Colorado Beer Industry History

Knowing something about the Colorado beer industry history makes enjoying a cold glass of craft beer on a sunny patio much more savory than just drinking to unwind after a day on the slopes or after conquering a 14er. We love our beer here in Colorado, whether taking a tour at Coors or New Belgium or pulling over to try out yet another new craft brewery that seems to have popped up overnight.

Denver a Beer Brewing Giant

On any random day, Denver brews more beer than any other city in the United States. So much of the Colorado beer industry history revolves around alcohol, and for a state that personifies the Wild West in many ways, that’s not too surprising. The very first Denver city government was established in a saloon—the Apollo Building, in Larimer Square, still stands today in a district of the city’s downtown area that is still populated by, you guessed it, bars. Today, Colorado is home to hundreds of breweries, a number that is constantly fluctuating and growing. But how did we get here? How did Colorado’s beer industry get its start?

A Beverage as Old as Civilization

For as long as humans have been growing grains, they’ve discovered what happens when those grains ferment and produce alcohol. While the beer drunk by the Egyptians as they built the Pyramids of Giza, or the beer enjoyed by Vikings to celebrate a successful raid, was probably very different from the hoppy IPAs and fruity saisons we enjoy nowadays, the concept was pretty much the same. You grow a grain or cereal, let that cereal sit and ferment just a little too long, and suddenly, you’ve got beer!

Beer, a Worldwide Culture

In one form or another, evidence of brewing beer has been found all over the world, from China to Mesopotamia. Still, it wasn’t until the Germans brought hops into the game during the 13th century that it took off and started to resemble the drink we know and enjoy today. You’ve probably heard about the German and Belgian monks who brewed beer in their abbeys—some of their operations are still in business today, like the Weihenstephan Brewery in Germany, which has been brewing beer since the year 1040, almost a thousand years!

Immigrants and the Beer Industry History in America 

Beer in the US took a little longer to get a mainstream foothold. Native Americans had been brewing beer long before white settlers set foot in North America. Still, despite the popularity of beer among European settlers, the earliest recorded brewery in the United States wasn’t built until 1612. Even then, brewing didn’t take off until the 19th century, when a wave of immigration brought European brewing traditions across the Atlantic in a way we’d never seen before. Most of the forefathers of America’s beer industry were immigrants who arrived here during this time, and you might recognize a few of their names: Eberhard Anheuser, Adolphus Busch, Frederick Miller, Frederick Pabst, and—oh yeah—an undocumented stowaway from Germany by the name of Adolph Coors.

The Colorado Gold Rush and the Colorado Beer Industry History

Coors might be the most storied brewing operation in Colorado history, but by the time it opened in 1873, it wasn’t even close to being the first. With the advent of the Gold Rush, which brought thousands to Colorado in the 19th century, each in search of glory and riches, there came an opportunity and a demand for Colorado beer. Gold miner’s got to unwind after a grueling day at work, you know?

First Know Colorado Brewery

In 1859, Rocky Mountain Brewing became the first known Colorado brewery, but this Denver establishment only lasted about a year. Colorado’s residents were thirsty, though, so the brewery was far from the last of its kind—it was closely followed by other establishments that popped up in mining towns throughout the mountains. When a new mining camp was built, establishing a saloon was often the priority, and anyone with even a passing knowledge of brewing beer immediately had a thirsty and willing clientele ready to sample their goods.

Gold Rush Era German Style Beers

Gold Rush era breweries produced mostly German-style beers—lots of pilsners and lagers; because barley was in short supply, they got creative and supplemented their grains with rice or corn. This slightly improvisational mentality also meant brewers had nowhere to store their product, so they made most of it on demand. The Colorado beer had to be drunk quickly, and the short shelf-life meant it didn’t travel well like whiskey. This could explain why, by some historical estimates, there were as many as 129 breweries throughout Colorado at the height of the Gold Rush beer boom. That’s more breweries than the state of Arizona had in 2019!

Prohibition—America’s Biggest Party Pooper

By the early 20th century, the Colorado beer industry was booming. Zang Brewing, a historic Denver brewery in what is now the Denver Aquarium, produced enough beer in 1910 to place it among the top five Colorado breweries today. Pasteurization and bottling technology advancements meant beer could be sealed, refrigerated, and shipped nationwide. This meant a massive uptick in business for giants like Anheuser-Busch and Coors. Among smaller breweries, competition became tough, probably much like today’s, with microbrewers competing for local business in an increasingly crowded field.

Prohibition made Beer Industry History

And then came 1916, when Colorado passed Prohibition measures. And the state, followed by the rest of the country four years later, went dry. Beer giants that, months earlier, had been flourishing went belly up almost immediately, and Coors, a notable exception, only made it through by changing gears entirely and selling products like malted milk and ceramic dinnerware. Prohibition had struck a death knell on Colorado’s beer industry, and it would take the better half of a century for it to recover fully.

Colorado’s Second Beer Industry Boom

Bringing Colorado beer back to the forefront can be attributed to many players, but one of the most notable is Charlie Papazian. This teacher, who moved to Boulder in the 1970s, taught elementary school by day and brewed beer at night. Papazian is the founder of the American Homebrewers Association and the Great American Beer Festival, which is still held annually in Denver, with participation from more than 600 brewers worldwide. Papazian also taught microbrewing classes, and among his students was one of the founders of New Belgium Brewing—a veritable giant in the industry today—as well as one of the founders of Boulder Beer, Colorado’s first microbrewery, which is still in operation and primarily credited as being the official start of the Colorado craft beer industry as we know it.

The Growth of Craft Beer

Since Boulder Beer opened in 1979, craft beer has grown exponentially. Beer has become as synonymous with Colorado as the Rocky Mountains, and of course, our majestic geography is often featured in the names and on the labels of our local brews. The Front Range, in particular, home to Odell, Great Divide, Left Hand, Oskar Blues, and Upslope Brewing, among many others, has become the hub for beer. Some of its most famous breweries, like Coors and New Belgium, have become so big they don’t count as craft anymore, but they’re still a huge part of our beer industry history.

Resort Town Micro Breweries

Let’s not forget that hundreds of breweries are also spread across Colorado’s resort ski towns. Some of them, like Breckenridge Brewery, have been wooed and courted by beer giants like Anheuser-Busch InBev, who purchased the brewery in 2016, but other big players, like Ska Brewing in Durango, are still making a name for themselves all on their own. Small neighborhood breweries are as essential to local culture as the saloons that once served as the central hub of mining camps, and you can’t swing a cat in a liquor store without seeing a new brewery name or a flavor of beer you’ve never tried before.

Craft Beer and COVID-19

Beer is an essential cornerstone of Colorado’s cultural identity. Although the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, or still with us, supporting Colorado’s local breweries is vital. If hanging out in crowded pubs does not appeal to you that much any longer. You can support local breweries by buying a growler or a six-pack from them. They will be grateful for your support, and you will know you did your part to help these small businesses. Beer is an important part of our history as Coloradoans, and with your help, we can ensure the beer industry survives and keeps making history for a long time.

By Emily Krempholtz