Brewery Tours

With Thanksgiving behind us, but the remainder of the weekend still ahead and guests still in town, deciding how to fill the next couple days can be difficult. Thankfully in Colorado there is more craft beer than we know what to do with, and the ability to visit multiple breweries in a single day is easier than ever. With several regions in the state all with great breweries all around, and several new breweries as well, these are some of our top brewery tours to do with friends and family during this holiday season.

Denver: When it comes to craft beer in Colorado one of the most populated areas is in Denver, and to visit multiple breweries is extremely easy. The hard part is deciding which breweries to visit, and due to the wide geography within the city the easiest place to visit is in LoDo. To start off, visit one of the newest breweries in Denver, Jagged Mountain. With their diverse tap list, and unique takes on beers it is a great way to start any brewery tour. Whether the flavor is for a variety of saisons, IPAs, or a small batch strong ales the unique beers they offer will awaken your taste buds, and intrigue you to the other breweries within the area. After departing Jagged Mountain it is a short 2 block walk to one of the most iconic breweries in not only Denver, but all of Colorado and that is Great Divide. Within the old building lies some great beer in a wide variety of styles. Whether you are sampling on $1 tasters or enjoying a pint of one of the many beers they produce, you can’t go wrong here. Whether it is a lager like Hoss, a seasonal like Hibernation, or the iconic Yeti this brewery is a must visit with beers for everyone. Just make sure to get there close to open, but stay around long enough for the tour of this great brewery. To end your day in Denver, it is another short 2 block walk to a brewery with refreshing Belgian style ales, and complex barrel aged beers. Of course this is River North. Again this brewery offers a wide variety of beers, but all with a Belgian twist making them very complex and refreshing. As this brewery has grown they have also increased the amount of barrel aged beers and there are some very unique offerings on a daily basis from this small brewery. With these three breweries you get a combination of the best Denver has to offer, something new, one of the iconic, and one of the most unique. When you combine it into one day you get a variety of fantastic beers in all different styles making this one of the best mini brewery tours to do within Denver.

Boulder: Doing a mini-brewery tour within Colorado would not be complete without including Boulder, after all that is where the craft beer scene all got started. However, this tour does not include Boulder Beer, instead three breweries that make very straight forward ales. During the holiday season no brewery visit in Boulder would be complete without a trip to Upslope Brewing Company in their newest location on Flatiron Ct. On top of their always delicious flagship beers they also have a great lineup of limited releases and seasonal, but this time of year is especially good with the Pumpkin Ale and Christmas Ale. After departing Upslope head right down the street to a brewery that combines the owner’s love of craft beer and the outdoors at Wild Woods Brewery. This brewery does not do anything fancy, the beers are very straightforward and are all inspired by the outdoors.  Whether it is the Wildflower Pale Ale, Campfire Red, or Smores Stout there is a beer that everybody will enjoy at this small husband and wife operation. Make sure to ask what seasonal beers are available as well. For your last stop in Boulder it is a little bit of a drive but the environment, and scenery makes it totally worth it. It also happens to be one of the newest breweries in this town, Sanitas. With a lineup of great ales that include a saison, Black IPA, and Imperial Brown the beers are all well balanced, but what makes this brewery worth visiting is the environment. With a spacious tap room, great scenery, and a bocce ball court this is a place where hours could be spent relaxing, enjoying beer, and watching the trains go by. With great scenery all around in Boulder, and an abundance of craft beer available it is another town where visiting multiple breweries is easy, and the above three are a great way to start exploring Boulder.

Now of course the brewery tours do not stop there and the recent expansion of craft breweries has led to the suburbs. The south suburbs of Denver are consistently expanding in small towns like Highlands Ranch, Englewood, and Littleton, as well as Aurora and the edges of Denver. Further west continues to grow in towns like Arvada, Golden, and Wheatridge making the possibilities for traveling and visiting multiple breweries endless. The only thing to decide is where you want to drive to and how many breweries you want to visit.

What are your favorite brewery tours to do? Let us know at https://www.facsebook.com/MileHighBrews