Brewing up summer vibes
MSU Denver students bring custom craft beers to the Denver Botanic Gardens concert series.
There’s hardly a cooler place to catch a summer concert than Denver Botanic Gardens.
The venue’s scenic amphitheater invites music lovers to relax on balmy evenings and soak in the sounds. And this year, thanks to students from Metropolitan State University of Denver, they’ll be sipping something special, too.
During the 2025 Summer Concert Series, students in the University’s Brewery Operations program will offer samples of their craft creations to VIP guests at select shows.
“I love getting in front of people and talking about all the amazing beers we produce,” said Kevin Wachtler, a student in the program. “And we’ve had custom coasters made with QR codes so people can instantly rate our beers on Untappd.”
Delicious hops
MSU Denver’s One World One Water Center has long partnered with Denver Botanic Gardens to promote water conservation — and cultivate hops at Chatfield Farms in Jefferson County. Students from the Brewery Operations program harvest and brew with those homegrown hops.
“It’s great because the folks at Chatfield want us to be actively involved in their selection process,” said Bernardo Alatorre, lecturer and program coordinator. “They cater to our specific needs by focusing on the varieties we want to grow, which is wonderful.”
Last year, students returned to Chatfield for its Hops Festival, serving beers brewed with freshly harvested hops. “It was amazing to be able to point to the vines that grew the hops just behind us and then talk to the customers about how we produced the beer in their hands,” Wachtler said. “We were the most popular brewery at the whole festival.”
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When Denver Botanic Gardens invited the students to join this summer’s concert series, they jumped at the chance. The students will serve free samples to around 600 VIP guests at each concert — a valuable opportunity to build real-world skills and connect with potential customers.
Alatorre hopes this may just be the start of something bigger. “Could we actually be selling beer at Botanic Gardens events in the future?” he pondered. “We sure are ready for it.”
The Brewery Operations program is designed to prepare students for just such opportunities. It has already sold its beers at Degree Brewpub on campus and participated in local festivals, and it will sponsor this year’s Juneteenth celebration in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.
But MSU Denver doesn’t teach students to just brew beer. The program focuses on the business of brewing — covering operations, marketing, legal issues and sustainability.
Beyond brewing
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Brewing is the easy part,” Alatorre said. “But if you’re charging $6, $8 or even $10 for a beverage, then your focus had better be on the customer.”
It’s a necessary mindset in today’s competitive brewing landscape, where successful entrepreneurs must differentiate their brands and adapt to evolving tastes.
“Through this program, I’ve experienced every possible aspect of the beer-and-alcohol industry — including brewing beers, securing legal requirements and seeking out commercial partnerships,” Wachtler said. “Now, I’m not only prepared to enter the market; I feel ready to help lead and drive it.”
