After a decade of serving some of the most innovative beers on Denver’s east side, Fiction Beer Company said Friday it will close at the end of the year.
The brewery with a book and literature theme was founded in September 2014 by Ryan and Christa Kilpatrickwhose love of reading gave name to the company and its beers, including Old Bums & Beat Cowboys, a pale ale inspired by Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” and Madame Psychosis, a hazy New England-style IPA named after David Foster Wallace’s ‘Infinite joke’.
The bar at Fiction, 7101 E. Colfax Ave., is also made of books, while literary quotes adorn the tables. The brewery also hosted a book club.
“After ten years in business, we have made the very difficult decision to close our Denver taproom,” Christa Kilpatrick wrote on Fiction’s social media pages.
“Ryan and I have chosen not to renew our lease on the Denver taproom for an additional five years. There are so many reasons for this, but the bottom line is that the craft beer industry is a difficult and demanding industry, and it is time to transition to less stressful ventures, for the sake of our children and ourselves,” she continued. “And while it’s incredibly sad to say goodbye, we’re excited to write a new chapter for ourselves as happier and healthier main characters.”
Fiction’s second location in Parker, which has a different owner, remains open.
During his tenure, Fiction was known as one of the first breweries to venture into new styles, whether they were hazy IPAs, Pastry Stouts, or Cold IPAs. The most awarded beer was Alternate Present (inspired by Philip K. Dick’s ‘The Man in the High Castle’), a German-style schwarzbier that won medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.
Located near the Park Hill, Montclair, Mayfair and Lowry neighborhoods, Fiction was and is one of the few breweries on the east side of the city.
Kilpatrick said the brewery is now for sale. But in the meantime, she encouraged fans to stop by to drink the beer and give hugs and high-fives to the staff.