{"id":971,"date":"2025-08-20T12:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T12:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/?p=971"},"modified":"2025-08-21T14:24:43","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T14:24:43","slug":"little-gems-of-culture-how-3-denver-breweries-reflect-their-neighborhoods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/20\/little-gems-of-culture-how-3-denver-breweries-reflect-their-neighborhoods\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Little gems of culture.\u2019 How 3 Denver breweries reflect their neighborhoods"},"content":{"rendered":"

A strip mall suite. A corner cafe. A converted warehouse.<\/p>\n

The half-hidden brewery spots are each as unique as the beers their bartenders sling \u2014 and the neighborhoods they serve.<\/p>\n

The people behind these neighborhood haunts aim to fill the gap between home and work, turn strangers into neighbors and friends, and give locals and connoisseurs alike plenty of options to wet their whistles.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually we have our home and work,\u201d said Chantel Columna, the proprietor and general manager of Novel Strand Brewing Company<\/a> in Denver\u2019s Baker neighborhood, \u201cbut then cafes and libraries and bars become this third space for creating community. A gathering spot without an agenda, necessarily, where we can just hang out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Co-owner
Co-owner Chantel Columna pours a beer at Novel Strand Brewing Co., in Denver on Monday, July 8, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Novel Strand, Strange Craft Beer Company<\/a> in the Lincoln Park neighborhood and Chain Reaction Brewing Company<\/a> in Athmar Park are but three of dozens of neighborhood breweries that dot metro Denver and help cement Colorado\u2019s reputation as a craft beer paradise.<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t go big on pretentious atmospheres or aim for national distribution, even as their beers and other options are lovingly crafted to expand on and subvert expectations. Instead, they and other neighborhood breweries put as much focus on creating a sense of place \u2014 both within their own walls and in their communities \u2014 as they do on creating the next batch of libations.<\/p>\n

Strange Craft was at the forefront of the taproom brewery trend when it opened in 2010. It didn\u2019t serve food like the brewpubs that had already popped up, and owner Tim Myers didn\u2019t have an eye toward big distribution like some of the biggest names in Colorado craft brewing.<\/p>\n

He just wanted to brew great beer and make some friends along the way.<\/p>\n

The taproom straddles the Lincoln Park and Sun Valley neighborhoods. Myers and his original partner in the operation picked the spot as a happy medium between their homes \u2014 with an eye toward future development of the area. The brewery also happened to sit off Interstate 25 near the Colfax Avenue and Sixth Avenue interchanges, where the lure of hops easily beat out traffic-jam exhaust as commuters headed home from work.<\/p>\n

Strange Craft also is a half-mile walk from Empower Field at Mile High, making it a pregame hangout for customers clad in orange and blue on autumn Sundays, as well as ahead of concerts there.<\/p>\n

In the years since, plenty of folks have become regulars. Or \u201cStrangers,\u201d as a nod to the brewery\u2019s moniker.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is their place,\u201d Myers said, laughing. \u201cI just make beer for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

At big watering holes and chains, bartenders are \u201cjust slinging pints as fast as they can,\u201d Myers said. At Strange Craft, like the other neighborhood spots, brewers and customers have time and space to discuss what makes the beers special, new taps coming up and the overall rhythms of life.<\/p>\n

\"Owner
Owner Tim Myers poses for a portrait at Strange Craft Beer Company in Denver on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (Photo by Hyoung Chang\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to make that personal connection,\u201d Myers said. \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s always been nice about us being small. We can make all those connections over the years that we still have, 15 years on. That\u2019s awesome. That\u2019s the part of it that I love. I get to make beer for friends and hang out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the people Myers has befriended from behind the bar have gone on to start their own operations. That includes cousins Zack and Chad Christofferson, co-owners and brewers at Chain Reaction in Athmar Park.<\/p>\n

Myers had invited them to brew a barrel of beer at Strange Craft, and it seemed to vanish as soon as it was tapped. Fast forward 11 years, \u201cand we\u2019re the old dudes on the block now,\u201d Zack Christofferson said of Chain Reaction.<\/p>\n

In that time, they\u2019ve seen wedding proposals and hosted first birthdays, as well as people celebrating their best days or seeking reprieve from their worst.<\/p>\n

The Christoffersons think of their brewery as a home base of sorts for the community \u2014 whether it\u2019s for chili cook-offs and holiday cookie parties or for people needing to trudge out of the house during winter storms. They built that philosophy into the very bones of the establishment, with a custom U-shaped bar designed so that everyone with a seat could talk to anyone else.<\/p>\n

\"People
People hang out at Chain Reaction Brewing Company in Denver on July 10, 2025. (Photo by RJ Sangosti\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYou have to go into the neighborhoods to find these little gems of the culture,\u201d Zack Christofferson said. \u201c\u2026 It\u2019s where people are really sharing life experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

But beer culture in the city is also changing, the proprietors of the three establishments agree. So all three businesses are expanding their own horizons to meet new customers, and those with changing tastes, where they are.<\/p>\n

Since the pandemic, some people seem more likely to stay home than seek out a post-work pint. Younger generations are less beer-curious<\/a> than the millennials who helped fuel the craft craze. Other customers still may not drink alcohol, or they have gluten sensitivities.<\/p>\n

So the breweries adapt.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you had told us 11 years ago, \u2018We\u2019re gonna make a hard seltzer,\u2019 I would have never believed it,\u201d Chad Christofferson said.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve also turned to local sodas, nonalcoholic beers and kombuchas to give people more options. The cousins see it as a push for inclusivity \u2014 they want everyone, beer drinker or not, to feel welcome.<\/p>\n

\"Co-owners
Co-owners Chad, left, and Zack Christofferson pose for a portrait at Chain Reaction Brewery in Denver on Monday, July 8, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n