The 18 Breweries in Denver I Recommend Most

Exploring the local craft beer scene is one of the city’s best things to do — but admittedly, the 150+ breweries in Denver can be a bit overwhelming. I’ve spent years sipping my way around town, taking note of selections, atmosphere, and what makes each spot unique.

On this list, you’ll find places with crisp, crushable beers that taste like… beer. (Coors drinkers, these are for you). But I also share innovative and globally-inspired brews, along with ambiances for all preferences, from families with kids to fans of death metal.

18 Best Denver Breweries

Great Divide Brewing Company

A celebrated pioneer of Denver’s craft beer scene, famed for its Yeti Imperial Stout.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Great Divide Website | 🍽️ Food Served at DIA and Castle Rock Locations; Food Trucks Near Ballpark Location | 📞 (303) 296-9460

Founded in 1994, Great Divide Brewing Company is one of the pioneers of Denver’s beer scene.

Today, their small-batch brews are favorites among locals, with the Yeti Imperial Stout being the most popular. This flagship beer is a multi-award winner at the Great American Beer Festival, an annual event that makes October one of the best times to visit Denver. 

For a behind-the-scenes tour, head to their Barrel Bar or Ballpark District taprooms. If you’re hungry, visit their kitchen locations in Denver International Airport, Castle Rock, or Lone Tree. Their pork green chile, one of the best dishes in the city, will not disappoint.

Wynkoop Brewing Company

Colorado’s first brewpub featuring bar games and flavorful bites.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Wynkoop Website | 🍽️ Food Served | 📞 (303) 297-2700

Famed as Colorado’s first brewpub, Wynkoop Brewing Company is a historic, innovative, and downright fun spot in downtown Denver. Inside, three spacious floors provide ample seating, along with plenty of entertaining bar games. Upstairs lies a large pool hall, plus foosball, darts, and shuffleboard. 

Come hungry, because the lengthy food menu is just as good as the beers. Pair your ale with the Nashville fried chicken sandwich, bison burger, or juicy railyard ribs. 

Bierstadt Lagerhaus

German beer, pub food, and plenty of entertainment.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Bierstadt Lagerhaus Website | 🍽️ Food Served | 📞 (720) 570-7824

If you’re looking to entertain a large group, the bierhalle at Bierstadt Lagerhaus is your spot. Enjoy jumbo-sized yard games and live music on Thursdays and Saturdays. Comedy nights, pro wrestling, and other events are frequently hosted in this large, renovated warehouse.

German beer dominates the menu, with the Slow Pour Pils being a crowd favorite. Pair it with German pub food like pretzels and schnitzel. Prost! 

Call to Arms Brewing Company

Berkeley neighborhood hangout frequented by locals.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Call to Arms Website | 🍽️ Food Served | 📞 (720) 328-8258

Strolling Tennyson Street should be on every Denver itinerary, and Call to Arms Brewing Company should absolutely be on your agenda. With roll-up garage doors, a dog-friendly patio, and undeniably good beer, this place checks all the boxes for locals. Sip a lager, order a slice from the partnered pizza place next door, and stay a while.

Our Mutual Friend Brewing Company

Vibrant inside and out, this brewery has something for everyone.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 OMF Website | 🍽️ Food Trucks Nearby | 📞 (303) 296-3441

If you want to make a beeline to a can’t-miss brewery, head to Our Mutual Friend. Of all Denver’s breweries, it’s Travel Lemming’s founder’s favorite. 

Even on a cloudy winter day, its brightly painted building sparks cheer. The atmosphere is just as vibrant inside, full of locals bantering with tasty brews in hand. There’s an option for all preferences, ranging from crushable blonde ales to hoppy saisons and dark, malty porters. 

Denver Beer Company

Sustainable Colorado beer made with sunshine and local ingredients.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Denver Beer Co. Website | 🍽️ Food Trucks Nearby | 📞 (720) 279-8247

Set on sustainability, Denver Beer Co. runs 100% on solar power. Colorado sunshine and local ingredients create some of the city’s best brews, including the Graham Cracker Porter and Juicy Freak IPA. 

Year-round and seasonal brews are available at five taprooms in Highland, Rosedale, Lowry, Littleton, and Arvada.

TRVE Brewing Company

A moody taproom for metalheads with a taste for sour beer.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 TRVE Website | 🍽️ Food Served 

If you’ve explored the city’s breweries for any amount of time, you’ve seen the same trends: industrial decor, families with dogs, and the latest REI apparel. But at TRVE Brewing Company, you’ll find fewer hipsters and rather, metalheads with a taste for sour beer. 

Other styles of brews add to the dark, moody taproom’s menu, a list named after metal bands and songs. Order a Suffering Soul or Bloodaxe, rage to some death metal, and enjoy the unique environment. 

Grateful Gnome Sandwich Shoppe & Brewery

Choose from over fifty sandwiches, each paired perfectly with a cold one.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 The Grateful Gnome Website | 🍽️ Food Served | 📞 (720) 598-6863

When collaborating on our “Best Denver Restaurants” guide, all local writers agreed that The Grateful Gnome deserved a spot on the list. The New York / New Jersey-style deli serves up a huge selection of more than 50 hot and cold sandwiches. In-house, handcrafted beers include an easy drinking lager, malty amber, and hazy IPA. 

Be sure to stop in when visiting Berkeley, one of the city’s must-visit neighborhoods. 

Cerebral Brewing 

Foeder fermented lagers, barrel-aged beers, and more unique brews.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Cerebral Website | 🍽️ Food Trucks Nearby on Select Days | 📞 (303) 865-7341

Cerebral Brewing takes pride in “a scientific approach to beer,” with experimentation being the name of their game. Their expert brewers aren’t afraid to push boundaries, and at their Congress Park and Aurora Arts locations, you’ll find all sorts of unique beers.

Though an ever-changing menu is to be expected, a series of core beers are always available. The Paper Lantern rice lager is one to try, as foeder fermented brews are their specialty.

Odell Brewing Co. 

Be part of the R&D process, sampling exclusive beers at their two Denver breweries.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Odell Website | 🍽️ Food Served at Sloan’s Lake Location; Food Trucks at Fort Collins Location | 📞 (720) 795-7862

Odell Brewing Co. is another early founder of Colorado’s craft beer industry. Their first establishment opened in Fort Collins in 1989, and today, their two Denver breweries are local favorites. 

Set in the Five Points and Sloan’s Lake neighborhoods, both feature a unique 10-barrel pilot system. You won’t find these experimental beers anywhere else! Though they also have their classics like the Easy Street wheat and 90 Shilling amber ale often on tap. More perks at both locations include a rooftop patio, live music, and good company. 

Novel Strand Brewing Company

Sharing a space with a coffee shop, this underrated brewery isn’t afraid to experiment.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Novel Strand Website | 🍽️ Food Trucks Nearby | 📞 (720) 949-0246

Set in the Baker neighborhood, Novel Strand Brewing Company is a hidden gem. The underrated establishment may not have as deep of a selection as the other breweries around the city. But what’s on tap demands your attention. Its sour and funky Southern Lights is a prime example, with flavors that resemble a “grapey fruit lemonade soda.”

Cerveceria Colorado

Mexican-inspired beers that celebrate culture and community.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Cerveceria Colorado Website | 🍽️ Food Trucks Nearby | 📞 (720) 279-8248

Cerveceria Colorado is not one to miss. I mean, who could turn down a sweet, cinnamon-tinged Churro Stout or a smokey Poblano Pils? Their pineapple-fermented Señor Piña Blonde Ale, and classic ¡Venga! Mexican Lager are other favorites. 

These Mexican-inspired ales celebrate culture and community in the Highland neighborhood. Denver Beer Co., their sister brewery next door, keeps the fiesta going. 

Crooked Stave

Discover your new favorite beer at this inventive brewery.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Crooked Stave Website | 🍽️ Food Not Served | 📞 (720) 508-3292

A master at craft beers, Crooked Stave serves small batch brews at their Denver taproom. Juicy IPAs and a sour rosé make up their core series, while barrel-aged fruited sours and seasonal flavors round out the menu. Enjoy these eclectic beers in a laid-back ambiance, and be tempted to take a bottle to-go. 

New Belgium Brewing

Sip Fat Tire, a Colorado classic, as you admire the city skyline.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 New Belgium Website | 🍽️ Food Served | 📞 (303) 223-2149

In the early ‘90s, New Belgium Brewing started in its founders’ Fort Collins basement. From humble beginnings, these craft beer innovators created one of today’s most successful breweries. Their flagship Fort Collins taproom remains open, alongside sister locations in Asheville, North Carolina and Denver International Airport.

Ratio Beerworks

Good vibes, a killer punk rock playlist, and globally-inspired brews.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Ratio Beerworks Website | 🍽️ Food Trucks Nearby | 📞 (303) 997-8288

With locations in Overland and RiNo, Ratio Beerworks is surrounded by great local watering holes. But this microbrewery stands out, loved for its fun atmosphere, punk rock playlist, and undeniably great beer. 

At their tap room, you’ll find globally-inspired brews like Dear You, a French saison; and Hold Steady, a chocolate rye Scotch ale. Antidote is a West Coast-style IPA, and Repeater features a roasty malt often associated with German-style lagers. Whatever beer styles you choose, you can’t go wrong. 

Bruz Beers

Traditional Belgian beers and Americanized takes featuring local ingredients.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Bruz Beers Website | 🍽️ Food Served + Food Trucks Nearby | 📞 (303) 650-2337

Rotating food trucks, a dog-friendly outdoor patio, and Belgian brews make Bruz Beers a go-to in north Denver. Here, you’ll find traditional beers including an Abbey-style Quadrupel and Dame Blanche, a Belgian-style wheat beer. There are also Americanized takes like the Petite Peach Grisette made with local Palisade peaches.

Spangalang Brewery

A downtown hangout that celebrates the neighborhood’s jazz culture.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 Spangalang Website | 🍽️ Food Not Served | 📞 (303) 297-1276

I was first introduced to Spangalang Brewery when attending the annual Five Points Jazz Festival. But even if you miss the annual festivities, Spangalang keeps jazz culture alive all year long with live music most weekends.

Grab their award-winning Sugar Foot Belgian table beer or their Hop Colossus West Coast double IPA and hang out for a while.

New Image Brewing Company

A huge selection and plenty of space for the whole family.

📍 Google Maps | 🍻 New Image Website | 🍽️ Food Served | 📞 (720) 900-5622

Found in the nearby suburbs of Wheat Ridge and Arvada, New Image Brewing Company may be the most family-friendly spot on this list. That’s right — breweries in Colorado are often a family affair. Bonus points if there are dog-friendly patios, which New Image checks the box for, too!

This brewery’s menu is extensive, featuring nearly every style of brew you can imagine. Phantasm hops are their specialty, used in a variety of IPAs. Pair your pour with pizza, burgers, and more delicious pub food. 

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Thanks for reading our guide on the best breweries around Denver! This city is full of foodie experiences. For more tasty spots, check out our articles on the greatest local restaurants.