About
Knotted Root Brewing Company is a small, artisan brewery located in the quaint mountain setting of Nederland, Colorado. Combining elements of traditional Belgian brewing and American experimentation, Knotted Root focuses on unfiltered hoppy ales, smoothie-style sours, and seasonal, rustic farmhouse ales.
The Collective
Chris Marchio. Founder. Head Brewer. CEO.
Chris began his brewing journey at college in rural Vermont as a homebrewer, where he fell in love with the process. At the same time, Vermont was silently moving towards the status of a world-class beer destination, producing some of the most sought-after hoppy ales. These beers had a profound effect on his palate and overall passion for hops.
From Vermont, Chris ventured west to Washington to formally study brewing and fermentation science at Central Washington University. He developed a deep knowledge for brewing science during this program, which led him to an internship at Roslyn Brewing Company. Following the professional training at Roslyn, he moved to the Redwood forests of Mendocino, California to brew for Anderson Valley Brewing Company, developing his commercial brewing techniques into the foundation of his art.
Colorado always held a mystical place in Chris' heart and when the opportunity presented itself to help open a brewery in Denver, he knew this was his chance. In the summer of 2014, he joined the eclectic team at Fiction Beer Company as their first employee and assistant brewer. The brewery provided Chris with the freedom to experiment with recipes and brewing techniques. From Fiction, Chris was offered a Head Brewer position at Joyride Brewing in Edgewater, where he continued his progressive approach towards unfiltered hoppy ales. These beers allowed him to continue to grow and develop his voice as a powerfully creative brewer.
After years of working in various commercial brewing environments, the opportunity to pursue the dream of opening his own brewery in an iconic mountain setting began to take shape. Since January of 2017, Chris' primary focus has been developing the vision and inventive force behind Knotted Root Brewing Company. Taboot.
Connor Reeves. Head Brewer.
Connor joins Knotted Root as a professional brewer of over five years, and a lover of unfiltered IPAs and the creative styles of beer brewed here in the mountains of Nederland. He has been a fan of Knotted Root and their beers ever since the brewery opened and is excited to bring his passion for interesting and experimental flavors to the brewing team.
Connor first arrived in Colorado to study at University of Colorado at Boulder and fell in love with the natural beauty of this area and the vibrant, cutting-edge brewing scene. After graduating, Connor used his free time to dive headfirst into the world of homebrewing and gained a love for experimenting with the myriad of different flavors and ingredients that can be used in beer today. He began his professional brewing career at a small brewpub/pizza kitchen in Broomfield, Nighthawk Brewery. From there he moved on to Holidaily Brewing Company, where he developed several GABF-award winning hazy IPAs and helped Holidaily transition from a ten barrel taproom brewery into a 20 barrel production facility that distributes throughout the Southwest, becoming the nation's largest gluten-free brewery.
Passionate about creativity in brewing and the incredible flavors that can be produced in modern beer, Connor jumped at the chance to join the Knotted Root team and brew beer in the beautiful mountain setting of Nederland. In his free time, Connor enjoys skiing, fly fishing, and hanging out with his cat Marco.
Brittany Foster Griggs. Artist
Nine years ago, Brittany moved from New Hampshire to Colorado. Growing up in the Northeast fostered a love for the great outdoors, and this relationship has grown with each year spent in the Rocky Mountains.
”Painting is my greatest form of self expression. My artwork is inspired by a deep admiration for people and places. Artwork which embodies nature’s patterns and colors. My expression of color and form hope to capture life’s inspirations and bring them into your space.
Each piece takes on a life of its own, a practice of surrendering to the present moment, a meditation. Through listening, exploration and creative curiosity, I find authenticity in color and canvas.”
Jessica Kane. Artist.
Originally from New Jersey, Jess jumped ship as soon as she graduated high school and bought a one way ticket to Colorado. Although she has moved around alot, Colorado has been her chosen home for most of her adult life. Planting roots here has allowed her the stability and focus to explore her creativity and develop a unique art style and practice.
"In March of 2020, I began a new series of small watercolor paintings. This work began as a way to lighten my experience during such a heavy time. I was using color, form and movement to simplify and encapsulate emotions and mood. This style progressed as I focused on different shapes and lines to create motion and flow. The separation of these floating silhouettes was not only a way of expressing the isolation of the times, but also individuality and freedom. Although this collection of abstract pop art paintings is constructed with whimsical shapes, they are inspired by the natural world, evoking thoughts of bubbles, rocks and islands.
These ‘bubbles’ caught the eye of my good friends at Knotted Root Brewing. I scrolled through the comments on my first Instagram post featuring this new work, to one that said, ‘beer cans?!’ The rest, they say, is history.”