Celebrate Diversity in the Brewing Industry in Colorado
As craft beer connoisseurs, we love visiting local craft breweries across our home state and the country. We enjoy tasting a wide variety of beers while experiencing different atmospheres which create a special mood. We take joy in learning about the history of the brewery and journey of the owners of each brewery. We are often excited when we learn about a Latin inspired or Jamaican themed brewery. We love when we find a woman owned brewery and hear the passion in the owner's voice as she shares her story.
According to the Brewers Association, craft brewer volume sales grew 8% in 2021 and now holds almost 27% of the US beer market. This wonderful, growing industry is a great opportunity for many who love craft beers, however, 93.5% of craft brewery owners are white and only 2.9% are 100% owned by women. It is exciting that the Brewers Association is working to support the craft beer industry in becoming more diverse through education and grants.
With this in mind, we decided to share a handful of our favorite women, Black and Latinx owned breweries in Colorado. We hope this inspires you to visit some of these breweries in support of diversity in the craft brewery industry.
Check out these fantastic breweries!!!
Black & co-woman owned Brewery in Denver
NOVEL STRAND BREWING CO
305 W 1st Ave, Denver, CO 80223
Owners - Ayana Coker, Chantel Columna, and Tamir Danon
Located in Denver's historic Baker neighborhood, this Black and co-female owned brewery opened in 2018 with one goal - "brew the best beer we can." With and interesting name, Novel Strand states that --"Changes in DNA are not inherently good or bad... just different. That is who we are at Novel Strand Brewing Company. Something different."
Novel Strand is a small brewery and tap house located in a small brick building and has a downtown neighborhood vibe. They have seven beers on tap and specialize in hoppy, sour and classic beers. Food trucks often park outside on the curb. They host a variety of events including trivia, book clubs and live music. This is a wonderful place to visit with friends.
Latinx owned Brewery in Denver
DOS LUCES BREWERY
1236 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80210
Owners - Judd Belstock & Sam Alcaine
Located on Denver’s Historic South Broadway, this Latino owned and themed brewery has a cheerful décor with beautiful and colorful murals and decorations that celebrate the major cultures of Pre-Colonial North and South America. There is an open concept taproom and lots of seating. Dos Luces beers start with corn as their main ingredients, with their own variations of Chicha and Pulque. According to the team at Dos Luces "The “Dos” Luces (Two Lights) represent our two core types of beer, a corn-based Chicha and a corn and maguey-based Pulque."
Judd Belstock, the owner and founder, has been in the beer industry since he was 23 years old . Co-owner Sam Alcaine, son of El Salvadoran and Cuban immigrants, always loved studying the unique fermented foods and beverages of the Americas. After they met...well Dos Luces was born.
Come to this brewery to enjoy beer brewed with culture and history in a very welcoming atmosphere. The beer is refreshing and very tasty. The beer tenders are knowledgeable and openly share all about their beer and brewing process. In our opinion, this is a gem.
Woman owned Brewery in Northwest Denver
GOLDSPOT BREWING CO.
4970 Lowell Blvd, Denver, CO 80221
https://www.goldspotbrewing.com/
Owner - Kelissa Hieber
Kelissa Hieber made Gold Spot her own in 2021. The small brewery. located in a beautiful brick building in Northwest Denver on Lowell Blvd, is proudly woman, queer-owned. Their mission to provide a truly inclusive and safe community space for everyone to enjoy good beer. The downtown, industrial vibe creates a relaxed atmosphere. You can enjoy your beer inside at a table or the bar enjoying the outdoors with the garage doors that bring the beautiful Colorado weather inside or in the beer garden.
This brewery has 14 beers on tap which are all brewed on site. They host events like trivia, knitting night and open mic. Come enjoy a tasty beer in this relaxed and inclusive environment.
Latinx and co-woman owned Brewery in Denver
RAICES BREWING CO
2060 W. Colfax Ave., Denver
https://www.raicesbrewing.com/
Owners - Jose Beteta, Tamil Maldonado Vega and Martín D. Vargas
This Latino owned and themed brew pub opened in September 2019. Raices, meaning 'roots', is committed to enriching cultural awareness in everyone. They strive to connect their guests to Latino culture through craft beer, food and entertainment.
Come here to enjoy rotating Latin food options, pizza and pretzels, as well as, cultural events, in addition to great beer of course. They have 18 beers on tap and also serve wine and non-alcoholic beverages. With ample indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the South Platte river and bike trail, this is a very beautiful place for an afternoon beer! The many beer choices along with the Latin American food options make this a gem. We love sitting outside in their beer garden overlooking the beautiful South Platte river and peak of the Mile High football stadium.
Woman owned Brewery in South Denver
BREWABILITY LAB
3445 S Broadway, Englewood, CO 80113
Owner - Tiffany Fixter
Tiffany Fixter, a former special education teacher, had both a passion and a vision when she founded Brewability lab in 2016. Her vision was to open a business which the general public would enjoy and adults with disabilities could work and feel welcome. Tiffany ensures that her employees will be successful by having brail tap handles, using color coded ordering options and more. She provides guests with a vibrating dance floor, noise canceling head phones, and a large light bright board to support those with sensory needs.
Located on Broadway, a bit south of the city, this brewery, taproom and restaurant has a large bar and sitting area inside and a comfortable patio to enjoy a beer. The thing that sets this place apart from all others is the intentional decision to employ and welcome people with disabilities. At Brewability, you can choose from 5 craft beers and a seltzer on tap, as well as, a menu of appetizers, salads, pizza and macaroni & cheese skillets.
Woman owned Brewery in Golden
HOLIDAILY BREWING CO
801 Brickyard Cir, Golden, CO 80403
Owner - Karen Hertz
This woman owned brewery was opened by Karen Hertz in 2016 and brews gluten free beer. Karen was inspired and driven to bre tasty, gluten free beer after being treated for an illness that made her intolerant to gluten...and she succeeded.
This small brewery and taphouse located in Golden has an industrial vibe. They have a small seating area in the front of the house, a larger seating area in the back of the house and a relaxing beer garden outback.
Latinx and Woman owned Brewery in Aurora
LADY JUSTICE
9735 E Colfax Ave, Aurora, CO 80010
https://www.ladyjusticebrewing.com/
Owners - Betsy Lay, Kate Power, and Jen Cuest
The Lady Justice Brewing Company opened in 2014 and is the brainchild of Betsy Lay, Kate Power, and Jen Cuesta. According to their website "Lady Justice Brewing is a community-focused brewery dedicating time, space, and money to nonprofits and community partners that support and empower women, girls, and nonbinary people in the state of Colorado."
This taphouse is terrific! A small taphouse with seating at the bar, at a handful of tables or on the small patio make it feel comfortable and inviting with a 'local hangout' vibe. A food truck out front was a wonderful addition.
We loved the welcoming feel of this place and enjoyed our beer while visiting with the beer tender and other guests. I had the Winter Hike, a classic winter warmer, dark and earthy with rich smooth, caramel notes. Super yummy.
Latinx and co-woman owned Brewery in Aurora
Cheluna Brewing Co
2501 Dallas St #148, Aurora, CO 80010
Owners - Javier and Jennifer Perez
Cheluna Brewing Co, a Mexican-inspired brewery, opened in 2014 in Aurora’s Stanley Market Place. Cheluna was created by owners, Javi and Jen, as a place of community inspired by Oaxaca, Mexico, the home of Javi's grandparents.
With 21 beers on tap, there is something for everyone at this taphouse. The Mexican-inspied decor is beautiful and fun with murals of lizards and other animals, a tile backsplash on the bar and glass bar top. The staff are friendly and welcoming. You can enjoy soccer on the big screen and a meal from the Stanley Market Place food court. There is plenty of seating on one of two floors. They will even give you a beer to go....that you can sip on as you stroll through the marketplace.
We enjoyed our beers at Cheluna's while relaxing and watching football on the big screen. Staff was so friendly. I enjoyed sipping on the Coco-Xoco, their flagship Porter, which is dark, smooth and toasty with a subtle hint of coconut.
Latinx owned Brewery in Littleton
COAL MINE AVE BREWERY
9719 W Coal Mine Ave A, Littleton, CO 80123
https://coalmineavebrewing.com/our-story
Owner - Manuel Baca
Manuel Baca started his brewing journey homebrewing for fun but soon got hooked on the craft brewery scene in Denver. In 2018, the small batch brewery opened in Littleton providing a relaxing place for people to enjoy a beer, visit with friends and bring their dogs to play in the dog run.
The cozy tap house is a great place to enjoy a beer at the bar, at a table playing a board game or in the dog park with your four-footed friend. The taphouse has a relaxing vibe and a modern industrial décor. The brewing system is out in the open in a sunken floor which is a fun touch. They have 12 beers on tap and sell snacks but often host food trucks. For this latest visit, I chose the Coal Miner's Dogger, a classic American Stout that is dark and robust with roasted coffee notes and a smooth chocolatey mouthfeel.
Co-Woman owned Brewery in Lakewood
OLD 121 BREWHOUSE
1057 S Wadsworth Blvd #60, Lakewood, CO 80226
Owners: Katie Nicholson and Co-Owner and Head Brewer Sam Nicholson
Founded in 2019 and purchased by the new owners in 2022, The Brewhouse is located less than 5 minutes from Belmar and Downtown Lakewood and just 15 minutes from downtown Denver. This is a small brewhouse with seating at the bar and a handful of tables and has a relaxed atmosphere. They have 15 beers on tap and also serve seltzer, sodas and snacks (popcorn and chips).
This brewhouse is a nice place to enjoy a while socializing with friends. The beer is tasty and the staff is super friendly. If you are lucky, you will also be entertained by live music or have the opportunity to participate in bingo, yoga, or game night. Check out their events calendar for food trucks.
Black and co-woman owned Brewery in Denver
WAH GWAAN BREWING CO - CLOSED January 2023
925 W 8th Ave, Denver, CO 80204
https://www.wahgwaanbrewingco.com/
Owner - Harsha Maragh and Jesse Brown
This Jamaican- and Caribbean-themed brewery opened in 2021.... And, unfortunately, they closed in January 2023. Hopefully we will see them open a new location in the future. Wah Gwan opened the brewery with a goal to create a “laid-back culture, sense of community and appreciation of good beer found in both Colorado and Jamaica.” During their short stent, they sold 18 tasty beers on tap and had some local followers. Though the location on Santa Fe created parking frustrations, inside had a welcoming feel and super cool murals on the walls. The small tap room had limited seating inside and also had a patio out front, which provided more seating options when the weather was nice. Sad to see a diverse brewery go.
“Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world.” -- Kaiser Wilhelm
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