Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company

Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company

Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company is located in the first floor of the historic Hotel Denver, at 402 Seventh Street in downtown Glenwood Springs. In the 1800's the town was called Defiance, and Seventh Street was known as Riverfront. The street began as a crude assembly of tents and dugouts, which were replaced by various small buildings by the beginning of the 1900's. Most of the businesses on the block were saloons and brothels that served miners in the area. Doc Holliday The most famous resident of Glenwood Springs was the noted gunfighter Doc Holliday. He arrived in the spring of 1887, seeking to use the local hot mineral springs to relieve his tuberculosis. He resided in the Hotel Glenwood, which was once located at the corner of Eighth Street and Grand Avenue. Doc Holliday died only a few months later and was buried somewhere in city limits. Although there is a tombstone for him in a local cemetery, no one knows the exact location of his remains. In 1904, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad built a depot on the riverfront, bringing travelers and increasing the need for hotels and restaurants. Although the brothels had moved away from Seventh Street, there were still at least 14 saloons within a one block radius. In 1906, Henry Bosco moved a bottling company into the basement of one of those saloons, where the Brewpub is now. He soon acquired the saloon above his business and an adjacent saloon, then built the Star Hotel in 1914. At the other end of the block, Art Kendrick opened a rooming house and called it the Denver Rooms, to promote Denver clientele. Also in 1914, William and Walter Wilhelmy opened a brewery a few blocks away, near the corner of Tenth Street and Pitkin Avenue. It was called the Home Brewing Company and they planned to brew up to 15,000 barrels a year. Unfortunately, Colorado passed a prohibition law that went into effect on January 1, 1916. The brewery also suffered a fire during its brief existence and all that remains are some old beer labels. Diamond Jack The Prohibition was a devastating blow to the downtown district, but Henry Bosco and Art Kendrick made the best of it and added to their holdings, expanding their hotels until they were adjoined. By 1938, the properties were combined into what is now known as the Hotel Denver. Also during Prohibition, Glenwood Springs became a popular resort for several Chicago gangsters, including Al Capone. The Hotel Denver was often frequented by an associate of his named Jack Alterie, nicknamed Diamond Jack. He was known to carry a pair of chrome-plated pistols and once shot and killed a man inside the hotel. Eventually the authorities forced him to leave Colorado and he was killed by rival gangsters. Fast forward to 1992, the savings and loan crisis compelled the sale of the Hotel Denver and it was purchased along with the former Rex Hotel by locals Steve and April Carver. A series of unsuccessful restaurants occupied the first floor until 1995, when the idea of a brewpub was first considered. That summer, Steve and April visited the Carver Brewing Company, a successful brewpub in nearby Durango and met with the owners, Jim and Bill Carver. Although the Carvers from Glenwood Springs and Durango are not related, they quickly formed a partnership and converted the existing restaurant in the Hotel Denver into a brewpub. Construction on the project began in January, 1996 and Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company opened in March, 1996.