Paradox Beer Company

In a beer town this one stands out. Ok it isn’t really that close to Denver but it still stands out. Solid brews — not tons of choices but sometimes that is actually what you want. Great food. Awesome views. Didn’t have high expectations initially. A place that specializes in funky beers in the near middle of nowhere seemed strange. Now it makes perfect sense. I recommend whatever they have on tap or cask. We tried all 5 of the current rotation and all were really good and uniquely different. They weren’t over the top sour either if that isn’t your thing. At least this current group of beers wasn’t. Oh yeah and get the chips and dips. I see other posts about this being in an office building. I believe either they moved or this is a second location because they have an old gymnasium all to themselves where we went. I was admiring the basketball goal tucked up in the ceiling and the lines still on the floor. Also they are pretty artistic with old barrel staves!

First off, despite the average rating I’ve given Paradox, it’s important to note that I have every intention of going back and giving Paradox another try. Friendly service, relaxed, wine cellar-​like atmosphere. Several barrel-​fermented brews to choose from. The folks operating the tasting room are very knowledgeable and are happy to answer all brew-​making questions. Unfortunately, I’m giving them 3 stars for 3 reasons: 1) I did not care for the Peke Peke Amber ($ 3.50/5oz.) (too fruity and «new» tasting), 2) they do not make a gluten-​free brew, and 3) no food. I hate to base my review of Paradox on my limited experience with their brew offerings but it will have to do for now until they relocate to Divide (which is happening April 1) and I can get up there and explore the menu a bit more. I’m particularly intrigued by the fact that they age some of their brews in whiskey (Stranahan’s) barrels!

I knew I would love this brewery based on name and logo alone, I was not disappointed!
Quite the opposite, I have been holding off reviewing this special place as I absolutely loved it and didn’t want to ramble on and on too too much! Driving in from Denver on a Friday night, we pulled in about 20 minutes before they closed. They were so super cool, I felt like we could’ve hung out for hours!
It is in the garage of a weird office building /​suburban Mc Mansion gone wrong that also houses jazzercise and kempo — so that is fun and strange! Upon entering, a dozen smiling faces lit up the space. There were dogs napping on couches and laps, people laughing at the bar and many a brew being enjoyed.
They are a unique brewery in that they make super special brews and bottle them. No kegs or taps for these precious concoctions. Their specialty sours are labeled as skully #x and I tried a really good one! They also play with ingredients to create a variety of adventurous ales. Their niche is aging the beers in wine or booze barrels to add another dimension to their creations.
They even had a super special ‘accident’ beer that was not only limited edition, but never to be created again. My favorite by far was the Hasho Osho (I think, I could be very wrong). It had orange and pink peppercorns and was designed to complement a sushi meal. You better believe I took a bottle of this home that I am looking forward to devouring! There was also a rather tasty IPA aged in Whiskey barrels that the boyfriend purchased as it was fantastic. I could go on and on!
I was so impressed by the welcoming employees who readily provided us with information, explanation, and excitement. Let’s just say we spent a hundred bucks in those twenty minutes because we could take some of these delicious bottles home and I loved their hoodie!
I met a British biker chick, two very cool employees, and shared a love of their products with other patrons. It was a magical experience. I have been to quite a few breweries, and this ranks among the best!

I loved nearly every single brew they poured. They have such a unique and amazing set of beers (also open labor day!) as well as very helpful staff and cool atmosphere.

If your favorite beer is cheap and in a can that changes color — you won’t like this place. It truly is a place for aficionados who have a mature palette.
So I convinced my husband to take a Saturday drive with me by telling him we would stop at Paradox. I have never seen him ready to walk out of the house so quickly in all the years of our marriage! We really enjoy microbrews. We have tried Paradox beers before from a local liquor store. In all of our trips to/​through Woodland Park we’ve never driven by when they were open.
Knowing from our friends who do home brewing, I have come to love the smell of fermentation. Walking into Paradox is like walking into an old study filled with exotic wood and fine liquor. I would be happy just stopping in to sit and smell the air all day long! BUT THE BEST PART IS THE BEER!
We each did a flight of 4 samples for $ 6. They are small pours intended to give you a taste of what is available (they don’t really repeat beers — I think everything is limited release). We found 4 we wanted to take home, bought multiple bottles and shirts to remember the trip.
Awesome setup, but not a place to «go drinking». Go, taste, buy, and support a really cool concept small business.

This is the first time I have ever felt the need to post my opinion about a brewery. If you like to pay anywhere from 2.50 to 5.00 for a 5 ounce pour and you like your beer to taste like a cheap wine/​wine cooler then please check out the over priced poor quality brewery. This is not a brewery, it is a third class winery.

Paradox Brewery shares a building with Jazzersize. When you enter the building, it smells of middle aged people in spandex. But, the beer is so good that, in spite of this, it STILL deserves 5 stars.
1. The location is not great. Like I said, smells like old sweat when you enter the shared entrance. But once you get tinside the actuall brewery, it is a small intimate bar within a larger warehouse. Sipping great beer amongst barrels of it’s offspring is glorious. There will an urge to talk to the attendant and you should. They will be un-​busy enough to go in depth and get you excited about beer again.
2. The beer is great. It’s all 100% aged in barrels and its great. I’ve bought 3 – 4 different bottles, and sampled 4 – 5 more different kinds. All great. They make sours, the wine of beer, that make me tweet about it everytime I try it.
3. service has been great. You get to know the brewers and attendants and they help get you excited about aged beer.
4. It’s different. Be prepared for old world style beer served from a bottle. Be ready for small portions and learn to sip: this ain’t for chugging.

The wifey and I took a quick roadtrip down to Woodland Park to check out Paradox, and we weren’t disappointed! Its tucked in a nondescript little complex off the side of the road (if you’re like me, you’ll miss it and have to do a u-​turn to get back to it) but it’s well worth it. Their beers are all solid, and their taproom has the feel of a wine cave with barrels stacked all around. Reminded me a lot of an ‘underground’ brewery in Portland we visited – hard to find and plain-​looking until you open the random-​seeming door and step into another world.
If you find yourself in the area, definitely stop in – or do like we did and just go on purpose! Paradox is one of the more unique breweries in a suds-​saturated market, and they are sure to have a few beers that you are going to love.

Way out of the way in Woodland Park, we went to this teeny tiny brewery in an office building. Almost all the beers are bottle conditioned, so when you ask for a sample or a pour of a beer, they actually open each bottle to order (They are resealable). Although small, the taproom was bustling and the service was excellent.
If you can sit at the bar, I’d recommend it because we got to chat to one of the brewers and it was a good time. We tried just about everything they had to offer, and it changes pretty frequently. Some standouts were the Figgy Puddin’ (a dark beer with dates, figs, and cherries), and the Skully #5 (an amazing cranberry sour aged in red wine barrels). I also picked up a Red Red Rye, a rye beer aged in red wine barrels, as a stocking stuffer. Bottles (750 mls) run $ 10,18, which if you consider that each has live yeast and is bottle conditioned, is a pretty reasonable price.
Most beers are above 7% abv, so have a designated driver when you come here. It’s also pretty far from the Springs or Manitou, so you have to commit to coming here. I can’t see myself driving the 2+ hours to get here from my house, but luckily Paradox bottles are now readily available at Small Batch Liquors, Argonaut, Mondo Vino, etc. It’s a risk to buy something you’ve never tried, but with this brewery, take the risk, because everything we tried was worth buying a bottle of.

My new favorite! Even if you don’t find yourself down on the south end of our state, I highly recommend a special trip. Their bottles can be purchased at a fine craft beer purveyor near you, but at the tasting room, you get to try them all at once.
We had a bottle of «Yang» in our fridge for awhile, but my interest wasn’t piqued until we cracked it open recently. For some reason I equated «barrel aged» with «heavy» but the contents were a light, perfectly spiced, effervescent Brett beer. I was smitten.
Turns out, all of their beers are equally unique with varying degrees of funk. We had a sample of the new generation of Yang and it was a bit more sour and juicy then the previous version. Other standouts were the Pepitas Grande, a dark pumpkin beer with chili aged in red wine barrels. I also liked the wild rye IPA and black currant sour.
Paradox also has some good looking swag for those who like to represent their favorite craft breweries. Most bombers are $ 10 which is a steal to me, considering how time and labor intensive barrel aging wild beers is.
The location itself shares a building with a Jazzercise and I was a bit skeptical when we walked through the hall to the door to Paradox. Once inside, the taproom is inviting with a four person bar, tables, dartboards, and a garage door opening to a gorgeous view of Pikes Peak.

These guys are making great beer! If you are a fan of handcrafted, barrel aged beer, do yourself a favor and head to Paradox! They also have free pool and darts in the tap-​room with a great view!

Unique beers in a very special space. Paradox is making some of the most innovative beers you’ll find in all of Colorado.