Coors Brewery, Denver

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Even though I'm from Wisconsin, I still had to do the Coors tour. Plus Golden was a nice town to spend some time in. First you line up outside to get a bus (so prepare to wait in the sun) then a short but interesting tour of Golden itself. I liked the tour, and the tasting area was a nice ending. Worth the trip.

The brewery tour was mildly interesting but not really that informative about the brewing process; there was definitely more emphasis on education about the brands than on explaining the brewing. The best part (aside from the tasting) was the aroma of the brewing process, followed by feeling the ingredients and then some of the interesting facts (e.g., why the bottles are dark and, if one were to drink one six pack a day, it would take 88 years to drink a boxcar full of beer). I would recommend reading up on the brewing process prior to visiting as it will give some context. Considering the price (free), I would definitely recommend it.

Be sure to try the Blue Moon wheat beer at the tasting. In addition to a small sample during the tour, they provide three decent-sized glasses of beer or Zima at the end of the tour (one of the other tips here on VT said they're 10 oz. glasses and that sounds about right).

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Over a quarter million people visit this free tour each year. There are no reservations for the tour however if there are over a certain number of people the tour manager needs to call ahead to avoid problems. There were a few grumbles when our group showed up unannounced but we were let in.

While inside you are given headsets which give you an audio tour by punching various numbers you see on the displays. I was actually skipping some numbers and forging ahead to get to the beer. During the tour you can pose with beer signs which Coors makes. We learn that Coors was the first company to use aluminum cans. Prior to this steel was used which gave the beer an aftertaste. Coors is also packaged and distributed cold. I guess this is done to preserve the flavor, I was skipping ahead at this point;) Through a glass window you can see how the beer is bottled and packaged. During the tour you are given one small glass of Coors or Coors light in the middle of the tour to start off with. At the end of the tour you are then given a choice of 2 larger glasses of beer that Coors produces. Among the beer offered are blue moon, Killian red, Coors, Coors light, and some Canadian beer. The servers check that you do not drink to excess by punching your band and once you reach 3 you are done. You can bring a non drinking friend and enjoy their drinks if you want. Yeah, my sister ended up giving me hers;)
You may browse the gift shop to sober up before you drive. Better yet have a designated non drinking driver so you can enjoy their drinks and get chaffered home.

The Coors Brewery is located just outside of Denver in Golden, Colorado. I don't particularly care for Coors or Coors Light, but I figured since I was here I might as well go. Well unlike some other companies this factory tour is free and so is the parking. They ID at the start to give you a wrist band if you are over 21. They serve a small sample of your choice of Coors or Coors light midway through the tour. The tour itself was very informative and you got to see the different steps in the brewing process. At the end you could sample Coors products (three 10 oz glasses, non alcoholic beer does not count towards the 3 drink limit), or sodas. I learned that Killian's and Blue Moon were Coors products. That was a pleasant surprise since I do not like the taste of Coors as I mentioned before. Molson and Zima were other products you could try. They also have a gift shop which for the most part is over priced ($16 to wear a t-shirt advertising their product). We also got "Golden Tickets" at the start of the tour which are scratch off tickets worth 20% of Golden, CO restaurants and you have the chance to win cash.

Get a taste of the Rockies on a free tour of the largest single brewery in the world. Colorado brews more beer than any other state and this Golden, CO brewery brews more beer than any other place on the planet. The 11/2-hour tour covers the entire complex, from brewing to bottling. Free beer samples for visitors over the age of 21.

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This is the nations third largest single brewing site in the world. The tour is very interesting, you learn about how the beer is made and all the steps required in the process. It is very informative and at the end of the tour you can sample the different beers that Coors manufactures. When i mean sample, i am not talking about the little glasses you get when you go wine tasting. You actually get a full glass of beer, i am not sure how many ounces but enough to make you feel pretty good. If you dont drink beer you can get soda or juice. Many of the students at the local college come in and take the tour on a daily basis to get the free beer at the end of their tour. I asked the tour guide if that was ok with them and they said that was fine as long as they only come in once a day.
The tour is free and children can come in as well. Tour hours are from 10am-4pm Mon-Sat.

I'll admit, it took me YEARS to finally get around to going on this tour, but it was GREAT! They give you lots of beer to drink (over 4 decent-sized glasses)---but it was cool getting to taste products I'd never tried. What is ZIMA, anyway?

There is a Coors Brewing Tour close by to the city. You can tour the company and get samples too.
You get to see how they make beer. I'm not a big beer drinker but I found this trip to be more than interesting. Especially the samples you get.

Nice way to kill a few hours if your near Golden, CO (Denver). Not super informative but, great product tasting at the end. See my page at Golden.