Just got back from Crooked Stave's Grand opening at the source. Well attended, but the crowd was super chill. Only took few minutes to get a beer and things went very smooth as far as grand openings are concerned. The tap system, designed and installed by Beachwood Brewing co-owner Gabriel Gordon, is sweet. On Tap: Surrette, Hop Savant, St Bretta Fall, Nightmare on Brett, Vieille and Origins Batch #2 (which is killer). Gabriel's tap System (and more photos):
This question is pure naivety on my part, but this brewery has been around for a couple years now, right?...so is this just a grand opening for a separate facility?
Grand opening of their own brewery, previously they were brewing using other facilities, mainly Prost and River North (& Funkwerks back in the day up in Fort Collins). Their current (well as of yesterday) facility was just a barrel & fermentation storage facility with a tap room, which they will continue to operate.
Oh shit, had no idea they were a contract/gypsy brewery...and they make such awesome brew on other people's gear...just imagine what they can do when they hone in on their own system...watch out!
So I'm curious to hear opinions on how their new space compares with the old. I'll make it up there this week, but I'm sad to see the Pecos location being phased out.
Couldn't agree more. I just made it up to the Pecos location about a month ago and really enjoyed its tiny/laid back atmosphere. Will still make the trip up to the new location as I will follow good sour beer anywhere.
Pecos will hopefully still be used for bottle pick-ups and random related events. To me the worst thing about that location is the decision to put in not one, but two traffic circles at that exit.
I actually love traffic circles as they are so much more efficient (when used properly).. Getting off I-70 west on Pecos has always been a disaster with a stop light at a 5-way intersection. The alternative though is to come up from downtown from 38th. I think they had to go with two otherwise if you had a stop light on one side it's not that far from the other traffic circle and would hold traffic up, defeating the purpose of putting in the traffic circle to begin with.
I like the idea of traffic circles, but this is 'murica where nobody has any idea what to do with them. Half the people stop outright, half charge blindly through them like an invincible bat out of hell. I'd rather have a 4 way stop or even wait on traffic lights. At least then I'm pretty sure I know what to expect from the other drivers.
Crooked Stave contracted much of their production, Prost Brewing making a large portion of their beer. It is uncommon for the company that contracted the beer to do the brewing, probably because they have other aspects of their own operation to run. All contract beers at Prost Brewing are brewed by Prost Brewing's staff.
I'll be up for GABF this week/weekend, I'm looking forward to checking out the new place as my wife and I just made it to the Pecos spot for the first time about 2 weeks ago, so I'm interested to see the difference
Excited for the new taproom and personally feel the old one doesn't need a tear shed over it. I'm all for the original locations (Pho 95 being a great example) but that was pretty shitty taproom only saved by their beer.
I think a tear needs to be shed over the bottle shares that happened at the old location and are no more. Anyone down for bottle sharing at the old place before releases and then taking a fleet of those drunken super bike bar thingies over to The Source? Would be quite the sight if no one was there before a release and then suddenly 200 people showed up on mobile bar islands. Could be a race, the first drunken group of people to get there, get the first allocations.
