Every year when October rolls around, Mancos Brewing Co. throws a party to celebrate its founding.
The most recent shindig the weekend of Oct. 4 was decidedly special: It marked 10 years in business.
“That’s a decade to you and me Rusty,” its chalkboard read inside the front entrance.
In honor of the occasion, the weekend was filled with music, prizes and familiar faces.
“It’s great to see smiling faces of people we’ve known for years now,” said Kathy Hands, a cofounder of Mancos Brewing Co.
The bash was also, of course, filled with beer, new and old.
Cofounder and brewer DeWayne Jackson crafted a special beer for the anniversary party called Oaktoberfest.
He explained that it’s a Märzen beer, meaning it’s traditionally brewed in March and saved for Oktoberfest. It’s also traditionally stored in oak barrels for months to give it its oak flavor.
“I’m very much a 21st century brewer, I’ll use whatever is available for me in the 21st century,” Jackson said.
And so instead of stowing it in barrels – which heightens the risk of contamination and takes a considerable amount of time – Oaktoberfest was made with an added oak flavoring.
“This year it’s been 10 years, which is a big number, so we’re doing a bigger party,” Hands said.
Foggy Memory Boys, a band from Taos, played on Friday afternoon. The next day, Horizon kicked off the live music at 1:30 p.m., followed by Last Nickel, who played at the brewery’s grand opening party a decade ago.
“They were our first musical connection, really. They’re the first band we ever booked,” Hands said.
A little over 10 years ago, Hands and Jackson were living in Moab, itching for radical change.
“The more I got into brewing and realized this could be a career for me, the more attractive it looked for me to get out of Utah,” Jackson said.
Not wanting to sever any Moab ties, they didn’t want to venture too far into Colorado, Hands said. So, they drove to Montezuma County and joined a local brew club to get a lay of the land.
At first, they were thinking to open a brewery in Cortez.
“But then someone suggested Mancos to us so we came over and cruised the streets,” Hands said.
“They had a coffee shop, a nice library, a natural foods store,” she said.
“And a distillery,” Jackson added.
“The streets were unpaved,” Hands went on.
“This is a cool town,” said Jackson. “It had the right kind of feel, for both being old traditional and kind of new hippie.”
Plus, the community felt inclusive, which was a giant appeal, Jackson said.
When they pitched the idea to the town of Mancos, “they rolled out the carpet for us, they wanted us here,” Jackson said.
“We were getting active encouragement and support before we had a lease on a building yet. Mancos wanted to have a brewery like we envisioned,” he said.
From the get-go, Hands and Jackson agreed that offering a space for local musicians to play was one of many things they wanted to do in their position as a place for people to come together.
“What I can do is do what I do best – which is make beer – and use that as an opportunity to give other people a platform to follow their dreams,” Jackson said.
“That’s one of the most fulfilling things for me about Mancos Brewing Co., is to see other people bring their ideas to the table and make a change in the world which makes for a better community.”
They said they try to help anyone with a drive and desire to improve themselves and the greater community.
“What can we do to help platform you so you get that opportunity and can grow that vision out?” Jackson said.
With that in mind, Hands said their initial vision of what they wanted their brewery to be 10 years ago aligns with what it is today.
In addition to providing a platform for inspired individuals, they aimed to be like an English public house, where people could go to converge, Hands said.
And you don’t necessarily have to drink beer to enjoy your time here, Jackson said.
“We’ve tried to create an atmosphere where everyone’s comfortable. If you like beer, well I’ve got some beer for you. But if you don’t like beer, I’m glad you’re here and enjoy what we’ve done,” Jackson said.
One thing they are not and don’t want to be is a bar.
“It’s one of the reasons why, today, you don’t see bar chairs lined up across the front of our bar,” Jackson said.
Rarely do they serve after 9 p.m., and it’s because of their commitment to keep the community safe, Jackson said.
To them, that means not over-serving or serving late into the night and early morning.
Beyond booze, Hands said that as a brewpub, they must serve food.
To her, crafting a quality, inclusive menu with vegan and gluten-free options is something she’s proud of, especially coming from 15 years of experience in the natural foods industry.
“From the beginning, I’ve tried to buy what I can from local farmers, and as we’ve gotten bigger, that’s gotten better. We have a lot more connections, and I will buy local whenever I can,” Hands said.
Of course, that’s not all the time, as “none of us can only source things 100% that way,” she said. But, when she can, she does.
“I don’t like things that have 25 ingredients in them,” she said.
Hands and Jackson agreed their success in business and the community is rooted in their steadfast business partnership, which allows them necessary autonomy in their areas of expertise.
“I can manage beer, but I can’t manage money. She gives me full liberty to make the kind of beer that I want to make,” said Jackson. “It’s become a really good partnership. I don’t tell her how to run the business, she doesn’t tell me how to make beer.”
They also credited the staff for keeping their vision alive and keeping their patrons happy and coming back for all this time.
“To be at 10 years is sort of a personal accomplishment, really, as well as a business accomplishment,” said Hands. “I love this place, and I know DeWayne does too, and we love this community.”
