What to do? What to do?

Maybe you don’t feel like skiing again today or it’s too muddy to run. There’s nothing good on TV and you’ve got a free day from work or  school. Suppose you’re thirsty for a good beer, but tight in funds?

Maybe you are a beer lover too, and were wondering just how those brewmaster/magician folks down at the local brewery can take essentially four main ingredients, mix them together, wave their magic wand and create such a wonderful beverage.

Well, have I got an idea for you. Head on down to your local brewery, catch a free tour of the facility and some of their freshest, most special beer. And usually, they will even share a few pours with you for FREE, just for coming down to visit.

As a matter of etiquette, remember that the good folks giving away all that free beer also need to make a living, so please support their endeavors by buying a pint, a T-shirt, or some beer to take home with you.

There are plenty of breweries to visit, in part because craft brewing is enjoying a rejuvenation these days with sales increasing by about 10 percent per year the past few years. Meanwhile, the "macro"-breweries have seen sales of their bland yellow fizzy stuff drop by about the same amount each year. Folks around the country (and globe) are tasting flavorful, creative beers that display the ingenuity and affection of small brewers for their craft and they're loving the stuff.

Most breweries love to show off their facilities and teach the masses how beer is made. Many also have tasting rooms that spotlight the small-batch, über-creative beers brewers love to create but which are not bottled for sale.

Herein lies the beauty of visiting smaller breweries: it’s the best stuff at little to no cost while you learn about the process.

Colorado is chock-full of beer-producing facilities. Some are huge. Think Coors. Some are tiny. Think the Golden City Brewery. Some have a pub attached. Think the Mountain Sun Brewery. I’d like to share a few words with you about some local breweries you can visit that also produce some of the best beers around.

New Belgium Brewery

Possibly the most earth-friendly and advanced brewery in the United States, the New Belgium Brewery has spared no expense in producing incredible out-of-the-box style beers (usually Belgian types) while leaving the smallest possible footprint on the planet.

The tasting room is very fun and informative. And after imbibing some of their seasonal and special brews there, you may even find yourself wondering why you are still drinking Fat Tire, the biggest selling microbrew in the country. Try La Folie, a sour, unique beer made with cherries and aged in oak barrels.

If you have a little more time and a designated driver, head over to Odell Brewery, makers of mostly English style beers. Odell also makes some wonderful brews and is also a very green operation. Then it’s off to the Fort Collins Brewing Company, which focuses on German-style lagers and makes a terrific Chocolate Stout.

Just imagine, three great breweries within eight miles of each other producing the gamut of beer styles—and all are willing to teach you about the art and science of beer production. 

Avery Brewing Company

A small brewery with really big beers, Avery Brewing is doing some of the tastiest, hoppiest and strangest beers known to man. Adam Avery is one of the young studs in American brewing, part of a group of fine envelope-pushing brewers reinventing the book on what “American-made” now means in the world of beer making.

Yep, they make the usual stable of brown, pale and stout ales, but watch out my friends, the other stuff will get you good. With names like “The Kaiser,” “Mephistopheles' Stout,” and “Collaboration not Litigation Ale,” you gotta know these beers are full of hops, unusual spices and fruits, and lots of alcohol. Avery Brewing Company recently created a comfortable, inviting tasting area where they serve up all of their best stuff and some special brews unavailable outside the tasting room.

I would try one of the “Crucified Trinity.” The beers in this group are aged in wood barrels. They include Hog Heaven, The Reverend and Salvation Ale. I’d also give Samael’s Ale a try. It could possibly be my favorite beer.

Nearby, you can find Twisted Pine Brewing Company, which I love because you can take your dog with you, and they serve up some mighty fine beer and peanuts as well.

Left Hand Brewing Company

Consistency, quality ingredients, variety, and recently, creativity are all words I associate with Left Hand. Since their absorption of Tabernash Brewing, they now produce lager as well as ales. The skillful brewers have recently started to let their hair down and produce some funky, flavorful, high-gravity products.

Like many local beer makers, they are very community centered. Left Hand created Smokejumper Porter in order to donate much of the proceeds to your forest firefighters. Of course, it’s a thick, smoky experience.

The tasting room is first rate. Indoors or outdoors, it has a great bar, plenty of special brews and a friendly staff. You’ll want to stay a while. Left Hand also is nestled next to a river and a park, so you just might make a lazy hazy day of it.

I’d try St. Vrain Ale or the Smokejumper.

Flying Dog Brewery

At first, it’s the labels and humorously naughty names that catch your eye. Infamous gonzo illustrator Ralph Steadman designed labels of distorted dogs having a good time.

Names like “Doggie Style” Pale Ale invite you to give the beers a try. It’s a great idea if you do. The beers have wonderful flavors and plenty of styles, including many much-appreciated historical German styles.

Flying Dog beers are easy to find and with the recent creation of the Wild Goose Brewing Company in Maryland, they will soon become even bigger players in the craft beer world. The arrangement allows Flying Dog to brew on the East coast as well as in downtown Denver.

Located adjacent to the Blake Street Tavern just east of Coors Field, the brewery is deceptively large, but the tasting area is on the smaller side. Free beer tastes are available and the tour is very cool. You even get to taste fresh beer right from the huge aging tanks.

The late Hunter S. Thompson was a great friend of the brewery and Flying Dog has created an incredible beer in his honor, Gonzo Imperial Porter. Look for his pictures around the brewery.

If you have some time before or after the tour, the grub at the Blake Street Tavern is good and they carry the full line of Flying Dog beers at the bar. Another great addition to the tour is a stop at Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Distillery adjoining the brewery. Colorado’s first whiskey makers; they use grains from Flying Dog in production and then age the final product in wood barrels until perfect.

I recommend trying a Horn Dog Barley Wine or any of the specialty beers in the over-the-top Wild Dog series.

Bristol Brewing Company

Famous for its Laughing Lab Scottish Ale which has won a ton of awards over the years; Bristol is another one of our local breweries that asks itself daily, “Why not?”  Why not add a bunch more hops? Why not add herbs and spices and fruits to our beer? Why not age our best stuff in oak kegs for years? Why not make an 18 percent ABV beer?

Bottling an excellent line of standard styles, they save their most innovative brews for the great tasting room on location. Featuring around 15 beers on tap and free snacks to boot, one of my local professional brewer friends calls it his favorite Colorado brewery. He doesn’t think twice about driving an hour and a half just to do “research.”

They encourage guests to come on down and if not busy with production, one of the staff with be happy to show you around and explain beer production at their facility.

My suggestions include Edge City Harvest Ale—no style box adhered to here, or XXX Warlock, a double imperial stout that weighs in at an impressive 18 percent. 

A few last tips on visiting one of our great Front Range microbreweries: drink responsibly, tip the staff if deserved, ask lots of questions and purchase some of these beers for the house. Help support these local artisans and businesses that in turn support our economy as well. 

Dry Dock Brewing Company

Aurora has, sadly, never received much love for its gustatory promise (see “chain restaurant” in the dictionary). Fortunately for those folks living on the “East Side,” that has all changed now.

The Dry Dock Brewing Company is making some world-class beer and it is time the word gets out!

Debuting in January of 2006, the Dry Dock is one of the smallest breweries in the country and, unlike the microbreweries I have discussed thus far, they currently don’t bottle their beers (that is hopefully coming soon). One can purchase growlers, half-gallon jugs or kegs to go, or pull up a chair and drink a pint or two in their tasting room. Heck, they don’t care if you bring in some food as long as you share.

Kevin and Kevin are the owner-operators of the Dock and what makes this place truly unique is that they also run The Brew Hut, a home-brewer supply store next door. As evidence of the Kevins’ love of sharing great beer with the world, they even post the five-gallon batch recipes on their Web site for customers interested in attempting to replicate some of their awesome brews at home.

Speaking of awesome beers, their Victory E.S.B. won a gold medal at the 2006 World Beer Cup competition in the best bitter category. For people still drinking beers from the American-style lager category, consider that there were 85 styles of beer judged at this year's World Beer Cup (give one of them a try sometime soon). Small batch sizes allow the brewers to be creative in dreaming up new twists to old styles, making the adventurous beer drinker very happy. The oak-aged beers at the Dock really rock. 

My suggestion: head on down on Firkin Friday when the brewers tap a special cask-conditioned beer. Ales from a firkin are naturally carbonated, served at cellar temperature and are usually the pinnacle of the beers available at a brewery. The bung hole gets tapped at 3 p.m. and when the keg is dry, the beer is gone. Don’t be late!

PS—If you see my friend Justin at the Dock please tell him that his family and friends really miss him…

Photos courtesy of Bobby Bemis and Bristol Brewering Company