In this weekly feature, we’re celebrating the best of Colorado Springs’ food and drink scene ー as determined by voters in the 2025 Best of the Springs (thebestofthesprings.com). We’ll throw in our own recommendation, too. 

Up this week: breweries.

Gold: Goat Patch Brewing Co. 

Since 2017, Goat Patch has changed the craft beer game in Colorado Springs. It’s proudly “the Home of the Balanced Brews,” but these could also be called innovative brews that expanded local palates. Yet it’s a trendy, familiar style most beloved here: the hazy IPA. 2727 N. Cascade Ave.; 12245 Voyager Parkway; 1756 Lake Woodmoor Drove.

Silver: Red Leg Brewing Co. 

From humble beginnings in an industrial zone, the veteran-owned brewery has grown into one of the Springs’ coolest, scenic hangouts. Near Garden of the Gods is this multiplex of shipping containers slinging food beyond the main taproom, where favorites from those humble roots remain, including the Howitzer amber. 2323 Garden of the Gods Road.

Bronze: Bristol Brewing Co. 

One might say the city’s craft beer scene began with Bristol opening in 1994. The love for flagships such as the Laughing Lab Scottish Ale and seasonals such as the Venetucci Pumpkin Ale has never waned. And while Red Leg is the newest and coolest, locals and tourists alike know the old Ivywild School to be the place for a beer. 1604 S. Cascade Ave.

Our recommendation: Fossil Craft Beer Co. 

We agree with Best of the Springs voters: It’s hard to beat Goat Patch. But the folks of Fossil don’t try to beat anyone, and we love that. Fossil is proudly Fossil, retaining the true, increasingly rare feel of a neighborhood brewery. But if we are talking about beating a beloved hazy IPA, we’d say the one here might do it. 2845 Ore Mill Road