Yet another established craft brewery is setting up shop in Denver’s flourishing River North neighborhood.
This time, it’s Great Divide, which is scheduled to officially open its ‘Barrel Bar,’ a 30 to 40-person taproom with patio space for a 100 more along the South Platte River, on July 31. But that’s just the start of the project.
Located across from The Source, a culinary complex and marketplace that already plays host to Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project and will soon accommodate New Belgium, The Barrel Bar is merely the first part of a larger, multi-phase expansion project Great Divide is undertaking in the 65,000 sq. ft. building it plans to occupy.
Still to come in phase one along with The Barrel Bar, Great Divide is building out a new packaging facility and canning line, and creating warehouse space and room to store 1,500 barrels between two dedicated aging and souring rooms.
The second phase, which is slated to start in early 2016, will see the company build out a new brewery, a larger taproom, a beer garden and restaurant, as it finds itself faced with capacity constraints at its original location.
“When it came to find a space to expand our brewery, leaving Denver was never an option,” said Brian Dunn, Great Divide’s founder and president, in a press statement. “It wasn’t easy, but we are so happy to have found a place a mile down the road where we can continue to grow for the next 21 years.”
Denver, and the River North district specifically, has been a hotbed of beer related development in recent months. Last week, New Belgium announced it would open a 10-barrel pilot brewery at the soon-to-be built Source Hotel (which will neighbor the abovementioned Source marketplace). And in April, Blue Moon, the flagship brand of MillerCoors’ craft division, also announced plans to build its own 10,000-barrel brewery in the neighborhood.