West Flanders Brewing Opens in Boulder w/Former Oskar Blues Brewer

Boulder, CO (29 August 2012/mbb/) —West Flanders Brewing Company (WFBC) will open in the old BJ’s Pizza location on the Pearl Street Mall on Monday, Sept. 24. The owners are restaurant veterans Mark and Chris Heinritz who have owned The Sink in Boulder since 1992, and were founders of the Redfish New Orleans Brewhouse, which was tremendously popular in Boulder in the mid-to-late 90s, and whose beer and food-centric menu was one of the first of its kind. Mark and Chris are joined by longtime restaurateur Barry Wolfman who will be the operating partner.

They are also joined by award-winning brewmaster Brian Lutz, previous brewmaster at Left Hand Brewing Company, Redfish and Oskar Blues. Lutz is known for his audacious beers with creative flavor profiles, and for being instrumental in helping Oskar Blues become the first craft brewery to can their beer (Dale’s Pale Ale).

West Flanders will be the fulfillment of decades of dreaming and planning to build a brewpub that celebrates both community and beer. “When we heard that BJ’s would be vacated, it reignited all the unfulfilled dreams from the Redfish days,” said Mark Heinritz. “It’s the perfect second act, but in a better location – and with the addition of decades of collective experience.”

“The world’s beer drinkers have also been evolving since that first batch of Angry Monk I made,” says Lutz. “Now the craft beer community is finally ready for beers with complex flavor that are as dynamic as they are intriguing. Make sure your seat belt is buckled, because we are about to go on one hell of a ride!”

Jamie Lucas was a natural choice as executive chef. He had an innate understanding of how to pair food with beer to create entirely new flavor combinations. Together Lutz and chef Lucas have created a never before seen beer-centric menu that will surprise and delight beer and food lovers alike.