Arriving at El Rancho Brewing Co
TL;DR: El Rancho Brewing Company, a historic Colorado establishment, partners with Harvest Hosts, offering RV travelers stunning views of the Continental Divide.
Harvest Hosts is an incredibly unique RV membership program. Through this program, members are granted access to 9,300 host locations across North America for overnight accommodations with no camping fees. To support the business, members typically make a small purchase of whatever it is that the business is offering. Locations include establishments such as farms, wineries, breweries, museums, restaurants, attractions, and more.El Rancho Brewing Company is a great example of one of our incredible hosts. Located just west of Denver, Colorado, this brewery offers prime views of the Continental Divide.Learn all about:
- El Rancho's history
- The operation today
- When they joined Harvest Hosts.
The History
El Rancho story begins in 1948, when the restaurant was built by the Jahnke family. The early establishment sought to fill the role of a community-oriented restaurant in Evergreen that could also draw in motorists and tourists from US-40. In 1953, the Jahnkes sold the building to Mildred and Ray Zipprich. The Zippriches were successful pie distributors from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their son-in-law, Paul McEncroe and his family operated El Rancho until 1988, and, during this time, the restaurant cemented its status as a Front Range mainstay. The Zippriches then sold El Rancho in 1988. After this change in ownership, the restaurant then underwent a series of ownerships and closures until 2015. At this time, the Vincent family purchased and renovated the historic restaurant as a brew pub. Then, in 2020, Paul Vincent partnered with local restaurateur and managing partner Glen Fountain. Together, they renovated the restaurant and reestablished the Aspen Room downstairs from the restaurant. This massive change breathed new life into the speak-easy style bar and live entertainment venue that was first established in 1958.