Colorado Plus Debuts New Golden Cider House in May

If you love the gastropub experience at Colorado Plus Brew Pub, 6995 West 38th Avenue in Wheat Ridge, head west to 1100 Arapahoe Street in Golden on May 25 for the grand opening of the Colorado Plus Cidery and Pub. Located in the old Golden Coin-Op Laundry & Dry Cleaners building, the new cider house will pour six ciders made in-house, plus seventeen beers, ciders and other beverages from other producers. “It’s Colorado plus 49 states,” says owner Eugene Kahng, whose original restaurant/taphouse serves fourteen Colorado Plus beers and 42 guest taps of other Colorado-made beer, cider, mead, kombucha and soda.

The Colorado Plus Cidery and Pub will have an open kitchen so guests can watch chefs make “pub-style food elevated a notch,” Kahng notes. Whereas the menu of the Colorado Plus Brew Pub has beer-inspired dishes, and in some cases dishes made with beer, the new location will offer cider-centric culinary experiences like cider-braised pork and sausage and cider-infused cocktails with the same emphasis on scratch-made and Colorado-sourced ingredients when possible. Colorado Plus's popular hand-cut chips and fries and baked macaroni and cheese will make the leap from Wheat Ridge to the new Golden menu, but otherwise expect to see salads, sandwiches and main dishes that pair well with cider.

One reason Eugene decided to open a cidery/gastropub is to give his staff an opportunity pursue their passions in food and drink. Head brewer James Coulter, whose Milk and Cookies Stout won gold at the All Colorado Beer Festival last year, also has a love of cider. The first batch of his cider will be ready to pour in early May, just in time for the grand opening later in the month.

The new venture required more than $500,000 to remodel the old Coin-Op laundry and build out the restaurant and cider operations. Kahng says it has been challenging, but the pub is on track to open next month. Eugene’s enthusiasm for good food and drink keeps him optimistic: “We’ve done this before. Let’s do it again!”

Colorado Plus Brew Pub originally opened in 2013; the Wheat Ridge taproom will celebrate its fifth anniversary the same week as the new cidery's grand opening.