We recently made the trip to Denver for my birthday, visiting Fort Collins and then Colorado Springs. I was pretty excited about this trip after hearing a lot of good things about craft breweries in those areas. One of my main concerns, especially with COVID, was that the craft brewery experience was going to be impacted – fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Fort Collins Breweries
The breweries we visited in Fort Collins had both implemented similar measures to make sure that peoples enjoyment wasn’t impacted by social distancing.
Odell Brewing Co
Odell Brewing Co was right around the corner from our AirBnB so naturally we had to pay it a visit. When we arrived it looked like it was packed, and it was, but it was very well organized. There were two greeters at the outdoor patio entrance (the indoor was closed for seating), and you weren’t allowed on the premises unless you were wearing a mask.
Once we ordered our drinks, we were escorted outside to our seat on the patio by a member of staff. The tables and seats were arranged so that they were at least six feet away from the next and everyone had plenty of space, even large groups and pups. I ordered the Today IPA and the Mrs ordered the Colorado Lager. Both were refreshing on a really hot day.
Since it was so hot I decided to order another beer (any excuse for another beer, right?). Odell Brewing had a great setup for ordering another round of drinks. The table number was placed where you were seated, and the menu was available via a code that you would scan with your smart phone. You would then send a text with your drink order and table number and the bar staff would bring your order to the table. It was seamless and super efficient – I don’t see why this wouldn’t become an additional way of ordering once we get past COVID restrictions.
The second beer I had was the Easy Street wheat beer and it was very easy to drink.
We visited around lunchtime and were relieved to find a food truck, Mac N’, on-hand. This buffalo chicken mac and cheese was even tastier than it looks.
New Belgium Brewing Co
Visiting New Belgium was one of the highlights of the trip. We made our reservation online and we arrived there about noon. We were seated in the outdoor space which is huge, and has plenty of seating for smaller groups and large groups. Shade is provided by large umbrellas as well as some trees. The inside of the brewery was closed, but bathrooms were available to use, and there was a merch truck set up outside.
Voodoo Ranger 1985 IPA 
New Belgium Brewing Merch Truck
For my first drink I opted for the Voodoo Ranger 1985 IPA which had a hint of mango flavor but nothing too overpowering (6.7% ABV). For my second I chose the Voodoo Ranger American Haze, which was a little lighter with 5% ABV with notes of passionfuit. It was super drinkable, brewed with all-American hops and was perfect for a hot summer’s day.
Colorado Springs Breweries
One of the places we really wanted to visit in Colorado Springs was Pikes Peak, so we spent pretty much a full day taking in the scenery and driving the 14,000 feet to the summit. However, there was time for one brewery visit, and after consulting with our Air BnB hosts we decided to head on over to Goat Patch Brewing.
Goat Patch had a wide variety of brews to choose from, including a blonde ale, red ale, a stout, two different IPAs, a wheat beer, and a limeade shandy. I went with the Goat Patch IPA and loved it so much I even got a crowler to go – definitely one of the top five IPAs I’ve tasted this year.
Left Hand Brewing – Bonus Brewery Visit
On our road trip from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs we decided to make an impromptu visit to Left Hand Brewing, and I’m super glad we did.
We stopped in right around lunchtime and were able to take some great images and enjoy a cheeky couple of pints. The Left Hand Milk Stout was recommended to me and I have to say it’s one of the top stouts I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking. It was so smooth, and not super heavy – if we weren’t in a time crunch I could have sat all day on the Left Hand patio watching the world go by.
