Vail Brewing Company

What Vail Brewing Company does

Vail Brewing Company is an independent, veteran and ski bum-owned craft brewery founded in 2014 in Eagle-Vail, Colorado. The company operates entirely through direct-to-consumer channels at three owned locations: the Eagle-Vail Brewery & Tasting Room (primary production facility), the Vail Village Tasting Room in Solaris Plaza, and the Gypsum Brewery & Tasting Room. It produces a portfolio of ~15 craft beers including core offerings (Hot Mess Blonde Ale, Pete's Stash Pale Ale, Gore Creek IPA) and rotating seasonal releases spanning IPAs, lagers, fruited sours, porters, and a hard seltzer (Apres H20), brewed with specialty hops (Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic, Falconer's Flight), premium malts, and a barrel aging program.

The business generates revenue from on-premise draft beer sales (5oz, 10oz, 16oz pours, flights, pitchers), packaged to-go beer (4-pack 16oz cans, 32oz Crowlers, 32oz/64oz Growlers), on-site food service via Barley + Salt Craft Kitchen (pizzas, appetizers, salads), merchandise (hats, glassware, apparel, gift cards $10-$200), branded retail coffee (Hot Mess Blonde Roast, Night Moves Dark Roast co-developed with Vail Coffee and Tea Company), and private event space rentals. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer with no third-party wholesale, retail, or marketplace channels.

The company serves two primary customer segments: Vail Valley local residents and visitors to the Vail/Beaver Creek ski areas, with a brand identity ("Crafted With Altitude; Brewed for Adventure") and community sponsorship program (Pink Vail, Children's Garden of Learning, Vail Valley Young Professionals) targeted at the mountain lifestyle demographic. The company has won multiple industry awards including World Beer Cup Bronze medals and NABA Gold and Bronze medals, and is privately held with no institutional or PE/VC backing.

Name

Vail Brewing Company

Legal name

Vail Brewing Co.

Website

https://vailbrewingco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vail Brewing Company is a veteran and ski bum-owned craft brewery operating three direct-to-consumer tasting rooms in Colorado's Vail Valley. Founded in 2014, it brews a rotating portfolio of ~15 craft beers and runs on-site food, merchandise, and event space at its Eagle-Vail, Vail Village, and Gypsum locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewery

NAICS

Breweries (31212)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Craft Brewing (AFAFAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA), Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Craft brewery operations
• Brewpub food service
• Tasting room experiences
• Craft beer distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Vail

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. On-site Beer Sales: Draft beer sales at three tasting room locations. Beer served in various sizes (5oz, 10oz, 16oz), flights of four 5oz pours, and pitchers.
2. Packaged Beer Sales: Canned beer to-go including 4-pack 16oz cans (Hot Mess Blonde Ale), Crowlers (32oz), Growlers (32oz and 64oz).
3. Food Service: Barley + Salt Craft Kitchen at Eagle-Vail and Gypsum locations offering pizzas ($14-17.50), appetizers, salads, sandwiches and wraps.
4. Merchandise Sales: Online and on-site sales of branded merchandise including hats ($28-30), glassware ($8), apparel, and gift cards ($10-200).
5. Event Space Rental: Private event hosting for group parties, corporate meetings, birthday parties, and wedding events at Eagle-Vail and Vail Village locations.
6. Wine, Spirits, and RTD Sales: Offering wine, spirits, alcoholic RTD beverages, and kombucha at tasting rooms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vail Brewing Company is a craft brewery producing and serving a rotating portfolio of hand-crafted beers across three tasting room locations in the Vail Valley of Colorado. The brewery specializes in traditional brewing using quality ingredients including specialty hops and premium malts, with barrel aging capabilities, and operates an on-site food service (Barley + Salt Craft Kitchen), merchandise shop, and event space rental.

Product overview

Vail Brewing Company is an independent craft brewery founded in 2014, veteran and ski bum owned, operating multiple locations in the Vail Valley, Colorado. The company offers a portfolio of craft beers centered around core offerings including Hot Mess Blonde Ale, Pete's Stash Pale Ale, and Gore Creek IPA, supplemented by seasonal and rotating selections such as Eye Candy Hazy IPA, Kolsch, West Coast IPA, fruited sours, porters, and lagers. The company operates three distinct venues: the Eagle-Vail Brewery & Tasting Room (primary brewing facility with Barley + Salt craft kitchen), the Gypsum Brewery & Tasting Room (production facility with food service coming soon), and the Vail Village Tasting Room (intimate event space). Additional revenue streams include merchandise (hats, shirts, glassware), branded coffee products, gift cards, growler/crowler fills, and private event space rentals. The brewery has won multiple awards including NABA medals for Deck Daze Wheat, Tourist Trap Double IPA, Gore Creek IPA, and Pete's Stash Pale Ale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hot Mess Blonde Ale Light blonde ale with smooth malt character and mellow citrus notes from Citra hops. ABV 5.4%, SRM 4, IBU 20. Available on draft and in 4-pack 16oz cans.
• Pete's Stash Pale Ale Crisp pale ale with 2-row malt, red wheat, and Crystal 15L. Notes of citrus, grapefruit, passionfruit and pine resin from Falconer's Flight, Simcoe, and Mosaic hops. ABV 6%, SRM 6, IBU 45.
• Gore Creek IPA Traditional mountain IPA balanced between malt and hops, featuring Simcoe and Citra hops. ABV 7%, SRM 7, IBU 60.
• Eye Candy Hazy IPA Hazy IPA hopped with Mosaic, Nelson, and Krush. Soft and pillowy with tropical notes of passionfruit and melon. ABV 6.6%.
• Kolsch Light and crisp beer brewed with German Pilsner malt and Saaz and French Barbe Rouge hops. ABV 4.8%.
• Amarillo By Morning WCIPA West Coast IPA with North Star Pilsner malt, Columbus, Mosaic, El Dorado, and Amarillo hops, dry hopped with Mosaic and Amarillo. ABV 6.8%.
• White River Wheat Wheat beer brewed with Pilsen malt and malted wheat. Notes of citrus and light spice. ABV 5.5%.
• Jam Session Fruited Sour Berliner Weiss base sour with loads of Raspberry and Blackberry puree.
• Night Laps Robust Porter Medium bodied porter with notes of chocolate and coffee. Mildly bitter. ABV 6.3%.
• Strawberry Blonde Ale Classic blonde ale infused with strawberry puree.
• Riva Red Ale Red ale brewed with red crystal rye. Medium malt character with notes of rye, bread crust, and mild hop bitterness. ABV 5.1%.
• Czech Dark Lager Silky-smooth dark lager with rich toasty bread crust, caramel, and chocolate, with a crisp dry finish.
• MXL Mexican Lager Mexican-style lager available in 16oz 4-pack cans. ABV 6.5%.
• Apres H20 Hard Seltzer Hard seltzer brewed with real raspberry and cranberry. ABV 5.0%.
• Deck Daze Wheat Passionfruit tea infused wheat beer. Awarded Gold at NABA Herbed & Spiced category.
• Tourist Trap Double IPA Double IPA. Awarded Bronze at NABA Double/Imperial India Pale Ale category.
• Hot Mess Blonde Roast Coffee 12oz bag of blonde roast coffee blend from Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea. Priced at $17.00. Used in Morning After Coffee Blonde Ale.
• Night Moves Dark Roast Coffee 12oz bag of dark roast blend from Columbia, Brazil and Papua New Guinea. Priced at $17.00. Used in Night Moves Coffee Stout.
• Barley + Salt Craft Kitchen Food service at Eagle-Vail and Gypsum locations offering pizzas ($14-17.50), appetizers, salads, sandwiches, wraps, and desserts for craft beer patrons.
• Event Space Rental Private event hosting for group parties, corporate meetings, birthday parties, and wedding events at Eagle-Vail and Vail Village locations.
• Beer Flights Flight of four different 5oz pours for sampling across the craft beer portfolio at all tasting rooms.
• Crowler Fills 32oz Crowler can fills available with any beer on tap at all locations for off-site consumption.
• Growler Fills 32oz and 64oz growler fills available with any beer on tap at locations for off-site consumption.
• Branded Merchandise Branded merchandise including trucker hats ($28-30), snapback hats, 5-panel caps ($30), shirts in various colors, 16oz Belgian glass ($8), pint glasses, Boston Can glasses, and apparel.
• Gift Cards Gift cards available in denominations of $10, $15, $20, $25, $30, $40, $50, $75, $100, and $200.

Quantifiable outcome

• World Beer Cup Bronze Medal - Pete's Stash Pale Ale (Australian-Style Pale Ale)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vail Coffee and Tea CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Vail Coffee and Tea Company to develop the Hot Mess Blonde Roast coffee blend. This proprietary blend of beans from Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea is used in the Morning After Coffee Blonde Ale and sold as retail coffee bags. Head Brewer worked directly with VCT team to craft the blend.
• Angry James BreweryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Czech Dark Lager production. Joint development of specialty beer style featuring silky-smooth balance of rich, toasty bread crust, caramel, and chocolate with crisp, dry finish.
• Skitown All-starsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on VBC HOT MESS Hat - Black/Metallic Pink. Foam trucker-style snap back collaboration product.
• Vail Valley Young ProfessionalsminorOthersProud sponsor of Vail Valley Young Professionals, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting a young, dynamic, professional community in the Vail Valley. Organization provides opportunities in business development, community awareness, networking, and community involvement.
• Children's Garden of LearningminorOthersCommunity support for local learning center that uses student-driven, experiential learning approaches. Fundraising for adventure learning activities for children in Vail Colorado.
• Shaw Cancer CenterminorOthersDonated 10% of sales during Pink Vail event to Shaw Cancer Center in Edwards, Colorado. Center is fully accredited and known for exceptional and compassionate cancer care with advanced technology and innovative methods.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Breckenridge Brewery: Colorado-based craft brewery operating production facilities plus multiple taprooms across the state. Highly comparable to Vail Brewing as a mountain-region craft brewery with multiple tasting room venues, food service, and a similar core product mix of IPAs, ambers, and seasonal beers.
• Aspen Brewing Company: Craft brewery based in Aspen, Colorado — another affluent ski mountain town. Directly comparable as a small-batch, mountain-lifestyle craft brewery serving ski-tourism traffic with on-site tasting rooms and a rotating tap program.
• Telluride Brewing Company: Craft brewery based in Telluride, Colorado — another premier Colorado ski town. Directly comparable as a small mountain craft brewery serving ski-tourism customers with on-site taproom and a focus on lifestyle-aligned branding.
• Angry James Brewery: Local Colorado craft brewery that has collaborated with Vail Brewing Company on a Czech Dark Lager. Comparable as a similarly-sized craft brewery operating in the same regional market with a focus on specialty and collaboration brews.
• Bonfire Brewing: Eagle, Colorado craft brewery in the same Vail/Eagle River Valley region as Vail Brewing Company. Directly comparable as a small regional craft brewery serving the same community with a similar tasting room and event-driven model.
• Crazy Mountain Brewing Company: Edwards, Colorado craft brewery also located in the Vail Valley. The most direct geographic peer, serving the same local and tourist customer base with a comparable taproom and craft beer portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Odell Brewing Company: Established Colorado craft brewery with production facility plus taproom. Comparable on geography and craft beer focus with similar taproom hospitality model, though Odell is meaningfully larger with broader distribution.
• New Belgium Brewing: One of the largest craft breweries in the U.S., founded in Fort Collins, Colorado. Comparable as a Colorado craft beer producer with broad distribution, multiple taprooms, and a hospitality-driven visitor experience, though operating at significantly greater scale.
• Ska Brewing: Durango, Colorado craft brewery operating a production facility plus a tasting room and restaurant concept. Comparable as a Colorado-based craft brewery combining brewing with on-site food and event space, with broader distribution than Vail Brewing.

Regional players

• Carbondale Beer Works: Small Colorado craft brewery in the Roaring Fork Valley. Comparable as a regional Colorado craft brewery operating a brewpub model with on-site food service, though operating in a different (adjacent) ski market than Vail Brewing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VailBrewingCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/vailbrewingco
• Instagraminstagram.com/vailbrewingco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vail-brewing-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Vail Brewing Company