Business trip in Colorado

Yay for not re-posting the same "What do I do in Denver?" thing we see every day.
Of those, Odd 13 would be my pick by a mile. They're doing good things. At the same time, the others are okay, but I wouldn't call any of them world beaters. The Post does apparently have some great food, though.

Personally, I'd do Boulder. The new Avery facility is a sight to behold, Upslope has really hit stride, Fate has some random "fun" beers, Mountain Sun never fails, and I've grown fond of Vindication, too. Plus, Backcountry Pizza has one of the best beer selections in the entire region.

 

Bravo for being more specific with your request. I'll disagree with Domingo here and say the Lafayette/Louisville/Broomfield area would be my pick if I was visiting and had already done Boulder. The Boulder area wins in general, but it sounds like you've already done it!

I'm a huge fan of Gravity, 12 Degree has a couple of interesting offerings, Liquid Mechanics is not very good yet, Post is great for food and 'meh' for beers, Odd 13 is excellent all-round, Front Range is horrible all-round. The other can't miss is 4 Noses, which rivals Odd 13 for the best brewery in that area.

 

4 Noses I think has a LivingSocial out right now. can't remember what the deal was but if you're already thinking of heading that way maybe that sways you

 

Nighthawk is not a place I'd recommend currently. They have a lot of work to do.

 

4 Noses is widely considered the top dog of the northern 'burbs. Never been, but I've had several of their beers elsewhere. If they're close by, I'd go there for sure.

 

I actually liked The Post a lot the times I went there-it's bent more towards low gravity beers, though, which tends to be a turn-off for a lot of people. They had an oyster stout that was 4% and absolutely awesome. I like their pilsner a lot as well.

I've only been to Liquid Mechanics once; I've heard lots of complaints, but I had their Alt beer, and it was damn good. I'd take it over Grimm Bros. or Prost's alt beers any day. It's a nice space, but a pain in the ass to get into and out of because of the intersection it's on.

Otherwise, Gravity has a great range of beers, and I think they're all damn good. I usually go for the C.A.P., but they make fine fruit beers (e.g. pomegranate wit) and their stronger beers like their wee heavy, Belgian golden strong, and double red rye are excellent. They usually have some barrel-aged stuff as well, if you only define good beer as beer that has sat in a barrel.

If you want strong Belgian ales, 12 degrees is a fine spot. The location is probably the best of any of the breweries in Louisville/Lafayette, and they have a nice space. I normally don't like quads, but find theirs is easy and dangerous to drink. The fruited versions are especially nice. They really have no low gravity beers to speak of, though, so if you're looking to drink several, this may not be the place.

Odd13 is probably the most popular, but I guess it's not in my wheelhouse.

 

Maybe....just stay in Fort Collins/Longmont area?

 

I really like the beers from The Post, and Odd 13 is one of my favorite breweries in all of Colorado. I'd probably opt for Louisville/Lafayette, but Boulder's not a bad option either with Avery's new digs and Upslope really upping their game. I thought Liquid Mechanics was OK on my last visit.. nothing really too impressive, but not bad by any means. 4 noses was pretty meh in my opinion. The cocoa porter they had was nice. 12 degree has some very nice Belgian beers, but they're all kinda big ones and I'm more of a low abv guy.

 

If you're staying in Fort Collins, be sure to check out Equinox and Pateros Creek. Both are small breweries that are fun to visit and offer lots of good beer of all different styles. Be sure to try the SpaceGhost at Equinox, if you want a tasty IPA.

 

If you go the Boulder route, I'd recommend stopping at Powder Keg in Niwot.

 

FTFY

 

You could have added Snowbank, rather than replacing P-Creek with them!

Another great small brewery of note is Zwei Brewing- masters of lagers!

 

Don't sleep on Powder Keg.

 

1) 4 Noses
2) Odd 13
3) Early Dinner at The Post
4)???????
5) Profit

 

To be honest, I feel like Pateros creek is one of the worst breweries in the state. Was trying not to say that though.

 

That's too bad you feel that way.. I know they had some problems early on, but I think I started going there after that. Their ESB is easily one of my favorite beers in town. I would suggest revisiting...

Doesn't seem like they do a lot of big beers though, just more malt forward and/or session styles. I respect their execution of these, since it seems like everyone wants to pound hops down your throat!