Denver is awash in beer! Denver, Colorado, brews more beer than any other American city.

Denver suburb Golden, Colorado, is the home of the world’s largest commercial single site brewery. Miller-Coors offers daily tours of the brewery, including a visit to the Miller Inn, a Bavarian style tasting room for adults. Soft drinks are also available for visitors under twenty-one.

Denver is also famous for the many microbreweries in the metro-area. These breweries produce some of the finest craft beers in America. The beers are produced in small quantities, carefully controlled, and the recipes and techniques have been fully researched. Brewers receive special training to ensure their product is worthy of any gourmand.

Each brewpub has its own carefully guarded beer recipes and a menu inspired to bring out the best in their beer. The food is family friendly, the atmosphere casual, and your afternoon can be educational. Most of the breweries have tours guided by Brew Masters – call ahead for availability. Many brewpubs have weekly events and holiday celebrations.

Wynkoop Brewing Company, one of the oldest brewpubs in Denver, hosts beer discussion groups and celebrates the New Year with an annual Beer Drinker of the Year contest. Contestants are not judged on the amount of beer they consume, but are supposed to be knowledgeable ambassadors of the history and importance of beer to civilization.

The importance of beer to civilization? Anthropologists believe beer was directly associated with the cultivation of cereal grains, associated with the stone-age change from hunting and gathering societies to farming. Production of surplus food lead to individuals being able to break away from the constant search for food, eventually leading to the first cities and civilizations in the Middle East.

You can even take a bus tour of several breweries – the perfect afternoon adventure for the beer lover visiting Denver. So have a beer and enjoy the taste of history!