UPDATED Oct. 30 at 2:57 p.m. to include comments from Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project
A popular brewery in Fort Collins will soon pour its last pint.
Over the weekend, Black Bottle Brewery announced it would close at the end of November with the expectation of selling its building to Loveland-based Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project.
In a note on social media, owners Sean and Erin Nook cited ongoing hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic, which “hit us harder than anticipated,” as the reason for ending its 11-year run. The Nooks were not immediately available to elaborate on the circumstances of the closure.
“Running a small business is no skate in the park, and now that we are on the other side, we have decided that it is time to move on,” the note reads, in part. “Black Bottle Brewery will always mean so much to the Nook family and staff, and we wish we could continue moving forward as easily as we enjoy pouring you all a cold beer. Unfortunately, it’s just not that simple.”
Josh Grenz, co-owner of Verboten Brewing, confirmed to The Denver Post he is under contract to purchase Black Bottle’s space but emphasized the deal is not finalized. Grenz had been looking to expand the brewery to a second location in 2019, but shelved those plans amid the pandemic.
Grenz was born and raised in Fort Collins, so he was enticed when the opportunity arose to buy Black Bottle’s building.
“This offer kind of came up almost unexpectedly. It seemed like a good fit to expand our operations,” he said.
“We have no plans of leaving Loveland and we’re keeping our facility here in downtown,” Grenz added.
Opened in 2012, Black Bottle Brewery helped usher in a craft beer tidal wave in Fort Collins, which is now a hot spot for locally brewed beer. The brewery, oft described as irreverent, was among the first to experiment with wild and wacky recipes. Its cereal-inspired series of brews even garnered the attention of General Mills after the brewery emptied grocery store shelves of Count Chocula boxes for one recipe.
Black Bottle collaborated with General Mills to produce beers using Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch cereal and Lucky Charms, Westword reported in 2014.
“Cereal appeals to people of all ages and we know that there are groups of people who love craft beer,” a General Mills representative told the pub at the time. “So why not combine two things that these people love, their favorite cereal and beer?”
Black Bottle will continue to serve beer and food through November until its sale is complete. Brewers also fittingly plan to make a final batch of The Last Unicorn, a tart cherry and raspberry lambic, for fans. The release date is yet to be announced.
