UPDATED May 28 at 11:29 a.m. to include comment from Great Divide’s founder Brian Dunn.
A legacy Denver brewery will soon close both of its taprooms within city limits following its acquisition by a larger craft conglomerate.
At the end of June, Great Divide Brewing Co. will stop serving beer at 2201 Arapahoe St., where it was founded in 1994. It will also shut the doors to its River North Art District facility, known as the Barrel Bar & Cellar, at 1812 35th St. The brewery’s three branded locations in the suburbs — which are run by a restaurant group — will remain open, but the closings remove Great Divide’s footprint from its hometown.
Its absence may be short-lived, however. A spokesperson for Wilding Brands, which acquired the brewery in April, said the company “will be opening a new Great Divide location in Denver later this year.”
Under the terms of the acquisition, Great Divide founder Brian Dunn retained ownership of the two Denver taprooms. At the time the deal was announced, he told The Denver Post the clock was likely ticking on those locations, but that he didn’t know when they might shutter. Dunn owns the building near Coors Field and leases the one in RiNo.
Speaking by phone, Dunn said the taprooms’ closures on June 30 coincide with the transition of beer production to Wilding Brands. “We decided to wind down the bars at the same time we’re winding down production,” he said.
Dunn said that while shuttering the taprooms marks the end of one chapter, he is looking forward to the next when he will have more time to travel, hang out with his kids and do things other than work. That echoes the sentiment Dunn shared in a previous interview when he cited the desire to move on from the beer business as his motivation for selling Great Divide.
“It’s been my only job for the past 31 years and it’s been great. I think we’ve accomplished a lot, we have an amazing team, but I also don’t want to do it when I’m 80,” Dunn said in April.
The decision not to retain one of Great Divide’s current locations was Wilding’s, he added.
Established in 2024, Wilding Brands also owns Denver Beer Co., Stem Ciders, and the Funkwerks brewery. Its portfolio includes the founding companies plus Howdy Beer, Easy Living sparkling hop water, Cerveceria Colorado and Formation Brewing, a new concept in Phoenix.
CORRECTION May 28 at 8:34 a.m.: A previous version of this story misspelled Great Divide brewing’s parent company.
