The Best Breweries That Make Denver Such An Iconic Craft Beer Destination

Denver is a somewhat sleepy haven for all things outdoors. With a population of just over 700,000 in 2023, Denver is the 19^th largest city in the United States. It's also a magnetic community for arts, sports, and cultural experiences. The Denver Art Museum, nearby ski towns, and even a professional team in all five major sports in America (baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, and soccer) combine to make Denver a fantastic wintertime or summer vacation spot.

But there's so much more to Denver than its tourist attractions. The Rocky Mountain hamlet is home to a truly vibrant craft beer scene. Naturally, the Coors Brewing Company plays a major role in the history of Colorado beer, having been established in Golden in 1873. Even before that time, Denver was a town of beer drinkers. Formed as an incorporated community in 1858 during the gold rush, the settlement of Denver's first city government meeting was convened in a saloon. 

Today, the Great American Beer Festival is held annually in Denver, and for good reason. Colorado experiences the largest economic impact from its craft beer operations of any state in the union. Additionally, its long history of home brewing, coupled with a true dearth of diversity, makes it a fantastic place to wash down just about any kind of beer imaginable. With so many choices, it might be hard to approach Denver's craft beer scene. However, these top stops are sure to get you started, adding to the reasons you should visit Denver.

Denver is well known for its food halls and other eateries. But beer is equally vaunted in the Colorado metropolitan community. A wonderful place to begin a survey of Denver's craft beer scene is the Great Divide Brewing Company. The Ballpark District location is the craft brewer's original establishment, dating back to 1994. It's Denver's oldest packaging brewery and occupies a heritage brick building that has existed for over 100 years. 

Visitors can take a tour of the brewing operation every day at 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Great Divide has also expanded its Denver footprint considerably since its first days. There are five locations in operation now, with a sixth in Belmar in the works. One of Great Divide's locations can be found in the Denver International Airport – a transit hub brimming with conspiracy theories – making the stopover destination just a little more fun.

Great Divide's original taproom features 16 taps that highlight the brewer's year-round and seasonal selections. Some of its stalwarts include the Titan India Pale Ale (IPA), Denver Pale Ale, and Yeti Imperial Stout. On tap at the time of publishing are some additional beers with distinct characters, like the Strawberry Rhubarb Sour and Hibernation Ale, a winter tradition since 1995.

This fantastic craft brewer has become an icon in the Denver beer scene. Denver Beer Co. offers a great place to sit down for a pint, perhaps after exploring Colorado's natural wonders on a road trip. The Platte Street taproom is Denver Beer Co.'s first location (although two others are in Denver, and two more are near the city). It features beer-to-go options, indoor seating, a biergarten for outside enjoyment, and is dog-friendly. The establishment has won numerous awards over the years and is consistently praised by those who frequent the city's craft beer haunts.

The tap list always features the brewer's staples: Incredible Pedal IPA and Graham Cracker Porter, and a range of others are always rotating through. The craft brewer notes that beer recipes are not frequently repeated. Therefore, it's the perfect place for a taster looking for exclusive notes and limited-run pints, as well as enjoying the fleeting existence of the brewery's creations. Denver Beer Co. is home to a rotation of food trucks, too, and on sunny days, the old garage workshop building has its rolling doors opened to let in the glorious flood of sunlight and fresh air. 

Denver is a place of great care for the environment and gains so much back from the clean, crisp air. It's perhaps for this reason that Denver International Airport has been named the most sustainable in America. Denver Beer Co. has the same commitment to sustainability, producing its beer via 100% solar power. The brewer is also one of the first of its size to implement CO2 capture technology. This makes it a great place to sit down for a pint for a whole host of reasons.

Translating to "Roots" in Spanish, Raíces Brewing Co. is proudly rooted in the cultural tradition and heritage of Denver's Latino community. The brewer's tagline "Community. Culture. Cerveza [high-quality craft beer]" says it all succinctly. The brewery maintains a busy slate of events and acts as a wonderful place to get a beer and steep yourself in Latin American and Caribbean culture. 

Speaking of the beer front, Raíces Brewing Co. has only been in operation for a few years, opening its taproom in 2019 and establishing its brewing operations just a few years prior in 2016. But these have been extremely busy times for the leadership trio. The brewery has won a raft of awards for its beers and taproom, particularly the Furia (an imperial red) and Raíz (a combination of Mexican lager and Bohemian pilsner creation) pours.

The taps here feature a range of great options, from barley wines and malt liquor brews to hazy IPAs, golden ales, and fruit-flavored options. The brewery is a colorful celebration of life and hops, and it's found in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Denver. The prominence of the young upstart's beer list and the way the brewery's heart is worn directly on its sleeve make it a wonderful place to stop and explore.

Cohesion Brewing Company is a Czech-style lager brewhouse. The facility features a taproom with an open and inviting atmosphere and more than a few great pours. Some of its offers on tap include a smoked beer, a special dark pint, and pale lagers. There's also a winter special with an enchanting garnet coloring and an intense malty flavor. 

Cohesion opened in 2021, so it's a fairly new kid on the block. This doesn't mean the taphouse is a slouch, though. Melding local flavors with a robust Czech heritage allows the brewery to produce classic European pours and a variety of beers featuring underrepresented ingredients and palate pleasers.

In addition to its bright and airy taproom, Cohesion Brewing Company also features an outdoor patio. This makes it a great place to stop for a beer when the weather is shimmering outside. The brewer also offers a calendar of events celebrating the local community and the beer lover alike. These elements make Cohesion a must-visit stop on any tour of Denver's craft beer scene.

Wynkoop Brewing Company touts itself as Colorado's first brewpub. It launched in 1988, opening the door to a wealth of other craft brewers in the community. The brewery features a wide range of drink selections, including cask beers, IPAs, and more. 

The brewer even whips up a non-alcoholic root beer for those who might be serving as designated drivers for their friends. A Weiss beer, Mexican lager, and its unique Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout add to a long list of diverse beer options. These are great for those who might want to try a flight of unique pours or know exactly what they want to hit their taste buds (perhaps a chocolatey stout like the Mighty Quinn).

Live entertainment, including comedy nights, can be found at Wynkoop. BCA-certified billiards tables are also a part of the fun for those who enjoy the iconic pairing of pints and pool. It's within walking distance of Coors Field, making it a great stop for a Rockies game. However, perhaps the most interesting feature of Wynkoop Brewing Company lies in its founding. The brewery was established by Colorado's current governor and former Denver mayor, John Hickenlooper.

A major player at the annual Great American Beer Festival, Comrade Brewing Company is a consistently high-performing brewery. The brewer has taken home the gold medal three times, in 2019 for its American-Style Strong Pale Ale and American-Style IPA, and in 2022 for the same IPA once again. Its 2018 Irish-style Red Ale took bronze, and the Pale Ale also received a silver medal in 2020. Comrade Brewing is one of just two breweries in Denver that use tanks made exclusively in the United States, giving it a truly homegrown feel for those who want to experience the taste of local production.

Similar to just about any other craft brewer in the Denver area, Comrade features seasonal rotations and a slate of consistent pours. The Yellow Card blonde ale, REDCON red ale (the 2018 bronze medal winner), and Superpower IPA (the 2019 gold medal winner) are available year-round on tap. Stouts, IPAs, and pilsners feature prominently in the rotational additions, with distinct varieties always joining the beer list. While furry friends aren't allowed in the taproom, the brewery has a pet-friendly outdoor patio. Also, drinkers particularly fond of the Superpower IPA can get their hands on a limited run of freshly canned brews or a keg of the stuff!

Lager lovers rejoice! Bierstadt Lagerhaus is a lager-only brewpub, and the largest brewpub in Denver. Stop here for a beer of this iconic style before or after a trip to Colorado's slice of Bavarian atmosphere in Georgetown, just west of Denver. It features all the central European delights you might expect in such a place: a doppelbock, a Czech dark lager, and a dunkel are mainstays on the tap list. All the brews here are sure to pique the interest of a dark beer lover looking for bursting flavors, but the establishment also features some lighter fare. Guest beers include a session IPA and others. The brewer is also home to The Slow Pour Pils, a crisp, pale beer in a tall glass that takes five minutes to pour.

The brewer has been named the "Best Colorado Brewery," among other accolades, and its Slow Pour Pils has recently earned the title of the "Best Colorado Draft Beer." Within the brewery, you'll find all kinds of entertainment and events beyond just what's on tap. Bierstadt Lagerhaus hosts an indoor adult playground in its Bierhalle. Here, you'll find Rocky Mountain Pro Wrestling exhibitions, live music, trivia games, and the staple tailgate games that make drinking great beer with friends all the more exciting.

Located in an old firehouse, Station 26 Brewing Co. delivers everything a beer lover is looking for in a relaxed place to drink great pints. It's a wide-open atmosphere that truly sings when the sun is shining. Additionally, the plenty of outdoor seating makes it dog-friendly and a wonderful place to socialize in the Colorado breeze. There's also a range of live events, including trivia nights and music to amplify the fun and keep you coming back for more. Food trucks also routinely make their presence felt alongside the full tap list, giving visitors plenty to eat and drink for a full-service experience.

Speaking of the brewery's taps, Station 26 features a few flagship brews that are always available, including its World Beer Cup-winning New Zealand Pale Ale and others like the 303 Lager (an homage to the brewer's area code) and its unique Tangerine Cream. Drinkers will find tasty treats like lagers, IPAs, and others on rotation. Currently, beers like the Eternal Descent, a Russian imperial stout, and Black Grand National, a Blackberry Belgian Wit, take spots in the lineup. The heritage of the brewery's firehouse setting and diverse lineup of beers make it a great addition to any beer-drinking exploration of Denver's craft landscape.

A brewhouse perfect for metalheads, Black Sky Brewery has both killer drafts and a deep playlist of heavy metal tracks on offer for drinkers looking to rock out. The brewery also offers great pizza for those with a hunger alongside their unquenchable thirst for specialty craft beers. The tap list features fruited and sour beers like the Pinche Wit (a witbier featuring peaches and mangos), typical favorite styles like its Caveman Kolsch and Handgun Hefe (a hefeweizen featuring banana notes), and darker brews like an Irish stout (the Necropanther) and a brown ale.

Visitors can expect a broad range of beer options on tap, as well as a variety of stellar events. Game nights, metal karaoke, and more are featured prominently in the brewery's calendar, and those looking for live music are in luck, too. The brewery showcases live music from bands within the heavy metal community, giving performers and enthusiasts a place to gather to celebrate great drinks and thumping beats.

All manner of heritage beers can be found in the tapestry of Denver's craft brewery scene. This includes the French-style pours on tap at Diebolt Brewing. The facility calls a defunct meatpacking warehouse home, and the modern resident claims a floorspace of roughly 8,000 square feet — all focused on delivering punchy craft brews to beer lovers. 

Diebolt Brewing is a great place to hit if you're interested in scarce beers. It brews a range of tasty selections, but they rarely make it onto the commercial marketplace. Therefore, if you're looking to try one of the brewer's seasonal concoctions — or even its mainstays on the tap list like the perennial Bolt Lager — sitting down in the brewhouse is a must.

Founded in 2013, the Diebolt story actually dates back many years prior. The family brewers can trace their roots to Champagne makers in France who experimented with winemaking and homebrewing. The brewery is saturated with its French heritage, with regional favorites like Belgian blonde ales, Dunkels, and amber ales. But other efforts have yielded a tap list that expands what you might expect as a visiting drinker. Diebolt Brewing features fruited beers, an island ale, and an imperial stout that took gold in the 2018 World Beer Cup and bronze in the 2023 competition.

Odell Brewing Co. is a Denver-area titan. The brewer opened its doors in 1989 in Fort Collins and has since taken a prominent position in the community's craft brewing credentials. Odell's Sippin' Pretty Sour is one of the brewer's most recognized pours, and it can be found all across Denver's mainstream bar scene — well beyond the somewhat niche circles of craft beer outlets. Odell Brewing Co. offers a wealth of options, including sours, IPAs, and wheat beers.

The brewer features three locations, two in Denver and its original Fort Collins brewery, alongside its urban winery and wine bar, The OBC Wine Project. The wine effort has yielded fast fruits, so to speak, with recognition as the best wine in Colorado at the 2024 Governor's Cup. In terms of its brewery chops, Odell's brewhouses feature outdoor patios, fresh pizzas, packaged beers, and small-batch offerings that combine to excite any type of beer drinker. Live events and a dog-friendly atmosphere round out this stalwart of the Denver craft brewing scene, making it one of the best places to grab a truly special pint.