Tasting

In a taproom in Fort Collins or Boulder, the beer sits before you in a pint glass. A US pint holds 473 milliliters, or 16 American fluid ounces, and the glass is usually a simple shape that widens toward the top—good for letting the aroma reach your nose.

Coors Banquet, known in Colorado as "Colorado Kool-Aid," runs a bit over 5 percent alcohol. It smells of grain and fresh bread, tastes lightly sweet, and finishes short and dry. The hops stay in the background. Serve it very cold, around 3 to 5 degrees Celsius, so the carbonation feels crisp.

Fat Tire runs about 5 percent alcohol, pours copper-colored, and smells of toast and caramel. On the palate, biscuit and a touch of fruit follow, with a soft, barely bitter finish. This ale tastes best at 6 to 8 degrees, since colder temperatures mask its roasted notes.

White Rascal from Avery Brewing, which according to the brewery itself started in Boulder in 1993, is a Belgian-inspired wheat beer with orange peel and coriander. It tastes cloudy, fresh, and lightly spiced.

Pints are poured at an angle until two-thirds full, then straight up to build a foam cap. In the taproom, you can also order a tasting flight, several small glasses of about 100 milliliters each, to taste the difference between lager, pale ale, and amber for yourself.