Rock Cut Brewing Company | Estes Park, CO
Beer Trip: Rock Cut Brewing Company in Estes Park, Colorado
You can’t go to Colorado without hitting at least one brewery. Fortunately for us, we were able to try several during our stay in Estes Park - including Rock Cut Brewing Company. This place sits near a busy intersection in town and was the perfect stop after completing the Estes Park Aerial Tram that is just up the hill.
The Brewery
A very impressive "Beer it Forward" wall!
Rock Cut is located in a small commercial park with multiple other businesses. While we didn’t have an issue finding our parking ourselves, we could certainly see that being an issue at times (like many other areas in downtown Estes Park). The inside features a large, U-shaped bar that takes up about half of the room, and then you’ll find about 10 other tables providing additional seating. Along the side wall, you will see the largest “Beer it Forward” wall that you’ll find anywhere! This thing must have had close to 1,000 beers assigned to it, and we were told that a lot of travelers would buy beers as much as a year in advance for their friends and family that they know will be making an Estes trip in the future.
Lots of natural light from the large windows showcasing the mountains
U-Shaped bar at the room's center
The outdoor space is about the same size as the inside and features roughly a dozen tables, all offering great views of the mountains. This place is both dog and family friendly, as pups are allowed on the patio (which includes water bowls and treats), and they have plenty of board games inside for use. We were fortunate that Rock Cut even has some toddler toys like blocks and cars, which our 18-month-old Warren made sure to throw everywhere he could.
The Beer
You can't beat this beer-drinking view!
Rock Cut consistently maintains 12 different beers on tap, with 4-5 of them being their flagship options. During our visit, the menu was all over the place as far as styles go, including a few IPAs, multiple barrel-aged options, a lager, pilsner, and porter among others. You often see a menu recommending a specific drink with a food pairing, but Rock Cut pairs every one of their beers with a local adventure. For example, they suggest their Enos Pils being paired with either hiking Gem Lake or horseback riding in Beaver Meadows. We thought it was a neat idea to bring in some of the outdoor charm of the area.
We were here long enough to each try 2 brews, and we were rather impressed by the quality. One that stood out is their Altruism, which is an amber lager providing a good blend of both malts and bread-like taste. This draught is a bit different, as you typically find ambers to be ales and not lagers. Another solid choice was their flagship IPA, the Galactic Portal. This New England-style beer doesn’t pack a lot of hops but still gives off the juicy and faintly citrus flavor of a NEIPA. Rock Cut happened to be our first brewery stop of the trip, but we kept hearing from other travelers that their barrel-aged options were fantastic. We aren’t big fans of aged beers, but it sounds like these should be a go-to option if you pay a visit. Morgan did try one that was aged in wine barrels from the nearby Snowy Peaks Winery, which was neat to see the local venues in partnership.
Food, Merch, & More
While Rock Cut doesn’t have a full kitchen, they typically have food trucks onsite most days of the week to cure your hunger (unlucky for us, we were there the one day it wasn’t present). Their merchandise section is very robust for a brewery of its size, including tons of shirts and hats, glassware, rubber cups, tin signs, blankets, and even playing cards (which might be a first for us).
Tons of awesome merchandise options beyond the classic t-shirt
Lots of toys and games, which we greatly appreciated
Warren quickly destroying the vicinity
Pinkies out for beer!
Thank you, Rock Cut, for a fun environment for littles!
