So Many Roads Brewery Closing Yet Again After Liquor License Violation

The Grateful Dead-themed bar served booze to a minor again and will now be closed for the next three months — and possibly forever if things don't change.

By Catie Cheshire

September 20, 2023

So Many Roads was ordered to close for the month of November 2022. Kyle Harris

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So Many Roads Brewery will close for ninety days starting October 1 after reaching a settlement with the City of Denver over selling alcohol to a minor, according to the Department of Excise & Licenses.

This isn’t the first time the Grateful Dead-themed bar, which doubles as a live-music venue, has hit a speed bump and been forced to shutter following repeated problems with its liquor license. But it could be the last.

As a result of the settlement, the brewery's liquor and cabaret licenses will now be held in abeyance for a year, which puts them at risk of being revoked for good if there are any violations during that time frame.

“Should the Respondent violate the terms contained in this order and/or the settlement agreement, the Dance Cabaret and Brew Pub Liquor Licenses shall be revoked, in addition to any penalty for the new violation,” reads a September 20 order from Molly Duplechian, executive director of Excise & Licenses.

Duplechian's order approves a September 18 settlement between So Many Roads and the Denver City Attorney’s Office. She previously rejected a similar deal on September 7, causing the parties to head back to the drawing board.

Now the results are officially in: “The penalty to be imposed for the violations admitted in paragraph 1 shall be closure of the Applicant’s premises for ninety (90) days,” her order declares.

So Many Roads — located at 918 West First Avenue — admitted to three separate violations of state law related to serving alcohol to a minor. These violations had required the business to show why its liquor and cabaret licenses shouldn’t be revoked after it violated the agreement it reached with the city in October 2022 over selling alcohol to minors, along with disorderly behavior and distribution of controlled substances.

The So Many Roads settlement over those allegations stipulated that if any additional violations occurred over the next year, the space would get hit with an automatic 45-day closure. “The below closure period includes the imposition of the previously held in abeyance 45 days of closure from the October 12, 2022 Order Accepting Settlement, as well as an additional 45 days of closure for the new violations,” Duplechian’s September 20 order clarifies.

The new violations at So Many Roads were uncovered through a Denver Police Department operation in February. When an underage DPD cadet who possessed a vertical Colorado driver’s license with “Under 21” printed on it attempted to enter the brewery with an undercover officer, both were allowed in.

“Upon entering the bar area, the underage cadet went to the bar and ordered two Coors Light beers (alcoholic beverage) from a white male with grey hair, who was working as a Bartender,” alleges a show-cause order issued by the city in June. “This bartender was later identified as Jay M. Bianchi, date of birth 06/22/1968. Bianchi served the two beers to the underage cadet, for which the underage cadet paid a total of $10 in cash.”

Last fall's So Many Roads controversy was closely linked to a licensing case in which a bartender sold cocaine to an undercover cop, causing another bar linked to Jay Bianchi — Sancho’s Broken Arrow — to close for good.

Both venues were once owned by the promoter and infamous Deadhead. In 2020, while facing sexual assault allegations, Bianchi transferred ownership of Sancho's to Tyler Bishop and Timothy Premus; Bishop took over as sole owner of So Many Roads.

Though he no longer runs So Many Roads, Bianchi has been involved throughout the establishment’s licensing saga — even helping to organize a fundraiser to keep the venue afloat last November.

Whether a similar effort may be needed to help the space navigate the new closure is unclear. Neither Bishop and his lawyer nor Bianchi responded to requests for comment.

Regardless, from October 1 to December 29, So Many Roads will officially close its doors.

During this time, a sign that says “Alcohol beverage licenses issued for these premises have been suspended by the order of the local licensing authority for violation of the Colorado liquor/beer code," must be posted where it can be viewed by someone standing near the front door.

“Respondent shall prohibit all public entry and access to the premises,” the Excise & Licenses order explains. “Respondent's manager and employees may be present inside the license premises to conduct other operations, such as repairs, cleaning, or inventory. During this suspension and closure, Respondent and its managers, employees, agents, and patrons shall not sell, serve, give away or consume any alcoholic beverages on the licensed premises.”

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Catie Cheshire is a staff writer at Westword, where she has primarily reported on news since September 2021. Her prior work experience includes contributing to Cronkite News, Arizona PBS, the Regis University Highlander and AZ Big Media. Catie holds a master's degree from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and an undergraduate degree from Regis University in Denver.

Contact: Catie Cheshire

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