Colorado is one of America's big beer states, and it has wine and whiskey too. For beer, start in Denver, Golden and Fort Collins. Wine country is on the Western Slope, around Palisade and Grand Junction, with a smaller, higher region near Paonia. Denver has a dense cluster of craft distilleries. The calendar highlights are the Great American Beer Festival in Denver each October and the Colorado Mountain Winefest in Palisade each September.
How big is Colorado beer?
Brewers Association figures reported in 2026 put Colorado at 423 craft breweries at the end of 2025, fifth-most in the country. The count has been falling: 35 closed and 11 opened in 2025, a net loss of 24. There are still more taprooms than you could visit on any trip, and most Colorado towns of any size have at least one.
The Great American Beer Festival
The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) started small. The first one, in Boulder in June 1982, was held alongside the American Homebrewers Association's conference and drew roughly 800 people. It's now run by the Brewers Association in Denver and pairs a public tasting festival with what organisers call the premier U.S. beer competition, judged across more than 100 beer and cider styles. In 2026, 243 breweries and cideries won 336 medals.
The 2026 festival ran October 10–11 and broke with tradition: after more than two decades inside the Colorado Convention Center, it moved outdoors to Levitt Pavilion in Ruby Hill Park. In 2026, tickets went on sale in June. Check greatamericanbeerfestival.com for the 2027 dates and venue before you book anything around them.
Golden: Coors
Golden, in the foothills just west of Denver, is home to the original Coors brewery. On November 14, 1873, Adolph Coors and Denver confectioner Jacob Schueler bought an abandoned tannery in Golden and turned it into the Golden Brewery. Coors bought out Schueler's share in 1880. The plant still dominates the valley where Clear Creek leaves the foothills.
Coors Brewery Tour: tours run Thursday through Monday (normally closed Tuesday and Wednesday) and take about 90 minutes. They end with a tasting for guests 21 and over, who need a government-issued photo ID. Reservations open 25 days ahead at midnight Mountain Time and sell out quickly, so book on the day they open. Ticket prices vary by source, so check the official booking site. The tour starts from the parking lot at 502 14th St., Golden. After the tour, walk downtown Golden and along the Clear Creek path. The town's smaller breweries are within walking distance.
Fort Collins: New Belgium and the brewery town
Fort Collins, about an hour north of Denver, is the state's most concentrated brewery town. New Belgium Brewing started there in 1991, begun by Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan in their basement. Fat Tire, its flagship amber ale, is named after the bike Lebesch rode on a trip through Belgium. The brewery offers tours at its Fort Collins site. Reserve ahead and check the current schedule.
A Fort Collins day works well on foot or by bike: New Belgium sits close to Old Town, and the Old Town Square area has more taprooms within a short walk.
Other beer bases: Denver's River North (RiNo) neighbourhood and Boulder have dense taproom clusters. Mountain towns from Breckenridge to Durango have their own breweries, which are a good stop after a day on the trails.
Western Slope wine: Grand Valley and West Elks
Colorado's wine country is a desert valley on the other side of the Rockies.
- Grand Valley AVA was designated on November 25, 1991, Colorado's first American Viticultural Area. It surrounds Palisade and Grand Junction in Mesa County, where vineyards and peach orchards share the river terraces below the cliffs of Mount Garfield and the Book Cliffs. It's the state's main grape-growing region. The Palisade Fruit & Wine Byway links wineries and farm stands on loops flat enough to ride by bike. Renting a bike or e-bike in Palisade is the classic way to tour, and you don't have to drive between tastings.
- West Elks AVA, designated in 2001, is Colorado's second AVA. It covers the North Fork Valley in Delta County, around Paonia, Hotchkiss and Cedaredge, with vineyards mostly between about 5,400 and 6,400 feet. That makes it one of the highest wine regions in the country. It's quieter than Palisade, with small family wineries, cideries and orchards.
Colorado Mountain Winefest, held in Palisade, is the state's best-known wine festival. The 35th edition took place on September 19, 2026, at Riverbend Park. Late summer and harvest season are the busiest times on the Western Slope, so book rooms in Palisade and Grand Junction early around festival weekend.
Distilleries and the Colorado Spirits Trail
Colorado's craft spirits scene has grown up mostly in the 2000s and 2010s, and whiskey leads it.
- Stranahan's (Denver), launched in 2004, is the state's best-known whiskey brand and has been at the forefront of American single malt.
- Leopold Bros. (Denver) moved its distilling to Colorado in 2008. Its Denver facility includes what was the state's first malting floor and kiln.
- Laws Whiskey House (Denver), founded in 2011, is known for heirloom-grain bourbons and ryes.
- In the mountains, Breckenridge Distillery and 10th Mountain Whiskey are popular stops.
The Colorado Spirits Trail, the state's distillery trail programme, is the easiest way to find tasting rooms by region. Most distilleries run tours and cocktail bars rather than just a tasting counter.
Buying alcohol in Colorado
Colorado's retail rules changed recently, and the change matters if you're stocking a cabin or campsite:
- Full-strength beer has been sold in grocery and convenience stores statewide since 2019.
- Wine joined it on March 1, 2023, after voters narrowly approved Proposition 125 in November 2022.
- Spirits are still sold only in licensed liquor stores.
Bring photo ID: you must be 21 to buy or drink, and most taprooms and stores card everyone.
Drinking at altitude
Denver sits at 5,280 feet, and many mountain towns are far higher. Visitors often feel the altitude in their first days, and dry air dehydrates you fast, so drink water alongside beer, pace tastings, and don't plan a high hike after a brewery crawl. Never drive after tasting. Taprooms are close together in Denver and Fort Collins, so use rideshare or public transport, or stay within walking distance of your tasting route.
Planning a trip around it
| Trip | Base | Best time |
|---|---|---|
| GABF weekend | Denver | Early October (check dates) |
| Brewery towns | Fort Collins, Golden, Boulder | Year-round |
| Wine and peaches | Palisade / Grand Junction | Late summer to September |
| High-altitude wine | Paonia / Hotchkiss | Summer and harvest |
| Whiskey | Denver distilleries | Year-round |
