HOW THE WEST WAS BREWED

In 1873, a 26-year-old German immigrant named Adolph Coors had $2,000 to his name and a plan.

He'd already worked the brewery circuit in Chicago. He'd already bounced around Colorado long enough to know the mining towns were thirsty. And when he finally walked the banks of Clear Creek in Golden — a small, scrappy town at the foot of the mountains — he found what he was looking for: water. Cold, clean, and perfect for brewing.

He found an old abandoned tannery. He found a partner — Jacob Schueler, a candy store owner and fellow German, who threw in $18,000 to Coors' $2,000. And then they got to work.

That partnership between a candy man and a brewer, in a repurposed tannery, on the edge of a mining boomtown — that's how the largest single-site brewery in the world got started.

The Water Was the Point

People talk about Coors like it's just marketing when they say "Rocky Mountain water." But the whole operation was literally built around Clear Creek. That was the reason Golden, and not Denver, was where Coors planted his flag. The creek ran fast and cold off the foothills, and it stayed that way. To this day, the brewery still draws from it.

The beer that came out of that first Golden brewery had a reputation for being crisp and consistent — qualities that were hard to come by when most frontier-era beer was cloudy and unpredictable. Schueler and Coors ran it together until 1880, when Coors bought out his partner and renamed the whole operation. He never looked back.

Survive and Adapt

Colorado went dry in 1916 — four years before the rest of the country. Coors had seen it coming. As early as 1910, Adolph started investing in a local pottery plant, which became the Coors Porcelain Company. When Prohibition hit, it was already up and running — churning out everything from dinnerware to scientific ceramics. You might know it today as CoorsTek, still based in Golden and currently redeveloping their old ceramics site into what will become the Clayworks mixed-use project.

The brewery itself pivoted too. The malting equipment got retooled to make malted milk powder, marketed as "the best food for infants next to mother's milk." When Prohibition ended in 1933, Coors was one of only a handful of breweries still standing.

The Mystique Years

For decades after, Coors was only available west of the Mississippi. They didn't pasteurize their beer like everyone else, which made long-distance shipping difficult — but it also meant the beer tasted fresher. That limitation became a legend. If you were east of the Rockies and you wanted a Coors, you had to know somebody. Returning visitors from the West would bring cases back like contraband. By the 1970s, Coors had become the cool beer you couldn't get. Nationwide distribution didn't happen until 1986. By then, the mystique had done most of the marketing.

Still Here

Today, the brewery produces about 1.5 million gallons of beer per day. The brand has been merged and acquired and restructured more times than anyone wants to count.

But Coors Banquet — the original — is still only brewed in one place. Same town. Same creek.

THE BRIEFING

SUNRISE 6:40 AM
SUNSET 5:48 PM

SNOW FORECAST: Another good storm comin’

PROPERTY: Windows, windows, and more windows

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TUESDAY

Colorado Tap House, Arvada- Nomadic Fire Mobile Sauna, 5-9pm. Hot

Green Mountain Brewery, Lakewood- Weekly Run Club, 6pm. Run, then beers

Colorado Mountain Club, Golden- Best Day Ever Film Screening, 7-9pm. Check it out

WEDNESDAY

Beck Venture Center, Golden- Startup Forum: Venture Capital convo w/ Seth Levine, 3:30pm. Grab your spot

Miners Saloon, Golden- Live music Wednesdays, 6-9pm.

THURSDAY

Evergreen Nature Center, Evergreen- Preschool Adventures, 9-10am. Exploration

Buffalo Rose, Golden- Golden Startup Happy Hour, 4pm. Come hang

The Golden Mill, Golden- Apres Thursday, 5-8pm. Lift Ticket Giveaways

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Music by the Mesa: Fed on Peaches, 6-9pm. Honest Bluegrass

Runner’s Roost, Golden- Weekly Run Club, meet at 6pm

BP Run Co, Wheat Ridge- Weekly run club, starting at 6pm. Lace ‘em up

Center for the Arts, Evergreen- Film Series: Keeper of the Mountains, 6-8pm. Good stuff

Cactus Jack’s Saloon, Evergreen- Thank you Thursday. Locals get 10% off all day while the kitchen is open, and a great warm up for Open Mic Night 👇️ 

Cactus Jack’s Saloon, Evergreen- Almost Famous Open Mic Night, starting at 7pm

FRIDAY

The Golden Mill, Golden- Exclusive Pliny the Younger Limited Release Tapping. Triple IPA Beer

Cheese Ranch Artisan Deli, Golden- Fondue Friday, 5pm. Yummy

Mount Vernon Canyon Club, Golden- Jazz Age Jubilee Benefit Gala, 5:30pm. Dress up

The Woodcellar, Evergreen- Grey Rails in concert, 8pm. Fun Jams

SATURDAY

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Saturday Morning Yoga, 10-11am. Chill

Holidaily Brewing, Golden- 10 Year Anniversary Party, 11am-10pm. Celebrate

Olde Town, Arvada- Arvada Winterfest, 11am-4pm. Family Friendly

Impact Chiropractic, Golden- Wine, Women, & Wellness, 4-6pm. Reserve a spot

Rise Yoga & Wellness, Golden- Kids Night out, 5pm. Burn some energy

Little Bear Saloon, Evergreen- Super Premium Ultra Deluxe funk band, 7:30pm. High energy

SUNDAY

Mountain Toad Brewing, Golden- Board Game Night, 5pm-close. Have fun

Evergreen Lake- Evergreen Lake Plunge, 10am-12pm. More details

Mountainside Bakery, Evergreen- Paint & Sip, 10am-12pm. Adults only

MONDAY

Golden Game Guild, Golden- Teach Me to Play Mondays, 6-9pm. Learn new games

New Terrain Brewing Co, Golden- Yoga on Tap 🧘 Yoga from 6-7pm, beers anytime. Get your ticket

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Speed Puzzling, 6:30-8:30pm. Big Brains 

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