The Best Breweries Outside Denver: Broomfield and Lafayette

Denver is a craft beer behemoth, so packed to the brim with terrific breweries that their beer scene spills over into the suburbs. Most of the small towns surrounding Denver host their own world-class breweries, so even those who don’t go into the city can find exemplary locally-brewed beer to guzzle. We decided, in order to differentiate these breweries from those in Denver, that we’d do a series exploring these suburbs. We’ll talk about Broomfield and Lafayette’s best today, and hopefully bring you some pieces on Longmont, Aurora, Arvada, Centennial, Louisville, and more in the near future. We’ll highlight a couple of our favorites in each, but for those looking for a wider variety of options, please check out our list of the top-rated breweries in the greater Denver area, which includes lists for all of Denver’s suburbs.

LAFAYETTE:

Odd13 Brewing

When we picture a Colorado brewery, we admittedly have a bit of a romantic image in our heads. It’s chilly outside, we have jackets and knit caps. We stroll in– it’s wooden, rustic. Football is on the TV, locals are watching the Broncos. We order some imperial IPAs and let the booze warm us from the inside. That may sound silly to most people… but we had this *exact* experience at Odd13 Brewing. We relaxed, drank beer, spoke to some neighbors who’d popped in for the game, played some foosball, and generally had as pleasant an afternoon as one can imagine. Odd13 successfully delivers the essence of the chill “local neighborhood brewery”… but unlike most neighborhood breweries, it also delivers top-shelf quality beer.

Our recommendations: Odd13’s reputation is certainly founded in its IPAs. Anyone who uses the Tavour delivery service has likely put an Odd13 IPA or two in their box, and while they’re great from the can, they’re sublime fresh from the tap. Eric’s Ex-Wife is a smooth, fruity haze bomb, and the QDH Codename: Superfan was luxuriously bitter juice. For the fellow sour aficionados, seek out the Stoney Jim. It’s peachy and funky, sour enough to give you what you need but not so tart that it isn’t immensely drinkable. What’s most surprising: that drinkable sour you just consumed? It’s got a 13.5% ABV. We were tremendously impressed at Odd13’s ability to hide its hefty potency behind a lighter, juicier profile.

Liquid Mechanics Brewing Company

A little over a mile west of Odd13 is Liquid Mechanics Brewing Company. Liquid Mechanics is also designed with a more rustic vibe, with plenty of wood paneling and wooden pallets hanging from the ceiling above the bar. They have a variety of seating options, from picnic tables out on the patio to stools and leather-bound armchairs inside (Russell opted for the leather-bound chair, classy as ever). There are plenty of board games available, and they have an area that clearly also serves as a stage for live music on select evenings. The tap list is delightfully eclectic, with flavors like peanut butter, pina colada, and passionfruit found on the menu and a few barrel-aged options to satisfy those who prefer a kick in the glass.

Our recommendations: the Peanut Butter Porter is popular for a reason. It’s so rich and thick, we wanted to try spreading it onto some toast. Their Hop Nectar is a nice, hoppy New England IPA that could easily be sipped all night long. However, we left especially enamored with the Barrel Aged Awesomeness (2018), a rum barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout with toasted coconut. It gets cold in Colorado, people– if you haven’t found your barrel-aged stout to enjoy all winter long, here’s a great place to start. It doesn’t overwhelm you with the rum or coconut flavors, instead finding that nice equilibrium to warm your throat and to ultimately give you a headache the next morning when you inevitably drink too many.

BONUS: Cellar West Artisan Ales

We visited Cellar West Artisan Ales at their Boulder taproom, and we were ready to feature it heavily in our Boulder brewery hop guide… when we read the news that they’re moving to Lafayette. Boulder’s loss is Lafayette’s gain, as Cellar West was one of the more singular brewery experiences we had during our entire Colorado visit. They focus on farmhouse-inspired and oak fermented wild ales, and while they may not be for everyone, they are 100% for us. The Apricot Long Lost is a spiced oak-aged farmhouse white ale aged in apricots, and it ranked right up there with Avery’s Raspberry Truffale as the best beer we had in Boulder. It gives you the complexity of the Brett yeast, a bit of tartness, the earthiness of the cumin and lemongrass and then surprises you with the splash of fruitiness. The Song of the West is also a terrific super saison, and for those who don’t dig on farmhouse ales, don’t fear– the Distant Memory is one of the best pilsners we’ve had in 2018. Follow Cellar West on social media, and the second their Lafayette taproom opens, give them a visit. Or five.

BROOMFIELD:

Rails End Beer Company

Moving to Broomfield, we’ll start with Rails End Beer Company, because Rails End is about as customer-friendly as any brewery you’re likely to find in Colorado. We walked in, and the bartender was immediately handing us free tasters, trying to help us find what we’d like on tap. Usually taprooms tend to be a bit stingy when it comes to this, but here, they couldn’t stop handing us samples! They’re a bit off-the-beaten-path, which made this brewery a bit quieter than some of the others, but this led to good conversation with bartenders and lended to the homey vibe. They have a good-sized patio, board games, and, most importantly, quality beer.

Our recommendations: an oatmeal milk stout is often done decently but rarely done terrifically. Luckily, the Rails End Oatmeal Milk Stout is in the latter category, smooth and roasty. The Key Lime Gose is light, limey, and tart, conjuring the image of sitting poolside in Central America somewhere. Finally, the Blood Orange Double IPA is their most popular beer, and all Russell wrote down in his notes was “INTENSELY ORANGE.” Take that as a warning or a rallying cry, depending on your feelings about orange beer.

4 Noses Brewing

4 Noses Brewing is a 7-8 minute drive away from Rails End, and it’s absolutely worth the short trip. Many of the breweries listed so far have been great places to enjoy a nice, quiet beer in a rustic or homey atmosphere. 4 Noses isn’t likely to be quiet, as it’s one of the more popular breweries outside of Denver, and it’s also delightfully dog-friendly. Despite that, or perhaps because of that, it’s a killer place to invite friends to crowd around, watch the game, play a game, and drink some of the 15+ beers that 4 Noses is pouring at any given moment. They’re known for their IPAs and stouts, so lovers of either of those styles should place this near the top of their must-try list.

Our recommendations: the Double Dry-Hopped Bout Damn Time isn’t fooling around, people– it is doubly, doubly dry, and anyone who digs this style will find themselves in dry hoppy heaven here. The El Jefe is a cinnamon stout (another that we’ve enjoyed from Tavour in the past) that tastes like a boozy churro in a glass. Finally, the Sour Raspberry Blonde is delicious, juicy, and tart– so with A-grade IPAs, stouts, and sours, we suspect you probably can’t go wrong ordering just about anything. We wouldn’t turn our 2 noses up at anything 4 Noses produces. (Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves.)

BEST PLACE FOR IPAS:
Odd13 Brewing (Runners-up: 4 Noses, Liquid Mechanics)

BEST PLACE FOR STOUTS:
4 Noses (Runners-up: Liquid Mechanics, Rails End)

BEST PLACE FOR SOURS:
Cellar West (Runners-up: Odd13, 4 Noses)

* we know they aren’t in Lafayette yet… but they’re coming, and we want you to be ready when they do!

BEST PLACE TO PLAY GAMES:
Odd13 (Runners-up: Rails End, Liquid Mechanics)

BEST PLACE FOR A LARGE GROUP:
Odd13 or 4 Noses

BEST PLACE FOR A QUIET DRINK:
Rails End

BEST PLACE TO EAT:
None have permanent kitchens, though most have daily food trucks

Which is your favorite of these brewery hops? Are there any you love that we neglected to mention? Please shout them out in the comments below! Also, check out our recent brewery hop guide to Boulder, and please keep an eye out for our upcoming brewery hop guides to Denver coming next week! Also, if you want to plan your own beer travels in this neck of the woods, peruse our research guide to the top-rated breweries in the greater Denver area, which we designed to help those crafting their own brewery hops! Cheers!