Derek Heersink is leading the climb back for 14er Brewing.

The founder and owner of Alamosa’s Spare Keg Brewerks says the reason was simple.

“It’s a great brand for Chaffee County, where there’s more 14ers than anywhere in the country,” he said. “So it was pretty much a marketing move.”

14er’s brewery and taproom in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood closed in November 2024 after an eight-year run. Heersink said he bought the company’s naming rights and recipes from 14er co-founders Andrew Kaczmarek and Nate Francescato earlier this year.

Heersink, a barley farmer, started Spare Keg in 2017. In July, he and his wife opened a coffee shop-taproom hybrid called Herks Werks in Poncha Springs, a small town near Salida.

Heersink said he’ll start production of 14er beers in the coming weeks in Alamo

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