Westbound & Down Brewing
Audio By Carbonatix
On December 1, Westbound & Down Brewing, which was founded in Idaho Springs in 2015, announced that it has acquired Aspen Brewing and Capitol Creek Brewing from High Country Brewing LLC.
The deal includes Aspen Brewing’s 7,000-barrel-capacity production facility. It also includes two brewpubs: the Aspen Tap location in downtown Aspen, and the Capitol Creek brewpub in Basalt.
The news brings some internal changes, with current Westbound & Down chef Casey Taylor now overseeing the culinary program at both new brewpubs, in addition to his current duties overseeing the Idaho Springs and Lafayette locations.
Westbound & Down is now operating additional brewpubs as part of the deal.
Courtesy of Westbound & Down
Today is the last day of our summer campaign, and we’re just $450 | away from our goal!
We’re ready to deliver—but we need the resources to do it right. If Phoenix New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today to help us expand our current events coverage when it’s needed most.
Westbound & Down has also hired Matt Husted, the former director of hospitality and a partner at Id Est Hospitality, the group behind Michelin-starred Brutø and the Wolf’s Tailor, to run all four brewpubs. In 2022, Westbound & Down opened a mini-taproom at the Dairy Block in Denver, in a space that Brutø had previously used to run an à la carte taco pop-up during the pandemic shutdowns.
This year, Westbound & Down has continued to cement its place as one of the top breweries in the state, winning a gold medal at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival for its Westbound Select IPA, as well as a silver for its Spirit of the West IPA and a bronze for its Coloradan lager.
In a year when people are quick to discuss the breweries that are struggling, Westbound & Down is a clear bright spot.