Elevated Brewing

ELEVATED BREWING

IF THERE ARE TWO THINGS PEOPLE IN COLORADO LOVE, IT’S CRAFT BEER AND TALKING ABOUT ELEVATION. SO WE’VE ROUNDED UP SOME OF THE HIGHEST INDEPENDENT CRAFT BREWERIES IN THE STATE

Periodic Brewing

1. PERIODIC BREWING | LEADVILLE 10,157 feet

Top of the list and practically on top of the state, Periodic Brewing was founded in the fall of 2014 and opened its doors on November 2015. Periodic has grown rapidly and plans are already in place for expansion. As for the beers, sales in Leadville are dominated by Hope Pass, their flagship IPA. The most sought after beer in Leadville and their Northglenn taproom is their tripel which so far has only been brewed in very small batches. Brews that beer lovers can expect in the near future include the first release of a coffee milk stout; the second release of the Belgian Strong Dark; the aforementioned and sought after tripel; a second run of their chocolate porter; a Sierra Nevada Resilience IPA clone with proceeds going to Camp Fire relief efforts; and three barrelaged versions of their beers: Night Run Russian Imperial Stout, Tourmaline Black Ale and Sugarloaf Amber - Tequila Chili Amber. For winter, give the Night Run Russian Imperial a try. Dark, rich and chocolaty, it is strong (at 10 percent) but smooth.

South Park Brewing

2. SOUTH PARK BREWING | FAIRPLAY 9,852 feet

Paul Kemp and Megan Sebastian opened South Park Brewing in September 2014 after five years of working on the perfect business plan and finding a suitable location. The 5,200-squarefoot space is divided between the taproom and restaurant and the brewing operation. They also have a small distillery operation in the taproom that currently produces vodka. They brew several styles of beer, with the Ranch Hand ale, Cherry Blonde ale and Mad Juicy IPA being the three best sellers. They also have an Imperial S’mores Stout. Their winter ale, an Imperial Ginger Stout aged in rum barrels from Montanya Distillers in Crested Butte, was released Dec. 1 and a Raspberry Cream Stout should be available in late January. As for what to drink in the depths of winter, Paul recommends the Buffalo Peaks Brown, a malty British-style brown with roasted coffee and hazelnut notes.

Broken Compass

3. BROKEN COMPASS BREWING CO. | BRECKENRIDGE 9,390 feet

Broken Compass is proud of the community vibe they’ve cultivated at their Breckenridge brewpub. Their beer is pretty good too. It is probably a combination of these two things that has led to Broken Compass being one of Yelp’s top 10 breweries in the country for the last three years and, at the time of writing, the top brewery in Colorado. As for the beer, the Coconut Porter (the brainchild of brew master Jason Ford’s wife Jo) has been a well-loved brew at Broken Compass since it was first brewed, medaling at the Great American Beer Fest in 2015, which, the team say, only increased its popularity. As for what to expect this winter, Broken Compass is bringing back one of its original six beers, a hoppy brown ale called the Fabulously Delicious Finely Hopped Brown (or FDFH Brown for short), for the first time in almost two years. They will also be releasing a black IPA as well as several collaboration beers over the next few months, too. For an apres-winter-activity beer, the Imperial Bourbon Barrel Aged Brown is the direction to go. Big and bold, with rich, complex flavors stemming from a hefty grain bill and up to a year aging in Breckenridge Distillery bourbon barrels, it clocks in at a whopping 12.5 percent which gives it a warm full-bodied finish.

Bec Bosgal

4. GOLDEN BLOCK BREWERY | SILVERTON 9,308 feet

When Silverton was in its heyday all of the town’s wealthier merchants were concentrated in one area. That area became known as the Golden Block. Today, Golden Block brewery stands on that block. Floyd and Molly Barela opened Golden Block just over three years ago. Floyd was a home brewer for two decades and Molly ran a jewelry store on the site where the brewery now is. Molly suggested they sell the store and open a brewery and the rest is history. Their Kathouse Kolsch is probably their most popular brew. Crisp and light with a hint of blackberry, it is served with a fresh blackberry in the glass, while according to Molly, their most interesting beer is the Madame Brown, an Englishstyle ale with a hint of hazelnut and maple. As for winter warmers, the Whoop Arse, a big Scottish ale with a malty body and a hint of brown sugar, is what to opt for. Floyd is currently working on a strawberry lemonade kettle sour which should be ready sometime in February.

Avalanche Brewery via Yelp

5. AVALANCHE BREWING COMPANY | SILVERTON 9,295 feet

Avalanche Brewing has been brewing beer in the San Juan Mountains since 2011. Having undergone a few renovations over the last seven years, Avalanche now serves six of their beers as well as a menu of pizzas made to order, salads and wraps. As for beers, Avalanche’s Sultan IPA is a good place to start. Brewed to evoke the aromas that pervade the air around hop farms, this IPA uses six different hop varieties — citra, mosaic, super galena, chinook, crystal and meridian — to create a complex hop flavor that is balanced yet powerful. For something lighter on hops and alcohol, the Treasure Mountain Pale Ale features late aroma hop additions and a crisp malt background resulting in a dry pale ale with a creamy mouth feel. Avalanche also has a Baltic Porter. The 8.2 percent Shackteaux Reserve Baltic Porter has a hefty grain bill that is tempered by 90 pounds of cherries. It also contains vanilla beans and is aged in oak.

6. PARADOX BEER CO. | DIVIDE 9,163 feet

Established in February 2012, Paradox Beer Company produces beers that honor the uncertainty of nature, and as such they harvest, propagate and inoculate their beers with their own house-grown yeast. Experimentation is central to the Paradox philosophy which is perhaps why they don’t have what you would call flagship beers. In fact, Paradox never duplicates a release, but they do occasionally revisit concepts. As for interesting brews, they use a shallow, open cooling vessel to make a variety of beers. Some are fully spontaneous, where yeast and bacteria naturally inoculate the open vessel as the wort cools, while others are inoculated by the addition of organic fruits and plants. These beers take much longer to make, sometimes years, and exhibit complexity from both fermentation and the long-term aging. Paradox have at least three new canned releases that are either out or will be out soon from their mixed fermentation series. To warm yourself up during winter, Paradox has the Bonafide Series. Based on popular cocktails like the Old Fashioned, Blood & Sand and the Maple Manhattan, they are only available at the brewery, so pop in and try one while sitting next to the outdoor fire

Highside Brewing

7. HIGHSIDE BREWING | FRISCO 9,039 feet

At just six months old, Highside Brewing is still a brewery baby. Started by a group of passionate industry professionals and Summit County locals who wanted to create excellent craft beer, Highside is named for the term given to throwing your body weight on to the high side of a raft to prevent it from flipping. The group is passionate about the outdoors, and if the mountains have taught them one thing, it is how to appreciate a great beer at the end of a rapid, a hike or a ski run. In the six short months they have been turning out beer, their Dos Mas IPA and the Fellin’ Hazy IPA have proven popular. Their pilsner and Vienna lager are close behind. As for interesting beers, they have two barrel-aged beers: a saison aged in a peach brandy barrel from Breckenridge Distillery and a farmhouse aged in a peach bourbon liquor barrel. Expect more collaborations with Breckenridge Distillery in the future. Following on from the recent release of their Berliner weisse, Highside is planning to release their take on an imperial stout soon. On a cold day, try their Baltic Porter.

Irwin Brewing

8. IRWIN BREWING | CRESTED BUTTE 8,921 feet

Turning two years old in January 2019, Irwin Brewing is so new that they don’t have a taproom at the brewery although they do sell and fill growlers (Friday – Saturday 3 pm - 6 pm). Currently distributing between Aspen and Telluride (and all points in between), David Nornes moved back to Crested Butte after 10 years away to help get the brewery built and running. Currently brewing 10 beers, including a session IPA, an IPA and a double IPA, Nornes hasn’t set anything in stone for future brews, but he is leaning towards something malty, perhaps a Scottish ale. A nod to perhaps the scope of what can be expected in the future lies in a recent collaboration with Jagged Mountain Brewery in Denver. The Common Ground was a spiced farmhouse saison using pink peppercorn, grains of paradise, cardamom and locally harvested fresh spruce tips. On particularly wintry days in Crested Butte, of which there are many, the oatmeal stout, a 6.1 percent full bodied, malty ale with creamy components, will hit the spot. For now, you can get one, hand pulled no less, from Public House, a local pub that has several Irwin brews on tap.

Jamie W via Yelp

9. ELK AVE BREWING CO. | CRESTED BUTTE 8,917 feet

Established in 1996, The Eldo is home to the only on-site brewery in Crested Butte, namely Elk Avenue Brewing Company’s seven-barrel brewing system that is tucked away in the basement. Located in the heart of Crested Butte’s historic downtown district, Elk Avenue’s New England-style Notorious IPA has proven to be popular. The Tahitian Vanilla Coffee Porter is, they say, the most interesting beer they have on tap at the moment. In the next three months, the Snow Dance SMaSH Series will have two or three releases.

Dillon Dam Brewery

10. DILLON DAM BREWERY | DILLON 8,891 feet

Dillon Dam Brewery celebrated its 21st birthday this year. The brewpub (the largest in the Colorado Rockies) can accommodate almost 300 people (235 indoors and another 60 outside on the patio). They currently have 18 beers on tap, all of which are brewed in house, and produce around 2,000 barrels per year. As for which of those beers is most popular, it is a tie between Sweet George’s Brown Ale and Here’s Your Dam IPA. As for most interesting brews, Dillon Dam brew a lot of seasonal beers, sometimes based on things the team learn at beer festivals and from other brewers. Beers you will be able to taste soon include the 8.2 percent Spruce Tip Double IPA, a piney and hoppy beer; the East Wall Amber, a British ale made with imported British malts and hops to give a toasty, fresh-baked biscuit flavor; and the 9.6 percent Belgian High Speed Quad, a deep, dark, rich and complex Belgian ale brewed with a specialty yeast that produces clove esters as well as notes of caramel, raisin, plum and figs. This, we are assured, is going to be a good one for the depths of winter.

Hideaway Park Brewery

11. HIDEAWAY PARK | WINTER PARK 8,793 feet

Owner Andy Brumenschenkel opened Hideaway in July 2014 with a desire to escape the city and the crowds. He was adamant he wanted to keep it small and at 160 square feet (the brewing space that is), it is fair to say he did just that. Four years later, and it is working out for Hideaway just fine. IPAs are popular here (and generally all over the state), and so a few years ago Hideaway started a Humulus Experimental IPA series. Some have had a brand new grain bill and hop recipe, others have been tweaked from previous recipes. They are about to release Humulus #21. One of Hideaway’s most anticipated brews of the year is their Cirque Stout. An imperial oak-aged vanilla stout, it is released every December. In addition, a new round of barrel-aged beers will also be released this winter. And according to Yelp, bigger isn’t always better as Hideaway is currently number 7 in Yelp’s top 10 Colorado breweries.

The Park Bistro and Brewery

12. THE PEAK BISTRO & BREWERY | WINTER PARK 8,750 feet

Originally opened as Wild Creek in 2010, Sam and Joanne Adams bought the brewery in 2015 and rebranded it as The Peak Bistro and Brewery. The Peak currently has around seven regular beers, of which there are a few that are particular local favorites including the Arapaho Creek IPA, a West-coast style IPA that is brewed to give a slight hop bitterness followed by juicy hop aroma and flavor; the American Lilly, an American-style wheat beer infused with blueberry and pomegranate juices; and the Winter Park Ale, an American ale hopped with Cascade hops. Their cold brew coffee stout has been around for three years and is popular thanks to its rich flavor and low bitterness, while the Chocolate Cherry Stout, at 9 percent, will give you that warm feeling inside. Christmas will see the release of an imperial chocolate stout made with Mexican chocolate, and they are currently barrel aging several beers for release in March.