Breweries taking notice of Evergreen. El Rancho|Lariat Lodge|Revival Brews

Breweries taking notice of Evergreen
El Rancho will join Lariat Lodge and Revival Brews when it opens in the fall
By Josie Klemaier, YourHub Reporter
Posted: 06/19/2015

EVERGREEN — When the historic El Rancho restaurant reopens this fall as a brewpub , it won't be the first to serve beer brewed in Evergreen.

Lariat Lodge Brewing Co., which gets it name from the Lariat Loop National Scenic Byway that goes through Evergreen , has been in the works as a brewpub with a full beer and comfort food menu at 27618 Fireweed Drive for more than a year and is anticipating an opening in mid-September.

"The demand is definitely there," said Eric Rode, who brewed beer for Idaho Springs' Tommyknocker Brewery before taking the job with Lariat Lodge closer to home. "I've lived in the area for 14 years anytime I go to a beer fest I get into a conversation about where I live and why there aren't breweries here."

Historic El Rancho in Evergreen opening this fall as a brewpub
The iconic building that used to be a restaurant will reopen with a 10-barrel brewing system
By Josie Klemaier, YourHub Reporter
Posted: 06/17/2015

EVERGREEN — A mainstay of Evergreen's past is returning in the form of El Rancho Brewing Company, a brewpub anticipating a fall 2015 opening.

El Rancho was built as a restaurant in 1947 on U.S. 40, what was then the main highway to the mountains. It became a popular stop with a gift shop, post office, and later a lodge, conference center and the namesake of a highway exit and bus stop after Interstate 70 was built in the 1970s. It is said to have the most photographed view of the Continental Divide in America, according to the Jefferson County Historical Commission.

The new owners are cognizant of the building's history and plan to retain its log-cabin feel, with its bars, hardwood floors and front deck, but are bringing the layout and kitchen into the 21st century with a multi-million dollar renovation.