Aurora Brewery Spotlight: Launch Pad Brewery’s Rocket Fuel
In Aurora off the corner of Kentucky and Buckley tucked back behind the 7-Eleven lies an amazing hidden gem – Launch Pad Brewery.
Open seven days a week this “rocket-themed microbrewery and taproom” (as Google states) is decked out in all sorts of aeronautics gear including several scale models of satellites and rockets. Their small taproom boasts a decent amount of seating and is indeed dog and child friendly.
The staff here is exceptional! Having frequented Launch Pad Brewery over the past few years (primarily due to its close proximity to Community College of Aurora); I was hooked. All the beertenders were so friendly and outgoing! Routinely I was one of the first patrons in the door on a Monday afternoon and they were nothing but smiles. The beertenders are always willing to chat with me about the seasonal, limited, or firkin offerings and pour me some samples before I make my decision. How many breweries do you find the owners pouring the beer too?! Well Launch Pad is that kind of place! You will routinely find David or Henry slinging brews behind the bar with the best of them.
Launch Pad has one of the best beer line-ups in the area! From stouts, to IPAS, to sours, and goses – they have 
something for every beer style and taste! They break their beers down into three categories:
- Strategic Launch System – these are brews that you will always find on tap.
- Heavy Lift Systems – higher alcohol content brews are found here!
- Tactical Launch Systems – limited release or seasonal offerings are found here.
Given that it is fall, Launch Pad has embraced the pumpkin craze and put their own hoppy twist on it with a calendar of pumpkin based releases that are bound to make any pumpkin lover go crazy! The Fall Classic is a pumpkin amber that 
has ranked as one of my top pumpkin brews this season. The pumpkin notes are very subtle, but play well with the other fall spices. Their Milky Way Coffee Milk Stout will always be one of my absolute favorites; wonderful coffee notes with zero bitterness and a wonderful sweetness. Yum! In the summer, few brews can compare to their Belgian golden strong ale: Bikini Atoll. This piña colada-esque brew is mouthwateringly delicious. They have also paired up with Something Brewery out of Brighton, Colorado to create a collaborative brew called Watermelon Zombies From Outer Space. This German-style gose took a whopping four hundred pounds of watermelon to create! Whoa!
Like most other breweries in the area, Launch Pad does not have a kitchen of their own. They do however feature a selection of food trucks that set up shop behind the building to help fuel your grumbling belly. Names such as Michigan Chef, Little Big Sandwich Truck, Rock-N-Lobster Roll, and Nokealoha Hawaiian are just a few of the curbside-cuisine names that roll through.
The fine folks at Launch Pad Brewery are also regular fixtures at the various brew fests throughout the Denver-Metro area including: Denver Brew Fest, Hops in the Hangar, and Save the Ales – just to name a few. You can keep up with their happenings on Facebook or through the events page on their website.
With a commitment to using the highest quality ingredients and the utmost integrity it’s easy to see that Craft beer really IS their rocket fuel.
Stay thirsty, Denver!
