BrewDog, the Scottish-born beer maker that was founded based on a brash attitude and big beers, has teamed up with a family-owned holding company on a new location in Denver. It’s the first time BrewDog has licensed its name and beers to a franchisee in the United States.
BrewDog Denver, 3950 Wynkoop St., opens at noon Friday, April 19, in a 10,000-square-foot space with two patios, a 3.5-barrel brewing system, games and a full menu featuring burgers, giant pub pretzels, salads and wings. But there will also be a number of Mexican specialties unique to Denver based on the heritage of the franchisee, Hop Dragon Holdings. They include carnitas tacos with avocado-tomatillo salsa; carne asada tacos with prime flat iron steak; cochinita pibil tacos with slow-cooked pulled pork; and al pastor tacos with marinated pork and pineapple.
Hop Dragon is owned by Juan Carlos Mondragón, a McDonald’s franchise owner in Mexico, along with his son Eduardo, daughter Paloma and son-in-law Elliot, who attended school in Scotland.
“This is an exciting step for BrewDog USA as we welcome our first-ever franchised location stateside,” BrewDog USA CEO John Graham said in a statement.
“BrewDog Denver has been an incredible journey for us and the Mondragon family. … Bringing their family recipes to the menu alongside their relentless passion for this project, we’re thrilled to be entering the incredible craft beer scene here in RiNo and the Mile High City,” he added.
There will be both bagpipers and a mariachi band at the opening on Friday.
On the beer side, BrewDog’s flagships like Punk IPA, Hazy Jane and Lost Lager will be on tap, along with selections from other local breweries, non-alcoholic options and cocktails. There will also be Denver-exclusive brews, including Mile High Cerveza, a 3% ABV light lager.
BrewDog was founded in 2007 and has about 100 locations worldwide. Its U.S. headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio, with other U.S. locations in Atlanta, Georgia, and Las Vegas, Nevada. In recent years, the company has faced several controversies regarding employees.
