50 Best Beers in Colorado: Centennial State Essentials
Colorado beer runs much deeper than one famous brewery in Golden. The state helped normalize canned craft beer, gave nitro stout an American identity, built a world-class lager culture, and turned Front Range taprooms into proving grounds for hazy IPA, mixed fermentation, and barrel-aged stout.
This Top 50 balances influence, current relevance, technical execution, and geographic reach from Fort Collins and Denver to Greeley, Durango, Telluride, and the mountain towns between them. Start with the essential benchmarks, then use each “Colorado move” and the bar notes to build a tasting route that fits the season and altitude.
The 50 Best Colorado Beers
Slow Pour Pils
Brewed by Bierstadt Lagerhaus
Slow-pour lager cult favorite: crackery malt, herbal hops, dense foam, firm bitterness, and a deliberately crisp finish built around patient service
BAR NOTES
Slow-pour lager cult favorite: crackery malt, herbal hops, dense foam, firm bitterness, and a deliberately crisp finish built around patient service. Its statewide importance comes from being the denver lager ritual, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Serve it cold in a tall lager glass, then let the malt and hop detail emerge as it warms. Pair it with fried trout; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Juicy Bits
Brewed by WeldWerks Brewing Co.
Mosaic, Citra, and El Dorado turn this Colorado hazy into a soft blast of citrus and tropical fruit
BAR NOTES
Mosaic, Citra, and El Dorado turn this Colorado hazy into a soft blast of citrus and tropical fruit. Its statewide importance comes from being the greeley hazy benchmark, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Drink it fresh in a clean IPA glass while the hop aroma is still at full volume. Pair it with a bacon cheeseburger; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Milk Stout Nitro
Brewed by Left Hand Brewing Company
Roasted coffee, milk chocolate, brown sugar, and vanilla cream under a dense nitro head
BAR NOTES
Roasted coffee, milk chocolate, brown sugar, and vanilla cream under a dense nitro head. Its statewide importance comes from being the nitro stout landmark, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Pour it below room temperature in a small glass and give the roast, oak, or coffee aroma time to expand. Pair it with smoked brisket; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Odell IPA
Brewed by Odell Brewing Co.
Sweet citrus, peach, ruby grapefruit, and a tidy bitter finish from one of Colorado's benchmark old-school IPAs
BAR NOTES
Sweet citrus, peach, ruby grapefruit, and a tidy bitter finish from one of Colorado’s benchmark old-school IPAs. Its statewide importance comes from being the fort collins ipa standard, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Drink it fresh in a clean IPA glass while the hop aroma is still at full volume. Pair it with spicy wings; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Dale's Pale Ale
Brewed by Oskar Blues Brewery
Orange, grapefruit, pine, and sturdy caramel malt deliver old-school mountain-town confidence
BAR NOTES
Orange, grapefruit, pine, and sturdy caramel malt deliver old-school mountain-town confidence. Its statewide importance comes from being the craft-can revolution, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Pour it cool in a clean pint and let the malt warm slightly as the glass empties. Pair it with a grilled chicken sandwich; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Yeti Imperial Stout
Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Co.
A muscular but controlled stout where piney hops and bitter roast keep the malt honest
BAR NOTES
A muscular but controlled stout where piney hops and bitter roast keep the malt honest. Its statewide importance comes from being the mountain-sized stout, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Pour it below room temperature in a small glass and give the roast, oak, or coffee aroma time to expand. Pair it with smoked brisket; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Voodoo Ranger IPA
Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Co.
Mosaic and Amarillo push tropical citrus, pine, and grapefruit in one of the most recognizable modern IPA lineups
BAR NOTES
Mosaic and Amarillo push tropical citrus, pine, and grapefruit in one of the most recognizable modern IPA lineups. Its statewide importance comes from being the modern colorado flagship, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Drink it fresh in a clean IPA glass while the hop aroma is still at full volume. Pair it with spicy wings; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Coors Banquet
Brewed by Coors Brewing Company
Heritage American lager: light grain, gentle sweetness, brisk carbonation, and a fuller body than many modern light lagers
BAR NOTES
Heritage American lager: light grain, gentle sweetness, brisk carbonation, and a fuller body than many modern light lagers. Its statewide importance comes from being the golden original, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Serve it cold in a tall lager glass, then let the malt and hop detail emerge as it warms. Pair it with a loaded cheeseburger; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Ten FIDY
Brewed by Oskar Blues Brewery
Canned imperial-stout landmark: dense roast, chocolate, caramel, char, and a chewy body packed into a can long before canned beer was automatically associated with prestige
BAR NOTES
Canned imperial-stout landmark: dense roast, chocolate, caramel, char, and a chewy body packed into a can long before canned beer was automatically associated with prestige. Its statewide importance comes from being the canned imperial stout classic, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Pour it below room temperature in a small glass and give the roast, oak, or coffee aroma time to expand. Pair it with smoked brisket; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
90 Shilling
Brewed by Odell Brewing Co.
A Colorado flagship that lands squarely in the amber sweet spot
BAR NOTES
A Colorado flagship that lands squarely in the amber sweet spot. Its statewide importance comes from being the fort collins amber institution, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Pour it cool in a clean pint and let the malt warm slightly as the glass empties. Pair it with sharp cheddar; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Medianoche
Brewed by WeldWerks Brewing Co.
A celebrated modern barrel stout with fudge, vanilla, oak, and a remarkably controlled finish
BAR NOTES
A celebrated modern barrel stout with fudge, vanilla, oak, and a remarkably controlled finish. Its statewide importance comes from being the barrel-stout destination, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Pour it below room temperature in a small glass and give the roast, oak, or coffee aroma time to expand. Pair it with aged blue cheese; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Myrcenary Double IPA
Brewed by Odell Brewing Co.
tropical fruit, citrus, pine and warming malt
BAR NOTES
tropical fruit, citrus, pine and warming malt. Its statewide importance comes from being the odell hop heavyweight, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Drink it fresh in a clean IPA glass while the hop aroma is still at full volume. Pair it with green chile tacos; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Westbound Italian Pils
Brewed by Westbound & Down Brewing Company
2025 GABF Italian-pils gold: crisp malt, floral dry hops, lemon peel, herbal spice, and a snappy aromatic finish
BAR NOTES
2025 GABF Italian-pils gold: crisp malt, floral dry hops, lemon peel, herbal spice, and a snappy aromatic finish. Its statewide importance comes from being the dry-hopped lager specialist, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Serve it cold in a tall lager glass, then let the malt and hop detail emerge as it warms. Pair it with fried trout; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Prost Pils
Brewed by Prost Brewing Company
North-German-inspired American pils: pale cracker, herbal hops, light citrus, firm bitterness, and a sharp dry finish
BAR NOTES
North-German-inspired American pils: pale cracker, herbal hops, light citrus, firm bitterness, and a sharp dry finish. Its statewide importance comes from being the german-minded denver pils, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Serve it cold in a tall lager glass, then let the malt and hop detail emerge as it warms. Pair it with a loaded cheeseburger; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
Mama's Little Yella Pils
Brewed by Oskar Blues Brewery
Early canned craft pilsner: light bread, floral hops, gentle honey, clean bitterness, and a brisk uncomplicated finish
BAR NOTES
Early canned craft pilsner: light bread, floral hops, gentle honey, clean bitterness, and a brisk uncomplicated finish. Its statewide importance comes from being the porch-ready canned pilsner, with a profile that shows a distinct part of Colorado’s brewing range.
Serve it cold in a tall lager glass, then let the malt and hop detail emerge as it warms. Pair it with green chile brats; hop-driven releases demand freshness, while stronger dark beers reward a slower pour and careful attention to serving temperature.
St. Lupulin
Brewed by Odell Brewing Co.
Flowers, orange, pine, and resin meet enough pale malt to support the full 6.5 percent