Fried chicken, always a classic picnic staple, has risen to trend-worthy status in the last couple of years—right about the same time that Dave Query and his restaurant group Big Red F opened the Post Brewing Company in Lafayette in January 2014. The popularity of chef Brett Smith’s crispy-crusted (and gluten-free) bird propelled Query to launch an offshoot called Goodbird Kitchen in Longmont earlier this year.

And now, Query is bringing a second outpost, the Post Chicken & Beer, to Denver’s Rosedale neighborhood. Look for the location, which sits on Broadway between Evans and Iliff avenues, to start serving the Post’s telltale chicken and award-winning beers in October. “There’s a lot of investment planned for that neighborhood,” says Dana Query, who heads up marketing for Big Red F and is Dave’s wife. “And Nathaniel Rateliff coming to the neighborhood in the form of a bar doesn’t hurt either.”

As for the Longmont spot, it’s undergoing a name change to better reflect the Post brand. “We have a lot of brand equity in the name the Post,” Dana says. “It is just more cohesive to have them under the same name.” The location will briefly close September 6 in order to complete the logo swap, as well as receive some minor updates that include removing the counter service and adding a larger bar.

The trend continues: Just look at the rise of fried bird on menus (including the Hugh Acheson-approved, biscuit-and-pickle bedecked offering at Punch Bowl Social). And earlier this week, Lakewood’s ever-popular White Fence Farm opened its first stand-alone chicken shack at Mission Commons Shopping Center in Westminster.

Post Chicken & Beer, 2220 S. Broadway

Goodbird Kitchen (soon to be Post Chicken & Beer), 1258 Hover Road, Longmont, 720-588-2883

The Post Brewing Company, 105 W. Emma St., Lafayette, 303-593-2066

Amanda M. Faison
Amanda M. Faison
Freelance writer Amanda M. Faison spent 20 years at 5280 Magazine, 12 of those as Food Editor.