Three years of work paid off with huge buzz, plenty of business

By Steve Graham

Littleton Brewing Company launched last week, but that’s not news to anyone in the neighborhood or most beer nerds. Colorado’s newest brewery debuted with 5,500 Instagram fans and a line down the block one hour before the doors opened.

The brewery opened with a 15-barrel system, a small canning line and even a taxidermied mascot — Action Jack the American porcupine.

Troy and Ray Beer (son and father, respectively, and yes, their real names) own the brewery. They bought the building, a former automotive garage, three years ago and used their construction experience to help build out the facility. In addition to a spacious interior with long tables, there is a front patio with large firepits, and a rooftop patio with a second bar and great mountain views.

The grand opening was on Saturday, March 15, and half of the cooler was already sold out by Tuesday. The food was also sold out, and the owners gave the kitchen staff a day off after four busy 15-hour days in the wood-fired pizza kitchen that also produces burgers and other pub fare.

Assistant brewer Billy Willits refers to the expansive two-story space as a German-style beer hall, not an American brewery taproom.

Willits moved back to the Denver area to work at Littleton Brewing after several years at Outer Range in Frisco. He works under brewmaster Wayne Waananen, a veteran brewer and brewery consultant who came out of retirement to craft recipes for the new brewery. Waananen has worked at Rockyard, Sandlot, Station 26 and other Colorado breweries. He is best known for helping create Station 26’s beloved Juicy Banger and assisting with the original Blue Moon witbier. The latter inspired the Half Moon beer on tap at Littleton Brewing Co.

The brewery specializes in lagers made with local ingredients. The brewery launched with a traditional lager and a German Bock lager on tap, as well as two hazy IPAs, a Czech pilsner and a pale ale.

Another creative wheat beer has also made a splash, according to beer hall co-manager Sofia Beer, wife of Troy Beer. She said the lemongrass wheat has been a bestseller so far, and she expects it to be their flagship. The brew has a soft mouthfeel and very balanced flavor, with a hint of the lemongrass many foodies would recognize from Thai curries.

Littleton Brewing Company is at 1201 West Littleton Blvd., and opens daily at 11 a.m.