Best craft breweries in Colorado: 11 worth the trip

The best craft breweries in Colorado for a varied trip are Odell Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, WeldWerks Brewing Co. in Greeley, Left Hand Brewing in Longmont, Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, and Westbound & Down Brewing Company in Idaho Springs. This guide adds six more independent breweries, from Czech-style lager in Denver to barrel-aged sour beer in Glenwood Springs and a Scottish ale institution in Colorado Springs.

Colorado calls itself the state of craft beer, and the record backs it up. The Great American Beer Festival started here, the national brewers' trade group grew up in Boulder, and the state has one of the highest brewery counts per adult in the country. A good Colorado brewery trip mixes Front Range originals, lager specialists, hop-forward newcomers, and mountain-town stops along I-70.

Quick picks

• Best for first-timers: Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins
• Best for hazy IPA: WeldWerks Brewing Co., Greeley
• Best for nitro stout: Left Hand Brewing, Longmont
• Best for lager: Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Denver
• Best for Czech-style pours: Cohesion Brewing Company, Denver
• Best mountain stop: Westbound & Down Brewing Company, Idaho Springs
• Best for sour and barrel-aged beer: Casey Brewing and Blending, Glenwood Springs

Colorado breweries at a glance

The 11 best craft breweries in Colorado

1. Odell Brewing Co.

Where: Fort Collins and Denver

Doug Odell, his wife Wynne, and his sister Corkie opened Odell Brewing in Fort Collins in 1989. The brewery's own history says the first brewhouse sat in a 1915 grain elevator, and the first commercial release was Odell's Golden Ale. 90 Shilling Ale followed soon after and is still the brewery's top-selling flagship. Odell is employee owned and describes itself as independent since 1989.

The current lineup includes 90 Shilling, a 5.3% amber ale, along with Lagerado, the house IPA, Hazer Tag hazy IPA, and Mountain Standard, a mountain-style IPA. All packaged beer is brewed at the Fort Collins brewery, which opened in 1994 after the company outgrew its first space.

The Fort Collins taproom lists an outdoor patio that is dog friendly, daily food trucks, beer flights, nonalcoholic options, and package beer, growlers, and crowlers to go. Denver visitors can use the Five Points brewhouse at 30th and Larimer or the Sloan's Lake location with a scratch pizza kitchen and a dog-friendly rooftop patio.

Good to know: Fort Collins brewery tours run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., according to the brewery.

Visit Odell Brewing Co.'s official site

2. WeldWerks Brewing Co.

Where: Greeley

WeldWerks opened in downtown Greeley in 2015 and describes itself as a locally owned craft brewery. Its best-known beer is Juicy Bits, which the brewery calls one of the most highly regarded IPAs in the country. Co-founder Neil Fisher started out homebrewing in his garage with many of the people who later joined the team.

The brewery has produced more than 700 different beers, according to its own story, so the tap list moves fast. All of it is made in the downtown building on a 15-barrel and a 30-barrel steam brewhouse. WeldWerks lists medals from both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup, and it was named best new brewery in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards in 2016.

A visit pairs the beer with a chef-driven in-house kitchen whose menu changes over time. That makes WeldWerks an easy lunch or dinner stop on a northern Colorado loop that also includes Fort Collins and Longmont. Check the online beer menu before you go if you are chasing a specific hazy IPA or barrel release.

Good to know: The taproom is at 508 8th Ave. in downtown Greeley, and the brewery posts its current beer and kitchen menus online.

Visit WeldWerks Brewing Co.'s official site

3. Left Hand Brewing

Where: Longmont and Denver

Air Force veteran Eric Wallace founded Left Hand Brewing in Longmont in September 1993. Left Hand says it brought the first American nitro beer to bottles, and Milk Stout Nitro remains its signature beer. The brewery describes it as smooth and creamy with notes of milk chocolate and roasted coffee.

Left Hand calls itself employee and veteran owned, and a recent Wefunder campaign added community owners. In April 2025 its parent company, Indian Peaks Brewing Company, combined with Aurora's Dry Dock Brewing Company to form what Left Hand calls an independent craft platform. Dry Dock's brewing moved to the Longmont facility, while Dry Dock's Aurora taproom stayed open.

The Longmont brewery and tasting room sits at 1265 Boston Ave., with a separate Longmont Beer Garden and a Left Hand RiNo location in Denver that serves food. The lineup covers nitro beers, year-round styles, and seasonals such as Oktoberfest lager and a peanut butter milk stout. The tasting room is the place to order the same beer on nitro and on standard carbonation to compare texture.

Good to know: The Longmont tasting room opens at noon Monday through Thursday and at 11 a.m. Friday through Sunday, and the brewery lists tours on its site.

Visit Left Hand Brewing's official site

4. Bierstadt Lagerhaus

Where: Denver

Bierstadt Lagerhaus brews lager in Denver's River North neighborhood at 2875 Blake Street. It calls itself the home of the Slow Pour Pils, and the house style is built around patience at the tap. The brewery's own instructions for the pour take five to seven minutes, starting with about two-thirds beer and one-third foam and topping up as the foam settles.

The point, according to Bierstadt, is that settling foam concentrates aroma, softens carbonation, and lets the beer warm slightly so delicate flavors open up. That focus makes the taproom one of the best places in the state to understand how much service changes a simple pilsner. The taproom books private events and group visits, and the food menu includes Bavarian pretzels made by Schatzi's Pretzels.

Bierstadt also collaborates with other Colorado breweries. Westbound & Down lists a Kölsch brewed with Bierstadt that won a collaboration medal at the 2022 Great American Beer Festival. Bierstadt's online ordering and event booking make it easy to plan a group stop in RiNo.

Good to know: The taproom is closed on Tuesdays and stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, and group reservations are available through the website.

Visit Bierstadt Lagerhaus's official site

5. Cohesion Brewing Company

Where: Denver

Cohesion Brewing opened in 2021 in Denver's Clayton neighborhood, inside the York Street Yards business park. The brewery is dedicated to the beer culture of the Czech Republic, which it notes is the country that drinks the most beer per person. Its process includes Czech hops, decoction mashing, open fermentation, natural carbonation, and locally grown malt made to its specifications.

Service is half the attraction. Cohesion pours through Lukr side-pull faucets, the Czech-style taps that build a dense, wet foam. When the brewery opened, Denver Westword reported that each lager could be ordered three ways: hladinka, a standard pour; šnyt, roughly half foam; and mlíko, a glass that is almost entirely sweet, creamy foam. Westword also reported that the malt comes from Troubadour Maltings in Loveland.

The taproom pairs European-style wooden booths with a front patio. It is a focused stop for drinkers who want to taste how foam and pour style change a pale or dark lager. Ask the staff which pour suits each beer if the terms are new to you.

Good to know: Dogs are welcome only on the outdoor patio, and the taproom opens at 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and at noon Friday through Sunday.

Visit Cohesion Brewing Company's official site

6. River North Brewery

Where: Denver

River North Brewery opened in Denver in 2012. Founder Matt Hess was an engineer and homebrewer before he started the company, he told the Colorado Brewers Guild in 2024. In that interview he said the brewery had won 32 international beer awards in the two previous years.

River North built its name on strong beer and barrel aging. One of its first beers was J. Marie, a saison that already ran 8 to 9% ABV, and Hess named Barrel Aged Quandary, a Belgian-style quad aged in local whiskey barrels, as a favorite. The brewery also pours IPAs, lagers, and stouts, so a group with mixed tastes can find something lighter beside the big bottles.

There are two Denver taprooms. The North Taproom is at 6021 Washington Street, and the RiNo Taproom is at 3400 Blake Street. Both list bottles and cans to go. The guild interview describes monthly events and resident brewery dogs at the Washington Street location.

Good to know: Both taprooms are closed on Mondays, and the RiNo Taproom stays open until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Visit River North Brewery's official site

7. Cerebral Brewing

Where: Denver and Aurora

Cerebral Brewing describes itself as an award-winning neighborhood brewery that brews with scientific methodology and an artistic viewpoint. It operates three taprooms: Congress Park at 1477 Monroe St. in Denver, West Highland at 3257 Lowell Blvd. in Denver, and Aurora Arts at 9990 East Colfax Ave. in Aurora.

The beer list spans hoppy beer, lager, barrel-aged beer, dark beer, mixed fermentation, and sour beer. Named beers on the brewery's site include Rare Trait, the house IPA; Gasoline Rainbows, a West Coast IPA; Neon Lite, a Colfax lager; Paper Lantern, a rice lager; Muscle Memory, the house pale ale; and Deep Time, a barrel-aged imperial stout. That range suits a flight that moves from lager to IPA to stout.

Each taproom has its own on-tap and to-go list. The brewery hosts trivia on Tuesdays at Congress Park and West Highland, a run club three nights a week, and First Friday music and art at Aurora Arts. Cerebral also lists brewery tours and memberships.

Good to know: Aurora Arts is closed on Mondays, while the two Denver taprooms open every day.

Visit Cerebral Brewing's official site

8. Westbound & Down Brewing Company

Where: Idaho Springs, Denver, Lafayette, and Basalt

Westbound & Down has brewed in Idaho Springs since 2015. The original brewpub on Miner Street sits just off I-70 west of Denver, and the brewery calls it a stop on the way to or from mountain adventures. The company now runs four Colorado locations: Idaho Springs, a downtown Denver taproom, Lafayette, and Basalt. Brewbound reported that Westbound & Down acquired Aspen Brewing in 2023.

The brewery's awards are concentrated in hop-forward beer and lager. Its site lists a 2023 Great American Beer Festival gold medal for Westbound Select West Coast IPA, a 2024 gold for Infinity Pils in the hoppy lager category, and a 2024 World Beer Cup silver for Colorado Pale Ale. Other regulars include Westbound IPA, Juice Caboose hazy IPA, Italian Pils, and The Coloradan, a Mexican-style lager.

Every location serves elevated comfort food, so this is a full meal stop rather than a quick pint. The Idaho Springs brewpub fits naturally after a hike or ski day.

Good to know: The Idaho Springs brewpub opens at noon Monday through Thursday and at 11 a.m. Friday through Sunday, closing at 8 p.m. daily.

Visit Westbound & Down Brewing Company's official site

9. Outer Range Brewing Co.

Where: Frisco

Outer Range Brewing is based in Frisco in Summit County, with a taproom at 182 Lusher Court. The brewery says it aims to brew beer worthy of the mountain ranges around it, using hand-selected hops, high-quality malt, and yeast with complex ester profiles. It says its beer is meant to evoke both the Colorado Rockies and the French Alps.

Hazy IPA is the center of the lineup. The brewery's flagship is In the Steep, a hazy IPA it features at the top of its site. Expect a tap list that leans toward soft, fruity hop character, with other styles rotating through. Hazy IPA drinkers can compare In the Steep with WeldWerks' Juicy Bits for a clear sense of how Colorado brewers approach the style.

Frisco sits beside Dillon Reservoir and close to several Summit County ski areas, which makes Outer Range a natural après stop after a day outside. It also works as a break before the drive back to the Front Range, as long as someone else is driving.

Good to know: The Frisco taproom is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and leashed dogs are welcome outside on the lower-level patio.

Visit Outer Range Brewing Co.'s official site

10. Casey Brewing and Blending

Where: Glenwood Springs

Troy Casey opened Casey Brewing and Blending in Glenwood Springs in 2014, according to the Glenwood Springs Post Independent. The brewery describes its mission as bringing old-world brewing techniques to modern drinkers. Its beers use more than 99% local Colorado ingredients and are 100% bottle conditioned.

Casey is best known for oak-aged sour beer, the style the brewery made from the start. Production and barrel aging happen at the Barrel Cellar on Grand Avenue in south Glenwood Springs. The downtown taproom at 711 Grand Avenue opened later and pours the award-winning sours along with IPAs, lagers, and stouts, which gives non-sour drinkers something to order too.

The taproom does not serve food, but guests can bring food from nearby restaurants on Glenwood's downtown strip. There is an outdoor patio, children are allowed, and well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome on the patio. Memberships and perks run through the brewery's app.

Good to know: The downtown taproom does not offer tours; all tours take place at the Barrel Cellar at 3421 Grand Ave.

Visit Casey Brewing and Blending's official site

11. Bristol Brewing Company

Where: Colorado Springs

Mike and Amanda Bristol founded Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs in 1994, and they still run it. The brewery describes itself as independent and family owned. In 2013 it moved into the Ivywild School, a former elementary school that now holds the brewery, the Bristol Pub, and other food and drink spaces.

Laughing Lab Scottish Ale is the flagship. Bristol calls it its most popular beer with drinkers and judges alike, with 11 Great American Beer Festival medals since 1994 and a 1996 World Beer Cup silver. It is a 5.4% malt-forward ale with chocolate and caramel malt, and it shares a Colorado thread with Odell's 90 Shilling.

The Bristol Pub looks onto the brewing floor and has a shuffleboard table and a sunny patio. Downstairs, the Barrel Room has five tables, and the Schoolyard outside has Adirondack chairs and firepits. Spark BBQ serves barbecue from a converted shipping container.

Good to know: Bristol offers brewery tours, and the website has a scheduling link for booking one.

Visit Bristol Brewing Company's official site

Best cities and regions for a Colorado brewery trip

Fort Collins, Greeley, and Longmont

Northern Colorado is the best place to start. Odell anchors Fort Collins, WeldWerks gives Greeley a food-and-beer stop, and Left Hand rounds out the loop in Longmont before you head back toward Denver. A realistic day covers two of the three, with Odell's afternoon tour on a weekend and lunch at WeldWerks. Fort Collins also has other established breweries, so it can easily fill a full day on its own.

Denver and Aurora

Denver has the deepest cluster in this guide. Bierstadt and River North's RiNo taproom sit close together in River North, with Odell's Five Points brewhouse and Left Hand RiNo nearby. Cohesion is a short ride away in Clayton. Cerebral's Congress Park and West Highland taprooms suit a second day, and Aurora Arts is on East Colfax. Dry Dock's Aurora taproom, now part of the Left Hand family, is another option on the east side. Plan neighborhoods rather than trying to cross the city several times.

The I-70 mountain corridor

Westbound & Down in Idaho Springs is the first stop west of Denver. Continue to Outer Range in Frisco for après beer, then on to Glenwood Springs for Casey's downtown taproom. This route works best as an overnight trip. Plan around weather and weekend ski traffic, and let a non-drinking driver handle the mountain roads.

Colorado Springs

Bristol at the Ivywild School is the anchor in Colorado Springs, and the building has enough food and seating to make it a long stop. Combine it with a day at Pikes Peak area sights, or use it as a break on the drive between Denver and southern Colorado.

What Colorado brewers are known for

Colorado's brewing history is older than the state. The Colorado Brewers Guild traces the first brewery in the territory to 1859, when the Rocky Mountain Brewing Company opened near Cherry Creek in Denver to serve miners and pioneers. By 1875 there were 56 breweries operating. Colorado went dry in 1916, years before national Prohibition, and only five breweries came back after repeal.

The craft era began in Boulder. In 1978 Charlie Papazian and Charlie Matzen formed the American Homebrewers Association there, and the Brewers Association notes that the first Great American Beer Festival took place at the Harvest House in Boulder in 1982. Boulder Beer received the country's 43rd brewing license in 1979, doubling the state's brewery count from one to two, according to the guild. In 1988 Wynkoop Brewing in Denver and Carver Brewing in Durango became the state's first brewpubs. The Colorado Brewers Guild was founded in 1995, and a 1996 state law created the Colorado brewpub license.

Several threads run through the beer itself. Scottish-style ales have deep roots, from Odell's 90 Shilling to Bristol's Laughing Lab. Left Hand helped make nitro stout a Colorado specialty. Today the state is also known for serious lager, from Bierstadt's slow-poured pilsner to Cohesion's Czech program and Westbound & Down's medal-winning hoppy pils. Our guide to pilsner vs lager explains how those beers relate, and our piece on why beer has foam shows why the Czech-style pour matters. Casey's oak-aged program is the place to explore sour beer in the mountains. Local ingredients matter too: Casey uses more than 99% Colorado ingredients, and Cohesion sources malt from Troubadour Maltings in Loveland.

Ownership has shifted in recent years, which is why some famous names are not on this list. Brewbound reported that Tilray Brands acquired Breckenridge Brewery from Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2023, so it is majority owned by a large beverage group. Great Divide Brewing sold its brand and distribution business to Colorado's Wilding Brands in 2025 and closed its two Denver taprooms that June, Brewbound reported.

Colorado craft beer by the numbers

According to the Brewers Association state craft beer statistics, using 2025 data:

Those figures put Colorado near the top of the country for brewery density. Only five states had more breweries per adult in 2025, and the state's craft breweries produced more than 850,000 barrels of beer.

Planning a Colorado brewery trip

Pick a season. Summer and early fall make the patios at Odell, Casey, and Outer Range most useful. Winter brings ski traffic to I-70 and snow to the mountain passes, so build extra time into any trip west of Denver and check road conditions before you leave.

Respect distance and altitude. The Front Range stops in this guide stretch from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, and the mountain stops add hours more. Denver sits at about a mile above sea level, and Frisco is much higher. Drink water between beers and pace yourself.

Use local resources. The Colorado Brewers Guild represents independent Colorado craft breweries and is a good place to find news and member breweries beyond this list. Check each brewery's site on the day you visit, because hours and tap lists change.

Plan transportation. Choose a designated driver, book a ride service, or stay within walking distance of a cluster such as River North in Denver. For mountain trips, consider staying overnight in Idaho Springs, Frisco, or Glenwood Springs instead of driving back the same evening.

Order smaller pours. Most taprooms offer flights or smaller glasses, which let you try more styles without overdoing it. Our guides to ordering a beer flight and ordering beer at a taproom cover the basics.

Related questions

What is the best brewery in Colorado?

Odell Brewing Co. in Fort Collins is the best all-around pick for a first Colorado brewery visit. Founded in 1989 and employee owned, it pairs a broad lineup, including 90 Shilling and its IPA, with a patio, food trucks, and weekend tours. For lager, choose Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, and for hazy IPA, choose WeldWerks in Greeley.

What is the best city in Colorado for a brewery trip?

Denver is the best Colorado city for a brewery trip because it has the most options within a short ride. Bierstadt, Cohesion, River North, and Cerebral are all in town, along with Denver locations for Odell, Left Hand, and Westbound & Down. Fort Collins is the best second choice for a slower, patio-focused day.

How many craft breweries are in Colorado?

Colorado had 423 craft breweries in 2025, according to the Brewers Association. That ranked fifth among the states. Colorado also had 9.4 breweries for every 100,000 adults age 21 and older, which ranked sixth, and its craft breweries produced 854,707 barrels of beer that year.

What beer is Colorado known for?

Colorado is known for a wide range of craft beer, with standouts in malty Scottish-style ales, nitro stout, lager, and IPA. Odell's 90 Shilling and Bristol's Laughing Lab are long-running Scottish-style favorites. Left Hand's Milk Stout Nitro is a state signature, and newer breweries such as Bierstadt and Cohesion have made Colorado a strong lager destination.

Are Colorado breweries family and dog friendly?

Many Colorado breweries welcome dogs on patios, and some welcome children, but rules vary by location. Odell's Fort Collins patio is dog friendly. Cohesion, Casey, and Outer Range allow leashed dogs outside only. Casey says children are welcome in its taproom. Check each brewery's site before bringing kids or pets.

Do you need reservations at Colorado breweries?

Most Colorado taprooms in this guide take walk-ins, but tours and large groups usually need planning. Odell runs Fort Collins tours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons. Bierstadt takes group reservations online, Bristol books tours through its website, and Casey holds tours at its Barrel Cellar rather than its downtown taproom.

Can you buy beer to go at Colorado breweries?

Yes, many Colorado breweries sell beer to go from their taprooms. Odell's Fort Collins brewery sells packaged beer, growlers, and crowlers. River North lists bottles and cans to go at both Denver taprooms, and Cerebral posts a separate to-go list for each location. Selection changes, so check the brewery's list before you go.

Sources

• Odell Brewing Co., including Our Story and the Fort Collins brewery page
• WeldWerks Brewing Co. and About Us
• Left Hand Brewing, Our Story, and Left Hand and Dry Dock announcement
• Bierstadt Lagerhaus and Slow Pour Pils
• Cohesion Brewing Company and About Us
• River North Brewery
• Cerebral Brewing and Our Beer
• Westbound & Down Brewing Company and Our Beer
• Outer Range Brewing Co.
• Casey Brewing and Blending and The Taproom
• Bristol Brewing Company, Laughing Lab Scottish Ale, and Eat & Drink With Us
• Brewers Association state craft beer statistics
• Brewers Association timeline
• Colorado Brewers Guild: About and Colorado brewers timeline
• Colorado Brewers Guild: 32 Reasons to Visit River North Brewery
• Denver Westword: Cohesion Brewing opens pouring Czech beers
• Post Independent: Casey Brewing & Blending taps downtown location
• Brewbound: Great Divide to shutter two Denver taprooms
• Brewbound: Colorado craft ownership changes, including Breckenridge and Aspen Brewing

Brewery details were checked against official sources on October 26, 2026.