Who We Are:
Once upon a time (1991) several local American Breweriana Association (ABA) members got together for beers and brats and the conversation soon turned to the idea of starting a Colorado chapter of the ABA. The Columbine Chapter’s name was given (another story for another time) and we became one of the earliest chapters of the ABA…which makes sense, given how ABA was born right here in this great state. Officers were appointed with Brett Dusek as president, Mark Kilburn as vice president, Nick Clous as secretary/treasurer, and Bill Schlitter as the editor of the soon-to-be created newsletter, The Brewgle.
The Columbine Chapter leadership, of that time, knew that it was good business to “hobby diversify” so when the opportunities became available, they affiliated with the Brewery Collectibles Club of American (BCCA) (2009) and the National Association of Breweriana Advertising (NABA) (2019), With each new affiliation, The Columbine Chapter expanded in membership numbers and quality of events (Rush-To-The-Rockies as well as local shows) which has benefited our membership tremendously.>
The story behind our name:
Two stories, behind our name (The Columbine Chapter), have been circulating amongst the members. One group says that we’re named after The Colorado Columbine Brewing Co. which operated in Colorado between 1906 – 1915 in Leadville Colorado. Others say that we’re named after Colorado’s state flower, the Columbine (Aquilegia Caerulea), which received that distinction on April 4th, 1899. And in reality, we were most likely named for both!