Tapster, a self‑pour tasting‑room franchise that lets customers tap and pour their own beer, wine and cocktails, quietly slipped into Denver’s Lower Highlands late last month, lining a wall with 54 taps of local and national options. The new spot leans on a low‑labor, high‑rotation setup that its owners say will keep the lineup changing and give neighbors a reason to swing back in week after week.
According to BusinessDen, Zac and Meghan Crow opened Tapster on June 26 at 3200 Tejon St., signing a long lease for roughly 2,800 square feet and decking out the space with Aspen wood and local murals. The report notes that the couple, both Colorado natives and Colorado State University alums, wanted a place where people can socialize without the staffing overhead of a full restaurant.
How the self‑pour model works
Guests open a tab, get a Tapster‑branded card, and tap it above the spouts to pour. Drinks are charged by the ounce, so patrons can go from one‑ounce tastes to full pours without waiting on a bartender. As outlined on Tapster, the format mixes beer, cocktails, hard liquor, and nonalcoholic options and is designed to cut down on waste and wait times while giving local operators the flexibility to rotate kegs frequently.
Local taps and early favorites
Zac Crow told BusinessDen that roughly three‑quarters of the taps are dedicated to Colorado breweries, with house favorites already including WeldWerks’ Juicy Bits IPA. Guinness, though, took the early crown as the single most poured beer during Tapster’s first four days. BusinessDen also reports that drink prices range from about $0.40 an ounce to well over $1 for liquor, that the Crows signed a 10‑year lease for the space, and that construction and permitting ran close to $500,000.
Where Tapster fits in the market
Tapster first opened in Chicago in 2017 and has since expanded through franchising to multiple markets. Industry coverage in Brewbound said the brand was building momentum in 2025 with new franchise agreements, including the Crows’ Denver location. Tapster’s national site lists locations in cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Lexington, and highlights the model’s flexibility for local operators.
Permits and neighborhood context
State liquor records list a tavern license for Tapster Tasting Room at 3200 Tejon St., according to state liquor records, which show Crow Investments LLC as the licensee at the LoHi address. The arrival of Tapster follows a stretch of turnover on the block and brings a constantly changing tap wall to a neighborhood where several concepts have opened and closed in recent years.
