Westbound & Down Brewing announces brewery expansion and crowd-funding campaign

Westbound & Down Brewing, one of Colorado’s fastest-growing and most highly decorated breweries of the past decade, is continuing to build momentum by kicking off the next phase of its growth while also inviting beer fans to come along for the ride.

Founded in Idaho Springs in 2015, the Colorado-based brewery has had a busy last five years. Beginning with the acquisition of the former Endo Brewing space in Lafayette, Colorado, in 2021, which now serves as Westbound’s flagship production facility and brewpub, the burgeoning Colorado brewery quickly followed that move with the opening of a satellite taproom in downtown Denver’s Dairy Block Free Market space in 2022. Most recently, Westbound continued to build on its ethos of serving as a gateway to the outdoors with the acquisition of a pair of Roaring Fork Valley staples in Aspen Brewing Co. in Aspen and Capitol Creek Brewery in Basalt, Colorado.

Over the last six years, Westbound has grown 1,835% and quadrupled production. That year-over-year growth is on track to continue skyrocketing after the brewery recently signed with state-wide distributor, Elite Brands, making its beer available at nearly 300 bars and restaurants and over 320 retail locations, including every Whole Foods store in Colorado. Now, Westbound & Down is ready to ramp up its next phase of expansion to help keep up with demand.

This newest production expansion includes the addition of 6 fermenters, 1 brite tank, and major upgrades to its canning line and glycol system, which will all combine to allow the brewery to nearly double its current production capacity immediately, with additional plans to quadruple production by 2028.

Launching in conjunction with this next phase of expansion, Westbound & Down is also excited to kick off a crowd-funded capital raise through the DealMaker platform to help fuel its continued upward trajectory.

“We want to continue to make the best beer in Colorado without cutting any corners,” said Jake Gardner, CEO & Director of Brewing Operations for Westbound & Down Brewing. “This cap raise allows us to continue to match our growth trajectory while still having 100% control of the product.”

Intent on empowering the same craft beer fans that helped catapult craft beer’s recent modern resurgence, DealMaker allows everyday beer enthusiasts to make a minimum investment of as low as $750. Escalating tiers of bonus shares and investor perks such as free beer, brewery discounts, a yearly investor party, and even a private barrel-aged beer selection will bring some added benefits. However, at its core, the crowd-funding opportunity is primarily about creating greater equity and lowering the barrier of entry for Westbound’s fans to become part of the brewery’s growth while keeping up with the brewery’s meteoric demand.

“The craft beer movement exploded because of regular beer drinkers like the ones we see in our brewpubs each and every day, not just a handful of wealthy investors,” said Gardner. “Beer is the drink of the people, and by opening this opportunity up to the people who drink our beer and frequent our pubs allows them to be part of the movement.”

Throughout its nearly decade-long legacy, Westbound & Down has prioritized hiring the highest quality staff, producing the highest quality beer, and providing the highest quality hospitality at its brewpubs. But even more impressive has been its ability to do so while investing in its home state of Colorado as it continues to build toward serving the state as the go-to premium craft beer brand of choice. Learn more about Westbound & Down’s crowdfunded capital raise campaign here.