Old 121 Brewhouse was opened in March 2019 at 1057 S. Wadsworth Blvd. in Lakewood by Karla and Brett Zahrte. The family-owned, community-focused venue features a large L-shaped bartop, polished cement flooring, several accommodating high-tops, and a spacious patio. A virtual tour made by Mile High Creatives can be found here.
While the brewhouse doesn’t serve food, they offer an array of craft beers and soda — some of which were brewed by Sam Nicholson himself and served up to thirsty customers by his wife Katie.
Now the Nicholsons are the new owners of the establishment and ready to make minimal changes while maximizing the brewhouse’s potential.
What Now Denver caught up with Sam Nicholson to find out a little more about the incoming operation:
WND: What made you and Katie regulars before becoming employees and then owners?
SN: When we bought our first house in Lakewood, we signed our closing documents and went to celebrate with a beer. Lucky enough for us, Old 121 was having its soft opening that day and it was just a couple of miles down the road from our new home.
We came in, met Brett and Karla behind the bar, and really enjoyed the beers. We’re big fans of lagers, and the Old 121 Lager quickly became a favorite.
We kept coming back as we developed a friendship with Brett and Karla, made friends at the bar, and with the beertenders and it really became our go-to spot for drinks in the neighborhood. We had been actively looking for an opportunity to start or purchase a brewery and when Brett and Karla approached us about Old 121, it was really a dream scenario.
WND: What changes do you intend to make to the brewhouse?
SN: We’re not making a lot of big changes to the Brewhouse, but we are doing some little things here and there to help the brewery grow.
We’ve already started updating the patio to make it more inviting for people to enjoy a beer in the great Colorado weather, and extended taproom hours to be more regular (and make sure we’re open for Bronco’s games on Sunday).
We’re keeping the name, core beers, and all of the beertenders are staying on so it will be a seamless transition for everyone who already comes out and enjoys the beers and company. As we get further into the end of the year, we’ll also bring on more merch and glassware, and continue creating a more inviting taproom experience. Expanding production was another key focus and we’ve got some new tanks to increase the volume of beer we make.
WND: What can customers expect from your version of ownership?
SN: One of the things that has made Old 121 a great brewery is the relationships built within the community through businesses, nonprofits, and customers in the Brewhouse. It’s one of the reasons that made us love the brewery, so we’re excited to keep building on those relationships.
My background has been in marketing and Katie’s background is in nonprofit and relationship building, so we plan on bringing in more opportunities for people to discover us.
We’re tucked away in a little shopping center on Wadsworth and hear from a lot of people that they didn’t even know we were here — and we want to change that. You’ll see us out at more festivals, on tap at bars and restaurants around town, and will continue to host more events in the taproom like Monday Night Bingo, which Katie and I started hosting back in May.
And while the core beers will be staying the same, we’ll start bringing on some of our own recipes. We’ve already brewed a Belgian Tripel and a Kveik Pale Ale, which should be on tap around GABF.
