Beer is a big part of the Colorado lifestyle! For every camping trip, whitewater adventure or 14’er summit there’s beer shared on the back of a tailgate, at one of Colorado’s 300+ taprooms or on your custom redwood deck. But what to do when the temperature drops and the flakes start flying?

We’re blessed with plenty of excellent Colorado craft beers for the 65 days of the year when the sun isn’t shining. Find them at your local brewery or stock up until deck weather returns in the spring. These malt-focused beers are perfect for cozying up by the fire after a long day in the Colorado cold and are guaranteed to chase your winter brrrews away!

German Dunkel

If you’re a fan of Porter be sure to give Dunkel a try – similar to the English favorite but with a cleaner taste from cold fermentation and lagering. Dunkel is German for “dark,” and this beer showcases chocolate and coffee flavors from its roasted dark malts. Best bet: Wibby Dunkel (Longmont)

Belgian Quadruple

Sugar and spice and everything nice sums up these high-octane ales, which feature complex dark fruit, caramel flavors and spicy exotic yeast – plus an alcohol by volume often exceeding 10 percent. You’ll have visions of sugar plums dancing in your head, so wait for the comfy chair at home to crack one open or call an Uber. Best bet: Bruz Beers King Quad (Midtown)

Brown Ales

Toasted bread and caramel malt flavors are often combined with some sturdy bittering in American-style Browns. Colorado brewers are making some really good ones. Best bet: Telluride’s Face Down Brown (Telluride)

Stout

There are a lot of different takes on stouts, but all of them feature some level of roasted barley which lends an espresso character. Best bet: Epic Brewing’s Big Bad Baptist (RiNo)

Barleywine

The ultimate beer for hunkering down with friends and loved ones. Barleywines are strong, complex and warming beers meant to be sipped in your favorite snifter with a hunk of stilton. Best bet: Dry Dock Brewing Bligh’s Barleywine (Aurora)