BrewDog Denver Opens April 19
The Story: It is the first U.S. franchise for the Scottish-born brand that has locations worldwide.
The Scoop: Check out our full coverage of this new addition to RiNo for more details.
Renegade Brewing Closing May 3
The Story: The Denver brewery, which opened thirteen years ago in the Art District on Santa Fe, posted a rather cryptic announcement on Facebook on April 15 with the news.
The Scoop: Head brewer Jack Meyer is leaving for Montana, and the investment group that owns Renegade lives on the East Coast, making it a difficult prospect to replace the primary driver behind the small brewery. The social media post notes that the company is evaluating options to potentially reopen at a later date.
The bigger picture is that it remains a challenging market, particularly for breweries located closer to downtown Denver, an area that is still suffering from a lack of in-person workers. This directly translates to a loss in business, particularly in the happy-hour segment. While Renegade is not directly closing due to that bigger picture, it is likely that in an up market, the team would scramble to find a head brewer replacement immediately.
Brewability Lab Finalist for Barclays Small Business Giveaway
The Story: The Englewood brewery that employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities is one of ten finalists.
The Scoop: The small business giveaway has a top prize of $60,000, second prize of $40,000 and third prize of $20,000. The other seven finalists will receive $5,000 each. Unfortunately, the listing notes that Brewability's sales are down 62.5 percent year over year, so it could certainly use the support. Votes can be cast online once per day; the public voting accounts for 30 percent in determining the winner, while a judging panel carries a 70 percent weight.
Odell in Fort Collins made the 2023 list of the top fifty producing craft brewing companies.
Courtesy Odell Brewing
The Story: The report, which is available online, includes the much-anticipated list of the top fifty producing craft brewing companies.
The Scoop: Fort Collins-based Odell Brewing is the only independent brewery solely from Colorado to make the list, coming in at 35th overall and 25th on the independent craft list, down from 32nd and 22nd, respectively, in 2022. The overall list includes the parent companies of New Belgium Brewing (Kirin, 9th), Avery Brewing (San Miguel, 15th), Breckenridge (Tilray, 16th) and Oskar Blues Brewery (Monster Brewing, 19th).
Other interesting information in the report includes data showing that a new all-time high in breweries in the U.S. was reached, with 9,683 in 2023; 495 new breweries opened in 2023, with 418 closing. Small and independent craft beer also declined by 1 percent in volume (compared to an over 5 percent in decline for the overall beer market), but employees increased 1.1 percent year over year, to 191,421 people.
Expect to continue to see a trove of negative headlines in the media — this is a period for the first time in decades that craft beer isn't clearly growing on all fronts. However the reality is far more nuanced than those headlines would lead you to believe. For example, seltzer-type beverages weren't included in this data, and many breweries that previously made trendy styles of beer have pivoted one or more taps to seltzer. The bottom line is craft beer is maturing and diversifying, and there are plenty of winners and losers as the market continues to develop and work through new challenges.
Upcoming Events
Party at the Moon Tower — Empourium's Fifth Anniversary
Friday, April 19, to Sunday, April 21
Empourium Brewing
4218 Tennyson Street
The three days of celebration include beer releases, music, food and tie-dye stations, and the theme takes its inspiration from the 1993 hit film Dazed and Confused. Beers include a mango hazy IPA, and there will be musical performances by Patrick Mead, DJ Will and Jon Licht.
From Grain to Glass: Navigating Climate Challenges in Beer Brewing
Sunday, April 21, 11 a.m. to noon
Denver Beer Company Lowry
7070 East Lowry Boulevard
During this Earth Day event, you'll hear from Colorado Public Radio News climate editor Joe Wertz, who will lead a panel discussion alongside DBC brewer Eric Yindrick and Root Shoot Malting's Todd Olander. Tickets are $5, which is being donated to CPR. In addition to a lively conversation, attendees will get a special tasting of a sustainable beer made at Denver Beer Company.
Beer of the Week: Volksbier Vienna from Wibby Brewing, Vienna Lager, 5.5 percent ABV
From the Brewery: This is "the people's lager!" We used all German ingredients for this mild, amber, malty beer. Volksbier took home the gold medal at GABF 2020 and the silver medal at the 2018 Frankfurt International Trophy.
From the Glass: Starts with toasty malt, and that really stays throughout the beer. Smooth, with a floral and herbaceous hop component leading to an off-dry finish. When I see this beer fresh at the store, it's an easy one to reach for. There's enough flavor here to keep things interesting, but it's also very drinkable. A well-made and flavorful beer, deserving of its multiple competition awards.
Availability: Six-packs of twelve-ounce cans at the brewery and at local liquor stores. I purchased these cans at Molly's Spirits.
