Many breweries around Denver tap into popular chefs and food concepts to elevate their taproom fare.
Music City Hot Chicken, for example, has had a satellite location inside TRVE Brewing on Broadway for years. More recently, Dewey Beer Co. on Delgany Street partnered with chef Adam Branz (Ultreia, Split Lip) to launch Cul-de-Sac, a “sleazy French food” trailer with bites like escargot wontons and French onion nachos.
Cerebral Brewing – which has locations in Congress Park and Aurora – is following suit at its new West Highland taproom, set to open this year at 3257 Lowell Blvd. The team is forgoing its typical food truck model, instead partnering exclusively with Outside Pizza at the 4,000-square-foot space.
“We wanted to partner with somebody for long-term stability. I think the days of ‘Let’s see which food truck is at this brewery today’ is becoming less popular,” Sean Buchan, co-owner of Cerebral, said. “With a dedicated partner like Outside Pizza, customers know exactly what to expect.”
Teaming up with Ryan and Ashley Grillaert, the duo behind Outside Pizza, was a safe bet for Buchan and his business partner, Dan McGuire, since the pizza joint had already been a staple in Cerebral’s food truck rotation for more than two years. “From our perspective, they blew us away with their food and service. It wasn’t just about revenue; they also created an atmosphere that people genuinely enjoyed,” Buchan continued.
For the Grillaerts, the feeling was mutual. After a challenging search for their own space, Cerebral’s offer felt serendipitous. “We’d been looking for a spot on our own for about a year, but we kept running into dead ends,” Ryan said. “When Sean and Dan approached us, it felt like a no-brainer, honestly.”
Ryan noted that operating within a brewery will also allow Outside Pizza to expand its menu beyond the limitations of its trailer, especially since the new space will have a built-in pizza oven. In addition to its Neapolitan-style pies, Outside will also offer starters, salads, small desserts and its “foldy” sandwiches – half-moon shaped pizza-sandwich hybrids (not to be confused with a calzone).
“Our ‘foldy’ sandwiches use our sourdough pizza base, and we brush it with olive oil, bake it, then take it out and load it up with cold cuts, arugula and cheese. Then, we fold it, cut it in half and serve it. It’s like a hybrid pizza-sandwich – not a calzone, though. It’s definitely a sandwich,” Ashley said.
Cerebral’s new taproom will offer more than just pizza and beer. Plans include a 24-tap bar featuring alcoholic and non-alcoholic options; a mezzanine lounge; a robust calendar of community events like trivia nights; TVs, games and more.
“We want this to be more than a place to grab a drink – it’s about creating a neighborhood hub,” Buchan said.
The insert-trendy-food-concept-into-brewery model seems to be working for AJ Shreffler as well. After years of selling his wildly popular hoagies out of his apartment and popping up at different locations around town, Little Arthur’s landed a permanent spot at Out of the Barrel Taproom, 205 E. 7th Ave., last August. And only four months later, he started selling Wagyu burgers and chicken cutlets under a second moniker, Arty Express, at New Image Brewing, 5622 Yukon St., in Arvada.
“Our first true home has been a special one, and our customers are the best,” Shreffler said of Out of the Barrel.
At Arty’s, “expect to see a lot of specials for different burger and cutlet sets, and more options on the menu at Little Arthur’s as we continue to add to our kitchen and grow our team,” Shreffler said. Brunch service at both Out of the Barrel and New Image is in the works as well, he added.
The opening of Arty Express comes shortly after the closure of Table, a farm-to-table eatery that New Image opened last summer in the same space with chef Russ Fox (formerly of Apple Blossom and Coperta).
With Table, Brandon Capps, owner of New Image, set out to bring Spain’s tapas culture to his brewpub with elevated bites like focaccia with heirloom tomatoes and gnocchi with summer squash. However, it shut its doors less than five months later.
“Several local foodies and influencers had wonderful things to say about the food and applauded the risk we took to try something different,” Capps recalled, but ultimately, the restaurant wasn’t viable. “The community didn’t support it and there was no indication that those things were going to change.”
Arty’s seems to be off to a better start, though.
“Early indications are that Arty’s could be really successful,” Capps said. “We’re working to add more operating days over the coming weeks.”
It seems as though Arvadans prefer the usual pub food like burgers and fried chicken as opposed to the delicate vegetable-focused dishes that Table offered.
“It’s not just about food and beer; it’s about partnering with good people. That’s what creates a successful collaboration,” Buchan added.
Capps echoed this sentiment regarding New Image’s partnership with Arty’s: “Ultimately, it’s two strong brands coming together that I believe makes this really work. New Image has always had a strong beverage brand and passionate support for it. Now that we have a food concept that can match that … if the community supports it, it’ll become permanent,” he concluded.