HISTORY
During the presidency of Jimmy Carter, federal legislation legalized small-scale brewing across the country. In 1979, Inspired by this shift, two astrophysics professors at the University of Colorado started Boulder Brewing Company, Colorado’s first craft brewery. At the time, only 41 breweries were operating in the United States.
The original site of the brewery was a small farm northeast of Boulder, and the brew house constructed from $592 worth of repurposed dairy equipment, using space in a shed that originally housed a few goats. Thus, Craft Brewing in Colorado was born.
In a world of light yellow lagers, Boulder Brewing Company won industry and consumer accolades for its line of bold Boulder Beers: Boulder Porter, Stout and Extra Special Bitter. Five years later the brewery moved to 2880 Wilderness Place in Boulder and expanded from its original one-barrel brewing system to a 50-barrel brew house with top-of-the-line packaging equipment.
Boulder Brewing Company was purchased in 1990 by Gina Day and Diane Greenlee, who renamed the business “Rockies Brewing Company” which produced Boulder Amber, Boulder Pale and Boulder Stout among others. This same year Portland brewer David Zuckerman joined the Company as Brewmaster and soon introduced Colorado favorites Buffalo Gold and Singletrack Rye Pale Ale.Boulder Brewing Company was purchased in 1990 by Gina Day and Diane Greenlee, who renamed the business “Rockies Brewing Company” which produced Boulder Amber, Boulder Pale and Boulder Stout among others. This same year Portland brewer David Zuckerman joined the Company as Brewmaster and soon introduced Colorado favorites Buffalo Gold and Singletrack Rye Pale Ale.
In 1994, the Colorado Rockies joined Major League Baseball, bringing a new team to Denver and national attention to the region. To avoid confusion with the new franchise, Rockies Brewing Company changed its name to Boulder Beer Company.
That same year, under the leadership of General Manager and former restaurateur Jeff Brown, Boulder Beer Company converted the original tasting room to a full-menu pub with an epic, dog-friendly patio under the iconic Flatirons Mountains. In addition to providing year-round brewery fresh beer favorites, including nitro and cask offerings, the pub provided a full-service restaurant with food, wine, and spirits. The pub also featured free public brewery tours and live music events on the patio during the summer months.
CEO Gina Day served as president from 1990 until longtime General Manager Jeff Brown was named President of Boulder Beer Company in 2002. That same year, the brewery introduced the packaged release of the innovative, and widely heralded, Hazed & Infused Dry-Hopped Ale, arguably the first of what would be categorized as “hazy IPA”.
The following year, Mojo IPA hit the scene, launching a wave of new flavors and styles developed by the creative team of brewers, who were consistently pushing the edge of emerging craft brewing trends. Notable releases included Black IPA, Flashback India Brown Ale, gold-medal-winner Never Summer Ale, and Shake Chocolate Porter, which went on to win a World Beer Cup championship.
With a tremendously rich heritage, Boulder Beer Company has pioneered the success of the craft beer industry, building brand recognition spanning almost four decades. In 2001 Boulder Beer Company was honored with the Great American Beer Festival Longevity Award for 20 years of participation in the festival. The company has celebrated a history of innovation with award-winning beers like Singletrack Rye Pale Ale, Mojo IPA, Shake Chocolate Porter, and Pulp Fusion Blood Orange IPA; community favorites like Hazed & Infused Pale Ale; and special releases like the “Dude Series”, showcasing their skilled craftmanship with Barrel-Aged wheat wines, imperial stouts, and barley wine.
While the Pub on Wilderness Place has closed, Boulder Beer Company Buffalo Gold Golden Ale, Sundance Amber Ale and Shake Chocolate Porter are now brewed exclusively at Boulder Social, located at 38th St. and Arapahoe Ave. in Boulder.
Boulder Social is drawing on decades of brewing and hospitality experience by combining owner Gina Day’s background in brewing with Boulder Beer Company, along with Brewmaster Rodney Taylor’s 20 years of brewing in Boulder.
The Boulder Beer Company legacy and passion for craft beer lives on!
