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Gone but Not Forgotten in 2023

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There were 25 Colorado breweries that had to close for various reasons in 2023.

The following list of breweries is a tribute to those that are Gone But Not Forgotten.

 

Wah Gwaan Brewing (Denver) 19 Jun 21 – 31 Jan 23

Closure Announcement:

It is with the heaviest heart that we’re announcing the closure of the Wah Gwaan taproom on January 31st. While we absolutely love our community and want to keep producing island brews, there are insurmountable external obstacles that have hindered us up until this point. Inflation, rising costs and the state of the economy have put us in this difficult position and we are not able to remain open while providing the service you’ve come to love and expect.
For this Bronx girl born to parents that immigrated to the US from Jamaica and this West Denver native, opening a brewery in Colorado that celebrated our cultures was a dream.
Closing our Denver taproom doesn’t mean that Wah Gwaan won’t reopen someday. If you have any connections or thoughts on what a next spot could look like, we’re open to hearing about them – just send us a DM.
If there’s anything we learned in this crazy process of starting and owning our own business, it’s that no matter how stressful, every little thing is gonna be alright.
Thank you so much for your love and support fam ❤️
Walk good and take care,
Harsha and Jesse
 
Jamaican-Inspired Wah Gwaan Brewing Will Close January 31 by Ryan Pachmeyer of Westword – 17 Jan 23

 

Rocky Mountain Brewery (Colorado Springs) Jun 08 – 04 Feb 23

Closure Announcement:

 

 

Pagosa Brewing & Grill (Pagosa Springs) Nov 06 – 12 Feb 23

After over 16 years, Pagosa Brewing & Grill closed their doors upon the retirement of the owners.

Pagosa Brewing Co. & Grill will close by summer 2023 by Tiney Ricciardi – The Denver Post

Welcome Home Brewery (Parker) 20 Oct 18 – 26 Feb 23

Closure Announcement:

To our friends, our family, our “Welcome Homies”,
It is with mixed emotions that we share with you the news that Sharon & Aaron have decided to move on from Welcome Home Brewery. We are under contract for the sale of the business, and our last day will be next Sunday, February 26th.
First and foremost, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support during these past 4 ½ years. You have been with us through blondes and reds, stouts and porters, ales and lagers, pale ales and saisons, seltzers and IPAs. You have laughed and cried with us. You helped us support dog rescues, law enforcement officers, and children with cancer. You have chosen our little brewery as a place to celebrate engagements, host weddings and rehearsal dinners, announce pregnancies and reveal genders. You’ve rocked hard to great music, laughed hard at great comedy, racked your brains over trivia, performed karaoke for the crowd, learned or mastered your poker game, made some memorable crafts, and also just been there for great beer on the nights when nothing else was going on. You supported us when the government tried to shut us down for good, and helped us keep the lights on. The memories we’ve made, all of us, together, we will hold dear to our hearts for years and decades to come.
Don’t cry for us (though there will probably be some tears in the days to come). We didn’t come to this decision lightly, but it is the right decision. Our lease was up in May, and our little brewery wasn’t going to keep up with the growing pace of South Parker. Aaron continued to work full-time with the Sheriff’s Office the entire time we’ve been open, and Sharon returned to work full-time about a year ago. We’re both excited about our “9-5” careers, and we are ready to leave the mental, emotional, and physical tolls of running a business and working full time behind us.
With hops, barley, water, yeast, and especially, love…
Sharon & Aaron

 

Red Mountain Brewing (Ouray) 05 Jun 18 – 15 Mar 23

While remaining open as a restaurant, Red Mountain stopped brewing their own beer.

 

Front Range Brewing Company (Lafayette) Jul 13 – 24 Mar 23

Closure Announcement:

To our loyal family, friends & customers over the past 10 years,
The FRBC family has had to make the extremely challenging decision to close our doors with a final cheers.
This decision has not been easy to come to terms with. As this business has given us all an immense amount of joy & purpose. We love this community & are honored to have been a part of it in such a special way. FRBC was truly a living dream for us, but it’s our time to step away. To all of you who have let our family into your lives & created some of the best memories we could ever ask for; we appreciate the time together & want to thank your support! From winning medals for our craft to local live music & weekly events; you all are what made this business feel like a tremendous success!
It has been challenging for small businesses post-pandemic as most of you can see. Lafayette is no different than the rest of the country. Despite relentless efforts to overcome the hurdles we have faced, it has come down to the last line that our family simply can’t negate.
We are forever grateful for the experience this business has provided us over the years. Our journey has brought us many highs & lows, making our family stronger, so please no tears. While this decision is heartbreaking for us to come to terms with, we hope the community, just like us, becomes stronger for it!
We want to share our labor of love one last time before we go! The last day to grab an FRBC Brew will be Friday, March 24th from 6pm-8pm. Our business will be closed leading up to that date due to low quantities of our brews & we will be allowing outside food. ALL BEER WILL BE COMPLETELY FREE & YOU GET TO KEEP YOUR GLASSWARE AS A SMALL GIFT FROM THE FRBC FAMILY. Running out is the goal here. We only have a few kegs of our Piney Ridge Dunkel left to share.
While this may be our last hurrah, we look forward to celebrating it with you all!
From the Hoglund & Nichols family to yours, thank you for the wonderful years & love shared around our bar. It’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know so many friends & businesses over the years! Our family has greatly grown over countless cheers!
With ALL our love,
The FRBC Family.

 

MobCraft Beer Company (Denver) 07 Sep 22 – 23 Apr 23

Closure Announcement:

The MobCraft Denver team is incredibly disheartened to share that our location will be ceasing operations at 7pm on Sunday, April 23rd. For more information on our closure, please visit: https://www.mobcraftbeer.com/…/thank-you-letter…/
We would like to extend a huge thank you to our community of fellow brewers, Curtis Park, and the city of Denver for welcoming us with open arms and supporting us. We will be donating a percentage of sales from our final week to the Hispanic Restaurant Association, Curtis Park Neighborhood Association, Colorado Brewers Guild, and our employees who have worked so diligently to get us as far as we did.
If you’re a restaurant, bar, or brewery that’s hiring, we have a wonderful staff of bartenders and servers that would make a great addition to any team. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any leads.
We will continue to operate at full capacity until the end, so come by for some fantastic beer and tacos!

 

MobCraft brewery closes just seven months after opening in Curtis Park (denverpost.com)

 

 

Counter Culture Brewery & Grille (Denver)  13 Sep 19 – 29 Apr 23

Closure Announcement:

Hard to see this one go, our brewery is closing after 3 1/2 years. Wish we could have remained open, but it was not meant to be. Perhaps the stories and directions of past breweries and owners show us it can lead to something new and exciting.

 

 

Sheaf & Kettle Brewing (Eaton) 18 Jan 20 – 07 May 23

Closure Announcement:
It is with a heavy heart that sadly our last day open will be today Sunday May 7th.
We have greatly appreciated all of our wonderful customers and hope to see you all around.
Come on in for a cold beer on a nice spring day.
God bless.

 

Kettle & Spoke Brewing (Boulder) 02 Dec 16 – 01 Jun 23

Kettle & Spoke has not officially made a closure announcement.  However, the taproom was closed to visitors in June and they posted the following:

Just to clarify as we have gotten a lot of questions!! We do not currently have a Tap Room location (we are still looking, let us know if you have any ideas), but WE ARE MAKING BEER for restaurants and crowler pick-up. We are also working on some light distribution for local beer stores.

Kettle & Spoke is currently listed as a brewery in planning in hopes that they find a new location.

Smiling Toad Brewery (Colorado Springs) Jun 2013 – 03  Jun 23

Closure Announcement:
Hello Awesome Toad Family
We have news to share. After 10 fantastic years of brewing up a storm, Smiling Toad Brewery is calling it a decade. Don’t worry we are not hopping away just yet
We want to thank you for joining us on this wild adventure filled with good times, great beers, and unforgettable memories. We could not have done this without you!
As we begin the process of wrapping up, we will keep the taps open for the next 6 weeks to 2 months (or until the beer runs dry)
Come on down and reminisce about the good old days
Thanks for being such amazing guests and making part of your family
It’s been a blast
Cheers
The Smiling Toad Team
and on their final day…
Today, June 3rd, 2023, is the final day of operation for The Smiling Toad Brewery. We’ve enjoyed 10 years of memories, beers, and friendship. Thank you for everyone who has come out in support of us over the last decade. The times we shared will forever live in our hearts.
On behalf of Biff, Patti, and the rest of the crew, we raise our glasses and say Cheers! We will see you on the other side of the bar.

Colorado Springs brewery closing after ’10 fantastic years’ by Stephanie Earls – The Gazette

 

 

 

Redgarden Restaurant & Brewery (Louisville) 16 June 18 – 15 June 23

Redgarden is still open as a restaurant.  However, in June they removed the brewery in favor of creating an event space.

They may reintroduce a smaller brewing system in the future, so Redgarden is listed as a brewery in planning.

 

 

Soul Squared Brewing (Wellington) 01 March 18 – 04 July 23

Today we are announcing that our last day open will be July 4th (Soul Squared will be continuing on in a new location in the future though). We here at Soul Squared wanted to take a minute to extend our never-ending appreciation for this community and for having the best damn customers we could ask for. We are hoping to spend this final weekend reminiscing and celebrating all the amazing times shared at the taproom and Leave it to Cleaver.
Change is hard, and it truly has been made harder with all YOU amazing people around us. Soul Squared Brewing Company will be continuing on, and we are grateful for that. Please stay tuned for all the information to come. We invite you to enjoy the taproom in its final five days under current ownership and location, and as always… cheers.
[This listing is to commemorate the closure of the Wellington taproom.  Soul Squared is still brewing for production and planning to re-open under new management elsewhere.]

 

Crow Hop Brewing Company (Loveland) 23 Nov 13 – 23 Jul 23

Closure Announcement:

Beer friends and fans, we regret to announce that Crow Hop will be closing our 4th Street taproom doors this summer. We thank you all for an amazing ride over the past decade while we’ve served up our award-winning brews in downtown Loveland. This isn’t the end – we’ll still be brewing and distributing around the Northern Front Range, and there’s good news to come on the horizon, but we need to shift our focus and efforts away from the taproom. If you’d like to know more, you can read our full statement on our website: Taproom Closing – Crow Hop Brewing Co.

Uhl’s Brewing (Boulder) 14 March 20 – 06 August 23

Closure Announcement:

Uhl’s Brewing Company today announced it will cease all production, distribution, and taproom operations on Sunday, August 6th of this year.

Uhl Brewing was founded in 2020 by Head Brewer Aaron Uhl, who set out with the simple idea of brewing the best beers – and providing the best customer experience that its team could offer. Over the years, the decorated brewery became well known for its unique craft beers, of which they brewed over 200, and for fostering a culture that bucked tradition.

“It weighs heavy on all of us here at Uhl’s because we love the people we work with, the amazing environment we have created, the beers, and our customers. We have kicked and clawed our way out of so many difficult situations these last three and a half years, which is why it’s hard to accept that the problem presented to our little brewery simply can not be fixed,” said Aaron Uhl, Founder and Head Brewer.

Uhl’s Brewing Company is not alone, as several breweries across Colorado and the nation have been forced to cease their operations in the wake of external constraints.

The craft brewery will close its doors to the public on August 6, 2023 at 7 PM. To commemorate its history and to celebrate its loyal customers, Uhl’s Brewing Co. will host a closing event on Saturday, August 5th. Long-time patrons and craft beer lovers will have the chance to enjoy the taproom space, special craft beers, and the Uhl’s Brewing team one final time. The craft brewery will also make an appearance at several local events leading up to their official closing.

“We look forward to connecting with all of our customers who love Uhl’s Brewing Company. Much love and many thanks to those who have supported us through our journey,” said Aaron Uhl.

After the closing, Aaron Uhl made this optimistic announcement:

As one journey ends, another is in front of me. While I may be taking time off for some recreation and rest, talks have already started and a new door has opened for Uhl’s Barrel House…

 

Mockery Brewing (Denver) November 14 – 12 August 23

Closure Announcement:

We did it! We reached the finish line! After 9 solid years of slinging awesome beers and sharing our little corner of Denver with thousands of amazing people, we have decided to raise our arms in victory and ride off into the sunset. We will be celebrating everything that has been Mockery over the next month and wrapping it all up with a farewell party on Saturday, August 12th. Please come out and enjoy one last beer with us and let us toast some of the best friends a brewery could ask for!

Final Farewell:

As our final goodbye, we would like to thank everyone that has been a part of making Mockery the amazing adventure it has been. Through the support of family, friends, and the best customers we could have asked for, we were able to support our community, provide a gathering place for all ideas and people, and follow our dreams. We love you all and are so happy that we got to make so many lifelong friendships and memories. Remember to support local, small business and Rock the F🤘ck on Forever!

 

RiNo’s Mockery Brewing Will Pour Its Last Beer on August 12 by Ryan Pachmayer – Westword

 

 

LowDown Brewery (Denver) February 14 – 30 September 23

Longtime Cap Hill favorite, LowDown Brewery & Kitchen announced their closure by sharing the following article by Ryan Pachmayer of Westword:

LowDown Brewery & Kitchen in Capitol Hill to Close September 30

 

Dos Luces Brewery (Denver) 27 July 18 – 30 September 23

Thank you! Our last day is tomorrow, September 30th.
Just over five years ago, we opened our doors with a mission to “Change the way people think about beer.” Our brewery was always going to be different, focusing exclusively on Pre-Colonial beer styles and with corn as our primary ingredient. The community reaction was wonderful to see, and so many of you have become loyal customers over the years, along with those who can only visit occasionally but have expressed to me personally how much of a loss our closure is to you and your community.
If you’ll indulge me for a moment of beer history, I hope that, in reflection years from now, our closure will be seen in the same vein as that of New Albion back in 1982. Arguably, the first brewery of the modern craft era (Opened in 1976), New Albion was doing something different, and they inspired so many others, including several of the leaders in craft beer today. My hope is that Chicha, Pulque, Tepache, and other Pre-Colonial or Mesoamerican inspired beers will thrive, even without us as part of it.
Thank you so much to all of you, our wonderful customers who supported us through the past five years, right up to the end. Thank you to our staff, who have become like family over the years. Thank to our industry collaborators and “co-opetition”, especially the LatinX brewing community and the gluten-free brewing community. Thank you to my family for putting up with the lifestyle of a brewery owner and supporting me personally throughout.
We hope to see more of you in the last two days here. All merchandise is on massive sale (Most items are 80% off today, going to 90% tomorrow – In store only). I’ll level with you and say that our beer selection is slim, with mostly sours and imperials left, but don’t let that keep you away!
This is the end for the taproom, but not quite the end for our beers. We’re still on tap in a couple of places, including Ni Tuyo and Raices Brewing. You can still find NA Tepache at Turtle Boat and Spice Trade Brewing. When a new brewery takes over the taproom, they will likely still have some of our inventory to run through. Plus, we have a collaboration going with Purpose Brewing (Some of our Pulque is currently sitting in their barrels) which will be released whenever it is ready. Our email list will be closed down, so make sure you follow our social media for announcements on that and other developments. We’ll keep those active, even if not as active as they have been.
The lights go out at 10pm tomorrow. Thank you all!

The Bakers’ Brewery (Silverthorne) June 15 – 30 September 23

After eight years in Silverthorne, The Bakers’ Brewery closed their doors with no announcement.

 

Mad Russian Brewing (Olathe) 05 December 19 – 13 October 23

In October Mad Russian Brewing in the small Western Slope town of Olathe shuttered their taproom with the following message:
The Brewery will no longer be open to the public. I’ll still be doing my 6 packs so message me to get yours.

 

 

The Industrial Revolution Brewing Co (Erie) October 13 – 24 November 23

Closure Announcement:

Black Bottle Brewery (Fort Collins) December 12 – 02 December 23

Closure Announcement:

To our wonderful and loved Black Bottle Brewery family and friends – the time has come to announce the sale of our building at the end of November to our good friends in the brewing industry, Verboten Brewing.
You all have given us almost 11 years of patronage and love, and we can’t thank you enough. The struggle of COVID hit us harder than anticipated, but our regulars and our Blacklisted members saw us through, in an effort to reach the other side. Running a small business is no skate in the park, and now that we are on the other side, we have decided that it is time to move on. Black Bottle Brewery will always mean so much to the Nook family and staff, and we wish we could continue moving forward as easily as we enjoy pouring you all a cold beer. Unfortunately, it’s just not that simple.
For our friends who have been with us since our inception, we are grateful for you and for the opportunities that your love and support have provided for us. We can’t believe that this was once just a garage hobby! You all are the reason that we were able to grow and thrive & become a staple in the Fort Collins craft brewing scene and for that, we are so very grateful.
Verboten Brewing will be taking our space to extend their operation into the Fort Collins area and we wish them the absolute best! A business thrives on excellent guests and staff, and we did offer them the best clientele & staff in town, so we have no doubts that their new project will be a smash hit. We will continue to offer food and drink through November, and merchandise will be available while supplies last. We also plan on brewing one LAST batch of The Last Unicorn and will have it available on tap & in cans, so keep an eye out for that in the weeks to come.
It has been a fun ride, but it’s time for the Nook family to move on to the next chapter. Thank you for all that you have done with us – we’ll catch you on the flipside.
Cheers,
Sean & Erin Nook

 

 

 

Ursula Brewing (Aurora) 30 May 14 – 22 December 23

Ursula Brewing, a much-loved Aurora brewery, closed without any statement beyond the sharing of the Denver Post article.


Aurora brewery will close, sell to new owners by Jonathan Shikes of The Denver Post – 30 Nov 23

 

 

Oasis Brewing (Denver) 17 Mar 18 – 23 December 23

Closure Announcement:

It is with a heavy heart that we are closing Oasis after a final day of serving amazing beer on December 23rd. Words cannot express how grateful we are for the community around us and the support we have had over the last five years.  This decision was not easy and certainly not what we had imagined when we opened in 2018. Thank you to everyone who has helped build the community and atmosphere at Oasis. Please come in and enjoy a pint with our staff and help us go out on a positive note.

 

Their final farewell:

Thank you to everyone who came out during our last couple of weeks. Our hearts are full of the stories, memories, and the laughter and tears shared. The love and the support that was showered upon us was amazing.
We aimed to build a community and left knowing we did exactly that. Thank you to all of you who helped make that happen.
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” – Semisonic

 

 

Grist Brewing (Highlands Ranch) Nov 13 – 29 December 23

Closure Announcement:

Note:  This announcement effectively closed all Grist Brewing locations.  While remaining open as a business, there is no brewing operations at Rare by Grist in Lonetree.

Highlands Ranch brewery to close and make way for another longtime beer maker to move in by Jonathan Shikes of The Denver Post – 6 Dec 2023

 

 

Crooked Stave FoCo Taproom (Fort Collins) Nov 13 – 29 December 23

Note:  Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project in Denver remains open and therefore this doesn’t count among the number of breweries that closed this year.
Closure Announcement:
We are sad to announce the closure of the Fort Collins taproom at the end of this year. The choice to close at this time stems from the need to reimagine and reassess the space to better align with the evolving consumer landscape. Our owner Yetta Vorobik shared, “We have enjoyed many wonderful moments and events in this community. Chad and I are incredibly thankful for our staff and patrons in Fort Collins. We hope to either reimagine the space in the coming months or find an amazing business to take our place.”
December 30th will be the final day of operations. We will feature 50% off all draft beer as well as 30% off all merch and cans between 12/26-12/30 to show our appreciation for all your support over the last 5 years. We have thoroughly enjoyed serving everyone in this community and will miss all of our friends, family and friends that have become family. We hope to see you all before the end of the year to share a toast with you🍻

 

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Here is the list of the Colorado breweries that closed in 2023:

 

Open date Brewery City Close date
19-Jun-21 Wah Gwaan Brewing Denver 31-Jan-23
01-Jun-08 Rocky Mountain Brewery Colorado Springs 04-Feb-23
01-Nov-06 Pagosa Brewing & Grill Pagosa Springs 12-Feb-23
20-Oct-18 Welcome Home Brewery Parker 26-Feb-23
05-Jun-18  Red Mountain Brewing Ouray 15-Mar-23
01-Jul-13 Front Range Brewing Lafayette 24-Mar-23
07-Sep-22 MobCraft Beer Denver Denver 23-Apr-23
19-Sep-19 Counter Culture Brewery & Grille Denver 29-Apr-23
18-Jan-20 Sheaf & Kettle Brewing Eaton 07-May-23
02-Dec-16 Kettle & Spoke Brewing Boulder 01-Jun-23
01-Jun-13 Smiling Toad Brewery Colorado Springs 03-Jun-23
16-Jun-18 Redgarden Restaurant and Brewery Louisville 15-Jun-23
01-Mar-18 Soul Squared Brewing Wellington 04-Jul-23
23-Nov-13 Crow Hop Brewing Loveland 23-Jul-23
14-Mar-20 Uhl’s Brewing Boulder 06-Aug-23
01-Nov-14 Mockery Brewing Denver 12-Aug-23
01-Feb-14 LowDown Brewery Denver 30-Sep-23
27-Jul-18 Dos Luces Brewery Denver 30-Sep-23
01-Jun-15 The Baker’s Brewery Silverthorne 30-Sep-23
05-Dec-19 Mad Russian Brewing Olathe 12-Aug-23
01-Oct-13 The Industrial Revolution Brewing Co. Erie 24-Nov-23
01-Dec-12 Black Bottle Brewery Fort Collins 02-Dec-23
30-May-14 Ursula Brewing Aurora 22-Dec-23
17-Mar-18 Oasis Brewing Denver 23-Dec-23
01-Nov-13 Grist Brewing Highlands Ranch 29-Dec-23


In happy news, there were 25 openings this year in the Colorado Brewery Class of 2023. 

 

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