Cerberus Brewing Company

Eat + Drink
West Side, Colorado Springs
2017

Cerberus Brewing Company is the result of a transformation of a derelict veterinary clinic into an award-winning brewery and restaurant, complete with full-scale beer production, a top-class kitchen and dining area, and a beautiful outdoor deck and beer garden.

The primary structure, a 1950’s 2-story box with a mid-level entry (on the wrong side of the building), small windows, and low ceilings, did not easily lend itself to housing the most popular brewpub in Colorado Springs. The adjacent structure, currently the brewery, was a combination of an outdoor kennel and 1-car garage. Neither building related structurally or aesthetically, but did have one redeeming aspect; a fabulous mid-century monument sign, that would be salvaged, at the corner of Colorado Avenue & 7th Street.

Taking a solid design cue from the mid-century inspiration, we made one bold architectural move to tie the buildings together (literally and figuratively). A large-scale, reverse-truss roof creates an iconic look for the building, shades the exterior deck and entry sequence, and provides volume required for the brewery space that did not previously exist. The roof form is outlined in the signature Cerberus red and enhanced with western red cedar, providing a warm and natural Colorado look inside and out.