by Katriena Knights

Created on: December 09, 2008   Last Updated: January 08, 2009

Home to both the Great American Beer Festival and the Coors Brewery, Colorado has always been known for its beer. But aside from larger breweries, Denver offers a variety of smaller breweries and brew pubs. Rated among the best of these are the Wynkoop Brewery, the Left Hand Brewing Company, the Breckenridge Brewery and the Flying DogBrewery.

The largest brewpub in North America, both by square footage and yearly production, the Wynkoop Brewery is also the oldest brewpub in Denver. The brewery was founded in 1988 by current Denver Mayor John

Hickenlooper, and celebrated its twentieth anniversary this past October. In that time, it has developed a reputation as one of the most popular destinations in Lower Downtown Denver. The Wynkoop Brewery offers a wide variety of beers (naturally), as well as a wide menu of pub fare from traditional fish and chips to more Colorado-typical elk medallions.

The Left Hand Brewing Company is located in Longmont, a suburb of Denver. In their thirteen years of brewing, they've received a variety of awards from the Great American Beer Festival as well as the World Beer Cup and the International Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival. In 1998 they merged with Tabernash Brewing, also a high-quality brewer, and their growth continues, brewing popular beers such as Imperial Stout and Deep Cover Brown Ale.

Another downtown location for microbrews is the Breckenridge Brewery. Also an early addition to the family of Denver breweries, Breckenridge Brewery's Denver location opened in 1992, while the original brewery, in Breckenridge, opened in the 80s. Its location, on Blake Street adjacent to Coors Field, makes it a must-see after an evening with the Colorado Rockies. Their selection of handcrafted ales includes Vanilla Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Pandora's Bock, and Agave Wheat. Breckenridge Brewery crafts over 30,000 barrels a year.

The Flying Dog Brewery is also an award-winning brewery, having taken home four medals from the Great American Beer Festival and two World Beer Cup medals in the past five years. While their beer is now distributed from a facility in Maryland, their original brewpub is located in Aspen, Colorado, and they also have a brewpub location on Blake Street, downtown. Known not only for good beer, but also for irreverent labels, Flying Dog was forced to reword their label for their Road Dog Scottish Porter in 1995, but, with the assistance of the ACLU, had the original text reinstated in 2001. Slightly less controversial brews include In-Heat Wheat, Old Scratch, and seasonal brews Dogtober and K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale.

In addition to these breweries and brew pubs, there are a number of others, both larger and smaller, in downtown Denver as well as the surrounding suburbs. The more adventurous Colorado visitor can find additional locations in the mountain areas, including Idaho Springs, Boulder, Castle Rock and Colorado Springs. Overall, Colorado offers a wide variety of destinations for the dedicated beer enthusiast.

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