What did this place used to be?
"What did this place used to be?" It is a common question we get in the tap room. It’s funny how faulty our memories are. We can drive by a place for years and then [...]
Competition and American Light Lager – Round 2
Let me start by saying Renegade is part of the problem. It is often only after a problem exists that we can have the clarity to see how the problem formed – hindsight, I believe [...]
To Glitter Beer…Or Not to Glitter Beer
In the 80’s, life centered around glitz and glam. The box office brought us Big, Working Girl, Wall Street and Glengarry Glen Ross, movies that put value on corporate success. MTV hit the airwaves in [...]
God Bless Pearl Jam
God bless Pearl Jam. If you have read any of my blogs before, you probably know that I am hopelessly stuck in my college days of the 90’s. Sure, I like some of the new [...]
Memories Are Funny
Memories are funny. They are often buried… that is, until something digs them out. When I was a kid, living in the Albany area of New York, my mom would buy hot dogs from this [...]
Six Years of Beers and Community
Every year, like every other brewery on the planet, we toast the fact that we have managed to keep the fermenters full, the mill grinding, the glycol chiller humming and the taps flowing for the [...]
O’Connell’s Lead Stout
I’m of Irish descent. If you couldn’t tell by my name perhaps my St. Patrick’s Day rant last year tipped you off. I’m proud of my heritage, so it should be of little surprise that [...]
1916 Colorado Lager: A History
I’m not a native. That’s right, I’m not entitled to put one of those bumper stickers on my car. Colorado has been my home for almost 9 years now. As a person who has moved [...]
Exit Strategy
Let me start this by saying that every business owner needs an exit strategy. Most businesses will find themselves needing a cash injection from an investor and it can make great sense to partner with [...]
Five Years Later…
I opened the doors to Renegade on June 26, 2011, a Sunday, just like it is this year. That was 5 years ago and I can remember that moment like it was yesterday. I remember [...]
Nostalgia
You know when you feel truly passionate about something? Life beats it out of us after a while. But, sometimes, we are reminded of our younger self, through a song, or place or a smell [...]
Don’t You Deserve Better?
06/09/15 Beer festival season is upon us once again. Really, I’m not sure there is a festival season anymore. When I first started Renegade there was. But now, festivals seem to be year round [...]
My Neck is Out There
03/19/2015 I did it. I stuck my neck out there and started a small business. I put my private creativity into the world and asked people to accept it, appreciate it, spend money on [...]
St. Patrick’s Day is not whatever Saturday it falls closest to…
Today is St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday March 17th. Contrary to popular belief St. Patrick’s Day was not this past Saturday March 14th. Why does that matter? Maybe it doesn’t to you, but it does to [...]
An open Letter on AB Buyouts and Advertising
From the Founder and President of Renegade To anyone who gives a shit: Buyouts have been a hot topic lately with the recent purchase of 10 Barrel Brewing and Elysian Brewing by AB InBev. As [...]
The Story of Berbere Imperial Stout
The inspiration for this stout starts with a familiar story—Brian was drinking. But wait, this time it’s a little different. Brian was drinking coffee. Our friends at Novo Coffee Roasters have two retail locations where [...]
Welcome to Renegade Brewing Company
We love beer. On June 26, 2011, the first Renegade beer was poured and served to an anticipating customer, but Renegade’s story goes a bit farther back than that. Brian O’Connell, a statistician and homebrewer [...]
What’s a growler?
09/27/2012 Once, our staff was asked this question by a young man from New Zealand. When we showed him a 64 ounce (half gallon) glass jug, he chuckled and told us that the term [...]
In case you’re wondering why we can instead of bottle…
“Why cans?” Well, all the cool new breweries are doing it so we thought we would jump on the bandwagon because we just want to be cool like them. Just kidding; that’s f*ing stupid. The [...]
Now introducing: Khara O’Connell!
The whole story of Renegade started in Khara’s home state of Arkansas, where her and Brian first met and were later married. Brian introduced Khara to the wonderful world of craft beer, stating that she [...]
Brian O’Connell Profile
Brian started serving beer at a young age. His father had a full bar in their family basement and would often ask little Brian to pour him a cold Genesee Crème Ale after a hard [...]