There’s another new brewery in Colorado Springs on the Westside. The popular WestFax Brewing Company from Denver is expanding to the Springs. And its second location, WestFax Springs, is almost ready to open at 3043 W. Pikes Peak Avenue, near Old Colorado City. Originally scheduled for Friday, June 28, the brewery has extended its opening date and expects it to be soon.
“We are thrilled to expand our footprint and bring the WestFax experience to one of our favorite places in Colorado,” said Anthony Martuscello, co-founder and head brewer of WestFax Brewing Company. “WestFax Springs will not only offer our signature craft beers but also provide a welcoming atmosphere where friends, families and dogs can come together to enjoy great beer and create lasting memories.”
If you’ve been to Casa Bonita in Lakewood, you might recognize WestFax Brewing as its neighbor on West Colfax Avenue. (See what they did there with the name?) You might have even had their Line Starts Here, a Mexican lager created in partnership with Casa Bonita. “We did that right before they opened, assuming they were going to have a giant line, and you could start at WestFax before you went over,” Martuscello tells us in an interview.
The brewery has been in Lakewood for eight years and built a loyal following for its diverse beers and popular lagers and IPAs. “Our hazy IPA flagship called Urban Lumberjack is by far our most popular,” Martuscello says. “Then we also have Italian pilsner called Pillieve that sells really well and a blueberry wheat called Blootylicious that sells awesome.”
Building the New Brewery
If you live on or frequent the Westside, you know the new brewery just off the intersection of Colorado Avenue and 31st Street has has been a long time in the making. The site was going to be a Springs home for WeldWorks Brewing Company. The Greeley-based brewers bought the former restaurant in 2019 and began renovating the former restaurant building for its own expansion into the Springs. But citing higher costs and delays, they sold the property to WestFax in late 2022.
Martuscello had been planning to open a second location to expand WestFax, thinking it would be in the South Metro area of Denver. “But late one night, cruising commercial real estate websites, I saw the WeldWorks building was for sale, “ Martuscello says.
WestFax will keep its brewing in Lakewood, which meant transporting beer farther than originally expected. So Martuscello began researching feasibility, learning more about the market and liking what he saw. “The more we dug into the Springs, we just thought it’s what the Denver market used to be, maybe a little more tight-knit and close brewing scene,” he says. “I think Denver and the metro area have gotten so big that it just doesn’t have the same community feeling.”
He says he WestFax has received a warm welcome as he has begun to build relationship in the Colorado Springs craft beer scene. “There are some cool foks,” he says. “Everyone’s been awesome.”
The original building has been completely rebuilt, and last year’s cold, snowy winter and wet, snowy spring created delays in getting the work completed. Once crews could transition to interior finishing, the pace of building picked up. And Martuscello says some changes from the original permits and plans created some delays as well.
The brewpub building now has been completely rebuilt into a two-story, 3,000-square-foot facility that features a 700-square-foot covered rooftop patio with outdoor seating and fire pits, plus generous indoor seating. Additional amenities include a connected outdoor bar, bike racks and family-friendly restrooms. And the dog-friendly brewery will have a watering station and bowls for the fur babies. For visitor convenience, WestFax has also purchased the parking lot behind Leechpit Records.
Martuscello says the vibe will be very similar to its Denver brewery, maybe “a touch more modern.”
New Beers at WestFax Springs
With 16 draft lines, WestFax Springs will have more taps than the 12 in Denver. “There will be instances where I think the Springs will tap new beers first because we have more draft lines,” Martuscello says.
He has already begun brewing beers inspired by Colorado Springs. “We’ll have a double dry-hopped IPA coming out for our grand opening that’s going to be called Hop Garden,” he says. “The label and everything is very much Springs inspired, kind of an homage to being close to Garden of the Gods.”
There is a small space at WestFax Springs that gives Martuscello hope for some future brewing in its southern location. “I’d love to put in a two- or three-barrel brewery and make a bunch of cool, small, unique stuff just for that tap room,” he says. “But we’ll see if that makes sense.”
WestFax Brewing’s M.O. is to rotate beers constantly, and its Colorado Springs brewery will pour gluten-free and non-alcoholic options as well. WestFax Springs will also offer soda, kombucha and juice pouches for the kiddos, plus select grab-and-go snacks. As with its Lakewood location, food truck parking is available onsite, and will feature a rotating lineup of local favorites.
I ask Martuscello what he wants Colorado Springs beer lovers to know about WestFax Brewing. “Quality beer is most important — making great beer that people want to enjoy and providing a cool space for people where you fit in,” Martuscello answers. “We started WestFax with a taproom and the local community in mind, and we want to recreate that down here as well. So it’s important to us to embrace Colorado Springs and the Old Colorado City community and to really try to entwine ourselves within that.”
Positioned adjacent to the Midland Trail and Red Rock Canyon Open Space, and a short drive from Garden of the Gods, WestFax Springs is in a prime location for beers after hiking, biking, running or other outdoor adventures. Its direct views of Pikes Peak will make its patio popular for kicking back and relaxing over beers.
WestFax Springs opens soon. After an initial soft opening period, the brewery will celebrate with an official Grand Opening party on Saturday, July 20. Watch for details, but expect a day filled with live music, food trucks and, of course, an impressive selection of WestFax Brewing Co.’s finest brews.
You can learn more about the brewery at westfaxbrewingcompany.com.
