Boulder County Beer: A Refreshing History

by Michael J. Casey

In 1979, two University of Colorado professors decided to open Boulder Brewing Company--the forty-third brewery in the nation and the first in the state since Prohibition. Over the next four decades, young entrepreneurs from across the country flocked to the picturesque region to follow their bliss and brew beer. The county's brewing heritage is brimming with stories of how a band of ragtag ruffians helped launch a nationwide revolution. The likes of Oskar Blues, Avery Brewing Company and Left Hand Brewing Company laid the fertile ground for torchbearers such as Upslope, Bootstrap Brewing and many others. Packed with firsthand accounts from adventurous brewers, Michael J. Casey recounts the tale of those who turned Boulder County into ground zero for craft beer in the Centennial State.

160 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2021

Reviews

[Michael J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be biased, but this is a tremendous work.

[James Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a longtime craft beer enthusiast who has resided in Boulder for two decades, I'm squarely in the target demographic for this book, but I can't deny it was well-written and proved to be among the most entertaining and digestible of my non-fiction reads. I loved learning about the interconnections amongst the brewing community that helped so many of my beloved local breweries get off the ground and thrive. This is *not* your typical "go to X brewery and try their flagship Y beer" brewery guidebook.

While it was a bit short, I think it was pretty exhaustive and reminded me of some breweries I'd totally forgotten about (Republic of Boulder? Ha! That place sucked. :P ). And for the first time ever, I actually read all the footnotes start-to-finish.. they contained some fun hidden factoids and anecdotes without just reiterating raw research and data.

A must for any fan of craft beer in Colorado!

[Paul Vero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this history lesson in Boulder county beer. I couldn't put it down. I moved to Colorado in 1988 and was introduced to Boulder Pale Ale and was amazed beer could taste so wonderful and delicious. I have visited nearly all the mentioned breweries and being a long time resident of East Boulder county, Colorado I am excited to witness and partake in the explosion of breweries in East Boulder county. I loved all the stories of all the folks involved in the industry; why they moved to Colorado, how and why they started their brewery (I think all tasted a craft beer and this hooked them), and the struggles, success and some eventual endings to their amazing journeys! Excellent research and the sequencing is perfect! I felt like a huge part of the early 90's movement and the stories of those breweries (Walnut, Oasis, Boulder Beer etc) brought back so many wonderful memories. Well done and an exceptional read!

[Jeanne Paradeis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining read!