What the heck, we might as well check out Miller Coors and tour the brewery in Golden Colorado. At least that’s what we thought. Spare yourself the misery. We had to wait an hour and a half under an awning next to a parking lot for our “tour.”.
The best part of the tour was the short bus ride around Golden when the guide gave us a brief history lesson about the town and the brewery. Once at the brewery, we’re fist greeted by a photographer that want to get a portrait in front of a green screen so they could superimpose our image over a Coors scene. We passed on this opportunity. Next, folks taking the tour are offered a little radio type device that you put to your ear to hear the audio portion of the self guided tour. They were out of them for Jack and I, and we would have needed to wait in the lobby for a while to get one. We proceeded without.
The tour consists of walking a route, looking through windows at old equipment, and reading posters/looking at photos about the brewing process. It would have been a little more interesting if we had the squawk boxes, but only a little bit. At the end of the tour we were able to sample some Coors beer, but we did only one small sample.
I’ve been on the Miller Brewery tour in Milwaukee, and it was a lot more interesting. I expected something similar here, but was disappointed.
Mountain Toad Brewery doesn’t let us down! This is more like it!
Located just a couple blocks from downtown Golden, on the main drive, you can find this little gem. The tap room is quaint, comfortable and practically right in the brewhouse.
I tired the beer flight, and Jack went with the porter. MT makes very good beer. Too bad we could not bring some home with us (Probably not a good idea to bring growlers in checked luggage.)
Lunch was from the food truck parked outside. It was pretty good. We headed downtown to walk around for a while before heading to our next stop in Idaho Springs and stopped at Goozell frozen yogurt for a treat
Tommyknocker Brewery is our next stop. Located in downtown Idaho Springs, it features a full restaurant, and after food truck meals for a couple days, we were looking forwar
d to a good dinner. Just as we were entering the place, a local who was walking by said we could do a lot better for a place to eat.
She was right about the food. Their beer is decent, and the atmosphere is great. Are table right next to the mash tun, and we had a chance to visit with one of the brewers while he was working. My advice, check out the brewery, have a beer flight, and grab something to eat somewhere else in town.
Three down, three to go, so it’s back to Golden to visit Golden City Brewing and Bottles and Barrels Brewery (which was having a grand opening on this day). We drove the beautiful Clear Creek Canyon Road from Idaho Springs to Golden, and wished we had motorcycles instead of the pickup truck we were driving. Oh well.
Golden City Brewery is located at the historic home of the original founders, and the old carriage house is now the tasting room. The back yard garden has several tables and chairs, and is a nice place to sample their wares.. We were there for happy hour, and enjoyed a beer flight, and really enjoyed it.
We did not linger here too long, as we still wanted to check out the newest brewery in Colorado, Barrels and Bottles, which was having it’s grand opening that very night. We found our way to the site, and made our way to the bar. They had only two of their own beers on tap, so we each tried one of them. Unfortunately, mine tasted soapy, so much so in fact, that I had to pour it out.
Last Stop – Renegade Brewing: We’re thankful that our hotel had a free shuttle to anywhere within 3 miles, and luckily, Renegade Brewing Company was within that radius (well, close enough anyway). We left the hotel at about 8, and needless to say, the shuttle van was full and we were dropped off last. We arrived at about 8:45pm The place closes at 10, so we had plenty of time.
Renegade is a great little brewery. We went to the Tap Room on West 9th Ave. They also have a pub called the “Publik House” located on South University Blvd. Their beers are awesome, and the tap room is a fun place. Too bad it closes so early. This place is definitely worthy of a visit if you are sampling craft beers in Colorado!
Research shows that moderate beer consumption can help prevent heart disease and strokes, provide important vitamins and minerals, is low in fat and helps increase good cholesterol (HDL).