Joining the likes of Oskar Blues, Upslope, Great Divide, Denver Beer Co, Odell, Periodic, Resolute, Spice Trade, WeldWerks, Grist, 14er Brewing and more, Broomfield’s 4 Noses Brewing is preparing to branch out beyond their original taproom for a second location.

The 5-year-old brewery plans to operate a taproom and barrel house facility in Boulder focused on sour, wild, and mixed-fermentation beers.

Oak Addendum by 4 Noses—the name of both their upcoming second location and the line of the beers produced there—will be a different entity from the brewery’s headquarters in Broomfield, Colo. But the new location will still proudly represent its 4 Noses lineage, brewmaster and co-owner Tommy Bibliowicz told PorchDrinking.com in an exclusive interview. He aims to open Oak Addendum by late 2019, though he said that could change depending how long it takes to acquire the necessary permits and licenses.

Bibliowicz has been actively pursuing a second location for the past two years, but it wasn’t until 4 Noses hired Brandon Boldt, as we first reported last October, that the dream began to come into focus and fruition. Boldt, the former head brewer of Odd13 Brewing in Lafayette and current operator of Primitive Beer in Longmont, serves as the head of blending, barrel aging, and special projects. With his extensive experience and vast knowledge, 4 Noses is now able to capitalize on brewing the mixed-fermentation beers that Bibliowicz has wanted to focus on for some time.

“(Hiring Boldt) lit a fire under us,” Bibliowicz said. “We want to utilize his talents and grow this part of the business we’re really passionate about.”

At Oak Addendum, Boldt intends to develop a specific technique for mixed fermentation, with a specific emphasis on wild and sour beers. For all beers, whether they are mixed fermentation or “clean beers” like lagers, Boldt will use a coolship. Then, different oak and wooden vessels will be used for open fermentation. And after that, most beers will be stored in foeders or different kinds of barrels for maturation.

Boldt said to expect beers that will be diverse in maturation and flavor profiles, like Table Sours that might age for three to six months and higher gravity beers that could take up to three years.

“As a brewer, despite whatever style, I want to brew something drinkable and you want to have another glass of,” Boldt said. “Nothing wrong with intensity, but I’m more interested in brewing beers you want to have a conversation over and can have five during that conversation and not fall over.”

With breweries across the state specializing in these types of beers—like Boldt’s own Primitive and neighboring Cellar West Brewing in Lafayette—Boldt said Oak Addendum will try to make a name for itself by being “flavor-oriented.” A fan of Cellar West, Boldt said he can drink one its beers and immediately recognize it as a product of the brewery. Like that, Oak Addendum will be uniquely identifiable and have its own house character, or “terroir.”

“We’re interested in using the technique to drive more of that flavor profile,” Boldt said. “That’s one of the reasons we’ll have a different assemblage of microbes to drive different brands in that way. The unifying factor, whether its Lager, Wit Bier, Hefeweizen, or more of the mixed-fermentation beers, I hope there’s still a terroir that showcases throughout.

“We certainly won’t be reinventing the fermentation that some of the beers can showcase,” Boldt said, “but flavors will come together that will be uniquely our own.”

As a taproom, Oak Addendum will be focused on education, featuring seminars and specialized tours, though Bibliowicz wants to also incorporate the same community feel that makes the Broomfield location special. The seating capacity will be close to 70 with a patio, and the hours, though not yet determined, will likely be early enough to allow people “to grab a beer after work,” Bibliowicz said.

“We want people to be able to come in and just grab a beer, if that’s what they want to,” he said. “Or if they want to learn about all the new, interesting things we’re producing, they can do that. If they want to sit down and have a lager, we support that, as well.” Bibliowicz declined to say in which neighborhood in Boulder the new spot is located, saying only he will announce that at a later date.

Oak Addendum will open without an actual brewhouse, instead, the wort will be brewed in Broomfield. It will however house between 20 to 30 taps and feature core 4 Noses brews, but the majority of beers available will be served in bottles. This, along with the design of the taproom (crafted by Bibliowicz’s brother, an architect and a 4 Noses co-owner), is for “transparency.”

“One of the things we want to showcase is the technique,” Boldt said. “Show people what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

This additional location will increase 4 Noses’ production by a couple hundred of barrels, but its purpose is not necessarily for expansion. At the moment, 4 Noses is projected to brew between 10,000 and 12,000 barrels this year, up from 600 barrels in its rookie year in 2014. But Oak Addendum beers won’t be distributed beyond the two taprooms, at least for now.

“The focus isn’t expanding our size. That’s not the point,” Bibliowicz said. “It’s making sure that we’re staying interested and caring about all the different things we’re making.”

This news comes on the heels of WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley announcing the opening of a second taproom in Colorado Springs. Bibliowicz understands it’s an interesting, even uncertain, time for craft beer right now. But just like WeldWerks, 4 Noses is confident the market is ready for more of its beer.

“This is definitely us branching out, but we have a lot of confidence in Brandon and the projects we’re producing,” Bibliowicz said. “We have something to say. We have something we want to add to the conversation at large.”

---

Can't visit the site everyday like us? Bummer! No worries, we've got you covered. Submit your email below to receive our monthlyish newsletter on reviews, tours, events and more!

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you're human: