128 MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | FOOD & DRINK | MUSIC & VENUES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | SPORTS & RECREATION | CONTENTS | ing, teaming up with Outside Pizza to offer a strong one-two punch of excellent, popular beer styles and top-notch pies. For years, Cerebral has received praise for its hoppy and barrel-aged beers, but it has more re- cently developed a strong lager program as well. While its fi rst two locations are on East Colfax and in the Aurora Arts District, this expansion gives the west side of town easy access to the brewery’s full offerings. Best Pitstop for a Quick Beer Westbound & Down Free Market 1801 Blake Street westboundanddown.com With a location that’s an easy walk from many hotspots, including RiNo, the Ballpark neighborhood and Union Station, this Idaho Springs-founded brewery’s downtown bar is a reliable stop for consistently delicious beer. The vibe of the outdoor alley is lively and interesting – we’ve seen everything from artists fi lming music videos to wedding parties celebrating, while the inside space offers a more lounge-like setting. With many nearby restaurants and bars, it’s a great place to start or end a night on the town. Best Beer Collaboration Still Here Brewing Collective Comprised of over a dozen Colorado brew- eries — and constantly adding new partners — Still Here is an organic, passionate coming together of friends and peers in the brew- ing world to create unique beers. The fi rst release, a saison made with ingredients from local partners like Dry Storage, Troubadour Maltings and Propagate Labs, is a beer that few of these individual breweries could’ve pulled off alone. But together, with only the pressure of having to sell a keg or two each to loyal customers, these breweries were able to offer a fun and exciting niche beer that was brewed with a purpose. Best Community Brewery Lady Justice Brewing 3242 South Acoma Street, Englewood ladyjusticebrewing.com Lady J’s move to bigger digs in Englewood in 2024 allowed it to better serve its commu- nity. The larger space and brewing system have led to more events and beer options while also enabling the brewery to continue fulfi lling its goal of empowering women and girls in the community. The brewery raises funds for local non-profi t organizations, and hosts women’s sports watch parties, themed trivia nights and its annual holiday pop-up, Ski Jorts City. Many of the groups that feel safest at a brewery like Lady Justice are un- der fi re in the current political climate, and the community is lucky to have such a caring brewery to gather together. Best Restaurant for Craft Beer King of Wings 7741 West 44th Avenue, Wheat Ridge 1100 Arapahoe Street, Golden kingofwingstaphouse.com While we love this spot’s wings (and ten- ders), it also boasts a tap list that makes it one of the best places for beer in the area. Regularly featuring the likes of Cerebral Brewing, Westbound & Down, Cohesion, Prost, Joyride, New Terrain and more, you can be sure that King of Wings has some of Colorado’s best beers to pair with its fan- tastic fare. Occasional pop-ups, like tavern- style pies from Tillie’s Tavern Pizza, steak from Layla’s Steak Shack and Tuesday’s Snipe Burger service at the Golden loca- tion keep things interesting on the food front, too. Best Brewery for Food Mestizo Brew Cantina 6800 West 38th Avenue, Wheat Ridge mestizobrewcantina.com Former Rock Bottom brewer Ryan Piec opened Mestizo in early 2023, leaning on his father’s European heritage and his brew- ing education for the house-made beers, and his mother’s Mexican roots and his own ex- perience cooking in Latin countries for the menu. The result is some of the best food you’ll fi nd at a brewery in Colorado. The scratch menu is highlighted by dishes like pupusas, tacos and tortas. Proteins include carnitas soaked in a house-made tomato broth, carne asada with chimichurri and al pastor spit-grilled on a trompo. Best Comeback Brewery Renegade Brewing 925 West Ninth Avenue renegadebrewing.com One of the bright spots in a very tough craft beer market is the ability for passionate people to take over fading breweries and in- ject new life into them. That’s exactly what happened when industry veteran Aaron Uhl and businessman Dan Colbourne teamed up to buy Renegade Brewing in 2024. The new brewhouse took about a year and a half to get running, but in the meantime, Renegade turned into a fantas- tic place to host events and try impeccably curated beer from not only Colorado, but around the world. Best New Brewery Full Frame Beer 1139 20th Street fullframebeer.com Downtown Denver was hit the hardest by the work-from-home surge following COVID, creating a major challenge for businesses in the area. Last year, Alyssa Ho- berer and Jacob Kemple’s Full Frame took over one of those struggling businesses, Jagged Mountain, and quickly turned the space into a shining beacon of hope for the brewing industry. Fun events, a welcom- ing, modern space and excellent beers have rocketed Full Frame to nationwide recog- nition. This is a lesson in how good things can be when passionate industry veterans team up to realize their dreams. Best Natural Wine Bar Society 303 9600 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora society303.com An all-natural wine bar on … East Colfax? Sure, why not?! Just as Denver’s drinking culture is emerging from microbrewing’s long shadow, Society 303, which debuted last September, has continued on page 130 Food and Drink continued from page 126
