Westbound & Down Opens Westbound General in Downtown Idaho Springs

IDAHO SPRINGS— Westbound & Down announced today the grand opening of their new grab and go shop at the brewpub in downtown Idaho Springs. Westbound General will open to the public on Saturday, March 7.

This news comes fresh off Westbound & Down’s debut of packaged cans that will be distributed through their partnership with Culture Beverage across Colorado. These canned brands, which include Colorado Pale Ale, Westbound Double IPA, and Chicago Peaks Kolsch, will be available to-go from the new shop. 

In addition to beer to-go, Westbound General will offer award-winning java by Colorado’s Sweet Bloom Coffee, new brewery merchandise, and other functional, locally curated goods for neighborhood shoppers and travelers alike. The new space is a fun, casual extension of the brewpub— with clean, upscale yet approachable aesthetic designed by award winning space creator Kevin Nguyen of Regular. 

Westbound General will celebrate its grand opening this Saturday  at Westbound & Down in downtown Idaho Springs. All cans and crowlers to-go from the new shop will be discounted 20% all day, and guests can enjoy free drip coffee from Sweet Bloom Coffee. The shop will be open daily from 7am to close. 

Westbound General, an ideal stop for mountain explorers to fuel up before their adventures, is the newest member of Westbound & Down’s family of Colorado beer destinations, which also includes their award-winning Brewpub in Idaho Springs.

For more information about Westbound General or Westbound & Down Brewing Company, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT WESTBOUND & DOWN BREWING CO. 

Westbound & Down Brewing Company runs a small but mighty brewpub in Idaho Springs, CO that prides itself in brewing well-executed beers in a wide array of beer styles to pair with great food— all in a welcoming atmosphere where people can gather to share the Colorado beer experience. Westbound & Down was honored to receive the Midsize Brewpub of the Year award at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival®. Come along for the journey at westboundanddown.com.

Westbound & Down Brewing Company Introduces New Cans

IDAHO SPRINGS, CO— Fresh off its Midsize Brewpub of the Year recognition at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival®, Westbound & Down Brewing Company announced this week the release of new cans and distribution beyond Idaho Springs

Westbound & Down will begin canning Colorado Pale Ale, a beer brewed to be enjoyed on outdoor mountain excursions; Westbound Double IPA, one of the company’s recent GABF medal winners; and Chicago Peaks Kolsch, originally a collaboration with Bierstadt Lagerhouse; named for the surrounding Chicago Peaks that include Mount Evans and Mount Bierstadt. Fans can celebrate these new cans at Westbound & Down on Friday, December 20 at the official can release at the Idaho Springs brewpub. Cans will also be available on December 21 at The Cultural Center, Westbound & Down’s shared barrel cellar in Northwest Denver.

These popular brands from the brewery will be available in 4-packs of 16 oz cans to-go from Westbound & Down’s Idaho Springs brewpub location, and at Westbound General that will open in 2020. There will be an announcement in coming weeks about this new provisions store.

“We have always wanted to can our products,” says Jake Gardner, Westbound & Down’s Head Beer Drinker. “The marketplace might be crowded, but there is always more room for excellent beer. We want to drink our beers on the go, and there seems to be a market for crushable beers in a can.”

Culture Beverage, an affiliate wholesaler partner of Shelton Brothers Importers, will pick up Westbound & Down’s kegged and bottled brands in 2020. Westbound & Down’s canned brands will be available in very limited quantities outside of its Idaho Springs brewpub and Westbound General locations.

For more information about Westbound & Down’s new cans, contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT WESTBOUND & DOWN BREWING COMPANY

Westbound & Down Brewing Company runs a small brewpub in Idaho Springs, CO that prides itself in brewing well-executed beers in a wide array of beer styles to pair with great food. Brewed with a bit of Rocky Mountain air and served with a side of fresh powder, Westbound and Down’s beers have been awarded multiple accolades since their opening in 2015. In 2018, Westbound & Down and Amalgam launched The Cultural Center, a shared barrel cellar and tasting room celebrating the art and exploration of mixed culture fermentation with an emphasis on barrel-aged saisons and sour ales. In 2020, Westbound & Down will add the Westbound General store to its family of craft beer destination places in Colorado. Find the company online at westboundanddown.com.

Westbound and Down Brewing Co. Wins Two Silver Medals; Named Midsize Brewpub of the Year at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival

Photo © 2019, Brewers Association

IDAHO SPRINGS, CO— Westbound and Down Brewing Co. was awarded two silver medals and the Midsize Brewpub of the Year recognition at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival® (GABF) competition, the 33rd edition of the world’s largest commercial beer competition.

Westbound and Down Brewing Co. was recognized in the Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer category for its Double Barrel Louie, a Barrel-Aged 11.5% ABV English Barleywine named after a rescue dog in Head Beer Drinker Jake Garder’s family, that was aged in Port-finished rye barrels and  finished in Breckenridge Bourbon Barrels on whiskey-soaked peaches.

Westbound and Down Brewing Co. was also recognized in the Imperial India Pale Ale category for 9.3% ABV Westbound Double IPA, a Double IPA with ludicrous amounts of  Galaxy, Mosaic, Enigma and Cryo Mosaic hops that pack big aromas of tangerine, blueberries, and papaya.. Westbound Double IPA is balanced with a sweet biscuit malt profile, with a clean dry finish. 

“We are proud of the beers our team makes and it is rewarding to see our beers recognized, but it won’t change our process and desire to keep getting better,” says Gardner.

GABF, presented by the Brewers Association, recognizes the most outstanding beers produced in the United States. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded on October 5 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, in 107 beer categories covering 174 different beer styles (including all subcategories), establishing the best examples of each style in the country. This year 9,497 entries were submitted to the general competition, along with 113 Pro-Am and 70 Collaboration entries. The beer was made by 2,295 breweries from across the nation, with entries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Judging took place over the course of three days, with an international panel of 322 judges from 18 countries. 

Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with inquiries about this announcement. For more GABF competition information, including the 2019 winners list and photos, visit GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com. 

ABOUT WESTBOUND & DOWN BREWING COMPANY

Westbound and Down is a small brewpub located in Idaho Springs, CO that prides itself in brewing well-executed beers in a wide array of beer styles to pair with great food. Brewed with a bit of Rocky Mountain air and served with a side of fresh powder, Westbound and Down’s beers have been awarded multiple accolades since their opening in 2015. Find this destination brewpub online at westboundanddown.com.

Intentional Brett, Nordic Farmhouse Saison, and Piña Collaba— Beers You've Got To Try at the 5th Annual Collaboration Festival

Collaboration Festival 2017, photo courtesy The Brewtography Project

Named America's most creative beer festival by Food & Wine, Collaboration Fest is back for the fifth year offering more beers brewed with craft malt than ever before.

More than 10 collaborations were made with Root Shoot Malting Company’s brewery partners crafted beers with Loveland-grown and malted barley for this year’s Collaboration Fest. These beers include Ursula Brewery's and Westbound & Down Brewing Company's Farmhouse IPA  that was brewed using 100 percent Root Shoot malts and Citra, Moutere, and Loral Cryo hops; and two hazy IPAs by Lost Highway Brewing Company, with Berthoud Brewing and Peacemaker Brewing, respectively.

Plot your beer festival map. Taste these projects before they're gone...

Strange Craft + Freetail Brewing Co.

Strange Craft got the Collab Fest ball rolling early, the day after GABF to be exact. Jason Davis, the Director of Brewing Ops at Freetail Brewing stuck around after the festival for Denver’s first snow day of the season to help brew what will go down in history as Strange Craft’s first intentional Brett beer. Don’t ask about the unintentional ones. StrangeTail Seven is a malt-forward English IPA was finished in a Red Wine barrels inoculated with a different variety of Brettanomyces in each barrel.

Lone Tree Brewing Company + Cannonball Creek Brewing Co.

Craft malt liquor— it’s all the rage right now. And Collab Fest participants will get to taste one of the finest, crafted by the Billy Dee fans over at Lone Tree Brewing Company with their friends and fellow 40-lovers Cannonball Creek Brewing. This tall beauty was brewed with a traditional grain bill consisting of mostly pilsner malt paired with flaked corn, flaked rice and some dextrose sugar to lighten the body of the beer. A massive amount of Hallertau Blanc and Vic Secret hops went into this boil and asa dry hops, which made this malt liquor as "juicy' as your favorite hazy IPA. Weighing in at 7.6 percent ABV and 35 IBU, this beer pushes the envelope of what a malt liquor can be.  

Station 26 + Sleeping Giant Brewing Company, Wibby Brewing

Station 26 Brewing Co. collaborated with Sleeping Giant to create Nordic Farmhouse Tripel Double IPA brewed with White Wheat, Pilsner, Vienna, and CaraBelge malt, Candi Sugar, and hopped with Cascade, Citra, and Mandarina Bavaria. 

Station 26 has also collaborated with Longmont-based Wibby Brewing to craft a Biere de Mars with the perfect balance of malt, hops, and an Inland Island yeast induced spiciness. Station 26 founder, Justin Baccary, suggested the idea of using a French Ale strain from Inland Island and Ryan Wibby was excited about using a different yeast strain and brewing with some more interesting, aromatic hops making this a truly collaborative and unique drinking experience.

Station 26 at Wibby Brewing, photo courtesy The Brewtography Project

Bonfire Brewing + Zuni Street Brewing, Invasive Species Brewing

There’s a childhood story— well, a lot of them— behind this collaboration brew. “We all grew up together,” says Jim Rabun who brews for Bonfie Brewing, “and so it’s been great to get back together with TJ and Willy and come up with a beer inspired by all of us.” This beer is kind of like a light Porter, or a dark Belgian recipe, brewed with chocolate malt from Proximity Malting and fermented with Zuni's house Belgian yeast strain. “We decided on this beer because we are into brewing dark beers and Zuni is great at Belgian's so we decided to combine to two together,” adds Rabun.

Bonfire also worked with Florida based Invasive Species Brewing on a Hazy Piña Colada IPA, appropriately named Piña Collaba. This lighter bodied IPA displays the tropical flavors from Denali and Motueka hops, Pineapple, Coconut, Passionfruit, and an addition of Lactose for more mouthfeel and increased sweetness.

Ska Brewing + Ratio Beerworks

From the hearts of a bunch of punks who love great music and great beer comes this new twist on a White IPA. Magnetic North Norwegian White IPA hits with a classic wheat base, dry hopped with Mandarina Bavaria and Amarillo. The Nordic Farmhouse yeast strain gives notes of orange with a dry finish to this bright, citrusy, making Magnetic North a true Spring crusher. 

Holly Gerard shared her Magnetic North brew day shots on her badass beertography blog and Instagram feed, Aperture of Ales. Check them out here.

Funkwerks + New Image Brewing Co.

Meet Arnie, a Kettle Sour with black tea and lemon peel. This beer will cleanse your palate after a long day of diverse flavors. Don’t wait until the end of the fest to get it, though!

Eddyline Brewery + High Alpine Brewing Co. 

High Stoke Scotch Ale is a collaboration between Eddyline Brewery and High Alpine Brewing Company. A big malty nose gives way to a very slight herbal hop aroma. Rich caramel malt flavors dominate the palate, finishing with the slightest smoke impression. Mouth feel has a soft tactile feel on the tongue. Deliciously drinkable and gets even better as it warms in the glass.

Strange Craft + Fiction Beer Company

The Stranger Than Fiction is a strong Saison was brewed with oats and spelt before it fermented with a blend of Strange Craft's house Belgian yeast and Brettanomyces and barrel aged on plums and blackberries. See what they did there? 

Strange Craft + Metropolitan State University

Strange Craft also brewed a third Collab Fest beer with Metropolitan State University creating Nitro Raspberry Porter, a traditional English Porter finished on Raspberries.

Stranger Than Fiction brew day at Fiction Beer Company, photo courtesy The Brewtography Project