Revenue or Reverence?

Location of Origin: 471 Kalamath Street, Denver, CO 80204, USA
Date Established: February 1990
Category: Independent (Under Holding Company), Regional Craft Brewery which owns 5 Brewpubs and Alehouses in the State of Colorado, with National Distribution (32 states), and 41,000 Barrels of Annual Output with a 75,000 Barrel Capacity (as of May 2012).

In the United States, there are 1,759 breweries, 1,716 of which are microbreweries. Microbreweries have a relatively young history among the Americans, and for that reason, a lot of intrigue and interest surrounds them. Of course, larger macrobreweries exist, many of them in St. Louis or Milwaukee, but these usually have a poor reputation in the beer world. Microbreweries are breweries which produce no more than 15,000 US barrels of beer a year, and macrobreweries must produce at least 2,000,000 US barrels to be defined as such. As far as the gap in between (the Regional Breweries), not much exists in The States, but a few are beginning to change that. Enter Breckenridge from Denver. This is a high quality brewery which, like most other microbrews (at the time) started from humble beginnings, this particular case involving a ski bum and his friends. The brewery was founded in 1990 with a small 3,000 barrel facility, and has since made extreme progress spreading the word about craft beer in Colorado, and sharing their craft brews among the western states. Within less than a couple of decades later, the brewery has grown to a size thirteen fold it's capacity, and it hasn't stopped there. The brewery is continuing their aspirations to expand rapidly to capitalize on the growing market for their high quality beer. In April of 2012, Breckenridge purchased four 300 barrel fermentation tanks, increasing their total annual output capacity to 75,000 barrels, about five times higher than the threshold which defines whether a brewery is a micro or regional brewery. This was immediately after a 200 barrel Brite tank and two 300 barrel fermentation tanks were added in January of 2012. Now, I know what you're thinking. This, like many other businesses in the past, can easily fall victim to one of two things: either they expand too quickly and can't financially support themselves, driving them out of business, but we don't see that happening anytime soon - their beer sells, and quite well; or they begin to focus on the wrong things. Brewers are usually driven by quality, or money, and beer, being as delicate as it is, definitely is a tell tale sign of what motivates a particular brewer. In that case, let's just hope for Breckenridge's sake that they're always going to be driven by crafting high quality beer.

Reviewed Beer from Breckenridge Brewery


None Yet.

All rated Beer from Breckenridge Brewery

1-07-12 - Small 471 Batch Double Hopped IPA - 3.25, American Double/Imperial IPA, 9.20%
A strong and very hoppy beer which finishes with an extreme hoppy flavor. Medium bodied and highly carbonated, this is a beer for the true IPA fan. Almost no trace of malts or sweetness of any kind. The higher alcoholic strength contributes to a subtle warming effect, especially during cold winter months (this was sampled in January outdoors). Definitely make sure you enjoy this one with either a hearty meal or pretty cold by itself.
7-10-11 - Vanilla Porter - 3.15, Vanilla Porter, 4.70%
This permanent brew is a smooth, full bodied porter which delivers strong chocolate and coffee notes and aromas. This beer finishes sweeter with a low level attenuated vanilla like aftertaste. Creamy feel throughout with a medium viscosity. This beer uses vanilla beans from Madagascar and Paupau New Guinea. Enjoy with dessert cold.
7-09-11 - Avalanche Ale - 3.41, American Amber/Red Ale, 5.41%
This is a well balanced, fairly malty beer which finishes slightly hoppy and bitter. This is a refreshing, lighter bodied, and crisp beer which gives of grainy aromas and a clean finish which help Breckenridge sell more of this than any other beer. Four kinds of malts and three kinds of hops (giving this an IBU of only 19) make this a well balanced beer with a rich amber color.