WeldWerks Brewing Opens The Annex, Its In-House Eatery

When WeldWerks Brewing opened at 508 8th Avenue in Greeley in 2015, locals were excited. The more beer the better. But they also had some advice for the owners: You'll do fine, they said. Just don't make an IPA.

Seven years and a couple hundred different IPAs later, the brewery, which has become a Colorado phenomenon with international recognition, is giving Greeley another new option: an in-house eatery called the Annex, serving dishes like Spanish calamari with romesco sauce; pork belly steamed buns with togarashi slaw; and yakitori skewers with tofu, a Teriyaki glaze and Hazel Dell mushrooms.

Headed up by chef Tim Meador, who previously operated a food truck that visited WeldWerks and other breweries, the Annex will also offer a burger and salads, but the menu will change regularly. It begins serving February 21 at 11 a.m. and will have regular hours seven days a week.

"Calamari with romesco sauce may not be the best seller right away," acknowledges WeldWerks marketing chief Jake Goodman. "But we think we can move the city along, and we're hoping the food will grow along with the beer, and that we can change some minds and some palates along the way."

The taproom experience will stay the same, though, he adds, as customers will order at the bar and have the food brought out to them. "It will be higher-concept food, but in a relaxed setting."

To build the kitchen, WeldWerks blew out its back wall — a project that has taken a little longer than expected. It is also adding a lounge area, probably sometime in the next two months, and additional seating where its offices used to be; that space will be used for ticketed pairing dinners and other events.

In addition, WeldWerks trained staff members so that they are more familiar with pairing menu items with the brewery's ever-changing lineup of hazy IPAs, pastry stouts, tart and sour ales, and lagers. "I hope that the Annex brings a whole new category of non beer-centric visitors, drawn in by the food, and turned into regular fixtures at WeldWerks because they found their new favorite restaurant," Goodman adds.

Since the brewery owns the entire square block on which it is located, it has some plans in store for the rest of the year as well. In May, it will move its offices into a school building on the property when the tenant moves out. And later, Goodman says, WeldWerks plans to spruce up its outdoor patios, which are currently covered by large white tents, by adding pergolas or other all-weather features.

The Annex at Weldwerks Brewery is located at 503 8th Avenue in Greeley and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit weldwerks.com/the-annex.