Trip to Denver in Feb!!

Comrade and Station 26 are two of my favorites. Comrade has great IPA's and Station 26 is really ramping it up and has a cool vibe being in an old fire station. Plenty of other places, but those are my favorites!

Edit- I enjoyed Yardhouse as well when I was there in October. Nice variety of beer and pretty good food.

 

Just a few of my favorites...

Comrade: A little out of the way (border of SE Denver and Aurora) but totally worth it, especially if you like IPAs and lighter stouts.
TRVE: Fun-as-hell heavy-metal themed divey joint -- fortunately they don't play the music too loud, and their beers are great across the board (I really like the gose).
Epic: These guys experiment a lot, make big, boozy beers, and rarely disappoint. Do not leave without trying the Big Bad Baptist.

Also, don't bother with Wynkoop and Breckenridge (and Great Divide is just "meh" for me with the exception of the Yeti, though others might disagree).

 

I was a big fan of Ratio Beerworks when I checked it out during GABF this year.

If you make an hour or so trip north to hit Fort Collins, I highly recommend Pateros Creek.

 

Search the Mountain forum.

 

This is very open ended, and has been addressed many times already. But what the heck. In Breckenridge, your best bet is Broken Compass. I'm not a big fan of Breckenridge brewery but I find their food to be good and fairly priced. Nearby you have Backcountry, Bakers, Pug Ryan, Dillon Dam. Of these Dillon Dam is probably my favorite.

Definitely make a trip up to Fort Collins to hit up New Belgium, Odells, Funkwerks, Horse and Dragon, and more.

I would also make a trip to Longmont and Boulder to hit up Avery, Left Hand, and Oskar Blues.

Denver has so many it's hard to choose, but Comrade, Epic, Renegade, Great Divide, Crooked Stave (if you like sours!), Odyssey, and River North (new location should be open by then) are all great. Might want to hit up Bull and Bush for dinner one night as well.

If you need ideas for the hiking thing I can probably help you out on that as well. I would recommend a hike to Chasm Lake at the base of Longs Peak on your Avery/boulder/Longmont day. Fantastic hike. Make sure you train a little before you come out here.
Feel free to PM me if you want more ideas or have questions.

 

I was in Denver for a wedding a few months back and stopped into Crooked Stave for a few hours. It lived up the hype. Highly recommend!

 

Would agree that Crooked Stave and Comrade are up there.

 

Looking forward to having you, OP. I've been to AZ, spent time in Tempe. Cool town!

So, obviously, Great Divide, Crooked Stave, Breckenridge and Wynkoop are some of the brewery staples, assuming you'll be in the LoDo area. Like other members said, be sure to check out TRVE and Black Sky Breweries for two awesome, heavy-metal bars. If you're not into the music, don't worry, the beer is well worth it. A new place that just opened is Tivoli Brewery, located on the Auraria Campus in the Student Union. It's a revival of a old Denver brewery in it's historical building. Cool place. Also, check out Renegade Brewery, Strange Brewing, Denver Beer Co. and Prost Brewing. These are all clustered in relatively the same area, so it shouldn't be too much to walk most of them!

Have fun in Denver. There's a lot more to the city than just beer! Check out a movie at the Mayan, go see a live show at a small music venue like the Marquis or the Fillmore or see live comedy at Comedy Works. Lots to do!

 

With the snow year we are supposed to get I'm not sure how much hiking is going to get done in Feb

 

Good point. And OP is from Arizona as well. I've done hiking in January and February, but it's more akin to snowshoeing, depends on the altitude one is visiting. Some of the more well-trod trails near the cities and at lower elevations would be your best bet. Also depends on the weather. If it's windy, stick to protected valleys with dense trees. We went snowshoeing in RMNP last year during 30-40 mph winds (and 20 degree temps) and it wasn't so bad when we were in the trees.

 

Skip Denver Beer Company. Thank me later.

 

Just a thought.
If you are going to be staying in a hotel, I would recommend you spend at least 1 night in Fort Collins. I am partial to the Hilton at 425 W Prospect Road. Why? I like the hotel, it's fairly reasonable (especially if it's a weeknight); and it's just 2 blocks from one of my favorite hangouts in Fort Collins, Black Bottle Brewery. They have 40 taps and make good beer as well. So you could walk there and walk back from the hotel, no need to drive.

The next morning you could hike to Horsetooth Rock, or just take a quiet stroll along the Poudre river along the excellent multi-use bike path through the city.

 

Going by your beer ratings, it looks like you're a stout fan.
Pay attention to the Mountain Sun family of breweries, the one closest to Denver is Vine Street Pub, the rest are in Boulder . It's Stout Month!
Generally I care little for their own beers, but some of their stouts are really good, especially the few barrel aged ones. They also get some nice guest beers going too.
It gets crazy at night and weekends so I tend to hit them during the day. They used to be real good about advertising what they were tapping when, but the last 2 years they've been less forthcoming. Which has actually made me go less since I didn't want to make the trip just to end up with Trickster as the best available beer. But if you can get their Addiction Coffee Stout, or luckier yet a BA version, that's some good/great stuff.

 

Hope you're bringing snowshoes if you're planning on hiking in Breck in February!

Seems like everyone is recommending you go to breweries only. If I were you on a limited time schedule, I'd hit up places like Hops & Pie, Falling Rock, and Freshcraft to get the most beer bang for you buck. For a nicer meal with craft beer, check out Euclid Hall.

Good luck!

 

Don't forget it's cash only there. I know they have an ATM machine in the back but when drinking (and food) that bill can add up quickly when you thought it would just go on the card.

 

Younger is released around that time. If you feel like hunting, there are usually 3-4 bars that have it. Do your research beforehand though.

 

Guys, I've got this.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...-one-night-recommendations-and-meetup.330414/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...eries-to-visit-in-denver-boulder-area.312291/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/denver-breweries.314829/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/trip-to-denver.312079/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/favorite-denver-brewery.306382/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/trip-to-downtown-denver-wed-6-10-to-sat-6-13.299975/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/denver-visit.296287/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/one-night-in-denver.296160/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...-denver-boulder-longmont-fort-collins.312170/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-colorado-breweries.1102/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/vail-co-suggestions.313718/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...eblo-breweries-taphouses-bottle-shops.312559/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/estes-park.267498/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/colorado-bas-tips-for-travel.306059/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...eries-to-visit-in-denver-boulder-area.312291/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/visiting-denver-from-chicago-what-to-bring-back.358086/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/going-to-be-in-longmont-boulder-denver-next-month-help.355428/

 

Welcome back, hope you had a good vacation from your duties!

 

Srs. Why isnt there a sticky?