Lumpy Ridge Brewing Co. | Estes Park, CO
Beer Trip: Lumpy Ridge Brewing Co. in Estes Park, Colorado
Gas station turned brewery!
It’s tough to beat Colorado when it comes to craft breweries, with every town seemingly having at least one spot. Estes Park is no exception, with multiple places each producing top-notch beer - including Lumpy Ridge Brewing Co. This spot actually has two locations in town, but we ventured to their original site to see what they were all about.
The Brewery
The indoor space and bar
Living in Kansas City, everyone knows the original Joe’s Kansas City BBQ inside the old gas station. Estes Park has their own flagship attraction within a former gas station, and that’s Lumpy Ridge Brewing Co. The place is located at a higher elevation, so you are able to overlook parts of town and some awesome mountain views. The inside space (which is extremely small!) is composed of two parts: the bar area and the seating section. The bar sits within the former gas station building and only has room for 4 or 5 people, but seemed to be where all the locals wanted to be as they kept cycling in and out for one beer on their way home from work. The other indoor area is actually the overhang for the former gas pumps, with the exterior wall built where the pumps used to be. This space has seating for maybe 12 - 15 people via a hodgepodge of couches, tables, and chairs, and it opens up to the outside via tons of windows.
Covered outdoor patio
Covered indoor porch area with couches & windows
The outdoor space of Lumpy Ridge has more seating than the inside, most of which is covered by either a sunshade or a canopy. There’s also an uncovered area featuring a few picnic tables. The whole place has a really cool vibe that is hard to describe, but we would say it’s a cross between hippie and skiing, which seems to fit Colorado quite well. Warren loved the open space to play and had fun meeting a mountain pup named Banjo!
Views of the covered deck
Due to the rain we spent most of our time in this area
Warren's new friend, Banjo!
The Beer
You can't beat a beer with a view like this!
Lumpy Ridge maintains 8 different brews on draft at any given time. We were informed that 6 of their beers are flagships and are distributed locally, while the other two rotate until they run out. Their mainstays included multiple pale ales, lagers, an IPA, and a Schwarz bier, whereas the rotators were a hazy IPA and a farmhouse ale. While their brewer does utilize the occasional fruit or coconut additive, for the most part, they bring flavor into their brews via varying hops and malts, which is nice to see as it takes a certain skill set to perfect.
We weren’t able to stay long enough to try everything, but they did have a couple of beers that stood out. One is the Oggs FM German Amber Lager (yes, it’s a mouthful), which has great caramel malts with just the right amount of sweetness. The other brew worth mentioning was their farmhouse ale rotator, Bananas and Blow. This beer is just as described, with the perfect blend of both banana and coconut tied nicely within a lighter-style ale.
A gloomy day made better by beer
Food, Merch, & More
Neat ski elements integrated throughout
Lumpy Ridge doesn’t serve its own food but normally has a rotating food truck onsite to cure your hunger. Their merchandise is located near the bar and includes shirts, hats, and glassware. They also distribute nearly all of their flagship beers around Estes Park; however, they were almost out of every 6-pack at the brewery during our visit! Thankfully, we were able to locate a few packs to bring home with us at a nearby liquor store.
Lumpy Ridge has everything one could want in a brewery - great beer, a fun atmosphere, and solid views. Add this to your short list of places to grab a brew while in Estes Park!
Cheers!
One more of Banjo for good measure
Thank you to the kind family from Houston that shared their toys with Warren - he loved them!
