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The Centennial State is home to more than 200 craft breweries, but somehow, we don’t complain when another one is added to the mix. Take, for example, the newest addition to Denver’s suds scene, Zuni Street Brewing Company, which held its grand opening today.
Zuni Street is the brainchild of two Colorado natives, Willy Truettner and TJ Slattery, who met as school lab partners when they were 12. Since then, Truettner attended the Siebel Institute of Technology’s World Brewing Academy in Chicago and Munich, and worked at New Belgium Brewing Company, while Slattery pursued a business degree. Catching up over beers in 2014, the pair realized that they had complementary abilities for a balanced business partnership, and the brewery idea was born.
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Denverites will feel right at home in the 3,500 square-foot-space, located on 29th Avenue and Zuni Street. The forest-esque decor included a hand-crafted wooden bar and a tree theme that runs throughout (think: a coat rack constructed out of branches). The brewery was formerly a solar-paneled auto mechanic shop, and it‘s equipped with eight garage doors that open to two separate patios on either side of the brewery; yard games such as corn hole and giant Jenga are, of course, available. “We’ve tried to create an outdoor feel that represents the Rocky Mountains and Colorado in an urban setting,” Slattery said. “We hope our customer base is people who share a similar love and appreciation of the outdoors.”
Truettner’s approach to brewing is also innately attuned to the Colorado lifestyle. His Sit’N Rock ale, an American pale, is brewed with wheat and offers a lively balance of hop and malt, making it the perfect companion for outdoor adventures. “It’s a beer I could sit and drink all day,” Truettner said. Zuni Street has seven beers available right now—Sit’N Rock ale, Zuni Street IPA, Portly Porter, Eva’s Golden Ale, Midnight What?!, Way West Wit—and Truettner will add three more brews to the lineup in the near future.
The brewery will also host food trucks adjacent to the south patio. For tonight’s grand opening, Chibby Whibbitz will be on deck serving gourmet sliders, tacos, and sweet potato home fries.
Zuni Street Brewing Company will be open Monday through Thursday from 2 to 10 p.m., Friday from 2 to 11 p.m., Saturday from noon to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.
3255 W. 29th Avenue, 303-515-0942