The Best Denver Craft Beer Festivals that AREN’T the Great American Beer Festival
Yes, the Great American Beer Festival is amazing and an event that every craft beer faithful should make a pilgrimage to at least once in their lifetime. However, it’s massively overwhelming as it attracts nearly every craft brewery from across the country. It doesn’t really provide beer tourists with a true taste of the local craft beer scene for which the Mile High City and state of Colorado is so well known.
Instead, I recommend planning a trip to Denver during one of these more intimate craft beer festivals for a true taste of Rocky Mountain craft beer.
Photo by Keith via Flickr
Collaboration Fest
Collaboration Fest is held each March. The uniqueness of the festival is that each beer served has to be a collaboration between at least two different breweries. One of those breweries must be Colorado-based. The others can be from across the country or across the world. 2016 saw 75 different collaboration beers brewed between 149 breweries covering five countries. Standout beers included a sweet tea amber ale from Denver’s Former Future Brewing and South Carolina’s Brewery 85.
Tickets are a steal at $50 for general admission and $75 for VIP for what Food & Wine Magazine has labeled “America’s most creative beer festival.”
Denver Brew Fest
For more of a traditional beer festival but on a more digestible scale than the Great American Beer Festival, check out one of the two annual Denver Brew Fests. Both the summer and winter versions are held at the Mile High Stadium. The two festivals are structured rather similarly with craft breweries from not only Colorado but across the United States. The festivals each span two days and there is a bit of difference in participating breweries each day. Check the website to make sure your must-drink breweries are in attendance.
Summer Beer Fest is held in July, and Winter Beer Fest is scheduled in January. Tickets are $35 for general admission and $45 for VIP.
South Denver Beer Festival
To experience some suds in the great Colorado outdoors, book your trip during the South Denver Beer Festival. The event is held each May at Clemont Park in Littleton. Sip from over 200 attending breweries, cideries, wineries, and distilleries lakeside with a beautiful backdrop of the Colorado Rockies.
Like most festivals, there are two tiers of pricing. With this festival though, VIP does not just give you more time, but access to exclusive breweries.
UllrGrass Music and Beer Festival
Right outside of Denver in Golden is the annual UllrGrass Music and Beer Festival celebrating both craft beer and bluegrass music. The festival features 29 breweries, cideries, and wineries with most hailing from the state of Colorado. While that may not sound like a lot, the real attraction is the music. The festival attracts both regional and national bluegrass bands.
The event takes place each January. Ticket prices vary quite drastically depending on which acts are playing. They all include unlimited samples of beer though.
Of course, Denver also has an amazing craft beer scene that is worth visiting just for a brewery hop weekend.
Post sponsored by IHG.