After nearly 30 years in Honolulu as one of the city’s top “hidden gems,” the one-of-a-kind Home of the Brave Brewseum—which blends local craft beer and World War II history—is relocating to Durango, Colorado, where plans for a new campus are underway.
The new facility will be built on a multi-acre ranch and showcase wartime artifacts, local brews, and immersive experiences designed to keep veterans’ stories alive for future generations.
The 3,000-plus mile move comes after the museum was displaced from its original location during the pandemic. Now, the museum, its collection, and its mission to share World War II history will grow new roots on the mainland in southwest Colorado.
History of The Brewseum
Founded in 1991 by Glen Tomlinson, Home of the Brave began as a World War II tour company dedicated to preserving the memory of Pearl Harbor and the veterans who fought there. Over time, Tomlinson gathered merchandise, stories, photos, and artifacts from World War II survivors, eventually collecting enough to create a small museum in Kaka‘ako, a neighborhood in downtown Honolulu.
Though Tomlinson has a great interest in World War II himself, he recognized that the younger generations might need a little more inspiration to come and interact with the museum. To that end, he created a small local brewery inside the museum and launched the Home of the Brave Brewseum in 2014.
The Brewseum blended two worlds rarely seen together—craft beer and military history—in an effort to bridge the gap between generations, Tomlinson said. Guests sipped small-batch lagers and ales surrounded by walls lined with WWII uniforms, aviation instruments, radios, and photographs. A restored 1945 Ford Jeep sat proudly inside, having once appeared in the Hollywood film Pearl Harbor. Above the bar, model bombers hung mid-flight.
Thanks to its novelty (and the solid craft beer), the Brewseum became a gathering place for veterans, locals, and visitors alike—part pub, part museum, part storytelling hub.
But by 2020, the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic proved too much. Like many small businesses, the Brewseum was forced to close its doors. “It broke our hearts,” Glen Tomlinson told reporters, “But we knew the legacy couldn’t end here.”
A New Destination in Durango
Rather than dispersing his massive collection, Tomlinson decided to relocate. Three-quarters of the museum’s artifacts—along with the famous Jeep and original Brewseum furniture—were shipped across the Pacific to Durango, Colorado, where their son, Baron “Bear” Tomlinson, had already settled into the local brewing community.
Now, in the open space of a multi-acre ranch, a new vision is taking shape. Plans call for a new museum to house the artifacts, as well as new food and beverage concepts to help attract younger people and introduce them to the heroic stories of the second world war. On-site cabins will also be built to host overnight guests.
Though the collection in Durango will be slightly smaller than the one in Hawai‘i, the mission remains the same: Honoring the stories of World War II veterans while connecting past and present through local food and drink.
Military museums have been going out of business, because they’re boring to people of the younger generations, Tomlinson said. He is hoping to make history fun and engaging, using not only food and beverage but also immersive technology to bring the museum to life.
“We want people to feel what history was like, not just read about it,” Tomlinson explained.
A Passionate Project
Those who have followed Home of the Brave and Tomlinson’s journey know that he’s been asked one question over and over again throughout the years: Why?! With so many other military-focused museums struggling, why go through all the trouble to move more than 3,000 miles?
Speaking with Tomlinson, one can hear the emotion behind his words.
“These [former servicemen and women] did so much for us, and to have their stories, artifacts, and legacies disappear into history, it’s not right,” Tomlinson said. “I want to pass on their legacy and everything they did for us.”
Those wanting to see a full project description and construction plans for the new Home of the Brave Brewseum can find them here. Commemorative bricks will also be sold to help fund the museum.
Though far from Pearl Harbor and its beginnings in Hawai‘i, the Brewseum’s new chapter in Durango carries the same heartbeat: a home for stories of courage, community, and, fittingly, a drink and a toast to the “home of the brave.”