The pandemic certainly wasn’t good for breweries. But it did force many to rethink the way they do business, and now, as the smoke clears, a few are in a position to succeed like never before.
One of these is Woods Boss Brewing, which is in the midst of a major expansion that will add a new, 3,400-square-foot event space and music venue, a canning line capable of sealing eighteen cans per minute and expanded capacity that will allow it to brew twice as much beer.
When the changes are complete sometime in June, the Lodge at Woods Boss, as the new space is called, will have a separate entrance around the corner from the brewery, at 675 22nd Street (though there is a connecting hallway inside the building), twelve taps, a stage and a sound system. It will also have a similar woodsy aesthetic, complete with a bar made from a Siberian elm tree and an A-frame above the bar.
It was April 2020, and Justin Baccary, the owner of Station 26 Brewing, was prepared for a bloodbath. Like many other states, Colorado had forced its bars, breweries and restaurants to close in March to try and stem the rising rate of COVID-19 infections, and it was becoming clear to Baccary and others that what had once looked like a three-to-six-month nightmare was turning into an indefinite hell-scape for businesses of all kinds.
The Brewers Association trade group had just released the results of a sobering survey: nearly 12 percent of independent breweries nationwide said they would have to close by the end of the month if social distancing restrictions weren t lifted. Nearly 60 percent said they would be out of business by July. That would have translated to a stunning 4,500 breweries across the country and 250 beer makers in Colorado.
Keep reading for beer tappings and events into through March 13.
Denver Beer Co s newest beer has Love This City art on the label from muralist Pat Milbery.
Denver Beer Co.
Wednesday, March 3 It s 303 day (March 3), and you can celebrate Colorado s OG area code with $3.03 beers at Factotum Brewhouse starting at 4 p.m. But you have to buy tickets in advance on the brewery s website.
Denver Beer Co. hosts the release of new year-round beer called Love This City American Pilsner, which will feature artwork by muralist Pat Milbery on the cans. Milbery’s Love This City mural art, which has become a symbol of the Mile High City, can be found in almost every neighborhood, DBC says. His iconic hearts represent the many layers of love and the City of Denver s loving energy for those who call it home. The release is being held on 303 Day, and Milbery will paint a new mural at DBC s Platte Street taproom.
Hey, creative types! Two different beer makers, Great Divide Brewing and Pikes Peak Brewing, are throwing out a call to artists to design their next beer cans.
Pikes Peak is looking for a design for its brand-new cans of Tejon Mexican Lager, which it started brewing upon opening the second Pikes Peak taproom, the Lager House, in Colorado Springs. The easy-drinking lager is made with flaked maize and Lemondrop hops; it s named after the street where the Lager House sits. The details are available on the brewery s website, but they include a look that will be more fun than the brewery s existing label design.