Fun guide: Watering holes
– Denver Beer Co., Denver, 303-433-2739, denverbeerco.com: Inspired by Bavarian beer gardens, this popular downtown brewery and pub features a patio that overlooks the Mile High City. Word is the Graham Cracker Porter is “to die for” if you find yourself in LoDo.
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– Falling Rock, Denver, 303-293-8338, fallingrocktaphouse.com: This watering hole near Coors Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies, boasts a staggering variety of brews – more than 75 on tap and 130-plus in bottles. There’s also a full dinner and lunch menu.
– Fate Brewing, Boulder, 303-449-3283, fatebrewingcompany.com: Since opening in 2012, Fate Brewing has earned raves for its food and in-house craft brews, but it had us at “patio.” The space was named one of the state’s 10 best brewery patios by the Denver Post.
– Ivywild School, Colorado Springs, 368-6100, ivywildschool.com: Breathing hip second life into a century-old elementary school south of downtown, this home base of Bristol Brewing Co. opened in August and houses a brewpub, delicatessen, bakery and live music venues.
– Paradox Beer Co., Woodland Park, 686-8081, paradoxbeer.com: Featuring an intimate tasting room within a functioning barrel cellar, this brewing operation off U.S. 24 produces and bottles barrel-aged “real ales.” Paradox Beer Co. is known for its sours.
– Phantom Canyon Brewing Co., Colorado Springs, 635-2800, phantomcanyon.com: With a newly opened rooftop deck and a rotating list of on-tap seasonals, this 21-year-old brewpub in the historic Cheyenne Building is the city’s oldest. The Cheyenne Building was built in 1901.
– Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, various locations throughout the state, oldchicago.com: This regional chain founded in Boulder regularly hosts tap takeovers and rotates draft offerings to make room for interesting craft seasonals, with a focus on Colorado and regional brews.
– Ska Brewing, Durango, 970-247-5792, skabrewing.com: After a tour of Ska’s world headquarters, revitalize your spirits with a visit to the tasting room and beer garden.
– The Rooftop at Coors Field, Denver, tinyurl.com/ooqssck: If beer, baseball and spectacular views are your thing, you’ll appreciate this $10 million, 38,000-square-foot party space addition to the ballpark’s upper right field deck. The Tavern bar offers 52 taps, 20 beer varieties and many TVs.
– Trinity Brewing Co., Colorado Springs, 634-0029, trinitybrew.com: On Garden of the Gods Road, the folks at this hilltop brewpub, constructed almost entirely of recycled materials, bring a similar, eco-friendly, artisanal philosophy to their evolving line of brews and unique eats.
Stephanie Earls, The Gazette