The Fort Collins-based brewer opens its first-ever Denver outpost today.
Today, for the first time since Odell Brewing Company’s inception in 1989, Denverites no longer have to trek to the original Fort Collins location to grab a brew at the source. Odell officially opens the doors at noon to its 10-barrel brewhouse and two-story taproom in Denver’s artsy (and sudsy) RiNo neighborhood. Housed in a completely renovated 1917 brick building, which once served, among other things, as a recording studio and residential space, the new location is an ode to beer experimentation, art, and community.
“We’re in a booming part of town that really celebrates art and independent businesses, both of which are really important to us,” explained Alex Kayne, Odell’s director of marketing. “We recognized that Denver has a huge beer culture, and RiNo is a real epicenter of that. So we knew we wanted to be in this neighborhood.”
At the helm of the RiNo Brewhouse is Brent Cordle, a longtime Odell employee who most recently headed up the pilot system (a small brewing system dedicated to research and experimentation) and barrel-aging programs in Fort Collins. And for the past few weeks, Cordle and his small team have been concocting new beers like the Lil RiNo Session IPA—a flavorful, hopped-up beer that’s light on the ABV, along with a handful experimental styles, like a perfectly pink and slightly tart Guava Gose made with freshly puréed guava fruit. The Denver location will feature 16 different taps, with eight of those dedicated to beers brewed onsite. Kayne expects that some of the popular experimental beers could end up in cans or bottles some day: “We know that if we nail a beer here, that it has a lot of potential. I could see beer from here graduating to package or to release, but this is a no-holds-barred R&D brewery,” he said.
While considerably smaller than Odell’s Fort Collins location, the RiNo watering hole has the capacity for 200 beer enthusiasts between the upstairs and downstairs bars, the rooftop deck, and the street-level outdoor patio; two fire pits and a colorful, hop-inspired mural by San Fransisco artist Mona Caron (also responsible for Odell’s label art) anchor the patio space. And although Odell doesn’t have any plans to serve food at the new taproom, outside eats are encouraged—especially burgers and fries from Shake Shack, which is conveniently located right next door.
If you go: Odell RiNo will be open from noon to 10 p.m., Monday through Wednesday; noon to midnight, Thursday through Sunday.
2945 Larimer Street, 720-795-7862
