Denver Beer Company + The Mighty Burger

Denver Beer Company + The Mighty Burger: An Arvada Anchor
How a stationary food truck became the secret ingredient for one of Denver's most strategically savvy craft breweries
The DNA of Denver Beer Co.
From day one, Denver Beer Co. was never just about putting cans on shelves. When they opened their first Platte Street taproom back in 2011, the strategy was clear: create physical spaces. Taprooms, not mass distribution, would be the growth engine.
Their expansion has been neighborhood-centric and deliberate—Platte Street, South Downing, Lowry, Littleton, and Olde Town Arvada. Each location reflects its neighborhood's personality. Co-founder Andy Parker has even noted how preferences shift: Arvada favors lagers, Platte Street leans hazy IPAs, and South Downing, with its in-house kitchen, pairs barrel-aged beers with food.
This isn't guesswork—it's data-driven placemaking.
A Constraint Sparks Innovation
When Denver Beer Co. prepared to open in Arvada in June 2017, they found a former Chevy dealership with massive potential: 4,350 square feet inside and another 1,500 outside for a patio. But there was a snag.
Arvada's city restrictions prevented traditional mobile food trucks from operating on-site. That could have gutted the taproom model—because food isn't a "nice-to-have" for a brewery. It's what keeps people in their seats for a second or third pint.
Instead of fighting city hall, Denver Beer Co. got creative. If trucks couldn't park outside, why not park one inside? They installed a vintage Airstream in the taproom and formed a partnership with culinary talent: Brendan McManus and James Samara of Lucky Pie Pizza, along with their culinary director, Sakima Isaac. Together, they created The Mighty.
From day one—June 17, 2017—the Airstream was open. What looked like a clever design choice was actually a brilliant workaround to a regulatory wall. The constraint became the concept.
Why the Airstream Matters
Taproom economics are simple: the most profitable pint is the one poured across your own bar. Distribution requires splitting profits with retailers, distributors, and covering packaging costs. But a $7 pint poured directly into a glass? That's pure margin.
The catch is dwell time. If customers stay for a second or third beer, revenue soars. And the number one factor that keeps them around? Food.
Most breweries solve this with rotating food trucks. But that system is inconsistent—trucks cancel, quality varies, and customers never know what to expect.
The Mighty Difference
Always there. Always reliable. Always high-quality.
Grass-fed Colorado beef
Local buns
Seasonal toppings
Hand-cut fries
Beer-battered cheese curds
Arvada flipped the script. The Mighty is always there. Always reliable. Always high-quality. And it isn't just any burger joint: grass-fed Colorado beef, local buns, seasonal toppings, hand-cut fries, beer-battered cheese curds. Online reviews consistently call it one of the best burgers in the area.
This elevates Denver Beer Co. Arvada from a brewery with food to a full-blown culinary destination. A burger and a beer on the patio isn't just a tagline—it's a vision they've executed flawlessly.
The Third Place
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term third place: not home, not work, but the vital in-between where communities gather.
Denver Beer Co. explicitly chases this. Their mission is to create modern beer gardens—dog-friendly, family-friendly, casual anchors for neighborhood life.
The Mighty makes that mission work in Arvada. Without food, people would leave after a pint. With it, the taproom becomes dinner with friends, Tuesday night family time, or a casual first date.
It's not just a pint—it's a complete evening.
A Competitive Moat
In the saturated craft beer market, good IPAs are table stakes. What sets a brewery apart is defensible experience. The Denver Beer Co. + Mighty Burger model is hard to replicate.
Other breweries can copy recipes
Formulas are public. Ingredients are available. Techniques can be learned.
Few can recreate the exact Arvada experience
A gleaming Airstream inside a former car dealership, operated by trusted local culinary names, baked into the DNA of the brand.
It's symbiosis. Some come for the beer and stay for the burger; others come for the burger and discover a new favorite lager. Either way, both brands rise together.
Ahead of the Curve
Back in 2017, the Airstream might have seemed quirky. Now it feels prescient. Breweries around the country are moving toward permanent food partnerships.
01
Beaumont, Texas
A burger truck moved inside Struggle Street Brewing
02
Maine
Trinken Brewing joined forces with Rolling Smoke BBQ Pit
03
Charlotte
A truck called Twisted Eats was forced off the street by regulations—so it moved inside Wooden Robot Brewery
What Denver Beer Co. pioneered in Arvada is no longer a novelty. It's a blueprint.
Full Circle
Step into that former Chevy dealership today and the Airstream still gleams. It's not just décor—it's strategy made tangible. A workaround that became a calling card.
Together, Denver Beer Co. and The Mighty created more than a brewery with burgers. They built one of Colorado's smartest destinations: a true third place where beer and food, community and creativity, constraints and solutions all collide under one roof.
And that Airstream? It's the silver bullet—literally parked in plain sight—that turned a potential problem into a long-term advantage.
You walk into a sprawling, high-ceiling building in Olde Town Arvada, Colorado. It has that classic craft-brewery vibe—industrial, open, the faint, sweet smell of malted barley in the air. You hear the happy din of conversation.
But then, as your eyes adjust, you see something completely unexpected. A full-sized, vintage Airstream trailer—polished aluminum, gleaming under the taproom lights—parked right there inside the building. And the smell in the air? It's not just beer. It's richer: the mouth-watering aroma of sizzling beef on a griddle and perfectly seasoned, hand-cut fries hitting the fryer.
This isn't a pop-up food truck that might be here today and gone tomorrow. It's permanent. You've walked into Denver Beer Company, but you've also walked into The Mighty Colorado Burger. One destination, two distinct experiences fused into one.
How did this strange, brilliant setup—a stationary food truck—become the secret ingredient for one of Denver's most strategically savvy craft breweries? The answer says a lot about creativity, constraints, and what it takes to build a true community hub.