By Jordyn MacDonald

Wynkoop Brewery, located in Denver’s LoDo area, was not always considered the most popular part of town.

When the brewery was established in 1988, not many visited the desolate area. However, after John Hickenlooper, current Colorado governor, Jerry Williams, Mark Shiffler and Russel Schehrer began brewing their own beers and putting billiards tables in the building, people began finding their way in to what was Wynkoop Billiards.

During the past 30 years, the name changed to Wynkoop Brewery and it has racked up many awards with a well-known name and prime real estate across from Union Station Denver. The brewery is well-known for its innovative brews including the Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout. Aaron Halbmaier, Wynkoop’s general manager, said the brewery’s goal is “to blow people away as well as to show that we are here, relevant and breaking the mold.”

Wynkoop’s 30th birthday party is set for this weekend and is a major event because few breweries across the nation have been around for three decades. To celebrate, Wynkoop invited multiple breweries across the nation that are in their third decade to partner at the event.

To celebrate the anniversary, the brewery is hosting a 1980s-themed party, which gives a nod to its origins. Scheduled from 7-10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, partygoers are invited to dance in costumes to an 80’s band while enjoying 1988 beers and $4 pints of Lightrail Ale and Railyard Amber Ale. Live music is scheduled throughout the event.

While rotating 10 taps, head brewer John Sims notes that Wynkoop will “have over 30 of our own beers on tap that night,” as well as a couple of others from fellow 30-year old breweries.

Wynkoop will also have a large presence at Great American Beer Festival everyday with their three-sided booth in the Meet the Brewers section. Although the normal amount to pour is four beers, they will have 10 different beers on tap with four beers entered into the GABF competition. Sims created the 30th B-Day Imperial Pilsner specifically for the event. Halbmaier noted that Sims made sure to get the ABV at 8.8 percent to match the 1988 birth of the brewery.

Although the birthday party begins at 7 p.m. during the GABF festivities, the party will continue until 2 a.m.

Wynkoop also hosts multiple events throughout the year, including the Beer Drinker of the Year, coming up in January, Day of the Darks, and Day of the Dorks.

- Thirst Colorado intern Jordyn MacDonald is a senior at Iowa’s Wartburg College.