Colorado’s Rock Solid Tommyknocker Brewery Making Big Moves

Packaging Refresh, Portfolio Update and Brewpub Remodel Ring in a New Era 

(IDAHO SPRINGS, CO) Every year more than 20 million Rocky Mountain travelers pass by the iconic Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub located along I-70 in the historic mining town of Idaho Springs, CO. Since its 1994 inception, this rugged and innovative mountain town brewery has delighted fans and curious travelers for decades, and they are true Colorado craft pioneers. Few people know that Tommyknocker was among the first breweries in the country to embrace cans or that they continue to hand zest every orange that goes into their flagship, Blood Orange IPA. Now, with exciting changes to their can and packaging art, a dynamic new portfolio expansion, and a more than $100,000 investment into remodeling their mountain tap room and pub - craft beer drinkers have every reason to give this OG Independent Colorado brewer a fresh look. 

“To have come this far in the craft beer industry you need a rock solid foundation and the willingness to innovate,” said Tommknocker President (and Camp Counselor), Steve Indrehus. “While our portfolio still has many of the beloved classics, we’re incredibly excited about these new beers and the fresh look and feel for the brand and the brewery. We’ve never had this many new year round beers come out at once. We think it’s going to be game changing.”

New beer offerings include Mountain West Modern West Coast IPA (quite possibly a whole new category of IPA), Off Leash Juicy IPA, Mother Lode Juicy Double IPA (weighing in at a formidable 9.2% abv), Peach Dream Fruited Sour, and Crispy Colorado Lager. Consumers  can pick up a variety 12-pack featuring a sampling of these new flavors all across Colorado and Tommyknocker's six other states of distribution (FL, NB, NM, OH, PA and WY). 

These beers are brewed using the latest industry tech, but still have a Rock Solid soul. Long time fans will be happy to find their beloved classic Maple Nut Brown is still available year round, just rebranded as “That 90’s Brown.” These cans now even come with their own streamable 90’s playlist curated by Indrehus, featuring the likes of Green Day and Tom Petty, accessed through a QR code. 

Tommyknocker worked closely with Denver-based strategy agency Ahead of the Curve Strategy and Ember Design to update their packaging and portfolio and tagline.The new look still features their namesake Tommyknocker (tommyknockers were mischievous elves who could, depending on mood, help or hinder local miners in the 1860’s) paired with fresh, colorful graphic montages and shoppable product information on each can. Nate Herschleb of Ember Design concurs. “The push for the new look was to reflect the vibrant and younger craft beer scene in Colorado. And we think we nailed it.”

“Our goal was to update the Tommyknocker iconography while respecting the character and the institution that are so familiar to many craft beer drinkers,” said AOTC’s Creative Chief and Co-founder, Dan Kiefer. “We wanted to celebrate the brewery’s mining town roots while giving their beers a fresh look that better reflects the dynamic nature of craft beer today.” 

With new beers and a brand refresh, Tommyknocker is also going all in on a brewpub remodel. The brewery is investing more than $100,000 to remove walls and “open up” their 30,000 sq. ft. Idaho Springs facility later this year. But there’s no need to wait for the remodel to visit the brewery and pub. Idaho Springs has shut down auto traffic along Main Street for the summer, creating a bustling pedestrian walking mall. 

“Tommyknocker’s outdoor street beer garden is the perfect place to soak up the mountain vibes, enjoy a delicious pint and hear some live music,” says Indrehus. “Live music happens every Thursday night outside the pub and there are even donkey rides for the kids on weekends throughout the summer.”

This rock solid Colorado icon understands that in order to evolve and stay fresh you have to have a strong foundation. 

“We’ve tried to be a community hub throughout the pandemic,” said Indrehus. “Now that things are opening back up, it’s the perfect time to freshen our look and lineup. We couldn’t be more excited about these changes, and we believe our fans are going to be blown away as well.”

Beer drinkers can find the newest & nearest Tommyknocker Beers at: https://tommyknocker.com/p/beer-finder

To learn more about Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub visit: https://tommyknocker.com/