Exploring Life & Business with Jason zumBrunnen of Ratio Beerworks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason zumBrunnen . 

Hi Jason, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
In many ways, Ratio started in the punk scene back in the late 90s. We cut our teeth by touring, playing out, creating zines, and working at labels. That DIY mindset prepared us for the challenges of creating and sharing our passions on our own terms. Over the years that energy has been channeled into brewing, learning the craft in Germany, and honing our skills at some of the most respected breweries in Colorado. Jason zumBrunnen and Scott Kaplan met back in the 90s at college at CU Boulder. Both in different degrees, we met through the punk rock scene, both playing in shows, touring, and helping work at DIY labels. 

We re-connected in the early 2000s when we both found ourselves living in Denver, and with a passion for beer. Jason had just completed brewing school at Siebel in Chicago and Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany. With lots of planning, training, and experimentation, Ratio Beerworks opened its door at 2920 Larimer St in the up-and-coming RiNo Arts District section of the historic Five Points Neighborhood. 

In early 2022, Ratio opened its second location in Denver in the Overland neighborhood. This doubled our brewing capacity and has allowed us to fully enter the canned beer market. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has never been smooth but we enjoy the journey! Our DIY background from planning and playing on our own punk tours helped us for the ever-changing challenges that everyone faces when starting a new company. Early on, our challenge was establishing our brand, beer, and voice in an industrial neighborhood. When we opened in 2015, there was not a single open business on the other side of our street. 

When Covid hit in early 2020, we were selling almost exclusively draft beer in our own taproom and to bars and restaurants around Denver. This meant when the closures happened, our sales essentially went to $0 overnight. This forced us quickly into buying a canning machine within the first few weeks, and slowly over the first two months, we designed and released 6 of our beers in cans. 

We keep putting one foot in front of the other, and even during that difficult year, we received an opportunity to open a 2nd location. With our entry into canned beer, this new location will allow us to expand production and into more markets. It also allows us to share our taproom with the south end of Denver in the new Overland neighborhood. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Ratio Beerworks. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We have always said that brewing great beer is our basis to entry in creating a brewery. This is why we trained at Siebel in Chicago and Doemens in Munich Germany before launching our brand. On top of that, we really wanted to create an urban oasis for people to get together in our community over great beers. We have a strong focus on supporting the arts, music, comedy, and general DIY artistic ventures. Beer is the common connector for us to share and support in this artistic and creative ventures. We like to have a broad range of beer styles on, and many are based on classic styles with an occasional modern twist. Our Dear You saison, which won an award at the GABF beer festival starts with a classic, lower alcohol dry saison base, but it is lightly dryhopped with modern American Citra hops. This provides a refreshing and slightly citrusy beer that can be enjoyed year-round. It’s also a great crossover beer for wine lovers that may typically enjoy fruity white wines. 

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
We LOVE working with folks in our community. We want to be a supporter in our community, especially in the music and arts and non-profits. if you need beer support, we are here for you! You can reach out to either of our taprooms at hello@ratiobeerworks.com 

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@ratiobeerworks.com
• Website: ratiobeerworks.com
• Instagram: ratiobeerworks
• Facebook: ratiobeerworks
• Twitter: ratiobeerworks
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RatiobeerworksDenver