Comrade Brewing
Ariat Opens New Store In Denver With Western Style
by Mark Smiley
New Store: The new Ariat Brand Shop is located in Larimer Square in the heart of downtown Denver.
Jeans: The selection of jeans in store in extensive. Photo Credit: Meghan Develyn
Western Wear: The Ariat Brand Shop features Ariat’s well-known performance western wear — boots, apparel, and accessories. Photo Credit: Meghan Develyn
DJ: Brandi Cyrus was the DJ at the grand opening of the new Ariat store in Larimer Square on August 16, 2025. Cyrus is an American actor, singer, fashion blogger, DJ, and co-host of a television series and podcast.
Line Dancing: Belles and Boots, located at 1930 Blake Street in Denver, conducted line dancing classes in Larimer Square during the grand opening of the new Ariat store. Belles & Boots is a high-energy country bar and restaurant with BBQ, line dancing, mechanical bull riding, bottle service, live bands, and a live DJ.
The Ariat Brand Shop, Ariat’s first standalone store in Colorado, opened at 1460 Larimer Street on June 30, nestled in the heart of historic Larimer Square in downtown Denver. The new store aligns with Ariat’s ongoing retail expansion strategy and taps into Denver’s unique intersection of Western culture and urban energy. The 3,945-square-foot space offers Ariat’s full Western lifestyle assortment and immersive services like expert boot fittings and custom hat shaping via its in-store Hat Doctor experience.
The store celebrated its grand opening on August 16, 2025, featuring cold drinks, DJ Brandi Cyrus, line dancing in Larimer Square, custom koozie branding, and free jeans for the first 50 guests. Ariat partnered with Belles and Boots, a local country bar and restaurant for line dancing lessons.
The store features Ariat’s well-known performance western wear — boots, apparel, and accessories. One standout feature of the new Denver store is the custom hat bar (“The Hat Doctor”), where you can craft your own cowboy hat with personalized shapes, trims, bands, and feathers.
Also of note, is the extensive selection of jeans to choose from in store. Ariat is renowned for combining Western heritage with modern performance. Their jeans are made for both rugged work scenarios and everyday wear, often incorporating advanced fabrics like DuraStretch for added comfort and mobility.
Hours of Operation for the Ariat Brand Shop are Monday–Thursday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday–Saturday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.ariat.com.
Photo Credit: Ariat International
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Rolls Into Denver
By Mark Smiley
Following the success of Glow Party, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live is coming to Denver this Saturday with its new theme for 2025: Glow-N-Fire. This exciting new experience will feature the same level of fun and excitement that fans have come to expect, but with an added fiery twist. Get ready for more heat and action as they continue to bring the ultimate monster truck show to fans.
See all your favorite Hot Wheels trucks in person. Including: Skelesaurus, HW 5-Alarm, Gunkster, MegaWrex, Bone Shaker™, Tiger Shark, and Bigfoot® (celebrating its 50th birthday). To commemorate the original monster truck that started it all, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live will honor the iconic Bigfoot through in-show activations and crowd engagements throughout each performance.
The exciting Pre-Show Party sponsored by Metro by T-Mobile will be held 2-1/2 hours before every performance. The unique experience provides fans access to the competition floor to see the outrageous designs and epic size of the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, plus meet the drivers and get their autographs. Tickets start at just $7.50
The new Exclusive VIP Backstage Experience is an exclusive tour guided by the hosts of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live. Experience what happens behind the scenes before all the smashing and crashing goes down. See the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks up close and personal, get your VIP Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Official Souvenir Merchandise Bundle and receive access into the Pre-Show Party. VIP passes are limited and available to purchase while supplies last.
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live is at the Ball Arena Saturday, August 9 at 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, August 10 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are affordable for the entire family and kids Tickets up to 50% off.
Visit www.hotwheelsmonstertruckslive.com for more information.
The Wood Fired Oven For The Yoder Is A Must Have Accessory
by Mark Smiley
Wood Fired Oven Attachment: Pizzas are ready in 3–5 minutes, with crisp crusts and perfectly browned toppings.
In the June edition of this publication, the Yoder YS640s was reviewed and we mentioned that it is widely regarded as one of the highest-quality pellet grills on the market, particularly for serious backyard pitmasters and even some commercial applications.
The 335-pound grill is made of heavy-duty steel and also built in the United States. They are built in Kansas, which allows for better quality control compared to many imported competitors.
The Yoder YS640s is often considered a tank of a smoker — built for longevity, performance, and consistent results. This smoker is ideal for serious BBQ enthusiasts who want pro-level equipment that lasts decades with proper care.
In our opinion, a must have accessory is the wood fired oven insert which retails for $489. It is a handcrafted attachment for Yoder YS480/YS640 or YS1500 pellet grills, offering restaurant‑style results with push‑button convenience.
In our tests of cooking pizza, it achieved a temperature of 700°F at the cooking stone, while the hood top reached up to 900°F, which was ideal for cooking quick pizzas. We also used the oven attachment to cook a baked ziti which produced the crusty cheese on the top making a delicious Italian meal for the whole family.
Must Have Accessory: The wood fired oven attachment is built with heavy-duty powder‑coated steel and a perforated heat diffuser.
The wood fired oven attachment is built with heavy-duty powder‑coated steel and a perforated heat diffuser for balanced, radiant heat distribution from top and bottom at the same time. It incorporates a 3/4” American-made, kiln-fired cooking stone engineered for rapid heat transfer and near-instant recovery.
Pizzas are ready in 3–5 minutes, with crisp crusts and perfectly browned toppings. The wood fired oven is also excellent for baking (bread, pies, casseroles) and broiling (lasagna, mac & cheese) thanks to superior radiant browning.
The flat oven top can be used as an additional high-temp cooking surface for cast iron or carbon steel cookware. This is ideal for cooking sauce on top to achieve an elevated flavor profile.
This wood fired oven is perfect for yard space conservation as it turns a pellet grill into a full-fledged wood‑fired oven where no separate standalone oven is needed. It produces authentic wood-fired flavor and high-heat performance using just pellets, without wood logs or splitting.
The pellets used in our tests with the wood fired oven are a brand called Cookin Pellets.com. CookinPellets.com specializes in 100% natural hardwood grilling pellets, free from fillers, bark, or flavoring oils.
High Quality Pellets: CookinPellets.com is a premium wood pellet, sourcing only the finest materials from top-tier mills to ensure every pellet delivers exceptional flavor and performance.
CookinPellets.com delivers high-quality, pure hardwood smoke at a good price, particularly in bulk. If you prefer a clean, balanced smoke, their blends, especially Perfect Mix, are great. The perfect mix is a blend of Hickory, Cherry, Maple, and Apple. We used this mix for both the pizzas and baked ziti.
The other flavors CookinPellets.com offer are: Hickory, Apple Mash, Black Cherry, and a Longhorn Blend, a blend of Mesquite, Cherry, and Hard Maple. CookinPellets.com offers three-pound sample bags and up to 40-pound bulk packs, plus discounts on bundles and pallets.
CookinPellets.com was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.cookinpellets.com. The Yoder 640s are sold for $2,699. More information can be found at www.yo dersmokers.com.
