Denver Beer Company Debuts Its Fourth Location, in Lowry

On February 25, Denver Beer Company celebrated the grand opening of its fourth taproom, in the heart of the Boulevard One development in Lowry.

The roughly 4,200 square feet space (with an additional 5,400 square-foot outdoor patio that opens up to a large par features a seven-barrel brewhouse helmed by JulieAnne Diehl, whose résumé includes Platt Park Brewing, Tivoli Brewing, Windfall Brewing and, most recently, Briar Common, where she was head brewer. Diehl has been honing her skills on the other area Denver Beer Company brew systems while waiting for Lowry’s brewhouse to go online, so she was ready to get creative from day one, with plans for an interesting sour beer. “I’m really excited about trying a chai sour with plum,” she says. The tea for the beer will come from The Tea Spot in Louisville, a company that DBC director of innovation Andy Parker is familiar with from his days at Avery Brewing. "we made a bunch of beers with them, and they just do top-tier shit,” Parker says.

The Lowry location includes a kitchen led by DBC company chef Michael Ruiz, serving a menu similar to the one at DBC's Downing Street location with appetizers such as classic, duck fat or queso fries, as well as cherry-glazed sweet potatoes, Buffalo cauliflower and housemade meatballs. Main courses include pulled pork and Buffalo chicken sandwiches, street tacos that come in brisket and chicken varieties, salads, mac and cheese, a kids' menu, and a double cheeseburger that Parker lauds.
After planning, permits, construction and hiring, most breweries are just happy to be open, typically taking a few months before jumping into events, but DBC Lowry is diving right in. This is where the experience of the team really shows. “Beer, bacon, coffee — all unlimited portions,” says Parker of the upcoming Beer, Bacon and Coffee Fest on March 4 and 5. A five-course beer dinner is also planned for March 20.

While the beer dinner is specific to the Lowry taproom, DBC is used to sharing events and resources among all four locations. This extends to the beer list, which includes nearly twenty brews. "We’ll have eight or nine core beers, five more from the brite tanks brewed on the premises, and then another four to five that might either be kegs [brewed on site] or beer from the Platte Street location,” says Parker.

The design of the DBC's taproom brewhouses allows their services to be mostly interchangeable. A brewer from the original location on Platte Street could go brew at Lowry while Diehl is on vacation, for example, or Parker could jump in and brew himself. Having core beers from the production facility in north Denver also allows patrons to walk into any DBC location and drink familiar beer, with the option of having in-house beer made at the taproom or even trying a glass of beer made by another brewer at another taproom location. The mix helps keep things fresh while still providing familiarity for customers who want it.
The Lowry location opened with a diverse beer list, from core staples like Incredible Pedal West Coast IPA and Graham Cracker Porter to house-only brews like the 5.5 percent crisp and clean Lowry Lager. Lavender Currents, a sour ale with fresh lavender and black currants, is what Parker and Diehl refer to as more of a niche brew; they admit that lavender is a classic love/hate ingredient, similar to cilantro, but expect that for some, it will be a new favorite. A Belgian-style tripel and an IPA with coconut, lime and pineapple are a couple of the other varieties on draft.

DBC is also experimenting with an emerging trend: carbonated hop water. The brewery has two varieties at its Lowry location, served in-house only. It’s making these waters in very small batches as it fine-tunes the recipes and watches this new market to see if it's something with staying power. The hibiscus variety proved to be a very refreshing, booze-free option; the non-flavored hop water was bright and, unlike some other hop waters that fall short by attempting the impossible task of replicating an alcoholic IPA with zero malt or alcohol, offered a pleasant accent of citrus hop flavor.

The new Lowry location is in keeping with DBC’s knack for choosing spaces that are located near a large base of customers and offer great indoor-outdoor experiences. During one of its first afternoons in business, a large number of dogs, families and solo locals were enjoying the adjoining green space and park.

Last year saw a number of strong Denver-area brewery openings, with well-made beer and bright, attractive locations that frequently cater to their surrounding neighborhood. DBC Lowry is continuing that trend, proving that the beer scene in the city, and throughout Colorado, continues to evolve and strengthen.

Denver Beer Company Lowry is located at 7070 East Lowry Boulevard and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit denverbeerco.com/taprooms/lowry.