Melvin Brewing finds a buyer and Epic Brewing says goodbye to Denver

Just Tapped

This week our first story is about a smaller fish that eats a bigger fish. Not sure "eats" is the best way to put it, but one brewery just acquired a brewery twice its size. Our next story is about a brewery retreating to its home turf. Pessimists might call it a failure, but I like to think of it as a strategy. 

Melvin Brewing Acquired by One of Its Neighbors

Roadhouse Brewing recently signed a purchase agreement to acquire Melvin Brewing and its operations, merging Wyoming’s two largest craft breweries. Roadhouse is located in the town of Jackson. Melvin is located in the nearby town of Alpine, but also operates a restaurant and taproom in Jackson -- Thai Me Up, a three-barrel brewpub that serves Thai food in a cowboy town. Roadhouse Brewing, which announced the acquisition late last week, said it expects the deal to close quickly. 

In 2021, Melvin Brewing produced an estimated 23,500 barrels according to the Brewers Association. Roadhouse Brewing’s volume was estimated at about 11,000 barrels. Colby Cox, Roadhouse Brewing co-founder, told Brewbound that the deal is in place and expected to close within a few weeks. He added that the two companies will exist as two distinct brands following the merger.

Why do you recognize the name Melvin and how did Melvin Brewing get here? In 2014 and 2015, Melvin won the coveted Alpha King award, which acknowledges greatness in brewing exceptionally hoppy beers. Then, in 2017 Melvin became one of the most talked about breweries in the nation. 

At the 2017 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, the brewery attracted a lot of attention inside and outside the festival. The brewery spared no expense. A Melvin-branded van towed a brass band on a trailer around town, for instance. However, 2017 wasn’t all fun and games. At Melvin’s location in Bellingham, Washington one of the brewery’s co-founders was accused of groping a server at a nearby brewery. In 2018, the incident came to light. At first, the company didn't do a very good job of addressing the situation. Melvin Brewing eventually confronted the incident publicly and more appropriately. The story is chronicled here. Melvin Brewing’s Bellingham location closed in 2019.  

In June of 2022, Melvin Brewing secured the services of GLC Advisors and Ethan Stienstra, a beverage brand portfolio and marketing strategist, to assist in its search for a partner or potential buyer. At this year’s Great American Beer Festival, Melvin Brewing and Roadhouse Brewing were set up right next to each other. Admittedly, they were teasing the crowd with a hint of an impending merger.  

Epic Brewing Shutting Down Denver Location, Heading Back Home

Epic Brewing opened in Salt Lake City in 2010. Like a lot of breweries back in those days, it saw opportunities for growth, which is why Epic opened a location in Denver in 2013. Nine years later the company is preparing to close its 19,000-square-foot brewery and taproom in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood. Reportedly, it will close by the end of the year and the brewing equipment, including a 20-barrel brewhouse, is now for sale. Epic will shift all production back to its brewery in Salt Lake City.

The RiNo (A.K.A. the River North Art District) and all of Denver have seen an influx of breweries since Epic Brewing opened nine years ago. Speaking to PorchDrinking.com, Epic Brewing founder David Cole did not attribute the closure to the insurgence of new breweries, rather he cited post-pandemic shifts in consumer habits and increased costs as main contributors to the closure. 

“We were so heavily focused on draft accounts in Colorado, and the pandemic changed everything,” Cole said. “We lost so many great draft accounts like [Falling Rock Tap House] during the pandemic and for us, it has just been challenging to see draft come back. …It’s also been tough on us in terms of the cost of freight, distribution, and overall cost of goods in general. At a certain point volume has fallen off so much that the overhead in Denver just wasn’t possible anymore.”

Don’t worry Denver, although this news is sad, you’ve still got plenty of breweries. Epic told the Denver Post that the brewery will seek a new, smaller home in Denver in the future. Hopefully, for Epic Brewing this retreat to its home turf will foster a long, prosperous future. Read more about this story here.

Around the Web 

• Brewers Association announces its first membership fee increase in 18 years. New and existing members can lock in rates. Read about all of it here.

• World Cup organizers in Qatar tell Budweiser and beer-drinking fans to hide their beers. You can drink beer at the upcoming World Cup, but it won't be easy.

• After five years in business, Channel Marker Brewing is changing its name to Coastal Mass Brewing after discovering its name is someone else's registered trademark.

Beer Bric-a-Brac 

Isreal’s Central Bureau of Statistics recently released results from a study that examined a wide range of health issues in Israeli and Arab populations. The study showed that middle-aged women who consume up to two servings of beer a day have stronger bones, compared to women who abstain from drinking beer. (Source) 

Geek Speak 

Beer Export Champions - Ever wonder which country exports the most beer? The answer is Mexico, and it isn't even close. Maybe you knew that, but did you know this? In 2021, Mexico's annual beer exports equaled over $5 billion. That's more than twice as much as any other nation on earth. (Data provided by Statista.)  

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This week's Taster Tray was composed by Kendall Jones. Have news you'd like to share with us? Reply to this email or reach out to [email protected].