Brewery Tours & Craft Beer Travel

Exploring Denvers Craft & Classic Bars: My Denver Bar Crawl

by Katelynn Kellogg

If there’s one thing Denver knows how to do well, it’s beer. On my recent Denver Bar Crawl, I spent a few days hopping between breweries, taverns, and local bars that all had their own unique vibe. Most of these places were unplanned visits — they were simply the spots I stumbled upon while exploring the city, and I ended up having such a good time that I wanted to share a few thoughts about each one. From easygoing neighborhood taprooms to quirky bars tucked away in the heart of Denver, here’s a look at where I went, what I drank, and what stood out along the way.

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three assorted drinking glasses with beer
Photo by ELEVATE on Pexels.com

I kicked off my Denver Bar Crawl near the hotel I was staying at and let curiosity do the rest. Most of these stops were chosen on a whim — I’d pull up Google Maps, see what was nearby, and head that way.

Henry’s Tavern

Rating: 4 out of 5.
  • Location: 500 16th St Mall Suite 184B, Denver, CO 80202
  • What I Loved: Walkable from my hotel, wings were delicious
  • Why 4 Stars: Very small things, but when I was visiting, it was actually really cold outside, and they had the big garage doors open, making me pretty uncomfortable. Also, I ordered the daily wing special and was still charged the full amount for the meal. I had to ask them to fix my bill. Lastly, they were understaffed and the poor bartender was hustling, but wait times were fairly long for drink refills.
  • Must-Try Beer: I had a Kona – Big Wave, which is a classic
  • Fun Fact: This bar is great for groups. There are a bunch of TVs throughout the restaurant, darts, shuffleboard tables, and more. It’s very entertaining. I also love that they have the garage-style doors on the sides so you get that indoor/outdoor experience.

Our Mutual Friend Brewing

Rating: 4 out of 5.
  • Location: 2810 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205
  • What I Loved: The exterior mural! I’ve visited this brewery on a previous visit to Denver, and it had a different exterior, but it was still really fun. There’s indoor and outdoor seating, and the bartenders were so nice!
  • Why 4 Stars: I really do like this place, but the seating inside is not very comfortable. After just an hour of being there, my back started hurting. The horrible smell of the BBQ place next door also threw me off pretty bad.
  • Must-Try Beer: I tried the Keller Pils and the Sonny and I enjoyed both of them.
  • Fun Fact: There is a BBQ place right behind OMF, and despite loving BBQ, it actually made the bar smell really bad. Idk what they were cooking at the time, but it was strong and horrible. If you’re hungry though, it’s super convenient and you can bring the food over here and have a beer with it.
Denver Bar Crawl - Our Mutual Friend Brewery with it's colorful mural wrapping the whole building.

Rock Bottom Brewery

Rating: 3 out of 5.
  • Location: 1001 16th St., Denver, CO 80265
  • Why 3 Stars: The outdoor area seemed busy and lively, but I sat at the bar during my visit, and it was dead. The bartender didn’t seem to want to be there either. He only spoke to me one time during my entire visit. It was also really dark in there and the TVs are really high and a bit uncomfortable to try to watch while at the bar.
  • Must-Try Beer: I got a flight while I visited, and like most of them. I can’t remember which ones I tried, but they were all light beers, kolsch, blonde, pale ale, etc.
  • Fun Fact: This brewery is right on the main street and easily accessible and has a nice patio area right on the street.
Denver Bar Crawl - Rock Bottom Brewery
Denver Bar Crawl - Rock Bottom Brewery Beer Flight

Odell Brewery

Rating: 3 out of 5.
  • Location: 2945 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205
  • What I Loved: The mural on the building and the bring your whole squad vibe. There were board games and card games, and spaces for groups to sit both indoors and outdoors.
  • Must-Try Beer: Unfortunately, I only tried two beers here, and I wasn’t a fan of either of them, so I have no recommendations.
  • Unfortunately, when I visited, there wasn’t anyone else here and it made the brewery feel kind of weird. The staff wasn’t overly inviting or conversational, and I just had my beers, charged my phone, and left.
Denver Bar Crawl - Odell Brewing Co. Exterior with massive hops mural.
Denver Bar Crawl - Odell Beer Samples

My Brother’s Bar

Rating: 5 out of 5.
  • Location: 2376 15th St, Denver, CO 80202
  • What I Loved: EVERYTHING! This place is old and feels like it has so many stories. The staff welcomed me immediately and was very kind. There was a whole group of locals sitting at the bar next to me and they all talked to me and welcomed me, telling me all about the bar. The food was exceptional and I just loved everything about this place.
  • Must-Try Beer: The Tangerine Blonde by Telluride Brewing Co. It was 10/10!
  • Fun Fact: This is the oldest bar in Denver! It opened in 1873 and has had many owners since its inception, but the current name of the bar has been in place since 1970, when the Karagas Brothers moved from Detroit to Denver to make the bar their own.
Denver Bar Crawl - My Brother's Bar. The Oldest Bar in Denver. Image is of the Bar with it's old register
My Brother's Bar - one of the downtown Denver restaurants I visited. I ordered a burger and fries with a beer.

Forest Room 5

Rating: 5 out of 5.
  • Location: 2532 15th St, Denver, CO 80211
  • What I Loved: ALSO EVERYTHING! As an outdoorsy girl, finding this bar in the heart of the city made me feel at home. They have a literal forest set up in the outdoor section where you can sit among the flowing water and trees. Possibly even next to a tree house or wood-carved bears. It’s such a unique place and I just loved every single aspect of it. I also got this
  • Must-Try Drink: This bar specializes in cocktails, so I ordered the Huckleberry Lynx, and it was AMAZING. I could have drunk 5 of these if I had a free afternoon.
  • Fun Fact: The property features a book vending machine inside, a cute little treehouse where you can actually sit, and numerous cool decor items scattered around the grounds that enhance the awesome outdoor ambiance.
Denver Bar Crawl - Forest Room 5. A bar set up to be a legit forest in the middle of the city.
Denver Bar Crawl - Huckleberry Lynx Cocktail made at Forest Room 5

Prost Brewery

Rating: 3 out of 5.
  • Location: 2540 19th St, Denver, CO 80211
  • What I Loved: The beer. The live music. The distance from the food hall across the street.
  • Must-Try Beer: I just had their kolsch, and it was exactly as expected. Delicious.
  • Fun Fact: This place is pretty ugly from the outside, but the patio and inside are pretty nice. I really liked the atmosphere.
  • Not so fun fact: Tip is included automatically, and the bartenders didn’t say anything about it. I didn’t read the whole receipt so I ended up tipping way too much for during my visit. Be advised!
Denver Bar Crawl - Prost Brewing

Reverence Brewing

Rating: 3 out of 5.
  • Location: 1604 E 17th Ave, Denver, CO 80218
  • What I Enjoyed: This bar is a little out of downtown. I visited along my way to the Natural History Museum. It was a good spot to sit, plug in, and do some work. The beer was good, the bartender seemed like he really enjoyed his job, and there was plenty of seating in the place.
  • Must-Try Beer: Sanguine by Reverence Brewing.
  • Why 3 Stars: There’s a cute little street patio at the front of the brewery, but people were smoking on the patio, which means I had to walk through the smokers to get to the front door, and as someone who has a severe allergy to cigarette smoke, that was a huge negative for this place.
Denver Bar Crawl - Reverence Brewery Entrance with front patio
Denver Bar Crawl - Reverence Brewery. Tall beer sitting on bar top with beer menu on wall behind.
  • Wynkoop Brewing
  • Woods Boss Brewing
  • Denver Chophouse and Brewery
  • Bierstadt Lagerhaus
  • BrewDog Denver

As with many other cities, the bar and brewery scene changes quite often, so some of the places on this list may be closed the next time I visit, but I’ll reference this Denver Bar Crawl post when I go back to remind me to visit these new places.

Tips for Planning Your Own Denver Bar Crawl

  • Stay Safe: If you’re planning to visit several breweries in one day, consider using rideshare apps to get around. Use my discount codes below to get a discount on your next ride using Lyft or Uber.
    • RideShare Discount Codes:
      UBER – hkzc5txnp7gk 
      LYFT – Katelynn804354
  • Take Public Transport: The Downtown Denver area has a free bus system that just goes up and down 16th Street. Utilize that to get you to, or closer to, your final destination before calling your ride share. I walked to almost all of these bars/breweries during my visit!
  • Rate your beers on Untapped: I love this app! It allows you to look up where breweries are, what they have on their menu, and rate the beers that you’ve tried at different locations. You can download the app here.
Untapped Profile Stats Nov. '25
Use the Untapped app to track your beer tastings all over the world.

Wrapping Up My Denver Bar Crawl

My Denver Bar Crawl was just one of many self-guided brew adventures I’ve done while traveling, and it reminded me why I love exploring local beer scenes so much. Each city has its own flavor — from the people you meet to the pints you try — and Denver definitely delivered. If you’re like me and enjoy checking out local bars and breweries wherever you go, be sure to look through some of my other brew tour posts for more cities I’ve sipped my way through. Cheers to the next stop!

Similar Posts: Sipping through Salt Lake City, Exploring Albuquerque’s Breweries

I’m working on writing more content about my trip to Denver, including museums, restaurants, hotel reviews, and more. Here’s what I’ve got done for now: Denver, Colorado content page.

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