The Denver brewery’s long-running commitment to artists, musicians and creative spaces earned it the district’s inaugural Creative Business Award.

By David Young

Craft beer and art go hand in hand, and some may even say they are inseparable. That’s certainly the case for Denver’s own independent brewery, Ratio Beerworks, which is giving back to the arts community with each beer it pours. With its origins in the punk music scene, the brewery recently won the inaugural RiNo Art District’s Creative Business Award.

The murals at Ratio Beerworks are an important part of the RiNo landscape.

The new honor celebrates brewers who support the local creative community. Through its Ratio Core program, the brewery donates 3 percent of its annual beer production, supporting nonprofits in the creative arts, musicians and venues.

Ratio is just one of many small businesses thriving as a cultural anchor in Denver's River North Art District, where it first opened in 2015. Throughout the decade, Ratio has witnessed a lot of turnover in the Art District, but it is still thriving and winning awards.

“We know that supporting and collaborating with local musicians and artists helps make Denver a place we love to spend time,” said Jason zumBrunnen, co-founder of Ratio. “RiNo shaped who we are. We want to keep it a place that keeps people coming out and doing the things they love.”

Founded during the peak of the craft scene on Larimer Street, Ratio emerged from the DIY ethic of the music scene with a focus on making award-winning beer and creating an inclusive space for creativity and community. The brewery quickly became a cultural anchor in RiNo, a neighborhood imagined by artists, dreamers, and community builders who turned an industrial corridor into one of the most creative and highly recognized art districts in the country.

The diverse tap lineup at Ratio Beerworks.

Tracy Weil, co-founder of the RiNo Art District, who received the district’s Lifetime Achievement Award, designed the Business Award trophy. Weil, who is a painter himself and has done several RiNo murals, has been part of the community for 20 years.

“Beer is community,” said Scott Kaplan, Ratio Beerworks co-founder. “It’s our way of connecting people to what they love – music, art, comedy. When you visit RiNo or order a Ratio beer anywhere in Colorado, you’re supporting the ecosystem that keeps the city creative.”

The award is appropriate for zumBrunnen, who attended CU Boulder and bonded over beers at live music venues. Considering the creative community poured so much into his life over the years, he is now literally pouring back into the community that supports him.

“We always wanted to use Ratio beer as a connector to all the things in the neighborhood, from fine artists to comedians, and we wanted Ratio to be the glue,” he said.

zumBrunnen, who notes that their support of the community is part of the brewery’s longevity, said the brewery plans to expand its Ratio Core program. In addition to its second location in the Overland neighborhood, Ratio is working on statewide distribution.

Over the years, he estimates the brewery has donated hundreds of thousands of beers to artists. Last year alone, Ratio provided 2,000 cases, or 50,000 cans of beer, as part of its Ratio Core program.