2012 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide

Old Town Fort Collins

has a new Mayor in town

WITH 100 BEERS ON TAP, YOU HAVE TO COME AND SEE WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT!

TOP 15 BEER BARS IN THE US —Craftbeer.com

TOP 100 BEER BARS IN THE US —Draft Magazine

TOP 5 BEER BARS IN THE US —Playboy Magazine

632 S. Mason St. Fort Collins, CO 80524 Phone: 970-682-2410 www.themayorofoldtown.com twitter.com/@mayorofoldtown facebook.com/TheMayorofOldTown

Contents 8 BEER BOOST

Craft beer provides $446M boost to Fort Collins, Colorado economies

10 Colorado beer By the numbers

12 Alternate Transportation Brewery hopping in style

14 Great American Beer Festival

Denver beer festival medal helps put brewers on the map

16 Northern Colorado Brewery Map 18 Governing Beer

Proposed tax cuts could save Fort Collins brewers big bucks

20 Beer Bettys

Ladies-only club knows a thing or two about brews

22 World Beer Cup

Fort Collins breweries take home 3 medals at World Beer Cup

24 Garage Brews

Home-brewing has strong history in Northern Colorado

26 On Tap

Taking in Northern Colorado’s Tap Rooms

27 Backstage Pass Brewery tours in Fort Collins

28 Beer on parade Tour de Fat builds cycling momentum in Fort Collins

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012 5

Few can make a trip to Fort Collins without a visit to one of the many local breweries.

The brewing culture in the Choice City has bubbled up in the past couple years with nine breweries and another three in the planning stages, making for what many have deemed the Napa Valley of beer.

Each brewery has its own distinct niche and style of beers to offer visitors who want to make a day of it. From the third largest craft brewer in the country, New Belgium Brewing Co., known for such beers as Fat Tire Amber Ale to one of Colorado’s oldest brewpubs with CooperSmith’s Pub& Brewing, Fort Collins beer scene offers a little bit of everything.

In the pages of this Brew Guide lies valuable information and insights that I have accumulated as my time serving as the Beer Reporter for the Coloradoan. It is a tough job, but I have spent years talking to beer connoisseurs, bar owners, brewers and have even sampled a few beers myself so that you, the reader, can cut through the foam and get straight to the good stuff here in Fort Collins.

And there is plenty of good stuff to be found, just hop on a bicycle and check it out.

David Young Coloradoan Beer Reporter

Keep up with David and all the latest brewery news at www.coloradoan.com/brewtrail 6 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012

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The Colorado Brewery guide is an annual publication that highlights local beer and breweries in Northern Colorado and across the state. Content includes a calendar of events and locator map featuring the region’s breweries. Plus, find great deals from your favorite local businesses!

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Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012 7

Craft beer provides $446M boost to Fort Collins, Colorado economies Colorado’s craft brewing industry injects $446 million into the state’s economy, according to a study released by Colorado Brewers Guild.

The University of Colorado Business Research Division compiled the data for the Colorado Brewers Guild, which indicates that as of March, Colorado had 139 licensed craft brewers totaling $101.8 million in income, with a $179.2 million total employment effect. The study cost the guild an estimated $10,000, according to CU.

Colorado likes to “support independent local brewers. That’s evident in Fort Collins, with nine local brewers.

”

Nine of those breweries are in Fort Collins, including New Belgium Brewing Co., the largest craft brewer in Colorado and third largest in the country, behind Sierra Nevada and Boston Beer Co. Fort Collins’ breweries contribute $83.2 million to the Larimer County payroll and support 938 direct jobs, according to a 2011

8 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012

study by Colorado State University’s Regional Economics Institute and the Beverage Business Institute.

Collectively, Colorado brewers contributed nearly $446 million in output in 2011, with an estimated additional $9 million going to the state from a special beer excise tax. This tax burden is unique to Colorado brewers and is in addition to the other taxes all Colorado businesses pay.

The Colorado excise tax on beer is 8 cents per gallon, one of the lowest beer taxes in the country. Colorado’s beer excise tax is ranked No. 46 out of the 50 states.

Steve Kurowski, CBG spokesman, said the boom reflected in the study is indicative of what is happening to the craft beer industry across the country.

He attributed the growth to good beer laws, quality water and having the annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

“Beer drinkers are waking up to full-flavor beers made by independent local brewers,” Kurow-ski said. “Colorado likes to support independent local brewers. That’s evident in Fort Collins, with nine local brewers.”

In addition to the millions pumped into the local economy, the study showed that Colorado craft brewers create at least 5,800 Colorado jobs.

New Belgium employs 300 workers locally and 435 throughout the country. More than 150,000 people visit the brewery each year.

In 2011, New Belgium saw an 11 percent year-over-year growth in sales, said spokesman Bryan Simpson, who declined to disclose the brewery’s total sales for the year.

Brian Lewandowski, re-search associate with the Business Research Division at the CU LEEDS Business School, conducted the survey by contacting 70 brewers across the state, excluding Coors and Anheuser-Busch in Fort Collins.

Although the survey did not attempt to find out why brewers are seeing positive growth, Lewandowski said he did ask what was inhibiting growth. Brewers indicated reducing industry taxes and regulations would aid in their growth, along with a bigger customer base.

By comparison, the arts, another rapidly growing industry in the state, is about a $5 billion industry.

The state’s creative enterprises employed more than 122,000 individuals in about 8,000 establishments, according to The Colorado Creative Industries’ 2009 economic study, the latest data available.

Colorado beer by the numbers

139

licensed craft breweries

85

brewpubs

54

manufacturer breweries

75

planned breweries In 2011, Colorado craft brewers donated an estimated $

1.2 million

of value to nonprofits.

Durango ranks first for city breweries per capita with one brewery per

3,480 people.

The Colorado Front Range is the largest craft brewing market in the United States with

74 breweries in operation.

10 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012

CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing produces

2,000 barrels in Old Town annually.

The local brewpub pays $14,000 in excise tax, which means the brewery stands to save $7,000 under the proposed cut.

New Belgium Brewing Co. produced around

712,000 barrels

in 2011. It currently pays just less than $2 million in Colorado excise taxes on those barrels. Under the proposed law, it would pay half that and save $1 million.

Odell Brewing Co. produces about

59,000 barrels

in 2011, of that 70 percent or 41,300 barrels remained in state. That means Odell stands to save $144,550 with the proposed tax cut.

Fort Collins’ Anheuser-Busch facility produces about

10m barrels and would save $9 on each barrel produced and sold in Colorado under the proposed cut.

5 BREWERY

$

SHUTTLE

Friday & Saturdayy 11am - 7pm Shuttle picks up in front of Town Pump at the top of the hour and half past and loops between all the Fort Collins breweries *Schedule subject to change

Call 970-225-4838 for large groups or family reservations www.hopsandshops.com

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Brewery hopping in style With nine breweries in Fort Collins, transportation between the breweries has sprung up as a whole new business.

From riding bikes to taking tour buses, visitors to Fort Collins have an array of ways to get between the various breweries in town without having to worry about driving themselves.

Hops & Shops Hops & Shops operates from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through September. It starts in front of Town Pump at the top of the hour and half past the hour, looping through Old Town breweries, including New Belgium, Odells Brewing Co, Fort Collins Brewery, FunkWerks, Pateros Creek Brewery and Equinox Brewing.

Cost is between $5 to $10 per person. The shuttle is not timed with the brewery’s tours Hops & Shops also offers pick-up and drop-off at a few hotels throughout town, from Harmony Road to north Fort Collins.. Website: www.hopsandshops.com. Phone: (970) 225-4849

MyHandleBar MyHandleBar is a 16-passenger bike that allows riders to ride from one brewery or bar to another. MyHandleBar is a unique way to experience the bars and breweries in Northern Colorado. The party bike can seat up to 16 people and one designated rider provided by the company. Despite having the word “bar” in the name, there is no alcohol served on the bike, which takes riders to breweries and bars around Old Town. The bike has a bar top as riders sit in a semi-circle and pedal. The bike was originally called “fietscafe,” which is a loose Dutch translation for “Bike Café,” and was started in a pub with a friendly wager and a bar napkin sketch, according to the company.

Website: www.myhandlebar.com. Phone: (720) 431-0119

Yellow Cab Taxi When the tour is done and you are in need of a ride home, Yellow Cab Taxi is always available. Yellow Cab covers Loveland, Fort Collins and Greeley. Founded in 1924, Yellow Cab has more than 500 taxicabs in Colorado, 50 of which operate in Northern Colorado. The company drives more than 200,000 passengers a year. It operates 24 hours a day seven days a week. Website: www.fortcollinstaxi.com.

Phone: (970) 224-2222

12 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012 13

Denver beer festival medal helps put brewers on the map Just as beer drinkers snapped America’s premier beer festival and competiup tickets to the Great American tion, as the largest ticketed beer event in the country, is a bellwether of the booming craft Beer Festival in record time this beer industry. year, beer makers also clamored to get into the event to pour their The competition In 2011, Funkwerks Brewery of Fort Collins brews in record numbers.

In first-come, first-served fashion, 580 brewers from across the country registered to serve 2,000 beers to 49,000 attendees at the 31st annual festival Oct. 11-13. Every Fort Collins brewery will be at the GABF with the exception of CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewery.

CooperSmith’s won’t attend this year’s GABF due to some turnover with the brewing staff and not having enough manpower to go, said floor manager Chelsea Hayes.

An additional 76 breweries, 12 from Colorado, are sitting on a wait list ready to step in should a brewer drop out of the event.

The growth and rise in popularity of

14 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012

took home a silver GABF medal for its Saison beer.

The medal helped put the brewery on the map and provide its owners with a sense that they were on to something.

“It gave us confidence in our product,” said Funkwerks co-owner Brad Lincoln. “When you do something different, some people love it and some don’t. When we go out and sell and have medal behind us ... it gives us a certain amount of credibility.”

Lincoln said it was hard to tell if the medal boosted sales of the beer, but noted it helped with word of mouth about what the new Fort

Collins’ brewery was doing. After winning the medal, the beer was featured in Draft Magazine where it received a rating of 96.

Like the sampling side of the festival, more breweries than ever are entering the competition in hopes of taking home a GABF medal.

2012 Great American Beer Festival

BY THE NUMBERS Breweries pouring: 580 Beers to taste: 2,000 Attendees: 49,000 Breweries on wait list: 76 Colorado breweries on wait list: 12 Follow the Brew Trail For more on beer and breweries in Northern Colorado visit www.coloradoan. com/brewtrail *All numbers subject to change

This year, an estimated 650 brewers will face off in the competition compared to 526 in 2011. There will be approximately 4,350 beers judged, a 10 percent increase over last year’s competition.

It will take 185 judges from around the globe to taste all the beers and award the final medals. The GABF competition honors 84 beer style categories with gold, silver and bronze medals.

“Awards are recognized around the world.

They are really considered symbols of brewing excellence,” said Barbara Fusco, sales and marketing director with the Boulder-based Brewers Association that puts on the GABF. “They are highly coveted in the industry.”

Outside of the industry the medals may not carry as much weight with beer drinkers who prefer to make their own selections based on personal taste.

Doug Odell, co-owner of Odell Brewing Co., has previously been a judge at the GABF and knows that the public’s taste doesn’t always align with judges.

That’s evident in the brewery’s Cutthroat Porter. While the beer has garnered more medals and awards over the years than any other beer, it remains a slower seller, Odell

emony out of the hall, offering more space for brewers’ booths. In addition, they are limiting how many beers a brewer can pour at the event to conserve space.

Per tradition, visitors will find more than just beer at the GABF. There is a silent disco, brewers studio pavilion, brewpub pavilion, bookstore, farm to table pavilion and mer-

When you do something different, some people “love it and some don’t. When we go out and sell and have medal behind us ... it gives us a certain amount of credibility.

”

said.

“Medals don’t directly sell beer,” Odell said.

“What customers want and what judges like is often different. The ultimate judge is the public.”

The festival The three-day festival where brewers can pour samples of their beer is primarily the reason Great American Beer Festival tickets sold out in a matter of minutes and draws thousands of people from around the country.

For brewers, having the opportunity to get their beers in front of so many fans is something for which they are literally lining up. GABF brewery registration opened to brewers on June 27 and filled up in less than a week by July 3.

Fusco said organizers this year increased the number of breweries allowed in the hall at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver where the event is held.

This year organizers made some changes to the floor plan by moving the awards cer-

chandise available in addition to beer.

Fusco said those booths are always under consideration, but response to them has been good and at this time they are not prepared to trade them out to allow more brewers on the wait list into the event. She also said the goal is to ensure the festival remains up to standards. Were it to grow too big too fast, it could lose some of its integrity.

“This is a pretty massive scale operation, and at the end of the day, we are a relatively small group of human beings,” Fusco said.

“We want to make sure we are doing it right.”

First-timers Colorado breweries that are first-time Great American Beer Festival participants in 2012: • Echo Brewing Company, Frederick • Arvada Beer Company, Arvada • Big Choice Brewing, Broomfield • Lone Tree Brewing Company, Lone Tree • Wit’s End Brewing Company, Denver • River North Brewery, Denver • Eddyline Brewing, Buena Vista

• • • • •

City Star Brewing, Berthoud BRU handbuilt ales, Boulder Bootstrap Brewing, Niwot TRVE Brewing Co., Denver Elevation Beer Company, Poncha Springs • Hogshead Brewery, Denver • SHINE, Boulder • Loveland Aleworks, Loveland • Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, Denver Fort Collins and Loveland breweries at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival • C.B. & Potts Restaurant & Brewery • Equinox Brewing Co. • Fort Collins Brewery • Funkwerks • Grimm Brothers Brewhouse • Loveland Aleworks • New Belgium Brewing Co. • Odell Brewing Co. • Pateros Creek Brewing Co.

2012 Great American Beer Festival When: 5:30-10 p.m. Oct. 11-13 Where: Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St., Denver What: With more than 2,000 breweries currently producing countless styles and varieties of beer, the United States is a world leader in brewing. Annually, the GABF gathers about one quarter of the country’s breweries to Denver for a public tasting event, as well as one of the most esteemed beer competitions and judge panels in the country.

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012 15

Northern Colorado

Brewery Map

Fort Col

287

To Grand Lake

Lovelan

34

Estes es Park

14

344

28 1 27

13

Fort Collins

287

30 17 7 18 Longmont nt 16

9

119 vine drive

vine drive

2 29 1 3 4 8 5

119

laporte avenue ven n uee

laurel st. elizabeth st.

er

sid

ea v

en

ue

36

prospect road

EXIT

st.

timberline road

lemay avenue

stover

college avenue

taft hill road

overland trail

drake road

20 21 19

EXIT

mulberr y street m

riv

elizabeth st st.

shields street

6

Boulder Bou B ulde u lde d 287

7

287

25

3 horsetooth road ziegler road

harmony road

Golden

Idaho Springs

b oard wa

EXIT

22 23

26

lk d r.

trilby road

16 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012

70

70

1. Odell Brewing Company 800 E Lincoln Ave., Fort Collins, CO (970) 498-9070

2. New Belgium Brewery 500 Linden St., Fort Collins, CO (970) 221-0524

3. CooperSmiths Pub & Brewing

llins

5 Old Town Square, Fort Collins, CO (970) 498-0483

25

4. Equinox Brewing Company

10 392

392

12

nd

133 Remington St, Fort Collins, CO (970) 484-1368

Windsor

Greeley

34 34

11 7

15 31

5. Hops and Berries 125 Remington St, Fort Collins, CO (970) 493-2484

6. CB & Potts 1427 W. Elizabeth St, Fort Collins, CO (970) 221-5954

25

7. Funkwerks 1900 E Lincoln Ave, Unit B, Fort Collins, CO

8. Fort Collins Brewery 1020 E Lincoln Ave, Fort Collins, CO (970) 472-1499

8

9. Anheuser Busch

11199

2351 Busch Drive, Fort Collins, CO (970) 221-0922

225

10. High Hops at The Windsor Gardener 6461 State Highway 392, Windsor, CO (970) 6867771 76

547 N. Denver Ave, Loveland, CO (970) 624-6045

25

76

36 76

12. Rock Bottom Brewery 6025 Sky Pond Drive, Loveland, CO (970) 622-2077

13. Estes Park Brewery 36 70

25 24

11. Grimm Brothers Brewhouse

470 Prospect Village Drive, Estes Park, CO (970) 586-5421

14. Grand Lake Brewing

Denver

915 Grand Ave, Grand Lake, CO (970) 627-1711

15. Crabtree Brewing 625 3rd St. #D, Greeley, CO (970) 356-0516

16. Oskar Blues

17. Left Hand Brewing 1265 Boston Ave, Longmont, CO (303) 772-0258

18. Pumphouse Brewery 540 Main St, Longmont, CO (303) 702-0881

19. Avery Brewing 5763 Arapahoe Ave, B (303) 440-4324

20. New Planet Beer 3980 Broadway, Ste. 103, Boulder, CO (303) 842-5656

21. Twisted Pine 3201 Walnut St, Boulder, CO (303) 786-9270

22. Coors Ford St, Golden, CO (303) 277-2337

23. Golden City Brewery 920 12th St, Golden, CO (303) 279-8092

24. Del Norte 1390 W. Evans Ave. Unit 2-0, Denver, CO (303) 935-3223

25. Wynkoop Brewery 1634 18th St, Denver, CO (303) 297-2700

26. TommyKnocker Brewery 1401 Miner St, Idaho Springs, CO (303) 567-2688

27. Dancing Pines Distillery 1527 Taurus Ct, Loveland, CO (970) 635-3426

28. Big Beaver Brewing 2707 Eisenhower Blvd, Unit 9, Loveland, CO www.bigbeaverbrew.com

29. Pateros Creek Brewing Company 242 N. College, Fort Collins, CO (970) 368-2739

30. Loveland Ale Works 118 West 4th Street, Loveland, CO (970) 619-8726

31. Pitcher’s Brewery & Sports Shack 2501 11th Ave., Greeley, CO (970) 353-3393

1800 Pike Rd #B, Longmont, CO (303) 776-1914

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012 17

Proposed tax cuts could save Fort Collins brewers big bucks Breweries are growing at such a rapid pace that they often invest everything they earn in keeping up with demand. But a bill out of Colorado would help brewers keep more money in their pockets to grow their business.

A tax cut being floated by U.S. Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado proposes letting breweries keep more money to invest back into the local economy and spur further growth in the already growing industry.

Udall’s Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act calls for cutting the excise tax on a barrel of beer from $18 to $9 for big brewers and from $7 to $3.50 for small breweries.

Fort Collins, home to eight craft brewers and one macrobrewer, stands to see thousands of dollars remain in the community if the bill becomes law.

Colorado is the largest beer producing state in the country, and the beer industry is responsible for more than 100,000 jobs in production, manufacturing, commodities production and retail distribution, according to Udall.

In Colorado, liquor excise tax is levied on the liters or gallons first sold, used or consumed in Colorado. Alcohol beverages shipped outside of Colorado by a licensed manufacturer or wholesaler are exempt from Colorado’s liquor excise tax, according to the Department of Revenue.

“Our craft-brewing industry is injecting millions of dollars into Colorado’s economy and creating thousands of new jobs. These aren’t your dad’s beers — Colorado’s risktaking, adventurous brewers have made Colorado the Napa Valley of beer. I am committed to working with our brewing community to ensure that our thriving craft beer business remains strong and growing,” Udall said in an email.

Fort Collins impact Many Fort Collins breweries still are in their startup phase, trying to keep up with demand and grow responsibility.

When it comes to operating a brewery, while the industry is booming, every penny counts. Current law defines a small brewer as producing 60,000 barrels a year, which includes most of the breweries in Fort Collins.

Smaller breweries such as Fort Collins’ Funkwerks, which produces about 700 bar-

rels, stand to see some return by only paying $3.50 in excise tax per barrel under the proposal. That means Funkwerks would save $2,450 a year because it expects to produce about 1,000 barrels next year.

Brad Lincoln, co-owner of Funkwerks, said saving nearly $2,500 a year would help the new brewery continue to grow by adding new equipment. Funkwerks is in the process of adding three new tanks, which will double the brewery’s capacity.

“I enjoy tax breaks, and from a business standpoint, I think it’s a good deal for us,” Lincoln said. “But we are still in our startup phase; it would be helping us help small brewers like us.”

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse in Loveland produced 900 barrels in 2011 and is expecting to produce 3,000 this year. That means they would save between $3,000 to $10,000 annually based on the excise tax cut.

Russell Fruits, Grimm Brothers beer evangelist, said that money saved would go toward a new fermenter and lead to hiring more employees. Currently, nearly 100 percent of what the brewery makes goes back into the company, Fruits said.

“Colorado and nationwide have seen a huge boom in breweries,” he said. “They are

Proposed excise tax cuts First 60,000 barrels produced by small brewers: Current law: $7 per barrel Udall bill: $3.50 Kerry bill: $3.50

60,001-2 million barrels produced by small brewers Current law: $18 Udall bill: $9 Kerry bill: $16

2 million-plus barrels produced by small brewers Current law: $18 Udall bill: $9 Kerry bill: $18

First 60,000 barrels produced by large brewers: Current law: $18 Udall bill: $9 Kerry bill: $18

60,001-2 million barrels produced by large brewers Current law: $18 Udall bill: $9 Kerry bill: $18

2 million-plus barrels produced by large brewers Current law: $18 Udall bill: $9 Kerry bill: $18

18 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012

popping up with 20 percent to 40 percent growth models. Any break we can get will allow us to be on better footing, increase more jobs and production.”

Beer big money Colorado’s craft-brewing industry injects $446 million into the state’s economy, according to a study released this year by Colorado Brewers Guild.

The University of Colorado Business Research Division compiled the data for the Colorado Brewers Guild, which indicates that as of March, Colorado had 139 licensed craft

ing and more jobs to get us out of the hole we’ve created for ourselves, basically.”

Despite the brewing industry’s continued success and growth, the cut is necessary, according to Udall, because excise taxes increase the cost of production for brewers, and this one is specific to brewing companies.

Making it cheaper for brewers to make beer reduces the front-end production costs and allows them to produce more, and thus sell more, beer. This bill aims to cut regulation to help an important Colorado industry do better and continue its growth, according to Udall.

These aren’t your dad’s beers — Colorado’s risk“taking, adventurous brewers have made Colorado the Napa Valley of beer. ” brewers totaling $101.8 million in income, with a $179.2 million total employment effect. The study cost the guild an estimated $10,000, according to CU. Nine of those breweries are in Fort Collins, including New Belgium Brewing Co., the largest craft brewer in Colorado and third largest in the country, behind Sierra Nevada and Boston Beer Co. Fort Collins’ breweries contribute $83.2 million to the Larimer County payroll and support 938 direct jobs, according to a 2011 study by Colorado State University’s Regional Economics Institute and the Beverage Business Institute.

Collectively, Colorado brewers contributed nearly $446 million in output in 2011, with an estimated additional $9 million going to the state from the excise tax. This tax burden is unique to Colorado brewers and is in addition to the other taxes all Colorado businesses pay.

Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, said considering brewers pay the same taxes as other businesses, they are unilaterally opposed to excise taxes on beer.

Gatza said they are in support of Udall’s bill along with legislation that has been introduced in both chambers of Congress seeking to enact a graduated beer excise tax rate of $3.50 and $16 for America’s small brewers.

With the cut in the excise tax, Gatza said it will help brewers add capacity and employees faster, in turn helping the economic recovery. Currently, craft brewers employ 103,000 people nationwide and 13 percent of beer production comes out of Colorado, the top beer producing state in the country.

“It’s all about the situation the country is in,” Gatza said. “We need more people work-

Udall’s staff is working with committee staff and others to identify opportunities to offset the bill’s yet-to-be-determined costs.

In terms of the chances of success for the bill, Udall plans to continue to work closely with Colorado’s thriving craft-beer businesses to get legislation passed. Sen. John Kerry also has introduced similar legislation, which Udall is co-sponsoring. Both bills have bipartisan support.

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012 19

Ladies-only Beer Bettys club knows a thing or two about brews Anything boys can do, girls can do better, including drinking beer.

A ladies-only beer club called the Beer Bettys is ensuring that the women of Fort Collins are just as knowledgeable as men when it comes to beer.

Bar manager for The Mayor of Old Town Michelle Peth teaches the class that covers everything from how to drink beer to how to make it.

The beer club, free and open to the public, meets every Tuesday night at The Mayor of Old Town, 632 S. Mason St. Each class includes about 20 women and offers a flight of beers at a reduced price that relates to a topic, such as the history of stouts.

Peth stresses that the class is not about drinking beer so much as it is educating women about beer, or as she calls it “nerding out.”

“I’m teaching understanding and respect of beer,” she said. “It has built our community up with all of our breweries, so it really does deserve that.”

Historically, Peth said women are more hesitant to try craft beers as they prefer to drink wine. While the stereotype is less common in Fort Collins, where many women can hold their own with men at the bars, Peth said Beer Bettys is intended for anyone interested in learning about beer.

From newbie’s to craft beer to homebrewers, the club attracts a diverse mix of women.

Cathy Jones, co-owner of Pateros Creek Brewing with her husband and brewer, Steve Jones, is a member of the Beer Bettys club. She said even though she already knows a lot about beer she is always excited to learn more.

A founding member, Jones said while beer was previously considered a man’s drink, the club helps break that mold.

“I think Fort Collins is a bit of exception to the rule,” Jones said.

“We are lucky to have an incredibly female supportive and driven (beer) industry city.”

“

The Beer Bettys are currently learning how to brew beer and Jones has volunteered to let the club visit Pateros Creek for a tandem brew.

The ladies-only beer club has spawned a new men’s only beer club called the Gary Brewsey Men’s Beer Club, which Peth also teaches.

Peth learned about beer through seven years behind the bar of some of the country’s more upscale beer bars.

At The Blind Pig, a famed beer bar in Champaign, Ill. Peth read up on Draft Magazine, Beer Advocate and the acclaimed beer writer, Michael Jackson.

When Peth moved to Colorado, she started working at Café Vino before going into the retail side of beer sales. When Kevin Bolin, coowner of The Mayor, offered her the opportunity to manage the beer bar with 100 taps she jumped on it.

Since then, The Mayor has been named one of the best 100 beer bars in the country by Draft Magazine.

We are lucky to have an incredibly female supportive and driven (beer) industry city

20 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012

”

Originally published February 2012 in the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

BEER BETTYS This ladies-only beer club meets every Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at The Mayor of Old Town, 632 Mason St. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/pages/Beer-Bettys-The-Mayors-Ladies-Only-BeerClub/131926790241834

Fort Collins breweries take home 3 medals at World Beer Cup Fort Collins brewers took home three medals last weekend at the World Beer Cup, and a local brewery was honored with a special award.

Fort Collins’ Odell Brewing Co. and Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project both won for their beers.

In addition to the medals, Doug and Wynne Odell and Doug’s sister, Corkie Odell, co-owners of Odell Brewing Co., were recognized with the Brewers Association Recognition award.

The ninth biannual competition held Saturday in San Diego, Calif., by the Boulder-based Brewers Association saw a record 799 breweries from across the world enter 3,921 beers in 95 beer style categories for evaluation by a panel of judges.

Odell won a bronze medal for its Double Pilsner in the Other Strong Beer category, which had 35 entries. The brewery also took home a silver for its IPA in the American-Style Strong Pale Ale category, which had 82 entries.

Crooked Stave, which is in the process of moving from Funkwerks in Fort Collins to Denver, won a bronze for its Wild Wild Brett Rouge in the American-Style Brett Ale, which had 28 entries.

The Odell family’s award marks the first time in more than a decade that the recognition award was given to more than one person.

It honored Odell Brewing, started in 1989, for its charitable support of local nonprofits and support of local home brewers starting their own professional breweries.

Amanda Johnson-King, Odell press coordinator, said the entire brewery was excited to see the Odells recognized for their hard work and to see its beers honored.

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“I think everyone was excited and thrilled,” she said. “It was welldeserved.”

With about 4,000 beers in the competition, Johnson-King said the medals were quite an achievement.

“It’s called ‘The Olympics of Beer Competition’ for good reason,” said Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association, in a prepared statement. “The event brings together great brewers from all corners of the globe. Plus, the awards are highly regarded. A brewer who wins a World Beer Cup gold award knows that their winning beer represents the best of that beer style in the world.

A number of other Colorado brewers joined Odell and Crooked Stave on the winner’s list, including Blue Moon Brewing Co., Bull & Bush Brewery, Crabtree Brewing Company, Golden Brewing Co., Rock Bottom Denver, Miller Brewing Co. and Oskar Blues.

Originally published May 2012 in the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

Fort Collins World Beer Cup winners Category 13: Other Strong Beer, 35 Entries Gold: Star Brew, Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, Calif.; Silver: Imperial Cream Ale, Nexus Brewery, Albuquerque, N.M.; Bronze: Double Pilsner, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins Category 19: American-Style Brett Ale, 28 Entries Gold: Peche ‘n Brett, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales, Hood River, Ore.; Silver: Peche, AC Golden Brewing Co., Golden; Bronze: Wild Wild Brett Rouge, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, Fort Collins Category 87: American-Style Strong Pale Ale, 82 Entries Gold: Hop Knot, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe, Ariz.; Silver: Odell IPA, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins; Bronze: Alaskan IPA, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, Alaska

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Home-brewing has strong history in Northern Colorado In today’s locally focused and do-it-yourself culture, it should come as no surprise that more Americans than ever are opting to brew their own beer.

An estimated 1 million Americans brew beer at home, according to the American Homebrewers Association.

Gary Glass, director of the American Homebrewers Association based in Boulder, said he has seen a dramatic rise in the number of homebrewers since 2005 when there was a shift to the millennials, or those younger than 30 brewing.

The industry saw a gross revenue increase of 16 percent in 2009, 17 percent in 2010 and 24 percent year-over-year in 2012.

Even President Barack Obama recently made known that the White House has a home-brewing operation that makes a White House Honey Ale and White House Honey Porter.

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Half of those buying beginner brewing kits are under the age of 30, said Glass, noting the shift to a younger generation of brewers is a change for the industry.

To support those home brewers, new shops are popping up and offering everything from equipment to hops. Northern Colorado is home to Hops and Berries, WarHammer Hydro and Brewing Supplies and High Hops Brew Shop and Hop Farm.

The AHA has 761 home brew shops in its database; 100 of those have been added since December 2011 and 11 percent of those retailers have been open for less than a year. Glass said the AHA has more than 33,000 members, with more than 5,000 here in Colorado.

Northern Colorado also is home to home brew clubs that help cultivate the homebrewing culture.

The Liquid Poets Society, a Northern Colorado home-brewing organization, started six years ago at New Belgium Brewing Co. Seventy-five people attended the first LPS meeting at New Belgium and the club has been going strong since, producing such professional breweries as Equinox Brewing, Grimm Brothers Brewhouse and Pateros Creek Brewing.

beauty with craft is it started “inThebasements and garages across the country. ”

Weiz Guys home-brewing club formed in Loveland in 1996. The club meets at 7 p.m., the third Tuesday of every month at Grimm Brothers Brewhouse in Loveland.

Many popular breweries today, including New Belgium - the thirdlargest craft brewer in the country, started in a basement or garage.

New Belgium spokesman Bryan Simpson previously told the Coloradoan the home brewing industry is intimately connected to the company’s history, considering founder Jeff Lebesch started as a home brewer.

“The beauty with craft is it started in basements and garages across the country,” Simpson told the Coloradoan.

Jay Shambo, 38, of Fort Collins is an avid home brewer who recently had the opportunity to make one of his beers with New Belgium Brewing Co. for the pro-am competition at this year’s Great American Beer Festival.

A teacher at Frontier Academy in Greeley by day, Shambo stared brewing at home around 2006 when his wife gave him a kit. His first attempts were at a basic pale ale. A fan of DIY projects, Shambo soon assembled a sturdy home-brewing setup and dove in.

“It went from a really basic hobby to really involved pretty quickly,” he said “I do mainly American and Belgian ales, but I do a bit of everything mostly what I like to drink.”

What Shambo likes to drink has won him various awards in home brew competitions over the years, including a first place win at the Liquid Poetry Slam competition for his Belgian Blonde Ale that led to his working with New Belgium.

“New Belgium is awesome in general for everything they do for Fort Collins and a pioneer of the craft beer scene,” he said. “It was pretty awesome, a huge job going from a five-gallon batch to about 7,500 gallons ... it’s a lot of beer.”

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012 25

Taking In The Tap Rooms Big Beaver Brewing Company

The tap room at Big Beaver Brewing Company, 2707 W Eisenhower Blvd Loveland, Co, is open Monday-Sunday 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Equinox Brewing Company

The tap house at Equinox Brewing Company, 133 Remington Street, Fort Collins, CO, is open Monday -Wednesday noon to 8pm, Thursday-Friday noon to 9pm, Saturday 11a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 7 p.m.

Crabtree Brewing

High Hops Brewing

The tap room at High Hops Brewing, 6461 Hwy 392, Windsor, CO 80550 , is open Tuesday-Thursday 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., FridaySaturday noon to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 7 p.m. www.highhopsbrewery.com

Loveland Aleworks

The tap room at Crabtree Brewing, 2961 29th St, Greeley, CO, is open Monday-Thursday 1 p.m. - 10 p.m., Friday-Saturday noon to midnight and Sunday 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.

The tap room at Loveland Aleworks, 118 West 4th Street, Loveland, CO, is open Monday-Thursday 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. , Friday & Saturday: Noon-10 p.m. and Sunday: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Funkwerks

New Belgium Brewing

The tap room at Funkwerks, 1900 E. Lincoln Ave., Unit B, is open from noon to 8 p.m.

Monday-Wednesday; noon to 10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

The Liquid Center at New Belgium Brewing, 500 Linden St., is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. It is closed Sunday and Monday.

Fort Collins Brewery

Odell Brewing Company

The tap room at Fort Collins Brewery, 1020 E. Lincoln Ave., is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tasters are available until 30 minutes before closing; pints are available until 15 minutes before closing; and, beer to go is available until closing.

Grimm Brothers

The tap room at Grimm Brothers, 623 Denver Ave. Loveland, Co, is open Monday –

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Thursday 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday noon to 9 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The tap room at Odell Brewing Company, 800 E. Lincoln Ave., is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday and Saturday.

Pateros Creek Brewing Company The tap room at Pateros Creek Brewing Company, 242 N. College Ave., is open from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 5 p.m.

Sunday; and closed on Monday.

Brewery Tours in Fort Collins

Anheuser-Busch Inc.

2351 Busch Drive The Anheuser-Busch Brewery offers complimentary tours where guests discover how beers are crafted and packaged.

Tours are offered 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday-Monday Oct. 1-May 31.

For more information, visit www.budweisertours.com or call (970) 490-4691.

Equinox Brewing

133 Remington St., Fort Collins The brewery staff offers casual tours as people visit the facility.

For more information, visit www.equinoxbrewing.com

Fort Collins Brewery

1020 E. Lincoln Ave., Fort Collins Want to see where the brewers at Fort Collins Brewery spend their days? Visit the facility for tours conducted at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 p.m. every Saturday. No reservations are necessary. Tours are free of charge and last about 20 minutes.

For more information, visit www.fortcollinsbrewery.com.

Funkwerks

1900 E. Lincoln Ave., Unit B The brewery staff offers tours at 2 p.m. each Saturday.

For more information, visit www.funkwerks.com.

New Belgium Brewing

500 Linden St., Fort Collins To tour New Belgium Brewing reserve tour tickets online at www. newbelgium.com. Beer sampling occurs throughout the tour.

Tours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

For more information, visit www.newbelgium.com.

Odell Brewing Company

800 E. Lincoln Ave. Fort Collins Tours are conducted on first-come, first-served basis at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Tour guides walk participants through the brew house and offer an up-close-and-personal view into the craft brew culture and brewing methods. Tours last about 25 minutes. Tours are capped at 25 people.

Registration begins 30 minutes before tours start.

For more information, visit www.odellbrewing.com.

Pateros Creek Brewing Company

242 N. College Ave. Fort Collins The brewery staff offers casual tours as people visit the facility.

For more information, visit www.pateroscreekbrewing.com.

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012 27

Tour de Fat builds cycling momentum in Fort Collins The bicycling scene in Fort Collins is as eclectic as they come, encompassing a wide array of events, activities, programs, businesses, organizations – you name it. There isn’t an aspect of this community that isn’t touched and impacted in some way by the presence of bicyclists or bicycle programming. Like it or not – we’re steeped in it.

Paralleling this manic growth has been the evolution of the annual Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing’s ginormous circus-like event that combines the Fort Collins “brand” of bikes, bands, and beer in to one big downtown bike party. It is a thrilling rite of passage that includes an unparalleled costumed bicycle parade, dazzling entertainment, local food and drink, unusual bike contests, and much more. You don’t have to be a bicyclist to enjoy the event. The 2012 Fort Collins TdF is set for 10 a.m. Sept. 1 at Civic Center Park. Now in its 13th season, TdF, which visits 15 cities in the United States, brings together passionate bike lovers for a day of two-wheeled revelry, while raising money for local nonprofits.

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Although this is a New Belgium event, TdF is really more about bikes than brews. Many local bike-related organizations benefit from the success of TDF. In 2012, TdF will exceed the $2 million mark for money raised for local nonprofits through beer and merchandise purchases. According to the folks at New Belgium, the funds generally go to organizations in the world of bike advocacy, with money spent in a wide variety of ways, including trail maintenance, safety education, lobbying for better bicycle communities and a wide variety of other impactful initiatives.

TdF is the biggest and FUNnest fundraiser of the year for many local organizations such as Bike Fort Collins, the Fort Collns Bike Co-op and Overland Mountain Bike Club. Event proceeds help fund

programs and advocacy efforts that improve bicycling in Fort Collins for all ages, abilities and interests. Bike Fort Collins has been an integral part of the event for many years – rallying over 200 volunteers in 2011 to help marshal the bike parade, corral the parade revelers, and surfing the crowd to collect signatures on waivers to help keep things safe. In exchange for these efforts, Bike Fort Collins collects a $5 donation from participants, which helps to further the mission of making bicycling in Fort Collins safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Bike Fort Collins is recruiting volunteers for this year’s tour. It truly takes a village to pull off an event of this magnitude, and we can use any and all helpers. Ready to come on board? Volunteering doesn’t get much more fun than this! Sign up at: www.bikefortcollins.net/

bfc/tour-de-fat-volunteer. If you simply want to participate, use the new on-line registration: www.bikefortcollins.net/bfc/2012-tour-defat-registration The fun doesn’t stop after TdF. Other September bike events include local FUNdraising events such as the Ram Bicycle Classic (www.bambicycleclassic.org), and the entertaining Bike–In Cinema (www.newbelgium.com/events/bike-in-cinema) To keep things rolling, the Downtown Business Association has created a new engaging bike event FORToberfest, (www.downtownfortcollins.com/events) which will showcase everything bikes, among beer and bands.

Sylvia Cranmer is an avid cyclist and has been a local bicycling advocate for the past 20 years. She is the chair of the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and a board member of Bike Fort Collins.

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2012 29

Finishing note... “Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire.�

-David Rains Wallace The Klamath Knot: Explorations of Myth and Evolution

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