Brewing beer at home is one thing. Opening a craft brewery and making it sustainable, however, is something entirely different. Sure you may be a super talented home brewer but to open a craft brewery you need to be way more than that. Keeping the books, managing the staff, dealing with supply and demand are just a few tasks that many who dream of taking that next step don't even think of. That's why roughly 50% of the craft breweries that open don't even make it to their fifth year.
Those are not great odds given the amount of breweries that are popping up all over America.
However, in the case of Colorado's Outer Range Brewing Company they have bucked the trend and this month celebrates five years of brewing and serving beer to mountain adventurers and the craft beer community. To honor the milestone, Outer Range Brewing is throwing an Après All Day-themed party held on Saturday, January 29th at their homebase in Frisco.
It Wasn't Always Smooth Sailing for Outer Range Brewing
*Photo Credit: Outer Range Brewing Company
Outer Range Brewing may have survived that tough to attain five year milestone, however it was not all smooth sailing. Emily and Lee first met at a home-brewing party in Colorado Springs were they were both serving in the Army.
Having spent his formative years refining his palate in the beer rich country of Belgium, Lee was wise beyond his years. However, in the IPA dominant world we call the United States, he knew he'd have to learn how to brew his own beer if he wanted to taste those Belgian styles more regularly.
Fast forward several years, and Lee and Emily married, had a daughter, and after Lee’s third deployment overseas, decided to go back to school to pursue their dream of opening a brewery in the place they loved most – the Colorado Rockies.
“The first few years we were flat broke, personally and professionally,” recalled Lee. “We kept spending money on the best ingredients we could with the faith that people would be able to taste that difference, and the hope that our dedication to quality would create long term value. That dedication also allowed us to attract a great team that really cares about quality. We are here today because the local craft beer community values those things, and supported us along the way.”
Achieving that five year milestone can be tough even for widely renowned brewery like ORB. Now Outer Range Brewing beer is highly regarded as some of the best in the industry and it's time to celebrate.
Après All Day Party to Include Rail Jam, Special Beer Release and More
*Photo Credit: Outer Range Brewing Company
Given Outer Range Brewing's close proximity to Copper Mountain, they are, not only brewing great beer, but are an après ski hot spot too. Therefore is should come as no surprise that a birthday bash of this magnitude is asking patrons to après all day.
“Everything about this party is a reflection of what we envisioned for Outer Range when we developed our business plan what seems like a million years ago,” said ORB Co-Founder, Emily Clegorn. “We wanted to craft quality beer and create a real sense of community for people who feel most fulfilled when they’re in the mountains. It’s really about focusing on the things that matter most to us – enjoying good times with friends and family.”
The day kicks off nice and early at 11 am. You can't après all day if you don't start in the morning.
At that time, the shopping center parking lot where they are located will be transformed and set up with a rail jam. Grab a specialty release Outer Range Brewing beer from one of their 15 new beers, post up and enjoy the show.
There will also be Outer Range Brewing food and beverage pop-ups, a bougie après lounge, and activations from Weston and Picture. The ORB crew encourages those attending to get dressed up in their fanciest après ski threads for the party – a light-hearted nod to the party-go-lucky spirit of ski/snowboard culture of the region.
Outer Range Brewing Thanks Their Community
“The last five years have been some of the most enriching of our lives,” explained Emily. “We’ve been so incredibly supported by everyone who makes up the Outer Range community, so we really wanted to go all out with a party as big as the impact this chapter has made in our lives. We have some exciting news for what the next five years holds too, so I couldn't think of a more appropriate time or place to announce what’s next. Let’s party.”
Just like Outer Range Brewing creates community over craft beer so too does our après ski inspired clothing. Designed with the notion of bringing people together, our ski clothing offers a creative take on your post pow adventures.
Looking for some new threads to wear to the party?
Our If You Don't Après Ski Hoodie is for you. Designed with the idea that no ski day is complete without après ski, it is the perfect piece of ski clothing for such a party. On top of that, it's soft, warm, comfortable and fits just right so as not to hinder your beer drinking that day.
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