What Westbound & Down Brewing does

Westbound & Down Brewing Company is a Colorado-based craft brewery and brewpub operator founded in 2015 by Geoff McFarlane. The company produces an 18-SKU portfolio spanning hazy and West Coast IPAs, pilsners, lagers, wheat beers, stouts, and porters, with hop-forward house styles such as Juice Caboose, Westbound IPA, Westbound Select, and Spirit of the West that have repeatedly medaled at the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup. Its Lafayette facility is the primary production and packaging site, while a network of four company-owned taprooms — Lafayette, Idaho Springs, Basalt, and Downtown Denver (Dairy Block/Free Market) — drives the bulk of revenue through on-site beer and elevated comfort food service, plus canned and bottled off-premise sales.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and self-distributed. Revenue is generated primarily through in-person food and beverage transactions at the four taprooms, with a secondary online ordering channel via Popmenu for pickup and delivery at Lafayette, plus gift card sales. Distribution is intentionally narrow — no three-tier wholesale or out-of-state retail is referenced — which preserves margin and brand control but caps addressable market to Colorado foot traffic and taproom-driven packaged beer sales. The 2025 GABF Brewery of the Year award (5,001–15,000 barrel category) places the company at the upper end of the craft "mid-size" segment.

Recent activity points to active buildout: two 2025 securities offerings (~$1.46M combined) under a Form C-AR/Regulation A+ structure, recent additions of the Basalt and Downtown Denver venues, an 18-SKU product portfolio with a barrel-aged program, and ancillary marketing programs including a VIP membership and a $500 review-giveaway on the Popmenu platform. No external institutional investor, parent company, or acquisition activity is identified in the data.

Name

Westbound & Down Brewing

Legal name

Westbound & Down Brewing Company

Website

https://westboundanddown.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Westbound & Down Brewing is a Colorado craft brewery and brewpub operator founded in 2015, running four taprooms (Lafayette, Idaho Springs, Basalt, Downtown Denver) and selling an 18-SKU portfolio of award-winning IPAs, lagers, pilsners, and stouts alongside elevated comfort food, direct to Colorado consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewery & Brewpub

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service) (THAFALAB)

Keywords

• Craft brewery
• Brewpub restaurants
• Craft beer production
• Taproom dining
• Elevated comfort food

Headquarters

HQ city

Idaho Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. On-site food and beverage sales: Direct sales of craft beer and elevated comfort food to consumers at taproom locations. Includes dine-in, pickup, and delivery orders.
2. Canned and bottled beer retail: Sale of canned and bottled beer for off-premise consumption at taproom locations.
3. Gift cards: Sale of gift cards at individual locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Westbound & Down Brewing operates four company-owned brewpubs and taprooms across Colorado (Lafayette, Idaho Springs, Basalt, and Downtown Denver) producing and serving a diverse portfolio of award-winning craft beers alongside an elevated comfort food menu. The Lafayette facility functions as the primary production and packaging site, while the other three locations operate as retail taprooms. The company also sells canned and bottled beer for off-premise consumption and offers online ordering for pickup and delivery.

Product overview

Westbound & Down Brewing Company is a Colorado-based craft brewery founded in 2015, specializing in a diverse portfolio of award-winning beers. The company's product lineup consists of 18 distinct beer styles including IPAs (hazy, West Coast, imperial/double, cold), pale ales, pilsners (Italian and West Coast), lagers (Mexican-style and dark), wheat beers, stouts, and porters. Core flagship products include Juice Caboose (Hazy IPA), Westbound IPA (West Coast IPA), Colorado Pale Ale, and The Coloradan (Mexican Lager). The company operates four taproom locations in Colorado (Lafayette, Idaho Springs, Basalt, and Downtown Denver), with the Lafayette facility serving as the primary production and packaging facility. Food service includes elevated comfort food at brewpub locations. The brewery has earned numerous accolades including 2024 World Beer Cup Silver for Colorado Pale Ale, 2023 GABF Gold for Westbound Select, and 2019 Midsize Brewpub of the Year at GABF.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Juice Caboose Hazy IPA dry-hopped with Idaho 7, Mosaic and Strata hops featuring notes of juicy pineapple, cara cara oranges, mango Hi-Chew candy at 7.2% ABV.
• Westbound IPA West Coast Style IPA with notes of juicy pineapple, mango, fresh cut cara cara oranges and grapefruit rind bitterness at 7% ABV.
• Colorado Pale Ale Modern West Coast Pale Ale brewed and dry-hopped with Strata, Simcoe, Citra and Mosaic at 5.6% ABV.
• Italian Pils Italian Pilsner with bright, floral hop aroma from Hallertau Blanc, Saphir, and Saaz hops with Italian grown pilsner malt at 4.9% ABV.
• The Coloradan Mexican-Style Lager brewed with South of the Border lager yeast, flaked maize and German Hallertau hops.
• Don't Hassle the 'Hef' Hefeweizen style wheat beer with banana and clove nose and citrus finish at 5.4% ABV.
• Westbound Select West Coast IPA featuring hand-selected Mosaic, Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic Cryo, Simcoe Cryo and Citra Cryo hops with aromas of tangerine, peach, strawberry and melon at 6.7% ABV.
• Spirit of the West West Coast IPA brewed and dry-hopped with Mosaic and Strata, featuring pineapple, strawberry, tangerine and cantaloupe flavors at 6.8% ABV.
• Infinity Pils West Coast Pilsner with tropical, citrus and dank aromas from HBC 586, Mosaic and Citra dry-hop.
• Chicago Peaks Kolsch Kolsch style German ale brewed in collaboration with Bierstadt at 4.8% ABV.
• Westbound Double IPA Imperial India Pale Ale with Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic and Nelson hops featuring tangerine, blueberry, pineapple tropical fruits at 8.5% ABV.
• Colorado Nights Dark Mexican-Style Lager brewed with flaked maize, German malts and Hallertau hops at 5.5% ABV.
• Tropical Arts Hazy IPA brewed with El Dorado, El Dorado Incognito, hand-selected Citra and Mosaic hops with tropical and sweet citrus flavors at 7.4% ABV.
• Sightseer Hazy IPA brewed and dry-hopped with Mosaic, Strata and Nelson hops, featuring pineapple, mango, papaya and jammy grapes.
• Westbound Coffee Porter American Porter made with Sweet Bloom Coffee featuring chocolate, roast, espresso and caramel toffee notes at 6.5% ABV.
• New Light Cold IPA brewed with Krush, Simcoe, Mosaic, Citra and Cryo Columbus hops featuring juicy pineapple and dank marijuana notes at 6.9% ABV.
• Oodles of Oats Oatmeal Stout with silky smooth texture and flavors of chocolate, roasty coffee and bittersweet finish at 6.6% ABV.
• Faster Horses West Coast-Style Double IPA featuring Citra, Mosaic, Citra Cryo and Mosaic Cryo hops at 8.7% ABV.
• Lafayette Taproom & Pizzeria Locally loved pizzeria and taproom in Lafayette, Colorado, home to the company's primary production and packaging facility. Lunch served daily from 11am. Sunday-Thursday 11am-8pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-9pm.
• Idaho Springs Brewpub Modern brewpub in Idaho Springs offering elevated comfort food with local vibe for mountain adventure travelers. Monday-Thursday 12pm-8pm, Friday-Sunday 11am-8pm.
• Basalt Taproom Taproom rooted in craft, hospitality and community in the Roaring Fork Valley, Basalt Colorado. Sunday-Wednesday 12pm-8pm, Thursday-Saturday 12pm-9pm. Happy Hour Daily 3-5pm.
• Downtown Denver Taproom Taproom situated within Free Market in Downtown Denver's Dairy Block, highlighting diverse draft list and latest releases. Monday-Saturday 12pm-8pm, Sunday 12pm-6pm.
• Gift Cards Gift cards sold at individual Westbound & Down Brewing taproom locations, redeemable for food and beverages.
• Online Ordering (Pickup & Delivery) Website-based food and beverage ordering service powered by Popmenu, enabling pickup and delivery from the Lafayette location.
• Canned and Bottled Beer for Off-Premise Consumption Retail sale of canned and bottled Westbound & Down craft beer for off-premise consumption, available at the company's Colorado taprooms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Midsize Brewpub of the Year 2019 GABF recognition
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BierstadtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative brewing partnership for Chicago Peaks Kolsch - a Cologne classic German ale brewed with friends at Bierstadt. This was a collaboration beer that won GABF Silver in the Collaboration Competition category in 2022.
• Sweet Bloom CoffeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee supplier partnership for Westbound Coffee Porter. Sweet Bloom Coffee provides beans whose caramel, toffee and Tootsie Roll notes complement the porter's chocolate, roast, and espresso flavors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Odell Brewing Company: Fort Collins-based Colorado craft brewery and taproom operator with a multi-location DTC model and award-winning portfolio, directly comparable to Westbound & Down in geography, scale, and brewpub-style operations.
• Breckenridge Brewery: Colorado craft brewery with multiple taproom/restaurant locations and packaged distribution, comparable in operating a brewpub-plus-production model with broad beer portfolio and DTC focus.
• Great Divide Brewing Company: Denver-based craft brewery with taproom presence and award-winning IPAs/stouts, comparable to Westbound & Down's Colorado brewing roots, barrel-category footprint, and medal-driven brand positioning.
• Avery Brewing Company: Boulder, Colorado craft brewery known for hop-forward IPAs and barrel-aged programs with on-site taproom; comparable to Westbound on Colorado geography, hop-forward portfolio emphasis, and DTC taproom model.
• Bierstadt Lagerhaus: Denver craft brewery and taproom; existing collaboration partner of Westbound & Down (Chicago Peaks Kolsch), making it a directly comparable Colorado peer in scale, taproom model, and lager/pilsner production.
• Ratio Beerworks: Denver craft brewery with taproom and award-winning IPAs; similar mid-size Colorado footprint and brewing portfolio focus to Westbound & Down's taproom-driven DTC model.
• Cerebral Brewing: Denver-based craft brewery specializing in IPAs with a taproom presence; comparable to Westbound's hop-forward product emphasis and Colorado DTC market positioning.
• WeldWerks Brewing Co. Greeley, Colorado craft brewery renowned for IPAs and hazy styles, with multiple GABF medals; directly comparable in mid-size Colorado brewing profile, hop-forward portfolio, and award-driven brand reputation.

Broad incumbents

• New Belgium Brewing Company: Larger Colorado-based craft brewery with extensive distribution and taproom presence; relevant as a higher-scale incumbent in the same regional market and same craft category Westbound competes in.

Regional players

• Horse & Dragon Brewing Company: Fort Collins craft brewery with taproom and limited distribution; comparable mid-sized craft producer with Colorado roots, though operating in a different regional market within the state.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/westboundanddownbrewingco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Westbound & Down Brewing