Baseball season is in full swing, and while the official beer of the Rockies is Coors Light, there’s no shortage of great craft brewing hits in Colorado.
In fact, the Centennial State boasts more than 160 years of history in the beer industry. It started in 1859, when Rocky Mountain Brewery launched as Colorado’s first brewery. Then, in 1873, Adolph Coors Sr. and Jacob Schueler opened the Golden Brewery, which was renamed Adolph Coors Company in 1880. And almost 100 years later, the first microbrewery, Boulder Beer Company, debuted.
These beer pioneers laid the foundation for Colorado’s rich brewery culture today. Now, more than 400 craft beer operations exist in the state, making it hard to choose where to go. To help simplify your next beer adventure, here are some of the top places to visit.
When owners Javier Pérez Koch and Jennifer Pérez debuted Cheluna Brewing in 2014, the idea was to create a bespoke brewing service for private clients. But in 2016, they decided to build a friendly brewpub in Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace. That way, anyone can gather and sample the tasty craft beers inspired by Oaxaca, Mexico, the home of Koch’s grandparents.
On the menu, you will find unique tipples such as the strawberry-and-vanilla-forward Fresita Cream Ale, the award-winning Luna Nueva Mexican Export Lager and Kōkua Session IPA. Food from any of the other marketplace businesses — cuisines include sushi, tacos and freshly churned ice cream — can be brought in and enjoyed at the bar.
Find this award-winning brewery in the heart of Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. Founded in 2017, owners Chad Moore and Jordan Fink created the business with the “Woods Boss” in mind. That means the brand is dedicated to nature, a work-life balance, community and tenacity. Taste these ideals at the tap room with Oompapa Life Vienna lager pints, Don’t Mess with the Trail God Imperial IPA and Foothill Fire Red Amber Ale.
Buy a pint of Riparian Conservation Brut Pale Ale and $1 will go to the nonprofit Colorado Water Trust. It’s just one of the ways the team follows the Woods Boss philosophy.
Patrick Crawford and Charlie Berger opened the first Denver Beer Co. taproom in downtown Denver in 2011. Since then, the operation has grown to five locations, all of which sport craft beer made in the state. The taprooms pour signature brews like the Graham Cracker Porter, Juicy Freak IPA and Princess Yum Yum, a raspberry kolsch with just the right amount of fruit; some other staples; as well as seasonal drinks such as Hey! Pumpkin Ale, Passion Fruit Yum Yum and Peach Daddy Cobbler Ale.
But the company doesn’t just make good beer; it’s also dedicated to the environment. To help conserve and protect natural resources, Denver Beer Co. is 100 percent solar-powered, utilizes a CO2 capture-and-recycle program and sources materials locally.
Denver Beer Co. also puts the same practices into its little sister brewhouse, Cerveceria Colorado, where Mexican ingredients make tasty pours, including Que Buena Lime Lager, Churro Stout and Señor Piña, a pineapple blonde ale.
The team behind Fiction Beer Company has a lot of fun brewing, naming and telling the stories behind its pours. Having launched in 2014, founders Christa and Ryan Kilpatrick opened the first craft brewery on East Colfax Avenue in the Park Hill neighborhood. Each beer made is based on a book’s character, plot or theme.
The first was A Beer of Very Little Brain, an amber wheat lager inspired by A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh. Today, imbibers can sip the award-winning dark lager Alternate Present, which garnered inspiration from Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Also, try The Lord of the Rings-themed IPA Sneaky Little Hopses and Chemical Structures coffee porter, which takes a page from one of 2022’s top novels, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. In 2023, the brewery expanded to a second location in Parker, a Denver suburb, spreading the good book of beers even further.
Though it launched in 2008 as the Yak & Yeti Brewpub, Spice Trade Brewing has been a stand-alone operation with a taproom in Greenwood Village at the Denver Tech Center since 2019. Despite the change, the ideas behind the beers still focus on international flavors. Think Jalapeño Mexican Lager, a cucumber-lemon sour dubbed Spa Sidekick and the award-winning Chai Milk Stout.
Spice Trade is the only brewery in Colorado offering a pairing menu with its house-made brews. Green curry mussels accompany the Thai Tripel and duck bao buns complement the Sun Temple IPA.
Located in the historic part of Golden, Mountain Toad Brewing is a sweet stop after a hike or jaunt around town during one of the public art walks. Mountain Toad has been churning out brews such as Mt. Falcon IPA, Kippstander Kölsch and Space Toad Hazy IPA since 2013. Also, try Ciaran’s Delight, a dry Irish stout made for a pub regular who wanted a stout like he used to drink back home in Ireland.
Have a pint inside at the cozy bar or in the charming beer garden when the weather permits.
