By David Young

Northern Colorado’s newest brewery pays homage to a tree with its name - Crooked Beech Brewing Company. Located just off of Highway 287 in Loveland, the brewery opened recently and is named after a kind of beech tree that is native to the southeast part of the country, the homeland of husband-and-wife owners Jake and Michelle Jackson.

Jake started out as a home brewer in 2012 while stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. In 2018, he retired from the Air Force and worked at local breweries in Maryland until 2022, when the pair relocated to Colorado to start the new brewery.

The name they selected for the new brewery is quite personal to the couple.

“While we built a home and raised a family, our crooked beech provided shade. When we changed course, contemplating futures and business names, our crooked beech thrived,” according to the couple. “At some point, it took a great wallop; a setback of some kind. Yet it still grew. Not straight, but crooked and undeterred. A symbol of resilience and tenacity.”

One of the main things that sets Crooked Beech Brewing apart from other craft breweries is that they serve some of their beers right out of the brewing vessels, which are prominently displayed behind the bar.

Crooked Beech Brewing
Beers right out of the brewing vessels
3121 N. Garfield Ave. Loveland
2 to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 8 p.m. Sunday

Some of the mainstay brews visitors can try at the new brewery include The Weiss One, Gratitude American Light Lager, and Sunny Side Belgian Wit. A new beer they also just announced is the Immortal Essence, which is a Hazy IPA. Tasting notes from Crooked Beech include hints of tangerine, pineapple, and juicy fruit. Crooked Beech also offers to-go cans of four-packs of their Mysteria Stout and Devils Slide Sour beers.

The taproom, at 3121 N. Garfield Ave., is not only family-owned but also family-friendly. The brewery has a patio, games, picnic tables, and a play area for kids. The brewery is open daily and also allows dogs.

Crooked Beech also has a variety of events it hosts for beer drinkers in the region, including a trivia night, cornhole club, run club, and NFL Red Zone on Sundays.