Denver brewery known for pre-Columbian beers to close this summer

A Denver brewery is planning to close later this summer after what the owner calls a “tough five years” brewing and serving beer in the Mile High City.

Judd Belstock, owner and founder of Dos Luces Brewery, announced the closure via social media Monday, and while he doesn’t have a firm closing date, he plans to celebrate the business’ fifth anniversary on July 29 before closing up shop.

Belstock’s decision comes several months after a car crashed into Dos Luces’ storefront at 1236 S. Broadway in Denver.

“The car crashing into the brewery was one of those ‘aha’ moments,” Belstock told The Denver Post. “Like, do I really want to spend my life dealing with insurance companies and cleaning up dust? The day-to-day of running a taproom was wearing on me particularly.”

Opened in 2018, Dos Luces Brewery quickly garnered attention for its unique offerings, including Mexican and South American alcoholic beverages like chicha, tepache and pulque — all of which date back to pre-Columbian times.

Belstock’s original goal was to build a taproom that funded the production and distribution of his beers. However, “at this point everything else is funding the taproom,” he said.

Despite the taproom’s closure, Belstock hopes to find a partner to help him brew and distribute Dos Luces’ non-alcoholic offerings, such as chicha morada, a Peruvian specialty made from purple corn. He’s been selling it on Amazon for more than a year with some success.

“It could do a lot better if I was able to produce it on a larger scale and get better distribution,” Belstock said. “The price point is a little tricky when you’re running a little taproom with a bottling line that’s much better than what we used to have when I was hand bottling, but it’s still pretty small-scale stuff.”

According to trade group the Brewers Association, Dos Luces Brewery produced 85 barrels of beer total in 2021.