Episode 11

Flock Renewal, CU Housing Surge & The Craft Beer Reset

Headlines

• Boulder to renew Flock license-plate reader contract (March).

After stepping off Flock’s national data-sharing network in June, Boulder still shares data with at least one Colorado agency that cooperates with federal immigration authorities. Denver is reassessing; Longmont residents urged council not to renew this week. Flock is also used in Louisville, Erie, Lafayette and CU Boulder.

Read more: Boulder Reporting Lab (link below).

• CU Boulder plans ~2,000 additional on-campus beds by 2028.

Longer-term: up to 1,100 at a future south campus and housing at the former Cinebarre in Louisville. Enrollment grew 10% since 2020 (to 38,808 in Fall 2025) while campus housing serves <10,000. CU says it will hold incoming freshmen near 7,400 and focus on retention.

Read the full story: The Mountain Ear (link below).

• Major East Boulder proposal: 2,500-seat performing arts venue, 165-room hotel, ~500 homes.

Would require council financing approval plus standard entitlements. Site includes Sanitas Brewing’s Boulder location (Sanitas says closure is unrelated to the project).

Coverage: Boulder Reporting Lab (link below).

• Boulder Christmas Bird Count (Dec 14).

With compiler Bill Schmoker: Boulder averages ~110 species and ~150+ birders, part of a tradition dating to 1910 locally. Some species are rarer as urbanization increases; others (ravens, great horned owls, wild turkeys) are thriving. Links below to participate locally or find a nearby “circle.”

Main Segment — The Craft Beer Reset: Sanitas Closes, Upslope Sells, What’s Next

Guests/Voices:

Michael Memsic, co-founder, Sanitas Brewing (closing all taprooms this month)
Charlie Berger, Chief Development Officer, Wilding Brands (Upslope brand/production acquisition; portfolio now includes Stem Ciders, Denver Beer Co., Great Divide, Station 26, Howdy Beer, Funkwerks)

Context & Takeaways

2010s boom is over; the market is now mature. Costs (rent, labor, taxes), debt loads, and a dip in overall alcohol consumption are pressuring independents.
Sanitas: cost stack + lower demand = closure.
Upslope: sold brand/production to Wilding Brands; taprooms remain locally owned and open.
Wilding’s thesis: diversify as a craft beverage platform—cider is up nationally, NA is growing, trends evolve (from ambers to IPAs to barrel-aged to sour to NA).
Other survival models: co-ops/alliances (e.g., Dry Dock + Left Hand), fan-backed growth (Westbound & Down’s regulated crowdfunding).
Independent taprooms still matter—but right-sized: fewer per capita, stronger hospitality models.

Choice Quotes

Memsic: “Craft beer isn’t dead—it’s a mature market. The era of standing in line for one bottle in the snow is gone—and that’s okay.”
Berger: “Don’t pigeonhole it as beer. We’re a craft beverage company: cider, NA, taproom hospitality, contract packaging—stay flexible to what drinkers want.”

Local note: Twisted Pine turned 30 this year (home of Ghost Face Killah). 3201 Walnut St—show them some love.

One More Thing

Quick links to take action: sign up for the Christmas Bird Count; read up on Flock; and send us a tip or sponsor an episode if this reporting helps you.