As a city that boasts more sunny days than Miami and San Diego, Denver has a natural attraction towards establishments with great patios. Breweries are no different. Here are some my favorite spots in town with perfect patios to sip on a crafty on a perfect, sunny day.

• Ratio Beerworks in RiNo: Ratio’s patio is huge, with sparkling string lights and trees, right in the heart of RiNo. There is also something awesome happening in their back room, from comedy nights to live music.

• Spangalang Brewery in Five Points: this patio is brand new, full of picnic tables with umbrellas. Why I like it here? The patio is great and all, but on those super hot days, head inside. The once DMV is now the brewery with the best air conditioner in town, hands down.

• Denver Beer Company on the Platte River: This place is always, always, busy, but if you get a spot on their huge, open patio, it is well worth it. It always feels like you’ve just arrived at a block party, no matter the time of day.

• Declaration on South Broadway: This big, grassy yard right off the patio boasts corn hole, food trucks, and plenty of space for your little on or furry companion to run around.

• Black Shirt Brewing Co. in RiNo: one of the favorite hotspots in RiNo, BSB has a back patio complete with a stage; perfect for sitting under string lights and watching a famously Broncos-colored sunset.

• Prost Brewing in The Highlands: a patio with a superior view of the Denver skyline.

• Station 26 in Stapleton: this renovated fire house has a huge front shaded patio off open garage doors, and an additional totally shaded side area with grass and picnic tables. A very popular spot for families and pups, don’t be shy about bringing the entire crew.

• Zuni Street in LoHi: a newer spot has taken claim as the neighborhood brewery in the lower highlands, and they have both a front and back patio complete with yard games.

Erica Hoffmeister

Erica Hoffmeister earned an MFA degree in creative writing and an MA in English from Chapman University of Orange. She has creative work published in the literary journals Shark Reef, Rat’s Ass Review, Split Lip Magazine, and others. She has been teaching for over a decade (claiming 8th grade as her favorite grade level because she’s an actual crazy person) and currently teaches composition and literature courses for Morgan Community College out of Fort Morgan. Always considering herself a bit of a beer nerd, she met her husband at Our Mutual Friend brewery while on vacation and fell in love with him, Denver, and its beer scene in one fatal swoop. While born and raised in Southern California, don’t worry—she’s earned her spurs as a transplant by creating her very own Colorado native. As a new mom, she is currently renegotiating her role as a world-traveling, bar-hopping, beer-loving free spirit by taking advantage of Denver’s beer culture, where you can find as many babies in breweries on any given afternoon as beers on tap.