Coloradans didn’t invent the concept of a craft brewery, but we do get credit for perfecting the art of craft beer since we’re home to many notable breweries including New Belgium Brewing Company, Avery Brewing Company, Left Hand Brewing and countless others. More than 8 percent of the nation’s craft breweries can be found in Colorado, which is quite an impressive statistic given that the state is home to less than 2 percent of the country’s population. Over 160 established breweries call Colorado home and there is talk of 80+ coming online in the near future.
The tremendous growth in this industry is extremely exciting to our team at Ascent because it’s packed with a bunch of self-professed beer geeks. New and expanding breweries mean we get to mix our love of beer with our love of engineering more and more. Recently we’ve had the chance to work with several craft breweries including Upslope Brewing Company, Oskar Blues Brewery and the soon to open Twelve Degree Brewing.
So just how does craft brewing and structural engineering mix? Our roles on these projects have spanned from the simple – like checking out an existing facility to see if it can handle additional loading required for new brewing equipment – to the more complex – like figuring our how to add a 20-ton chiller to the roof of a pre-fabricated building. Sometimes a small project grows into a larger one, which was the case with Upslope Brewing Company.
After helping Upslope install a chiller on the roof of their Lee Hill facility in 2010, we had the pleasure of working with them again when it came time for them to add a second location. The new facility, which will be located in Flatiron Park near 55th Street in Boulder, will brew Upslope’s year-round offerings and feature a 2,300 square foot taproom. We’ve assisted with several aspects of the new build including the implementation of a 40-ton chiller, a loading dock and an outdoor patio.
The home brewers in our group know that it takes a lot to make a good beer, and as team, we’ve seen that it takes a lot to build a great brewery. We’ve worked hand in hand with several leading architecture firms on our recent brewery projects including OZ Architecture, Trapp Associates and DTJ Design. Their skills coupled with the knowledge our home brewers bring to the table have helped us work faster and more efficiently. We’re excited to be part of the thriving craft beer industry. Colorado is a wonderful and welcoming place for craft breweries and we look forward to both the business and leisure opportunities 80+ new breweries will bring to our state.
