New Downtown Brewery Full Frame Beer Is the Right Addition at the Right Time

Alyssa Hoberer and Jacob Kemple didn’t rush into opening a brewery together. The longtime friends and local brewers first talked about it several years ago, but decided the timing wasn’t right. It almost didn’t happen a second time. Last year, the pair started a WeFunder and had their sights set on the former Alpine Dog space in Cap Hill.

That space fell through, but the same week, they found out that Jagged Mountain, where Hoberer was head brewer, was interested in selling its brewery at 1139 20th Street. The duo jumped at the opportunity and has put in countless hours over the last few months to brighten up the space.

Now, Full Frame Beer is open, pouring beer from 3 to 10 p.m. daily.

What we saw

Full Frame's photography theme is apparent throughout the space, but it’s not in your face either. It offers a quirky, yet cohesive branding — from the photographs in the bathrooms to the photo booth out front.

the climbing and baseball-style branding felt a bit narrow and dated There was nothing inherently wrong with Jagged Mountain, per se. The staff was friendly and the beer was good. It was, however, a bit darker, and the climbing and baseball-style branding felt a bit narrow and dated. “It was a little bit old man,” says Hoberer. “We wanted to change everything in here.” That contrasting change has led to what looks like the start of a successful taproom.
Oh, and the beer. Combine the already quality beer Hoberer was making at Jagged with Kemple’s background as lead brewer at nearby Our Mutual Friend Brewing and it’s no surprise that the beer is excellent across the board.

Opening options lean pale and hoppy. One of two house beers is Obscura, an Australian Pale Ale. A bit leaner, lightly bitter and bursting with complex notes of citrus before finishing dry, this is a real winner. Hoberer says the beer will likely be a mainstay, with the hops changing based on what is exciting to her and Kemple.

The second beer made at Full Frame is House Light. This is Full Frame acknowledging that it sits just blocks away from Coors Field. Only 4.3 percent ABV with a kiss of hop flavor form the Cascade and Loral hops, House Light will be on special for baseball games.

Hoberer and Kemple also leaned on some friends for the launch, brewing an assortment of beers with breweries like Milieu Fermentation, Denver Beer Company, Woods Boss Brewing, Public Offering Brewing and Los Dos Potrillos.

Japanese Vending Machine, a rice lager with Los Dos Potrillos, is a well executed crisp lager with balancing herbal and floral noble hop components. Skyline Synergy, with Denver Beer Company, bills itself as being juicy, with mango, chewy candy and ripe pineapple. That proves true — the double IPA has a ridiculous amount of flavor in it.
Hoberer says that while the collabs are strategic (Full Frame needed to get open and make some money and couldn’t afford to delay its launch several weeks while more house beers fermented) they are also going to be a big part of the brewery moving forward. “It’s always been a core value to collaborate a lot with breweries,” she says. “The plan is to continue to just have fun with our friends and make beer together.”

One thing noticeably missing from the opening lineup is dark beers. Two are on the way, however — a dark Czech lager with neighbors Great Divide Brewing and an Orange Chocolate Stout with Monolith Brewing. Hoberer credits Monolith owner Stephen Monahan for helping Full Frame out quite a bit during the last few months. Monahan himself has breathed new life into a former brewery — Monolith Brewing replaced Black Project in November 2023.

One can’t help but think about another collaboration partner when sitting inside Full Frame, close friends Milieu Fermentation. In a situation that mirrors Full Frame, Milieu Fermentation owners Andrew Bergeron and Rob Bessett are former employees of Ursula Brewing, and took over the space to launch Milieu in May 2024. Like Full Frame, Milieu wasn’t a big budget tear down, and it was done in just a few months, yet the vibe of the place is entirely different. The trend of experienced and focused industry vets adding a welcome freshness to the scene continues with Full Frame.

What surprised us

The immediate love for the brewery.

A recent industry night was jammed packed. Craft beer fans were buzzing and veteran national beer writer John Holl featured the brewery on his recent Drink Beer, Think Beer podcast. Local breweries usually take months to build up a following, but it feels like Full Frame is starting out much stronger.

It’s obvious that the beer world has a lot of respect for what these two brewers have done previously and are itching to see what they'll do as owner/brewers.

In a world where a lot of breweries are looking to figure out what works, Hoberer and Kemple have crafted a bright and fun space authentic to themselves, stacked it with delicious drinks and promises of more to come — including morning coffee service and eventually, food. We can’t wait.

Full Frame Beer is located at 1139 20th Street and is open from 3 to 10 p.m. daily with extended hours coming soon. For more information, visit fullframebeer.com.