Renegade Brewing Adds 2nd Location
- December 05, 2012 -
Renegade Brewing Company in Denver is a great example of what is happening in Colorado's craft beer world today. Open for only a year and a half, owners Khara and Brian O'Connell have already expanded their taproom, added a patio, increased their brewing capacity substantially, canned and bottled their beer, and now are opening a second location.
Whew! Makes me tired just writing about it. If you've ever owned a small retail business, you know how much work goes into just getting the doors open to start with, getting up and running, and maintaining a satisfied clientele.
But Renegade is on a roll, and now planning to open the Renegade Publick House, a pub and restaurant in the University of Denver neighborhood that will take Renegade Brewing Company's beers to a new location in South Denver. The new pub will be located at 2043 S. University Blvd, just north of the intersection of University and Evans. The new 2000 square foot space will host 20 craft beers on tap. As for the selection, Renegade will hold 5-8 of the taps at any given time. These beers will be some of the favorites that people know from the brewery at 925 W 9th Ave, as well as some specialties that will only be offered at the Publik House. The remaining taps will rotate through a wide variety of craft beer styles and craft breweries. There are no parameters that will define the guest tap beers other than they will be excellent examples of their style and a superb representation of craft beer. A wide selection of canned and bottled beers will also be available including the beers that Renegade offers in cans.
They are planning to open the Publick House in mid-March 2013 if all goes well, and are keeping the food simple with gourmet pizzas and salads. Renegade is working with Esinem Designs to create the new bar area, and plans to utilize design elements to highlight the role of academia in the neighborhood.
All in a year and a half. Wow. Another example of the amazing growth we are witnessing in Colorado craft beer. Go Renegade.
Black Bottle Brewery Opens Saturday
- November 29, 2012 -
Sean and Erin Nook are finally ready to blow the doors open to their new Black Bottle Brewery in Fort Collins this Saturday, 12/1/12. After all the hard work, Sean is feeling crazed, but happy. “Yeah, it's finally happening!” was his comment.
Black Bottle Brewery is a brewpub, and plans to offer all kinds of amazing food, served ala carte, as well as pizzas. How does crab mac 'n cheese, pork wings, waffle fries smothered in green chile sound? Not only that, but Black Bottle Brewery has 40 taps, 4 of which to start will showcase Black Bottle brews, the other 36 will be a “beer snob's” pick. You won’t find a brewery's “flagship” beer on tap here. This beery array will feature the special, the exotic, the hard-to-find, from breweries all over the world. Did we mention that Black Bottle Brewery also offers a great selection of wine, and a full-service bar? Hungry and thirsty yet? Well, get over to Black Bottle Brewery in Fort Collins this weekend and help them celebrate in style.
The Black Bottle brews you can find this weekend on tap:
Hipster IPA
Rumskey Brett Wine, a sour aged in a multipurpose barrel
Bitches Get Stitches, an imperial rye stout aged in Makers Mark barrels, cut with Brettanomyces
Black Bacchus, their Recession Proof Porter aged in pinot noir barrrels
Doors open at 11am Saturday, Dec. 1st. Go Black Bottle!
Brewery Rickoli Opens In Wheat Ridge
- November 28, 2012 -
Brewery Rickoli opens on the Colorado craft beer scene today as the first craft brewery in Wheat Ridge. Rickoli is Rick Abitbol, who, with his wife Jacqua, are ready to serve up their hand-crafted beers to the folks of Wheat Ridge and the greater Denver area.
Rick has over 10 years experience as a professional brewer up and down the Front Range, and can’t wait to finally be pouring his own beer. His system is small, 1/2 barrel to be exact, and he knows that he will be brewing often. “It’s really an efficient system”, says Rick, “I’ve got it to where I can turn batches around quickly”. The list below shows he’s been putting it to good use. Here is the opening list of beers available today. Looks like Wheat Ridge will be well-served.
Grand Opening starts at 4pm.
Social Lubricant Scotch Ale
This is a traditional Scotch ale. Golden Promise malt with a touch of roast barley, boiled extensively to concentrate the caramel flavors with just the stingiest amount of English hops! 7% abv
Rickoli's Totally EYE-P-A
Pale malt and a touch of Munich malt combine to provide a clean and sturdy base for the intense hop flavor and aroma in this beer. At 7.5% abv, This beer falls in line with the new wave of IPA beers on the market. Apollo and Columbus hops. Rick describes this beer as his “Desert Island beer”
The Black Pliny
This is a very intense imperial black IPA! Extreme hop nose and flavor supported by just a kiss of dark malt that gives a subtle smoke in the profile. 10%abv.
Rickoli's Aldo Red
This is a very flavorful derivation of a German beer style called ALTBIER. A little fuller boded than the German version, this beer has the depth of flavor of an Irish Red, but finishes cleaner. This beer is 5.5%abv and uses Munich, Vienna, and Pilsner malt with a little noble hop to give it
character.
Rickoli's Hearty Rye Stout
This is a hearty rye stout that satisfies the soul! Roast and coffee notes are combined with rye spiciness and full body sweetness of the malt to cradle the gentle American hop flavor this beer takes advantage of. 6.5%abv
Bull & Bush Kitchen Is OPEN AGAIN!
- November 27, 2012 -
After three long months of construction, the massive kitchen overhaul at Glendale's Bull & Bush is complete and the food is being served up hot. As they say at their website,
It's official. The Great Kitchen Remodel of 2012 has finally come to an end. All your favorite Bull & Bush Brewery menu items are now available. Once we've gotten settled in to the new digs, we'll throw a grand opening party that is not to be missed. For now, come on in and catch up on all the green chili we have deprived you of for the last two months! Thanks for your patience and we are looking forward to feeding all your smiling faces again!
The original kitchen cranked out delicious food for over 40 years with hardly a day off, and was ready for a little time off and an upgrade. The brewhouse is next on the list of expansions at Bull & Bush, which will add capacity and in-house packaging operations at their iconic family restaurant location.
Stay tuned for more info, and for God's sake if you haven't been to Bull & Bush, now is the time to go. If you've been waiting for the kitchen to re-open, now is the time to go. If you're looking for a truly remarkable lineup of great craft beers, now is definitely the time to go to Bull & Bush.
Strange Brewing Bottles Award-Winning Barleywine
- November 21, 2012 -
Strange Brewing Company in Denver won a bronze medal at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival for their Dr. StrangeLove Barleywine. They are now brewing enough to bottle bombers of the barleywine, ready to sell just in time for the holidays. The bombers will only be for sale at the tasting room.
Elevation Beer Co. Big Ski Giveaway
- November 08, 2012 -
Elevation Beer Company is kicking off winter and their upcoming beer releases with a custom Ski Giveaway at select restaurants and liquor stores in Colorado, according to a recent press release.
"We are so excited to be teaming up with Fortitude Skis to kick off the ski season in style," says Elevation's Marketing Director and Co-founder Sheila Bustamante, "Fortitude Skis is a small Colorado company that prides itself on crafting the highest quality products, much like ourselves."
The skis are Fortitude's Propellers, a top of the line All Mountain ski, made with custom Elevation graphics. The skis will be given away at a series of tasting and beer events across Chaffee, Summit, and Boulder counties this winter at some of the best Apres-ski locations in the state, including Monarch Mountain's Sidewinder Saloon and Breckenridge's Northside Pizza.
The Ski Giveaway is celebrating Elevation's launch of two new beers this December, Oil Man a Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, and an unannounced top secret release in their Black Series. Elevation is also releasing their First Cast IPA and Little Mo' Porter in 16oz bottles across the High Country giving fans of Elevations Blue Series a chance to enjoy them at home.
A total of 8 pairs of Elevation/Fortitude Skis will be raffled off across the state, and the raffle events will also include gear from Native Eyewear (Denver, Colorado) as well as other great Elevation giveaways, beginning with a ski season launch party at the brewery on Friday, Nov. 16th.
For more information on where and when Elevation will be raffling off the skis check out their Facebook page or their website.
Monument Beer Week at Pikes Peak Brewing
- October 17, 2012 -
Pikes Peak Brewing Co. has created Monument Beer Week, which runs from Oct.20-Oct 27th. There are events every evening that can be found on our Events Page.
Monument Beer Week is a celebration of the craft and culture of beer. Some very special events include a Rare Beer Tasting on Monday, Oct 22 to celebrate the opening of the new Barrel Room.
You must see the list of beers being offered:
Scaldis Prestige De Nuits-Brasserie Dubuisson
Lucienaga-Jolly Pumpkin
Bam Noire-Jolly Pumpkin
Signal de Botrange-Elevation Beer Co.
Double DBA-Firestone Walker
Oak Aged Yeti-Great Divide
Monks Cafe-Brewery Van Steenberge
Petrus Oud Bruin-Brewery Van Steenberge
Petrus Aged Pale Ale-Brewery Van Steenberge
Batch #1-Crooked Stave
Curetta Reserva-Crooked Stave
Duchesse De Bourgogen-Brouwerij Verhaeghe
La Trappe-Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven
LambickX-De Troch
Le Capitaine-Trinity Brewery
Oude Tart-The Bruery
Paradox Beer Co.
River North Brewery
Sour-AC Golden
There are also beer dinners, a Ladies Only beer and dessert pairing, and a Grand Release party on Thursday, Oct 25th for Paradox Beer Co. from Woodland Park. Pikes Peak Brewing has also partnered with the Sundance Mountain Lodge for a special Monument Beer Week package. For $89 a night you get a room within walking distance of most events and a 1L growler with the beer of your choice-what a deal! Make reservations at 719-481-6000, and be sure to ask for the Monument Beer Week package.
Check out all the events here.
Two Rascals Brewing Opens Today In Montrose
- September 20, 2012 -
Dan Leonardi and Brandon Frey are two rascals that couldn't be happier. Today their dreams come to fruition, as Two Rascals Brewing Co. opens in Montrose.
We've talked about Brandon and Dan before, as they are both wildland firefighters for the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and put in a busy season this year, fighting fire in Colorado and in other states.
But their dream for years, as friends and homebrewers, has been to open a brewery. Together they took Tom Hennessey's week-long Frankenbrew course at Colorado Boy, and have a square mashtun built from an old milk tank to prove it.
The beers they'll have to offer today include a scottish Ale, an IPA, and a wheat. Next week they will add an amber and a stout to the lineup. Hours of operation will be Mon-Sun, 4pm-9pm.
Stop in and visit these two rascals in Montrose.
Elevation Beer Rises To The Challenge
- September 18, 2012 -
After just 4 months in business, Elevation Beer Co. in Poncha Springs needs to expand. Elevation was planning on producing between 500-700 barrels of beer in its first seven months of operation, but due to overwhelming demand the brewery is looking to break at least 1100 barrels in its first year. Not bad for being open such a short time.
The expansion will add two 60-barrel fermenters and one 30-barrel fermenter which will more than double their brewing capacity. The expansion plans also include the addition of a fully automated bottling line.
Head brewer Christian Koch says "This expansion will allow us to brew around 4,000 barrels a year and to keep up with our local demand and our demand for our barrel-aged and specialty beers across Colorado's Front Range." Elevation has already ramped up production on its next two releases; Downpour, a hoptastic Double India Red Ale, and Oil Man, an Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels from Breckenridge Distilling.
"Downpour should hit Denver in mid-October, and will replace our Apis IV in the Black Series" says Christian, ‘While Oil Man will be available come mid-November and will replace Signal de Botrange in our Double Black Series. We are very excited about these beers as they already are tasting pretty fantastic."
With the increase in production and the expansion Elevation will look to have over 100 oak barrels for aging beer in their facility by the end of January, making their barrel room one of the larger in the state.
"This expansion will allow us to keep making big beers like Signal de Botrange, Oil Man, and Downpour," says Carlin Walsh, GM and one of the co-founders of the brewery. "We are excited to be one more example of what happens when people decide to drink locally and choose to support their local craft breweries."
Colorado Mountain Brewery Opens At The Roundhouse
- September 10, 2012 -
Friday, Sept. 7th marked Opening Day for the new location of Colorado Mountain Brewery in the historic roundhouse at the corner of 21st St. and Highway 24 in Colorado Springs.
The huge stone roundhouse was completed in 1888, to house the steam engines of the Colorado Midland Railway. Today the large arched doorways remain, and the brewery has strived to preserve the feeling of the original building, including a huge mural of the historic roundhouse recreated from a rare 1890’s photo.
The brewhouse tanks are encased behind glass on 2 levels. A long, curved bar faced with stone spans the main level dining area, offering 30 taps to tempt the craft beer drinker, including brewmaster Andy Bradley's creations. Wood-fired pizza and an additional wood grill along with a full service kitchen provide lots of great choices for diners. The new brewery also offers patio dining with an 8 foot open fireplace. It's a great spot to catch the sun setting over Pikes Peak.
This new location is a "must" visit, being able to sit and sip a beer in the historic roundhouse by one of several fireplaces, or out on the patio and imagine those trains moving through, maybe heading up to Cripple Creek to pick up a load of gold ore. It's a good feeling that this piece of local history is still standing, and has new life.
West Flanders Brewing Co. Set To Open Sept.24
- August 29, 2012 -
West Flanders Brewing Company will be opening on September 24 in the old BJ's Restaurant & Brewery location at 1125 Pearl St. in Boulder.
From press release, Aug.29th, 2012:
The owners are restaurant veterans Mark and Chris Heinritz who have owned The Sink in Boulder since 1992, and were founders of the Redfish New Orleans Brewhouse, which was tremendously popular in Boulder in the mid-to-late 90s, and whose beer and food-centric menu was one of the first of its kind. Mark and Chris are joined by longtime restaurateur Barry Wolfman who will be the operating partner.
They are also joined by award-winning brewmaster Brian Lutz, previous brewmaster at Left Hand Brewing Company, Redfish and Oskar Blues. Lutz is known for his audacious beers with creative flavor profiles, and for being instrumental in helping Oskar Blues become the first craft brewery to can their beer (Dale's Pale Ale).
West Flanders will be the fulfillment of decades of dreaming and planning to build a brewpub that celebrates both community and beer. "When we heard that BJ's would be vacated, it reignited all the unfulfilled dreams from the Redfish days,"said Mark Heinritz. “It's the perfect second act, but in a better location-and with the addition of decades of collective experience.”
“The world's beer drinkers have also been evolving since that first batch of Angry Monk I made,” says Lutz. “Now the craft beer community is finally ready for beers with complex flavor that are as dynamic as they are intriguing. Make sure your seat belt is buckled, because we are about to go on one hell of a ride!"
Jamie Lucas was a natural choice as executive chef. He had an innate understanding of how to pair food with beer to create entirely new flavor combinations. Together Lutz and chef Lucas have created a never before seen beer-centric menu that will surprise and delight beer and food lovers alike.
West Flanders Brewing Company will be open 7 days a week, from 11am-1am, serving lunch, dinner, and late night snacks.
Three Barrel Brewing Cranks It Up
- August 28, 2012 -
Lots of exciting new from our friends at Three Barrel Brewing in Del Norte. They've built a new taproom, complete with a new wood-fired pizza oven cranking out calzones, pizzetta (a Napolitano-style pizza baked at a high temp), stromboli, all made from scratch with fresh ingredients. They are serving lunch & dinner Tuesday through Sunday, and the taproom is open for beer 7 days a week.
They are ramping up their beer production too. According to brewer Will Kreutzer, they are now bottling bombers, and plans are to offer a mixed 6-pack of sour beers. This is exciting for sour beer fans, because owner/ head brewer John Bricker has been quietly building a reputation for his Belgian Series of sour beers. They plan to have several sours on tap at the brewery.
Right now the Beer Keg Depot in Alamosa has bombers to sell, including Hop Trash IPA, Trashy Blonde, Burnt Toast American Brown and Black Copter Stout. More deliveries will be coming soon to Pagosa Springs, Durango, Salida, Buena Vista and Denver.
All great reasons to stop in at Three Barrel Brewing when you’re headed that way to check it all out. They're just a block off of highway 160 on the scenic route of Southern Colorado, on the way to the Continental Divide, Wolf Creek Pass, Pagosa Springs and Durango.
Fate Brewing Co. Coming To Boulder
- August 23, 2012 -
From Press Release, 8/22/12
In the fall of 2012, Fate Brewing Company will open its 7,000 square-foot restaurant and brewery at 1600 38th Street, Suite 100 in Boulder, Colorado. The building was home to local landmark Jose Muldoon's for over twenty years, and is currently undergoing extensive interior and exterior renovations.
"The name summed it up for me," explained Mike Lawinski, founder of Fate Brewing Company. "Craft beer is the perfect accompaniment to life's adventures, and is something that can bring people together from all walks of life. A meeting or a celebration over a beer often leads to great ideas - ideas that some may call fate."
Fate will be a full-service restaurant and a full production brewery. "We will produce five core beers, as well as numerous special releases, including specialty brews, seasonal releases and partnered efforts. We will not only serve our own beer, but will appreciate others, with 30 tap lines." explained Lawinski. The restaurant will seat around 230 guests inside and an additional 90 seats outside, with the bar offering seating for 30. In addition to pouring pints in its 400 square-foot bar with adjoining outdoor seating, the company plans to produce and distribute beer to liquor stores, restaurants and bars throughout Colorado.
Founder Mike Lawinski has wide-ranging knowledge in the restaurant and craft beer industry. He began his restaurant career with Big Red F ten years ago, and most recently was the Operations Manager for West End Tavern and Centro Latin Kitchen on Pearl Street.
Elevation Beer Comes To Front Range
- August 07, 2012 -
Elevation Beer Company, the new artisan brewery in Poncha Springs, is partnering with Elite Brands of Colorado to bring Elevation Beer to the Front Range. In a press release from Elevation, Co-founder and National Sales Manager Xandy Bustamante says “Elite will allow us to get our specialty and barrel-aged beers in the hands of our fellow beer geeks across Colorado's Front Range.”
The deal will start August 10th with the introduction of Elevation's Apis IV, a Belgian Style Quadrupel brewed with Honey and Signal De Botrange, a Chardonnay barrel-aged Farmhouse Ale. Elevation plans to release up to eight beers a year with Elite, four in their Black Series of specialty beers and four in their Double Black Series of barrel-aged beers.
Ask your favorite craft beer liquor store if they plan to bring in some Elevation beer. You'll be glad you did!
Copper Kettle Honors Aurora Shooting Victims
- July 26, 2012 -
Copper Kettle Brewing will honor the victims of the recent Aurora theatre shooting with the event "A Night To Remember".
From their Copper Kettle Brewing:
Join us on Thursday, August 2nd from 3-10 PM as we raise a pint in honor of Brew Club Member #28, Alex Teves who was shot and killed at the Aurora theater Friday, July 20th.
100% of beer sales will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House, per his family request. 50% of food sales will be donated as well. The Monocle Band will be out to show their respects through their music.
We will remember all of the victims that night and pay tribute to their honor and heroic measures that they took that night.
Raise a pint, raise your spirits and let's raise some money! To all of those affected by the shooting, our hearts go out to you and Alex will forever be in our hearts at Copper Kettle.
To #28
Grimm Brothers Brewhouse Turns 2 Today!
- July 24, 2012 -
Come celebrate Grimm Brothers Brewhouse 2nd anniversary today in Loveland. Two years ago they opened their doors, and to celebrate are offering buy 1 get 1 on all pints today only.
Kevin Baity Kraft Beers 1 Year Anniversary
- July 05, 2012 -
Kevin Baity Kraft Beers in Colorado Springs has officially been pouring their keg conditioned beers for one year. And to celebrate they will be pouring two new firkins; an Amber Ale and an ESB. Make sure to stop by tomorrow, July 6th, to get a taste of the two new brews, and tell them congratulations on their anniversary. They'll be pouring from 4:00pm-9:30pm.
Also be on the lookout in the future for a new location for Kraft Beer. They're in the works to move to a more spacious location with a patio and a view.
Kevin Baity's Kraft Beer
3668 E. Bijou St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Bootstrap Brewing Opens Wednesday, 6/20/12
- June 19, 2012 -
Leslie & Steve Kaczeus open the doors at Bootstrap Brewing tomorrow, in Niwot.
After many years as a homebrewer (award-winning), Steve is ready to offer his beer to the public. He is assisted by Dave Mentos, previously from the Pumphouse brewery, and his wife Leslie. The beers they will be serving tomorrow are:
-1956 Golden Ale
-Backfire Chili Beer
-Boomer Brown
-IPA batch #1
The pouring starts at 3pm, and will go to 8ish.
Regular hours of operation will be M-Th 3pm-8pm, F-Sun 12pm-8pm.
Check out Colorado's newest brewery in Niwot!
Bootstrap Brewing Company
6778 North 79th St
Niwot, CO 80503
Strange Beer Thoughts Revealed
- June 07, 2012 -
Denver Beer Co. Hosts Hop Swap
- May 31, 2012 -
Denver Beer Co. will host the second annual neighborhood "Hop Swap". On May 31, Denver Beer Co. will hand out traditional American Cascade hop plants for Denverites to grow in their own backyards. The certified organic hop starters from Fort Collins' Denver Beer Co are well suited to grow in Colorado's Front Range climate.
Once the hops mature in the fall, Hop Swap participants will bring their hop harvest back to the brewery where they will be used in a true "local" brew. Hop Swap farmers will have the opportunity to help Denver Beer Co. brewers craft a traditional American Pale Ale made with their own hops.
Denver Beer Co. invites anyone with a small plot of land, vertical space, and a love of craft beer to participate in the Hop Swap.
WHERE & WHEN: Thursday May 31, 2012
5:00pm till the hops run out
Denver Beer Co.
1695 Platte St
Denver, CO 80220
350 hop plants will be handed out on a first come first served basis on May 31st.
Caution: Brewing Co. Opens Taproom Friday
- May 16, 2012 -
This Friday, 5/18/12, Caution: Brewing Co. will open their brand new taproom next to their existing brewery. After knocking down the wall between the brewery and the new space, Caution owners Danny Wang and Betty Fey go from being a production-only brewery to having a place to share all of their creations with their growing number of fans.
Come check them out this Friday. They will open at 4pm and go until close. Regular hours for the taproom will be Fri 5pm-9pm, Sat-Sun 12pm-6pm. Caution: Brewing is located at 12445 E. 39th Ave. in Denver.
Crabtree Brewing's New Spot In Greeley
- May 11, 2012 -
Jeff and Stephanie Crabtree have had quite a year. Crabtree Brewing in Greeley has been doing alright. Awards won in 2011 include a GABF gold medal for their Berliner Weisse, a GABF silver medal for their oatmeal stout, a gold medal for Syzygy Barrel-aged Black IPA at the State Fair, Gold in the Braggot category at 2012 Mazer Cup International, and most recently Crabtree won silver for their Menage a Trois Braggot at the 2012 World Beer Cup...You get the idea. They're brewing some great beer.
Crabtree Brewing also took advantage of the new Mobile Canning Company this last year to can their oatmeal stout, and their Eclipse Black IPA, as Crabtree Brewing. The medal winning went hand-in-hand with an increase in production, which meant trying to cram more production and storage tanks into an already tight space. As Jeff Crabtree said, "Mrs. Crabtree (Stephanie) said that either we find a new space, or we shut down the taproom". After looking at dozens of properties, the Crabtrees have found a new home for Crabtree Brewing on a 3 acre property that previously housed a natural foods store at 2961 29th St in Greeley. With 4300 square feet of office space that can be converted, 85 parking spots covered with big trees, the new Crabtree Brewing space will have a 2100 square foot tasting room. No more rubbing elbows here. A large Beer Garden is also planned under those huge trees, Honey Locusts to be exact. "It's going to be amazing", said Jeff.
Phase 1 of the big move is to relocate the tasting room to the new property. The goal is July 1st for the new tasting room to open. Phase 1B is to relocate their barrel project, Phase 2 will be the completion of all this, including moving their small packaging line, and Phase 3 will be moving the brewery itself, which probably won't be completed until the beginning of 2013.
Jeff Crabtree had several meetings with the City of Greeley who actually changed their zoning to allow Crabtree to move to their new location. Previously, a brewery in Greeley could only be in an industrial area. Jeff described city officials as finally "opening their eyes" to what is happening in the craft beer industry. "The city of Greeley saw 3 new breweries in Loveland, they saw what's happening in Fort Collins, and said "Why can't we grow this industry in Greeley? The city is coming around, finding out how to make Greeley attractive to these businesses."
So come summer, Greeley residents can look forward to a new Crabtree tasting room, with a beer garden for suds-sipping under big shade trees. Ahh, summer...
Oskar Blues Plans New Location In NC
- May 08, 2012 -
According to a recent press release, Oskar Blues has announced plans for a restaurant/music venue and brewery location just off the bike path to Bracken Mountain in the small downtown of Brevard, N.C. The brewery plans to have the new live music venue and brewery up and running by December 2012. Oskar Blues Brewery is the third major craft brewery to announce plans to expand into Western North Carolina in the past year, according to a recent article in the Oskar Blues. They follow Sierra Nevada, which is building near the Asheville Regional Airport, and New Belgium, which is coming to Asheville's River Arts District.
Says Dale Katechis, founder of Oskar Blues, "I've left a bike in Brevard for years as we've been coming here to ride mountain bikes and check out our buddies Mountain Song Music Festival. This place rings true with the same eclectic mountain charm that inspired Oskar Blues to put Dale's Pale Ale in a can back in the day in Lyons, CO. Brevard and Lyons share a small town main street tone mingled with live music and an energy emerging from the surrounding hills." Dale and his wife are originally from Alabama, so having a location back east is not such a stretch.
Oskar Blues, one of the fastest growing breweries in the country, sells over 35 percent of their beer east of the big muddy river, making for a great opportunity to look into a local location in that area. They have secured a contract on a 30,000 square foot brewery space along with a 6,000 square foot restaurant/music venue location in downtown Brevard. "We've looked at the options of growing our Colorado based brewing to the next level and thought the idea of opening another small, intimate restaurant and brewery on a grassroots level sounds like a lot more fun." says Dale. "With that much beer traveling east of the Mississippi it allows us to invest in another small town that shares our passions and recoup the investment as we contribute to the community and streamline our shipping costs amongst other things."
Oskar Blues has worked hard to keep that hands-on feel with small Colorado projects like their Hops & Heifers Farm, that provides homegrown beef, pork and vegetables to their restaurants, and handmade mountain bikes with REEB Cycles as the brewery & restaurants have been blessed with growth. "It's important to us to keep that trailside comradery amongst each other and the community." said Katechis.
2 Brewery Grand Openings This Weekend
- April 30, 2012 -
Hold on to your hats, folks, the new breweries just keep coming. This weekend will see the Grand Opening of Big Choice Brewing in Broomfield, and Big Choice Brewing in Berthoud.
Big Choice owners Tyler Ruse and Nathaniel Miller are ready to bring more fresh beer to Broomfield. City Star Brewing is the brainchild of John Day and Whitney Taylor, in a building that 100 years ago was the City Star Barn Livery Stable.
We've already seen Great Storm Brewing open in March, and Echo Brewing opened their doors less than 2 weeks ago. And if that's not enough to wet your whistle, just a few weeks away will be Elevation Beer's Grand Opening on May 19th in Poncha Springs. There are still more to come, so keep watching for updates. We can't give it all away just yet.
For details on the Grand Openings for Big Choice and City Star, check our Events Calendar.
Renegade Brewing Expanding
- April 17, 2012 -
Renegade Brewing Company, located at 925 W 9th Ave in Denver, has only been in operation for 10 months, and has already seen a tremendous response to their beers. With an expectation to produce 1200 barrels of beer in their second year of operation they are well past initial business projections. To keep up with production Renegade will be increasing capacity by 65%. Hellfire Welding, a Colorado based manufacturer will be supplying the tanks for the expansion. "We are very proud to support a Colorado based small business through our expansion", stated Brian O'Connell, owner and head brewer of Renegade. "We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from the community and we are excited to be able to pass that on to another Colorado business".
Beer will continued to be sold through the taproom and to limited draft accounts, however, the main focus in the coming year will be on canning their beers. The first canned offering, Ryeteous, a rye IPA, will be sold in 16 oz cans and is expected to hit shelves in early June. for more info on Renegade, see our Renegade Brewing Company.
Echo Brewing Set To Open In Frederick
- April 05, 2012 -
Twin brothers Dennis and Daniel Richards are getting set to open their new brewery, Echo Brewing Co. on Saturday, April 14th in Frederick, CO. The brothers both previously held jobs in the tech industry, and both eventually lost their jobs to outsourcing. Long time homebrewers, their job losses gave the Richards the shove they needed to turn their dream of brewing for a living into reality.
Their path led them to the mountain town of Ridgway, into the brewhouse and classroom of Tom Hennessy, owner and brewmaster of Echo Brewing Co.. Tom has had a long successful career in the brewing industry, and now, besides running his "wee small pub", teaches a week-long immersion course "to prepare someone to open their own brewery and not spend a fortune". His class covers everything from brewing science to bookkeeping, to sourcing equipment and hiring staff. The brothers felt that the course really helped them pull it all together. Said Dennis "Tom has become a great mentor and friend, and we took a lot away from that course."
The brothers decided on Frederick, having grown up in the area, and really feel that it needs a brewery. "We have lots of friends and beer lovers in the Frederick- Erie - Firestone - Dacono area that are looking forward to us opening", said Dennis. "Right now there really is no local brewery close by, and you have to go to Longmont."
Daniel and Dennis have a 7 bbl system, and with a 1200 sq. ft. tasting room, there should be lots of room to relax with a brew. They plan to offer a wide range of beers, with at least 8 on tap. "Daniel and I like the hoppy beers," said Dennis, "but we plan to offer a good variety. The beers will change." This will include an ESB, an IPA, a Kolsch, Irish Red, a Munich Helles, Double Black IPA, and a Milk Stout, to name a few. They plan to focus on the taproom at first, and make sure it is well supplied. Then they are planning to be in a few local restaurants, with the possibility of canning later on.
All exciting news for the town of Frederick and beyond. So get out there, beer drinkers, and support Colorado's newest craft brewery!
TRVE Brewing Starts A Growler Cult
- April 05, 2012 -
Here's a cool idea coming from TRVE Brewing Co., one of our new Colorado breweries located on Broadway in Denver, getting ready to open soon. Owner Nick Nunns has started a "growler cult", pre-selling a limited supply of 32 oz growlers that you can be sure of always getting filled for a mere $7.00, no matter what beer you are requesting. Not only that, the first 5 fills are free! Hows that for a deal?
Nick explains further:"We have to be honest with you: our three barrel system is pretty small relative to some of the other breweries out there. It's so small that if we were to offer growler fills for everyone all the time it'd be pretty likely that we'd be unable to keep all our tap lines flowing. We're pretty sure that would be a lot less fun since we'd have less opportunites to hang out with you. As a result, for our first year we're offering a limited number of memberships to our Growler Cvlt.
By becoming a Cvlt member, you're joining an elite legion of beer lovers who will be able to get a growler fill at any time. As if this isn't pretty rad already, we're also giving you a fixed price for fills, regardless of the beer we put in there for ya. That price? $7. Yup. Ten more ounces than a bomber for a buck less than you'd pay at the liquor store. A pretty damn good deal. On top of all that, we're even gonna fill it the first five times for you for free.
If you don't become a Cvlt member, you'll still be able to get growlers filled once in a while, but it's all gonna depend on how stocked up we are.
A year long membership in the Cvlt will only run you $50. A second growler can be bought for an additional $25. We'll be selling 266 growlers total."
Sounds like a deal!
For more info, check their TRVE Brewing Co page.
Great Storm Brewing To Open In Colorado Springs
- March 09, 2012 -
Jeff and Lynn Jacobs are ready to open the doors of Great Storm Brewing on Saturday, March 24th in Colorado Springs. Great Storm is a small, nano-size craft brewery, the newest one to open in the Springs.
From their press release: "With eight beers on tap, ranging from a light, lemony witbier, to a hearty oatmeal-rum-raisin stout, the taproom features ales across the suds spectrum.
Brewer and co-owner Jeff Jacobs aims for what he calls "a marriage of the traditional and rebellious" with his offerings. An engineer by day and brewer, well.. later in the day, Jacobs will rotate special seasonal brews along with a daily line-up of his fresh, hand-crafted favorites.
The brewery, located on North Nevada between Austin Bluffs and Fillmore, will be a mom and pop operation run by Jacobs and his wife Lynn. The pair hope to foster a true neighborhood and community spirit in the taproom, hearkening back to pre-Prohibition days when small breweries could be found on nearly every corner."
Hours of operation will be W-Th 11am - 9pm, and F-Sat 11am-10pm. They are featuring an Opening Day Special on March 24:
$1 off pints from 6-8pm
Free pizza and munchies from 6pm with beer purchase. (While the chow lasts.)
They are conveniently located off the Templeton Gap bike trail, and offer free Wi-Fi.
Check out Colorado Springs' newest brewery! For more info call the brewery at 719-266-4200.
The brewery is located at 204 Mount View Ln #3 in Colorado Springs 80907
Pike's Peak Brewing Celebrates St. Patrick's Day
- March 01, 2012 -
Celebrate the week of St. Patrick's Day at Pikes Peak Brewing with their "Celtic Countdown"
Wednesday, March 14: Irish Beer Mini-Festival 5p (Boulevard Irish Red, Smithwicks, Strange Irish Stout, Moylans Dragoons Irish Stout - on nitro, and McSorley's Irish Pale Ale)
Thursday, March 15: Irish Trivia 8-9p
Friday, March 16: Leprechaun Costume Contest 8p
Saturday, March 17: St. Patrick's Day Festivities:
10am-12noon; Kegs, Eggs & Blarney Scones plus
an incredible guest bagpiper
* RSVP and $20 gets you a beautiful breakfast, glass of juice, and a souvenir glass full of your choice of beer or beermosa. Bring your glass back that night for one half price beer!
* $25 for breakfast at the door
10a Release of the new PPBC Irish Stout
5:30p-6p Irish Folk Dancers
7p-10p Live Music Saturday with West Emerson
AC Golden Brewing Co. Releases IPL
- February 23, 2012 -
IPL is an India Pale Lager, and AC Golden Brewing Co. in Golden, the creator of this beer, is releasing it exclusively at AC Golden Brewing Co. throughout Colorado, according to a recent press release. Old Chicago restaurants will feature it during their St. Patrick's Day Mini Beer Tour, February 22 through March 18.
According to Glenn Knippenberg, president and co-founder of AC golden, "We felt that, even though the IPA category is crowded, there was room for a beer with the hoppy goodness of an IPA but without the fruity esters that ale yeasts create". "Using lager yeast instead of ale yeast allows the delicate hop characters to shine through as only a lager can do. Our brewers jokingly call it our hop delivery vehicle."
The result is reportedly a beer with a huge hop aroma and a long-lasting billowy head. The beer has a slight haze from being unfiltered. It is a dry and drinkable brew with a surprisingly clean finish. AC Golden's IPL contains 3.3 pounds of hops per barrel - Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and Simcoe - with one of those pounds being in the dry hop.
At 6.8% ABV and 75 IBU's, the beer certainly sounds like something worth trying. Something new for all the hop head IPA lovers to check out perhaps?
Black Bottle Will Be Newest Brewery In Fort Collins
- February 15, 2012 -
Sean Nook is a passionate guy. And he loves to brew beer. Born and raised in Fort Collins, he will soon have the opportunity to share his passion for brewing beer with his hometown crowd. He is founder/owner of the soon to open Black Bottle Brewery in Fort Collins.
Sean and his wife Erin really want to give Fort Collins something they feel is lacking right now. Black Bottle will brew their own beer, but he is planning on a total of 40 taps, only 12 of which will be his beer. They will offer food, but not what you would expect from a typical brewpub. "If you want a big burger and a plate of fries, don't come to us", said Sean. "Our idea is to offer small plates, tapas style. We want a community place for people to come and share some food and drink. With a tapas place, you talk, you eat, you drink, and when you leave, you are satisfied, not stuffed".
Sean wants to take that community feeling into the brewing arena as well. "For the last 7 years, all I've done is teach people to brew." He doesn't want that to stop, and plans to offer a community brewing program that he calls the "Random Hero". The object is to involve different local groups to come in and brew with him on his pilot system. "I really want to involve more people in the brewing process", he said.
And when it comes to brewing, Sean doesn't like to follow specific guidelines. Black Bottle will be different by being simple. "Yeast is the most important ingredient in beer", said Sean. "I want to show the complexity of simpler ingredients. Over the years, I have backed away from crazy." He also wants to offer something he calls "sloppy seconds", a second running of beer from the same mash. "You do your big beer, say an IPA or a stout. Then you brew back to back a second beer using the same mash, picking up all those residual sugars". It gives you more of a session beer.
So it looks like lots to look forward to from the new brewery in Fort Collins. They will be located at 1605 South College Ave. in Fort Collins. But you'll have to wait until this summer for their opening to taste what Black Bottle Brewery has to offer. As always, we will keep you posted.
BRU Becomes BRU handbuilt ales and eats
- February 12, 2012 -
Chef Ian Clark is about to realize a dream. Working for the Big Red F restaurant group for the last 10 years, he went from line cook to sous chef to executive chef. That longtime passion for cooking led him to homebrewing, which in turn became BRU, his brewing operation that he opened out of a garage last year in Boulder.
Still working as a chef, it's no surprise that the ultimate goal would be to combine these passions for food and drink under one roof. So today he has announced the future opening of his own place, BRU handbuilt ales and eats.
This, as chef Ian says, "will be my true expression of craft. We will have 12 handbuilt ales on tap (one being a rotating chef's tap where I'll collaborate with other local chefs to further bring food and beer together). Everything will be handbuilt, from scratch, just like our beer. Most dishes will come out of the wood-oven to create a beautiful depth of flavor. I'm still dreaming and testing, re-writing, and recreating the menu, but for now dishes will include items like Wood-Oven Pizza and Housemade Goat Milk Ricotta with roasted almonds and spiced honey."
BRU handbuilt ales and eats will be located at 5290 Arapahoe St. in Boulder. He hopes to be open by late spring.
Changes Brewing At BierWerks
- February 10, 2012 -
Jeff Aragon and Brian Horton are no longer the brewers at BierWerks in Woodland Park. Jeff told us today that they have left the brewery and are pursuing other things. "It was an ill-fated partnership" Jeff said. He also said that he and Brian brewed enough beer to last several months. BierWerks may put in some more taps to offer guest beers. We will soon let you know more about what Jeff and Brian do next.
Broomfield Gets Big Choice Brewing Co.
- February 08, 2012 -
Tyler Ruse and Nathaniel Miller have been friends for 15 years, more or less. They both went to CU, and served in the National Guard together. The last 5 years or so, they have been "geeking out" on home brewing. Friends for many years, they decided to take their love of the brew to the next step - opening a brewery, of course. (They are from Colorado, after all).
"We decided a year ago to look into the idea of opening our own brewery. We figured, if we could find the right location, the money, if the stars aligned, we would do it". Well, apparently the stars lined up just right, because lo and behold, Big Choice Brewing will open their doors in Broomfield on Friday, April 13th.
Tyler's background is in journalism. He currently works in book publishing, and Nathaniel's is in, you guessed it, engineering. (Are engineers genetically pre-disposed to become brewers?) Nathaniel has used those skills to "re-purpose" a used dairy tank and build their own 7 bbl brew kettle. Both Tyler and Nathaniel took Tom Hennessey's week-long immersion course up at Big Choice Brewing last fall. Tom literally teaches the nuts and bolts of brewing, from the brewing process to bookkeeping and business operations, to yes, building a mash tun out of a used dairy tank.
The guys wanted to find a location close to Boulder. They both grew up in the area, and cut their craft beer teeth in Boulder microbreweries. "We felt like being located along the US 36 corridor is a good place to be", said Tyler. "We will be the first small, independent brewery in Broomfield". And that should give local beer drinkers a "Big Choice" for sure.
Check out Big Choice Brewing at their Grand Opening, Friday, April 13th. They are located at 7270 West 118th Place in Broomfield. You can find details on their facebook page.
River North Brewery New In Denver
- January 31, 2012 -
The excitement of a new brewery opening never gets old to us. Jess and Matt Hess are keeping that feeling rolling in Denver, with the opening of River North Brewery, in part of the building previously occupied by Flying Dog Brewery on Blake Street. Matt, the brewer, has been a long-time homebrewer, is an engineer, and also holds an MBA. The couple originally hails from Kansas, and came to Colorado a few years ago because of an employment opportunity for Jess. "We are so happy to be here", said Matt. "This was always our destination, we were just looking for an excuse".
Matt has installed a 15bbl system. His fermenters are full, and the Grand Opening is set for Feb 18-19, 2012. Regular hours will be Thurs 3pm-9pm, F-Sat 3pm-10pm, Sun 3pm-9pm. The beers they are starting out with are:
Black IPA
Saison
Belgian Pale
White Ale, which is a Belgian Wit.
Never a dull moment for Denver beer drinkers. The breweries just keep coming. As Matt said "We are just so excited to join the Denver craft beer scene".
Holy Hops Batman! Look What Bull & Bush Is Doing Now!
- January 26, 2012 -
Bull & Bush Pub & Brewery in Denver is using a French Press to infuse your choice of several hops varieties into your choice of a house brew. What a cool idea! Nicely reported by Bull & Bush Pub & Brewery.
Co-owner Erik Peterson has named the french press the "Hop Inciter 3000". it sounds like a great way to learn more about the different characteristics of hops, and how they affect the flavor of your beer.
Grand Lake Brewing Expands Distribution
- January 26, 2012 -
Karen and Richard Wood are pretty excited these days. They are also very busy. Karen and Richard are the owners of Grand Lake Brewing Co., and the company has been picked up by CR Goodman Distributors. That means that you will soon be able to find Grand Lake beer in more stores up in the mountains, along the front range, and on the western slope.
"We're thrilled", said Karen. "Cr Goodman will make it possible for lots more folks to find our beer. Now, we just have to produce more beer, so we have upped our production".
Sounds like a good problem to have, and a common one among Colorado brewers lately. Look for Grand Lake beer to come soon to your favorite liquor store.
Breck Breaks Thru Roof to Brew More
- January 19, 2012 -
Terry Usry with Breckenridge Brewery passes along news of expansion activities at their main brewing facility on Kalamath Street in Denver.
He tells us today:
"As phase 1 of our 2012 expansion plan, Breckenridge Brewery installed two 300-barrel fermenters (shown in picture) yesterday and one 200-barrel Brite tank today. Four more 300-barrel fermenters are coming in March.
All three new tanks were made by Paul Mueller Company in Springfield, Missouri. Each of the 2 fermenters installed yesterday is about 40 feet tall, 10 feet in diameter, and weighs about 10,000 lbs.
The four scheduled to come at the end of March should be on-line and in production in early April. We've built a new room on the south side of our brewery at 471 Kalamath Street, Denver, to accommodate the six new fermenters.
Today we installed the 200-barrel Brite tank into our filtration/packaging area. We had to lift one of our existing 100-barrel Brite tanks from this area through a hole in roof in the middle of our building in order to properly place the new Brite tank, again through the roof. We're moving the 100-barrel tank into another space in the packaging area.
This expansion, like many others going on right now at craft breweries across the US, is representative of the marvelous growth of the craft beer market. Cheers to good beer!"
Thanks, Terry. We couldn't have said it better ourselves. Keep up the good work!
Elevation Beer On Higher Ground
- January 18, 2012 -
Elevation Beer certainly is on higher ground. At an elevation of 7465 feet, located in historic Poncha Springs, Elevation Beer Company will soon join the group of new breweries to open in Colorado in 2012. A collaboration between 4 friends, Sheila and Xandy(Alexander) Bustamante, Carlin Walsh, and Christian Cook, the concept took shape for them over the past 2 years. "We'd get together and talk about it all the time, at a barbeque, over beers", said Xandy. "We finally got to the point where we decided to go for it".
Elevation Beer Company plans to focus on barrel-aged big beers. The beer will be sold out of their tasting room, at bars and restaurants around Chafee and Lake counties, and in cork and caged 750ml bottles across Colorado. They're working with a 15bbl system, and plan to have 8 taps in the Tasting Room. The beers will be seasonal, and they will be released in different series. There will be a double black diamond and black diamond series, all barrel-aged, for the "expert-advanced" beer drinkers, and a blue square series, which won't be quite so extreme. They also plan to offer lots of cask beer, or what Xandy refers to as their "Firkin Fleet", because "It's what we like to drink".
There is some experience in this group. Xandy has worked on the distribution side of beer, and interned at the Brewer's Association. Carlin Walsh comes in as the General Manager, currently finishing his MBA, and Christian Cook is the brewer, spending the previous year and a half brewing at Tommyknocker Brewery in Idaho Springs. Sheila will tackle the marketing end of things. She has a marketing degree, as well as lots of experience in events promotions.
Why Elevation Beer Company? Says Xandy, "Sheila and Carlin grew up in this area. We all love it here. We're on the way to Monarch, close to the Hot Springs. We wanted it to be here." The town of Poncha Springs calls itself, the "Crossroads of the Rockies", nearby to 14 mountain peaks above 14,000 feet.
The brewery is coming together quickly for Elevation Beer. They receive their equipment within the week, and will have the system installed and the first brew day on February 6th if all goes according to plan. They received their license in just 21 working days. That has to be some kind of record, and it has them all pushing harder to make it happen quickly. They hope to have the tasting room open by May, which means more lovely beer flowing in the high country.
Oskar Blues Posts Phenomenal Growth in 2012
- January 17, 2012 -
The 2012 sales numbers are in for Oskar Blues, and they are nothing short of amazing. The Longmont-based brewery celebrated its 10-year “Canniversary” in 2012. The first craft brewery in the country to brew and can its now famous Dale's Pale Ale.
the brewery continued its explosive growth posting a 52 percent increase in sales/depletions and 49 percent increase in revenue in 2012.
Oskar Blues poured more than $4 million into its Longmont facility in 2012. They added 14 200-barrel fermenters and two 400-barrel bright beer tanks which took the brewery from producing 59,000 barrels of beer in 2011 to 85,750 bbls in 2012. The Tasty Weasel taproom also added a new patio and more production space.
With more beer to sell, Oskar Blues was able to enter new markets, including Chicago, Ohio, Northern Kentucky and founder Dale Katechis' home state of Alabama. A new canning line was installed at the Colorado brewery, capable of filling 300 cans per minute. This allowed the company to introduce 16oz cans of Deviant Dale's IPA and G'Knight Imperial Red IPA while being the first American brewery to offer beer drinkers a 19.2oz. Imperial Pint can.
Oskar Blues also joins Sierra-Nevada and New Belgium breweries in testing the waters of North Carolina. In December of 2012, Oskar Blues began brewing at its new brewery and taproom in Brevard, NC. The brewery plans to include a separate restaurant and live music venue in the small town as well. The addition of the 30,000 sq. foot Brevard brewery will expand overall brewing capacity to nearly 130,000 barrels in 2013 and allow the brewery to enter additional markets.
Think you'd like to work at Oskar Blues? The company does their part to help keep employees happy and healthy, with an “In the Core” workout program 3 times a week with a personal trainer, massage twice a week and Yoga once a week.The outdoor centric company also hosts a running club and group bike rides throughout the year.In 2012, Oskar Blues instituted a 6% matching 401K program and provided employees 100% health care coverage, offerings that earned them the Denver Post “Top Workplaces Award”.
Says founder Dale Katechis"We continue to have as much fun as we CAN to enjoy this ride". I am proud of our team as we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Dale's Pale Ale and we look to include Pisgah, NC singletrack as part of the Oskar Blues backyard.”The fun includes two award winning Colorado restaurant locations (Grill & Brew, Home Made Liquids & Solids), Bonewagon food truck, Hops & Heifers Farm, REEB Cycles www.reebcycles.com (Outside Magazine’s Top 9 Mountain Bikes of Spring 2012) and the upcoming March opening of CHUBurger www.CHUBurger.com in Longmont, CO.
The Town Of Fruita Gets A Brewery
- January 16, 2012 -
The second location for Suds Brothers Brewery is about to open in Fruita, CO. The original location, owned by Fred and Terri Martinez, is in Evanston, Wyoming. For this new location, Fred and Terri joined together with Jerry and Rochelle Tufly as partners. All 4 owners live in Fruita, and are excited to get the brewery open. "People in town are excited about it, and so are we", says Fred Martinez.
The town of Fruita itself has become popular over the last 15 to 20 years or so as a mountain bike mecca. The town of Fruita swells with people each year attending the Suds Brothers Brewery bike race. All that bike riding makes a person thirsty.
The brewery, at 127 E. Aspen in Fruita, was previously Boneyard Brewery, and Fruita Brewing Company before that. Still, to turn the old location into the new Suds Brothers was a lot of work. "We basically started over, gutting the place, from new floor drains on up" said Martinez, "taking longer than we expected. We have a beautiful 15 bbl brewing system." The brewer is Nate Sitteruld, the brewer for the Fruita and the Evanston location. They plan to start off with a variety of ales, from a Pale Ale to a Porter. As soon as the beer is ready, they will open their doors. They are hoping to be able to open by Superbowl Sunday. Stay tuned and we will let you know.
Avalanche Beers Begin To Flow
- January 04, 2012 -
Take a guess where the newest brewery to open in Colorado is located. No it's not Denver, not Boulder, not Loveland, Longmont, or Colorado Springs (At least not today). No, it's Avalanche Brewing Company in the small mountain town of Silverton, CO. Avalanche Brewing Company is the new name for the Avalanche Cafe, a coffee shop/cafe that has been in Silverton since 1992. This new reincarnation of the cafe was brought about by Austin Lashley. Austin's parents are the current owners of the cafe. When the previous guy running the place skipped out on his lease, his parents were ready to shut the place down. When they contacted Austin, who was up in Alaska at the time, he said "I couldn't let that happen."
Austin's background is in beer. He lived in Durango and worked at Ska Brewing. He then ended up in Alaska, working at several small breweries and a brewery supply store. He loved the Avalanche Cafe, and when he decided to come back to run it, he was determined to brew beer there too. The last 10 months have been spent working to make that happen. He's had lots of help, including from Tom Hennessey of Avalanche Brewing Company in Ridgway who helped secure some of Austin's equipment. "Tom was looking for an old-fashioned hand pull espresso machine. We happened to have one in storage. So I took it up to Tom, hung around a few days, and took his Frankenbrew class."
Avalanche Brewing has a 7 bbl system, with 4 conditioning tanks. They released their first beer on New Years Eve, their Pride of the West Porter (named for the Silverton bar that burned last April) . Eventually they plan to have 4 to 6 beers on tap at any one time. Other beers coming up will be a belgian White-Out Wit, and Artillery Pale Ale.
When asked about Silverton Brewery located a few blocks away, Austin said "Silverton is more focused on production. We are not. We just want to brew fresh beer for the people around here. And people that we talked to seemed pretty excited to have another place to drink good beer." So now residents and visitors to Silverton will have more great craft beer to choose from. Lucky them.
Trinity Brewing is Getting Bigger
- January 03, 2012 -
Trinity Brewing is adding more capacity to their brewing capabilities, going from a 4 barrel to a 12 barrel system. They've already added new serving tanks in anticipation of the increase of brew. And the 12 barrel system should be installed sometime in March. Owner Jason Yester already has new beers planned for the new equipment. Their Double IPA Slap Your Mammy will get it's own permanent tap handle at the bar. In the past Slap Your Mammy was only available a few times a year.
Yester will also be introducing two brand new beers to their line up. Chi Belgian Pilsner, what they're calling a 'New Lager' and Saison Man, a Belgian Saison.
They will also increase their bottle availability and distribution.
The folks over at Colorado Biz magazine captured a few interviews at a recent beer event and have been kindly posting them at their site. The most recent features Tom Myers from Strange Brewing in Denver.