USA, CO: Backacre Beermakers to close after 15 years of operation

A small brewery that had been based in Vermont before moving to Colorado announced April 3 that it will be closing after 15 years of operation, Burlington Free Press reported on April 5.

Backacre Beermakers began in Weston with a particular focus on one product, its Sour Golden Ale. The beer, sold in bottles, was barrel-fermented and aged for more than a year.

Backacre left its origins for Denver in 2022. The family business that referred to itself as a “blendery” was operated by John Donovan of Weston and Erin Donovan and Matthew Baumgart of Denver.

“We thoroughly enjoyed making our beer,” Erin Donovan is quoted in a news release as saying. “In our 15 years in business, we produced 17 blends. Creating our blends was always a special process and we learned so much over the years."

In an email exchange with the Burlington Free Press, Erin Donovan said the trio decided now was the moment to step away from Backacre Beermakers.

“We gave it our all and are proud of what we accomplished,” she wrote. “But it was just the right time for us to step away.”

Vermont beer aficionados reacted quickly on April 3 to Backacre’s announcement. Commentors on the Vermont Craft Beer Fans page on Facebook lamented the end of the perpetually hard-to-find nano-brew, with one writing that Backacre’s signature product “was one of my favs to hunt down in VT back in the day.”

Kevin Kerner, co-owner of the Three Penny Taproom in Montpelier, told the Free Press in 2022 that Backacre's Sour Golden Ale was among his favorite lesser-known Vermont-made beers. He called it "an incredible diamond in the rough amidst the embarrassment of riches that is Vermont."

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