Ratio Beerworks, Denver’s independent brewery with roots in the punk music scene, was awarded the RiNo Art District’s inaugural Creative Business Award. The award was presented at Art RiNo 2025 on Nov. 8, a milestone event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the RiNo Art District, where Ratio first opened its doors a decade ago. The inaugural Creative Business Award trophy was designed by Tracey Weil, co-founder of the RiNo Art District who received the district’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
The RiNo Art District’s new Creative Business Award recognizes Ratio as an organization that meaningfully invests in the local creative community. Through its “Ratio Core” community-impact program, the brewery has donated at least 3% of its total beer production annually over the past decade to support creatives and nonprofit organizations in Colorado’s music and arts scene that share its community-centered ethos.
“We know that supporting and collaborating with local musicians and artists helps make Denver a place we love to spend time,” said Jason zumBrunnen, co-founder of Ratio Beerworks. “RiNo shaped who we are. We want to keep it a place that keeps people coming out and doing the things they love.”
Founded in 2015 on Larimer Street in RiNo, Ratio emerged from the DIY ethic of the music scene with a focus on making award-winning beer and creating an inclusive space for creativity, and community. The brewery quickly became a cultural anchor in RiNo, a neighborhood imagined by artists, dreamers, and community builders who turned an industrial corridor into one of the most creative and highly recognized art districts in the country.
On the backdrop of murals, live shows, and brewing equipment, Ratio’s impact on Colorado’s art and music scene starts in RiNo but extends throughout Colorado. The brewery opened its second taproom and production facility in Denver’s Overland neighborhood in 2022 and reached statewide distribution in 2024. As the brewery continues to expand availability across Colorado, the team continues to grow the impact of “Ratio Core,” prioritizing long-term relationships with arts districts, venues, musicians and artists throughout the state.
“Beer is community,” said Scott Kaplan, Ratio Beerworks co-founder. “It’s our way of connecting people to what they love–music, art, comedy. When you visit RiNo or order a Ratio beer anywhere in Colorado, you’re supporting the ecosystem that keeps the city creative.”
