HISTORY
In 1979 two professors at the University of Colorado started Boulder Brewing Company, Colorado’s First Craft Brewery. At that time there were only 42 other operating breweries in the country! The original site of the brewery was a small farm northeast of Boulder, the brew house sharing space in a shed originally housing a few goats.
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.
In 1990 Boulder Brewing Company was purchased by Gina Day and Diane Greenlee, and they transformed the factory into a brewery and restaurant, renaming the business“ Boulder Beer Company.”. This same year Brewmaster David Zuckerman joined the Company and soon introduced Colorado favorites Buffalo Gold and Singletrack Rye Pale Ale.
In 1994 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.
Boulder Beer Company continued to see further growth throughout the years. In 2005 the Boulder Beer Tap House opened at Denver International Airport. The pub on Wilderness Place was updated in 2016 with a patio expansion and refreshed menus and taproom décor. In 2017 Boulder Beer Company opened a second pub location at 1123 Walnut St. in Boulder, then rebranded the location as Squared Pizza + Beer in 2018, which served as the experimental research and development brewpub for Boulder Beer Company to test new experimental brews directly with consumers.
While the Pub on Wilderness Place has closed, Boulder Beer Company Buffalo Gold Golden Ale is 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 as Head Brewer for Walnut Brewery, and Head Brewer of the Boulder Beer Company location on Walnut St. in downtown Boulder.
The Boulder Beer Company legacy and passion for craft beer lives on!
CEO Gina Day acted as president from 1990 until long-time General Manager Jeff Brown became President of Boulder Beer Company in 2002, which was the same year that saw the packaged introduction of the innovative and widely heralded Hazed & Infused dry-hopped ale, an unfiltered hoppy session ale. In 2003 Mojo IPA hit the scene, followed by new flavors and styles of beer developed by the creative team of brewers on the cutting edge of craft brewing trends.
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.
