When you're in Colorado Springs for the Pikes Peak APEX, You CANNOT miss these 5 breweries!
Need a suggestion on where to grab a cold one after one of the longer days of the Pikes Peak APEX presented by RockShox? The Colorado Springs area is home to over 20 breweries, but here are our five favorites.
Red Leg Brewing Company
A local after work hotspot for RockShox and Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates alike, this spot just off Garden of the Gods Road serves up some great brew. They have a nice upstairs area for group gatherings with the ability to spread out and they almost always have a food truck that drops by in the evenings for dinner. The founder of the brewery is a military veteran and the name of the brewery comes from the red stripe that civil war artillery soldiers wore on their trousers. Even if you can’t make it to the taproom during the APEX, just drop by any local beer store and grab a six-pack of cans to take back to the house. Inside tip—each Saturday at noon at the taproom they open a special firkin of brew. If you keep up the pace on the Saturday APEX stage, you should be able to get over there in time.
Cerberus Brewing Company
This local spot has some great outdoor seating on the Westside not too far from downtown. They obviously had a strong focus on their food as well as their beers, because their menu is fantastic. Their Elysium Hazy IPA is one of the best we have ever tasted and if you don’t like beer, they have a fine list of guest ciders and mixed drinks. Bring your game, because they have a nice outdoor area with cornhole ready to go. Inside tip—order the brisket grilled cheese sandwich which you can also get melted in bowl as a gluten free friendly option.
Storybook Brewing
If you aren’t worried about food or ambiance and you are just focused on good beer, then be sure to check out Storybook brewing not far from Palmer Park. Enter the very unassuming front door and roll up to the bar to check out their list, many of the beers named after fairy tales like Little Reds Rocking Ale and Gnomish Beer Goggles. There is often a food truck and there is outdoor seating as well overlooking a large grassy park in the back. Try a non-alcoholic selection from their kombucha options or go over the top with a Belgian Dark Strong Ale at 9.6% alcohol. Insider tip—hopefully they will still have it in September, but their Blood Orange Kolsch is one of the best ways we know to finish off a good bike ride in Palmer Park.
Pikes Peak Brewing
Admittedly, this brewery has their flagship taproom located just a few minutes north in Monument, CO, but in our defense they are planning on opening a downtown Colorado Springs location very soon. We would remiss if we didn’t have this brewery on our list considering we share the same reverence for Pikes Peak. These guys have come out with some great beers over the last few years, many of them named after local landmarks like Elephant Rock IPA and Blue Mesa Tropical Blonde. They do have a large outdoor seating area and their Monument location is a great place to start and finish a road ride or gravel ride (a gravel group ride leaves here every Saturday morning). They do have food on site and plenty of parking. Inside tip—their Belgian-Style Gold Ale feels light and refreshing, but packs quite a wallop at 8.7% so easy on those post-ride.
Bristol Brewing
Located on the south side of town at Ivywild School, this taproom showcases one of the more popular beer companies to come out of Colorado Springs. They have been brewing in Colorado Springs for over 25 years and are more widely distributed than most local breweries. While they don’t have an eat-in option right now because of the coronavirus, they do share space at Ivywild with some other great food and drink companies and retail stores. Their Laughing Lab Scotch Ale is probably their best-known flagship beer with nine American Beer Festival Medals, but if you can get your hands on some Venetucci Pumpin Ale don’t miss it. Inside tip—while dropping by Ivywild School, make sure you leave time for one drink at Axe and the Oak Distillery. These guys make good stuff—order a Tobacco Old Fashioned and enjoy the show.
Did we miss some good ones? Yes. Here are some more courtesy of Visit Colorado Springs.