Colorado.com Staff Writer

Colorado’s craft brewing heritage and reputation as the country’s ground zero for small-batch artisan breweries make us the envy of beer-loving residents of other states.

Colorado Breweries: Defining the Craft

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Beers at New Belgium Brewing Company

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<h2>Craft Breweries in Colorado</h2>
Colorado has the fourth most breweries per capita in the U.S. — an impressive statistic. It's home to more than 400 established breweries. Coloradans didn’t invent the concept of a craft brewery, but they do get credit for perfecting the art of craft beer. Home to such notable breweries as <a href="/brewery/new-belgium-brewing-company">New Belgium Brewing Company</a>, <a href="/brewery/odell-brewing-company">Odell Brewing Co.</a>, <a href="/brewery/great-divide-brewing-company">Great Divide Brewing</a>, <a href="https://www.colorado.com/breweries/left-hand-brewing-co">Left Hand Brewing</a> and many others, the state is a beer-lover’s dream destination.
Every kind of beer you can imagine is brewed here, from the well-known (Fat Tire and 90 Shilling) to rare seasonal barley and tripel ales.
The Front Range, including <a href="/cities-and-towns/fort-collins">Fort Collins</a>, <a href="/cities-and-towns/Boulder">Boulder</a>, <a href="/cities-and-towns/Denver">Denver </a>and <a href="/cities-and-towns/Colorado-Springs">Colorado Springs</a>, is where much of Colorado’s beer making takes place. But the mountains and Western Slope also have their share of craft beer makers, including <a href="/breweries/aspen-brewing-company">Aspen Brewing Company</a>, <a href="https://www.colorado.com/breweries/kannah-creek-brewing-company">Kannah Creek Brewing Company</a> in <a href="/cities-and-towns/Grand-Junction">Grand Junction</a>, as well as <a href="/breweries/ska-brewing-company">Ska Brewing Company</a> and <a href="/brew-pub/steamworks-brewing-co">Steamworks Brewing</a> in <a href="/cities-and-towns/Durango">Durango</a>.
<a class="button" href="https://www.colorado.com/colorado-breweries">Find more breweries</a>
<h2>Colorado Beer Festivals</h2>
Most Colorado restaurants and bars carry at least a few of the home-state favorites, but that’s not the only way to celebrate our expertise in all things beer. Several notable festivals take place each year where you can sample local beers and even meet some of the masters behind your favorite brews.
The <a href="https://coloradobeer.org/colorado-brewers-rendezvous/">Colorado Brewers Rendezvous</a> in <a href="/cities-and-towns/Salida">Salida</a> features nearly 70 craft breweries from around the state. It takes place along the banks of the Arkansas River and features great food and music. Another can’t-miss event is the <a href="https://telluride.frontgatetickets.com/?_ga=2.179752932.1564114586.1623446880-338935636.1623446880">Telluride Blues &amp; Brews Festival</a>. It showcases beer supplied by local breweries in the scenic mountain hamlet of <a href="https://www.colorado.com/cities-and-towns/telluride">Telluride</a>.
The <a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/">Great American Beer Festival</a> is a Denver tradition that takes place each fall. With exhibits manned by hundreds of the top craft brewers in the nation, attendees are able to sample thousands of different brews. The festival is produced by the Brewers Association, the national trade association for all craft breweries, which is located in Boulder, Colorado.
Check out our other <a href="https://www.colorado.com/articles/toast-worthy-fall-winter-brew-fests-colorado">fall and winter beer fests</a>, <a href="/colorado-breweries">Colorado breweries listings</a>, plus <a href="/articles/colorado-adventure-beer-pairings">adventure-and-beer pairings across the state</a>.

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