• ENJOY CRAFT BEER WHERE IT'S BREWED!

  • MON-WED 3-8pm, THU-FRI 3-9pm, SAT 12-9pm, SUN 12-8pm

Posts By :

City Star Brewing

City Star doubles size of brewery with barrel room and beer garden – article in Berthoud Surveyor

150 150 City Star Brewing

City Star doubles size of brewery with barrel room and beer garden
Posted by editor on October 12, 2017
By Shelley Widhalm
The Berthoud Surveyor

John and Whitney Way of Berthoud, co-owners of the brewery they opened five years ago, expanded the 2,500-square-foot brewery and taproom by adding a barrel room, an additional seating area, and a beer garden in back – as well as another set of restrooms and room for an office.

“We’re a community fixture here,” Whitney said. “It wasn’t long before we realized the seating area and taproom space was smaller than we’d like it to be.”

Three years ago the Ways purchased the building to the east of the main brewery when Chris Gischel, co-owner of Simply Shabulous, temporarily closed her business before reopening it on Massachusetts Avenue in May. The Ways did much of the work to the building, remodeling it to be a separate space connected to the brewery by a large, open doorway.

The additional space meant the brewery could more than triple its seating capacity. Originally there were 50 seats in the taproom. The barrel room adds another 25 seats, the indoor seating area 24, and the beer garden more than 50.

The Ways built the barrel room to have a double purpose, to store oak barrels to age their beers and to provide seating at two long tables. They called the room the Zoller Barrel House to reflect the building’s history – a man named Jake Zoller had owned a shoe shop and had his living quarters in the same space from the 1930s to the 1970s. The building which had multiple purposes, but the shoe shop was the most well-known, had been moved from old Berthoud to another location before being moved to its current location.

“That’s really an iconic building in Berthoud’s streetscape,” said Mark French, president of the Berthoud Historical Society, adding he appreciated how the Ways retained the building’s front facade. “The owners of a local business respect the heritage and understand how important it is to improve it while you repurpose it.”

The room, which spans 1,000 square feet, will serve as a space for private parties and events. Of course, the owners have considered the security of such a large space. According to some sources, they probably have installed business security systems inside the room to avoid any occurrence of mishaps.

“Having the additional space available provides greater flexibility in the events we can offer and the groups we can accommodate,” Whitney said.

Across from the barrel room is an indoor seating area with large windows facing out onto the beer garden, essentially a patio with more seating, a stage that will be used for musical entertainment in the warmer months, and a fire pit in the colder months. In colder months, since having live music could prove difficult, a satellite radio system from the likes of Cloud Cover Music or similar companies can be added instead. That way relevant music can be played, depending on the vibe and ambiance desired by the crowd.

“The beer garden is going to be a real draw,” Whitney said. “It will be more of a destination with the outdoor space.”

The Ways commissioned graffiti artist Gamma Acosta of Longmont to paint a mural of a poker scene, entitled “All In at City Star,” on the west side of the beer garden and outside of the main building. Acosta began work in March and is finishing the project.

Opposite the mural along the fence the Ways plan to plant a row of hop vines, providing what John describes as a “green fence.” The Ways may use the hops, which they purchased from a hydroponic hop farm in Fort Collins, to make some of their beers, but that depends on how the plants turn out. “We’ll have to see what the quality is like,” Whitney said, adding the hops will serve a second purpose. “The way the hop vines grow creates shade and ambience. It’s fun to have the ingredients of our beer growing right there. … It’s an enjoyable atmosphere to imbibe in a beer.”

Having the patio is appealing and the main focus of the Way’s expansion project, John said.

“It’s going to be a great, beautiful space to hang out with friends and family and enjoy some great beer,” he added.

John and Whitney opened the beer garden for Labor Day and plan to have the finishing touches completed by the end of the year, though they had wanted to open it two years ago, according to Whitney.

“We’ve learned from the first building,” she said. “We have been able to do more in terms of décor. We know more about … the finishing details not everyone notices but we appreciate.”

The Ways continue to lease the main part of the brewery from Whitney’s parents, Dan and Rudi Taylor, who in 2011 purchased a 10,000-square-foot, 100-year-old building they turned into retail and storage space. They operate two businesses there, Wishful Living and Happy Mango Beads.

The Ways named the brewery after the building’s original use, once the City Star Barn livery stable. The livery stable was torn down and rebuilt in the early 1900s as Jefferes Auto Co., one of the town’s first auto dealerships, before becoming Jefferes Garage and later Dean’s Furniture, a used furniture store in operation for about 30 years.

“We learned that and ran with it,” Whitney said about the brewery’s name, adding she and John created a walking tour of the brewery with a listing of the historical photos of Berthoud hanging throughout that they printed from historical society images.

The Taylors remodeled the entire building, and the Ways focused on their area, spending a year doing the work. They redid the façade, scraped the ceiling to have a rustic look, added new walls and installed a new concrete floor and interior systems. They were able to retain historical aspects of the building, such as the ceiling and interior brick, and constructed tables and the front of the bar out of some of the original structural wood beams and wood flooring. They used some of the windows to serve as chalkboard menus.

“Anytime we could reuse aspects of the building we did,” Whitney said.

To add to the historical feel, the Ways created four tables out of oak barrels that are in the tap room and a barrel chandelier John made out of another barrel. They used corrugated metal along the wall and incorporated wood, metal, brick and concrete elements throughout, using rustic earth tones.

“Anything we could do ourselves, that’s how we made it possible,” Whitney said.

The Ways completed the remodel by the time of the brewery’s grand opening on May 4, 2012.

City Star Brewery is open 2-9 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 2-10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday and noon-9 p.m. Sunday.

“We put a lot of hard work, time and energy into building and creating the space,” John said. “On Fridays and Saturdays there’s nowhere to sit. We have more seating capacity to hold all the people that come in, so everybody can enjoy City Star’s delicious beer.”

Original article source: http://www.berthoudsurveyor.com/city-star-doubles-size-of-brewery-with-barrel-room-and-beer-garden/

Gamma Gallery Unveils Mural at City Star Brewing

150 150 City Star Brewing

Muralist Gamma Gallery at City Star Brewing
Gamma Gallery’s latest mural will be unveiled this Thursday at City Star Brewing in downtown Berthoud. “All In at City Star” is a commissioned painting that was created completely free-hand, using only spray cans (no stencils or etching) on the 700 square foot concrete canvas. Gamma will be putting the final touches on his masterpiece throughout the day, and the official unveiling will take place at 5pm. Guests can order a pint of “All In” from the beertenders, Curbed Hunger food truck will be serving on site, and Clandestine Amigo will perform on the beer garden stage at 6pm.

Gamma developed the concept for the mural inspired by City Star’s historic roots and the general brewery vibe, which aims to maintain Berthoud’s history. He has taken inspiration from artifacts unearthed during this year’s taproom expansion and incorporated the wood grain on the concrete wall from wood forms used to construct the building in the early 1900’s. It is an incredible honor to feature Gamma’s work at City Star Brewing.

Gamma Acosta grew up in Longmont, Colorado. Drawing since before he could remember, creativity and problem solving were always on his mind. After graduating from school, Gamma did not pursue art for quite some time; it wasn’t until years later and perfect circumstances that he found a new expression, public art. The world was his painting surface, he discovered, and he had a way with a spray can that took him beyond the hardened parameters of street writing.

Painting large-scale projects of his own design, month after month, his unintended career began to gain speed. Today, he’s working all the time: creating murals inside and out for businesses. Gamma almost exclusively uses spray cans to create the photo-realistic pieces he has become known for. View Gamma’s portfolio online at http://gammagallery.co.

Gamma Gallery Mural at City Star Brewing

City Star Brewing Releases Outlaw in Bottles: Imperial Stout Aged in Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey Barrels

150 150 City Star Brewing

For Immediate Release:
City Star Brewing Releases Outlaw in Bottles: Imperial Stout Aged in Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey Barrels

The latest in the City Star Zoller Barrel Aged Series will be released in the City Star taproom on Saturday, October 21st, Outlaw. The 2017 vintage of this imperial stout was aged 14-18 months in Kentucky bourbon whiskey oak barrels and weighs in at 12.75% abv. Flavors of rich chocolate, toffee, dark dried fruit, oak, vanilla and of course American whiskey. A rich and creamy mouthfeel leaves you lingering for another pour.

“This is a very special release for us. Though we began barrel aging beer in 2012, our 2015 vintage of Outlaw was our first bottling of any kind at City Star. It is exciting to see where City Star was at the time of our 2015 release in comparison to this release, as it coincides with the opening of our long awaited beer garden and Zoller Barrel House.” – co-owner Whitney Way.

Bottles will be available for sale at $18/22oz bottle, AND Outlaw will be on draft for samplingEach bottle is dipped in wax and hand stamped with the City Star Brewing seal.

Outlaw 2017

City Star will be hosting an Outlaw Preview in the taproom on Monday, October 2nd to kick off GABF festivities! More details about this event can be found at: citystarbrewing.com/outlaw-preview. For those attending GABF swing by our booth R7 for a limited release of Outlaw during each session. 

 

 

The Hop Head’s Guide to the Galaxy: Outlaw 2017

150 150 City Star Brewing

OutlawBlake “The Pebble” Johnson joins The Hop Heads in studio for a very special preview of City Star Brewing’s Outlaw 2017 (Releasing October 21st).

Imperial Stout

ABV: 12.75%

2017 vintage of this imperial stout was aged 14-18 months in Kentucky bourbon whiskey oak barrels. Flavors of rich chocolate, toffee, dark dried fruit, oak, vanilla and of course American whiskey. A rich and creamy mouthfeel leaves you lingering for another pour.

Listen to the complete podcast here: Beer Shorts: City Star Brewing – Outlaw 2017

Podcast Release date: September 28, 2017 via The Hop Head’s Guide to the Galaxy

Photo courtesy of The Hop Head’s Guide to the Galaxy

Free flap jacks, Flap Jack Queen contest, classic cars, breakfast beers and small town love…

150 150 City Star Brewing

City Star’s 3rd Annual Flap Jack Day will be held on Labor Day, Monday, September 4th from 11am-6pm. The event features FREE flap jacks, vintage car show and the Flap Jack Queen contest. In a modern twist, the craft brewery will also offer a flap jack themed breakfast beer flight to serve throughout the day: French Toast Stout, Mochaccino Brown Ale, Apple Turnover Lager, Tart Cherry Saison, and Pineapple IPA. The Hop mobile vintage boutique will be on site this year, offering unique apparel, accessories, and decor specializing in the 40’s-60’s. At 3pm ladies will compete in the Flap Jack Queen Contest to be the first lady to finish 5 flap jacks, complete with a tiara and prizes from local businesses. All donations benefit the Berthoud Historical Society. Attendees should dress to impress as the town steps back into the fabulous 50’s. Learn more at http://berthoudflapjackday.com.

A bit of flap jack history courtesy of the Berthoud Historical Society… from 1948 to 1958 the local Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce hosted a Flap Jack Day in Berthoud Town Park that drew hordes of people to “The Garden Spot.” On the first Flap Jack Day (1948) an estimated 1,000 persons descended on Berthoud to devour 5,000 free pancakes. By 1949, The Berthoud Bulletin announced that 3,700 visitors from 21 states downed a whopping 7,400 flap jacks. Over its eleven-year span, Flap Jack Day grew to include the crowning of a Flap Jack Queen, spike-driving, swimming and diving contests, a baton twirling competition, pet-and-doll parades, a pig catching scramble, a tractor driving challenge. The last Flap Jack Day was held in 1959 when the Chamber of Commerce decided to cancel the event due to the high cost of hosting such a spectacle.

City Star Brewing Feature Article in Company Week

150 150 City Star Brewing

City Star BrewingCity Star Brewing
by Angela Rose on July 7, 2017, 07:38 am MDT
www.citystarbrewing.com
Berthoud, Colorado
Founded: 2012
Privately owned
Employees: 10
Industry: Brewing & Distilling
Products: Beer

With a big expansion, founders Whitney and John Way see their brewery becoming even more of a fixture in the local community.

“We always joke that Berthoud chose us,” laughs Whitney Way when asked why she and her husband, John, located their brewery in a small Northern Colorado town with less than 6,000 residents. That choice was made when family members purchased a century-old building in the city’s quaint downtown area that had once been home to one of Berthoud’s oldest businesses: City Star Barn.

“They came to us and said, ‘Hey, this is something you guys have always dreamt about,'” Way recalls. “We had the opportunity to rent this great, visible space, so we dove into the application process and self-financed by loading up credit cards for the most part.”

Over the course of 18 months, the couple completed a full renovation and purchased necessary brewery equipment. “It was a building that some people probably would have just torn down,” she says. “We were lucky to be a part of its renovation. During the build out, we did everything ourselves that we could from painting to woodworking. Our first equipment purchase was an old walk-in cooler from Upslope Brewing Company.”

To this day, they continue to produce beer on their original 3.5-barrel system, brewing each recipe two to four times in a row to fill their 7- and 15-barrel fermentation and bright tanks.

“We brew quite a bit on our mighty little system,” chuckles Way. In 2016, that amounted to 925 barrels of their six popular mainstays and around 40 different seasonals. “We’ve also been ramping up our barrel aging program,” she adds. “We have a lot of fun trying to release two to three unique beers every month. Some we repeat from year to year. Others we repeat but make changes to the recipe. Then there are always beers that we retire so that we can add new seasonals to the list.”

While they love playing around with new recipes, and are self-distributing kegs to local bars and restaurants, Way doesn’t see their total production number growing anytime soon.

“Our goal has always been to be a taproom-centric brewery,” she explains. “When we started out, we looked up to breweries like Strange Craft Beer Company, Wit’s End Brewing Company, and Copper Kettle Brewing Company. We felt like that would be attainable for us. Then, as we continued to grow and establish relationships with bigger breweries, we learned things that reinforced our decision to choose this model. So, we’ve really been investing in our taproom and local community.”

To that end, the Ways are currently wrapping up a 2,000-square-foot indoor and 1,000-square-foot outdoor expansion. “We bought the land and building to the east of City Star Brewing almost three years ago,” Whitney says. “We always knew that we’d need more taproom space. While we weren’t quite ready to dive in, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity. It has taken us quite a while to renovate it because we’re doing a lot of it ourselves. We were able to get a construction loan about a year ago to help us get through some of the bigger chores, but John has still had his hand in everything from framing to electric work.”

The pair hopes that the expansion — which includes a rentable barrel room, new bathrooms and spacious outdoor beer garden — will help them continue to establish a foundation as Berthoud’s local gathering place.

“On a weekly basis, we have live music and food trucks,” Way says. “We also love to collaborate with local organizations. We have an annual festival called Hops and Harley that celebrates dogs and craft beer. Flap Jack Day is another big annual event. We also do smaller events throughout the year like local benefits. Our community is really important to us, and we’re always looking for ways to participate in some way or another.”

Favorite beers: “John and I agree on a lot of things,” Way says, “and the beers we like tend to change with the seasons. In the summertime, we’ll drink a lot of refreshing lagers and juicy IPAs. When it’s colder, we especially like malty beers.” She points to the brewery’s bestsellers — Cowboy’s Golden, Bandit Brown and All American IPA — as great representations of the styles they love most.

Challenges: Way says one of City Star’s current challenges is finding the best way to take advantage of the recent expansion. “We have the awesome new space and we need to harness it,” she added. “It’s a really exciting challenge to have actually.”

Opportunities: Way says there is still a lot of opportunity for expanding their customer base within the immediate area. “It’s a small town, but a growing one as well,” she says.

Needs: “When we first opened, we bought what we could on the budget that we had,” Way says. “We’re now definitely at the point where we need to invest in a grain mill and a keg washer. It would be great to upgrade our brew system as well. We’ve been so focused on the expansion project that it will be nice to be able to refocus some energy and resources into our brewhouse.”

Original Article Source: https://companyweek.com/company-profile/city-star-brewing/brewing-beverage

City Star Brewing Releases Deadwood in Bottles: Imperial Red Ale Aged in Whiskey Barrels

150 150 City Star Brewing

The latest in the City Star Zoller Barrel Aged Series will be released in the City Star taproom on Saturday, August 19th:

Deadwood Bottle Release

Deadwood is an imperial red ale aged 4 months in Spirit Hound Distillers whiskey oak barrels. Held by candlelight, this beer is deep garnet in color. The Idaho 7 hops in the base beer impart apricot and tropical fruit notes to the aroma, while plum and dried cherry flavors from the whiskey barrels mingle on the tongue. The beer finishes with sweet whiskey notes and a mild lingering heat. “Working with a local distiller such as Spirit Hound is of great advantage to us since are able to receive barrels immediately after they have been emptied. Getting these ‘wet’ barrels at the peak of their freshness and filling them with beer grants us optimal flavor from the barrels.” (City Star Head Brewer, John Way) Lace up your boots and strap on your spurs, ’cause this brew is rowdy like the town it was named for. 11.4% ABV

Less than 500 bottles will be available for sale at $16/22oz bottle (1 case limit), AND Deadwood will be on draft for sampling.

Each bottle is dipped in wax and hand stamped with the City Star Brewing seal. With less than 500 bottles of Deadwood, we don’t expect our supply to stick around.

City Star will be hosting a Deadwood preview event on Thursday, August 17th in the Zoller Barrel House at City Star Brewing from 7-8pm. City Star head brewer, John Way, and a representative from Spirit Hound Distillers will be on site for a meet and greet. Event details can be found here: citystarbrewing.com/deadwood-preview

 

City Star Brewing Hosts Hops & Harley 2017

150 150 City Star Brewing

Hops & Harley 2017

Hops & HarleyA small Colorado brewery with a big heart has stepped up to help an organization that honors the legacy of Harley, the 2015 American Hero Dog and a little Chihuahua with a big dream. Hops and Harley is on June 24th, you won’t want to miss it!

Harley spent 10 years suffering abuse in a small cage in a puppy mill, never knowing the touch of a kind hand … until he was rescued and found a loving home. City Star Brewing, located in Berthoud, Colorado, learned the plight of the puppy mill dogs through Harley. Hops and Harley became a reality, and this year will be its fifth annual.

This dog-friendly, craft beer event is free to attend and designed to not only create awareness about puppy mills, but will also be fun for the entire family. All proceeds from the event go directly to Harley’s Dream to help educate the public about the realities of the commercial dog breeding industry.

Hops and Harley will take place on June 24th in Fickel Park in downtown Berthoud, just 3 blocks west of City Star Brewing. There will be live music featuring Bonnie & the Clydes and Wood Belly Bluegrass Band, a Doggy Doppelgänger contest, Painting & Pints, a wide offering of food trucks, activities for children and dogs, photo booth, puppy mill education, great beer and more! City Star Brewing will be pouring a variety of beers including Harley’s Honey Wheat, and Spirit Hound Distillers from Lyons will have cocktails crafted with their award-winning spirits.

More information about Hops and Harley can be found at: www.hopsandharley.com

Harley’s story is one of rags to riches. During his 5 years of freedom, this tiny Chihuahua raised more than $1,000,000 to set-free and care for puppy mill dogs. He educated and inspired people world-wide, teaching them that they, too, can make a difference. Harley’s Dream was established in 2016 to create awareness and educate the public about the commercial dog breeding industry, also known as puppy mills. They believe that a grassroots approach by large groups of concerned citizens is the most effective way to bring about change. Their focus is to encourage advocacy by providing the tools necessary to educate children and adults alike.

City Star Brewing offers award-winning, small batch ales, hand crafted on a 3.5 barrel brew system in the heart of downtown Berthoud, Colorado. The small town brewery was awarded Gold and Bronze medals at the famous Great American Beer Festival in 2015 and 2013. City Star first opened its doors in 2012 and has since become a destination for craft beer lovers near and far.

City Star Brewing Releases Scoundrel in Bottles: Sour Brown Ale Aged in Cabernet Barrels

150 150 City Star Brewing

Another round of Scoundrel returns to City Star! Our 2017 vintage of this sour barrel-aged brown weighs in at 6.8% ABV and has been hiding out in oak Cabernet wine barrels for two years. Intentionally soured with a blend of lactobacillus and pediococcus bacteria creating a pleasantly sour version of our 2013 Great American Beer Festival gold medal-winning Bandit Brown Ale.
6.8% ABV

500 bottles will be available for sale at $16/22oz bottle (1 case limit), AND Scoundrel will be on draft for sampling.

Each bottle is dipped in wax and hand stamped with the City Star Brewing seal. With only 500 bottles of Scoundrel, we don’t expect our supply to stick around.

Scoundrel Bottle

City Star Brewing Releases Troubadour in Bottles: Brown Ale Aged in Whiskey Barrels

150 150 City Star Brewing

Troubadour

The latest in City Star’s Barrel Aged Series will be released in the City Star taproom on Saturday, May 6th: Troubadour, a brown ale aged 3 months in KJ Wood Distillers whiskey oak barrels. KJ Wood once was located in Berthoud, but relocated to Ouray, Colorado in recent years. The caramel notes in this beer work rhythmically with the whiskey flavors of the barrels. Subtle and sweet, like a touching verse of your favorite poem. 5.8% ABV

900 bottles will be available for sale at $12/22oz bottle (1 case limit), AND Troubadour will be on draft for sampling. Something like a used 53 gallon whiskey barrel for sale can be a great way for homebrewers to give this method a try without having to shell out for expensive barrels.

Each bottle is dipped in wax and hand stamped with the City Star Brewing seal. With only 900 bottles of Troubadour, we don’t expect our supply to stick around.