Colorado Beer Tour

Known as one of the top beer destinations in the country, Colorado offers a special blend of top-notch breweries with spectacular natural beauty. With 300 licensed breweries, including four of the top 50 brewing companies in the nation, it is no surprise Colorado brought home 26 different awards from the 2018 World Beer Cup, one of the largest beer competitions.

Colorado is also home to the Brewers Association – craft beer’s national trade group – and the annual Great American Beer Festival. We not only take in the GABF but also participate in one of the premier side-festivals planned for that weekend, the Denver Rare Beer Tasting.

On this tour, we certainly don’t skimp on the number and variety of beers to try and breweries to explore. Our itinerary focuses on the micro- and craft breweries, including leaders of the craft beer revolution such as New Belgium, Oskar Blues, and Avery.

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Colorado Beer Tour Details

• Location: Colorado
• Private Tour Only: October 7 – 9, 2021 to align with the Great American Beer Festival
• Trip Price Per Person: $1,900 (Please note: Ticket prices for the two beer festivals and the hotel room in Denver during the GABF are expensive but worth it.)
• Deadline: Deadline to reserve this tour in order to attend the Great American Beer Festival is June 30
• Single supplement: $600
• Minimum: 6 people
• Host: Aaron Rothfolk
• Meals: All dinners are included
• General Tour FAQs

Customizations to the itinerary possible with additional per person fees

Please note –  Our pricing is based on double occupancy lodging. If upon finalizing your private trip, your group has a solo traveler in a room without a roommate, the single supplement becomes mandatory. This amount will differ depending on the itinerary. Please contact our tour operations team for more details.

Day 1 – Great American Beer Festival

We meet at the Denver International Airport at 1:30 pm and head directly to our hotel to check in and drop off our luggage. We then walk from our hotel to Wynkoop Brewing for an early dinner. Wynkoop was one of the first Denver brewpubs and was originally founded by former Colorado governor, John Hickenlooper.

After dinner at Wynkoop, we walk to the largest consumer beer festival in the world, the Great American Beer Festival, which runs from 5:30 – 10:00 PM on this, the opening night. The GABF is an amazing event with over 700 breweries and 3,500 beers. This is a tasting event and the key is to search out interesting beer styles or breweries so you can expand your beer horizons without attempting to visit every brewery.

We’ll wander around a bit as a group and a bit on our own, with checkin times throughout the evening. Afterward, you are free to head back to the hotel for much-needed rest, check out a few of the other bars and breweries in the area, or head to one of the many Great American Beer Festival after parties.

Photo copyright Brewers Association

Day 2 – Denver Rare Beer Tasting

After breakfast on your own, we’ll meet in the hotel lobby to begin our walking tour of downtown Denver, pointing out areas of historic interest in addition to some of the preferred craft beer bars and breweries. You can grab lunch on your own from one of the many local food vendors.

We’ll then walk to the Denver Rare Beer Tasting.  This event not only features 54 craft brewers who will be serving up rare, exotic, and vintage beers but it is also a fundraiser for the Pints for Prostates organization. It is one of the premier events of the GABF weekend and a real treat.

The Rare Beer Tasting runs from noon to 4:00 PM. After the event, we’ll jump in our vans and depart for Boulder where we’ll check into our next hotel. We’ll have a little time to relax before we make our way to a special private beer-pairing dinner.

And if you’re up for it, we can head out for a few more beers at Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery, known for their creative and original brews, excellent service, and hip Boulder vibe.

Photo credit: Porchdrinking.com

Day 3 – Boulder Brews

Today we set out for a stroll through Pearl Street Mall, Boulder’s pedestrian-only walking mall which is the number one attraction of the city.  We then head to Avery Brewing‘s huge new brewery, where they take pride in blending Old World tradition with ingenuity, creativity, and boldness and create arguably some of the best beers in Boulder. After our tour, you can grab a bite to eat on your own in Avery’s taproom.

After lunch, we will make our way towards Fort Collins and check in to our next hotel.  You’ll have a chance to unpack before we are on our way to a private tour and tasting of the fourth largest craft brewery in the nation, New Belgium. 

Tonight we dine at The Mayor of Old Town where they have 100 beers available on tap. It’s no wonder that they have been named one of the top beer bars in America.

Day 4 – Oskar Blues

On our final morning, we’ll meet in the hotel lobby at 10:00 am for our departure back to the Denver airport.  We’ll make a lunch-on-your-own stop at Oskar Blues Liquid & Solids in Longmont, which is one of the fastest growing and most iconic craft breweries in the country. We’ll arrive back to the Denver airport by 2:00 PM. You have the option of staying on to do more Colorado beer exploring on your own or catch your flight home.

Colorado Beer Tour Beer Highlights:

• 3,500 different beers from over 700 breweries at the GABF
• Rare, exotic, and vintage beers from 54 craft brewers at the Rare Beer Festival
• Wynkoop Brewing Mile High Pale Ale
• Wynkoop Brewing COLOROJO
• Avery Brewing Xolotl Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels
• Avery Karma Sutra Belgium style ale
• New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire
• New Belgium Brewing sour beers
• Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
• Oskar Blues Old Chub

Night 1: Aloft, Denver: This modernly hip hotel is perfectly located in downtown Denver and within walking distance to the Great American Beer Festival.

Night 2: Days Inn, Boulder: Nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, this hotel is located just minutes from the heart of downtown Boulder.

Night 3: The Armstrong, Fort Collins: A family-run boutique hotel that is the last operating historic hotel located in Old Town Fort Collins.

Please note: Hotels are subject to availability.  If listed hotel is not available at time of tour, a hotel that is equal or better to the original will be secured.

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE

We meet in the Denver International Airport (DIA, airport code “DEN”) at 1:30 PM on the first day of the tour next to the Ground Transportation Information Counter located on the baggage claim level in the Jeppesen (main) Terminal. Please plan a flight arrival time of no later than 12:45 PM to be on time for our 1:30 PM meeting. On the last day of the tour, we’ll drop you off at the Denver International Airport by 2:00 pm, allowing you to take a flight at 4:00 pm (or a bit earlier if you aren’t checking bags). If you will be extending your vacation in the area, you can rent a car at the Denver airport.