Colorado’s wave of craft beer consolidation continued Wednesday as Left Hand Brewing announced that fellow Longmont company Bootstrap Brewing would join its Left Hand Collective entity.
“The transaction will result in Bootstrap’s owners acquiring equity in the Collective’s parent company, Indian Peaks Brewing Company,” Left Hand said in a statement. “Bootstrap will gradually move production to Left Hand Brewing’s state-of-the-art facility and will continue to operate their Longmont taproom with a full line-up of craft beer and music.”
Bootstrap, which is known for award-winning hoppy beers like Insane Rush IPA and Wreak Havoc Imperial Red, was founded in Niwot in 2012 by Leslie and Steve Kaczeus, before moving and expanding to Longmont five years later. There it began canning and distributing its beer more widely, and eventually gained an investment from Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis.
“This relationship will help us grow our brand by leveraging Left Hand’s larger distribution footprint and sales and marketing team,” Leslie Kaczeus said in a statement.
In April 2025, Left Hand absorbed Aurora’s Dry Dock Brewing in a move that was partially funded by a Wefunder public share offering and a Regulation D sale. At the time, it had raised more than $2 million in an effort to create a community of like-minded craft breweries that could stay competitive in a shrinking beer market. Dry Dock has since closed its 20-year-old taproom in Aurora, while the Collective is planning to open a new taproom serving all of its beers in Denver’s Washington Park.
Left Hand, which was founded in 1993, was the fourth largest independently owned brewery in Colorado at that time, according to figures from the Boulder-based Brewers Association, while Dry Dock was the ninth largest. Bootstrap was the 14th.
“We will continue to selectively pursue partnerships that will strengthen our portfolio of products while increasing our value to our distributor partners, variety to customers and return for our shareholders and employee owners,” Left Hand co-founder Eric Wallace said in a statement on Wednesday.
Several other brewery buyouts, mergers and consolidations have taken place in the past three years in Colorado. The most notable is the formation of Wildling Brands, which was founded by Stem Ciders owner Eric Foster.
Wilding has since purchased or integrated five legendary Colorado beer makers: Funkwerks, Great Divide, Upslope Brewing, Denver Beer Co. and Station 26 Brewing.
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