USA, CO: Burns Family Artisan Ales to shut down for good at the end of May

A beloved Denver, Colorado brewery is shutting down its doors at the end of the month, Men’s Journal reported.

On May 13, Burns Family Artisan Ales, which first opened in August 2018 under the guidance of award-winning brewer Wayne Burns, will close its taproom to the public at the end of the month.

"The fire is going out. Burns Family Artisan Ales’ last day selling beer through the taproom to the public will be May 31, 2025," Burns and his wife, co-owner Laura Worley, shared on Facebook.

In its tenure, Burns Family Artisan Ales not only built up a strong customer base, but also won medals at the Great American Beer Festival. For his career, Burns has captured four medals at the competition.

"We developed classic and experimental styles from 2.2%abv to 25.1%abv," said the Burns Family post. "We succeeded with our niche of barrel-aged and high-alcohol beer to an extent that we remain the 4th highest rated brewery in the state of Colorado and consistently rate within the top ten breweries nationwide for our Solar Eclipse series. We have a client base of loyalists who visit us regularly, cheerlead for us, promote us and can’t say enough good things about us (thank you!)."

Despite all of the accomplishments and the strong reputation, Burns Family Artisan Ales sadly could not escape the harsh reality of insufficient sales.

"So, why leave what is seemingly a great run? It is certain that specious speculation will conjure up many reasons, and we implore you to seek the truth rather than believe in rumor," Burns and Worley explained. "The truth of the matter is that our taproom was full only on the rarest of occasions. We needed more patrons. The most advantageous way to get the best cash flow is by selling someone a glass of beer, in your own place, over the bar. We simply didn’t have enough people visiting to enable growth."

The owners went on to say it wasn't the fault of them or their customers for the situation, but it's "just the way business can be."

15 May, 2025