Do you love craft beer? Do you live along the Front Range and want to check out the breweries in the Eastern plains but aren’t sure what is out there? For those who answered “Yes!” to these questions, this is the tenth article in a series of Colorado Brewery Tours that maps out a route of breweries you can easily visit over a weekend trip. The previous articles included a Southwest CO Tour, a South Central CO Tour, a San Juan Mountains Tour, a Central Western CO Tour, a Grand Junction Area Tour, a Vail & Aspen Tour, a Summit County Tour, a Northwest CO Tour, and North CO Foothills Tours. Note: many of these are in the works for a rewrite due to the big changes in the Colorado brewery scene in the past couple of years.
Most of the previous tours that I’ve designed are for a full three-day weekend; this allows for full enjoyment of multiple breweries per day often with some time to spare for other activities. Since this particular tour is only 3 breweries, it can easily be done in a day trip (albeit a rather long day if returning to the Front Range).
Be certain to double check that the breweries will be open at the time of your visit because operating hours have a tendency to change depending on season, holiday, and anticipated traffic volume.
The best way to undertake these tours is to have a designated driver, who you should shower with praise, free meals, and gifts.
Eastern Colorado Tour (3 Breweries: 1 in Fort Morgan, 1 in Sterling, and 1 in Holyoke)
Kukaro Brewing
The first stop traveling east on I-76 is in Fort Morgan at Kukaro Brewing. Kukaro (koo-ka-row) is a Micronesian word that means to hang out, relax, and be. You can definitely kukaro here and enjoy their great beers and pizza. I particularly enjoyed their Sweet Blonde Coffee Stout using coffee from local Barnwood Roasting Co.
Parts & Labor Brewing Co. handcrafts all its beers inside the doors of a renovated, century- old Cadillac dealership repair shop in Sterling. It’s been a few years since any cars have rolled out of here, but owners Dylan & Kimberly Harford keep the memory alive with a vintage shop vibe and beers that have won them both the hearts of many locals, as well as some pretty prestigious recognition within the craft beer industry. Their tap list includes excellent beers for everyone; from IPAs to Stouts while their food menu is fabulous with everything from salads to burgers to steaks.
Located in Holyoke, which is only 13 miles west of the Nebraska border, The Horse and Frog is a veteran-owned lively brewpub offering 15 in-house brewed beers and refreshing sodas, plus signature cocktails. There are 6 TVs if you want to catch a sports game. The Horse and Frog also has monthly live music and trivia nights on Mondays.
Colorado Brewery Master Jeff Parker says: “Colorado’s most Eastern brewery. Great location off the highway. Great indoor space, with lots of room. Great selection of classic beer styles. Don’t let the drive scare you.”
I hope you enjoy your trip into Eastern Colorado and all of the great breweries there. If you take this tour or a similar route, please drop us a line and let us know how it went!
Next Up: A complete rewrite of the previous Colorado Tour articles
