Ryan Pachmayer

Arvada

Writer at Freelance

Contributor at Westword

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Articles

Remember Fat Tire? Second Dawn Brewery Does, and It's Created an Homage Brew

3 weeks ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

It's a dream for many people working at large food and beverage companies to put a personal stamp on the products being made every day. For Ross Koenigs, that dream has become a reality: Steel Horse, an amber ale in the vein of Fat Tire, launched last week at Koenigs's Second Dawn Brewery at 2032 Dayton Street in Aurora. Koenigs worked at New Belgium Brewery for years, helping develop what is now the Voodoo Ranger series, while making plenty of Fat Tire.
Eight Weird and Wacky Beers at This Year's Collaboration Festival

1 month ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

Hosted by the Colorado Brewers Guild, Collaboration Fest is one of Colorado's most popular beer festivals. It's also home to some of the wackiest beers ever made. According to Propagate's Charles McManus, one of the best parts of the fest is that half the entries are usually "weird" or trying something that's never been attempted before. Special batch collaborations between two breweries that excel at specific styles are frequent fest highlights.
Ask the Pros: Brewing a Smoked Lager that’s Fire with Silver Reef

1 month ago | beerandbrewing.com | Ryan Pachmayer

When longtime friends Michael Key and Eddie Leal joined Silver Reef and helped open it in 2019, the southern Utah beer scene was a desert as dry as the Mojave. In a largely Mormon area where the craft-beer learning curve can be steep, bringing a regular rauchbier to the table might sound crazy—but the pair had seen it work before.
Fiction Beer Company Is Making a Comeback on Colfax

1 month ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

It’s a story with a hopeful ending: a group of former trivia hosts at Fiction Beer have purchased the brewery, which former owners Christa and Ryan Kilpatrick closed at the end of 2024 after a decade in business. Located at 7101 East Colfax Avenue, Fiction Beer will reopen on Thursday, March 27 at 2 p.m. with, of course, trivia kicking off at 7 p.m. A possible comeback has been teased on social media for the last few months.
Littleton Brewing Company Debuts After Years of Construction

2 months ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

Father and son team Ray and Troy Beer (yes, that's really their last name) have been working for over three years to bring their vision for a new brewery with a rooftop deck in Littleton to life. Located in a former autobody shop, Littleton Brewing Company finally made its official debut at 1201 West Littleton Boulevard on Saturday, March 15 and we visited to drink it all in. What we saw: A large space that is beckoning for crowds.
Broken Hops Brewing IPAs Hit the Denver Market

2 months ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

In 2024, Prost Brewing embarked on a complete transformation of its lagers, installing a new, multi-million dollar brewhouse in Northglenn — one of the most advanced in the world — and bringing its beer fully in-house for the first time in years. “It’s hard not to look at the equipment and think, what if?” says Prost vice president of brewing operations, Chris O’Connor.
New Downtown Brewery Full Frame Beer Is the Right Addition at the Right Time

2 months ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

Alyssa Hoberer and Jacob Kemple didn’t rush into opening a brewery together. The longtime friends and local brewers first talked about it several years ago, but decided the timing wasn’t right. It almost didn’t happen a second time. Last year, the pair started a WeFunder and had their sights set on the former Alpine Dog space in Cap Hill.
Much-Anticipated Littleton Brewery With Rooftop Deck Announces Opening Date

2 months ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

As the local beer scene continues to evolve amid a changing market, there are some notable new additions in the works. Troy Beer and his father, Ray, have been working for over three years to bring their vision for a new brewery in Littleton to life. Now, Littleton Brewing Company is set to open at 1201 West Littleton Boulevard on Thursday, March 13.
Are Low-ABV Beers Primed for Growth? One Under the Radar Brewery Hopes So

2 months ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

That was the motto on a sign at Kevin Barnes’ former brewery in California over a decade ago. “Our flagship IPA became a double IPA, we were making imperial IPA, double stout. [But] all of us brewers just wanted a drinkin’ beer,” he says. “No session beer allowed.” Fast forward to 2025, and Barnes and his cousin Brian Terra have started a brewery in Denver that makes nothing but “drinkin' beer.” The duo opened up Andiamo Brew last year.
Bad Beer Be Gone: Colorado Brewers Guild Launches New Certification Program for Bars

2 months ago | westword.com | Ryan Pachmayer

Bill Eye, co-owner of one of the city's best breweries, Bierstadt Lagerhaus, thinks that America makes some of the best beer in the world. He also thinks that America serves its beer in some of the worst ways, so he has set out to change that. The Colorado Brewers Guild recently launched a new pub certification program, a project that was spearheaded by Eye. The goal is to certify a bar as having clean draft lines, clean glassware and proper presentation standards.