Behind the Scenes at Denver Beer Co., Colorado

Posted by Lee Williams, February 20, 2012 at 11:30 AM

Denver Beer Company is located in the city's rapidly redeveloped and desirable Highland neighborhood. It has made a name for itself by offering a rapidly changing selection of ales and lagers. From one week to the next, the entire lineup of beers can—and does—change. In the six months since the brewery opened, a mind-boggling range of styles, both traditional and wholly experimental, have been poured.

The brewery is becoming more widely known on account of its Graham Cracker Porter; a creamy American Porter brewed with an abundance of actual graham crackers. The beer won a Gold Medal at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival, and immediately became much in-demand, so much so that it has become the closest the brewery has to a year-round offering.

Denver Beer Co. was founded by Charlie Berger and Patrick Crawford. Berger studied brewing at the Siebel Institute of Technology and the Doemans Brewing Academy in Munich, and brewed professionally at Wynkoop Brewing Co. prior to starting Denver Beer Co. Crawford earned his brewing stripes as an award-winning homebrewer before going all in at the commercial level with Berger in 2011.

Denver Beer Co. was conceived of as a neighborhood brewery. Located in a heavily residential area of the city, the taproom is sizeable for such a small operation. In a former life, the building was car mechanics' garage, and the large vertical doors are often open warmer months to reveal a patio with long biergarten-style benches. A rotating schedule of food trucks provide the taproom with a much welcomed selection of beer-appropriate food.

The brewery is projected to brew 1000 barrels of beer in 2012, and some new tank space means they will soon be able to realize their goal of selling more beer to local area bars on a regular basis. We had the chance to walk around the brewery a bit on a brewday. Check out the slideshow for our snapshots of all the action.

Tap Room: Open Tuesday to Thursday 3:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., Friday and Saturday 12:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Closed Mondays. Growlers are available to go.

Denver Beer Company

1695 Platte Street, Denver, CO 80202 (map)
303-772-0258; denverbeerco.com/

About the Author: Lee Williams grew up in Bristol, England and now resides in Denver, Colorado. In 2009 he founded Hoptopia, a beer review website, iPhone and Android app. He is currently penning his first book, titled Beer Lover's Colorado; due for publication in October. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter at @Hoptopia.

More Brewery Tours

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The little brewhouse that could

Denver Beer Co. sourced their 7 barrel brewhouse from a brewpub in Newington, Connecticut. Charlie (pictured), told me that they are routinely able to yield 8 barrels per batch from the trusty system. Squeezing that much out of the system can sometimes result in a little boil-over. Here, Charlie can be seen using a solution of Fermcap to prevent the boil from foaming out of the brew kettle.

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55 different beers in 6 months

Since opening in August, 2011, Denver Beer Co. has brewed 64 batches of beer, 55 of which have been different recipes. The colorful chalkboard used to display what's currently on tap is constantly hoisted up and down so it can be kept up to date with what’s pouring.

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Plethora of grain types

Brewing so many different styles of beer on a weekly basis requires constant access to malts of every conceivable variety and roast.

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Hops

On the day we visited, Denver Beer Co. was brewing their first collaboration beer with Uplsope Brewing Company from Boulder. The as-yet unnamed beer is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale brewed with tart cherries and cocoa nibs. A version of the beer was brewed at Upslope that used Stryian Goldings hops, while the Denver Beer Co. version used Columbus hops (pictured).

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The adjuncts

The aforementioned cocoa nibs were sourced from TCHO in San Francisco. They are added with the cherries to the beer once primary fermentation has begun—not during the boil.

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Wort transfer pump

A small food grade industrial pump is used to transfer the finished wort from the brew kettle to a fermentation tank.

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The starter

White Labs WLP530 Abbey Ale Yeast was the yeast of choice for the Denver Beer Co. and Upslope collaboration brew. Pictured here are two active yeast starters primed for addition to the wort now housed in the fermentation tank.

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Mashing out

A brewday isn’t over until all of the sodden spent grain has been removed from the mashtun. In a small brewing operation like Denver Beer Co. this is an entirely manual operation and is arguably the most backbreaking work of the day.

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Barrels, barrels, everywhere

At virtually every craft brewery in America, in 2012, former wine and spirit barrels can be found lurking somewhere in the building and housing all manner of beers. Denver Beer Co. purchased barrels from the outset, and began aging beers for eventual special tappings.

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The walk-in

Denver Beer Co. founders Charlie and Patrick fashioned much of the brewery walk-in cooler themselves. 99 percent of the beer they brew passes through here for consumption in the tap room, or to go in growlers.

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The beer

One of the most exciting things about Denver Beer Co., and one of the things that keeps people coming back, is the ever changing tap list. There is always a surprise or two waiting to be discovered. The standout on the day we visited was the charred and fruity Black Powder Saison.

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Firkin Friday

Every Friday at Denver Beer Co. a special firkin of beer is tapped at the bar. On the day we visited the beer in question was an dry-hopped IPA using an experimental hop called X-342.

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The tap room

The brewery tap room can accommodate 90 people. Another 100 people can be accommodated on the outdoor biergarten-style patio.

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