For Andrew Kaczmarek, the most heart-wrenching parts about shutting down his Denver brewery are the memories of all the “great people and so many great friends coming through.”
But Kaczmarek and business partner Nato Francescato — who have been friends since they attended Wheat Ridge High School — will close 14er Brewing on Saturday. The brewery and its large beer garden are located at 3120 Blake St. in the River North Art District.
“It’s a double-edged sword for sure. Lots of emotions going on right now, so it’s hard to pin down everything. Definitely a bittersweet situation for sure,” Kaczmarek said.
“For us, it’s a combination of a lot of different factors,” he continued. The brewery’s lease expires this month, and the number of people coming through the doors doesn’t justify trying to renew, especially as rents in RiNo continue to rise. “It’s a large space and very expensive. Property tax, rent, and labor costs have made it a challenge to operate.”
Before the pandemic, 14er got a lot of early afternoon business walk-in traffic, but that business hasn’t come back, Kaczmarek explained. “It’s really sad because we have done so much work to this building and really established the space as an awesome outdoor spot.”
14er got its start in 2016 as a brewery without a taproom. Kaczmarek and Francescato were making three beers — from recipes they’d developed together as homebrewers — at Crazy Mountain Brewery, which had a side business brewing beer for other companies. One of those beers, a saison made with chiles, immediately won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival, something that thrilled the pair and encouraged them to keep going.
They eventually found a part-time taproom at 2801 Walnut St., but then moved to their current spot in 2018, taking over the space from Beryl’s Beer Company, which had gone out of business.
There, Kaczmarek and Francescato installed their own brewing system with the capacity to produce and can 7,000 barrels of beer per year. Some of their most well-known brews include Mt. Massive IPA, Key Lime Cream Ale, Longs Lager and Denver Michelada.
But small breweries have faced tougher times over the past four years. In RiNo, several have closed, including Mockery Brewing, Epic Brewing and 10 Barrel Brewing.
14er’s last day is Saturday, Nov. 23, and it will go out with a party featuring live music, food from Moya’s Tacos and lots of stories.
“It’s been a wild ride and we look back at it as a great adventure,” Kaczmarek said. “We think we did a great thing in the craft beer space.”
Originally Published:
