Three Grand Valley couples, whose friendship began in the Bookcliff Home Brew Club, partnered up to add a sixth craft brewery to the Grand Valley.

Receiving warm welcomes and priceless advice from fellow brewers and distillers in the community, Laura and Brian Fischer, Megan and Nick Westfall, and Lindsey and Peter Campbell are excited to contribute to the local beer culture in their brewery’s own unique way.

Monumental Beer Works will brew on a two-barrel system. For perspective, their operation is one-tenth the size of Palisade Brewing Company. “It allows us the license, the freedom, to be really, really expressive creatively,” says founding partner, Brian Fischer. “We can experiment and take risks on beers that other breweries might not be able to, because our capital outlay is not going to be as much to brew pilot batches, test them out on the market and see how they go.”

“We’re all very outdoor oriented people, and there’s no better place to be than Grand Junction if you want to live an outdoor lifestyle,” says Grand Valley native, Peter Campbell. He’ll serve as a full-time brewer and handle procurement. “Lifting the entire community is a big part of what we’re going for here.” The partners regularly meet on weekends to work on home brew recipes, including local ingredients whenever possible. They’ll continue to utilize things like Fruita Hop Works hops, Enstrom Toffee, coffee from BestSlope and Kiln, lavender from A Pinch of Lavender and local fruit and honey when they brew commercially for the public. They’ve also designated a spot on their property for local food trucks to serve their guests from and will make community engagement an ongoing priority through efforts like spearheading collaboration brews and hosting gear swaps and other events.

Inspired by Copper Club Brewing Company’s endearing nickname, “the living room of Fruita,” Monumental Beer Works wants to be “the living room of Grand Junction” — a comfortable, family- and dog-friendly place to swap tales from the trails; a place locals are proud to share with their family and friends when they visit. “It’s not just about beer, it’s about sharing in adventures,” says Laura Fischer.

The bar and tasting room will seat 89 people, while two outdoor spaces (one family friendly and one 21+) will have additional seating, yard games and live music.

All six partners have worked together, remodeling and landscaping their property (which used to be a scuba shop) with utilization of repurposed materials as a high priority. Four of the six founding partners will keep their day jobs, but all will continue to brew together, work together and enjoy the atmosphere they’ve created once it is open to the public.

Monumental Beer Works is located at 2575 US Hwy 6 & 50, Grand Junction and is scheduled to have the beer flowing and the food trucks serving this March. Follow on Facebook and Instagram for details and updates. @monumentalbeerworks

New Brewery Opens in the Grand Valley: Monumental Beer Works