Left: Ryan Evans, Right: Charlie Gottenkieny, Bottom: Cooper (Brew dog)
charlie gottenkieny
Charlie is a co-founder of Bruz and is the architect of our portfolio of fine Belgian-style beers. Charlie started his brewing journey as a homebrewer – a pursuit he began in the late Eighties as a result of his travels to Belgium. In those days, Belgian beers were hard to come by in the U.S. and craft breweries were still in their infancy. But after tasting his brother John’s homebrew, Charlie realized that “if you can’t buy it, brew it yourself.” So, he set out to teach himself how to make Belgian-style beers at home.
After 27 years and more than a hundred competition medals – including two AHA Homebrewer of the Year awards – Charlie was ready to scale it up a bit. He has brewed at a number of commercial breweries and is the head brewer at Bruz. He has taught brewing and beer styles at several community colleges, has spoken publicly at beer conferences and events, and is a nationally recognized beer judge.
ryan evans
Ryan is a co-founder of Bruz Beers. A Colorado native, Ryan has an MBA from the University of Denver and has extensive business experience - having held executive positions in several industries. Also a homebrewer, Ryan discovered Belgian beer while backpacking through Europe and couldn’t get them out of his mind. He returned from his travels with a thirst for Belgian beer and a love for Belgian culture.
An avid outdoor sports enthusiast, Ryan has climbed nearly all of Colorado’s “fourteeners” and is a lover of hiking, camping and backcountry skiing. He has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Denali in Alaska, adding them to the list of famous mountains he has summited. Having been on Denali three times, he says he still has another trip up that amazing mountain in him!
The Bruz Crew is dedicated to providing you with the freshest, highest-quality Belgian-style beers in Colorado. Come by and join us for some great beer!
SUSTAINABILITY
Bruz is dedicated to minimizing our impact on the Earth. We utilize sustainable practices wherever possible, making the most of our water, ingredient and fuel resources and avoiding the use of non-eco-friendly chemicals and cleaning agents. We recycle at every opportunity – conserving water and fuel – and donate our spent grain to local farmers and ranchers.
As Bruz grows in the years to come, we will strive to acquire only the most efficient and sustainable technologies and utilize eco-friendly practices.
The World of Belgian Beers Workshop is available for groups (25 people minimum) at your desired location within the Denver, CO metro area. Cost is $25 per person.
Bruz provides 12+ beer styles to taste, packets for note taking, pitchers, dump buckets, servers, & the instructor.
You provide: a facility, ice, writing pens, screen or TV for displaying the course, tables, chairs, water & snacks (if desired).
For reservations, please fill out the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
At Bruz Beers, we like to be involved with our community and patrons. Unfortunately, we cannot support all of the requests we receive. If you would like Bruz to support an event or project, please fill out the information below. We will take your event or project into consideration and get back with you on a timely basis. All requests for event support need to be made two months prior to the event. Without the Event/Project Proposal Form (below) your event or project will not be considered.
OUR MISSION
Bruz Beers' founders have a long-standing love for the fine artisanal beers of Belgium. Both have traveled extensively in Europe and especially in Belgium, where fine handcrafted beers are a national passion. Charlie and Ryan met at a Belgian beer tasting Charlie was conducting and the rest is in the glass! After years of preparation, their dream of a true Belgian-style brewery in Colorado is a reality.
Bruz Beers offers a wide selection of year-round, seasonal and specialty brews – including sour and cask-aged beers and special limited releases.
At Bruz, quality is king. Only the very finest ingredients are used to produce small batches of truly authentic, handmade beers. Fine Belgian malts, hops, spices, fruits and a diversity of Belgian yeast strains ensure superior quality with no compromises. Despite economic realities, we refuse to rush a brew – with some beers taking as many as three years to fully mature. We believe the results are worth it – and we bet you will too.
