Frisco has long been known as a sleepy resort town at the foot of Mount Royal, with its quaint Main Street that serves as a cozy stop for travelers within a stone’s throw of some of the world’s best skiing.

But seemingly overnight, Frisco has also become an essential stop on any beer-lover’s tour of Colorado’s booming brewery scene. The town is now home to two of the nation’s best beer establishments, with Main Street’s HighSide Brewery being ranked by a USA Today reader’s poll as one of the nation’s 10 best brew-pubs, a year after Outer Range Brewery was ranked as the nation’s second best brewery.

Both breweries got national recognition in their first year of business. HighSide will be celebrating their first year with the “Doin’ Good Havin’ Fun” benefit bash on May 18, featuring can releases, live music from big-hitters in the bluegrass scene and the long-awaited opening of the establishment’s second floor.

Owner David Axelrod is a Breckenridge local of 22 years who co-founded Broken Compass Brewing in Breckenridge four years ago before starting up HighSide in 2018. He said that he wanted to mark the brewery’s success in its first year by saying thanks to the community around it.

“It’s feeling great right now,” Axelrod said. “We’ve had so much support from the local community, and we’re super excited for year two.”

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