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COVID-19 Chronicles of a Small Business

150 150 City Star Brewing

MARCH 11: WHO declares Coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Colorado Governor Jared Polis declares state of emergency.
MARCH 12: Coronavirus related policies posted for City Star staff.
MARCH 13: Increased taproom sanitizing procedures – regular disinfecting of tablets, phone, door handles, etc. United States declares national emergency. JD jokingly suggests we ordered branded face masks.
MARCH 14: Added mid-day bathroom cleaning. Served 158 flight th s of Lucky Charms beers to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. A lot of customers expressed happiness to see people in City Star.
MARCH 15: All unnecessary items handled by multiple people removed from taproom (games, menus, coasters, etc).
MARCH 16: I established communication with our loan officer at Independent Bank. Designed and ordered new blank City Star bottle labels. Governor Polis passes Colorado Health Order, effectively closing our business. I create staff Slack channel #keepitflowing, opted to remain positive and refrain from instead using #fuckcovid. Brainstormed virtual events with staff and instructed them to file unemployment claims expecting a reduction of hours.
MARCH 17: New day, new business model. Our brewery moved from on-premise sales to “to go” sales only. Less than five people are permitted in the taproom at a time, spaced six feet apart. New hours (2-7pm daily), new schedule, invested in a crowler machine and crowlers for improved “to go” packaging. Thank you Oskar Blues, Crowler Nation and Jeremy Rudolph. Instructed staff to remove seating, keep doors open, and continue heightened sanitizing procedures. Plan for taproom staff to work in teams of two for safety in light of higher public anxiety levels.
MARCH 18: New hours again (3-7pm daily). U.S. Congress passes Families First Coronavirus Response Act. We decide to postpone our annual Hops and Harley festival (originally scheduled for June 20th).
MARCH 19: Launched crowler sales and online ordering via Square + curbside pick-up.
MARCH 20: E-mailed Town of Berthoud staff and board members, encouraging communication and leadership. Governor Polis approves brewery deliveries.

If that virus has got you down
Take a drive into town
Support your local community bar We’ve got what you need at City Star
Society is in bit of a panic
And everyone is a little manic
So drop in quick and pick up a crowler
Find comfort in the fresh fill of a growler
City Star is ready in any condition
Good people and quality beer is our mission
Whether its a virus or the weather
Adversity and hardship brings us together
We love our Berthoud community
So we raise our glasses to immunity
Be patient, be loving, and please be kind
Let’s always keep our neighbors in mind

by Benjamin deLeeuwerk

MARCH 22: Designed and ordered Outlaw bottle labels. Fast tracking our next barrel aged beer in an effort to move as much packaged beer as possible. We originally had a Meet the Distiller event planned with Deerhammer that will no longer be possible. We anticipate being soon shut down completely.
MARCH 23: Launch “Beer it Forward” campaign where people can purchase a beer for someone to enjoy once the taproom re-opens. Note + recipient name will go on sticky notes in taproom window. Westword publishes a little press on City Star and Crowlers. Shared 15% off coupon for Deputy mug club members (they’re missing out on their main membership perk right now… $1/off pints). Designed and ordered new blank City Star crowler labels. City of Denver issues a shelter-in-place order, which briefly includes the complete closing of breweries. Alas, with lobbying help from the Colorado Brewers Guild breweries are deemed essential and may continue with to go orders.
MARCH 24: Our taproom has been shut down for 1 full week. With our pivot to ‘to go’ beer only our revenue is down 32% compared to the same week in 2019. This business impact doesn’t account for the considerably lower profit margin selling ‘to go’ beer.
MARCH 25:
Larimer County and then Governor Polis issue a stay-at-home orders for the State of Colorado. Colorado Brewers Guild confirms that breweries are essential and thus exempt.
MARCH 26: Launch Virtual Tip Jar for anyone to tip City Star staff via Venmo. Promote free crowler promo for medical professionals and first responders. Applied for EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan) via SBA.gov. Nacho Mama’s Tacos food truck serves out front with phone ordering and a large sign instructing customers to space six feet apart. They are the first food truck we’ve hosted since closing.
MARCH 27: We bottle and release Outlaw Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. United States Congress passes and President Trump signs CARES Act (Coronavirus Aird, Relief and Economic Security Act). With respect to the CARES Act, City Star could receive assistance with an EIDL Loan advance grant, PPP Program, and Debt Relief Program.
MARCH 28: Six foot lines installed on the taproom floor.
MARCH 30: Apply for EIDL loan via SBA.gov again with request for advance grant up to $10,000 (new form is available). Independent Bank turns off auto-payment on our existing SBA 7(a) loan.
MARCH 31: Galaxy IPA released in crowlers. Made the decision to continue maintaining staff employment at pre-COVID levels (no furlough for our crew). Attended multiple webinars on CARES Act provisions. In hopes of qualifying for a PPP Loan (and having it forgiven) we made the decision to pay our staff’s wages at their January/February 2020 levels, including what taproom staff were averaging in tips. Our loan officer at Independent Bank confirmed that our existing SBA 7(a) loan would benefit from 6 months of payments by SBA.
APRIL 1: Covid-19 is unfortunately not an April Fools Joke. Our taproom has been shut down for 2 full weeks. With our pivot to ‘to go’ beer only our revenue is down 35% compared to the same week in 2019. Covid Compliance Officer (maybe a Larimer County Sheriff?) verified that we are operating in compliance with all health orders. She recommended we remove more seating from our taproom and add chalk lines six feet apart out front for food truck customers.
APRIL 2: Independent Bank issues a draft of the PPP Loan Application and requirements, though lenders are still awaiting final guidance from SBA. I submit the draft application and requirements.
APRIL 3: Independent Bank issues new PPP Loan Application and requirements. I submit the revised application and requirements again. We are requesting a loan of $42,261.16 that could be forgivable if employment conditions are met and 75% of this amount is used for qualified payroll expenses. Any funds not forgiven are subject to 1% interest rate and two year term loan. PPP Loan conditions changed at least three times since the signing of the CARES Act. Governor Polis urges everyone to wear face masks when they have to leave the home (guess we should have ordered those branded face masks JD joked about). Receive World Beer Cup Competition $720 Refund. Covid Compliance Officer visits City Star again, confirms we are in compliance, suggests moving patio seating out front (done!).
APRIL 4: Loan officer at Independent Bank confirms receipt and application is in approval queue. First day of Colorado Craft Beer Week. City Star staff polled on comfort and safety level with current sales model. No EIDL cash advance as of the end of the week.
APRIL 5: Governor Polis requests everyone wear face masks when they leave the house.
APRIL 6: Move to curbside and patio beer ‘to go’ pick-up only. We are no longer refilling customers growlers. Still no EIDL cash advance. Ran bi-weekly payroll High Point, including 90 ’empty’ hours to maintain our staff at their Jan/Feb employment levels.
APRIL 7: Our taproom has been shut down for 3 full weeks. With our pivot to ‘to go’ beer only our revenue is down 44% compared to the same week in 2019. We are fortunate to be able to sell beer.
APRIL 8: No sign of promised deposit from the EIDL advance we applied for over a week before. Bank says our PPP application is still in the queue and awaiting approval by SBA.
APRIL 10: Salted Lime Kolsch release day. Customers get in the spirit, showing up for curbside pick-up in beach/island attire. We sell 80+ crowlers, John has to return to the brewery to fill more before we close.
APRIL 13: Despite uncertainty we hope to celebrate City Star’s 8 year anniversary this May with our community. Ordered 2020 glassware for City Star Deputy mug club members. Researching how we can make our bathroom doors “touchless” for customers. Whitney has turned the Great Room into her “home gym”.
APRIL 14: Our taproom has been shut down for 4 full weeks. With our pivot to ‘to go’ beer only our revenue is down 45% compared to the same week in 2019. The Brewers Association’s annual Craft Brewers Conference launches online today with five weeks of free seminars. JD received a toilet paper tip today. Our loan officer emailed to let us know our PPP loan is approved and documents will soon follow. We don’t know the loan amount yet, but this is promising. Still no EIDL cash advance.
APRIL 15: First daily City Star staff beer cheers (aka “Go Team”) on Zoom 5pm.
APRIL 16: Colorado Brewers Guild Town Hall on Zoom. Berthoud businesses meeting on Zoom. It’s reported that the SBA has exhausted all funds for the PPP loans.
APRIL 17: Beer celeb Julia Herz picks up crowlers at City Star! Still no EIDL funds or information on our PPP loan. We were told we were approved for a PPP loan, but we have not received any documents, nor do we know the loan amount. Staff are required to wear face masks when interacting with customers (no longer an option).
APRIL 18: Great day to test out beer deliveries! We’ve built a second website for online delivery orders. Planning for City Star crowler and bottle delivery to Lyons, Colorado + 10 mile radius (20 orders!). City Star tent we’ve been using for curbside pick-up is broken and now in need of repair.
APRIL 20: Our loan officer tells us our PPP loan documents should arrive within a few days. Governor Polis announces plans for an upcoming ‘Safer at Home’ period for Colorado; based on his plan our taproom will not open before May 15th. We are making plans to make home deliveries this weekend (Thursday – Berthoud, Friday – Johnstown/Milliken, Saturday – Lyons).
APRIL 21: Surprise…. $10,000 EIDL Advance deposited into our account! Our taproom has been shut down for 5 full weeks. With our pivot to ‘to go’ beer only our revenue is down 45% compared to the same week in 2019. Ran bi-weekly payroll, including 65 ’empty’ hours to maintain our staff at their Jan/Feb employment levels.
APRIL 22: Signed PPP loan documents today! We have been approved for a $42,200 loan (1% interest rate, 2 year term, payments start November 2020). Purchased web domains citystarpickup.com and citystardelivery.com to more easily direct customers for online ordering. We are planning to make deliveries Thursday-Saturday this week. Today we joined the Colorado Strong Beer campaign, launched by the Left Hand Brewing Foundation. In coordination with other Colorado breweries we’ll brew the Colorado Strong Pale Ale, in support of our supply chain and breweries. We will be donating 20% of beer sales back to LHB (“funds raised will be donated to the community to support Healthcare, Hospitality, Service Industry, and Gig Economy Workers affected by Covid-19”). City Star’s Colorado Strong Pale Ale will release mid-May.
APRIL 23: John runs Berthoud deliveries.
APRIL 24: “Keep it Flowing”… City Star Beer, Community, Kindness T-Shirts NOW available for sale. Our PPP Loan has been funded for $42,000; SBA still hasn’t issued clear guidance on how to achieve forgiveness for some or all of the funds, so we plan to be very conservative. JD and Whitney run deliveries to Johnstown and Milliken.
APRIL 25: Whitney runs deliveries to Lyons + Summit Tacos.
APRIL 27: Colorado’s Stay-At-Home order converts to Safer-At-Home order. Our taproom has been shut down for 6 full weeks. With adding deliveries and new t-shirts our revenue is down 13% compared to the same week in 2019. This is a major improvement over the previous weeks. Costs of goods sold are substantially higher with our “new to-go” model so our overall business picture is unclear, but we are optimistic.
APRIL 28: Town of Berthoud launches a generous sales tax rebate program to support small, local businesses during this time.
APRIL 30: Loveland deliveries.
MAY 1: Raspberry Saison release. Johnstown and Milliken deliveries. Some businesses are allowed to re-open today, but brewery taprooms do not have a re-opening date. We expect May 15th or later. April 2020 revenue was down 35% from April 2019.
MAY 4: Cheers to 8 Years of Beers! This day in 2012 City Star opened its doors. We launch City Star Deputy Mug Club membership sales, and hosted a Virtual Toast from the beer garden at 7pm. Ran bi-weekly payroll, including 90 ’empty’ hours to maintain our staff at their Jan/Feb employment levels.
MAY 5: We’ve been shut down for 7 weeks, revenue was down 40% last week compared to the same week in 2019. Ran bi-weekly payroll, including 48 ’empty’ hours to maintain our staff at their pre-COVID employment levels.
MAY 8: Dead or Alive Imperial IPA release.
MAY 11: John hits the road for the mid-west to purchase a canning machine. We still don’t have a date for re-opening, but Governor Polis plans to review data and make an announcement on May 25th.
MAY 12: We’ve been shut down for 8 weeks, revenue was down 25% last week compared to the same week in 2019. City Star Colorado Strong Beer release today, the first Colorado release with 125+ breweries on board (coloradostrongbeer.org).
MAY 13: John purchases and loads up a MicroCanner canning line from Grand River Brewing in Michigan.
MAY 15:
Chili The Kid release. Unload canner and we begin re-designing the taproom to allow for safe table spacing, including placing barrel stacks between all tables. A restaurant in town opens today against the county and state health orders; they encourage us and other businesses to follow suit. SBA finally published the PPP forgiveness application, giving businesses guidance on how to plan for and achieve partial or total loan forgiveness. Larimer County applied for a variance to relax Safer-At-Home rules.
MAY 16: As part of re-designing our taproom, we move our twelve foot community “Kings” table to storage at Root Shoot Malting’s malt house. We move our ‘to go’ order pick-up station inside the taproom with a table + crowler fridge near the front door. Customers are able to enter though our front door and exit through the hall door. Our staff is ELATED to no longer setup our tent out front daily. We’ve continued running deliveries to Johnstown and Milliken on Fridays and Lyons on Saturdays.
MAY 18: Ran bi-weekly payroll, including 47 ’empty’ hours to maintain our staff at their pre-COVID employment levels.
MAY 19: We’ve been shut down for 9 weeks, revenue was down 14% last week compared to the same week in 2019. Reviewed guidelines for breweries to open in Larimer County’s variance request sent to the State of Colorado. Most notably including: 30% capacity indoors, up to 60% capacity outdoors, no bar seating, reservations only. Larimer County no longer requires customers to wear masks.
MAY 20: State of Colorado releases a draft of guidelines for restaurants to re-open (breweries may or may not be included). Most notably including: no service after 10pm, 8 foot spacing between tables, gloves and masks for employees, plastic cups, party. We order food service plastic gloves and plastic cups to have in hand in anticipation of opening rules.
MAY 22: We learn that there is a very real possibility that breweries will not be permitted to open alongside restaurants in Colorado. I submit feedback on the proposed guidelines, email Governor Polis, Representative Perry Buck, and Senator Rob Woodward. Larimer County’s variance application is still under review.
MAY 23: The State of Colorado approved some of Larimer County’s variance application, including the opening of restaurants but excluded breweries. This is devastating. There is a lot of confusion with some news sources publishing inaccurate information. Local officials help with contacting county and state officials to find out more information on why breweries were excluded. Understanding the State’s reasoning will help the Colorado Brewers Guild advocate for breweries before Monday’s announcement.
MAY 25: The State of Colorado announced the process for restaurants to re-open, including breweries able to allow for on-site consumption of food. Larimer County adjust their variance in accordance with the State’s new regulations.
MAY 28: We re-open our taproom! All table service, complete sanitizing between parties, check-in at the front door, hourly bathroom sanitizing, face masks, pre-formed parties of 8 or less, occupancy limits, and 6′ spacing between patrons.

After 2+ months of chronicling the shutdown of City Star Brewing, we are working hard to ‘keep it flowing’ for on-site consumption and to-go orders. The future is unclear (for everyone), but we are incredibly fortunate to be a part of such an amazing community in Colorado. Thank you for following along and for your support!

The Crowler Inventor Is Saving Small Breweries, One Can at a Time article in Westword

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The Crowler Inventor Is Saving Small Breweries, One Can at a Time
by Jonathan Shikes

The guy who invented the Crowler would be feeling proud right now, but he’s too busy taking orders for them.

Jeremy Rudolf will be working seven days a week for the foreseeable future, but that’s okay. His job has never been as important as it is these days. Over the past week, as breweries faced the gut-punching effect of mass closures because of the coronavirus crisis, these large cans have been the only way for them to bring in revenue since breweries and taprooms are still allowed to sell beer to-go and, more recently, by delivery.

“We took 600 orders in four days. That’s about two months’ worth of orders normally,” Rudolf points out. “We are getting a constant stream of phone calls and emails, a lot of times from the same people. But we are working through the weekend; we’re not going to stop. Supplies are really low, but we’ll get more next week, so we will be able to catch up really fast. For now, though, we are asking people to borrow from one another.”

Rudolf runs Crowler Nation, a Longmont company that sells aluminum Crowler cans and Crowler machines, bar-top devices that seal the cans in seconds so that customers can take out any beer on tap. Over the past six years, the machines have become fixtures at just about every brewery in Colorado — not to mention thousand of others nationwide and in other countries — but they are particularly useful for smaller breweries that don’t can or bottle their beer on a regular basis.

He’s also offering another product to breweries — and now to restaurants, which gained the temporary right to sell draft beer to-go and for delivery on Friday after Governor Jared Polis relaxed some of Colorado’s liquor laws. Twistee Cans don’t require a Crowler machine, so businesses can simply fill them from the taps or from kegs, twist on the tops and send them out the door. They come in six different sizes.

And Crowlers have come a long way. In 2012, Rudolf was the packaging manager at Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont when he came up with the notion of the Crowler. Not only would sealable cans give the company an alternative to the unwieldy and sometimes unsanitary glass jugs known as growlers, but they would fit with the Oskar Blues image of innovation; after all, the brewery was the first to can craft beer back in 2004.

The concept started small but picked up steam as Oskar Blues began requisitioning sealing machines from a company that specialized in making them for people who can fruits and vegetables at home. The brewery then sold them to other breweries along with pallets of special 32-ounce Crowler cans from Golden’s Ball Packaging. The Crowler is, and continues to be, a Ball trademark.

Word got out quickly, though, and Oskar Blues began to get dozens of orders a month from all over the world. It also gained some competitors. By 2015, Rudolf was the full-time CANministrator of the Crowler business, and by 2018, with more than 3,000 machines under its belt, Oskar Blues separated the business from the brewery, creating Crowler Nation as its own company, although it’s still owned by Oskar Blues and its parent company, Canarchy.

Before the pandemic, breweries relied on Crowler Nation’s nine warehouses around the country for supplies of cans (which now come in multiple sizes, although the 32-ouncers are still the norm), machines, lids, labels and service, often on the same day they put in the order. Now, because of increased to-go sales, some breweries are are running out. But since Ball only manufactures the Crowler cans once every three months, Crowler Nation’s supplies will also be low for another week to ten days.

But Crowler Nation does have others sizes, as well as the Twistee Cans, which have come in handy for at least a few breweries, including 12 Degree Brewing in Louisville, which ran out of its 32-ounce Crowlers on Friday, and for Berthoud’s City Star Brewing, which was one of the few beer makers that had, until last Monday, still been relying on glass growlers for to-go customers.

“Following the Colorado health order to close taprooms, we reached out to Jeremy Rudolf and immediately ordered a Crowler machine and Crowlers. Two days later Crowlers were filled and walking out the front door,” says Whitney Way, who owns City Star with her husband, John.

Spending money on new equipment at a time when the future is so uncertain was a frightening thing to do, but also “very necessary,” she adds. “The shutdown meant completely reinventing our business model with to-go beer as our primary sales driver. We needed to step-up our to-go beer game — and fast.” City Star is using smaller-sized Crowlers, but will probably switch to 32-ounce cans once the coronavirus crisis is over.

For Rudolf, it has been gratifying to see the Crowler grow from an experiment with Ball into something that he’s been able to bring to so many breweries. But at the moment, it’s also “bittersweet,” he says. “I pride myself on being someone who helps and I couldn’t be happier that the cans are helping.” But the cans are also in short supply this week, right when these breweries need them the most.

Original article source: https://www.westword.com/restaurants/denver-restaurants-takeout-delivery-during-coronavirus-11666765

City Star Launches Crowlers and Online Ordering

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City Star Launches CrowlersAmid the COVID-19 pandemic, we are excited to announce the launch of online ordering and craft beer in crowlers at City Star Brewing!

Access online ordering at https://citystarbrewing.square.site/. Crowlers, growlers and kegs are available to order online. You can place your order at anytime and then pick-up when we are open: 3-7pm. In checkout you are able to add a tip for your beerslingers and we want to hook you up with curbside pick-up; just call the taproom (970-532-7827) when you are parked out front and we’ll bring your beer to you! Note: we are still refilling guests growlers, but this option is not available for online ordering. We do have other items for sale that also must be purchased at the bar: non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, merchandise, and gift cards.

What’s this about crowlers?! No time like NOW to step-up our craft beer ‘to go’ game. We spent the day filling 25.4oz crowlers (purged with CO2 before filling for a longer shelf life) and we’ll continue filling as long as the demand is there. A crowler is a large can that can be filled with draft beer and seamed right at the source; they are cheaper, lighter and keep craft brewer fresher longer than conventional glass growlers. Shout-out to Oskar Blues and Crowler Nation for helping us make this happen; brewery camaraderie is definitely not lacking during this trying time.

A reminder, in compliance with this week’s Colorado health order the City Star taproom is open for ‘TO GO’ beer orders only with new hours: 3-7pm daily. Please help us respect this order and prioritize public safety by not lingering in the taproom.

The amount of support we’ve received (from all distances!) over the past few days has been incredible. We are truly honored to be a part of Berthoud and the greater NoCo craft beer community. We are a small, independently owned, family run brewery and we are grateful that we are able to continue conducting business at this time. Lifting up our staff, community, and business partners while navigating this closure is heavy on our minds. Thank you for your continued support!

???? Your City Star Crew

Rainbow of Taste article in THIRST

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City Star Brewing Rainbow of Taste by THIRST MagazineCity Star Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with Lucky Charms Flight

By Steve Graham

Your neighborhood pub might serve bright green beer on St. Patrick’s Day, but a Berthoud brewery is taking it up a notch and also serving purple, orange and red beers for the big day.

For the third year, City Star Brewing will lean into the leprechaun part of the Irish holiday and craft a colorful and “magically delicious” Lucky Charms beer flight. And unlike the pastel breakfast marshmallows (or the green Bud Light, for that matter), there are no artificial dyes or ingredients involved.

“Enjoy tasting the rainbow, sampling exotic brews of varying hues, and … rest assured that all ingredients are natural,” City Star co-owner Whitney Way said.

City Star opened in 2012, when home-brewing enthusiast John Way left his job at Oskar Blues to launch the first craft brewery in Berthoud with his wife, Whitney. The couple still owns and runs the brewery.

“We’ve just kind of stumbled through it,” Whitney said.

The brewery is in a rustic brick building that used to be the City Star livery stable, and the Ways draw on that history for the horseshoe logo and the “Western, historical vibe.”

City Star has five mainstay beers, including an IPA, a stout and a red ale, plus a range of seasonal specialties and barrel-aged offerings on tap. Everyone at the brewery has input on the lineup.

“Anytime our staff has ideas, we try to incorporate that as well,” Whitney said.

Staff members also suggested ingredients for the Lucky Charms flight.

The beers are a surprise each year, but Whitney expects to add butterfly peaflower to a golden lager, which naturally imbues a bright blue or purple hue. Whitney also purchased bee pollen for making a dry-hopped lager, and plans to revive a beet saison that was a taproom hit a few years ago.

Original article source: https://www.thirstcolorado.com/source/2020/3/4/rainbow-of-taste

City Star Joins the Craft Malt Revolution

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Root Shoot Malting and City Star Brewing partnershipCity Star Brewing, Berthoud’s small town brewery is one of the first Colorado breweries to join the Craft Maltsters Guild. The Guild is a grassroots movement in today’s malting industry dedicated to promoting and sustaining the burgeoning craft malt tradition across North America. Small-batch, independent maltsters are coming together, in a rising tide to bring heart, diversity, relocalization, and excitement to the marketplace.

Joining the Craft Maltsters guild was originally inspired by City Star’s partnership with local malthouse, Root Shoot Malting. The two local businesses were brought together in 2016, when City Star crafted Local Yokel, all-Colorado ingredient pale ale that led City Star brewers to work with the then newly established Root Shoot Malting. The fifth generation farmers had just kilned their first batch of barley in their state-of-the-art malting facility. The Olander family had been growing quality barley for decades, but craft malting was a new venture. Since that first collaboration brew City Star has moved to use Root Shoot’s Genie Pale Malt as the base malt for all ales in addition to brewing with various specialty malts.

Root Shoot Malting and City Star Brewing CollaborationCity Star is committed to craft and quality from grain to glass. This means an emphasis on quality ingredients and where they come from. The brewery is supporting local farmers and community plus using a quality product that incorporates the Northern Colorado terroir. City Star’s carbon footprint is lowered by using barley grown and malted right in its backyard.

Root Shoot is “Saving Farms One Beer at a Time” and City Star is proud to play its role. Frankly, brewing with craft malt is an easy business decision. City Star Brewing and the Root Shoot family have forged a strong friendship. Northern Colorado communities and the greater craft beer scene reap the benefits of this partnership. As one of Root Shoot’s first brewery partners, City Star is excited to support our local maltsters, the Craft Maltsters Guild, and the greater craft malt movement.
City Star Brewing Craft Malt Certified Brewer

Winter Solstice Party

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This December 21st, the darkest day of the year, we celebrate the Winter Solstice at City Star Brewing with the release of our darkest beer of the year. Widow Maker is a colossal Imperial Stout, to be released on draft and in bottles alongside coconut and coffee decaf variants. This nod to the Winter Solstice boasts a big, bold and complex flavor profile. Smooth, rich and ready to sip and savor. Not for the faint hearted.

Happenings of this evening include free live music, henna tattoos, night sky telescope viewing with the Little Thompson Observatory, flower crowns, photo booth by Phobia Entertainment, Cirque Kitchen food truck, tarot card readings with Mary D’Agostino, and there will be a limited amount of commemorative glassware available.

The Solstice is a celebration of the return of the Light. It is indeed the twenty four hour period when the day-time or light is shortest and the night is longest, but the very next day is when the daytime starts to become longer! This brings hope and light for better things to come, along with our dreams, and hopes for love and all good things “coming to light”. Bringing out, love, inspiration and joy are always the basis of my readings, with positive insights, blessings and wisdom thrown in for good measure.

We look forward to hosting this second annual event and celebrating the return of the light with good friends, great beer and fun activities. Festivities begin at 6pm with free entry in our downtown Berthoud taproom.

Step Back into the Fabulous 50’s this Flap Jack Day

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Flap Jack DayFree flap jacks, classic cars, breakfast beers, rockabilly, contests and small town love… 

In 1948 the Town of Berthoud created “Flap Jack Day” to be celebrated on Labor Day to bring neighbors together and visitors from afar to enjoy one of the simple pleasures in life…  flap jacks. The annual festivities that brought upwards of 3,000 people to the town was canceled in 1959. City Star Brewing brought this annual tradition back to life in 2015: giving away 1,000 flapjacks, raising $1,000 for the Berthoud Historical Society, and crowning the first Flap Jack Queen in 50 years – Caitlin Ascher.

City Star’s 5th Annual Flap Jack Day will be held on Labor Day, Monday, September 2nd from 11am-5pm. The event features FREE flap jacks, vintage car show, rockabilly music by the HIllbilly Hellcats, 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: Honeydew Pils, Banana Nut Bread Hef, Maple Brown, Froot Loop IPA, and Dirty Chai Stout. At 2pm there will be a contest for 50’s fashion, and at 3pm ladies will compete in the annual Flap Jack Queen Contest. The first lady to finish 5 flap jacks wins a tiara and prizes from local businesses. Local Lynsey Morgan has won the crown the past three years, posting her fastest time yet of 32 seconds in 2018. All donations and $2 per beer flight 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.

Meet City Star Brewing in Voyage Denver

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An Interview with Voyage Denver:

Whitney, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
City Star Brewing first opened its doors May 4th, 2012 after a year of construction and rehabilitation of the 100-year-old downtown Berthoud building. The taproom and brewery’s namesake is the City Star Barn livery stable, operated at the same location in the early 1900s.

Proprietors John and Whitney Way opened City Star, motivated by their passion for craft beer, community and creating meaningful experiences. Head brewer John Way was an avid home brewer with one year of packaging experience at Oskar Blues. He built the brewhouse, featuring a 3.5 barrel (100 gallons) direct fire brew system and two 7 barrel (200 gallons) fermentation tanks. The brewhouse has since grown to include 80 barrels worth of fermentation tanks, the addition of a whirlpool vessel, comprehensive glycol chilling system, installation of a second cold room, and an oak barrel aging program.

City Star Brewing was awarded Gold and Bronze medals at the world renown, Great American Beer Festival in 2013 and a Bronze medal in 2015. An extensive taproom expansion was completed in 2017, opening an outdoor beer garden and barrel house that doubles as an event space.

Constant improvement on the experience front has likely allowed City Star Brewing to expand and further provide their loyal consumer base everything they love and desire. Growth is the obvious direction in which a business, whether it’s a brewhouse or a corporate service company, aims to move towards. Gathering the right information from customers via a meaningful questionnaire or two on a regular basis, and more importantly, acting on it, can help foster better business relationships, in turn benefiting the business and enabling it to grow.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Opening and operating City Star has been a more than a worthwhile journey. The adventure has not been without its ups and downs and continual navigation of the tumultuous craft beer scene. Day to day struggles include (though are not limited to) frozen water pipes, refrigeration malfunctioning (over and over again), maintaining relationships with vendors, food trucks, musicians, staff, town, neighbors, customers, etc. Navigating actively running City Star as a married couple (especially during construction) has been a struggle at times. From every struggle we learn and grow making the business stronger as well as ourselves personally.

City Star Brewing – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
City Star is a taproom centric brewery with a focus on community and producing quality craft beer. Our taps line-up features 5 mainstay approachable beers and 5 rotating specialty beers. There is always a beer for everyone on tap, including our 3 Great American Beer Festival medal winning beers. With our relatively small brew system, we are afforded flexibility in regularly releasing new specialty and experimental beers.

John and Whitney are both very hands-on in the business, creating an inspired culture for staff and great experiences for guests. We are proud of all the details in our space that we crafted with love (and blood, sweat, and tears!)… from the oak barrel chandelier to the re-purposed wood tables, and hops in the beer garden.

As a keystone business in our small town City Star has helped revitalize the downtown business district. We regularly donate beer, merchandise, funds, and time to support local causes. City Star Brewing hosts the annual Hops and Harley festival in Berthoud, attracting 3,000+ festival goers to a fantastic community event that supports local non-profit Harley’s Dream. In 2019 the event raised $38,000 to support the organization’s mission to end puppy mills.

City Star also has a strong connection with the Berthoud Historical Society, sponsoring their events as well as raising funds for them at City Star’s Annual Flap Jack Day. In 2015, we brought back this Berthoud Labor Day tradition from the 50s. Now it’s an annual throwback event featuring vintage cars, Flap Jack Queen contest, 50’s dress, breakfast beer flights, and 1500+ free flapjacks.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success for us is happiness… for us, our family, staff, and customers. Markers range from online reviews to nice notes left behind, from staff interest in our business to simple laughter.

We’re doing this interview on our way from a two-week road trip. While gone our staff went above and beyond to take care of the brewery and taproom. Regular customers sent photos and ideas (and mowed our lawn!). This is a success. ?

Original article: http://voyagedenver.com/interview/meet-whitney-way-city-star-brewing-north-denver-berthoud-colorado/

City Star Brewing Hosts 7th Annual Hops and Harley

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Celebrating dogs and craft beer, Hops and Harley festival expects to draw thousands of guests to Berthoud, Colorado from around the country.

City Star Brewing will host the 7th Annual Hops & Harley Festival on June 15th at Fickel Park in downtown Berthoud, Colorado from 11am until 6pm. The free community event features live music by Joe Kuckla and Irons in the Fire and By The Lee, City Star Brewing on tap, Spirit Hound Distillers cocktails, Shoes and Brews 5K Dog Jog, Hogs for Hops and Harley motorcycle ride to the event, food trucks, vendors and kids activities to raise puppy mill awareness. This year’s Woof and Wags Village will feature a dog agility course open to the public by Trust Your Dog Training, dog obedience class demo and mini training sessions with Double K Canine Training, Fluff and Buff Bar courtesy Dog Bath and Beyond. Visit Fun and Games Village to find yard games, photo booth, balloon twisting, interactive activities with Wildfire Community Arts and Berthoud Local, face painting, rocks painting, and a 2pm House of Joy Kids Show. Top sponsors for 2019 Hops and Harley are NomNomNow, Mile High Harley-Davidson, and Lamar Advertising. In 2018 Hops & Harley attracted well over 3,000 people from across the US and raised more than $25,000 .

100% of the proceeds from Hops & Harley will benefit Colorado-based nonprofit organization, Harley’s Dream, which was established in 2016 to create awareness and educate the public about the commercial dog breeding industry, also known as puppy mills. This event was created in honor of Harley, a tiny Chihuahua who was known as the “Little Dog with a Big Dream”. Harley’s life was truly a rags to riches story. After spending 10 years in a small cage he was freed and found a loving home where he began his triumphant journey. Harley’s efforts as a ‘spokesdog’ against puppy mills earned him the top honor as American Humane’s “Hero Dog of the Year”. Harley had been on The Today Show, HuffpostLIVE, Hallmark Channel’s Home and Family Show and numerous news segments. He also had the opportunity to testify during a congressional caucus on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Sadly, Harley passed away on March 20, 2016, but his legacy lives on … he inspired so many people to do great things, and he continues to be the voice for the hundreds of thousands of dogs suffering in puppy mills today.

Learn more about Hops and Harley at www.hopsandharley.com
Learn more about Harley’s Dream at www.harleysdream.org

City Star is 7!

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City Star Brewing opened its doors in small town Berthoud, Colorado 7 years ago. Berthoud was thirsty, drank City Star near dry, and the new craft brewery had to close the following weekend to catch up. Fast forward to 2019 City Star has expanded its brewhouse cellar and more than doubled the taproom seating capacity with a beautiful taproom addition, barrel house and outdoor beer garden. A few Great American Beer Festival medals, a cease-and-desist letter (from a winery), and 100+ beers later City Star has become a destination for locals and craft beer lovers alike.

Saturday, May 4th City Star Brewing officially celebrates 7 years of beers with two new beers, live music all day, two food trucks, reopening of the deputy mug club program, $10 commemorative t-shirts, free beers …and the annual cupcake toast.

Taproom doors open at noon with the release of Granatum sour pomegranate barrel aged kölsch in bottles and on tap. The beerslingers collaborated to formulate and brew their own beer just for the occasion. The result is Salud, a watermelon tajín wheat featuring lime zest, sea salt and habaneros ???.

5/4 HOOTENANNY SCHEDULE
12pm Beer Releases: Granatum and Salud
12pm Deputy Mug Club Opens, Commemorative T-Shirts On Sale ($10/ea)
12pm Food Trucks: Ohana Eatery and Nacho Mama’s Tacos
2pm Music: The Seers
6pm Cupcake Toast (by Rise Artisan Bread)
7pm Music: Wood Belly, 2018 Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest Winners!

During the Hootenanny the first 50 guests who check-in or share a selfie on Facebook or Instagram with hashtag #CityStarIs7 and show a beertender will receive a FREE BEER! ??