Après-Ski, or Après Board as we like to call it, is the tradition of coming off the mountain and heading out for sips, bites, dancing and anything social.  Some ski towns are known for their Après Ski as much as their mountain and fortunately Breckenridge Colorado has the best of both worlds.  If you’re looking for a good drink, a social scene and cheap bites in Breckenridge after a killer day of shreddin’ the Pow Pow, here are some of our tops!

Over the past few years we’ve spent a lot of time in Breckenridge, and as you can guess we’ve eaten (and drank) at pretty much every location we could find. We were surprised when we told people we were going for Après-Ski and they said “What’s Après Ski?”  Well, I’m not sure where it originated, but I know it’s french for ‘after ski’ and in parts of Europe, it’s a very important part of Skiing.  You must celebrate a good day on the mountain with friends, food and drink.  And for such a small town there are a ton of options in Breck, so below we’ve turned our “hard work” (all this drinking and eating is hard work ya know!) into a power packed list of our favorite spots for tasty, cheap, and always satisfying spots for you to celebrate a great day on the mountain.

Breckenridge Distillery – Free samples is what it’s all about….well actually the free samples of tasty creations will just make you want to walk out with a bottle or two for the road (free is never free ya know)!  The Vodka is smooth, the sipping bitters is very unique, the chocolate sauce is divine, and of course Nikki can’t turn down good bourbon.  We walked out with a bottle and 2 proper copper mugs so we could make Moscow Mules, one of our favorite drinks!  There are 2 locations: A tasting room in town on Main Street, and the other is the distillery, located near the free mountain parking lot, where you can take a tour and of course try some more free samples.

Mi Casa – This Breck staple has expertly crafted margaritas with fresh juices, some made with local spirits, and all are hand shaken.  The regular menu food here is good, on the other hand the happy hour tacos are only $1 (and they taste fine, but what do you expect for only a buck?).  The nachos are free and pretty decent, but they are first come first serve so when they’re gone they’re gone.  A few years ago I remember this place being slam jam packed, but now they regulate the number of people allowed in the bar area, which is GREAT because you don’t have to wait 20 minutes for a drink.  We’ve eaten next to many famous people here including Sean White, who was friendly enough to say hello.

Mother Loaded Tavern – They say it’s the Best and the Worst of Americana…and we couldn’t agree more.  This was our first visit here and it was highly recommended by many of the locals we chatted up.  Pass the kitsch in the front dining area and enter what feels like a speakeasy bar in the back.  I can honestly say the cocktails we’re AWESOME!  Our bartender used the free pour method and she did not hold back!  One drink in and I was feelin’ good.  Then the food came out…all white, covered in white cheese sauce (this must be the “worst of Americana” they were talking about).  For vegetarians like us this place probably isn’t the best choice for food, but have a few cocktails and you won’t care how many carbs you’re ingesting!

Breckenridge Brewery – I’m sure you’ve seen their beer!  This little brewery originally became famous for their very tasty Vanilla Porter.  The owners haven’t let their fame go to their heads.  It’s still a small little brewery out here in Breck and they’ve recently updated their famous beer as the NVP (Nitrous Vanilla Porter) an instant winner in my book (you can still get the original too, along with a bunch of other good beer).  The brewery has some good deals for Après Ski but nothing beats their ‘Worker Lunch’ so we fudged a bit to get it in the video.  Burger, Fries and a Beer for cheap, what more of a reason do you need to get off the mountain for a lunch hour?!?  The special includes a veggie burger option and if you’re like us splurge the extra $0.50 for the fried jalapenos, you won’t be sorry…or maybe you will if you’re planning to hit some killer blacks after lunch (here comes heartburn).

Other cool places to check out if you’re in town:

• Blue River Bistro – Upscale dinner spot but the Après Ski pricing is super affordable, but arrive early cause it gets packed!
• Modis – Want a proper Manhattan?  The mixologists here bring their A-Game at this small favorite, it gets packed too, but one taste and you’ll see why.  They also serve some of the best food in Town.  If you plan on dinner (which we recommend) make a reservation.
• Relish – Sit at the bar for great conversation and order up some yummy grub, this has long been one of our go-to spots and has never let us down.
• Lucha Cantina – Killer salsa’s (they have a huge selection of house made salsa) and cheap margaritas.  Very casual place with $1 tacos (usually with meat) and giant burritos.  An après ski favorite for us as well.

Happy Hour, Après Ski, Worker Lunch, Reverse Happy Hour, and Free Samples; the deals just keep coming, ya just gotta know how to work it.

If there’s one piece of information you leave with after reading this post let it be this:  DO NOT GET STUCK EATING ON THE MOUNTAIN!  One day we couldn’t make it till the 4pm discounts and decided to order a Bloody Mary and a bowl of vegetable soup at the base of peak 7, oh boy did they bend us over: $30!  So why go for mediocre food at outrageous prices on the mountain when you can go for good food at great prices in town!

What’s your favorite mountain tradition?  Have you been to Breckenridge or found some stellar Après Ski destinations yourself?  Don’t be shy…share below in the comments.

More Breckenridge Fun:

• Snowboarding & Skiing Breckenridge (and where to park it)
• How To Prepare Your RV For A Winter Adventure

Disclaimer:  We were not paid to write or video, and the best we got for free was a cocktail, so you can be assured our comments and recommendations are not swayed and are our own.