The Bibliowicz family credits their “busy schnozzes” with both the name and the success of this Broomfield brewery, whose eclectic lineup is clearly the result of curious minds: On any given visit, a dry-hopped rice lager might await next to The Real Dill Michelada infused with Bloody Mary mix, serrano chiles, and pickle brine next to a Berliner Weisse brewed with strawberry and rhubarb. And the food trucks on rotation are equally intriguing, from The Southern Straw to Temaki Tornado. (It’s worth noting that the Bibliowiczes also operate Odd13 in Lafayette and Wild Provisions Beer Project in Boulder.)

This Midtown destination (with a second location in Cheesman Park) excels at — while putting its own super-smart spin on — a wide range of Belgian styles. Come for the Getting Witty With It, a lavender- and bergamot-infused witbier, or the spelt-centric saison Till the Earth; stay for the Diabloupe, a golden strong ale brewed with Rocky Ford cantaloupe, or the Champagne-style Brut La Grande; leave with a bottle of the fruited grisette Petite Peaches or the whiskey barrel–aged sour quadrupel Redwood Grand.

Crooked Stave built its widely acclaimed name on wild and sour beers, and though founder Chad Yakobson — who wrote his master’s thesis on Brettanomyces — has branched out some since its opening in 2010, they serve as an obvious starting point for anyone new to its lineup. Oak-aged with raspberries and blueberries, the Sour Rosé counts among its monster hits; so do the whiskey barrel–aged dark sour Nightmare on Brett and the coolship-inoculated golden sour Stay the Funk In, which took a gold medal at the 2022 Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Seasonal releases, meanwhile, range from Sun Shower Citrus Wheat to Horchata Stout.

The home of blockbusters like Juicy Banger IPA and Tangerine Cream ale as well as 2022 World Beer Cup gold medalist Swift Half Cold IPA, this Park Hill occupant of an old fire station has been a neighborhood go-to for nearly 10 years and counting, complete with a food truck schedule and live music on some weekends.

Never mind the T-shirts that promise “the best beer you will ever drink in a 7-11 parking lot”: This Golden retreat’s actual claims to fame far outstrip that modest boast, what with some 15 GABF medals to show for its ten years in operation (it also took gold for its Trump Hands Session IPA at last year’s World Beer Cup). Besides, the styles it brews whisk its fans far beyond its suburban strip-mall environs: Think Mexican lager, Italian pilsner, English robust porter, and Belgian blonde in a single flight — not to mention a rosemary-sourdough saison that’s a must-try when on tap.

A 90-year-old German brew kettle powers this long-admired adherent to the Reinheitsgebot (“purity order”) process, which ensures lager lovers are getting exactly the pils, helles, and dunkel they ask for, no more and no less. Unless, that is, they do ask for more, in which case they’re also getting special releases like barrel-aged Baltic porters, cocktails, pretzels and sausages — and an adult playground in RiNo to savor them all in, complete with cornhole, life-size Connect 4, and other games; a constant roster of musical guests; events like live wrestling and movie nights; and the list goes on.

With a satellite taproom in Overland, this RiNo staple is more than a brewery, it’s a community hub, hosting events such as comedy shows and pop-up craft markets, release parties with DJs and food vendors, and much more on the regular. In that come-one-come-all spirit, it brews a wide range of styles; though it’s arguably best known for saisons like the much-awarded Dear You and carrot- and elderflower-infused King of Carrot Flowers as well as its barrel-aged imperial stout Genius Wizard, the tap lists at any given time range from juicy IPAs to chocolate-rye Scotch ales.

Open since 2012, this RiNo pioneer continues to pack the house day and night while pushing all kinds of stylistic boundaries (and garnering its share of GABF awards in the process). Frequently rotating taps yield the freewheeling likes of Murasaki Graviola, a sour made with soursop and butterfly pea flower; Big Soot, a smoked, whiskey barrel–aged strong ale; Vacationist, a chile-infused amber ale; and multiple IPAs, while bottles such as Centennial Weirding Way, a foedered brett saison, are ideal for whiling away an afternoon.

It’s expanded to four locations since its establishment in 2011, but the colorful Platte Street flagship is still a must-visit for not only its high-energy vibe indoors and out — luring drinkers all day long with food trucks, board games, and sunshine — but also the fact that it’s really two breweries in one, what with Mexican-inspired sibling Cervecería Colorado right next door. On one side are the beers that built this mini-empire — raspberry kölsch Princess Yum Yum, IPA Juicy Freak, Graham Cracker Porter — and on the other, beers that are expanding its horizons such as Churro Stout and Señor Piña, a pineapple blonde ale.

In the British tradition, expertly cask-conditioned ales star at this tiny taproom on the border of Sloan Lake and West Highland: For the full experience, sample a flight that includes Chin Wag Extra Special Bitter and Gilpin Black Gold London Porter while taking in a soccer match on the big screen.

Named for a famous cymbal rhythm in tribute to the neighborhood’s musical past, this jazz-themed Five Points retreat presents a taplist that’s equivalent to an album of standards: Expect highly proficient takes on familiar styles, such as the Astro Blaster pilsner or the D-Train West Coast IPA, plus a few twists like the cucumber gose Birth of Cool.

“Great beer, better world”: That’s the slogan of this Colfax taproom founded by three AmeriCorps alumnae, who donate 100% of proceeds over cost from their CSB (community-supported brewery) memberships to a wide range of nonprofits while hosting regular events that further support various social causes, local artists, and more. Drink well, do good over a round of Liberty American Lager, Sandra Day IPA, or seasonal pours like Muffin Heist Chocolate Stout.

A true brewers’ brewery, this Congress Park fixture — with a second location in Aurora — is highly respected in the community for its experimental bent. Hazy IPAs like Rare Trait and Zero Dimension are its specialty, though its hallmark precision and flair show in everything from the pineapple-and-tangerine sour Bird of Paradise to Forever Awake, an imperial coffee stout infused with peppermint and cacao nibs.

What started as Denver’s first nanobrewery has expanded over the course of 13 years in business, but it remains an exemplar of the fiercely scrappy local taproom culture it helped to nurture. While Cherry Kriek, Breakfast Grapefruit IPA, and Dr. Strangelove Barleywine count among its signatures, the friendly crew here might also, depending on the season, be pouring the likes of Bacon Coffee Stout, Mango Tajín Sour, or spiced brown ale Gingerbread Man.

The print on CODA’s glasses says a mouthful: This hidden Golden gem is run by “practitioners of the fermentation sciences utilizing only well researched proprietary recipes and propagated yeasts.” Those recipes often yield extremely small batches, so come early and come often to sample such stuff as the mouth-puckering barrel-aged sour Demi Blueberry or the mushroom-infused Chanterelle de Garde (really).

An emphasis on high-gravity beers distinguishes this Valverde venture from respected brewer Wayne Burns and his partner Laura Worley: Stout fans in particular will have a field day here. But everything is exceedingly well made, recent examples being Persephone’s Journey, a pomegranate-infused triple IPA, and Nora, an Irish red ale brewed with clover.

Though two of its three owners hail from the Dominican Republic and Israel, respectively, local pride is in Novel Strand’s DNA: Not only does it share a Baker space with Queen City Collective Coffee, but it regularly works with Colorado ingredients, features collaborations with other area breweries, and so on. Especially charming recent examples include the Poquito Más, a decidedly funky sour fermented with Cabernet Sauvignon pomace from Balistreri Vineyards, and the fascinating Sponteaneous Sparkles, a blend of gueuze from Primitive Beer in Longmont with lychee-infused, brett-fermented black tea that’s served in a decanter.

And now for something completely different: This South Broadway taproom specializes in Peruvian chicha and Mexican pulque, brewed respectively from blue corn and maguey sap, as well as tepache, another Mexican beverage made with pineapple and cinnamon. It’s a whole New World, caps intended, to discover; don’t be afraid to ask questions about the history of these styles and their variants.

At nine years old, the 2019 GABF Small Brewing Company of the Year has numerous other festival awards to its credit, most notably for Superpower — one of many IPAs it offers at any given time, from Powder Session to the 2022 gold medalist More Dodge Less Ram. Other seasonal favorites include the jalapeño-infused blonde ale Yellow Fever, Koffee Kream milk stout, and imperial stout Quit Stalin.

Coming to Aurora by way of Huzhou, China, this strip-mall sleeper doesn’t brew a thing that isn’t laced with faraway intrigue: Consider such recent examples as Lantern, a light lager made with dragonfruit and oolong tea. Or the purple yam–infused Coffee Stout. Or Hentai, a gose brewed with strawberries, sea salt, and, no kidding, squid ink. There’s nothing quite like it anywhere else in town.