Dry Dock Brewing Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Brewing |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Kevin DeLange, Michelle Reding |
| Headquarters | Aurora, Colorado , United States |
| Products | Craft beer (including Apricot Blonde, Amber Ale, Vanilla Porter, Sour Apricot Blonde, Dayboard Lager, Hazy IPA, Hop Abomination IPA) |
Dry Dock Brewing Company is a craft brewery located in southeast Aurora, Colorado, United States. Established in 2005 by founders Kevin DeLange and Michelle Reding, Dry Dock has received multiple honors from prestigious competitions such as the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival. Among its accolades is the title of "Small Brewing Company of the Year" awarded in 2009. It holds the distinction of being Aurora’s inaugural brewery equipped with a 7 BBL brewhouse.
History
The origins of Dry Dock trace back to a compact 900-square-foot facility next to The Brew Hut, a retailer specializing in homebrewing supplies. The brewery’s name pays homage to DeLange’s fascination with maritime history.
Growth phases occurred in 2009 and again in 2011, leading to the establishment of a 7 BBL taphouse complemented by a tasting room seating 180 guests. This original location on Hampden Avenue, referred to simply as "Dry Dock," features eighteen draft lines.
In 2013, production capacity expanded significantly, rising from 3,200 barrels in 2012 to approximately 12,000 barrels after acquiring a larger production space named North Dock, spanning 30,000 square feet. This new facility enables an annual brewing volume of up to 30,000 barrels. Dry Dock offers canned varieties including Apricot Blonde, Amber Ale, Sour Apricot Blonde, Hop Abomination, Hazy IPA, and Vanilla Porter.
September 2014 marked the opening of the Canoe Room within North Dock—a tasting area that initially launched with four taps and has since grown to twelve. This venue serves both draft and canned beers. Its name derives from its previous use as canoe storage by The Boy Scouts of America Aurora Chapter.
Home fleet
| Name | Style | ABV% | IBU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Dock Apricot Blonde | Fruit Beer | 5.1 | 17 |
| Dry Dock Amber Ale | ESB | 5.8 | 49 |
| Dry Dock Vanilla Porter | Porter | 5.4 | 33 |
| Sour Apricot | Kettle Sour | 5.0 | 12 |
| Dayboard Lager | Lager | 4.5 | |
| Hazy IPA | Hazy IPA | 6.3 | |
| Hop Abomination IPA | IPA | 6.5 | 100 |
Bottled beers
Following the installation of a six-head bottling machine, Dry Dock began bottling its Seven Seas Double IPA for distribution throughout the Denver area. The bottled lineup has since broadened to include Bligh's Barleywine—an English-style barleywine—and annual barrel-aged releases under their Signature Series.
Small Batch Friday
Each Friday, Dry Dock showcases a unique firkin release—a cask-conditioned beer often crafted with inventive ingredients such as wasabi or rice. Highlights from past events include serving their Kölsch beer from a watermelon in 2010 and presenting Half Moon Pumpkin Ale from a locally harvested pumpkin weighing 208 pounds.
Awards
Dry Dock quickly gained recognition through grassroots support and earned a gold medal at the 2006 World Beer Cup for its HMS Victory ESB (currently known as Amber Ale). Since then, it has accumulated twenty-five medals at the Great American Beer Festival—comprising five golds, twelve silvers, and eight bronzes—as well as eight World Beer Cup awards (three golds, three silvers, two bronzes). The brewery was also honored as Small Brewery of the Year by the Brewers Association in 2009. These distinctions have firmly established Dry Dock’s standing within the craft brewing community since its inception.