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As the craft beer industry has expanded in Colorado, it’s become more and more difficult to know what to drink. Even die-hard suds lovers could use some help navigating the packed liquor store shelves and myriad taproom offerings.
Husband-and-wife duo Paul McConnell and Lauren Howe are here to help. Altitude Beer Ventures, the couple’s new brew-tourism company, launched last month with a variety of experiences, all designed to help inform—and entertain—beer drinkers. Altitude is tapping into the market by focusing on Colorado’s two great loves: craft beer and the great outdoors.
The pair’s love for beer and fitness runs deep. McConnell is a development manager and Certified Beer Server in the Cicerone Program; Howe is an amateur suds-lover and the fitness and cycle director at Movement & Climbing Gym in Denver. It was the couple’s love for Denver’s superior outdoor fitness and beer scenes that prompted them to relocate from the Big Apple in 2014. The idea for Altitude was born when McConnell and Howe’s East Coast friends came to visit. As they navigated visitors through Denver’s crowded beer scene, the couple realized they had something marketable.
Aimed at serving Coloradans and out-of-state tourists alike, the couple’s reasonably-priced events—which run the gamut from classes to brewery tours to beer-fueled outdoors excursions—offer something for everyone. Take the Flight School class, a bargain at $20 to $30 per person. While beer festivals may offer a breadth of tasting options, Altitude Beer Ventures’ small Flight School class give drinkers a chance to actually learn about which brews they like, what they like about them, and how to discuss their preferences. Attendees receive a beer flight, educational instruction, and, quite thoughtfully, Lyft discount codes to and from the event.
Altitude also hosts neighborhood-focused brewery tours, which offer out-of-towners (or locals looking to meet new people) the chance to visit few of the city’s finest craft establishments.
For more active drinkers, one-off excursions pair activities like a day at the climbing gym or a golf tournament with a group brewery visit. The upcoming Sup & Sip event on July 23 combines a morning of yoga and stand-up paddleboarding at Chatfield Reservoir with a visit to Littleton’s Living the Dream Brewing.
Find details on Altitude Beer Ventures’ upcoming events here.
