In the 1890s when the Colorado State Capitol Building was built in downtown Denver, the then-legislature mandated that all the materials come from Colorado, said Ken Balleweg, a geological engineer.

Its iconic gold dome on the outside commemorates the Colorado Gold Rush, and the inside is adorned with about two miles of a rare red marble that, to the best of Balleweg’s knowledge, is found only in Beulah — a small, unincorporated community located about 20 miles southwest of Pueblo.

“Hardly anyone knows where Beulah is,” Balleweg said. But those who do, know it because of its marble quarry, he added. “So, we’re proud of the quarry.”

Balleweg grew up in Beulah, and in the mid-1970s, he came to Golden to study geology at the Colorado School of Mines. He now calls both communities home.

About the Beulah Red Ale

Holidaily’s Beulah Red Ale was first available sporadically beginning in spring 2016, said Kaitlyn Gipple, Holidaily Brewing Company’s beer marketer.

In fact, Gipple added, Holidaily’s owner Karen Hertz had always loved the story about the capitol’s marble and knew she’d someday name a beer after it, even before the brewery opened in 2016.

The Beulah Red Ale will become Holidaily’s regular winter seasonal, available until approximately the spring when the next seasonal is released, Gipple said. It will be available in Holidaily’s taproom, as well as in other bars and restaurants, and for the first time, as of November, the beer has been canned and distributed for people to purchase in liquor stores.

The can has three images depicting Holidaily’s connection to Colorado history.

In the center, an ore cart represents Colorado’s mining heritage. To the left, an image of the state capitol building. On the right, a picture of the Grouse Malt House in Wellington, which is where Holidaily sources its gluten-free grains.

The caramelized millet for the Beulah Red Ale carries through to give the beer its flavor and color, said Alan Windhausen, Holidaily’s head brewer.

He added that while humans have been brewing with traditional grains for about 6,000 years and caramelized malt for nearly 600 years, gluten-free brewers have only been brewing with the caramelized malt for about six months.

“It’s exciting to be on the cutting edge of it,” Windhausen said. “And it’s a great beer.”

About the Beulah Marble Quarry

“Beulah marble is one-of-a-kind,” Balleweg said. “It’s dynamic and unique in color and pattern.”

The quarries are located about one-and-a-half miles west of Beulah. However, they were mined only for the state capitol and operated from 1894 to 1900, Balleweg said.

Balleweg bought the quarry about two years ago with the sole purpose to preserve it, he said.

“It’s such a great piece of Colorado history,” Balleweg said, adding that every geologist would love to own both a mine and a bar. “For me, it’s a great honor to be able to tie a beer to an important Colorado mineral deposit.”