After a long week, sometimes it’s nice to just kick back and relax with a nice pint of beer. Luckily, Boulder has a handful of microbreweries that also offer some pretty stellar happy hours.

Twisted Pine Brewing Company is quickly growing to become one of my favorite spots for a cold brew. Located just behind The Spot, it is tucked away from the chaos of downtown Boulder. When you pull into their parking lot, a smell of barley and hops wafts through the air, quickly reassuring you in your decision to come to Twisted Pine. On top of their unique selection of year-round beer, including their famous chili-infused beer Billy’s Chilies, Twisted Pine also offers some great rotating specialty beers on tap. They offer $1.00 off all beers and $3.00 off pitchers during their weekday happy hour (4-6pm) and all day Tuesdays! For the adrenaline junkies, they have the Ghostface Killah, a wheat beer infused with six varieties of chilies, including the infamous ghost pepper. Try it if you’re daring enough! If you’re looking for a small snack, try their chips and queso, an ale-infused delicious cheesy treat.

Nestled just east of the Pearl Street mall is the Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery, a well-known gathering place to many Boulderites. This place has two happy hours, so if you miss the normal 4-6pm then you can still catch their late night happy hour from 11pm-close. All of their flagship beers are offered for $3.50 instead of the regular $5.00. They offer free samples of their beer, so if you can’t decide from just looking at the menu then grab a few samples. This is a drinks only happy hour, however they have some great affordable bites, like their famous vegetarian chili and hand-cut fries. Mountain Sun is very vegetarian friendly and is also greatly accommodating to gluten allergies.

And, a plus for the remainder of the month, February is Mountain Sun’s famous Stout Month. Each week, they rotate the stouts on tap, so be sure to stop by soon before your favorite is gone. Also, this is a cash only restaurant. They do have an ATM in the back, but if you want to skip the three-dollar charge then be sure to come with a few extra bills in your wallet.

The Walnut Brewery, Boulder’s original brewpub, also has two happy hours, during which you can get any of their signature brews for $3.00. The first happy hour is from 3-6pm and the late-night one is from 10pm-close. They also offer some small bites for $3.00, $4.00 and $5.00. There are plenty of booths with views of their television screens, so this bar is a great spot to come watch your favorite sports game.

Avery Brewing Company is also one of my favorite spots to visit for a cold beer, especially out on their patio on a hot summer day. Unfortunately, however, they are closed for a very brief period of time. Avery is moving to a bigger facility and is expanding their restaurant. Be sure to visit at their new location, 4910 Nautilus Ct, for its grand opening on February 16 at 3pm. The new dining menu has not been released, however I’m sure it will not disappoint!

Morgan Sweeney