Denver’s beer scene just doesn’t feel the same. Honestly, if you spent any time walking down Broadway over the last decade, you probably spent at least one sunny afternoon under the shade of that massive silver maple tree on the Banded Oak patio. It was a vibe. But the Banded Oak Brewing closure wasn't just another "out with the old, in with the new" story in a city obsessed with redevelopment. It was a gut punch to the Baker neighborhood.
People loved that place. It wasn't trying to be a flashy, high-concept taproom with neon lights and overpriced sliders. It was about the wood. Chris Spradley and Will Gierlach built something specific there—a brewery centered on the art of barrel-aging, specifically using wine barrels to give their beers a complexity you couldn't find at the average brewpub.
Then, the doors closed.
What Actually Happened with the Banded Oak Brewing Closure?
The news broke in late 2023, and by the time 2024 rolled around, the tanks were being prepped for a new tenant. It wasn't a sudden bankruptcy or a scandalous fallout between partners. It was the reality of the post-2020 economic landscape hitting a mid-sized craft brewery right where it hurts.
Operating a brewery in Denver is expensive. Like, "why am I doing this?" expensive. Between skyrocketing property taxes on Broadway and the sheer cost of raw materials—malt and hops prices have been a nightmare lately—the margins for a neighborhood-focused spot are razor-thin. Banded Oak wasn't a massive regional distributor. They lived and died by the taproom. When the math stopped making sense, the founders decided it was time to step away on their own terms rather than dragging it out until the bank forced their hand.
They officially poured their last pints in December 2023. It was a quiet exit, relatively speaking, marked by a few heartfelt social media posts and a final weekend where regulars came to drain the last of the barrel-aged sleepers.
The Neighborhood Factor and the Rise of "The L"
You can't talk about the Banded Oak Brewing closure without talking about the building itself. Located at 470 Broadway, the space was unique. It had that garage-door feel that defines the Denver aesthetic. But the Baker neighborhood is changing. Fast.
The spot didn't stay empty for long. The closure made way for a new chapter: The L.
If you’re a cocktail fan, you’ve probably heard of The L on South Broadway. They’re known for high-end drinks and a moodier, more sophisticated atmosphere than your typical brewery. When Banded Oak exited, the team behind The L saw an opportunity to expand. They didn't just want a second location; they wanted a "Social Club."
This transition says a lot about where Denver's drinking culture is headed. We are seeing a shift away from the "brewery on every corner" model toward multi-concept spaces that offer cocktails, wine, and a more curated social experience. It’s a bit bittersweet. While the new spot is undeniably cool, it marks the end of an era where a couple of guys could just tinker with barrels and call it a business.
Why Barrel-Aging Made Them Different
Most breweries have a "barrel program." Usually, it’s a few stouts tucked in a corner gathering dust for a year. Banded Oak was different because the barrel was the starting point. They didn't just do bourbon barrels; they leaned heavily into wine barrels—Malbec, Cabernet, Chardonnay.
That nuance is hard to replicate.
The physics of a barrel-aged beer are finicky. You're dealing with oxygen ingress, tannin extraction, and the unpredictable nature of wild yeast if you aren't careful. Spradley and his team were masters of this. Their "Pyre" Scotch Ale or their various Italian Grape Ales weren't just beers; they were experiments in terroir. When a place like that closes, we don't just lose a bar; we lose a specific flavor profile that nobody else in the city is quite hitting the same way.
The Economic Reality of Craft Beer in 2026
Let’s be real for a second. The craft beer "bubble" didn't pop—it just got really, really cramped.
In the mid-2010s, you could open a brewery with a decent IPA and a patio and be printing money. Now? You're competing with seltzers, canned cocktails, non-alcoholic spirits, and a generation of drinkers who are more "sober-curious" than their predecessors.
- Rent Hikes: Broadway is a prime corridor. Landlords know it.
- Labor Shortages: Finding and keeping quality cellar staff and beertenders has become a massive overhead cost.
- Consumer Fatigue: There are only so many hazy IPAs a person can drink before they want a Paloma.
The Banded Oak Brewing closure is a case study in this shift. It wasn't a failure of quality. It was a change in the wind. The owners recognized that the energy required to keep a standalone brewery afloat in that specific location was becoming unsustainable compared to the reward.
What’s Left Behind?
The silver maple tree is still there.
That’s the thing about Denver. The bones of the city stay, but the names on the windows change. The transition to a new social club/cocktail lounge under the "The L" umbrella ensures that 470 Broadway remains a community hub, even if the smell of boiling wort is gone.
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For the fans of Banded Oak, the legacy lives on in the bottles tucked away in basement cellars across the Front Range. Those barrel-aged beauties were built to last, and honestly, they'll probably taste even better a couple of years from now.
Lessons for Other Local Breweries
If you're running a small-to-mid-sized brewery right now, the Banded Oak story is a bit of a cautionary tale, but also a blueprint for a "graceful exit."
- Know your numbers. If the rent is outpacing your taproom growth, something has to give.
- Community is everything. The only reason Banded Oak lasted as long as it did—and exited with such goodwill—is because they treated their regulars like family.
- Adapt or evolve. The pivot from a brewery to a cocktail-centric social club by the new tenants shows where the money is moving.
It's okay to miss the old Broadway. It’s okay to be annoyed that your favorite barrel-aged sour isn't on tap anymore. But the Banded Oak Brewing closure reminds us that the only constant in the hospitality industry is change.
If you want to support the spirit of what they started, head down to South Broadway. Check out the new space. Support the independent spots that are still grinding it out, because as we've seen, they won't be there forever.
Next Steps for Denver Beer Lovers:
To honor the legacy of spots like Banded Oak, pivot your support toward other "wood-forward" programs in the city. Check out Purpose Brewing and Cellars (if you're up for a trip to Fort Collins) or Primitive Beer in Longmont for that authentic, barrel-focused experience. If you're staying in Denver, keep an eye on the taplists at Our Mutual Friend or TRVE Brewing—they continue to push the boundaries of fermentation in ways that keep the craft spirit alive.
The beer landscape is smaller now, and more expensive, but the quality remains high for those who know where to look. Support local, drink purposefully, and maybe keep a bottle of that old Banded Oak stash for a special occasion.