New Brewery Fires Up Owner Justin Baccary (left) and Head Brewmaster Wayne Waananen (right) pause for a photo during their first ever brew at Station Twenty Six Brewing Co., a brewery in north Park Hill that will open December 14. Housed in an old firehouse, Baccary says, “We have a cool space. People will be excited to drink here.”
By Madeline Schroeder
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buy from the food trucks that will park out overhead doors made for firetrucks front daily. While enjoying their beer, people allow easy access for bringing in ustin Baccary was all smiles on a recent will also be able to watch the brew process. equipment. Thirteen-foot ceilings Friday morning as he walked between Only a bar top separates the pub area from give plenty of space for big brewing humming equipment. “We’re making the brewing equipment. tanks. The firehouse already has beer!” he cheered, almost skipping. His sloped floors and drains originally energy was magnetic. Guys on ladders used to wash firetrucks, which with paintbrushes cheered. Even Wayne otherwise would have been an Waananen, head brewmaster with just the expensive addition. right amount of crustiness, surrendered a Upstairs, Baccary uses the smile. firefighter dorms as office and After more than a year of preparing, storage space, where he predicts Baccary is opening Station Twenty Six he will also sleep some nights. Brewing Co. in north Park Hill. “It’s a Although built more than 40 little surreal,” he says. They plan to open years ago, the space has an edgy Dec. 14. Top to bottom, the beginning steps of brewing: feel you may find in the Highlands, Justin Baccary slowly pours kernels into the mill A New Jersey native, Baccary moved where Baccary lives. Stainless steel tanks that grinds and transfers them to the mash tun, a to Denver for a finance job in 2007 and large steel pot; using a wood mash paddle, Wayne combined with yellow tiles and red started home brewing. Quickly he realized Waananen stirs the grains, which sit in the mash his passion was not finance, and he got a A few weeks before opening, the brewery is abuzz with brick are not the typical bar atmotun for one hour at about 150 degrees; the two preparation. After cleaning fermenter tanks, a worker sphere. During the summer they will job brewing at Breweria in Aurora. After occasionally check grains. After an hour, the liquid is ducks back into the main brewing area. The beer sits in open the overhead doors. pumped into the boil kettle where hops are added, a couple of years, he decided to start his the tanks for one to two weeks and is then transferred and leftover or “spent grain” is given to farmers. “We have a cool space. People will own brewery and connected with Wayne to serving tanks for people to enjoy. be excited to drink here.” Waananen, who has won awards at the “We think it’s cool we’re making beer only Station Twenty Six Brewing Co. opens Ave. For more information, visit https://www. Great American Beer Festival and helped 15 feet away. We didn’t want to hide it. It’s December 14. It’s located at 7045 E. 38th facebook.com/S26BC?ref=br_tf. start the Sandlot Brewery at Coors Field. sort of an integral part of the space,” he says. While choosing the location, he hunted In fact, the space is unique in many ways. for an area in Denver that doesn’t have a Firefighters vacated the firehouse in 2006. brewery. “I mapped out all the breweries in Starting in 2009, artists Ceri Jones Salahadyn town, and Park Hill and Stapleton was one and Khabir Salahadyn worked for a year to big hole.” “It’s been a long process from finding the renovate the firehouse to operate their art and functional metalworks business called “The space to raising the money to ordering the Auto Accidents Collaboratory.” Their renovation included equipment. And now we’re brewing,” he adding a code-required sprinkler system. says with another smile. Catastrophic Injury They lived upstairs, where the firefightAmong nine other beers that will be on Wrongful Death ers slept, and used the downstairs as their tap opening day, their first brew this particworkshop and retail area. Ceri and Khabir ular day was Cherry Wood Smoked Amber collaborated with Swigert principal Chuck Ale. Their goal is a variety of beers for every Raisch and the school’s landscape architect to taste—easy-to-drink, hoppy, dark with coffee flavors, and more. “Just good beer. We build a one-of-a-kind sunshade for the Swigert playground that illuminates the patterns don’t adhere to a strict box.” of the constellations. The Salahadyns left the They will brew twice a week and rotate building when Khabir was diagnosed with beers on tap every week, often creating variliver cancer in 2012. ations from already existing brews. www.yourstorywillbetold.com Baccary was thrilled to find the space The brewery will not offer food, but 303.563.5354 | Stapleton-Owned people can bring their own, order delivery or and says it’s well suited for a brewery. Big
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December 2013