Shoot from the hip
Brass-replacing Gunslinger Brewing Co. eyes a Labor Day launch; The Warehouse shares a beautiful summer flank steak recipe; Briargate's Milkshake Factory visited + more food & drink news & events
Happy 4th of July ahead! I’m dropping this slightly abbreviated newsletter a little early this week. That’s to get ahead of the holiday and dwindling attention spans as it draws near and many folks head to the mountains to play. (I might be doing a little bit of that myself🏕️ ). Have fun, eat (and drink) well. We’ve got a phenomenal steak recipe below if you need an idea for your grill next weekend. I hope to see you later in the month, at this year’s Taste of Pikes Peak (July 17) and the next Sip with Schnip event (July 24; both listed in the events section of this newsletter below). Cheers!
Five questions with Dan Hays of Gunslinger Brewing
A few weeks ago, Side Dish noted the sale of seven-year-old Brass Brewing Co. to new operators who’ll soon be opening as Gunslinger Brewing Co. I connected with one of its owners this past week to learn more:
Who is behind Gunslinger?
Gunslinger Brewing Company is owned and operated by three couples: Dan and Christa Hays, Bill and Judy Hays, and Don and Anita Feugate Opperman. We're a Veteran- and family-owned brewery opening this later summer in downtown Colorado Springs.
Christa and I have been married for 26 years and have two amazing kids — one in college, the other in middle school. Bill and Judy are my parents, longtime business owners in tech and real estate. Don and Anita are fellow Air Force veterans and close friends. (Anita used to be my boss!) The three of us have 77 years of combined Active Duty service.
After years of me talking about opening a brewery, Christa, Judy and Bill were on board. More recently, Don and Anita became serious about going on the wild ride with us. So, when Anita and I both retired last summer, we all decided that we were coming back to Colorado Springs to open Gunslinger. After 15 years of brewing, online courses and even a brewing internship, we’re finally ready to pour.
Why buy Brass Brewing?
We spent nine months looking for the right location. Our initial plan was to build on a lot we’d secured on the east side of town. But just as our loan was about to be finalized, a high-profile local brewery shut down — causing the bank to back away.
We pivoted and explored leasing options. Nothing felt quite right — too big, too small, wrong vibe. One location seemed promising, but communication stalled. Then, Bill saw the Brass listing within hours of it going live. We’d all been to Brass before. It had a loyal crowd and a great downtown spot. After meeting Woody and Kellee Briggs and hearing their story, we felt honored to carry their legacy forward. It gave us a way to hit the ground running, without the time and cost of building from scratch. We knew it was an opportunity for us to pick up and run with their ball. We are glad they picked us to sell to.
What are your plans for the brewery?
Woody and Kellee left us a fully functioning brewhouse and taproom. The beers they produced were fantastic. The taproom has a laid-back atmosphere, so the “must do” changes are minimal. We plan to keep its spirit alive while making it our own.
We’re adding lunch service with a quick kitchen offering paninis and pretzels. Our beer menu will highlight more lagers throughout the year, with several in our core lineup. Taproom updates will reflect our “saloon-chic” theme — a modern twist on Western style. We’re also adding long, beer hall-style tables to encourage conversation and community. Our goal is to get people to put their phones down, make a friend and enjoy a pint together.
Do you have a specific brewing style?
Not one style, no. Part of being a “gunslinger” is embracing risk and creativity, doing something a little different, and occasionally shooting from the hip. While we’ll lean into lagers, our lineup will be diverse, with familiar favorites, new experiments and fresh takes on classics. We’re thrilled that Sean Fickle, Brass’s brewer of the past four years, is staying on. Sean has a breadth of experience and brews beers people love to come back to. He’s a lager fan too. Together, we’re refining recipes and aiming to make each batch our best yet.
What’s behind the name Gunslinger? And when can we taste the beer?
Funny enough, the name started as a joke. After returning from Afghanistan in 2010, I was watching a documentary on brewing beer. It looked like the perfect blend of art and science. I was instantly hooked. I called my dad and said, “Clear your schedule, we’re brewing beer.” The next day, we went down to the homebrew shop, bought the equipment and ingredients and got after it.
Halfway through that first batch, he asked what we’d call it. Since they lived on Gunslinger Drive, I said, “How about Gunslinger Brewing Company?” It stuck. Soon we were coming up with Western-themed beer names and quoting Tombstone. I drew up the first logo, we made t-shirts and the dream took root.
We’re aiming to open Labor Day weekend. Renovations are underway and we’ll be ready with fresh beers on tap. Pouring that first pint will be a dream come true.
Flank steak with The Warehouse and Ranch Foods Direct
This month’s Schnip’s Pick recipe with my lead sponsor Ranch Foods Direct comes to us via Chef James Africano at The Warehouse. It’s a fantastic, summer-friendly flank steak recipe that I’ve already made at home (much to the delight of my guests). Chef Africano tells me it’s a dish he regularly makes at home, too, because it’s so relatively easy and delicious. Head to either Ranch Foods Direct retail location to pick up your regeneratively farmed Callicrate flank steak and make sure to mention that you’re a Side Dish subscriber to get 5% off your whole shopping basket. Thank them for supporting food and drink journalism while you’re at it. And congratulate them on their 25th anniversary in business!
More than milkshakes
By Lauren Hug
My daughter and I were in the Briargate area for her wisdom tooth removal consultation (fun!), so as preemptive consolation for the upcoming surgery, we decided to check out the MilkShake Factory. The Pittsburgh-launched, locally owned franchise opened in late April next to Chicken Salad Chick and Dave & Buster’s.
They offer more than just milkshakes, with an assortment of chocolate products (like chocolate covered pretzel bites, chocolate barks and chocolate-covered strawberries), sundaes, non-dairy options and an intriguing category they call “Molten Chocolate Cups.” I opt for one of those — the Peanut Butter Bananas & Cream cup, described as fresh bananas, homemade whipped cream, peanut butter sauce and melted milk chocolate ($5.95). My daughter oohed and ahhed over the menu for a while, finally choosing the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Shake described as raspberry puree, rich cocoa, melted fudge and semi-sweet chocolate ($8.35).
The raspberry and fudge flavors in the shake were both delicious, but the ice cream base itself was watery and nearly flavorless. It was so blah, we wondered if it was made wrong. The Peanut Butter Bananas & Cream cup, on the other hand, was so good we contemplated licking the inside of the serving container. The peanut butter sauce paired perfectly with the bananas and melted chocolate. I normally pass on whipped cream, but in this concoction, it fit. It felt like a decadent, yet not too heavy treat. It's a little strange to tell you to visit a shop with "milkshake" in its name for something other than a milkshake, but that Molten Chocolate Cup is worth a visit on its own. As for the milkshakes, we'll give them another try, especially since the free Visit COS Crafts & Drafts Passport has a 2-for-1 offer!
Use code SIDEDISH to for $5 off a G/A ticket to Taste of Pikes Peak (THE outdoor food/drink event of the year)
Or purchase a VIP ticket which includes early entry at 5 p.m., exclusive tastings from my Side Dish Dozen members and a private VIP area in which to relax (outfitted with private bathrooms). It’s the best and bougiest experience, and remember that this event act as the main fundraiser for the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association — which provides necessary advocacy for the industry at the state level plus local education opportunities and much more.
Bites & Bits
• Por Favor Tacos & Tragos, which I highlighted here last year, is celebrating its one-year anniversary on July 3. Catch $7 Por Favor Margaritas and a special $5 Anniversary Campi Taco — originally called Taco Campechano, it’s a mixture of chorizo, carne asada and carnitas topped with a Chile Tatemado (mashed Serrano peppers, garlic, tomato, and onions) marketing director Everardo Galván tells Side Dish. The specials will only be available for one day only, so swing by if you can.
• Tepex and owner Fernando Trancoso posted late last week to say that his lease at the Avenue 19 food hall is up, and that “Tepex is officially put to rest.” He says he’ll be taking “a short break” and that he already has “something in the oven” (some teases of which you may have noticed in recent weeks on social media if you’ve been really paying attention). “I can’t wait to see you all again. Soon…” he signed off.
• Evergreen Restaurant — the tucked away gem on the CC campus where La'au's used to reside — is seeking to sell the business. Owners Alex Saprin tells Side Dish they’re looking ahead toward a project in Denver (even sharing the below rendering), and they don’t want to be splitting focus between the cities in the future. (As I’m no broker, contact them directly for info, or tell your friend the one who’s always wanted to run their own restaurant someday, to get in touch.) It’s business as usual meanwhile, with a revamped (more affordable) patio menu and brunch hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
• The industry support organization Big Table says it fielded 40 new care referrals between April and May at its Colorado Springs office.
• A new mobile cart named OverHang CO launched recently, specializing in N/A offerings. Check out their menu here. It’s a mix of mocktails, lemon- and limeades and iced teas and iced coffee drinks. Their tagline is “Adding SOBER spaces to SOCIAL spaces.” They can be booked for events via their website.
Side Dish Dozen happenings
Four by Brother Luck: Book now for our six-course Top Chef Dinner with Jamie Lynch and Brother Luck, July 31. Eleven18: Catch happy hours, 4-5:30 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, and extended happy hours, 10-11:30 on Fridays and Saturdays. Fresh oysters/$1.25 each, small plates for $8-$10, $5 draft beers, $10 tap cocktails, $7 wines and half-off bottles, $4 shots.
T-Byrd’s Tacos & Tequila: Our unbeatable $11.99 lunch special comes with chips & salsa, two tacos, rice, beans and a fountain drink; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Taco Tuesdays feature $3.50 tacos all day and $5 Margaritas and Swirls. Happy hours are 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and all day Sunday: $6 Tommy Margs, $3-$4 beers, $7 pork belly burnt end bites, $4 nachos and select $3.95 tacos.
Rasta Pasta: Just one of the great times to visit us (which is actually always) is for Wine-Down Wednesdays, where all house wines are two for the price of one!
Red Gravy: Book now for our next Sunday Supper Club with Chef Eric on July 13. We will be preparing dishes inspired by his trip to Montreal: a foie gras-inspired spin on poutine; baked bass filet with beurre blanc; roasted chicken with truffle sauce and whipped potatoes; and an authentic Canadian maple dessert. All courses are drink paired; $150.
Bristol Brewing Company: Music in the Yard continues free every Friday in July with Ty Gibbs rocking the 4th of July from 6-8 p.m. in the Schoolyard! Come on down and try Spark BBQ’s new elote side and chicken rub recipe paired with a cold Bristol brew and live music in the yard. What an all-American 4th!
Hammond’s Pastrami & Smoked Delicatessen: We are now serving daily, noon-sellout, at The Chuckwagon 719 — which operates noon-sellout, Thursdays-Sundays. So come for award-winning, authentic Texas BBQ at Chuckwagon and Hammond’s house-smoked meats made into phenomenal sandwiches. We source from excellent brands like Nolan Ryan Beef and make our own pastrami, roast beef, turkey and more. We make all our sides, sauces and desserts from scratch. All fried options use beef tallow; we don’t use seed oils.
Upcoming events
July 6: Stompin’ Groundz One Year Anniversary party. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Live DJ, farmers market, food and drink specials, giveaways and more.
July 12: Farm-to-Table Summer Harvest Wild New American dinner at Smokebrush Farm. 5-8 p.m. Featuring ingredients grown at the farm and around the state. Subsequent dinners with different themes run Aug. 3 through Nov. 15.
July 17: 2025 Taste of Pikes Peak. 6-9 p.m. in front of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. $65-$125. Side Dish Dozen members will compose the VIP area! Use code SIDEDISH for $5 off GA tickets.
July 17: Klinkerbrick Winery wine tasting at My Cellar Wine Bar. 6-8 p.m. $40.
July 19: Field of Drinks Brew Festival at Fountain’s Metcalfe Park. Noon to 4 p.m.
July 24: Sip with Schnip Grazing Goat Pizza Party at Goat Patch Northgate. Details coming soon.
July 27: Culinary Deep Dive, Coastal Mexico dinner at The Carter Payne. 6 p.m.; $120.
July 31: Top Chef Dinner with Jamie Lynch at Four by Brother Luck, 6 p.m., six wine-paired courses, $165.
July 31: Tails, Tunes & Tastes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. 6-9:30 p.m. $64.75-$74.75; unlimited small plates and two drinks. (Subsequent dates Aug. 28 and Sept. 25.)
Parting shot(s)
Our plating of this month’s flank steak recipe with arugula from my garden, and dining al fresco at home.
