{"id":25436,"date":"2024-10-07T23:24:38","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T05:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mancos-brewing-co-turns-10-years-old\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T23:17:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T05:17:44","slug":"mancos-brewing-co-turns-10-years-old","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mancos-brewing-co-turns-10-years-old\/","title":{"rendered":"Mancos Brewing Co. turns 10 years old"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A
A painting inside of Mancos Brewing Co. (Cameryn Cass\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Every year when October rolls around, Mancos Brewing Co. throws a party to celebrate its founding.<\/p>\n

The most recent shindig the weekend of Oct. 4 was decidedly special: It marked 10 years in business.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a decade to you and me Rusty,\u201d its chalkboard read inside the front entrance.<\/p>\n

In honor of the occasion, the weekend was filled with music, prizes and familiar faces.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to see smiling faces of people we\u2019ve known for years now,\u201d said Kathy Hands, a cofounder of Mancos Brewing Co.<\/p>\n

The bash was also, of course, filled with beer, new and old.<\/p>\n

Cofounder and brewer DeWayne Jackson crafted a special beer for the anniversary party called Oaktoberfest.<\/p>\n

He explained that it\u2019s a M\u00e4rzen beer, meaning it\u2019s traditionally brewed in March and saved for Oktoberfest. It\u2019s also traditionally stored in oak barrels for months to give it its oak flavor.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Oaktoberfest anniversary beer, brewed special for the occasion. (Cameryn Cass\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Last
Last Nickel, the band who played at both the brewery\u2019s grand opening and its 10-year anniversary party. (Cameryn Cass\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m very much a 21st century brewer, I\u2019ll use whatever is available for me in the 21st century,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

And so instead of stowing it in barrels \u2013 which heightens the risk of contamination and takes a considerable amount of time \u2013 Oaktoberfest was made with an added oak flavoring.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year it\u2019s been 10 years, which is a big number, so we\u2019re doing a bigger party,\u201d Hands said.<\/p>\n

Foggy Memory Boys, a band from Taos, played on Friday afternoon. The next day, Horizon kicked off the live music at 1:30 p.m., followed by Last Nickel, who played at the brewery\u2019s grand opening party a decade ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were our first musical connection, really. They\u2019re the first band we ever booked,\u201d Hands said.<\/p>\n

A little over 10 years ago, Hands and Jackson were living in Moab, itching for radical change.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more I got into brewing and realized this could be a career for me, the more attractive it looked for me to get out of Utah,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

Not wanting to sever any Moab ties, they didn\u2019t want to venture too far into Colorado, Hands said. So, they drove to Montezuma County and joined a local brew club to get a lay of the land.<\/p>\n

At first, they were thinking to open a brewery in Cortez.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut then someone suggested Mancos to us so we came over and cruised the streets,\u201d Hands said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had a coffee shop, a nice library, a natural foods store,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd a distillery,\u201d Jackson added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe streets were unpaved,\u201d Hands went on.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a cool town,\u201d said Jackson. \u201cIt had the right kind of feel, for both being old traditional and kind of new hippie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, the community felt inclusive, which was a giant appeal, Jackson said.<\/p>\n

When they pitched the idea to the town of Mancos, \u201cthey rolled out the carpet for us, they wanted us here,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were getting active encouragement and support before we had a lease on a building yet. Mancos wanted to have a brewery like we envisioned,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

From the get-go, Hands and Jackson agreed that offering a space for local musicians to play was one of many things they wanted to do in their position as a place for people to come together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I can do is do what I do best \u2013 which is make beer \u2013 and use that as an opportunity to give other people a platform to follow their dreams,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the most fulfilling things for me about Mancos Brewing Co., is to see other people bring their ideas to the table and make a change in the world which makes for a better community.\u201d<\/p>\n

They said they try to help anyone with a drive and desire to improve themselves and the greater community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can we do to help platform you so you get that opportunity and can grow that vision out?\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, Hands said their initial vision of what they wanted their brewery to be 10 years ago aligns with what it is today.<\/p>\n

In addition to providing a platform for inspired individuals, they aimed to be like an English public house, where people could go to converge, Hands said.<\/p>\n

And you don\u2019t necessarily have to drink beer to enjoy your time here, Jackson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve tried to create an atmosphere where everyone\u2019s comfortable. If you like beer, well I\u2019ve got some beer for you. But if you don\u2019t like beer, I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here and enjoy what we\u2019ve done,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

One thing they are not and don\u2019t want to be is a bar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the reasons why, today, you don\u2019t see bar chairs lined up across the front of our bar,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

Rarely do they serve after 9 p.m., and it\u2019s because of their commitment to keep the community safe, Jackson said.<\/p>\n

To them, that means not over-serving or serving late into the night and early morning.<\/p>\n

Beyond booze, Hands said that as a brewpub, they must serve food.<\/p>\n

To her, crafting a quality, inclusive menu with vegan and gluten-free options is something she\u2019s proud of, especially coming from 15 years of experience in the natural foods industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the beginning, I\u2019ve tried to buy what I can from local farmers, and as we\u2019ve gotten bigger, that\u2019s gotten better. We have a lot more connections, and I will buy local whenever I can,\u201d Hands said.<\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s not all the time, as \u201cnone of us can only source things 100% that way,\u201d she said. But, when she can, she does.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like things that have 25 ingredients in them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Hands and Jackson agreed their success in business and the community is rooted in their steadfast business partnership, which allows them necessary autonomy in their areas of expertise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can manage beer, but I can\u2019t manage money. She gives me full liberty to make the kind of beer that I want to make,\u201d said Jackson. \u201cIt\u2019s become a really good partnership. I don\u2019t tell her how to run the business, she doesn\u2019t tell me how to make beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

They also credited the staff for keeping their vision alive and keeping their patrons happy and coming back for all this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be at 10 years is sort of a personal accomplishment, really, as well as a business accomplishment,\u201d said Hands. \u201cI love this place, and I know DeWayne does too, and we love this community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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