"We bought the building from Ray Valente and his son Mark. Ray still drives by in his old El Camino to check on our progress, and he was pretty bummed when we painted over the Tuscan landscape mural," Kahng says. "But we'll have a nice new mural soon."
See also: - A dozen new breweries on tap for the Denver Metro area by spring 2013 - Brewery Rickoli opens today as Wheat Ridge's only beer maker - Today is the last day at Valente's Italian Restaurant
Not that the old mural was actually that old. It was painted in 1995 by a teacher at Wheat Ridge Middle School and her students, along with artist Ed Slack, after Valente's got a façade-improvement grant from the city. It depicted the rolling countryside in Tuscany, complete with cypress trees, a stone wall and a classic-looking farmhouse.
But, as Kahng discovered, it meant a lot to the locals, and he addressed the issue in a conciliatory Facebook post: "Apologize to all who have been offended by the new look as we understand the mural was more than just about what was in the painting but it was more importantly about the community and those artistically talented and special kids who helped in the effort. We will have a new mural on the wall soon enough and hopefully we can offer something special for this city as Ray has for so many years."
Kahng and business partner Jesse Duplessis haven't decided who will paint the mural or what it will depict, but Kahng is partial to the idea of the moon partially eclipsing the sun, which would create an image that looks like the letter "C," as in Colorado.
This state is, after all, the theme of his place. When it opens, possibly as soon as March, Colorado + will have 56 Colorado beers on tap, including several of its own, which will be made in a small, one-barrel on-site brewhouse by Yak & Yeti brewer Adam Draeger, who will remain at the Yak. ("Bigger, Belgian and buggier styles," Kahng says.) The taproom will be decorated in Colorado style as well, with cut logs for the bar.
Kahng got into craft beer by hosting tastings at the nearby Vern's Liquors, which he owned for six years, and was able to meet brewers and other employees of many local beer makers, including Great Divide, Upslope, Golden City and Yak & Yeti.
"Wheat Ridge has a very vibrant craft beer community. There are lot of homebrewers...and the tastings always went well," he says.
Colorado + will also have a very small food menu that will include hot dogs, pierogies and wraps, but Kahng hopes to expand that in a year or so after he's able to renovate the former Valente's kitchen. The spot will be Wheat Ridge's second beer maker: Brewery Rickoli opened in the town in November.
And there's a lot of excitement because of that, Kahng says, adding that a lot of people in town have said they are looking forward to both the brewery and a new mural.
In fact, even Ray Valente's son, Mark Valente, a commercial real estate broker, says the change makes sense: "He has a brewpub, so if he does something that fits the brewpub theme, that is great. It gets the community involved."
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