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We know—you, like, always hang out in RiNo. Or LoDo. Or SoBro. But if you never venture across I-25, you’re missing out on a whole frontier of beer pioneers building destination-worthy homesteads and staking claims as some of the city’s best brewers. We’ve charted the territory.
1. Strange Craft Beer Co./Wit’s End Brewing Company
In late 2017, Wit’s End left its Valverde digs to share Strange Craft’s industrial strip-mall space on Zuni Street. Last we visited, the distinguished duo each had a World Beer Cup winner (Strange’s Cherry Kriek and Wit’s End’s Jean-Claude Van Blond) on tap.
2. Raíces Brewing Co.
With garage-door windows and large-scale artwork, Latino-focused Raíces is a shiny recent addition to the Sun Valley neighborhood.
3. Seedstock Brewery
Don’t look for sours or seltzers at this laid-back West Colfax Avenue taproom. For the past four years, Seedstock has been humbly producing a stellar lineup of Eastern European–inspired suds, like the Czech Pilsner and Bohemian Dunkel.
4. WestFax Brewing Company
It’s easy to get overlooked when you’re literally in the shadow of Casa Bonita—but WestFax’s mountain-chic taproom should be on your must-visit list for many delicious reasons, such as its $3 beer-of-the-week special on Tuesdays and the delightfully opaque Urban Lumberjack hazy IPA.
5. Joyride Brewing Company
A true crowd-pleaser, this brewery hosts Monday-night euchre tournaments for transplanted Midwesterners, pours a diverse lineup for picky drinkers, and has city-skyline-backed views of Sloan’s Lake from its 2,300-square-foot rooftop for everyone.
6. Little Machine Beer
From robot arm flight paddles to a game library to wacky brew names, Little Machine has been bringing the fun since 2015. It’s also been serving creative seasonals: This past fall, we sipped on a sweet potato stout, a stone-fruit IPA, and a pear cider in a single visit.