target of your choice, and then heading upstairs to their massive second-floor billiards parlor for a game on one of their tournament pool tables.
The move: Split a glass at the bar, let them taste and guess the secret ingredient, then break the news. Pure dare-energy first-date fuel.
📍 Before you go Wynkoop occupies the 1899 J.S. Brown Mercantile Building on the corner of 18th and Wynkoop, directly across from Union Station — an easy landmark to find, and reachable by light rail or the A-Line train from the airport rather than fighting LoDo parking. Upstairs sits one of Denver's largest pool halls, with a dozen-plus tournament tables, so you can extend the dare-tasting into a game. It's a full brewpub, busiest on weekend nights and around Rockies games at nearby Coors Field. The stout is a rotating pour, so check ahead. Pair the visit with Union Station's grand hall or the Dairy Block alley a couple blocks over.
- 📍 LoDo
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Wynkoop Brewing Company, 1634 18th St, Denver, CO 80202 (corner of 18th & Wynkoop, LoDo)
Hours: Wynkoop is open daily; the stout is a signature pour but rotates on/off tap and appears in variants (vegan, French-oak-aged). Call ahead or check Untappd to confirm it's flowing before you go.
Pair it with
- Wynkoop Brewing Company Billiards Parlor — Head straight upstairs after your pint to play pool on one of Denver's largest sets of tournament tables inside the same historic 1899 building.
- Crawford Hotel Lost & Found Wall — Walk directly across 18th Street into Union Station's grand hall to inspect a century of personal items retrieved from original train station benches.
- Oxford Hotel Room 320 — Stroll one block down 17th Street to Denver's oldest operating hotel to absorb Victorian history and its infamous 1898 room 320 lore.
- Lincoln's — Walk a block deeper into LoDo to hunt for the signless, unmarked entry of this strict no-photos speakeasy.
Good to know
Does Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout actually taste like meat?
No. It drinks like a classic roasted stout packed with chocolate, coffee, and nuts, followed by a subtle savory umami richness and faint sea-salt finish from the 25 pounds of roasted bull testicles per batch.
Is the Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout always available on tap?
It is a signature beer, but it rotates on and off tap and occasionally appears as an experimental variant (such as French-oak-aged). Call the pub or check Untappd before visiting if it's your primary reason for going.
How did a bull testicle beer become permanent?
It started as a 2012 April Fools' Day video hoax, but fan demand and patrons showing up at the pub expecting to buy it forced head brewer Andy Brown to actually brew a batch for the Great American Beer Festival.
How should I get to Wynkoop Brewing?
Take the light rail or the A-Line train straight to Union Station directly across 18th Street to avoid hunting for paid parking in crowded LoDo.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: 5280 · Atlas Obscura · untappd.com · craftbeer.com · gastroobscura.com
last checked: 2026-06-07