List of breweries in Colorado
Breweries in Colorado produce a wide range of beers in different styles that are marketed locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. In 2012 Colorado's 161 breweries and brewpubs and 3 wholesalers employed 5,000 people directly, and more than 22,000 others in related jobs such as wholesaling and retailing. Including people directly employed in brewing, as well as those who supply Colorado's breweries with everything from ingredients to machinery, the total business and personal tax revenue generated by Colorado's breweries and related industries was more than $2.5 billion. Consumer purchases of Colorado's brewery products generated another $118 million in tax revenue. In 2012, according to the Brewers Association, Colorado ranked 3rd in the number of craft breweries, and 6th per capita with 154.
According to the Beer Institute, the state ranked number one in terms of gross beer production, producing over 23,370,848 barrels in 2006. Colorado is home to 4 of the top-50 brewing companies in the nation.
For context, at the end of 2013 there were 2,822 breweries in the United States, including 2,768 craft breweries subdivided into 1,237 brewpubs, 1,412 microbreweries and 119 regional craft breweries. In that same year, according to the Beer Institute, the brewing industry employed around 43,000 Americans in brewing and distribution and had a combined economic impact of more than $246 billion.
The following is a (partial) list of the larger Colorado-based breweries.
In Dumb and Dumber, Lloyd refers to Aspen, Colorado as "a place where the beer flows like wine".
Denver has been nicknamed "the Napa valley of beer," but it is unclear how this nickname came to be. Referenced by the Denver Business Journal, it's rumored that the nickname was created by the Sheraton Hotel chain as part of their "Chief Beer Officer" promotion in 2008.
According to legend, Denver's first permanent structure was a saloon. While there is evidence of a saloon and brothel at 2009 Market Street of historical significance, it seems likely that the true location of the first permanent structure is forever unknown. According to The City and The Saloon, Denver 1858-1916, there were numerous saloons in the Denver area during the city's early days.
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