Decade-Old Tennyson Street Brewery Announces December Closure

The Ballroom is closing and the clock will soon strike midnight on Janet Reno’s Dance Party when one of Denver’s best breweries shutters at the end of the year. 

Call to Arms Brewing owner Chris Bell couldn’t bear to make the announcement himself, so he hired Yupi the Clown to declare that CTA, located at 4526 Tennyson Street, will close its doors on December 23 in a video posted on the brewery’s Facebook and Instagram feeds.

After the brief note from Yupi, Bell took it from there:

“While there’s no single group to blame, or any single event [at this point the video flashes to news clips about the coronavirus], running the brewery over the last couple of years has been, the least to say, a challenge,” he notes. “With so many alternative beverages and people just generally drinking less, not to mention some increasing costs, it’s just difficult to keep on going, but I’m not going to complain. It’s been a hell of a run.”

He finishes with some good news for Call to Arms lovers:

“But we’re not done yet. We’re gonna have lots of farewell parties, beer discounts, just so you guys can really see how bad it is. We’ll see you soon.”

Call to Arms was founded in 2014 by three former Avery coworkers, Bell, Jesse Brookstein and John Cross; it opened to the public in 2015. Since then, the brewery team earned a silver medal at the 2023 GABF for its Freedom Fries with Cherries specialty saison and a gold medal at the 2018 World Beer Cup for More Like Bore-O-Phyll wet-hopped IPA.

It also earned Best Brewery in Berkeley in Westword’s 2025 Best of Denver awards and was featured in a 2023 piece about brewery Instagram feeds that readers should follow, and Bell will no doubt continue to bring the same level of entertainment to the brewery’s final months.

The location has seen significant development over the years in the surrounding Berkeley neighborhood, but the brewery maintained its trademark sense of humor. In 2016, CTA released Khores Ballroom Beer, complete with spokesperson (Mr. Sexy Man) and slogan (“brewed with 100 percent ice-cold Rocky Mountain Water for pure lager refreshment”). The beer was eventually renamed simply Ballroom Beer, possibly at the suggestion of the producers of Banquet Beer up the road. Other signature beer names still on the menu include Go Go Sour Rangers, Oats & Hose and Janet Reno’s Dance Party.

The announcement notes that all scheduled events, from Oktoberfest and Weiner Dog Races to Grown Up Book Fair and Halloween Pottery Workshop, as well as decorating for Halloween and Christmas, will still continue as planned. 

Call to Arms Brewery is located at 4526 Tennyson Street and will be open during its regular hours through December 23. For more information, visit calltoarmsbrewing.com or follow it on Instagram @calltoarmsbrewing.