Red Swing Brewhouse Transforms Old FH Downtown
Hey Colorado Springs beer fam, let’s have a quick talk about Red Swing Brewing. Sitting right across the street from the already incredible Pikes Peak Lager House, Red Swing knew they needed to raise the bar—not just meet it. I had a chance to sit down with Claude Burns, and his brewing team recently, and I’m excited for what they’ve got cooked up!
New Everything (Almost)
When you walk into Red Swing here in the next few weeks(fingers crossed), their hope is that it doesn’t feel like any place you’ve been before. While this space made Fieldhouse into a local powerhouse and allowed them to transition to FH Beerworks and move eastward, the team at Red Swing hopes to be able to forge their own path. The bones are very much the same, as it’s hard to move the brewing space and the cooler, but Red Swing has taken leaps and bounds to transform what was leftover, while bringing their own charm to the space.
I can’t say much for how the space will feel, as they were still working on finishing up the buildout, but based on the plans, Red Swing hopes to have a good flow, with ample seating inside and out. A patio has been created out back, with a small space on the Tejon side as well. Brewhouse-wise, Red Swing has moved the fermenters from the front windows and added another window in the brewhouse wall. Now, standing at the bar, you’ll be able to see out to the street, and vice versa (Helpful on those busy nights, I reckon).
Brewers Ryan Emley, Alan Stiles and owner Claude Burns inside Red Swing Brewhouse.
The Brewers
A brewery isn’t really anything without its beers—without its brewers. Claude, at the urging of FOTB’s Josh Howard, got in touch with Alan Stiles, the Phantom Canyon-scorned brewmaster, and the rest is history. Alan brings 20+ years of brewing knowledge to Red Swing, and I’m sure you will immediately see it in the beers. After he and now-Red Leg Brewer Troy Johnson were ousted unceremoniously from Phantom Canyon, Alan spent time helping local youth, but brewing is where he’s at home. Alan made it clear that opening a new brewery right now is providing him with a bit more stress than any of his previous brewing adventures, though he seems ultimately energized by the new challenges that face Red Swing.
These two won’t be pumping out any run of the mill “I homebrewed for 5 years and now I own a brewery” beers. Helping with the day-to-day brewing will be Ryan Emley, who brewed alongside Alan at Phantom before a stint at Red Leg more recently. They’ve committed to making classic, good beer, with some fun things thrown in as well. Ryan had just racked a coffee beer into the brite when I arrived, so the place smelled like coffee and beer…I couldn’t complain. One interesting thing to note, when they aren’t adding flavorings to the beer during brewing, Red Swing can do it at the keg-level, since the kegs the brewery bought have side-bungs. Think half-barrel sized firkins.
The Opening
When asked about an opening date, Claude and the guys all agreed they were pushing for a November opening, but many of the last minute details were still being ironed out. The bar and seating still needs to be built, but the beers are well on their way. Keep your eyes peeled on Focus on the Beer’s many channels, as we’ll have more information as soon as an opening date is announced, cheers!
