Planning status: This outing is still tentative. Our Aspen flights, lodging and Opiuo tickets are booked; other activities remain unconfirmed. See our complete Aspen trip plan for December 11–17, 2026.
Craft beer is half the reason Becca and I travel the way we do: adventure by day, a great taproom by night. So while planning our December 11–17 trip to Aspen, one of the first things we looked up was where to drink local beer. What we found surprised us.
This is our pre-trip plan. Afterward, we’ll add a short outcome update linking to our separate firsthand report.
First, the surprise: no brewpub in downtown Aspen
For years, the go-to was Aspen Brewing Company’s Aspen Tap on Galena Street. Colorado’s Westbound & Down Brewing bought Aspen Brewing in late 2023 and reopened the space as Westy’s Tap & Tavern in April 2024, but Westy’s is now listed as closed. Unless something new opens before December, Aspen itself doesn’t have a brewery taproom right now.
The good news: the beer is still here, it’s just down valley. Highway 82 runs from Aspen through Basalt and Carbondale to Glenwood Springs, and that stretch has some genuinely great breweries.
In Aspen: the Wintersköl Beer Festival
Our biggest beer moment in Aspen will be the Wintersköl Beer Festival on Saturday, December 12, 2–6pm in Wagner Park, with live music and tastings for guests 21 and up. It’s part of Aspen’s 75th Wintersköl celebration. We’re planning to use it as a scouting trip: taste widely, take notes, and visit the breweries we like best later in the week. All the details are in our Wintersköl 2026 guide.
Basalt
Westbound & Down – Basalt
371 Market St. This was Capitol Creek Brewery until Westbound & Down took it over, reopening it under its own name in 2024. Beer is brewed on site, and there’s a full food menu, a full bar and non-alcoholic options. Westbound & Down started in Idaho Springs and has been on a roll lately, picking up seven medals and a Brewery of the Year award in its category at the Great American Beer Festival. This is the one we’re most excited about.
Mountain Heart Brewing Taproom
132 Midland Ave. Part café, part taproom, with coffee, pastries, sandwiches and homemade ice cream alongside the beer. Mountain Heart focuses on IPAs, lagers and fruited sours, brewed at its Carbondale production brewery. It looks like a perfect morning-coffee-to-afternoon-pint stop.
Carbondale
Carbondale Beer Works
A small, local brewery right in Carbondale. The town has a reputation as one of Colorado’s great laid-back drinking towns, so we’re planning to wander Main Street and see what else we find.
Glenwood Springs
Glenwood Canyon Brewing
402 Seventh St. Glenwood’s hometown brewpub, pouring since 1996 in the historic downtown next to the Hotel Denver. It has a long beer list and a full restaurant, and it’s a short walk from the Glenwood Hot Springs pool, which makes it an easy pairing.
Casey Brewing & Blending Taproom
711 Grand Ave. This is a destination for sour and wild-ale fans. Casey ferments its beers in oak barrels with wild yeasts and bacteria, often using Colorado ingredients. The taproom serves snacks, and you’re welcome to bring in food from nearby restaurants.
Our plan: a down-valley beer day
Snowmobile tours near Aspen generally run Tuesday through Saturday, so Monday, December 14 looks like our natural down-valley day. The rough idea:
- Late morning in Basalt: coffee at Mountain Heart, then lunch and a flight at Westbound & Down.
- Afternoon in Glenwood Springs: a soak in the hot springs, then Casey’s taproom. Its Monday hours are shorter, roughly 2–7pm, so we’ll time it carefully.
- Dinner at Glenwood Canyon Brewing before heading back up valley.
Tips if you’re doing this too
- Don’t drink and drive Highway 82. Pick a designated driver or use the valley’s RFTA buses, which connect Aspen with Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs. December roads can be icy.
- Check hours before you go. Mountain-town breweries often change hours by season, and the valley has seen several closures and rebrands lately.
- Respect the altitude. Aspen sits near 8,000 feet. Drink water between pints, especially your first day or two.
- Bring the dog? Several of these places allow dogs on the patio only, which won’t be much fun in December. Plan accordingly.
We’ll report back
After the trip we’ll share our favorite pours, the best bites and anything new we discovered in a separate firsthand report, linked here. Know a valley brewery or beer bar we shouldn’t miss? Tell us.
We’ll preserve this original plan. After the trip, we’ll add a short outcome update and a link to a separate firsthand report at the top. Both will be collected on our Aspen trip page.
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