Northern Colorado Brew Guide 2013

Brewery Guide Northern Colorado

2013-14

BEER BOOST From mature breweries to upstart startups, Fort Collins is bursting with beer.

GOING GREEN Fort Collins craft breweries make sustainability a priority

BIG WINS Fort Collins breweries win 6 golds at GABF

TAKE A TOUR Take a walk through the history of breweries in Fort Collins

CONTENTS 07 BEER BOOST

From mature breweries to upstart startups, Fort Collins is bursting with beer

10 HOPS ON HOME

Homebrewing industry sees economic growth

12 TAPPING THE MARKET

Tap handles a big grab for collectors

14 SELF SUSTAINING

Fort Collins craft breweries make sustainability a priority

16 NORTHERN COLORADO BREWERY MAP 18 BREW TOURS

A walking tour of the history of breweries in Fort Collins

21 BIG WINS

Fort Collins breweries win 6 golds at GABF

22 NEW BELGIUM SHINES

Shedding its basement beginnings, New Belgium is a major Fort Collins force

26 BACKSTAGE PASS Brewery tours in Fort Collins

27 ON TAP

Taking in Northern Colorado’s Tap Rooms

28 DEFINING BEER

Demystify the language of brewing and beer

ON THE COVER: A flight of beers currently available on tap at Fort Collins Brewery. From light to dark: 1900 Amber Lager, Major Tom’s American Wheat, Red Banshee, Rocky Mountain IPA, Hoptitude Imperial Extra Pale Ale, Chocolate Stout and Z Lager.

Eric Brooks of Fort Collins is pictured with beer he enjoyed during the Gnarly Barley Brew Festival at the Larimer County Fair & Rodeo.

Rich Abrahamson/The Coloradoan

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 5

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coloradoan.com 6 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

From mature breweries to upstart startups, Fort Collins is bursting with beer

BY TREVOR HUGHES TREVORHUGHES@COLORADOAN.COM

The city is now home to nearly a dozen commercial breweries, from the massive Anheuser-Busch plant to rapidly expanding New Belgium Brewing, local favorite Odell Brewing Co. and upstarts Pateros Creek, Equinox and Black Bottle Brewery. Dozens of homebrewers are tinkering in garages and basements, dialing in the perfect balance that could help put them on the map.

The city known internationally as the Napa of Beer is increasingly drawing tourists who come to sample the latest offerings, riding bicycles, multi-person bicycles and even shuttle buses between the breweries.

It all adds up to a culture that continues to grow and reinforce Fort Collins as the place to drink beer in America.

New Belgium Brewing, which is based in Fort Collins, in the largest craft

brewer in Colorado and the third-largest in the country. It plays a major role in helping ensure that 70 percent of the craft beer made in Colorado comes from Fort Collins.

“We’ve become the beer capital of Colorado,” said David May, director of the Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s part of our community persona and reputation.”

The Daily Meal in August named New Belgium and Odell two of the best craft breweries in America.

The city’s breweries have become something of a cultural touchstone for Fort Collins: the decisions they make affect employment, real estate prices, what we drink, where we drink it, the amount of tourism dollars flowing in, the amount of Poudre River water flowing out and even kinds of research and classes offered at CSU. “The fountain of youth is in Fort Collins and it’s made of beer,” May said.

BREWERIES IN FORT COLLINS Anheuser-Busch Inc. Black Bottle Brewery C.B. & Potts Restaurant and Brewery Coopersmith’s Pub and Brewing Equinox Brewing Odell Brewing Co. The Fort Collins Brewery Funkwerks Inc. New Belgium Brewing Company Pateros Creek Brewing Company Pitchers Brewery

Photo: Local brewers gather to raise glasses full of collaborative beer creations at Black Bottle Brewery in Fort Collins. They are Kirk Lombardi of C.B. & Potts, from left, Colin Westcott and Jared Lydon of Equinox Brewing, Ed Powers and Mike Hiatt, in back, of CooperSmith’s, Steve Jones of Pateros Creek Brewing Company, Adam Glaser of Fort Collins Brewery, in back, Gordon Schuck of Funkwerks, Sean Nook of Black Bottle Brewery, in back, Bill Beymer of Odell Brewing Co., Peter Bouckaert of New Belgium Brewing, in back, Nick Chase of Pateros Creek Brewing Company and Steve Marrick of Black Bottle Brewery. Dawn Madura/The Coloradoan

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 7

Rich Abrahamson/ The Coloradoan Dawn Madura/ The Coloradoan

Rich Abrahamson/ The Coloradoan

fountain “ofTheyouth is in

Fort Collins and it’s made of beer.

”

8 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

Fort Collins resident Meg Dunn said the city’s breweries are truly of the community.

“There’s definitely a sense among the local brewers not just of community, but of building that community,” she said. “They just feel like they’re part of us. There are some other large organizations in town and they just don’t have that same feel. Despite the fact that their presence is a benefit to Fort Collins, they still feel very separate and self contained. It doesn’t feel like they bleed into the community and let the community bleed into them in the same way that the breweries do.”

The impact of the city’s breweries is hard to overstate: A 2011 study found breweries contribute $83.2 million to the Larimer County payroll and support more than 938 direct jobs. Statewide, Colorado’s craft brewing industry injects $446 million into the state’s economy.

In Fort Collins, the brewery culture helps support dozens of bars, including the 100-tap Mayor of Old Town, which features beers from all over the world.

Pop in on a day and you might see the brewmaster from New Belgium over in that corner, talking brewing styles with someone from Odell or Black Bottle, the city’s newest brewery.

From the Mayor, you might take a pedicab north along Mason Street or on a Friday and Saturday pick up the $10 Hops & Shops Shuttle, which will take you to nearly a dozen spots around the city. City tourism experts say Fort Collins appears to be the only city in the country with a privately run brewery shuttle service. Jim Clark of Visit Fort Collins said brewery tours help visitors get a true sense of the city.

“You’re not only seeing beer being made but you’re getting an education on local culture, on sustainability.

You’re learning about things that are not just industry but are unique to this community,” Clark said. “You not only get a sense of what craft brewing is all about, but you get a feeling about the values of the community: It’s all about a culture of experimentation and learning.”

Homebrewing industry sees economic growth

Home brewer Sean Nook, owner and head brewer of Black Bottle Brewery monitors the mash tun while brewing beer in the garage of his Timnath home in 2011.

Rich Abrahamson/The Coloradoan

Northern Colorado hobbyists, a new generation of brewers contribute to do-it-yourself beer boom

BY COLORADOAN STAFF

Scott Boken leaned into a cool fridge to tap his latest homebrew. After pouring a glass, he took a sip and exhaled with satisfaction.

Boken is not your average beer brewer. His homebrew system is noticeably different, with computer monitors and wires flanking the metal mash tun. But he is part of a growing boom of homebrewing in Northern Colorado, including Windsor.

The American Homebrewers Association 2013 fourth annual Homebrew Supply Shop Survey released in June reveals that homebrewing is on a meteoric rise in the United States. In turn, the homebrewing industry reported a 26 percent increase in revenue at shops such as High Hops in Windsor.

Gary Glass, director of the AHA based in Boulder, said since 2005, the orga10 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

nization has seen annual growth in membership increase by 20 percent year-over-year. The reason, according to Glass, is a new generation of brewers.

“One thing we are seeing with recent growth is a demographic shift to more younger people than was previously the case,” Glass said. “Before, 30- to 40-year-olds bought beginner kits. Now, it’s closer to half that age, people under the age of 30.”

Glass said the younger generation is adopting homebrewing as a hobby that provides an artistic outlet and can be shared with friends. That trend also is tied to recent local movements, such as home gardening, where people are looking to focus on local ingredients.

Local homebrewer Jay Shambo, 38, of Fort Collins encompasses that next generation of brewers.

At the 2012 Great American Beer Festival, Shambo’s pro-am beer, “More

HOMEBREWING BASICS » Basic beginner equipment kits start around $80. » Ingredients cost $25 to $45 per 5 gallon batch, depending on the style being brewed (5 gallons makes about 2 cases of 12-ounce bottles, with 24 bottles per case). » Homebrew is primarily made from malt extract, malt, hops, yeast and water. » It will be about four weeks before you can drink the beer you make, but the actual time from boil to beer depends on the style of beer you’re making. » Brewing: 2 hours » Fermentation: 2 weeks » Bottling: 1 hour » Bottle conditioning (allows beer to carbonate): 2-4 weeks » Download a free copy of “Zymurgy: An Introduction to homebrewing,” the American Homebrewers Association’s free guide for beginning home brewers. » Visit your local home brew supply shop to get a beginner equipment kit and the ingredients for your first batch.

(Brewing) is a contagious “disease. Once you start, it kind of spreads to all your other friends.

”

Fun Blonde,” which he brewed with New Belgium Brewing Co., won gold.

He recently brewed a beer with Odell Brewing Co. for the Taste of Fort Collins.

Shambo said he spends his fair share of time and money at local homebrew shops. He is a board member of the Liquid Poets Society, a Fort Collins homebrew club.

“I think we are pretty lucky to have Hops and Berries (homebrew shop), and High Hops in Windsor has a good selection, too,” he said.

“I personally think it goes hand in hand with the craft-brewing scene,” he said. “People are becoming more educated about beer. There are more options, not just in Fort Collins. It seems like anywhere in the country, there’s a brewery in that town now. People are exposed to it and realize it’s not that hard. Anyone can do it.”

Liquid Poets Society members have gone on to open their own professional breweries, including Equinox Brewing, Grimm Brothers Brewhouse and Pateros Creek Brewing. Current members could prove to be the next wave of brewers going pro and opening new breweries in Northern Colorado.

LPS President Matt Smith, 34, of Fort Collins said an increase in new members has pushed the organization nearly to its capacity of 130 members from the original 45 members. Recently, homebrewers looking to start their own smaller clubs have approached Smith.

“I’m not sure what caused the craftbeer boom in general. (Homebrewing) following on that. There’s a lot of

exposure and a lot of people do it,” he said. “Once people see it’s not so hard ... they realize how easy it is to make good beer.”

Homebrew Supply Shop Survey Meantime, homebrew shops across the nation are reaping the benefit of homebrewers willing to invest thousands of dollars in what has become more than just a hobby for many.

Overall, the American Homebrewers Association report indicates that homebrew shops recorded a gross revenue increase of 26 percent to $1,213,444 in 2012.

“It’s not a wise investment, but it’s one of passion,” he said.

Windsor’s High Hops Hop Farm & Brew Shop also has benefited from the local homebrewing movement here in Northern Colorado.

Zach Weakland, head brewer at High Hops, said the brew shop has “blown up” with steady year-over-year growth, reflecting what the AHA discovered.

Since opening in 2010, the homebrew shop has doubled in size, inventory and sales.

Weakland attributes that growth to people getting back to their roots with gardening and do-it-yourself projects.

This is all fueled by the craft beer scene that has exploded, including High Hops Brewery, Weakland said. “(Brewing) is a contagious disease.

Once you start, it kind of spreads to all your other friends. There are people making fun beer out there,” Weakland said. “I think we have learned more from customers than customers learn from us.”

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 11

Russ Robinson, owner of Choice City Butcher and Deli, is pictured with a portion of his beer tap handle collection in 2012.

Rich Abrahamson/The Coloradoan

Tap handles a big grab for collectors Local brewers are seeing increased demand for not just their beer, but also for the colorful taps that draw drinkers to the brews in bars.

BY COLORADOAN STAFF

Sitting in his restaurant on a recent afternoon, surrounded by a wall of more than 100 tap handles, Russ Robinson carefully displays a unique skeleton figure that looks more like a tiny statue than a method of beer delivery.

The Choice City Butcher & Deli owner recalls how he pieced together the custom-made tap handle for a special keg of Avery Mephistopheles’ Stout.

When he got the keg, it didn’t include a tap, so Robinson built the large handle that includes a hooded skeleton surrounded by skulls. The finishing touch was two candles that Robinson 12 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

would light anytime someone ordered the beer.

While Robinson’s skeleton candelabra tap is unorthodox, it garners what every brewer wants out of its tap handles — attention.

Walk into any beer bar or restaurant in Fort Collins and take a moment to examine the — in some cases — dozens of taps that line the wall. Many are like little works of art meant to set themselves apart from the rest of the beers on the wall.

At the same time, brands strive to provide a sense of uniformity so that beer drinkers can identify a certain brewery just by the shape or color of its

tap handles.

New Belgium Brewing Co. has developed one of the more recognizable tap handles in the state over the years.

Melyssa Glassman, New Belgium creative director, said the brewery works with a Denver agency to create the bike rim-style tap handle for its beers.

While not actual bike rims, the Denver company creates the molds for the taps that include recycled aluminum.

The plates, which tell what beer is on tap, are interchangeable with each tap handle and are meant to be switched without having to change the actual tap.

When a tap is retired, Glassman said New Belgium field representatives, or

beer Rangers, try to return them to the brewery to be recycled and used for a variety of products such as ornaments and bracelets.

Robinson, who has 37 taps and goes through about 15 kegs a week, has a vast collection of tap handles he has accumulated over the years.

His taps have played host to a number of one-off and unique craft beers in the nine years he has served beer along with his deli meats and sandwiches.

Robinson started displaying some of his favorites along the walls in the restaurant, with the help of Denver beer bar Falling Rock Taphouse owner Chris Black.

For years Robinson kept old tap handles in a box until one day Black suggested they make a proper display.

Robinson said he went to Black’s

displayed on the wall at his bar Falling Rock, 1919 Blake St., in Denver.

“They are colorful and bring back a lot of memories,” said Black, who has 90 beers on tap and rotates some of them five to six times a week.

Customers like to wander through the bar and take pictures of taps that bring back memories of favorite beers, Black said. While there are some collectors who try to buy the handles, he said the market for secondhand tap handles is still fledgling because the items are relativity new to the brewing world.

Black noted the handles can cost from $25 to $50 to make. Odell Brewing Co. and New Belgium both sell their tap handles online for collectors.

Russell Fruits, beer evangelist with Loveland-based Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, collects tap handles. He has

Tap handles sell beer, and more “and more people are doing extraordinary tap handles. woodworking studio to build the racks upon which the tap handles are now displayed.

“It’s a symbol of your company,” said Robinson of the tap handles. “Tap handles sell beer, and more and more people are doing extraordinary tap handles.”

Seattle-based Taphandles LLC., which produces tap handles for breweries ranging from Breckenridge Brewery to Carlsberg, states on its website that great tap handles end up pouring more beer.

Which naturally leads to the question of whether a beer drinker can judge a beer by its tap handle. Ultimately, Robinson said the beer stands on its own apart from how ornate the tap is, but people are drawn to unique taps.

Black has been collecting tap handles for more than 15 years and has 700

”

about 25 different retired tap handles mounted in his garage.

At the same time, Fruits said at least five times a week someone comes in and tries to buy a Grimm Brothers tap handle. Grimm, due to expansion, can’t spare any tap handles to sell to the public right now, Fruits said.

“We have people who like our beer and nowadays everyone has a kegerator and wants to have a tap handle with it,” he said. “We are seeing an uptick in that.”

Proving what Fruits is seeing in the brewery, eBay is littered with hundreds of tap handles for sale from breweries across the world.

The majority of the tap handles online sell for about $20, though some are listed at nearly $100.

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 13

Fort Collins craft breweries make sustainability a priority

Jenn Orgolini , New Belgium Brewing’s Sustainability Director, is pictured with solar panels on the roof of New Belgium’s in 2009.

Rich Abrahamson/The Coloradoan

BY JILL JONES

As much as fun, community and collaboration are parts of craft brewery culture, so is sustainability.

“People aren’t just looking for good beer, they’re looking for companies that believe in what they believe in,” Fort Collins Brewery Marketing Director Charles Stanley said.

Reducing the environmental impact of an industry so dependent on natural resources not only has ecological dimensions, but economical, political and cultural dimensions.

Craft brewers consider everything from streamlining brewing processes to building eco-friendly buildings, Stanley said.

“It’s kind of a standard these days; almost everyone’s doing as much as they can on site to minimize waste and recycle.”

And at FCB, there’s on-site treatment and reuse of waste water, recycling of glass and paper, and some generation of energy through heat transfer. The brewery also partners with local ranchers to recycle spent grain as a supplement for livestock feed.

Odell Brewing Company has developed such a strong relationship with the dairy farmer who takes its spent grain to feed his cows that they named a beer after him – Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout, brewed with milk sugar and milk chocolate.

“We also have diversion bins (recycling) throughout the brewery, we compost, and work to minimize trash however we can, especially in packaging,” Odell taproom manager Kailey Schumacher said.

14 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

According to Schumacher, 11,000 square feet of photovoltaic arrays on the brewery’s rooftop provide 30 percent of the company’s energy demand, and since 2001, 100 percent of the rest of the brewery’s energy needs have been provided by wind power accessed through the city’s Green Energy Program. Biodiesel delivery trucks provide further efficiency and savings.

The Odell building itself is environmentally smart, Schumacher said, with systems that regulate energy use, such as cooler compressors that shut down when the outside air is less than 42 degrees and motion sensors that turn on and off lights.

All of Fort Collins’s larger craft breweries use recycled products, including paper and glass, and purchase many of these resources locally. Windsor’s Owens Illinois bottling company provides the breweries with glass bottles that are 70 percent, post-consumer content.

“We centrifuge beer, decreasing water usage, and vacuum and reuse hot water used to clean bottles,” Schumacher said.

At New Belgium Brewery, 1,110 gallons of water an hour are saved by not using hot water to clean its bottles. Pressurized air is used instead.

Since 2002, the brewery has treated its own waste water on site.

According to the brewery’s website, microbes in anaerobic and aerobic basins clean the water, and the process pro-

duces methane gas as a byproduct. The methane is collected and sent back to the brewery, where it powers a generator that helps produce energy during peak production hours.

Fifteen percent of the brewery’s yearly energy needs are covered using this process, NBB tour guide Jordana Barrack said.

More energy is generated using a large kettle in the brew house, the Merlin boil kettle, to recycle the steam produced during a boil, Barrack said.

The steam is captured and stored to be used later to increase energy efficiency throughout the process.

For even more savings, NBB welcomes the sun. The building was planned to make use of as much natural lighting as possible, in production areas as well as offices.

“There are 871 solar panels on the rooftop,” Barrack said, “that generate enough power for the brewery to run off the grid for four hours a day.”

NBB also makes use of reclaimed materials, such as bowling-alley surfaces seeing new life as desks; beetle-kill wood used in the making of furniture, doors and baseboards; and old bicycle frames used to make chairs for tasting rooms.

To manage the long-term success of their business in Fort Collins, breweries invest in the community, and become involved socially and politically in various causes or charitable events. Most

Shane Miles of PhoCo is pictured at The Downtown Artery in Fort Collins.

Fort Collins Brewery is providing studio space there to local artists through an effort they call “FCB Art Brewery.”

Rich Abrahamson/The Coloradoan

People aren’t just looking for “good beer, they’re looking for companies that believe in what they believe in.

”

provide beer for nonprofit events, but some have taken a step further by acting on causes dear to the community’s heart, and just by being involved.

FCB, whose motto is “create, share and savor,” has chosen, in addition to other charitable endeavors, to support organizations involved in creative pursuits. The company supports artists through a collaborative effort they call the “FCB Art Brewery” by providing time and space for them to work.

“We provide art studio space at the Downtown Artery on Linden for local artists to work on beer-related art, plus anything else they want,” Stanley said.

FCB also supports Wolverine Farms Publishing, a local non-profit publishing house, by hosting literary readings and providing beer for book fairs.

The brewery also has served as a pickup location for the Grant Farms farming cooperative.

Odell Brewing Company, through the Odell Outreach Program, donates all proceeds from the sale of taster trays in its taproom to charities with envi-

ronmental, educational, or humanitarian causes. It also provides small grants to community organizations with immediate needs.

“We recently supported a books for kids event,” Schumacher said.

Odell, FCB and NBB have come together with five other local breweries this month to help raise funds for the Habit for Humanity home-building project in Fort Collins, “The House that Beer Built.” The project will replace a family home lost in the fire in Rist Canyon last year. Volunteers can work alongside the family to rebuild the house, or can donate funds to CommunityFunded.com for building materials.

According to its website, NBB has “donated more than $5 million through its grant programs,” and workers have donated more than 3,000 hours as volunteers since the brewery opened its doors.

“Part of New Belgium’s mission is to care about people and be involved,” Barrack said.

The NBB grant program this year has targeted $760,000 to programs in 30 states. Included in its outreach are youth environmental programs, sustainable agriculture, water conservation and restoration, and sensible transportation and bicycle advocacy.

A recent NBB grant project supported kids in 29 Boulder public schools in the Eco-Cycle Green Star School program, which involved students in recycling and composting waste from every area of their school. Another grant funded urban farming in West Oakland, Calif., through City Slicker Farms, which helped neighbors plant and harvest more than 34,000 pounds of fresh food.

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 15

Northern Colorado

Brewery Map

Fort Col

287

To Grand Lake

Lovelan

34

Estes es Park

14

344

28 1 27 30 33

13

Fort Collins

287

9

17 7 18 Longmont nt 16 119

vine drive

vine drive

2 29 1 3 4 8 5

119

laporte avenue ven n uee

laurel st. elizabeth st.

20 21 19

EXIT

mulberr y street m

riv

er

elizabeth st st.

sid

ea v

en

ue

36

prospect road

EXIT

timberline road

stover st.

drake road

lemay avenue

33

college avenue

taft hill road

overland trail

shields street

6

Boulder Bou B ulde u lde d 287

7

287

25

3 horsetooth road

harmony road

Golden

Idaho Springs

ziegler road

32

b oard wa

EXIT

22 23

26

lk d r.

trilby road

16 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

70

70

1. Odell Brewing Company

19. Avery Brewing

2. New Belgium Brewery

20. New Planet Beer

3. CooperSmiths Pub & Brewing

21. Twisted Pine

4. Equinox Brewing Company

22. Coors

5. Hops and Berries

23. Golden City Brewery

6. C.B. & Potts

24. Del Norte

7. Funkwerks

25. Wynkoop Brewery

8. Fort Collins Brewery

26. TommyKnocker Brewery

9. Anheuser Busch

27. Dancing Pines Distillery

10. High Hops at The Windsor Gardener

28. Big Beaver Brewing

11. Grimm Brothers Brewhouse

29. Pateros Creek Brewing Company

12. Rock Bottom Brewery

30. Loveland Ale Works

13. Estes Park Brewery

31. Pitcher’s Brewery & Sports Shack

800 E Lincoln Ave., Fort Collins (970) 498-9070 500 Linden St., Fort Collins (970) 221-0524

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

llins

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

25

10 392

392

Windsor

12

nd

125 Remington St, Fort Collins (970) 493-2484

Greeley

34 34

11 7 3

25

15 31

1415 W. Elizabeth St, Fort Collins (970) 221-1139

1900 E Lincoln Ave, Unit B, Fort Collins (970) 482-FUNK

1020 E Lincoln Ave, Fort Collins (970) 472-1499 2351 Busch Drive, Fort Collins (970) 221-0922

8 11199

225

6461 State Highway 392, Windsor (970) 674-2841

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

76 25

76

36 76

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

14. Grand Lake Brewing

9921 U.S. 34, Grand Lake (970) 627-9404

36 70

25 24

6025 Sky Pond Drive, Loveland (970) 622-2077

15. Crabtree Brewing

2961 29th St , Greeley (970) 356-0516

Denver

16. Oskar Blues

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

17. Left Hand Brewing

5763 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder (303) 440-4324 3980 Broadway, Ste. 103, Boulder (303) 842-5656 3201 Walnut St, Boulder (303) 786-9270 Ford St, Golden (303) 277-2337 920 12th St, Golden (303) 279-8092

1390 W. Evans Ave. Unit 2-0, Denver (303) 935-3223 1634 18th St, Denver (303) 297-2700 1401 Miner St, Idaho Springs (303) 567-2688 1527 Taurus Ct, Loveland (970) 635-3426 2707 Eisenhower Blvd, Unit 9, Loveland www.bigbeaverbrew.com 242 N. College, Fort Collins (970) 484-7222

118 West 4th Street, Loveland (970) 619-8726

2501 11th Ave., Greeley (970) 353-3393

32. C.B. & Potts Collindale 1441 E. Horsetooth Rd, Fort Collins (970) 226-0148

33. Black Bottle Brewery

1605 South College Ave, Fort Collins (970) 493-BEER

34. Verboten Brewing

1550 Taurus Ct, Loveland (970) 988-6333

1265 Boston Ave, Longmont (303) 772-0258

18. Pumphouse Brewery

540 Main St, Longmont (303) 702-0881 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 17

Jay Hill shares beer as he leads a tour of the Fort Collins Brewery.

Rich Abrahamson/ The Coloradoan

Tours: Walk through the history of breweries in Fort Collins

BY JILL JONES

Jordana Barrack shifted her weight to her back foot and squinted in the hot afternoon sun.

She wore a sundress and midshin cowboy boots; her long hair casually swept up and drifting in the slightest of afternoon breezes. A colorful, feathery tattoo wraps around her trim forearm.

She glanced at the gleaming tray below her, and back up again, sizing up the thirsty bunch that had gathered on her arrival. She smiled.

“We’re going to get started, and I talk a lot,” she said, offering a generous sample of beer to each of the 27 visitors assembled Aug. 2 to tour New Belgium Brewery. “And this is one of five tastes you’ll be offered along the way. We’ll be winding through hallways and climbing stairs, so keep up!”

18 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

Barrack is just one of several guides at the brewery that hosts multiple tours daily. Of the nine craft brewers in Fort Collins, the New Belgium presentation is by far the most popular for local and visiting malt aficionados and is booked solidly throughout the summer. Visitors make reservations months in advance and plan vacations around the date.

Kevin Farrell, 27, of Vernon Hills, Ill., planned a visit to the brewery several weeks ago to coincide with a family reunion in Breckenridge. “We drink New Belgium,” he said, “and a musician friend of mine, who had traveled the area, recommended the tour. He said it stood out from other tours; it was unique.”

An understatement, for sure.

For most visitors, touring the brewery is nothing less than awesome. The

brewery is housed in buildings boasting Colorado style – lots of high open spaces, wood and rock exteriors, and metal roofing. Inside, whimsical local artwork, including a serpentine beerbottle light installation and a chair made out of bicycle tires, fill the winding hallways.

The 90-minute tour takes visitors upstairs for a glimpse of the shining brew house, back downstairs to the wood cellar to taste beer sours while standing among 35 massive barrels (imported in pieces from wineries in California and France), and on past the “Malt Castle” and the “Church of Fermentology” to the “Thunderdome,” where the beer is bottled and prepared for distribution. At the end of the tour, just for fun, visitors are invited to hop on the circular, metal slide in the main building.

Outside, wearing sandals and Colorado rec-wear, guests and employees (it’s difficult to tell the difference between the two), hang out on the landscaped brewery grounds sipping beer, enjoying community and playing games, such as Hula hoops and ladder golf. Bicycles are more common than cars, and dogs and babies accompany well-heeled college grads. On Thursday and Friday afternoons in the summer, it’s tough to find space in the tasting room. Food is available first-come, first-served via local food trucks that help create a backyard-barbecue atmosphere.

“It feels so-so small and family-like, yet it’s so-so big,” said Amy Douglass, 36, of Severance. “They’re manufacturing like a case a minute!”

New Belgium is big – not like Anheuser-Busch big – but as far as craft breweries go, its production and distribution are impressive. A ticker at the Thunderdome registered nearly half a million beers bottled that day, with hours left in the production cycle. New Belgium is the largest craft brewery in Fort Collins and Colorado, and the third largest in the nation, behind Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada. It distributes in 31 states and the District of Columbia. According to its website, in 2012 New Belgium produced 764,264 barrels of beer (one barrel equals 31 gallons), earning a ranking of eighth for output among all breweries in the United States.

But it’s not this success that draws visitors here.

And even though the physical atmosphere and the Belgian-style beer are superb, people probably would line up just to feel part of it all. New Belgium offers an attractive lifestyle and collaborative community, and visitors are almost desperate to know about how it all works, and about the interesting people who make it work. (Being offered five, half-glasses of beer – which included favorites Abbey, Fat Tire and Shift Pale Ale – was just foam on the top.)

“The storytelling was incredible. It was a great way to bring the brand to life,” said Scott Farrell, 57, visiting from

a suburb of Chicago. “So much more goes into the bottle than the beer.”

Energetic and quirky, Barrack told guests about the basement beginnings of the brewery and of the inspiration for several of the brews. She spoke of co-founder Jeff Lebesch’s life-changing experience on a 1989 bike tour of Belgium – he rode a mountain bike that some of the locals, who had never seen such a bike, referred to as the “fat tire” – when he visited Belgian breweries and learned about key ingredients to brew Belgian-style beer.

Visitors learned about his wife, Kim Jordan, who encouraged the 34-year-old electrical engineer and home brewer to go commercial with his recipes, and worked alongside him as the company grew. There was a story about a young

years, staffers are offered a six-week, personal sabbatical.

“She kept re-emphasizing company values, and that employees know them all the way down the line. There’s so much hospitality; they’re really living this. So many companies say they have great values, but don’t live by them. It’s really impressive,” said Sarah Fraser, 29, of Stamford, Conn.

Fort Collins Brewery Just north on Lincoln Avenue at The Fort Collins Brewery, the third largest craft brewery in Fort Collins, much of the same is happening, on a smaller scale. Sandal-clad visitors come and go by car, foot and bicycle, and on weekends, the brewery’s cozy tasting room is standing room only. A favorite choice

People are becoming more “educated about beer. They’re attending tours and learning about different tastes. man, an avid climber, who hoped to open his own brewery one day. He slept on Lebesch’s couch and worked at the brewery in exchange for startup knowledge, and wound up staying with the company after he was invited in as part owner. Lebesch later had a climbing wall built within the current brewery to make his business partner, Brian Callahan, feel more at home, and to celebrate his 10-year commitment to the company.

Visitors also learn about the company’s commitment to sustainability (reduce waste, recycle, reuse) and its promise of well-being to the 486 people who work there. At their first anniversary, employees become vested in the company, which is now 100 percent employee owned, and are given a custom-designed cruiser bike. At five years, they are awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to Belgium, where they retrace Lebesch’s bicycle and brewery trek. At 10

”

here is a seven-beer sampler, presented on a graduated tray that includes current favorites Chocolate Stout, Red Banshee and Rocky Mountain IPA. Owners Jan and Tom Peters, who purchased the brewery in 2004 and moved it to its current location on Lincoln Avenue in 2011, are upgrading and expanding operations to meet increasing demands in the 20 states in which they distribute.

“We’re adding additional fermentation tanks and expanding our brew house,” Marketing and PR Director Charles Stanley said. “We’ll see a big jump in efficiency.” In 2012, the brewery produced 12,000 barrels, and in 2013, it’s on track to produce 15,000.

FCB offers free 45-minute tours every Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m. that include free hors d’oeuvres and product tastings. Discussion focuses on the process of brewing itself, and visitors get to taste beers at different stages in that process.

On an Aug. 3 tour of the facility, Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 19

Jay Hill leads a tour of the Fort Collins Brewery.

Rich Abrahamson/ The Coloradoan

home brewer Mark Ledeboer, 59, of Minnesota, and his wife Yvonne, 56, were interested in the range of flavors the brewery achieves. “We came to gain more information about how they do it,” he said.

Stanley said he’s seen a boost in interest in beer tours in recent years, and said he believes it’s due to the culture of the region, which is often referred to as the “Napa Valley” of beer. The area is also very social, he said, a place where people enjoy getting out and doing things.

Tour leader Tom Stanfield, 29, said beer lovers enjoy “the whole nostalgia” of the industry. “We live in a country where by law you can brew your own beer – what could be better than that? There’s a sense of community among brewers.”

Stanfield said tourists are drawn by the promise of new and different flavors, and are pleased by the abundance of creativity in brews available in a robust market.

And beer drinkers in the area are happy to support that market.

“The Front Range – Fort Collins in particular – is very supportive of smaller craft breweries. It’s their understanding and appreciation for things produced locally, and a willingness to pay for a better product,” Stanley said.

FCB showcases its beers in a fullservice restaurant onsite, Gravity 1020, where guests can attend Beer 101 classes that feature a different topic each 20 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

week, and listen to music on the patio.

“We think of beer as food, and being paired with different types of food.

There’s a vast array of flavors, maybe even more than is possible with wines,” Stanley said.

On this tour, visitors were treated to roasted dates wrapped in bacon with a side of Red Banshee. Yum.

Odell Brewing Company Just down the street in an already crowded taproom at Odell Brewing Company, guests pour in from the surrounding gardens. A sudden deluge – so much rain you can’t hear yourself speak under the metal roof – has driven them indoors. They laugh, shake off the dampness, and soon settle back into the business at hand – drinking beer.

“That was crazy!” Taproom Manager Kailey Schumacher said.

It’s a busy Saturday afternoon at the brewery, and chairs are full. Schumacher, 29, smiles as she watches as even more make it in from the parking lot.

“It’s the feel of the place,” she said.

“We want people to feel welcome. We want them to enjoy coming in, to see people behind the bar with a smile on their faces.”

The crowd of 150 is mostly young professionals, some with babies and strollers in tow, most with growlers to fill. Although Schumacher says having Colorado State University nearby doesn’t hurt, most visitors seem a little

older, with more experienced palates.

“People are becoming more educated about beer. They’re attending tours and learning about different tastes,” Schumacher said.

“There are 160 craft breweries in Colorado, everyone has their own niche.

There are so many different styles and beers that are blowing people away.

There’s something out there for everyone, from gluten-free to sours.”

Visitors who tour the brewery can sample a few brews while learning about the history of the company and the artistry of making beer. The stories are similar and familiar for craft brewers – a home brewer goes commercial, in this case Doug Odell, his wife Wynne, and sister Corkie in 1989; the business was started in an old grain elevator, the second craft brewery to open in the state.

Over the years there have been building and product expansions, including one in process now, that will take the brewery from 67,000 barrels last year to 78,000 barrels next year, and that will expand distribution into an eleventh state – Texas.

“We’ll be a lot more efficient then,” Schumacher said. “We’re expanding our taproom and back yard, as well.”

Schumacher points to their role as leaders in the community for being at least part of the reason for their growing success.

“We regularly give to local charities and participate in charitable events,” she said. “We’ll be working with other local breweries on ‘The House that Beer Built,’ an event that will rebuild a house for a single mom who lost her home in the Rist Canyon Fire.”

This collaborative culture, among breweries and the public, is the real reason so many breweries have made Fort Collins home, she said.

“It’s just the mentality of folks here; they’re working hard, playing hard and enjoying a beer together after getting things done. It’s just a friendly place with good people enjoying good beers,” Schumacher said.

Dawn Madura/ The Coloradoan

Fort Collins breweries win 6 golds at GABF; Funkwerks lauded

BY COLORADOAN STAFF

Fort Collins breweries took home six gold medals and a bronze from the Great American Beer Festival in October of 2012.

In addition, Funkwerks took home the “Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year” award.

Gold medal winners are Deceit and Saison by Funkwerks, Knight Ryder Munich Dunkel by Equinox Brewing Co., More Fun Blonde by New Belgium Brewing Co., 6X Helles by CB & Potts and Bombastic by Fort Collins Brewery.

New Belgium and Loveland’s Grimm Brothers Brewhouse took home bronze medals for NBB Love Felix and Little Red Cap.

Here are the winners in their categories: Gold • Deceit, Funkwerks, Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale • Saison, Funkwerks, French- and Belgian-Style Saison • Knight Ryder Munich Dunkel, Equinox, European-Stylle Dunkel

• • • • • •

More Fun Blonde, New Belgium, Pro-Am Competition 6X Helles, CB & Potts, Munich-Style Helles Bombastic, Fort Collins Brewery, Smoke Beer Bronze Little Red Cap, Grimm Brothers, German-Style Altbier NBB Little Love Felix, New Belgium, German Style Sour Ale

Award criteria Gold: “A world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance.”

Silver: “An excellent beer that may vary slightly from style parameters while maintaining close adherence to the style and displaying excellent taste, aroma and appearance.”

Bronze: “A fine example of the style that may vary slightly from style parameters and/or have minor deviations in taste, aroma or appearance.”

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 21

New Belgium Brewing Co. employee Emily Dufficy, at center, points out bicycles to her tour group as she talks about the complimentary bikes that are awarded to employees who have been with the company for a year. Dawn Madura/The Coloradoan

‘The’ place to work in Colorado New Belgium influences life, culture of Fort Collins

BY TREVOR HUGHES TREVORHUGHES@COLORADOAN.COM

Shedding its basement beginnings, New Belgium is a major Fort Collins force.

From its 1991 launch in a Fort Collins’ homebrewer’s basement, New Belgium Brewing Co. has grown to have an oversized impact on the city it calls home.

Employing 475 people across the country, the brewery and its staff serve as de facto ambassadors for Fort Collins, proudly demonstrating their success in pairing profitability with sustainability, with a whole bunch of fun mixed in.

The company donates millions to causes it supports, particularly those bicycle-related, and the brewery last year drew 100,000 visitors to its tasting room and free tours. A new commercial 22 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

airing in U.S. 12 cities offers the rest of America a glimpse into the company’s quirky culture that both feeds and reflects Fort Collins.

“I hope it’s a mutual love affair.

We feel very lucky to be here. Fort Collins has been very good to us,” said CEO Kim Jordan, New Belgium cofounder. “I still regularly have ‘pinch me’ moments.”

New Belgium’s influence on many strings of Fort Collins life belies its actual size, especially compared with employers such as Colorado State University, which has more than 6,100 employees, or University of Colorado Health (formerly Poudre Valley Health System), with about 4,400 employees here. The brewery has about 350 employees in Fort Collins, with an additional 125 spread around the country.

The brewery is something of a

cultural touchstone for Fort Collins: The decisions New Belgium makes not only shape the beers we drink, but affect the kinds of bikes we ride, the racks we lock those bikes to and the trails we pedal along. They affect the city’s food-truck culture and even the kinds of research and classes offered at CSU. The company’s values have helped change state law, drive the use of solar panels and electric cars, and keep a sharp focus on sustainability.

Those guiding principles haven’t changed in recent years. What has changed, however, is the brewery’s willingness to talk about them loudly and repeatedly. Brewery tours hype sustainability while pushing visitors to use Facebook and Twitter to connect with the company. The annual Tour de Fat ride promotes bikes and fun. And Jordan herself pushes state leaders

to help for-profit companies like hers make a bigger community impact.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve done.

Certainly we’ve made mistakes along the way, but we try to improve all the time,” Jordan said. “For a fairly long time, we didn’t talk much about what we did. The practice of the work has a splash, but it also has ripples. And if you talk about the ripples, maybe it helps somebody else think about doing something along the lines of the world we’d like to see.”

A different business model New Belgium is now the country’s eighth-largest brewery and thirdlargest craft brewery. While bigger breweries are unmistakably corporate, New Belgium has deliberately maintained an attitude where having fun is listed in the same core values statement as making world-class beer, and promoting environmental stewardship and responsible drinking.

The brewery’s first employee still works there, with the whimsical title of “director of fun.”

As the company’s tour guides like to say, Jordan and her former husband founded the company with a specific purpose statement: “To operate a profitable brewery which makes our love and talent manifest.”

The private, employee-owned company grossed about $180 million last year, with its owner-employees

eligible for profit-sharing. As of early this year, the company is fully owned by its workers, with ownership coming after a year on the job. The first year on the job also brings each employee a free cruiser bike. After employees have been with the brewery for five years, they’re taken on a tour of Belgium with Jordan and other company leaders. After 10

asked what makes New Belgium such a popular place to work in Fort Collins, Hickenlooper interrupted a reporter: “They’re the place to work in Colorado,” he said.

Hickenlooper says Fort Collins should be proud that New Belgium makes its home here. And he says the way Jordan runs the company she co-owns with

They want to make every day “better for everyone at work. It’s a lot more than just looking at ‘how much money I can make?’ years, they get a monthlong sabbatical and a tree planted in their honor.

Speaking to the Coloradoan just days before leading this year’s Belgium tour, Jordan said she shares responsibility for the company’s culture with everyone who works there. Jordan says her training as a social worker helps set the tone but acknowledges she worries about losing the soul of the company she co-founded as it grows: “I worry about it, and I ask other people to worry about it, too. If you want to have a soul, have a community, you have to work at it.”

New Belgium has long “worked at it,” said Gov. John Hickenlooper, who got to know Jordan when he was running Wynkoop Brewing in Denver. When

”

the rest of the staff is a good model for other businesses. The company’s employees are sometimes criticized for their cult-like devotion to the brand, but Hickenlooper says that devotion serves both the bottom line and the city New Belgium calls home.

“They want to make every day better for everyone at work,” he says. “It’s a lot more than just looking at ‘how much money I can make?’”

What sets New Belgium apart, Hickenlooper and others say, is that people want to work there. Really, really want to work there.

For brewery tour guide and “Liquid Center” employee Emily Dufficy, New Belgium offers the opportunity to have fun, make people happy and serve the Fort Collins community. Dufficy was working as a paralegal assistant in a Denver law firm when the job she eventually got opened up. She’d always envisioned working for a nonprofit but found New Belgium was a perfect fit.

“I’m not just working here,” she said after giving a tour to about 20 people last week. “I’m an owner of the company.”

Being themselves New Belgium Brewing Co. Brewmaster Peter Bouckaert explains how the Transatlantique Kriek is blended at the inaugural Lost in the Woods Sour Soiree held in Fort Collins.

The Coloradoan

A big part of New Belgium’s ability to get headlines is the company’s willingness to let its quirky employees be themselves. After all, this is a Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 23

“It’s a shining light,” he said. “It represents Fort Collins. It really reflects well on Fort Collins. It’s great for the city.”

Wolff’s friend, John Humason, was visiting from the St. Louis area.

Humason says he was astounded at how well-run New Belgium appears to be, and how well the tour given

by Dufficy showcases the brewery’s commercial and community success.

“Their impact is remarkable,” said Humason, a first-time visitor to Fort Collins. “They (say) ‘Do what you want to do, and be successful at it.’”

David May, executive director of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of

New Belgium Brewing customers pass New Belgium employee bikes at the in 2010.

Rich Abrahamson/ The Coloradoan

brewery employing a bevy of selfdescribed “carnies” who put on the 12-city Tour de Fat bike parade.

Last year’s Fort Collins tour alone drew more than 20,000 people for the costumed parade and bike-forward extravaganza. Those bike-pedaling, mustachioed carnies are featured front and center in the brewery’s new television commercial, its first in eight years. Money raised from the parade is donated to local bike centers.

“We didn’t say, ‘You will have fun, we will make you.’ But we did say, before we made any beer, that having fun would be meaningful to us,” Jordan said. “We make beer for a living. If we can’t have fun, that means we have some real challenges as human beings.”

The company allows its employeeowners to inspect the books whenever they want, helping everyone understand what role they play in their own success, Jordan said. As a former social worker who attended a Quaker school, Jordan values consensus and discussion. One group of employees, called Compass, helps set the annual plan.

Another group, known as Missionaries, builds the mid-range plan.

“We’re trying to sort of eliminate or streamline or concentrate our focus in a way that keeps people from wondering if they’re doing the right thing, wondering how their job fits into 24 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

the overall picture,” Jordan said.

The overall picture New Belgium presents to the outside is of a fun, successful company that’s managed to turn its manufacturing plant into a tourist destination. More than 66,000 people have visited the brewery’s

Commerce, says New Belgium’s employees and the entire brand have become de facto ambassadors for the city. May points out that Fort Collins is home to plenty of other successful private businesses, from Woodward to Wolf Robotics and Avago Technologies.

May says those companies are

We make beer for a living. If we “can’t have fun, that means we have some real challenges as human beings.

”

tasting room this year, and tickets to free brewery tours like the ones Dufficy gives are among the hottest in the city.

During a tour last week that was part brand evangelizing and part beer education, Dufficy explained the brewery’s commitment to sustainability, community and fun, all the while giving out free samples of exclusive brewery-only beers and explaining how beer is made, aged and bottled.

Fort Collins resident Bruce Wolff was on his second New Belgium tour in as many days. Friends who visited him on Tuesday wanted to tour the brewery, as did a second group who arrived Wednesday. Wolff said friends who visit always want to tour the brewery, and he’s only too happy to oblige.

profitable and good employers but just don’t get the same kind of attention from the public as OtterBox and New Belgium. “... Economically, the company is important to Fort Collins. Beyond that, they are a happening, a cause. Sustainability is a core value, and it drives their hiring and management practices and is core to their conventional and viral marketing,” he said.

“They have become informal ambassadors of Fort Collins, and their brands augment the community brand. In the case of New Belgium, it’s a youthful, smart, outdoorsy, funky, environmental persona. They export both beer and ‘Colorado cool.’ That’s not all Fort Collins is about, but it’s pretty good.”

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Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 25

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 to 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 on the hour from 1–7 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, Fort Collins The brewery staff offers tours at 2 p.m. each Saturday.

For more information, visit www.funkwerks.com.

26 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

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. Guided tours run every half hour from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations are required and can be made online up to two months in advance. 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, 3 and 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Tour guides walk participants through the brew house and offer an up-closeand-personal view into the craft brew culture and brewing methods. Tours last about 25 minutes. 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 on tap Big Beaver Brewing Company

Grimm Brothers

The tap room at Big Beaver Brewing Company, 2707 W. Eisenhower Blvd., Loveland, is open 2 p.m to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 2 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

The tap room at Grimm Brothers, 623 Denver Ave. Loveland, is open 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday – Thursday, noon p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Equinox Brewing Company

The tap room at High Hops Brewing, 6461 Highway 392, Windsor, is open noon to 6 p.m. Monday, noon to 8 p.m.

Tuesday-Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday., noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. www.highhopsbrewery.com

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

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

Funkwerks The tap room at Funkwerks, 1900 E. Lincoln Ave., Unit B, Fort Collins is open from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Fort Collins Brewery The tap room at Fort Collins Brewery, 1020 E. Lincoln Ave., Fort Collins, is open from 12 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Monday–Wednesday and 12 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday–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.

Black Bottle Brewery The tap room at Black Bottle Brewery, 1605 South College Ave., Fort Collins, is open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday-Sunday.

High Hops Brewing

Loveland Aleworks The tap room at Loveland Aleworks, 118 W. Fourth Street, Loveland, is open 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Noon-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday:

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

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

Pateros Creek Brewing Company The tap room at Pateros Creek Brewing Company, 242 N. College Ave., is open from 3 p.m.-9.m. Monday, noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; noon to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Verboten Brewing The tap room at Verboten Brewing, 1550 Taurus Ct, Loveland, is open 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 1 p.m.-9 p.m.

Saturday and 1 p.m.-7p.m. Sunday.

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 27

BEER GLOSSARY Beer Terms Ale: A beer brewed from hops, malt, and top-fermenting yeast. Varies from pale to dark amber in color, texture is smooth, and sweet, flavor is fruity, stronger, and more bitter than beer.

Amber: A beer named for its reddishbrown color, ranging from pale to dark.

Barley Wine: A dark, rich, bittersweet beer with higher alcohol content.

Bitter: Amber ale with a fragrant bouquet whose dry, sharp flavor is produced from hops.

Bock: A strong, malty lager varying from pale to dark brown in color with an alcohol content around 6 percent by volume.

Brown Ale: Nutty, malty ale that’s dark brown in color with flavors ranging from dry to sweet.

Draft (Draught): A method of dispensing beer from a keg, cask, or bright tank.

Pub: An abbreviation for “public house,” a gathering place that serves beer and often other alcoholic beverages on site.

Hefeweizen: A refreshing, frothy wheat beer that is lighter in body, flavor, and alcohol content.

Stout: A rich beer brewed from fullflavored roasted malts andtop-fermenting yeast, sometimes with caramel sugar and high hop content. Dark brown in color, full-bodied in texture, and slightly burnt in flavor.

Holiday Beer: A special seasonal brew varying from amber to dark brown in color with sweet flavor and often special spicy, fruity, or herby notes.

India Pale Ale (IPA): A pale ale that is profusely hoppy.

Kolsch: A mildly malty West German ale that is very pale in color and a bit tart in flavor.

Lager: A crisp, clean beer made with bottom-fermenting yeasts at near freezing temperatures for longer periods of time than ales.

Wheat beer: A beer brewed with wheat malt. Pale in color, medium-bodied in texture, and slightly tart in flavor.

Brewing Terms Chill Proof: Beers treated to resist chill haze.

Conditioning: The method of warm or cold secondary fermenting or maturing, which can develop a beer’s carbonation or complexity of flavor.

Burton: Strong ale that’s dark brown in color with roasty malt flavors.

Malt Liquor: A malty lager that’s pale in color with an alcohol content above 5 percent by volume, as defined in the United States.

Cooper: Woodworker who crafts wooden beer kegs.

Pale Ale: A highly hopped beer made from high-quality malt that’s dry in flavor.

Dextrin: An unfermentable carbohydrate found in malted barley, which gives beer its flavor and mouthfeel.

Dopplebock: A version of bock, meaning “double bock,” with a stronger alcohol content, varying from 8 to 13 percent by volume.

Pilsner: A beer brewed from bottomfermenting yeast. Very pale in color with a dry, hoppy flavor and aroma.

Dosage: A quantity of yeast and/or sugar added to the bottle or cask to facilitate conditioning.

Porter: Ale brewed from well-roasted barley. Dark brown in color, full-bodied in texture, and bittersweet or chocolaty in flavor.

Dry-Hopping: The method of adding dry hops to fermenting or aging beer to increase hop quality or aroma.

28 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

Conditioning Tank: A receptacle or vessel used for conditioning beer.

Enzymes: The natural grain proteins that convert the malted barley starches to sugars or maltose in the heating phase of mashing.

Liquor: The water infusion used in malting, mashing, or sparging.

Pitch: The method of adding yeast to the wort.

Ethanol: A type of alcohol formed from yeast during fermentation.

Malt Extract: The processed mash now in the form of syrup or powdered sugar, with maltose and dextrins, which is then reactivated with water for fermentation.

Priming: The method of adding sugar to the beer in maturation to promote a secondary fermentation.

Fermentation: The activation of yeast, which converts sugar into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Malting: The method of converting barley grain starches to maltose in order to begin fermentation.

Secondary Fermentation: The method of warm or cold secondary fermenting or maturing, which can develop a beer’s carbonation or complexity of flavor.

Filter: The brewing method by which impurities in the wort are removed. Yeast in suspension is often removed.

Maltose: The fermentable malt sugar, which is water-soluble.

Sediment: The yeasty substance at the bottom of a bottle of conditioned beer.

Mash: The resulting mixture that comes from soaking and cooking barley malt in water, wherein the fermentable sugars are released.

Sparge: The method of spraying the grist with hot water at the end of the mash in order to remove soluble sugars.

Final Specific Gravity: The measurement of a beer’s density after fermentation, as compared to water.

Fining: A substance that attracts suspended particles in beer and provides clarification.

Mashing: The process of making mash.

Grist: The mixture of milled grains to be used in a specific brew.

Mead: Substance produced when honey, water, yeast, and other possible additives like spices, herbs, or fruit are fermented.

Heat Exchanger: A mechanism used to quickly reduce the wort temperature.

Infusion: Mash-making method in which malt is soaked in water and kept at one temperature.

Keg: A barrel or container for beer.

Lagering: The method of maturing at cold temperatures.

Lauter: The method of extracting malt sugars from the wort by raking through the mash tun.

Mash tun: A preparation tank used for turning mash into wort.

Microbrewery: A small brewery that makes its own beer and sells less than 15,000 barrels a year.

Pasteurisation: The method of heating beer to stabilize its microscopic organisms and their effects.

Specific gravity: The measurement of a beer’s density before fermentation, as compared to water.

Top-Fermenting Yeast: One of two strains of yeast used in brewing beer, essentially ales, that responds best at warmer temperatures, ferments fewer sugars for a sweeter flavor, and sustains higher alcohol concentrations.

Tun: A large receptacle or vessel used in brewing beer.

Wort: The mixture of grain sugars filtered from the mash tun.

Yeast: A fungi that is added to wort, which aids in turning fermentable sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Source: craftbrewing.co.nz/beer-terms

Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013 29

Finishing note...

“A quart of ale is a dish for a king.”

-William Shakespeare Winter’s Tale. Act 4, Scene 3 Colleen Hunt prepares a flight of this year’s varieties of Fort Collins Collusion at Black Bottle Brewery in May, 2013.

Dawn Madura/The Coloradoan

30 Northern Colorado Brewery Guide 2013

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