Vermont vs. Colorado: Which State Has the Best Craft Beer Scene?

Colorado gets the headlines, but Vermont keeps winning the blind tastings. When Untappd tallied its highest-rated breweries, Vermont placed five in the top 35 while Colorado placed four — a quiet upset that most beer drinkers still haven't processed.

The Numbers: Who Actually Has More Breweries?

Colorado has more breweries in raw count, consistently ranking in the top five states nationwide with over 400 active craft breweries as of late 2025. Vermont, with a population under 650,000, has roughly 60 to 70 craft breweries. That sounds like a landslide for Colorado until you run it per capita.

Per 100,000 residents, Vermont is among the top two or three states in the country, trading the top spot with Montana depending on which quarter you check. Colorado sits comfortably in the top ten, but Vermont's density is genuinely extraordinary for a state its size. You are never more than a short drive from a serious brewing operation in Vermont.

Quality vs. Volume: The Vermont Argument

Vermont's reputation is built on a specific, almost obsessive approach to hazy IPAs and farmhouse ales. The Alchemist's Heady Topper spent years as the highest-rated beer on Beer Advocate before the site's methodology changed. Foam Brewers, Hill Farmstead, Fiddlehead, and Lawson's Finest Liquids are names that serious beer travelers plan entire trips around.

Hill Farmstead in Greensboro Bend is widely considered one of the best breweries on earth. That is not hype. It wins international awards with regularity and operates out of a converted farm in one of the least populated corners of New England. The beer culture in Vermont is concentrated and intentional.

Colorado's strength is breadth. New Belgium, Odell, Oskar Blues, Great Divide, and Breckenridge represent decades of commercial brewing success. The Front Range corridor from Fort Collins to Pueblo has more taprooms per mile than almost any stretch of road in the country. Colorado also has a longer craft brewing history, with pioneers like New Belgium launching in 1991 and helping build the national infrastructure that made craft beer mainstream.

Beer Laws and Access: Where Is It Actually Easier to Drink?

Colorado liberalized its alcohol laws significantly over the past decade. Grocery stores can now sell full-strength beer, wine, and spirits, which was a major shift from the old 3.2 percent beer restrictions. Taproom hours are flexible, and the state has a well-established self-distribution system that helps small breweries get their product to consumers without going through a distributor.

Vermont has always had relatively permissive alcohol laws by New England standards. Breweries can self-distribute, taprooms can operate with straightforward licensing, and the state actively supports its agricultural brewing sector, including hop farms and grain growers that feed the local supply chain. Vermont's farm brewery license category is particularly notable, letting producers grow ingredients on-site and sell direct.

Both states score reasonably well on beer access compared to the Southeast or parts of the Midwest. Neither has the Sunday sale restrictions or package limit rules that frustrate drinkers in states like Georgia or Pennsylvania.

The Cost Factor: What Beer Tourism Actually Costs You

This is where the comparison gets practical. A Vermont beer trip means absorbing Vermont's cost of living. The state has a top income tax rate of 8.75 percent and property taxes that make even long-time residents wince. A pint at a Burlington taproom runs $8 to $10. If you are visiting Hill Farmstead, plan for a two-hour drive from Burlington on winding roads. It is worth it, but it is not convenient.

Colorado is not cheap either, particularly in Denver and Boulder where housing costs have spiked sharply. Colorado's income tax is a flat 4.4 percent, notably lower than Vermont's top bracket. A taproom pint in Fort Collins or Denver typically runs $7 to $9. The infrastructure is easier, the distances between destinations are shorter in the urban corridor, and Denver International Airport connects directly to most of the country.

If you are considering relocating to chase the beer scene, Colorado is the more financially livable state for most income levels. For a deeper look at how state taxes affect what you actually keep from your paycheck, see The True Cost of Living in High-Tax States. Retirees thinking about beer country relocation should also check Best States for Retirees to Avoid Taxes, since Vermont taxes retirement income in ways Colorado does not.

Run your own numbers at our state cost calculator to see how the tax difference hits your specific income.

Key Takeaways

• Vermont has roughly 10 craft breweries per 100,000 residents, one of the highest densities in the country. Colorado has over 400 total breweries but a lower per-capita rate.
• Vermont placed 5 breweries in Untappd's top 35 highest-rated in the world. Colorado placed 4. Both states punch well above their weight.
• Colorado's flat 4.4 percent income tax makes it meaningfully cheaper to live in than Vermont, which tops out at 8.75 percent, a real factor if you plan to stay.

Compare Vermont and Colorado side by side on taxes, cost of living, and quality of life at liveordiehere.com.