After the owner of "the world's largest biker bar" announced on a Facebook video Jan. 22 that he had bought Bob and Tony's Pizza in downtown Estes Park, he spent the next week assuring concerned residents that he was planning a boutique distillery, not a full-bore Full Throttle Saloon.
Michael Ballard, owner of the Full Throttle Saloon in South Dakota, which gained fame from the reality TV series of the same name, said on his Facebook Live video broadcast from downtown Estes Park that he would open a distillery on Elkhorn Avenue in the coming year.
Full Throttle Saloon is known as the "largest biker bar in the world" and is one of the main features of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally that takes place every August.
"Look at this ... look at how beautiful this place is," said Ballard, remarking on the lights and charm of downtown Estes Park. "I don't know if you have ever been to Estes Park, but it is beautiful."
In the video, which had more than 65,000 views by Friday, Ballard announced that he had purchased a property on Elkhorn Avenue in downtown Estes Park.
"I am in Estes Park, Colo., right now, and we have been down here now for the past few days. ... I just bought this building here right behind me," Ballard said, gesturing to Bob and Tony's Pizza. "We're going to be putting a Full Throttle Distillery in right here in downtown Estes Park."
The purchase was confirmed by a post from the Bob and Tony's Facebook page that read, "Just want to thank everyone that supported Bob and Tony's Pizza and my family for the last 22 years! Happy to hand the baton to Michael Ballard of Full Throttle Saloon and his crew."
Read full story at: ReporterHerald.com (https://www.reporterherald.com/2021/01/30/world-largest-biker-bar-opening-distillery-in-estes-park/)