Bruz Beers and an Emerging Denver Belgian Brew Scene
Bruz Beers’s owners, Ryan and Charlie, live and brew Belgian-style beers with their brewery, taproom, and the 2nd annual Belgian Brew Fest.
Where did the idea of Bruz Beers come from?
Bruz Beers opened its doors in 2016 with Charlie and myself as partners. We both saw a need to bring high-quality Belgian beers to the Front Range. It all began for me when I was backpacking in Europe and fell in love with Belgian beers. I was traveling to Amsterdam and had a couple of hours to kill in Brussels so I visited the nearest pub. The bartender brought me a whole flight of beers I’d never heard of nor seen before. After trying the Tripel Karmeliet, I was hooked. I’ll never forget it; the taste, the flavor, the strength. It blew me away. It came in its own special glass. When I arrived back in Denver, I found out there was no way to get real traditional Belgian beers. This was in the late 90s. My wife saw an ad for a class my current partner, Charlie, was providing, called World of Belgian Beers, so of course, I went. I got to know Charlie, tasted the beers he made, and said, “Man, Charlie this is exactly what I fell in love with in Belgium. The beers you brew are just too good not to put them out there for others to share.” Charlie had a similar story of traveling to Belgium and discovering the beers there. His brother convinced him to home brew, which he had been doing for 30 years when I met him. We tossed around some ideas for a business and Bruz Beers became a reality.
So many beer festivals in Denver. Why a Belgian Brew Fest?
We created the Belgian Brew Fest as a partnership between Bruz Beers and Spigot Labs. Scott, the founder of Spigot Labs, developed this really cool taste tracking technology that he presented to us, and we found it ingenious. At the time we were looking at ways to promote the Belgian beer scene in Denver. There are a lot of breweries in Denver that aren’t Belgian-specific like we are, but they brew a few Belgian styles, so we were looking for a way to showcase some of these breweries and get the Denver Belgian scene promoted. So we sat down, Charlie, Scott, and myself, and came up with the idea to launch his technology at a new beer fest we would host. So, it was two companies looking for a way to create a fun event and showcase both of our products. That’s how the Belgian Brew Fest came into being. We’re coming up on our second year. The quantity of breweries has remained the same, but the quality continues to evolve with every brewery we present. Breweries are creating special beers just for the festival. Some are even launching them at the event. So it’s really gotten to the level we envisioned, which is showcasing high-end quality Belgian-style beers to an enthusiastic crowd.
Tell us a little more about how Spigot Labs’s technology enhances the experience for everyone at the Fest?
The beer festival scene has become very crowded in Colorado, and there are a lot of choices; some are all about drinking for a flat fee, and some are for brewing aficionados. As a brewer, we’re really seeing a push for more festivals. We can’t do them all like we used to. So, we’re now looking at what the real value of these festivals is and whether this festival is good for our brewery; if it gives us the right kind of exposure, the right type of festival goer, and the right type of market; essentially the best use of our product, labor and time. Scott’s technology with Spigot Labs is invaluable here. It provides us with a lot more feedback, more demographics of who we interact with, and how we are perceived. We’re now able to take that technology and adjust our marketing efforts, and even track when these translate from the festival to the actual tasting room. It enables us to measure our success at these festivals. And, the festival goers can track their favorites and find them in their local stores.
A lot of work goes into planning, coordinating, marketing, and hosting these festivals. What’ll make it worth the effort?
I think in the end we’re looking for the Front Range to have a great place to celebrate and enjoy the Belgian-style experience. At the end of the day we’d like to see high-quality beers be offered and enjoyed, and hopefully people talk about them afterwards. We’re really looking to promote the Belgian-connoisseurs scene in Denver, and get several of these other breweries that pour great beers to be on the map for the Belgian styles. What puts a smile on our face is people talking and interacting, enjoying the beers, and walking away saying that the experience was special, that it wasn’t just another beer festival.
What can attendees look forward to at the event?
We’re pouring what I think is our best Belgian quad yet. It’s called King Quad, and we’re debuting it at the festival. It’s one of the best quads we’ve ever brewed, and we’ve brewed quite a few of them so I think that’ll be exciting. We’ve got a strawberry wit beer that we’ll be unveiling as well. We take our classic Dame Blanche Witbier and then we add real strawberries in there and let it rest on that for a while. It has taken on a great flavor profile without being overdone. Our Hellraiser which is our Belgian golden strong, is extremely popular around town, and will be on tap that day. It’s a special beer, one that people try and continually ask for, so of course that’s got to be there.
Your personal favorite brew
Out of the beers that we pour right now, gosh there are so many, I’d have to say that I love our quads. We just brewed another tripel, and I would say my go-to style throughout the year is always a Belgian tripel. Charlie’s favorite is our Oude Valor. He thinks that’s the best beer he’s ever brewed. I would agree that it’s a phenomenal beer. That one will be on tap and available at the fest as well.
Our annual Belgian Brew Fest is coming up April 28th. Get your tickets now before they sell out! 10+ breweries, food trucks, live bands, killer time!
