Great Divide to Shutter 2 Denver Taprooms; New Location Teased For Later in 2025
Nearly two months after the sale of its distribution business and future taproom rights, Great Divide Brewing is shuttering its Denver locations.
“We’re turning the page to an exciting new chapter,” Great Divide wrote in an Instagram post. “While we’ll be raising one last pint at our Ballpark and Brighton Boulevard taprooms at the end of June, this isn’t goodbye – it’s just the beginning.”
The Ballpark District location is Great Divide’s first home, and the company has been brewing there since its inception in 1994. The other taproom, Great Divide’s Barrel Bar located in Denver’s River North (RiNo) Arts District, opened in 2015. Ownership of both stayed with founder Brian Dunn after the deal with Colorado craft roll-up Wilding Brands.
Great Divide joined Wilding Brands’ growing bev-alc platform (Stem Ciders, Denver Beer Co., Cerveceria Colorado, Formation, Funkwerks) in a deal that was announced in early April. However, the Denver taprooms and satellite brewpubs in Lakewood, Castle Rock and Lone Tree and at Denver International Airport were carved out of the transaction.
The sale allowed Dunn to wind down his craft beer career, while staying involved with the brand’s long-term licensing agreements for its locations beyond Denver proper, he told Brewbound.
“It feels odd to be selling Great Divide after 31 years, but I know it’s the right thing to do for me and my family,” he said. “It’s going to a home where it’s going to be taken care of.”
All four Great Divide locations outside Denver proper will remain open, Dunn confirmed today. Those additional retail locations have “been really helpful” as Great Divide “adapted” in a changing craft industry, Dunn said last month.
In April, Dunn said the Denver taprooms would continue to operate “for some time that’s unknown” and the brewery would continue production through June with a plan to begin selling brewing equipment in July.
Wilding Brands will open a new Great Divide retail location in Denver later this year, a spokesperson told Brewbound.
Wilding Brands chief development officer Charlie Berger told Brewbound at the time of the sale that Wilding plans to maintain independently branded retail locations for its concepts.
“There may be a very little bit of crossover in the taprooms, but Denver Beer Cos. are going to remain Denver Beer Cos. Great Divides will remain Great Divides,” he said. “It’s not our intention to muddy the waters or advertise as Wilding Brands, because I think what consumers are excited about is the brands that they’ve invested in, and have really gotten to know and love and what they stand for, and so those are the strong legs that we’re going to continue to stand on.”
Great Divide hinted that “big things are brewing” in its Instagram post announcing the taproom closures, but it remains unclear if this refers to Wilding Brands’ upcoming location or something else.
“Behind the scenes, we’ve been working on something fresh, bold, and built for YOU – our amazing fans from Denver and beyond who’ve supported us every step of the way,” the company wrote. “Whether you’ve shared a brew with us in the taproom, at a festival, or from the comfort of your own backyard – we’re beyond grateful. We are committed to continuing our partnerships with an incredible network of bars, restaurants, venues and retail shops while we write this next exciting chapter for Great Divide.”
Production of Great Divide’s beer for distribution will shift to Wilding Brands’ Canworks facility in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood. Last year, the brewery’s output declined -10%, to 16,598 barrels, according to the Brewers Association’s May/June issue of the New Brewer magazine.
