Updated Nov. 2018
Boulder is blessed with an abundance of craft beer riches. It has 20 craft breweries within bike-riding distance, ranging in size from major regional distributors to hand-crafted nanobreweries, all of which serve up their particular vibe and flavor in on-site taprooms. The diversity and volume Boulderites have access to is staggering.
Boulder has plenty of great bars, but this guide focuses squarely on the local establishments who brew their own beer — from those that mainly distribute it far and wide to those who realize most of their revenue from in-house sales.
As defined by the Brewer’s Association, craft breweries produce less than 6 million barrels each year and an owner meeting this production threshold who has at least a 75 percent stake in the business. Six million barrels is a lot of beer — one barrel equals roughly 331 cans of beer — but Boulder doesn’t have a brewery anywhere near that size.
Gunbarrel-based Avery Brewing Co., who BLDRfly still considers a craft brewer despite it having sold a 30 percent stake to international brewing company Mahou San Miguel in November 2017, is the largest producer at 60,000 barrels. The smallest is North Boulder’s Cellar West with just under 100 barrels this year.
[Read BLDRfly’s Avery Brewing Co. Profile]
The four flavors of craft breweries
Boulder has three regional breweries, five microbreweries, six nanobreweries and seven brewpubs. In some ways, Boulder is the epicenter of the craft beer industry. Charlie Papazian founded the precursor to the industry’s preeminent trade association in Boulder in 1979. It still operates on 1327 Spruce Street today.
We present an overview of all 20 of Boulder’s craft breweries below, segmented by type. The guide’s footprint stretches as far as Niwot — bikeable distance. They are clustered in six locations: Central Boulder (area around Foothills Blvd. and 28th Street), East Boulder (near 55th Street and Arapahoe), Downtown Boulder (near the Pearl Street Mall), North Boulder (near the intersection of Broadway and Highway 36), South Boulder (Table Mesa Shopping Center) and Gunbarrel.
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Nanobreweries
The smallest of the lot carry a hand-crafted, boutique vibe. Small-batch dominated and often experimental, these brewers are either just cracking into the market or creating their own small niche.
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Microbreweries
These breweries often have a boutique vibe, do a bit of regional distribution and, some, have bigger growth plans.
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Regional Breweries
These are the big boys of the Boulder craft scene. These large, efficient operations feature taprooms with a more refined feel. Streamlined production is king.
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Brewpubs
Brewpubs are restaurants that serve beer they brew. Their onsite customers consume much of the beer they produce. It’s an internal brew-to-table model.
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