One of Colorado’s oldest craft breweries has sold to a locally based craft beverage conglomerate.
On Tuesday, Wilding Brands announced it had acquired Great Divide Brewing Co., which opened in 1994 and has since become one of Colorado’s most well-known and well-loved brands. The acquisition includes Great Divide’s wholesale business and any future brick-and-mortar locations. Production of beers like Yeti imperial stout and Titan IPA will move to Wilding’s facility in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood, the announcement states.
Wilding Brands is a new company that formed in late 2024 through the merger of local beverage makers Stem Ciders, Denver Beer Co. and Funkwerks brewery. Its portfolio includes the founding companies plus Howdy Beer, Easy Living sparkling hop water, Cerveceria Colorado and Formation Brewing, a new concept in Phoenix. The Sunnyside production facility formerly belonged to DBC as well.
Wilding Brands plans to honor Great Divide’s legacy as one of the leaders of Colorado’s craft beer movement while also “bringing new energy and resources to help the brand grow,” Charlie Berger, Denver Beer Co.’s co-founder, said in a statement.
Wilding Brands pledged no changes to Great Divide’s two taprooms in Denver or its three branded restaurants in Castle Rock, Lone Tree, and Lakewood. The bar at Denver International Airport is also expected to remain open.
Brian Dunn, Great Divide’s founder and president, will still be involved with the business, helping oversee the transition and operating the brewery’s two Denver locations at 2201 Arapahoe St., near Coors Field, and 1812 35th St. in River North. He will also be the point of contact for the managers of its three suburban restaurants, which license Great Divide’s brand.
In an interview, Dunn said he has entertained conversations about selling his brewery over the years, but Wilding Brands felt like the first good fit that would allow him to make the leap. (Dunn declined to disclose the sale price.)
“It’s been my only job for the past 31 years and it’s been great. I think we’ve accomplished a lot, we have an amazing team, but I also don’t want to do it when I’m 80. So, at some point, you need to consider transitioning it to someone else,” Dunn said.
Wilding Brands understands Colorado’s craft beer culture, Dunn added, and he feels confident their team will continue to brew Great Divide beer at the level of quality it’s known for. Tapping into Wilding’s resources and leveraging efficiencies will not only benefit the beer, but also drinkers by getting Great Divide into more retail stores — and potentially new taproom locations — across the state.
“Something that we’ve always struggled with being midsized is we cannot afford to have 10 salespeople in Colorado,” Dunn said. “Currently, we have no salesperson who’s located in the mountains. We’re at a certain volume where we can’t afford that, but Wilding will have those economies of scale.”
The deal puts two of Colorado’s biggest craft beer makers under the same umbrella. In 2023, Denver Beer Co. was the state’s fourth-largest beer producer by volume, making 21,849 barrels, per data from the Brewers Association. Great Divide ranked seventh-largest that year with an annual production of 18,407 barrels.
The acquisition also comes at a challenging time for the beer industry. In 2024, beer sales in Colorado dropped 3.2%, according to the state’s Liquor Enforcement Division. In 2023 and 2024, a collective 76 Colorado breweries closed, the division reported.
However, these trying times have spurred innovative approaches to collaboration in Colorado and beyond. TRVE Brewing in Denver, for instance, closed its manufacturing plant and moved beer production to New Image Brewing in Wheat Ridge. Tilray, a global cannabis company, has been on an acquisition blitz, buying several well-known craft brands in recent years, including Breckenridge Brewery. Tilray is now the sixth-largest craft beer company in the U.S., according to the Brewers Association.
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