Backpack-Worthy Colorado IPAs – A National IPA Day Top 5 List
Let’s face it, when it comes to canned beer, we have an embarrassment of riches here in Colorado. And while cans offer a number of advantages, outdoor enthusiasts like hikers, bikers, and paddlers reap the most benefit from this canned beer revolution.
In celebration of National IPA Day, it felt most fitting to offer up a list of Colorado IPAs that make it into my pack most often. To be fair, we could probably make six of these lists (yeah, its rough to live here).
So whether you’re bagging a 14er or shredding your favorite singletrack, toss one of these IPAs in your pack and celebrate being outside.
The photos on this list were captured at the Chalk Creek Trailhead along the Colorado Trail, near Nathrop, CO by Mitch Kline with a iPhone 6, Slowshutter Cam app, and a lightweight Velbon Max i343E tripod. This ended up being the last adventure for a tripod that served me well for many years.
#5 | Escape to Colorado - Epic Brewing Company
Epic’s recent move to Denver has resulted in a flurry of their cans and bottles appearing on Colorado shelves. The fittingly named Escape to Colorado is easily my favorite from these Utah transplants. It’s a grapefruit bomb, and possibly the most refreshing IPA on this list, especially on hot days.
Origin: Denver, CO
Hop Profile: Mosaic
Stats: 6.2% ABV
#4 | Fishwater Double IPA - Telluride Brewing Company
My first taste of Fishwater DIPA was at the Telluride Brewing tap room, on my ride back to town after hitting the “T35” trail during my family’s first trip to Telluride last summer. Almost exactly a year after that first taste, we have Fishwater available in cans. Not only does this beer have sentimental value, it’s is a mighty fine DIPA from Chris Fish and crew, and yet another reason Telluride tops my list of favorite places on the planet!
Origin: Telluride, CO
Hop Profile: Magnum, Chinook, CTZ, Centennial, Citra
Stats: 8.5% ABV
#3 | Incredible Pedal - Denver Beer Company
DBC had been killing it lately, with a variety of offerings to please any palette, including Incredible Pedal, their IPA that has quickly become one of my trusted go-to beers. Not only are they brewing great beers, their #DBCExplorer promotion, now in its second year, is one of my all time favorites. Thirty-six GPS coordinates spread across their IPA, Porter, and Kolsch cans, each one a location somewhere in Colorado. Visit all of the locations, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram, and you could wil free DBC beer for a year. If that ain’t reason enough to stuff one of these beers in your pack and hit the trail, I don’t know what is.
Origin: Denver, CO
Stats: 7.0% ABV
#2 | Titan - Great Divide Brewing Company
This guy! In cans! I mean, what more is there to say? The first Colorado IPA I experienced, and still my favorite from the state’s heavy hitters. Get ready to see loads of photos of this guy atop peaks and along the trails of Colorado!
Origin: Denver, CO
Stats: 7.1% ABV
#1 | Independence Pass Ale - Aspen Brewing Company
It took exactly one gulp of this well-balanced IPA, named after the 12,095′ mountain pass east of their home town, for Independence Pass Ale to become a go-to favorite. These relative newcomers don’t have a bunch of beers out there, but what they’ve done so far has been impressive. And that logo is one of my favorites!
Origin: Aspen, CO
Stats: 6% AVB | 62 IBU
