“Craft breweries are one of Denver’s signature industries, but for many people, they also are also a symbol of gentrification — of mostly white-owned companies moving into lower-income neighborhoods and pushing out the businesses or residents who were already there.
Taylor Rees was acutely aware of that when he and two partners opened Spangalang Brewery in 2015 in a former DMV office in the heart of Five Points. To honor the historically black neighborhood and its jazz tradition, they named the brewery after a jazz term, “spangalang,” and made it clear that they wanted to welcome a diverse group of customers.
Over the past five years, Spangalang has developed a good following, won awards, hosted jazz events and tried to fit in. But running a brewery was tough in beer-heavy Denver — even before COVID-19 — and as the health crisis exploded in March, forcing bars, breweries and restaurants to close, it became almost impossible.”
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Shitkes, Jonathan. Westword 16 July 2020.