Best of Colorado Front Range
Combined Denver-Boulder-Fort Collins metro is one of the deepest brewing scenes in America. Denver leans urban-modern (RiNo brewery district, lager renaissance), Boulder leans craft-old-guard, Fort Collins adds Odell and the New Belgium spinoffs. GABF happens here every fall — book a year ahead.
Covers: Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Greeley, Glenwood Springs
Brewery
Bottle shop
Beer bar / brewpub
Tap a marker to see the spot
One day
Bierstadt Lagerhaus → Crooked Stave → Black Project all in Denver.
A weekend
Day 1: Denver RiNo District (Crooked Stave, Ratio, Bierstadt). Day 2: Drive to Greeley for WeldWerks; stop in Boulder on return. Day 3: Lager day at Bierstadt + Cohesion.
A week
Add Glenwood Springs for Casey Brewing & Blending — 3.5 hours west, worth the trip if you have it.
Denver
Brewery
RiNo · 2875 Blake St, Denver, CO 80205
America's slow-pour pilsner standard-bearer. Ashleigh Carter's German-style lager program is reference-grade — the Slow Pour Pils alone is worth the trip.
South Denver · 1290 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80210
Spontaneous fermentation specialists. Solera-aged blends, fruited Lambic-style ales. A destination for the funk-curious.
Cohesion Brewing
Brewery
RiNo · 2999 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205
Czech-style lager specialist. Decoction-mashed pilsners, side-pull faucets. Pairs perfectly with a Bierstadt visit for a lager-focused day.
Brewery
RiNo · 1441 26th St, Denver, CO 80205
Chad Yakobson's wild and mixed-culture program is among the best in the country. Saisons, fruited sours, oak-aged complexity.
Falling Rock Tap House
Brewpub / Beer Bar
LoDo · 1919 Blake St, Denver, CO 80202
GABF after-party central for 25+ years. Massive draft list, unbeatable craft beer history. Make this your festival-week home base.
Greeley
Brewery
1 hour north of Denver · 508 8th Ave, Greeley, CO 80631
Worth the drive from Denver. Juicy Bits is a Colorado hazy IPA staple; the Medianoche barrel-aged stout series is chase-worthy.
Glenwood Springs
Brewery
3.5 hours west · 3421 Glen Ave, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
Worth a road trip if you have the time. Family-farm fruited mixed-culture program at the highest level.
Golden
Cannonball Creek Brewing
Brewery
Just north of downtown Golden · 393 N Washington Ave, Golden, CO 80403
Twelve straight years of GABF medals — the longest active streak of any American brewery. Founded 2013 by Jason Stengl and Brian Hutchinson (both ex-Mountain Sun Boulder). Clean, traditional styles done at reference quality. Worth pairing with a Coors brewery tour visit.
Known for: Featherweight pale, More than a Zealand NZ IPA
Idaho Springs
Westbound & Down Brewing
Brewery
Mountain corridor west of Denver (also Lafayette, Denver) · 1617 Miner St, Idaho Springs, CO 80452
Multiple GABF medals across categories. 2024 Gold for Infinity Pils. Strong lager and IPA program with mountain-town original location plus Denver and Lafayette. Recently acquired Aspen Brewing for a fourth taproom. Worth a stop on any I-70 Colorado mountain run.
Known for: Infinity Pils, Westbound IPA