Oskar Blues Grill Brew, the Longmont-based restaurant, craft beer brewer and music venue that opened in late 2017 in downtown Colorado Springs, has permanently closed. General Manager Matthew Maconachy confirmed the closure with The Gazette by phone late on Tuesday afternoon. A handwritten si gn that simply said “closed” was pasted to the window of the venue’s front door inside the historic four-story DeGraff Building at 118 N. Tejon St. A handwritten “Closed” sign is posted to the front window of Oskar Blues Grill Brew on Tejon Street in downtown Colorado Springs on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (Breeanna Jent, The Gazette) “Closing Oskar Blues is devastating,” Assistant General Manager Jen Nino wrote in an email to The Gazette. “Our team has been the heart of this place; more than a quarter of our staff have been with us since [Day 1], and we are leaving with heavy hearts. We are profoundly grateful to the Colorado Springs community for the support and memories we’ve shared over the past eight years.” Nino pointed to the “unprecedented strain” on the hospitality sector since the COVID-19 pandemic as one factor that led to Oskar Blues’ closure. People have reduced their discretionary spending and there has been more competition for fewer diners, Nino said. Large-scale construction projects intended to revamp Colorado Springs’ downtown, like the recently completed Tejon Street Revitalization project, temporarily deterred visitors, Nino said. Tejon Street was closed between Colorado Avenue and Kiowa Street from late March through December. “With inflationary pressures and a cautious consumer base, dining out is increasingly viewed as a luxury expense. When families tighten their budgets, eating out is often the first area they cut back on. That reality, coupled with the ongoing construction disruptions, made continued operation unsustainable,” Nino said in part. Oskar Blues’ Southern-inspired menu featured staples like fried chicken wings, ribs, fish and chips, and a variety of soups, salads and burgers. It also offered taps pouring American craft beers, including a limited number of house brews. The venue took over the space that had formerly been occupied for 33 years by Old Chicago Pizza Taproom. It occupied 15,600 square feet — Old Chicago’s first level and a basement — undertaking significant renovations that included a finished basement with community tables, pool tables, a space for live music and more. Community members shared mixed sentiments about Oskar Blues’ closure on a Facebook post from Maconachy on a local “foodies” page. “Loved their menu pre-Covid,” Jill Little wrote. “After that, it was a constant downhill.” John Hermida wrote: “Noooo! Loved the food but appreciated the live music in the basement the most.” Nino said the venue is in a prime downtown space, still a “valuable asset” to the community. The building’s owners “are actively exploring suitable partners who can bring fresh concepts to the site and help re‑energize downtown activity,” she wrote. Nino thanked the Oskar Blues’ Colorado Springs staff and customers for their support throughout the years. Dale Katechis founded Oskar Blues in 1997 in Lyons, north of Boulder. The concept introduced craft beer in a can, and Dale’s Pale Ale, named after the founder, is its flagship brew. In December 2018, it launched Wild Basin Boozy Sparkling Water, what Oskar Blues called the first national craft hard seltzer. Other Oskar Blues restaurants are in Longmont, Lyons and Denver. Its breweries operate in Colorado and North Carolina. ...read more read less