Congratulations to Anthony Lahr, the newest Colorado Brewery Master having completed “The Quest” of visiting every Colorado brewery (now at 395 breweries)!
I first met Anthony many years ago as a regular attendee of the Denver Beer Queers as a straight ally and good friend of Michael, the DBQ founder. We have shared many good beers and memories since then.
I am now happy to welcome him to the Colorado Brewery Master family and, as I have done previously with the other Masters, was pleased to ask him some questions about his journey.
Who is Anthony Lahr?
I was born in Indianapolis, where I spent the first 30 years of my life. I didn’t have any interest in beer until after college. I started off enjoying wheats, reds, and fruited beers. My taste in beer changed a bit and I found myself drinking mostly IPA varieties and stouts. I didn’t really have any excitement for beer until after visiting Colorado. I would come out to Colorado to visit friends and family 2-3 times a year, up until I found a work opportunity that would allow me to move to Denver in 2014.
When and what was the first Colorado brewery that you remember visiting?
My first Colorado brewery was prior to my move to Colorado. I wasn’t on the quest yet, so I don’t have a solid answer. This would likely be Southern Sun in 2012.
When and where did you accomplish the status of having visited every Colorado brewery?
I completed the quest at Trail Life Brewing, in Grand Junction, on July 5th 2025, on my 40th birthday. Being a holiday weekend, I reached out to all the breweries in Grand Junction and Fruita to see which ones would be open on July 4th . I had to completely adjust my schedule to ensure we visited the 12 breweries that I needed to visit that weekend.
What are some of your favorite memories of your quest?
The quest is always better with friends. Roughly 300 breweries, I spent most of my time visiting with my friends Kade and/or Michael.
The last ~100 breweries, I was accompanied by my girlfriend, Megan, and my dogs. A few of our stories would be centered around googly eyes, blizzards, drinking in alleys, drinking in churches, sneaking into private events, being served after last call, the dogs we’ve met, and the parking lots that I’ve slept in ::cough:: Ska ::cough::.
Once I completed all breweries within 2 hours from home, I started looking into brewery weekends. Those trips include a couple same-day road trips, a yurt in Durango, Airbnb in Salida, Airbnb in Meeker, Airbnb in Fort Collins, and a yurt in Grand Junction.
What are your favorite styles of beer and your top breweries in the state of Colorado in terms of your beer taste?
I lean mostly towards IPAs and stouts, occasionally branching out to Belgians, sours, hefeweizens.
My tastes usually steer me towards milieu, Cerebral, 4 Noses, Avery, or Outer Range. If I have friends visiting from out of town, I like to start with a taphouse to get to know their tastes a bit better before I suggest a brewery they would enjoy.
What are some of your favorite destination breweries?
Any brewery that takes me through Glenwood Canyon makes me happy. My favorite view from a brewery would be Paradox.
What is your favorite hang-out brewery? (Where are folks most likely to run into you?)
Out in the wild, you would most likely find me at milieu fermentation, Cerebral – Aurora Arts, 4 Noses – Park Hill, or Launch Pad – Aurora.
What advice would you offer others trying to become a Colorado Brewery Master?
Tracking breweries got a lot easier once I started using coloradobrewerylist.com. This made planning easier, as I could see nearby breweries and their hours at a glance.
Also, set goals and timelines to complete specific regions of the state so that you are efficient with your driving. Always grab a beer after a hike and have fun.
Congratulations again to Anthony for finishing “The Quest.” I very much look forward to sharing more beers with him in the future.
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Are there any other Colorado Brewery Masters out there that I have missed? If you have been to every Colorado brewery or are close to doing so, I would love to hear from you!
Do you want to learn more about the other Colorado Brewery Masters? Check out this CBM blog page which has all of the articles about us, (except me but you can read a bit about my initial quest here).