El Rancho was built in 1948 by the Jahnke family as a trading post. They sold the building in November 1953 to Mildred and Ray Zipprich, Milwaukee Wisconsin pie distributors. Their daughter Donna and son-in-law Paul McEncroe joined them in February 1958 and operated it, with their children, until 1988. After the McEncroes sold El Rancho in 1988 it was owned and operated by various families.
In May 2015 the Vincent families renovated the historic restaurant as a brew pub, opening in November 2015. The updated El Rancho is dedicated to serving the community as a gathering place, preparing tasty meals, producing quality craft beer, and keeping Colorado great.