A brewery with a dog park is a cool idea, but can it succeed?

You can’t have a photo like this and not use it.

Dogs and beer are man’s best friends, so it only makes sense that a dog-beer-human combo brewery would be a solid success, right? Yeah, we understand a large portion of craft breweries already have fairly dog-friendly bylaws (especially on patios), but Off Leash Ales in Littleton, Colo, is a little different. A husband and wife duo (Erica and Manuel Barca) are aiming to build a brewery that has an actual dog park facility. The couple has leased a 6,700-square-foot space in Littleton that also has a pair of patios and a 1,500-square-foot outdoor area which would make a cool dogs-run-and-play-while-you-drink area.

From BusinessDen.com:

“Our number one focus is on the beer,” Erica said. “But if there’s one thing Coloradans love even more than craft beer, it’s their dogs.”

Yes, dogs are cool. I mean just look at these lovable mutts! But there may be some hurdles to jump. First off, the Manuels estimate it’s going to cost them about $350,000 to get Off Leash Ales off the ground, and they hope to start off with a seven-barrel brewing system in November. Also, mixing animals and consumables isn’t always an easy business model to execute. In fact, many folks in Denver have already tried dogs and beer and failed, so obviously it’s important to know your local laws when doing something unique like this. For example, Off Leash Ales might not be able to sell food. Also, your awesome beer fetching mutt might not be allowed.

From the BusinessDen.com article:

Dogs and beer haven’t always been the perfect pairing, at least inside the Denver city limits. The Bark Bar on 38th Avenue closed in January 2015, when the city’s zoning administrator ruled the bar’s dog yard was not permitted under the property’s zoning.

The barks-and-brews concept took a shot in Denver earlier this year after city inspectors said dogs would not be allowed in city breweries.

Off Leash Ales, however, is in Jefferson County. After speaking with county officials, Erica Baca said she and Manuel are operating under the assumption that they’ll be able to have the dog park as long as Off Leash Ales doesn’t serve food.

Regardless, we hope it’s a success because we dig the idea of drinking some suds with our favorite canine companions.