Going to be staying in a vacation home in Evergreen, CO with family during Thanksgiving week. My brewery visit wish-list is Black Project, WeldWerks and Casey, but I realize they're all decent drives apart. I also realize most beer bar/brewery options are going to be in Denver, but is there anything in or closer to Evergreen worth checking out? Beer-related or otherwise. Any must hit spots, hikes, attractions etc? Any advice is appreciated.
You're close to red rocks Tons of hikes all around, but who knows what the weather will be like. You could be closer to Outer Range, which is a must hit if you dig NEIPAs. As for Denver, there are a hundred threads on there
Revival is your best bet in Evergreen proper. Solid tap list and good food. https://untappd.com/v/revival-brews/2477028 Lariat Lodge and El Rancho are the two brewpubs in Evergreen. We've had mixed results with beer and food at both places, but it's been a while. Based on our limited experiences, I'd recommend Lariat over El Rancho. Snowpack is the other good option up here. It's in neighboring Conifer, which may or may not be closer than Golden, depending on where in Evergreen you're staying. Tap list is usually great, but the food options are much more limited than Revival. They do, however, have free billiards, foosball, ping pong, etc. https://untappd.com/v/snowpack-taproom/5850729 I'd second Cannonball in Golden if you want to come out of the mountains, but not all the way into Denver. Whatever Alpha Project IPA is on at the time will almost definitely be worth checking out. There's also Westbound & Down in Idaho Springs. It's ~10 miles West on I-70 and definitely worth the short trip for beer and food. If you want to go deeper into the mountains, as mentioned, Outer Range is worth the drive. Their NEIPAs compete with any in the state. As for hikes, Bergen Peak in Evergreen is worth the effort and Staunton State Park in Conifer (close to Snowpack) is also good. Both have solid views and plenty of elevation gain to make you feel like you've earned your post-hike beers.
@polkbar78 definitely has highlighted most of the great spots. I second (or third?) Revival. It's a great spot with a super strong rotating tap list of best hits from all over. Lariat is also good. There's another taphouse worth hitting (especially depending on where you're staying Evergreen) called Evergreen Tap House. Great vibe, good local spot. Also — KILLER BBQ spot in Kittredge (down Bear Creek toward Red Rocks) at Switchback Smokehouse. They sell out of meat daily, so get there early or call ahead. For hikes, I'd also add Elk Meadow and Three Sisters/Alderfer. Three Sisters is a stone's throw from downtown, and has great hikes on both sides (north and south of Buffalo Park). Elk Meadow is great because trails range from very easy walks, to difficult (Bergen Peak). Also, definitely hit Evergreen Discount Liquors — I don't really like to tell anyone to go there because it's like my honey hole. They have stuff like Russian River for weeks sometimes... We lived in Denver before moving to Evergreen...and we're never moving back!
Thank you guys all so much, really appreciate the advice! @MtnSoup that's quite the sell, I'm excited to visit!
