Spirited Away: Comparing seven popular categories

Chances are, you wouldn’t pay $3.5 million for a diamond-encrusted bottle of tequila or even $7,200 for a bear-shaped flagon of vodka. However, there are rare liquors worth seeking out and showing off—and those worth sharing with pride. The chart below, sourced from numerous experts, makes that distinction in seven popular categories of spirits. It … Read more

Colorado’s Craft-Beer Capital

Thanks to craft-brewing mainstays New Belgium and Odell’s, nobody seems to remember that Fort Collins stayed dry more than 20 years before Prohibition’s institution and almost 40 years after its repeal. The city has more than compensated. Its twenty-plus breweries now make it eminently worthy of a pub-crawling pilgrimage. A quick skim of the latest … Read more

How Local is Our Beer?

Colorado Malting Company malts the barley to make beer

“Support your local brewery” is one of the more ubiquitous mantras in our beer-soaked state. But if a brewery gets all of its hops from Washington, its grains from Wisconsin and yeast from California, would you still consider it a local product? By producing world-class ingredients that are helping make all-Colorado beers possible, a couple … Read more

Lafayette, We Are Beer!

With four taprooms within a two-mile radius, the small Boulder County town has earned a reputation for bodacious brews. Cody Gabbard Despite concerns that the current craft beer market is nearing saturation, new breweries are still opening at the rate of almost two per day according to the Brewer’s Association. Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins … Read more

Taking Dead Aim: Boggy Draw Brewery

Dave Miera targets his fellow beer hunters with Boggy Draw Brewery Cody Gabbard Sporting overalls, thick goatee, and a frame worthy of his “Beef” nickname, Dave Miera could easily pass for a barbecue pit boss. The imposing exterior melts away with a welcoming handshake and deep, mountain drawl. Dave is the founder and owner of … Read more

Canning a Three-Putt

In crafting ales for the golf course, Wonderland Brewing’s Robert Lucero makes the world a better place. Cody Gabbard Beer and golf go together like peanut butter and jelly, and the rise of canned craft beers has only strengthened that relationship. Wonderland Brewing Co. has taken it even further with its golf-inspired brew, 3-Putt Pale … Read more

Downhill Chasers

‘tis the season to curl up with some rich, flavorful brews. Cody Gabbard As with many Colorado avid golfers, the winter months challenge me with a different kind of slope than the ones rated on courses. And like the 19th hole that caps off the previous four hours, a full day of skiing crescendos into … Read more

Too Big to Ale?

Breckenridge Brewery keeps expanding while losing none of its craft-beer cred. Cody Gabbard Among craft beer aficionados, a great deal of concern swirls around microbreweries that have “gone macro,” with some having even “sold out” to the more established big breweries. The mug-half-full argument, however, is that this growth and expansion indicates an industry healthy … Read more

Craft Beer in a Company Town

Golden’s beer scene goes beyond the largest single-site facility in the world. Cody Gabbard The monolithic presence of MillerCoors Brewing stands in striking juxtaposition to the serene backdrop of ruddy foothills and frontier buildings that define this historic foothills town of 19,000. But the handful of new craft breweries and distilleries that have sprouted seem … Read more

Bright Beers, Big City

A trip to New York reflects well on Denver’s craft brew scene. Cody Gabbard When traveling, I try to seek out unique drinking establishments as a roadmap to an unfamiliar area. Most have been established by locals for locals and evoke the tastes of a particular neighborhood. This approach has served me well in my … Read more