Primitive Beer, which has been making and selling specialty sour and wild ales from its elegant Longmont taproom since 2017, said this week that it will close that space and move its barrels and beer-making equipment inside a facility owned by New Image Brewing in Wheat Ridge.
Once that happens, in December, Primitive will begin hosting bottle releases and open-koelschip nights beginning in January from “a newly constructed event space nestled within New Image’s production brewery and secondary taproom at 9505 W. 44th Ave., in Wheat Ridge. It will also host its signature Hot Bierfest pop-up nights at New Image in January, February and March.
The change will allow co-owners Brandon and Lisa Boldt to spend their time and energy on brewing, blending, and packaging beer rather than on the retail side of the business.
“Given that our entire family-run operation is just two people strong, we’ve reached the conclusion that our current professional juggling act … isn’t sustainable,” Lisa Boldt said in a statement. “This transition is bittersweet, as we say goodbye to the community that we have so lovingly fostered for the past six years, but we’re optimistic and rejuvenated by the choice to keep creating.”
Primitive has always been a very small operation since it only brews a certain niche style: Belgian-style beers that are fermented by naturally occurring yeast and then refermented or aged in oak barrels. Eventually, that liquid can be blended together or aged again on fruit or spices.
The center of the operation, an open-topped vessel known as a koelschip, will make the journey from Longmont to Wheat Ridge as well, Brandon Boldt said. “We are building out a Koelschip Barn — with the complete current koelschip lattice/wood paneling — on the patio next to the brewhouse of New Image, which will give us a lot of control for temperature curves.”
For its part, New Image Brewing was founded in 2016 in Olde Town Arvada, where it still operates a brewpub. It opened the large Wheat Ridge production facility, as well as a second taproom, in 2022. New Image specializes in hazy IPAs, fruited sours and barrel-aged stouts.
“While we have long been fans of their beautiful and inviting facility in Longmont, we are excited to be giving them a home closer to the city where their pop-up taproom can be even more accessible,” said New Image founder Brandon Capps via email. “The move also aligns with a vision that we have had for our space in Wheat Ridge since acquiring the property in 2020; to build a collective of family-owned and operated businesses.”
Primitive Beer will continue to host its normal Friday-Sunday hours in Longmont through Dec. 24; the Boldts also plan to hold their third annual Hot Bierfest and Holiday Marketplace on Dec. 16. The unusual event reinterprets some old European traditions by serving hot spiced beer (like mulled wine) and hot-poker beers, which are warmed and caramelized with a fire-heated steel rod.
