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Top Brew Pubs In Colorado

Craft beer brewing in Colorado is getting to be bigger and bigger with each passing year, and while there are many award winning brews on the Front Range, there aren't so many places to drink them that have that "just right" feel. Sure, many brewers offer tap rooms, but we like a full service restaurant to go along with our food. Here are some of the best.
Wynkoop
Wynkoop Brewing Company (credit: CBS)

Wynkoop Brewing Company

1634 18th Street
Denver, Colo. 80202
(303) 297-2700
www.wynkoop.com

The Wynkoop is named after Edward Wynkoop, a founder of the city of Denver and officer in the First Colorado Volunteer Cavalry. Building the pub was a major undertaking for (now-politician) John Hickenlooper and his partners in the late 1980s. But when it was done it "helped remake a downtrodden corner of Denver into LoDo," the Denver Post editorial team wrote in their endorsement of Hickenlooper for governor in 2010. We give Wynkoop a thumbs up for their take-home growlers option and their pool hall upstairs. And the food is great. It's also a great place to go before or after a Rockies game at Coors Field, and it's located right next to Union Station so it's easy to board a bus or catch a light rail train after you've had one or two too many of the great beers to drive safely.

Vine Street Pub
With perhaps the greatest vibe of any brew pub in the state, Southern Sun is a larger version of the popular Mountain Sun. (Credit: mountainsunpub.com)

Southern Sun

627 South Broadway
Boulder, Colo. 80305
(303) 543-0886
www.mountainsunpub.com
With perhaps the greatest vibe of any brew pub in the state, Southern Sun is a larger version of the popular Mountain Sun. Both Boulder establishments are crushingly busy most nights of the week. At Southern Sun, expect to wait perhaps a half hour or more for a table, even on a Tuesday. Everyone there is friendly, though, and the waitstaff are somewhat unusual in that each employee varies in their tasks from day to day. Your waiter one night might be cooking the next day and behind the bar the night after it. For hops lovers, trying the Colorado Kind Ale is a must. And burgers are a definite forte here.

CooperSmithBrewing
Green chili beer is a decidedly acquired taste at Coopersmith's. (Credit: coopersmithpub.com)

Coopersmith's

5 Old Town Square
Ft. Collins, Colo. 80524
(970) 498-0483
www.coopersmithspub.com
We tried the green chili beer (Sigda's Green Chili) at Coopersmith's many years ago and we've been hooked ever since. So hooked that every visit to Fort Collins now absolutely must include a trip to the brewery, located in Old Town Square. Green chili beer is a decidedly acquired taste and Sigda's features Anaheim and Serrano chilis. It's a bit spicy, but not completely overwhelming. Coopersmith's has other great beers, too, good service and decent-enough food. The main bar is wonderful, with well built wooden paneling and hardwood floors. There are two outdoor dining areas, and both are great for people watching. The pool hall on the other side of the way is fun, too.

GlenwoodCanyon
On their website Glenwood Canyon calls itself the "premier brewpub" in Glenwood Springs. (Credit: glenwoodcanyon.com)

Glenwood Canyon Brewery

402 Seventh Street
Glenwood Springs, Colo. 81601
(970) 945-1276
www.glenwoodcanyon.com
On their website Glenwood Canyon calls itself the "premier brewpub" in Glenwood Springs. In our minds it could easily call itself the premier brewpub of the Western Slope. Multiple visits to this small-ish brewery have always yielded great memories. It's never that crowded and it just feels like the kind of place no one is really in a hurry to leave.

SteamworksBrewingCo
The Great American Beer Festival has honored Steamworks Brewing Company with multiple medals, and with good reason. (Credit: steamworksbrewing.com)

Steamworks

801 East 2nd Avenue
Durango, Colo. 81301-5425
(970) 259-9200
www.steamworksbrewing.com
The Great American Beer Festival has honored Steamworks Brewing Company with multiple medals, and with good reason. They specialize in lagers and ales that go down very smoothly but burst with flavor. Their popular Steamworks Steam Engine Lager can be found in cans or bottles in liquor stores across the state, but a visit to the actual brew pub in downtown Durango is a treat.

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