Colorado has been at the center of craft beer for decades, but the state’s beer industry has been struggling since the pandemic.
Just this month:
- The metal-themed TRVE Brewing Company served its last beer on Saturday, July 12;
- Banded Oak Brewing announced it would close this September;
- And Over Yonder Brewing notified customers it would close July 20.
The Colorado Beverage Coalition reported in January that 140 breweries had closed since the pandemic — with 35 of them closing in 2023 and 41 shutting down last year.
The cause seems to be a “perfect storm” of inflation, a slow recovery from the pandemic, a tight labor market and people drinking less beer.
Some of the state’s best-known breweries had sharp drops in sales in 2024, including on the Front Range. Boulder-based Upslope Brewing Company saw sales drop 18 percent, and Monster Brewing Company, which owns Oskar Blues, had a 12 percent dip, Axios reported. Denver’s Great Divide saw a 10 percent drop and recently closed its two Denver tasting rooms.
Among the closures, Denver lost six breweries in 2024:
- Alpine Dog Brewing Company, November 2014 – March 2024
- Grandma’s House Beer Co, October 2014 – April 2024
- So Many Roads Brewery, July 2021 – May 2024
- Burns Family Artisan Ales Barrelhouse, August 2018 – September 2024 (This family-owned brewery had two locations in Denver, on West 2nd Avenue and South Broadway. Both have closed.)
- Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery, Nov. 2013 – October 2024
- 14er Brewing, July 2017 – November 2024
According to the Brewers Association, 2024 was the first year in over a decade that more breweries closed than opened across the nation.
2025 is shaping up to be an even more difficult time for breweries, especially as tariffs threaten to raise production costs and owners keep trying to adapt to a shifting industry landscape.
2025 already saw the closure of several local breweries:
- Incantation, 2021 - 2025 (Closed in Aurora and Denver in January.)
- Backacre Brewing, 2019-2025 (Closed its sour beer blendery.)
- Blue Moon Brewing Company, July 2016 - March 2025 (Closed its River North restaurant and brewery, though the popular brand is still in production.)
- TRVE Brewing Company, 2011 - July 2025
- Over Yonder Brewing, May 2019 - July 2025
- Banded Oak Brewing, 2015 - September 2025
