If Wheat Ridge’s newest entertainment venue, The Werks, were a report card it would boast straight Bs – as in bowling, beer, burgers and bikes. According to owner Paul Porter, having all those under one roof is what makes visiting an A-plus experience.
“It’s ridiculously fun,” Porter said. “We are pretty much everything everybody loves about Colorado.”
The Werks opened in January at 2625 Kipling St., taking over the space formerly home to Paramount Bowl. The business inhabits about 12,000 square feet of real estate within Wheat Ridge’s eclectic Gold’s Marketplace strip center where visitors will find lanes for recreational bowling, an in-house brewery, and a retail bike shop, plus food and drinks. There’s also a 3,500-square-foot patio for locals to bring their dogs once the weather warms up.
Managing so many moving parts might intimidate some, but Porter is sitting right in his sweet spot. A 35-year veteran of the hospitality industry, he most recently worked for The Summit, which operated three large entertainment venues along the Front Range with bowling, laser tag, arcades, bars and kitchens. In 2022, the local chain was purchased by Main Event, which was subsequently acquired by Dave & Buster’s.
Porter and his team feel so confident, in fact, that they already plan to expand The Werks. A second location will debut in Boulder later this year, and he plans to open a total of 10 in the next decade.
“You’d really have to be fighting for an excuse not to go out if you didn’t want to come here,” said Will Curtin, co-founder of the onsite brewery Paramount Beerwerks.
Here’s what to expect when you visit The Werks.
Bowling
Porter retained six of the bowling lanes that longtime residents may recognize if they ever visited Paramount Bowl, which operated from 1954 to 2019. Though the space has been redecorated with murals, it maintains an air of nostalgia, Curtin said. The facility is for recreational bowling only, Porter added, so it does not intend to host leagues or competitions. The Werks does, however, offer cosmic bowling every night starting at 9 p.m.
For fans of other sports, there are 23 “massive” TVs that will play all Colorado games with the sound on, Porter said.
Beer
Brewing beer wasn’t part of Porter’s original plan, but a new 20-barrel brewing system had already been installed at the location before he moved in. That’s because the building was primed to become a new business called Live Slow Brewing Co.; however, the founders pulled out of the project following financial problems at their other business, Joyride Brewing in Denver.
Given the brewhouse was already installed, Porter began looking for partners to operate it. He linked up with Curtin through a mutual contact and the two began forming a vision for the new brewery.
Curtin is also the owner of Banded Oak Brewing Co. in Denver, but said the beer menus at the two places will be decidedly different. Where Banded Oak focuses on bold and barrel-aged beers, Paramount Beerwerks brews food-friendly styles with more mass appeal. The brewery is currently serving two lagers, a blonde ale, a peach gose, a West Coast-style IPA and a session IPA. Paramount Beerwerks will eventually have a total of 16 house beers on draft.
Beers are currently brewed at Banded Oak, though the Wheat Ridge facility will soon be up and running, Curtin said. Eventually, it will be the hub of beer production for all of The Werks locations. The Werks also serves wine, cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.
Bikes
Bikes came into the equation from both Porter’s personal interest and his desire to cultivate a riding community. The Werks’ bike shop predominantly sells e-bikes alongside other styles, such as cruisers, BMX bikes and even a few custom pieces, Porter said. The shop also services bikes bought onsite. While it won’t offer bike rentals, Porter hopes to make The Werks a stop on booze cruises and neighborhood rides. The location in Boulder is near a bike park, adding some extra synergy.
Burgers
The Werks serves a robust menu of elevated pub grub, but the burgers are the star of the show. Stand-outs include the PB&J Burger with jalapeño jelly, crunchy peanut butter, havarti cheese and bacon; and the Rainmaker, an open-faced burger topped with mac-n-cheese and bacon.
“We wanted something on the higher end, a little classiser,” Porter said. “The reaction we’re going for is we want to see people pull out their phones.”
Not into beef? The menu also includes several chicken sandwiches, lettuce wraps, rice bowls, flatbreads and salads. The Werks uses locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, such as Boulder Beef patties and buns from Harvest Moon Baking Co. in Denver.
Boulder
At 8,400 square feet, The Werks’ second location in Boulder, at 3400 Valmont Rd., will be smaller than the one in Wheat Ridge. Still, it plans to offer all the same amenities. That includes a small brewing system for research and development. Porter hopes to start construction in March in anticipation of a July opening.
The Werks in Wheat Ridge celebrates its grand opening on Feb. 6 when drinkers can find $5 pours of Paramount Beerwerks’ Full Suspension session IPA. The venue is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. For more information, visit thewerkscolorado.com.
