Ten Suburban Denver Breweries Opening in 2019

The craft-beer headlines around the country have been consumed with brewery closures in the past year, but in reality, brewery openings are still outpacing the closing of doors. That could change soon, but for now, residents of this square state can't get enough of their favorite liquid. In Denver, two new breweries, FlyteCo and Empourium, both just started pouring — and at least six more will follow by the end of 2020. But in the surrounding cities and towns, things are even more robust. Old 121 Brewhouse (see below) just opened last week in Arvada, and it will be followed by at least nine other beer makers. Here's that sudsy list:

Old 121 Brewhouse

1057 South Wadsworth Boulevard, #60, Lakewood
Opened: Saturday, March 23

Located in the former Caution Brewing space, this long-awaited brewery brings craft beer back to a Lakewood neighborhood known for its community-building spirit. Owned by local brewery pros Jason Bailey and Brett Zahrte, along with Brett's wife, Karla, and friend Eric Gupta, Old 121 Brewhouse officially opened last weekend but has plans for a grand opening in mid-April.

Peak View Brewing

9672 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village
Opening: Spring

The craft-beer scene along the I-25 corridor from Greenwood Village to Castle Rock has exploded in the past two years, and Peak View will be the latest addition to that brewery culture. Founded by U.S. Air Force vets and Colorado natives Sean Peters and Justen Coufal, the brewery will feature twelve beers when it opens its doors on April 5 at 4 p.m. There will also be food and cornhole.

Ohm Brewing

1921 Youngfield Street, #210, Golden
Opening: June

Owned by the father-son home-brewing team of Doug and Ian Burks, Ohm has a Golden address but is a little more Lakewood, being in the Applewood neighborhood — and the  Burkses lived in Lakewood for years. Over the past few months, the brewery has hit several speed bumps, including the government shutdown, which delayed its federal brewing permit, but it's now back on track. One unusual feature: The Burkses will operate an all-electric brewing system (Ohm is named for a unit of electrical resistance) that they built themselves.

6 and 40 Brewery and Taproom/Tom's Brew Shop

883 Parfet Street, Lakewood
Opening: Spring

Tom Schurmann, the owner of Tom's Brew Shop, a comprehensive home-brew supply shop in Lakewood, has moved the shop next door and plans to open his own brewery in the old space. Called 6 and 40 Brewery because it just happens to be located halfway between State Highway 6 (Sixth Avenue) and State Highway 40 (Colfax Avenue), the new brewery should start construction in April.

Lariat Lodge Brewing

12684 West Indore Place, Littleton
Opening: June

Lariat Lodge Brewing, which opened in Evergreen in 2015, is coming down out of the foothills for a second location, this time in Littleton. The massive 18,000-square-foot space will feature a twenty-barrel brewing system, a private event room and a full kitchen and bar. It is a partnership between Anders and Debbie Ruikka, who also own the Evergreen Conference Center, their daughter Taylor Jansen, and head brewer Eric Rode.

Resolute Brewing Tap & Cellar

Highway 72 and Candelas Parkway, Arvada
Opening: Summer

The terrain is a little desolate around Candelas, the 1,450-acre master-planned community that will one day include more than 2,000 homes and condos on former Rocky Flats land. But Resolute Brewing, which first opened in 2016 in Centennial, hopes to help change that with its second location, Resolute Tap and Cellar, which will house a semi-circular bar — just like the existing brewery — a climate-controlled barrel-aging facility, a pet- and family-friendly atmosphere, and a garage door opening onto a large beer-garden patio.

Spice Trade Brewing

Orchard Road and South Yosemite Street, Greenwood Village
Opening: Late Fall

The owners of Spice Trade Brewing and the Yak & Yeti restaurants have a new brewery and restaurant in the works for Greenwood Village (just blocks from Peak View, above), and it promises a new twist: globally inspired street food alongside Spice Trade’s signature beers, many of which are flavored with herbs and spices from around the world. Once it's finished, the 5,500-square-foot space will resemble an outdoor street market; head brewer Jeff Tyler says the idea is to transport visitors to other parts of the world.

Gemini Beer Company

70th Avenue and Grove Street, Westminster
Opening: Fall

Gemini owner Chris Dutton signed on as the first tenant for Westminster Station, a mixed-used project next to an RTD Park and Ride, back in 2017. And he's still waiting for the project to be built. In the meantime, however, he's been brewing and bottling some of his beers at other breweries and selling them around town. He also had a booth at GABF. Hopefully, he'll be serving his Belgian-style beers and other flavors this fall.

Grist Brewing

8155 Piney River Avenue, Littleton
Opening: Late Summer

Grist Brewing opened its first location in Highlands Ranch in 2013 and its second location in Lone Tree in 2017. With a third spot, in the 3,400-acre master-planned community of Sterling Ranch, it will boast a small empire in the southern suburbs. Sterling Ranch, located near Chatfield Reservoir, will one day include nine "villages" with 36,000 residents, 85 acres of open space and — since this is Colorado — its own brewery. In addition to beer, however, the casual new Grist spot will also serve wine and cider.

Over Yonder Brewing

18455 West Colfax Avenue, Golden
Opening: Late Summer

Like Ohm Brewing (above), the owner of Over Yonder experienced some significant delays because of the government shutdown in December and January. But the brother-sister team of Jason and Ashleigh Bilodeaux (both Colorado natives) and Jason's wife, Jessica, have too much momentum to stop now. When it opens, Over Yonder, which will be very close to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, will pour New England-style IPA, West Coast IPA,  witbier, coconut porter, and seasonal rotators like fruit beers and kettle sour.