USA, CO: Caution Brewing to close its doors on June 30

Caution Brewing, which opened in April 2011 as one of the first in a wave of small, taproom-only breweries in Colorado, will close its doors on June 30, Westword reported on June 4.

Founded by Danny Wang and Betty Foley, Caution's original brewery was situated in an industrial park at 12445 East 39th Avenue, in far northeast Denver. It ran on a famed five-barrel brewing system — acquired from Odell Brewing — that was used to make unusual herb- and spice-flavored beers. Some were brewed with ingredients that paid tribute to Wang's Taiwanese parents, who own Lao Wang Noodle House on South Federal Boulevard.

In December 2013, Caution opened a second spot at 1057 South Wadsworth Boulevard in Lakewood, becoming the first metro-area brewery with two locations. In 2016, however, Caution turned its original space over to the Brewability Lab so that it could focus on running the Lakewood taproom, which also included a three-barrel brewing system.

"We had a hell of a good run," Danny Wang says. "It's a huge bummer, but it was also a chance for us to change things up a little. And for us, it was just time."

The craft-beer market in Colorado has shifted in the past few years, he explains. While it was possible for a brewery to "bootstrap" itself at one point, that's no longer true, he says: "We all knew this time was coming for breweries. For us, because we started so long ago, it was really hard to pivot."

Caution is the third metro-area brewery to close in 2018, after Beryl's Beer Company in Denver and Nighthawk Brewing in Broomfield. Several other breweries have closed in other parts of the state this year, although some of those are being replaced by new startup breweries in the same location.

That's likely to be what happens with Caution as well. A new startup brewery has purchased Caution's equipment and will take over the lease. Wang says the new owners will reveal themselves soon.

05 June, 2018