2015 Best of Beer: Breweries and Beer Bars Part 2

Well it's part two of the Breweries and Beer Bars categories. There's some of the usual suspects here, but definitely some new faces. Congratulations to all who were part of the voting!

Best Beer Bar

Brewers Republic

This category looks very similar to our Beer Selection one, and it seems like having a great beer selection correlates with overall customer experience! Brewer's is always pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a beer bar, with some awesome beer dinners and of course brunch! Congrats!

Front Range BBQ

Coming in second again to Brewer's, Front Range is easily as good a beer bar, but they've got so much more going for them. Combining great food, great beer and awesome music is the key to Front Range's success! Cheers guys and gals!

503W

While some may see this as a surprise, 503W has been rapidly revamping their beer selection with the help of some incredible beer-pairing dinners and a fairly sizable bottle list! Long gone are the days of the Dutch Mill, where PBR reigned supreme. When Cerberus opens up just down the street and the Firehouse finishes renovations, Colorado Avenue will be the place to be! Look out!

Best Dive Bar

Tony's

Who can complain about mini-pitchers of craft beer? No one. If you haven't been to Tony's, you haven't lived in Colorado Springs long enough.

Murphy’s

Thanks to Carrie Simison of the Independent and Laura Eurich, we've been initiated in the WAC...Head to Murphy's, slap a 20 on the counter and commence people watching. It's worth the time.

Benny's

Karaoke? They've got it. As a part of the up-and-coming Colorado Avenue scene, Benny's will soon become a household name for many millennials just as it is for many old-timers already.

Best Brewery Outside the Pikes Peak Region

SKA

Modus Hoperandi. Point made. Ska Brewing has been pumping out quality Colorado brews for 20 years. Many of us Springs crew know their guy Conway, who supplies us with tasty suds at all the beer fests around town.

La Cumbre

Like above, see Elevated IPA. It's only distributed in New Mexico, so next time you're down south, stock up on this heady IPA.

Avery

We can't pronounce a lot of their barrel-aged beers, but damn they are tasty! As one of the more prominent Colorado breweries, it's nice to see the locals voting them into their top 3!

Best Brewery Staff

Red Leg

What can we say about the crew at Red Leg? They're incredible. Hands down, Kristen and the ladies behind the bar are some of the most gracious and helpful servers you can find at any brewery in this town. We tip our hat to you all for keeping our pints full!

Smiling Toad

When the guy behind the bar looks somewhat like Santa Claus, you can bet it's Biff. Smiling Toad is known for their neighborhood feel, and no matter who's behind the bar, you're going to have a great experience. Oh and the beer is pretty darn good as well. Word on the street is the Coconut IPA is making a comeback—we'll be testing the patience of their bartenders when it does.

Bristol Brewing

Service is the name of the game when it comes to the Bristol Pub. Their servers and bartenders are always running around like headless chickens, yet they still smile at each and every person. Congrats!

Best Brewer

Ben Wilder - Gold Camp Brewing

Gold Camp couldn't ask for a better brewer at the helm. Ben's creativity and resourcefulness as a brewer has helped keep Gold Camp's taps full of tasty beers. Coming off a recent win at the Manitou Heritage Festival, and running through test batches every week, Ben's been brewing solid beer after solid beer, no matter the style. Congrats!

Josh Bye - Fossil Craft Beer

We ran into Josh just the other night at Smiling Toad. He was talking about a barleywine he just brewed that should go into a "distillery that shall not be named" barrel and couldn't stop mentioning the Oreo stout they're re-releasing on New Year's. Josh came into the pro brewing scene as an accomplished home brewer, and his skills have helped position Fossil Craft Beer as one of the top breweries in our town.

Chris Wright - Pikes Peak Brewing

Even with a bunch of incredibly skilled brewers on staff, Chris Wright of Pikes Peak still has his fingers in every batch that PPBC releases. Though Pikes Peak can be considered one of the younger breweries in our area, their consistency and quality have helped drive their expansion into other markets. Cheers!