Breckenridge Brewery to cease ‘large-scale production’ in Fort Collins

FORT COLLINS — Just a couple of months after Breckenridge Brewery took over the Fort Collins brewery and restaurant space formerly occupied by Atlanta-based Sweetwater Brewing Co., Tilray Brands Inc. (Nasdaq: TLRY), which owns both Breckenridge and Sweetwater, plans to cease “large-scale production” in Northern Colorado.

“As the Tilray Beverages business continues to evolve and grow, we have recently undergone a restructuring and reallocation of resources to streamline operations and eliminate areas of duplication within the organization,” a Tilray spokesperson told BizWest in an emailed statement. “As part of this process, we will be moving large-scale production from the Fort Collins facility to other Tilray brewing facilities.”

The company said that the “Fort Collins facility will continue to produce small batch and pilot brews, and the Breckenridge Brewery taproom will remain open. We appreciate the dedication and hard work of our employees, and we are confident that these changes will enable us to better serve our customers and achieve our long-term goals.”

The Breckenridge operation on Lincoln Avenue in Fort Collins employs about 40 workers, led by head brewer Ryan Joy, Tilray told BizWest in July.

Tilray did not respond to a question from BizWest about whether layoffs are coming to the Fort Collins brewery, but such a move appears likely. The company laid off an undisclosed number of workers at its 10 Barrel Brewing brand in Bend, Oregon, this month, according to the Bend Bulletin newspaper, which quoted a Tilray spokesperson as saying, “There have been layoffs across the company.”

Breckenridge, which was sold by international beer conglomerate Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA (NYSE: BUD) to Tilray last year in a deal valued at about $85 million, was founded by Richard Squire in 1990. The brewery merged with Wynkoop Brewing Co. in 2010 to form Breckenridge-Wynkoop LLC and was then offloaded to AB in 2016. 

The company operates an existing brewery facility and restaurant in Littleton and a brewpub in Breckenridge.

Sweetwater opened in late 2021 in the Lincoln Avenue space previously occupied by Red Truck Brewing Co., which Sweetwater acquired in July 2021.