Ale House at Amato's, the latest venture from the Breckenridge Brewing Company, opened at 11 a.m. today with a gorgeous view of the Platte Valley, the Denver skyline and the Rocky Mountains.

The highly anticipated LoHi-area beer bar and restaurant is located in the former Amato's statuary store, at the corner of Central and 16th streets, where it's serving a menu of upscale comfort foods and forty craft beers, including 35 from Colorado.

Breckenridge, which owns two other restaurant/bars in Denver, will spend the next few weeks working out the kinks before holding a grand opening for the Ale House in late April.

The Ale House has forty beers on tap, 35 of them from Colorado. Of those, fifteen are Breckenridge beers and another four come from the Wynkoop Brewing Company, which operates under a joint venture with Breck. Local beer celebrity Lew Cady orders the first beer ever at the Ale House, a Breckenridge Avalanche -- and the second, a Wynkoop Rail Yard. Cady has a number of firsts at taverns and breweries around the Front Range. The rooftop patio has sweeping views of the city and the mountains, not to mention the highway, and will likely be a summertime hot spot. The Ale House can seat around 400 people, which will make for some busy days and nights for the staff-in-training. Although Breckenridge and Wynkoop beers will take up nineteen taps, the Ale House will highlight beers from all over Colorado as well. The first floor patio at Amato's hangs out over Central Street, with a nice view of the city and of the Masterpiece Delicatessen across the street.

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