Briar Common Brewery + Eatery is the face (mask) of the Jefferson Park/Denver Highland community.
Briar Common Brewery + Eatery sits on the corner of 23rd Avenue and Clay Street. Really, it's the place that brought the neighborhood together during the pandemic, serving them up well with Jell-O shots, golden tickets, toilet paper rolls, and lunch drops. It serves its nickname well, the gem of Jefferson park, as it not only managed to keep its doors open via takeout and delivery during quarantine, but engaged their neighbors in the community whether it was on Instagram with cooking and cocktail recipe videos to try at home, or opening up their rooftop patio for dining with 5 tables, heaters, and a note "to bundle up," once Governor Polis reopened restaurants at 25% capacity in January.
The BC team didn't let a nonexistent in-house customer base or an apocalyptic run on toilet paper deter them from being out there for the community. With each takeout and delivery order, they threw in a roll of toilet paper; weekly they slipped a $50 Golden Ticket into a pickup or delivery bag just to keep it fun! Even though their foot traffic dwindled, their love for brewing and infusing alcohol never waned. The Briarlicious Jello-shot came about during the pandemic, yet remains a favorite top seller amongst their community with gelatinous concoctions infused with blueberry vodka and gummy bears, champagne and strawberries, and so many more!
Briar Common takeout during COVID, Courtesy Briar Common (Instagram)
But it wasn't all about Jell-O shots and toilet paper, the BC team also went out of their way to take care of the frontline workers and communities that stretched beyond the Highlands zip code. The Briar Common made lunch drops to the Denver Police Department: District 6 and Fire Department Station 12, as well as Denver Health throughout the COVID season, as well as providing meals to the Ethiopian community in Aurora. They also inspired their Highlands community to take part in a food drive for Food Bank of the Rockies, as well as a toy drive for Toys for Tots, and dropped all the goods at the location.
The brewery owes part of its success to its amazing team Behind the Mask. As the COVID restrictions continue to lift, Briar Common continues to fill to 100% capacity (fully-face masked, of course). So to all who get to enjoy it now, be reminded that the neighborhood brewery that sits on the corner across from Jefferson Park, remains because of the amazing neighbors who helped keep the doors open throughout the pandemic.
The OCN is all about local communities just like this one. Catch our newest podcast, "Holy Highball," filmed at The Briar Common Brewery + Eatery. And look for "Holy Highball'"s featured Briar Common highball for each episode.
Are you part of this community? What's your favorite brew or cocktail at Briar Common? Share in the comments.
