The eight stools at its long wooden bar were filled by 5 p.m. last Friday as the Mancos Brewing Co. kicked off its one-year anniversary party.
“We love this brewpup,” said loyal customer Trina Lindig. “It’s one of the best things to happen in Mancos in a long time.”
An atypical beer consumer, Lindig said the charming atmosphere welcomed the entire community. She and her husband, Nicky, patron the watering hole nearly weekly.
“It’s refreshing,” she said. “It’s a breath of fresh air.”
The Mancos Brewing Company celebrated its first year in business with a two-day celebration on Oct. 2nd and 3rd. The party included live music from Wake Up Laughing, Kevin Frazier and Last Nickel as well as two commemorative brews, a fresh-hopped mild red and an oak-aged dark ale.
Whole fresh hops from a farm on County Road G were used to add subtle lemony zing to the Mancos Valley Mild Red. With an alcohol content of 5.2 percent, the beer was easy on the taste buds.
Aged with a hefty addition of bourbon-soaked oak chips, the Mancos Sh’Ale Dark Ale was a bit dryer with an earthy aroma and smoky flavor. Weighing in at 6 percent alcohol by volume, the beer was equally easy to drink despite a more robust, darker color.
Community: ‘We have your back’
Owner and brew master DeWayne Jackson said opening a brewpup, like any business, has been a scary adventure. He reflected on various production interruptions in his first year, but he believes the hiccups associated with a start-up nanobrewery – which typically produces less than 3 barrels of beer, about 90 gallons, per batch – have been relieved.
“We’re set to double our production in year two,” said Jackson.
Increasing from a 15-gallon operation to a 50-gallon production scale, Jackson is currently double batching recipes into a single 70 gallon fermenter to keep up with customer demand. It’s a problem he’s happy to undertake.
“The community support cannot be understated,” said Jackson. “The community at every level has been so generous.”
“The community has told us, ‘We have your back. We want you here. If you need anything, let us know,’” Jackson continued.
On the other side of the bar, Jackson’s commitment and hard work to provide a refreshing product keeps Nicky Lindig and his wife returning to the public house. And they too grow hops along their front porch for Jackson to utilize in his recipes.
“It’s a wonderful atmosphere that DeWayne has created here,” said Nicky Lindig. “We’d be here tonight even if it wasn’t the anniversary party.”
“It’s fun to talk with people from other places and find out how we all live,” added Trina Lindig. “The brew pub helps to make the world a smaller place.”
tbaker@the-journal.com
