Rising Up: Nano's plan forward
Our last article about the events that led to a changeover at Nano 108 Brewing definitely has sent some shockwaves, and one thing we realized is that we didn’t give enough emphasis to the direction the brewery is planning going forward. I reached back out to Zach Weller to find out a little more about the changes they have planned.
One of the pieces of our original conversation that didn’t quite make it into the first article was that throughout our conversations, Zach and Nano continually expressed wanting Keith to find peace. The past year was a battle for everyone and Zach and his crew don’t hold any ill will towards him. He built a great brewery, one with employees who cared enough to stick it out through thick and thin, but even that great brewery didn’t get enough love or respect this past year or so. The crew at Nano learned a lot from working with Keith, and because of that, they knew they had to save the brewery.
Now, questions arose asking why Nano didn’t change their name in the wake of the events that transpired. Based on our conversations, Zach said that it wouldn’t feel right to go in a completely different direction and it would alienate some of the regular customers who still frequent the brewery each and every week, so they kept the moniker.
That said, Zach assured me that the brewery would feel brand spanking new over the course of the new year.
Collaborations, changes
One thing that Zach felt that was missing with Nano in recent years was collaborations with other breweries and industry people. That’s all changing, and pretty much right away. Focus on the Beer has been talking with Zach about a fruited sour collaboration that will happen in January, and we’ve heard talks of a collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Food Report as well, since Dionne’s been a regular at Nano forever.
The new year will bring an expansion of sorts for Nano. Zach tells me that they’re planning on getting their beers out to more outside accounts and trying to crack into new markets in the area. If all goes according to plan, you may even see more medals on the wall, as they’re looking to enter more contests and travel to more beer events.
We can talk all we want about the plans, but the main thing that people will notice at Nano is a refresh of the interior and the patio. There’s not a timeline in place for the refresh, but Zach tells me they’re considering changing up the paint colors, putting more art on the walls and expanding the patio to accommodate more beer drinkers!
New Beers
Along with some aesthetic changes, Nano is planning on offering some different flavors on tap as well! Zach mentioned multiple options of the usual malty, hoppy and dark, but also mentioned that Nano will have a seltzer soon. They’re looking to take a customer-driven approach, so if there’s a style you want to see/drink, give them a holler!
Back to basics
I know we mentioned that Nano was going back to basics, but I wanted to stress it’s the main goal for 2020. Zach tells me they are working to get more involved in the beer community, with a Brewer’s Cup running team and more community focused events at the brewery. After that, it’ll be great beer and great people, like it was originally envisioned by Keith, just brought back into focus by a new set of eyes.
