As a brewer, Chris Wright won't label beers good or bad, but that doesn't mean he has no opinions. "Any beer that appreciates the art and science of brewing," says the founder and head brewer at Pikes Peak Brewing Co., "is a good beer." That science is one that Chris began experimenting within 1997 as a home brewer. In 2011, his one-time hobby blossomed into a local commercial enterprise, where he swapped his former home-brew equipment of 10-gallon barrels for 310-gallon tanks. "The processes are entirely the same," he says about the transition, "but the stakes are higher." So too are the rewards, as he and his colleagues demonstrated at the 2012 Colorado State Fair, where they took home three medals, including a gold for their mild British session ale, The Brits Are Back.

Along with award-winning potions, the brewery also creates a sense of community. This begins with their space, designed "to blend themes of a brewery with a coffeehouse." An open-truss ceiling swoops over both a fireplace with couches and a long bar with windows that peek into the brewery. And throughout the space are the bluish-gray accents of reclaimed beetle-kill pinewood.

The food menu offers paninis and pretzels, with the food is designed to complement to the beer, not the other way around. "There are restaurants that happen to brew beer," Chris the consummate brewer attests. "We are a brewery that happens to have some food."