Great Divide Brewing Co. announced Thursday that it will be consolidating its Denver operations in the original Brewery and Tap Room at 2201 Arapahoe St. in the Ballpark neighborhood.

That means the sun is setting for Barrel Bar and Packaging Hall on Brighton Boulevard in RiNo.

“The move will allow Great Divide to become more nimble, continue to innovate and ensure a bright future for Denver’s oldest and largest packaging brewery,” according to a statement.

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The 65,000-square-foot RiNo facility at 1812 35th St. has been in operation since 2015.

While it sports a 350-can-per-minute production line, 75-half-barrel per hour kegging line and two 300 barrel bright beer tanks, beer was never brewed there.

Great Divide continued to brew the beer on Arapahoe Street, then moved it to the Brighton Boulevard facility.

“Right now, we have two facilities that are not being maximized,” founder and president Brian Dunn said in a statement. “We had three options on the table: move all operations to RiNo, move everything to a new location outside of Denver or relocate to our original location.

“In the end, returning to our roots made the most business sense. This will allow us to reinvest in our facility and our people, our two most important assets.” 

Great Divide is expected to sell the RiNo land and facility, which should remain open well into 2022.

The Ballpark location has a production capacity of 60,000 barrels per year, according to the brewery.

“Despite the strong upward trajectory of Great Divide sales when we decided to expand, building the Brighton facility was a huge leap for a brewery of our size,” Dunn said. “While we’ve thoroughly enjoyed being in the RiNo neighborhood and are sad to say goodbye, we’re fortunate to be in a position to adapt our business plan. …

“One of the largest benefits is that the consolidation of operations will allow us to remain fiercely independent.”  

Great Divide was one of downtown Denver’s first breweries, opening in 1994, and dubs itself the “oldest and largest packaging brewery and one of the most decorated breweries in America.”