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/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / DECEMBER 2015
Breckenridge Brewery
The 12-acre campus consists of three buildings and provides the much-needed space for Colorado’s fifth largest brewer.
The 2,000-sf cellar houses cold storage and whiskey-
soaked oak barrels.
The complex brewing equipment is on display to the public
during tours.
C
olorado is already known for its microbreweries, but this
summer, Breckenridge Brewery introduced its des-
tination brewery. The $35 million new campus that
sits along the South Platte River already is attracting lo-
cals and out-of-towners alike. Breckenridge experienced a
lot of growth in the last few years, with demand exceeding
supply. The 12-acre campus consists of three buildings and
provides the much-needed space for Colorado’s fifth largest
brewer:
Brew House.
A 21,000-square-foot building where the beer
is brewed. The building also houses the brewery’s corporate
and operations offices.
Production Building.
A 50,000-square-foot building home to
the fermentation tanks, packaging, bottling, canning, and
dry and cold storage.
The Farm House Restaurant.
A 9,200-square-foot, 300-seat
restaurant that captures the farm theme of the site with
its timber frame and array of reclaimed materials. Also in-
cludes a beer garden, complete with bocce ball courts and
events stage for outdoor concerts.
The project, designed by Coburn Partners and built by
Hyder Construction, also includes highly detailed coordi-
nation for the design, fabrication, and installation of the
brewery and packaging systems supplied by Breckenridge
Brewery. The RMH Group served as mechanical and electri-
cal engineer. The high-end brewing equipment was about a
third of the construction budget and not easily replaceable.
It had to be installed with extreme care. To impact the brew
vessels as minimally as possible, they were installed after
the structural steel and consequently dropped in through
the open roof with a crane, much like threading a nee-
dle. The team worked together to schedule the deliveries
of each vessel, to constantly monitor the installation crew
to ensure the vessels were installed properly, and to train
crews working after installation to keep the tanks in pris-
tine condition. Thanks to their careful efforts, the brewing
equipment was installed correctly and undamaged.
The brewery is currently on track to produce 90,000
barrels of beer a year with intended production to reach
300,000 barrels a year within three to five years.
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Photos courtesy James Ray Spahn
