1892 Artesian Lager is a custom-made, retro-minded beer brewed with water from a legendary underground aquifer that supplies the historic Brown Palace’s water.

In 1888, Henry C. Brown, the namesake of The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa, had a well drilled on the site of his early Denver grazing land. In 1892, the Brown Palace Hotel was constructed at that site and the water from the well was used to supply the hotel. Today the well continues to provide water to Brown Palace guests.

“Colorado brewers have been touting the state’s water for over 150 years,” says Wynkoop’s Master of Ceremonies & PR Maven, Marty Jones. “We’re adding a small-batch chapter to that tradition, while showcasing the Brown and one of its many treasures.”

Wynkoop enlisted the help of Longmont, Colorado’s McDonald Farms to truck 800 gallons of water from the hotel and deliver it to Wynkoop, where head brewer Andy Brown brewed the beer.

The draft-only beer is fermented with a lager yeast at a slightly warmer temperature than modern-day lagers, to mirror the early days of Colorado’s brewing history and it’s brewed with US-grown, pilsner-style hops. 

“Our goal,” Brown says, “was to create a beer that echoes Colorado’s early beers and the beers that were served in the Brown Palace’s first years. It’s a cross between a late 1800s steam-style beer and modern cream ale.” “We wanted a beer that left room to highlight the hotel’s water,” Brown says, “and it has a slight mineral character that does that.” Designed for summer drinking, 1892 Artesian Lager is a crystal-clear filtered beer with a straw color, and weighs in at a sessionable 4% ABV.

1892 Artesian Lager also gives Wynkoop a chance to highlight a particular side of its craft. “This is a very unforgiving beer,” Brown says. “So it allows us to showcase our skills in making very clean beer in small batches.” 

This limited-release beer is available on tap at Wynkoop (on the guest taps upstairs) and the Brown Palace’s Ship Tavern.