News Colorado’s First Craft Brewery to Downsize

One of the oldest craft breweries in the country, and Colorado’s first, announced that they will significantly downsize, ending all packaging and limiting sales to only the brewery brewpub and taproom.

Boulder Beer, which pre-dates even Sierra Nevada Brewing will end its multi-state distribution of bottles, cans and kegs and operate only as a brewpub at its Boulder, Colorado location. The company will layoff about 20 of its 50 employees.

The brewery’s ownership group is led by restaurant and brewery industry investor Gina Day. “Boulder Beer has been part of my life for close to thirty years, as it has been for so many of our loyal friends and patrons, and we all want to see it live on,” Day said in a statement as reported in an article in the Westwood. “Times have changed and change is hard, but… our friends will still be able to enjoy our beers in the brewpub, and by brewing in small batches, have a wider variety of options on the ever-rotating specialty taps. We’re celebrating our milestone fortieth anniversary this year and look forward to furthering our legacy in Boulder and the industry.”

The brewery was founded in 1979 by two professors at the University of Colorado. At that time there were only 42 other operating breweries in the country.

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