Brian Dunn, who founded the brewery in 1994 on Araphahoe Street, rode into the ceremony in a bucket truck alongside the company's mascot, a fluffy white yeti -- namesake to Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide's most sought-after beer.
"I never imagined that this is what it would become," he said, surveying the construction site and addressing Great Divide's roots as a tiny brewery.
See also: Great Divide opening the Barrel Bar, a small tap room on the site of its future brewery
The first phase of the project will be a 65,000-square-foot warehouse, storage and packaging facility, along with a small taproom called the Barrel Bar, built on a former auto-parts lot and junkyard at 3403 Brighton Boulevard. The warehouse will have room for 1,300 wooden whiskey barrels that will be used for aging beer in addition to canning line that will allow Great Divide to fill 350 cans of beer per minute.That phase should take about a year and be finished next summer, Dunn said.
The second phase of Great Divide's massive undertaking should begin in 2016 and will include offices, fermenters and a brewhouse capable of producing 100,000 barrels of beer to start -- and 250,000 eventually. There will also be a large tap room and beer garden facing the river and the mountains.
The city of Denver is planning to build a park just behind the brewery and adjacent to the river. Development of that park could begin as soon as next year. Great Divide's property is located across the street from The Source restaurant and market complex."We're very excited to be in the RiNo neighborhood," Dunn said. "There is an incredible energy here."
Turn the page to see more photos of the site and the groundbreaking.Follow Westword's Beer Man on Twitter at @ColoBeerMan and on Facebook at Colo BeerMan
