Colorado does not mess around when it comes to beer, and Denver is the heart of the brewery action! Among the thriving craft beer scene, there are some new standouts that you must visit. These breweries are new, thriving and hip. Check out our list of the top five right now to visit:
Built in an old warehouse in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood, Ratio opened in February 2015 and has been a hot spot ever since. The taproom itself is very open, with plenty of communal-style seating, an arched ceiling and vivid, bright blue floor that you won’t forget.
When the weather’s nice, you can enjoy your beer out on the dog-friendly patio while playing a friendly game of Cornhole.
The Dear You French Saison is a consistent favorite, as is the Hold Steady Chocolate Rye Scotch Ale.
Located in the heart of Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, Spangalang is a jazz-themed neighborhood brewery where you’ll find the brewers are also the ones pouring beer, balancing the books, cleaning up and doing a bit of everything else, so it’s not hard to run into them.
The tap room has a welcoming, friendly vibe, with local art hanging on the walls next to old jazz records. Their philosophy on beer is that it must be fresh, which is why you won’t find their beers nearly anywhere other than their taproom.
Classic favorites include the rich, malty, Night Walker stout, the Hop Colossus, and the D-Train IPA.
This slick, science-inspired brewery is another neighborhood brewery located in East Colfax. The science-class theme continues from the beers to the décor. One wall is entirely covered with pages from textbooks and you’ll find scientific-minded trinkets and books on display, beakers for tasting glasses and a skeleton mascot named Mr. Bones.
Regular favorites include the Rare Trait IPA, whose sales almost double any other beer they have, as well as the Dark Galaxie, an oatmeal milk stout.
Cerebral Brewing has two nitro lines and usually features for beers consistently on tap. They have many more beers they rotate through and plan to offer twelve beers on tap.
The newest addition to the hot Berkeley community is a modern, casual tap room designed in the style of an old English pub.
Just last week, they began releasing five gallon kegs of specialty brews, and plan to do this every Tuesday at 3pm. As of this writing, they had an impressive 14 beers on tap, which included stouts, porters, lagers and of course a couple of IPAs.
One cool feature is their flat-screen menus from Digital Pour: the screens show what beers are on tap, the style and details, the prices, how much is left before the keg blows, as well as what is on tap next.
Just a stone’s throw from the Sports Authority Field is Little Machine Beer, in the historic and hot Jefferson Park neighborhood.
The name, Little Machine, is a reference to how even the most complex machinery consist of a number of simple features, including pulleys, cogs, levers and axles. It happens to be the same for beer. Even the most complex brews are made with a few simple ingredients — barley, hops, water and yeast.
The ambience at Little Machine Beer has a bit of a futuristic vibe, and features a circular wooden bar in the middle of the room with taps and the service area in the middle, designed to foster a more communal spirit. And it works.
Regular favorites include the Coffee Double Brown and the Colorado Stock Ale.
