The Fire Goes Out at Owlbear Barbecue at Finn's Manor

We have good news and bad news for lovers of great barbecue. First the bad news: Pit boss Karl Fallenius has closed down operations of his Owlbear Barbecue at Finn's Manor at 2927 Larimer Street. The good news is that Fallenius plans to reopen in a yet-to-be-named permanent location under the Owlbear shingle.

Owlbear first started attracting the attention of smokehouse aficionados shortly after Finn's Manor opened in the summer of 2015, and made our list of the ten best barbecue joints in town a year later. The food was mostly Texas-style barbecue, with simple seasonings and no slathering of sauce. But the setup was entirely outdoors — perfect for Central Texas, but not so good for selling barbecue in the dead of winter in Denver.

With the move, Owlbear should be able to stabilize business year ’round and hopefully keep occasional specials, like mouthwatering housemade pastrami, on the menu board regularly.

Here's the message on Owbear's Facebook page:

Hello!!! We are going to be closed for a little bit while we figure out getting Owlbear into a brick and mortar! Exciting things are on the horizon! 

Exciting, indeed — though our craving for some Owlbear brisket will surely arise well before the smokehouse's new location.

• Openings and Closings
• Word of Mouth