What do Chipotle, Coors, and the teddy bear all have in common? They were all invented by brilliant Coloradans! If you are impressed by these three, get ready to be even more enthralled, as Colorado also introduced the sweet and refreshing root beer float to the world:

It was 1893 when Cripple Creek Brewery owner Frank J. Wisner began experimenting with different flavors and mixtures, which brought about the first-ever root beer float!
Wikimedia Commons/Arnold Gatilao
Also known as a black or brown cow, the root beer float - complete with its creamy vanilla ice cream and refreshing soda - quickly gained popularity, with the newly-invented novelty becoming a staple at soda fountains everywhere.
Wikimedia Commons/Library of Congress
Like most great inventions, others have claimed to have first discovered the root beer float, however, we - and most of the internet! - know that it was a Colorado creation.
Flickr/Stacy Spensley

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Sadly, the Cripple Creek Brewery is no more, but there are still numerous places around Colorado to find a stellar root beer float, including the Denver-area Sweet Cow!
Sweet Cow Ice Cream Facebook
Featuring seven Front Range locations, Sweet Cow offers an old-fashioned float complete with its famous hand-crafted vanilla ice cream and delicious Boylan Root Beer.
Sweet Cow Ice Cream Facebook
While we recommend the Root Beer Float, Sweet Cow also offers other cool treats, including dozens of flavors of ice cream, sammies (ice cream sandwiches), shakes, and more.
Sweet Cow Ice Cream Facebook
To find a Sweet Cow location near you, please visit their website.
Sweet Cow Ice Cream Facebook

Do you have a favorite restaurant, attraction, or event that you would like to see featured here on Only in Colorado? Remember to nominate it here! To learn even more about can’t-live-without inventions that hail from Colorado, check out these 12 Surprising Things You Didn’t Know Came From Colorado.

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Featured Addresses
Sweet Cow, 637 Front St, Louisville, CO 80027, USA
Sweet Cow, 3475 W 32nd Ave, Denver, CO 80211, USA
Sweet Cow, 1882 S Pearl St, Denver, CO 80210, USA
Sweet Cow, 2628 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304, USA
Sweet Cow, 669 S Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305, USA