Is Denver a good place to live for close hiking or is Boulder better?

[ALStafford]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Pssshhh. You don't know what you're talking about. How much time have you spent exploring the over 100 breweries in the Denver metro? Sorry pal. Minneapolis?

San Diego is awesome. Their beer scene is on the short list (Portland , San Diego, and Denver are that list BTW) but Ashville and Minneapolis? Not in the top 5 conversation, let alone top 3.

Best Beer Cities in America

SkyDog, I understand and agree with the 3-city short list. But you should really not discount Asheville. There's a reason Oskar Blues and New Belgium made their eastern production facilities there. Not only do they have many very, very good breweries, they also have some of the most innovative hops growing research in the US. Jeanine Davis is a university ag researcher who has been working on sustainable growing practices for the US hop industry for about 10 years.

If you have a chance to take a trip to the area, I strongly recommend it. Asheville is also generally listed as one of the top-10 "foodiest" cities in the US, and the beer industry and food industry work well together. You'd also be able to check out a great local music scene (Robert Earl Keen just played and Dark Star Orchestra and Trampled by Turtles are both upcoming at the Pisgah Brewing tap room). I just got back from there, and was really impressed by the whole beer/food/music scene.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by ALStafford

SkyDog, I understand and agree with the 3-city short list. But you should really not discount Asheville. There's a reason Oskar Blues and New Belgium made their eastern production facilities there. Not only do they have many very, very good breweries, they also have some of the most innovative hops growing research in the US. Jeanine Davis is a university ag researcher who has been working on sustainable growing practices for the US hop industry for about 10 years.

If you have a chance to take a trip to the area, I strongly recommend it. Asheville is also generally listed as one of the top-10 "foodiest" cities in the US, and the beer industry and food industry work well together. You'd also be able to check out a great local music scene (Robert Earl Keen just played and Dark Star Orchestra and Trampled by Turtles are both upcoming at the Pisgah Brewing tap room). I just got back from there, and was really impressed by the whole beer/food/music scene.

I've been there. I love it. I think it has a great beer scene and awesome little downtown. Great whitewater nearby as well. It's just not on the same scale. Pound for pound it's in the same league, just not as big.

[hawkbill]

It's hard to take someone seriously that says Minneapolis is anywhere close to on par with the Denver Metro as far as brewing beer is concerned. I haven't been to Asheville, so I won't argue either way on that, but I'm in Minneapolis plenty and their beer scene isn't anywhere close.

[howdydoody342]

what about Salt Lake City? Mountains are much closer than Denver, you have Park city literally 30 minutes away and a major airport also very close by.

Why is being 15 minutes to hiking such a high priority when u've been living in Florida for however long?

[Apple Tree]

Re: Beer. No. 7 San Diego - America's Best Beer Cities | Travel + Leisure

#1: Portland. "For microbrew lovers, the City of Roses is more like the Hub for Hops. "
#2: Denver. "Voters’ favorite season to visit is summer; come back in fall, and you can catch the Great American Beer Festival, one of the biggest brewfests in the nation."
#6: Minneapolis. "The Twin Cities climbed nine spots in the survey this year, and the buzziest beers seem to channel the outdoorsy, hipster vibe that voters love about Minnesota."
#7: San Diego. "The sunny city has been steadily rising in the ranks as its craft beer scene rapidly expands."

Conde Nast has them Asheville #2, Minneapolis #3, and San Diego #5. America's Best Beer Cities, as Chosen by Beer Experts*|*Conde Nast Traveler

Point being, my original statement of Asheville, San Diego, and Minneapolis "catching up" to Portland and Denver is not just me blowing hot air.... Perhaps Denver and Portland are still tops. But it is a lot more blurry than it was even five years ago.

But back to this original poster's post, give Asheville a good look. Everytime I go back there i realize how underrated it is. A hiker's paradise.

[randomparent]

Sorry, OP. Not on that budget. Denver has gotten ridiculously expensive.