Ranking third on USA Today’s Top 30 Best Craft Brew States in America is Colorado, a beer-crazed wonderland with about 130 craft breweries. This lengthy local list proudly boasts some of the best in the country, including these five that are conveniently located right here in Denver.
Denver’s very first brewpub, the Wynkoop Brewing Company, opened its doors in 1988 in historic downtown Denver. Producing more than 4,000 barrels a year, Wynkoop is one of the biggest breweries in the United States. Its founder is current Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, who invited President Obama in this past summer for a tasting of the most popular brews. The second floor serves as a recreation floor with 22 pool tables and an additional bar that serves all of the brewery’s favorites. Wynkoop offers brewery tours Tuesday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. When you go, be sure to taste their notorious flagship brew, the Railyard Ale.
Breckenridge Brewery is only one block from Coors Field. This brewery opened in 1992 and produces many unique brews such as the Oatmeal Stout and the Agave Wheat. They make several of the same brews year round, as well as seasonal, small batch, barrel-aged and their mountain series beers at both the Denver and Breckenridge locations.
Blue Moon Brewery at the SandLot
Blue Moon Brewery is just behind Coors Field and is a slight contradiction, as it is a microbrewery run by the MillerCoors mega-brewery. However, the beer served there is strictly craft brewed, still putting the focus on the classic Blue Moon Beer, which was first brewed in Denver. Keith Villa opened the brewery in 1995 after returning from Belgium with a PhD in brewing. Since then this small brewery has gained national notoriety.
Falling Rock is another must-visit brewpub, and is also just down the street from Coors Field. This brewery offers more than 75 beers on tap, all of which are craft brewed, as well as a wide variety of bottled beer.
Inside Falling Rock the walls are lined with the owner’s collection of over 2,200 bottles of beer, and outside is a large street level patio. On Sept. 27, Falling Rock’s annual Fresh Hop Festival continued, expanding the bar to the parking lot and the brewery’s surrounding area. This was the perfect event to begin the Denver Beer Fest Week, which takes place from Sept. 26 through Oct. 4.
Denver is also home to the Great American Beer Festival. This is the largest beer festival in the United States, with over 2,000 different beers and 300 brewers from across the United States participating this weekend, Oct. 2 through Oct. 4, at the convention center. Not only does this festival celebrate beer, but also the character of various breweries throughout the country, even offering a Festival Flair award. Founded in 1982, this festival has been continuously changing with the nation’s fast-growing beer scene.
With as many breweries as there are in Denver, this is just a glimpse into what this city has to offer. No matter what you’re looking for, there is a brewery out there for you.
