Top 10 Breweries in Colorado
Colorado has more breweries per capita than any US state, a distinction that has held for most of the last decade. The state's craft beer culture grew from a combination of factors: the Fort Collins cluster of Colorado State University graduates who started breweries in the 1980s and 1990s, Denver's urban renaissance that made the city receptive to independent retail, and a population culture oriented toward outdoor recreation that translated naturally into appreciation of flavorful, sessionable beer. The result is a scene that covers every style from traditional German lager to experimental barrel-aged sours.
1. Avery Brewing, Boulder
Avery was founded in 1993 by Adam Avery and produced hop-forward beers before it was fashionable — the Avery IPA and Maharaja Imperial IPA were early examples of the aggressive, resinous style that would become West Coast IPA's defining character. More significantly, Avery pioneered American barrel-aging: the Reverend Belgian Quadrupel, Uncle Jacob's Stout (bourbon barrel), and the annual Anniversary Series have been benchmarks in their categories for over a decade. Avery's move to a purpose-built facility in north Boulder in 2015, complete with a sour barrel cellar and taproom, gave the brewery the production capacity to meet demand while maintaining the quality that made its reputation. The Maharaja and Mephistopheles Stout remain essential Colorado craft beers.
2. Oskar Blues, Longmont
Oskar Blues made its most significant contribution to craft brewing history not with a recipe but with a package: Dale's Pale Ale, released in cans in 2002, was the first nationally distributed American craft beer in aluminum cans and proved that canning was both technically viable and commercially attractive. Dale's Pale Ale is still in production; the brewery's Pinner IPA and Ten FIDY Imperial Stout (10% ABV, in a can) are later additions to a range that consistently prioritizes flavor intensity. Oskar Blues expanded to Brevard, North Carolina, and Austin, Texas, and was acquired by Canarchy (later merged into CANarchy) — the company became publicly traded as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's ZOA energy drink parent company, in a corporate trajectory that is among craft's more unusual.
3. Great Divide Brewing, Denver
Great Divide, founded in 1994 in Denver, produces Titan IPA, Yeti Imperial Stout (a Colorado institution), and Hoss Märzen among its flagship range. The Yeti series in particular has expanded into numerous variants — chocolate, oatmeal, espresso, and bourbon barrel versions — that have kept the brand commercially vital for three decades. The Denver brewery and taproom is a Five Points neighborhood anchor. Great Divide's longevity and consistent quality make it a reference point for what Colorado craft beer produced before the current generation of microbreweries.
4. Left Hand Brewing, Longmont
Left Hand is best known for Milk Stout Nitro — a nitrogenated milk stout that became one of the best-selling nitro craft beers in the US. The Nitro bottle formulation (designed to release nitrogen when poured aggressively) was a technical and commercial innovation that demonstrated new packaging possibilities. Left Hand's core range also includes the Warrior IPA, Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout, and seasonal Sawtooth Ale. The Longmont brewery operates a taproom and pours the full range including draft nitro options.
5. New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins
New Belgium, founded in 1991 by Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan, introduced the Belgian ale tradition to a Colorado market that barely knew it existed. Fat Tire Amber Ale — named after Lebesch's cycling trip through Belgium — became one of the best-selling craft beers in the US and gave New Belgium national distribution. The La Folie sour brown ale, aged in wooden foeders in the wood-aged cellar, is New Belgium's most technically impressive product and one of the first and best American examples of the Flemish sour brown style. New Belgium became 100% employee-owned in 2013 and was subsequently acquired by Lion Little World Beverages in 2019, making the employee-ownership transition partly symbolic in retrospect.
6. Odell Brewing, Fort Collins
Odell, founded in 1989, is one of Fort Collins's original breweries and remains among Colorado's most respected independent producers. The 90 Shilling Scottish Ale and Easy Street Wheat are the approachable range; Rupture Flapjack IPA, Woodcut series, and the annual Cellar Series barrel-aged releases are the enthusiast focus. Odell is entirely employee-owned, which in practice means it has resisted acquisition approaches and maintained its Fort Collins character through three decades of growth.
7. Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, Denver
Chad Yakobson's Crooked Stave is Colorado's most serious wild ale producer, built on a foundation of Belgian spontaneous fermentation technique applied to American ingredients. The St. Bretta saison, Colorado Wild Sage (with foraged sage), and various vintage Nightmare on Brett (Brettanomyces-influenced stout) releases are consistently among Colorado's most discussed limited releases. The Denver taproom is a destination for the serious craft beer community; Crooked Stave's distribution, though limited, has reached most major US markets.
8. Wynkoop Brewing, Denver
Wynkoop, founded in 1988 by John Hickenlooper (later Colorado Governor), was Denver's first brewpub and one of the catalysts for the Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood renaissance. The Denver institution produces a broad range of approachable styles — the Patty's Chile Beer and Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout are the novelty offerings that attract national press, while the B3K Black Lager and Colorado Lager are the honest workhorses of a menu designed for the sports and event crowd that frequents LoDo.
9. TRVE Brewing, Denver
TRVE (pronounced "true") occupies an unusual niche in Denver's crowded craft landscape: a metal-themed brewery producing technically excellent beers for an audience that combines craft beer enthusiasm with heavy metal culture. The Cursed (Blonde Ale), Ancient Tome (dry-hopped saison), and Nightmare Logic (IPA) reflect a range that rewards serious engagement despite the theatrical branding. TRVE's South Broadway location has made it a fixture of Denver's independent music and arts scene.
10. Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, Denver
Black Project, founded by James Howat and Sarah Howat, is Denver's most technically ambitious spontaneous fermentation producer. Inspired by Belgian lambic tradition, Black Project uses a coolship and open fermentation in an attempt to capture the Denver air's specific microbial ecology. The Honey LARP (spontaneous honey ale), ROCKET SERIES, and various named lambic-tradition releases have attracted national attention from the wild ale community. The Baker neighborhood taproom serves limited quantities on draft and in bottles.
Explore on the map
Colorado's breweries are concentrated in the Front Range corridor from Fort Collins through Boulder to Denver, with notable clusters in each city. Open the map to find the breweries nearest to your Colorado itinerary and plan a beer trail through one of America's most brewery-dense states.