BEER AND NOW


Beer of a Certain Altitude C


Taste the Craft of Colorado By Jeff Hammett


olorado is home to many great American breweries, and it’s one of the reasons the Great American Beer Festival is held in Denver every year. Most of the breweries and residents of this vast state are located in the Front Range, the first mountain range to rise from the horizon as you head west from the plains of Nebraska and Eastern Colorado.


Jeff Hammett first noticed craft beer early in college when a friend introduced him to Stone Brewing Co.’s Pale Ale. After gradu- ating from UCSD with a degree in Philoso- phy, he moved to Santa Cruz where he frequented Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing and Seabright Brewery. Jeff would journey up to San Francisco to visit Magnolia and Toronado every chance he got. He started blogging about beer in early 2009 while living in Durango, Colorado. For a town of only 20,000 people, Durango boasts an impressive four breweries. Jeff quickly became a part of the brewing scene, and in January 2010 was invited to work with Ska Brewing Co.’s Head Brewer Thomas Larsen to formulate a recipe and brew on Ska’s pilot system. In addition to his love of craft beer, Mr. Hammett is an avid cyclist and can be seen riding on the road or trails most weekends.


Denver might not have the biggest or most well-known breweries in the state, but the capital city holds its own well enough. The downtown area around Coors Field is thriving with beer culture – a few breweries and great beer bars are all within walking distance. Probably most recognizable to San Diegans is Great Divide Brewing Co. (2201 Arapahoe St., greatdivide.com). Their cozy taproom serves up both year round and seasonal beers alike. It can get crowded and doesn’t stay open very late, but it’s a must- stop-by when you’re in town. Down the street is the Denver location


of Breckenridge Brewery (2220 Blake Street, breckbrew.com). Check out the beers from their 471 Small Batch series if avail- able – these beers show up less often than the regular lineup and are usually worth the wait. Just on the other side of Coors Field is Wynkoop Brewing Company (1634 18th St., wynkoop.com), Colorado’s first brewpub that was started in 1988 by now Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. With about twenty taps, the majority of which are house- brewed beers, you’re sure to find something you like. Both Wynkoop and Breckenridge serve food whereas Great Divide does not. About 20 miles northwest of Denver is the college town of Boulder. Right in the heart of downtown Boulder is The Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery (1535 Pearl St., mounta- insunpub.com). Their beers aren’t the most sought-after by beer geeks, but they have a solid lineup that rivals any other brewpub. Also make sure to stop by the Boulder Beer Company (2880 Wilderness Pl., boulder- beer.com), Colorado’s first microbrewery, started in 1979. Mojo IPA and Mojo Risin’ Double IPA are both good, and you can’t go wrong with a Killer Penguin Barleywine if it’s available.


Of course, any talk of Boulder beer would be incomplete without mentioning Avery Brewing Company (5763 Arapahoe Ave., averybrewing.com). Located in a small in- dustrial area on the east side of town, you’re sure to be familiar with at least a few of the beers being poured in the taproom. In addi- tion to the beers we get in bottles, cans and on draft here in San Diego, Avery’s taproom usually has something not so common, be it a seasonal, a one-off, or a vintage beer that they’ve been aging for a while.


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About 50 miles north of Boulder (or about 65 directly from Denver) is Fort Collins, home of New Belgium Brewing (500 Lin- den St., newbelgium.com). More than just Fat Tire, New Belgium has an impressive


Inside the Great Divide taproom. Photo: Kinsee Morlan


brewery and tasting room with plenty of great beers on tap. Limited collaboration (they call them Collabeeration) offerings, Lips of Faith series creations and other sel- dom seem beers often show up on the taps. Reserve your tour tickets online because they fill up fast.


Just down the road are Odell Brewing Company (800 E Lincoln Ave., odellbrew- ing.com) and The Fort Collins Brewery (1020 E Lincoln Ave., fortcollinsbrewery. com). Their tasting rooms pale in comparison to New Belgium, but their beers hold their own. Both have solid lineups of year round and seasonal beers; Odell has been releasing some killer barrel-aged and sour beers lately. And let’s not forget the new kid on the block in Fort Collins – Funkwerks (1900 E Lincoln Ave., funkwerks. com), a Belgian farmhouse-inspired brewery. Their saison is worth the trip alone, and you never know what other treats you’ll find on draft in their tap room. The breweries in Colorado aren’t just located in the metro areas. There are great breweries making great beer throughout the state. Left Hand Brewing Company (1265 Boston Ave., lefthandbrewing.com) and Oskar Blues (various locations, see oskarblues.com) can be found in Longmont, and are well worth a visit. Left Hand doesn’t distribute in California, and Oskar Blues makes a ton of beers that never end up on our local bottleshop shelves.


Jeff writes for San Diego Beer Blog at sandiegobeerblog.com, and you can also follow him on twitter @ SDBeer


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