14 Essential Colorado Breweries to Visit in 2022

The smaller town of Bayfield, roughly a twenty-minute drive east of Durango, also sports its own craft option with Bottom Shelf Brewery. Due to its popularity, Cerberus can become very busy, so visitors should plan for long wait times on weekends and evenings. Other area options include Pikes Peak Brewing, Phantom Canyon Brewing, and Goat Patch Brewing. Raíces sparks Latino cultural awareness in everyone, and crafts cross-cultural connections that enriches our community. We offer home brewing supplies and great classes right next door to our South Dock Brewery. Dry Dock’s Sour Apricot was developed out of a series of kettle sour experiments at South Dock, created by adding Lactobacillus in the wort prior to fermentation.

You’d be forgiven if you weren’t familiar with many of the beer styles on Cohesion’s tap list. The Denver-based brewery focuses on Czech beer styles, many of which simply aren’t a part of the mainstream in the United States. Although its tap-list is short , what it does brew is uniquely crushable year-round. Cerberus is often busy (especially if you want to sit on the dog-friendly patio), but if you can’t find a table, another option is its Seven’s Gate Taproom located across the street. The bike-themed bar offers Cerberus’s brews, as well as guest taps from heavy hitters across the country. The first solely woman-owned and operated brewpub in the state of Colorado.

This classic English-style brown porter has more than a quarter pound of Madagascar vanilla beans added per barrel. We seek to honor the traditions, flavors and culture of Mexico by utilizing traditional Mexican ingredients, flavors, and processes to create innovative styles of beer. Another favorite brewery is Elevation Beer Company in Poncha Springs, about a three-hour drive southwest of Denver. Poncha Springs is in Colorado’s central valley at an elevation of 7,465 feet, surrounded by the scenic San Isabel National Forest. We strive to carry the rare, the one off, the seasonal, and always the best beers from around the state.

If you can’t make it to either location, thankfully, Breckenridge beers can be purchased and enjoyed throughout the state, available in a large percentage of Colorado’s bars, liquor stores, and restaurants. Like 7 Hermits, Vail Brewing has a town of Vail location, but its main brewery is located in Eagle-Vail, where you can sip tons of beer and enjoy tasty rotating food truck options. The brewery is situated off of US 6 and is best approached via the Minturn or Eagle-Vail exits from I-70.

Producing more beer per capita than any other state, Colorado is a beer-lover’s dream. The Centennial State is home to over 300 registered breweries, allowing patrons to try locally-made ales, lagers, and other fine beverages in nearly every town and city. Hazy IPA was born out of Managing Brewer Alan’s take on a Juicy IPA with a copious amount of hops. A few test batches, each with varying yeast strains, were piloted at both taprooms. The version brewed with the Norwegian Kveik yeast strain was a clear favorite.

She says the diversity issue within the brewing industry can be traced back to the microbeer revolution, back in the 1960's and 1970’s. Dr. J Jackson-Beckham says the diversity issue within the brewing industry can be traced back to the microbeer revolution, back in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Sure, you could pop into this brewery en route to another adventure in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area.

Get a flight and find a spot on the spacious patio—you’ll want to stay a while to try all the clever brews. While its brewing portfolio now runs the gamut, when Casey Brewing started it only made barrel-aged sour beers that used whatever seasonal, local fruits it could get its hands on. It argued that getting the best possible fruit (we’re talking peaches, apricots, cherries, and beyond) would make the best possible beer. Although it has expanded its repertoire with other styles, featuring locally grown ingredients is still very much a part of the mission—it says 99 percent of its supplies come from within Colorado.

“One of my greatest joys in traveling to all the great Colorado breweries is simply the journey itself,” he says. Seattle-based Ghostfish Brewing Company is expanding to the East Coast. The dedicated gluten-free brewery is in the process of opening a production facility in Westfield, New York, about 60 miles west of Buffalo, Colorado’s Brew to supply markets east of the Mississippi River…. Decades later, the lending discrimination of the microbrew revolution has turned into a systemic problem. Those who suffered discrimination back then, were unable to gather wealth and resources, thus forcing minority communities to find their own way to opportunity today.

With over 20 beers on tap at a time, we recommend getting a flight for the full WeldWerks experience. If you happen to find yourself down near Colorado Springs, WeldWerks also maintains a satellite taproom between Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs to sample their popular, experimental beers. The Shamrock Brewing Company was Pueblo’s first craft beer manufacturer, founded in 2005 as an expansion on the existing 60-year-old Irish pub. For the authentic experience, we suggest ducking in the Shamrock for an Irish Red or an Irish Porter to wash down any of the family-friendly food menu items.