Gettin’ Groggy in Estes Park, CO

What is better than a weekend in Estes Park with my wolfpack… um… nothing!! Being the great gals and fellow craft beer lovers they are, my besties rallied for an overnight in Estes Park and we hit every brewery in town… and then some!

Estes Park is only an hour drive from Denver and is the home to events such as Bigfoot Days, Elk Fest and Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival. Visit Estes Park | Restaurants, Hotels & Things To Do The town of Estes Park is located at the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park and is not only a beautiful mountain town to visit year round for outdoor recreation, wildlife viewing, shopping, dining and galleries, there are also many breweries to visit. And heads up, the first 2024 brew fest will start soon at the Estes Park Craft Beer Week January 8-15. Even though the town is under construction right now (and will continue until winter 2024), you can park in downtown Estes Park and walk to most breweries (Snowy Peak Winery, The Barrell, Rock Cut and Estes Park Brewery are located close together). It is best to drive to Lumpy Ridge, Avant Garde and The Post. Each of my girlfriends have different beer tastes; one enjoys wheats and pilsners, one likes hard seltzers and pumpkin ales, one prefers IPA’s and lagers and I lean towards porters and stouts, which means that Estes Park is perfect because there is a beer here to please everyone AND we found some great NEW beers to try also! With seven breweries in town, naturally, we were on a quest to try them all… such good girls, I love you guys!

Given all the shenanigans surely to ensue this weekend, we thought it best to stay overnight and booked online at the Best Western Plus Silver Saddle Inn. We enjoyed the pool and hot tub and also had the BEST hot buffet style breakfast we have ever had in a hotel. We also squeezed in a quick morning coffee pow wow on our deck with mountain views before heading out to the breweries.

We kicked off our beer tour, ironically, at Snowy Peaks Winery; the only wine taproom in Estes Park located on Moraine Avenue offering a “taste of Colorado” featuring Colorado grown grapes produced at various Colorado wineries as well as their own handcrafted wines. Brilliantly, Snowy Peaks offers tasting flights for $12 so we can select our top 5 wines to sample. I believe we tried almost every wine on the menu with individual flights (20 wines total). Yep, that’s my girls! There are also gourmet snacks to enjoy with your wine and a nice gift shop!! Snowy Peaks Winery – Estes Park, CO

Rock Cut Brewing – The #3 top reviewed brewery in Colorado and one of my absolute favs!! The #1 brewery in Colorado—and see the rest of the top 30, according to reviews (msn.com Rock Cut Brewing is located on Riverside Drive at the base of Prospect Mountain – a popular brewery for locals and visitors alike with 12 rotating taps on premise and a big chalkboard menu that looks like a Christmas tree! Get a flight and try as many as possible because these are quality brews. As you can see, we tried uh… just a FEW craft samples at Rock Cut! This place is always busy with inside and outside seating, and a rotation of good food trucks parked outside. You will have visions of “Peppermint Subnivean Porter” dancing in your head (now on tap) and yet another most excellent RC creation and one of THE best holiday beers ever! Rock Cut Brewing Company – Estes Park, Colorado

The Barrel – This “craft beer garden” is not a true brewery but still worth a mention because they have it all! Wine, spirits and 84 rotating taps of craft beer from a wide variety of breweries. This is the place to go if you desire a large cocktail and beer menu with plenty of higher alcohol content options… and there are also many non alcoholic and gluten free beers. They also have daily food trucks, pool tables and the coolest light fixtures! thebarrel.beer

Lumpy Ridge Brewing Company – Reviews post Lumpy Ridge as the #22 best brewery in Colorado!! The #1 brewery in Colorado—and see the rest of the top 30, according to reviews (msn.com) One of the many amazing things about breweries is that they can be found in the most interesting buildings; Lumpy Ridge is located on Route 7 in an old gas station! I’m not sure what their theme is, kind of a quirky ski bum convenience store vibe with interior decor consisting of numerous brewery stickers and random artwork… it’s a bit of everything… it’s unique! Bring your coat if you go in the winter, as there is very limited seating inside, but the views are great and the staff is very friendly. For those of us (mostly me) who don’t like to fill up on 16 ounces, they offer 5 ounce pours for just a couple bucks. There is another Lumpy Ridge in Downtown Estes Park called Publick House. Lumpy Ridge Brewing Co.

Avant Garde Aleworks. BINGO! My first time here and I was very impressed, even with the limited beer menu I found two excellent beers. The first was a Quad (banana bread, spices and raisins 11%) and the second was a Gruit (4.2%). Gruit ale originates from 10th century Belgium and Germany regions BEFORE beer was made with hops. OOhhhh Interesting!! Gruit is a mixture of any combination of herbs and spices such as mugwort, bog myrtle and horehound (no, seriously!) or rosemary, heather, spruce, ginger, seaweed or sweet gale (to name a few) and it can also include berries. Kind of an ancient concoction of plants and flowers that you would never believe makes a great beer (and btw, was that an old elevator shaft we noticed in the lobby?? hmmm) Rarely do I see Gruit in breweries so if you get the chance to try this HOP-LESS beer, it is really different and supremely delicious! Hats off to Avant Garde (and their collabs with Rock Cut), for stepping outside the box to come up with unique and excellent craft brews! Avant Garde Aleworks in Estes Park, CO –

Estes Park Brewery – the big building behind the giant slide at 470 Prospect, you can’t miss this brewery! Since 1994 Estes Park Brewery has produced and packaged several well known beers such as Estes Park Porter, Stinger Wild Honey and The Shining Pale Ale. With over 12 beers on tap, go ahead and try samples in the downstairs tap room (fun area with cute bartender dude) or enjoy burgers and pizza in the upstairs restaurant where you can see the brew keg operations (family area with cute server dude). Downstairs, there is also a t-shirt gift shop and a cooler full of EPB beers for take out. (Thanks to the aforementioned cute dudes who had to deal with US, four slightly beer buzzed ladies, you guys were great)! Estes Park Brewery – Brewery Restaurant Bar in the scenic Estes Park, Colorado (epbrewery.com)

The Stanley Hotel – This is always a wonderful place to visit and it’s so beautiful, the photo ops here are endless. The Stanley is a grand Colonial Revival hotel (it was also the filming location of “The Shining”) where you will enjoy walking the hedge maze and relax on the large outdoor deck with incredible views of the mountains. Inside the lobby, you can visit the sophisticated gift shop or Cascades Restaurant and Whiskey Bar (forget the whiskey, try a bloody mary)! The “Avenue of Jack Nicholson” is located on the ground floor and has a small cafe, a whiskey shop (where samples are served!) and a chocolate shop. There is also a replica of the Stanley Hotel and videos for viewing the evolution of this historic hotel. Historic Stanley Estes Park Hotel (stanleyhotel.com)

Located on the grounds of the Stanley Hotel in the renovated 1909 Carriage House, The Post Chicken & Beer opened in 2021 (this is their 6th location in Colorado) featuring southern fare and craft beer. (The Stanley now charges $10 to park daily (for the hotel and the brewery, as guests or visitors). We got into The Post on a Sunday morning with no reservations and thought the restaurant interior was fantastic, blending a rustic mountain and southern theme, and the views are amazing from the outside patio. We tried some appetizers and of course, we all got our flights of beer! I have not been to other Posts so I do not have a comparison, but in my opinion, this location has a few kinks to work out before they earn the high standard reputation of the Stanley. There was not a stand out from the ten craft beers I sampled that day and the beer glasses had lipstick stains on them. The grits I ordered were flavorless but the biscuits my friend ordered were delicious. The online reviews are mixed regarding their signature dish, chicken and waffles (which I love) so I’m hoping to return another time to try the them, and hopefully there will be different more interesting craft beers on tap. www.postchickenandbeer.com I would also like to return to the “Underground” which is located in the basement of The Post to see the illusionist acts! The Underground is an old speakeasy lounge (also opened in 2021) that looks like an old library but has been remodeled to host a crowd of 80 people… if you can find the entrance that is located behind a secret bookshelves!

BONUS BREWERY!! On the drive home, we found a great brewery in Lyons called Main Stage Brewing. When you first visit this brewery it is evident they have a great location on Main Street, and when you walk in, you instantly feel at home, and will be further delighted to see the amazing menu of craft brews! The 16.6% Session Whiskey imperial stout was the big winner for me but surprisingly I really liked the Spiked Snowmelt (peach lemonade hard seltzer) and the Japanese Rice Lager. It was a crisp October day in Colorado so we gathered up every possible beer sample accompanied by a delicious thin crust pizza and headed to the outdoor patio. We basked in the sunshine and reflected on our beer tour weekend and laughed, we took MORE pictures and made plans to come back here soon! Is there anything better than great friends and great beer on a day like this… um… no! Thank you MainStage Brewing for this time with my besties… the moment really was as perfect as the beer.

Beer weekend isn’t complete without ICE CREAM! If you are driving down Main Street in Lyons on any day of the week and see a building that l looks like a spotted cow, you must stop! Lyons Dairy Bar has everything you crave. In addition to a very cool Ice Cream and Candy Shop, there is a Specialty Bakery and Dairy Bar featuring hamburgers, hotdogs, and deli sandwiches with all the sides, ALL for under $10! Along with Main Street Brewery, we will definitely make Lyons Dairy Bar a routine stop… it’s that amazing! The New Lyons Dairy Bar