Our love of breweries is due to our love of beer, yes, but they can also be a proxy measure of community. Hear me out. We went to Pikes Peak Brewing Co last night and noticed three things that are a sure sign of a community brewery:
- They have a mug club.
- They have a “buy a beer for a friend” board.
- Lots and lots and lots of people in the brewery were wearing the brewery’s t-shirt. A lot.
Those three factors add up to this–a group of people keep coming back to the same place. They mix. They mingle. They get to know each other and get to know who is in their community. That is what we want from a brewery. Factor in that Pikes Peak Brewing Co had some great beers…and, it gets bumped a little higher in our favorite brewery listing. I enjoyed the Ascent Pale Ale and Cas had the Elephant Rock. We were both happy campers with our choices, but decided to move on and try another nearby brewery.