Station 26 opened at an old Park Hill Fire Station in 2013. (Courtesy Wilding Brands)
Wilding Brands is wild for acquisitions.
The parent company of Denver Beer Co. and Stem Ciders, which recently acquired Great Divide Brewing, has now added Station 26 Brewing Co. to its quiver.
“We’ve known (previous owner) Justin (Baccary) a long time. We’ve collaborated and communicated a lot over the years,” Charlie Berger, the Denver Beer Co. founder who is Wilding’s chief development officer, said last week. “So as Wilding Brands was coming together, Station 26 was a really natural fit for us.”
The deal includes Station 26’s taproom at 7045 E. 38th Ave. in Northeast Park Hill, which Baccary opened in 2013 in a converted firehouse and made known for drinks like Juicy Banger IPA. Wilding also will take over Station 26’s brewing operations and move them to the company’s 35,000-square-foot facility in Sunnyside.
“I think consumers might read the news as consolidation,” Berger said, noting that the bulk of the differences are behind the scenes. “But, in our minds, it’s the opportunity to put something really cool together for taproomgoers and craft beer drinkers.”
Berger estimates that Station 26 will produce 12,000 barrels of beer this year, up from 2,600 in 2023, according to the Brewers Association. The increase is due to more wholesale opening up through Wilding’s other connections.
From left: Wilding CEO Eric Foster, Chief Development Officer Charlie Berger and CFO Brad Lincoln. (Courtesy Wilding Brands)
That’s on top of the 40,000 barrels Wilding already expected to produce this year across its other brands. Berger gave BusinessDen that figure in April when Wilding acquired Great Divide.
“We also have a handful of taproom breweries at this point, and we’re going to figure out what each facility offers that’s slightly different than the other,” he said, explaining that the smaller setups will deal with experimental or small-batch beverages. “Whether it’s the best possible quality flavor or variety, each system is slightly different.”
Berger, who did not disclose a price for the Station 26 acquisition, said Baccary will stay on to manage that brand as well as other aspects of Wilding’s business.
Berger also expects many of the employees in Park Hill to be retained.
Cervecería Colorado’s taproom is ‘cerrado’
Berger also said Wilding has closed the Cervecería Colorado taproom at 1635 Platte St., which sat adjacent to Denver Beer Co.’s inaugural location in LoHi. The Mexican lager brand was an offshoot of DBC that started about six years ago.
“We never envisioned that as one concept but always as kind of an incubator for fun things,” Berger said of the space, which held private events before.
The outside of Cervecería Colorado’s taproom at 1635 Platte St., right next to Denver Beer Co. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Berger said that a new concept is coming and that Wilding will still make Cervecería beer to sell on draft and in six-packs.
The Wilding exec also said his group has chosen a location for a Great Divide taproom in Denver that will likely open by the end of the year. He said it was important for the brand to have a presence in the Mile High after Brian Dunn, who founded the brewery in 1994, announced the upcoming closure of its Ballpark and RiNo spots.
Though other additions may be on the horizon, Berger said he’s happy with where Wilding, formed at the beginning of this year, is at.
“We still think there’s some room, but right now I really want to focus on how awesome Station 26 is. We’re investing behind the brands that are here right now,” he said. “But my phone rings as news gets out, so I’ll listen, for sure.”
Station 26 opened at an old Park Hill Fire Station in 2013. (Courtesy Wilding Brands)
Wilding Brands is wild for acquisitions.
The parent company of Denver Beer Co. and Stem Ciders, which recently acquired Great Divide Brewing, has now added Station 26 Brewing Co. to its quiver.
“We’ve known (previous owner) Justin (Baccary) a long time. We’ve collaborated and communicated a lot over the years,” Charlie Berger, the Denver Beer Co. founder who is Wilding’s chief development officer, said last week. “So as Wilding Brands was coming together, Station 26 was a really natural fit for us.”
The deal includes Station 26’s taproom at 7045 E. 38th Ave. in Northeast Park Hill, which Baccary opened in 2013 in a converted firehouse and made known for drinks like Juicy Banger IPA. Wilding also will take over Station 26’s brewing operations and move them to the company’s 35,000-square-foot facility in Sunnyside.
“I think consumers might read the news as consolidation,” Berger said, noting that the bulk of the differences are behind the scenes. “But, in our minds, it’s the opportunity to put something really cool together for taproomgoers and craft beer drinkers.”
Berger estimates that Station 26 will produce 12,000 barrels of beer this year, up from 2,600 in 2023, according to the Brewers Association. The increase is due to more wholesale opening up through Wilding’s other connections.
From left: Wilding CEO Eric Foster, Chief Development Officer Charlie Berger and CFO Brad Lincoln. (Courtesy Wilding Brands)
That’s on top of the 40,000 barrels Wilding already expected to produce this year across its other brands. Berger gave BusinessDen that figure in April when Wilding acquired Great Divide.
“We also have a handful of taproom breweries at this point, and we’re going to figure out what each facility offers that’s slightly different than the other,” he said, explaining that the smaller setups will deal with experimental or small-batch beverages. “Whether it’s the best possible quality flavor or variety, each system is slightly different.”
Berger, who did not disclose a price for the Station 26 acquisition, said Baccary will stay on to manage that brand as well as other aspects of Wilding’s business.
Berger also expects many of the employees in Park Hill to be retained.
Cervecería Colorado’s taproom is ‘cerrado’
Berger also said Wilding has closed the Cervecería Colorado taproom at 1635 Platte St., which sat adjacent to Denver Beer Co.’s inaugural location in LoHi. The Mexican lager brand was an offshoot of DBC that started about six years ago.
“We never envisioned that as one concept but always as kind of an incubator for fun things,” Berger said of the space, which held private events before.
The outside of Cervecería Colorado’s taproom at 1635 Platte St., right next to Denver Beer Co. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Berger said that a new concept is coming and that Wilding will still make Cervecería beer to sell on draft and in six-packs.
The Wilding exec also said his group has chosen a location for a Great Divide taproom in Denver that will likely open by the end of the year. He said it was important for the brand to have a presence in the Mile High after Brian Dunn, who founded the brewery in 1994, announced the upcoming closure of its Ballpark and RiNo spots.
Though other additions may be on the horizon, Berger said he’s happy with where Wilding, formed at the beginning of this year, is at.
“We still think there’s some room, but right now I really want to focus on how awesome Station 26 is. We’re investing behind the brands that are here right now,” he said. “But my phone rings as news gets out, so I’ll listen, for sure.”
