Fort Collins is Colorado’s craft beer capital, with over 20 craft breweries setting up locations in the city. In fact, Fort Collins is home to one of the largest craft brewers in the country — New Belgium Brewing Company! Tourists and locals alike flock to breweries on the weekends to enjoy a cold beverage and some relaxing downtime. Check out flagship brews, seasonal rotations, and tasty bites at these FoCo breweries this summer.
Odell Brewing Company
Where? 800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins is the home base of Odell Brewing Company, featuring a 125-barrel custom brewhouse, three fermentation cellars, full keg, can and bottle lines, and a stunning taproom and beer garden for patrons to unwind in. Drop by the brewery to enjoy the outdoor, dog-friendly patio and daily food trucks. The main taproom offers a wide array of brews and seltzers, including the Easy Street American-style wheat beer, the Odell Pils, and the 90 Shilling, which is a flagship Scottish amber ale. Tours are offered on weekends at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM. Summertime events and activities at Odell include a weekly run club that includes a discounted drink, live music, and a core power yoga program.
New Belgium Brewing Company
📷 Photo courtesy of New Belgium Brewing Company
Where? 500 Linden Street
Head over to New Belgium for delicious tap offerings, such as the Fat Tire Ale or the Mountain Time lager. The VooDoo Ranger lineup includes an Imperial IPA, a Juicy Haze IPA, and a Fruit Force IPA — so why not sample them all? Sour and fruit fanatics will love the Tart Lychee, the Dominga Grapefruit Paloma, and the Essential One that’s blended with apples. Mark your calendar for upcoming summertime events at New Belgium, such as the Summer Makers Market on July 28th and recurring Friday night live music events from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Free tours are available for those who want to sample some world-class beer and take a ride down the famous brewery slide!
Zwei Brewing Company
📷 Photo courtesy of Zwei Brewing Company
Where? 4612 South Mason Street #120
Zwei Brewing is home to traditional German-style lagers and New World craft brews. The brewery’s flagship beers include the Zwei Pils, a Bavarian-style pilsner, the Dunkel, a Munich-style amber lager, and the Weiss, a Bavarian-style wheat bier. They also keep the Willy Nelson American IPA on rotation, featuring a hint of honey with a citrusy and floral hop character. Rotating seasonal beers include an American red ale, a light-bodied extra pale ale, and the Schwarzbier with notes of toasted chocolate and burnt sugar. Upcoming summer events include yoga classes, makers markets, and pop-up craft events – so be sure to swing by for a good time!
SweetWater Brewing Company
Where? 1020 East Lincoln Avenue
SweetWater is serving up a range of brews and bites at their FoCo Taproom and Kitchen. On the boozy side of things, patrons can enjoy hazy IPAs, pale ales, porters, sour wheat ales, and more. If you’re into fruity, the Blue is a light-bodied wheat ale with blueberries, and the Green Flash: Hazy West Coast features notes of pineapple, papaya, guava, and orange. There are even tasty non-alcoholic options, such as CBD cocktails, kombucha, and root beer floats! Need something to eat after imbibing in a few drinks? SweetWater has a selection of appetizers like smoked chicken wings, poutine, and nachos or you can opt for something more substantial like a burger, a grilled jerk sandwich, or an order of the birria tacos.
Equinox Brewing
Where? 133 Remington Street
Equinox Brewing specializes in the social aspects of beer, meaning you’ll find free live music every Friday and Saturday and a shaded beer garden where you can relax with friends while you enjoy a few drinks. The brewery keeps 18 options on tap, with the current lineup featuring a Sunrise golden ale, a Mr. Delicious oatmeal stout, a Jimmy’s Black IPA, and the Astral pale ale. The brewery is open every day, meaning you’ll always have a spot to fall back on when you need a cold one at the end of a long week or when you want to enjoy a weekday date night. Patrons can take beer to go in crowlers and bottles or you can bring in your own growler to fill up.
Jessup Farm Barrel House
Where? 1921 Jessup Drive
Jessup Farm Barrel House is a barrel-aged and blending brewery and is proud to serve craft beers in FoCo. The brewery creates truly unique brews using different fermentation variations and aging beer in barrels using 100% real fruits and spices. There’s a selection of 16 beers on tap, which are rotated throughout the year. All ages of guests are welcome at the Barrel House and there is an array of non-alcoholic beverages on the menu, including kombucha and Izze sodas. Children can enjoy the patio and taproom so long as they’re under the direct supervision of their parents. Bring the whole family out (including the pup) to chill out in the laid back ambiance while you snack on pretzels, paninis, charcuterie, and sip on your drink of choice.
Salt Road Brewing
Where? 321 Old Firehouse Alley
Salt Road Brewing understands that local just tastes better. The brewery takes advantage of the abundant resources found in the Northern Colorado region to create high-quality brews using unique, classic, and innovative styles to keep things interesting. If you’re stopping in for the first time, you’ll want to order some of their flagship offerings, such as The Wedge, a West Coast IPA, or the Helping Friendly Beer, an amber ale. Aside from their North American offering, Salt Road also keeps a British selection on the menu such as the Young Dukinfield extra special bitter and the Smiling Eyes Irish red ale. Dark lager lovers will want to order the Black Gold and if you’re more of a sour, fruity sipper —the Violet Beauregarde farmhouse ale features Malbec juice and blueberry puree.
Stodgy Brewing Company
📷 Photo courtesy of Stodgy Brewing Company
Where? 1802 Laporte Avenue
This casual neighborhood brewery aims to be a gathering space where you can relax, unwind, and enjoy a drink or two. Beers on tap include the Super Session Pils, which is described as the ultimate light, easy-drinking, and rejuvenating beverage, and the Oak Aged Golden Sour, which is light and sparkling and features notes of pinot grigio. The brewery includes a rotating gluten-free brew from Holidaily Brewing on its tap menu, made from malted buckwheat and millet. Non-alcoholic beverages such as kombucha, root beer, and bubbly water are available. Events at Stodgy Brewing Company include board game nights every Thursday from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM, as well as Shut Up & Write events every Tuesday from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
Konstruct Brewing
📷 Photo courtesy of Konstruct Brewing
Where? 3027 East Harmony Road Suite #2
Konstruct Brewing is new to the FoCo scene, having just opened at the beginning of June 2024. The brewery prides itself on using curious ingredients that keep beer aficionados on their toes. Taking advantage of non traditional flavors like grains of paradise, juniper berries, and coriander creates unique and surprisingly delicious profiles. The Kraftsman Cream Ale has an ABV of 5.4 and is one of the brewery’s creative and delicious craft brews. Aside from its brew lineup, Konstruct Brewing also offers cocktails, wines, and guest beers. Sip on a margarita or an old fashioned while you split one of the shareable plates such as the sliced sausage link or the soft pretzel bites served with your choice of beer mustard or hatch queso.
Verboten Brewing North
📷 Photo courtesy of Verboten Brewing North
Where? 1611 South College Avenue Unit 1609
Verboten Brewing features beers crafted by an exciting mix of traditional styles and experimental techniques. The brewery adds its own twist to keep the weekly rotating menu exciting and new. Every Friday, patrons will have something new to try. Currently on the menu are the Fizzy Lifting Apricot Japanese rice lager, the Thinking of Something Orange fruited wheat beer, and a Strawberry Hefeweizen wheat brew — the official beer of the 2024 5th Street Block party. The brewery also provides pre-packaged cans or fresh, off-the-tap crowlers so you can imbibe at home.
Rally King Brewing
Where? 1624 South Lemay Avenue #4
Rally King Brewing began when owner Matt received a beer-making kit as a gift. After fine tuning his brewing skills and winning over 80 awards at home brewing competitions — Rally King opened its doors nearly a decade ago. Rally King is serving up a variety of brews, such as the Under the Wave Japanese rice lager, the Surfer Girl IPA, and the Something in the Middle India pale lager. There are also a few snack options and patrons are welcome to bring outside food to complement their beverages. The brewery is kid and dog-friendly and there’s an outdoor patio space for those who want to enjoy a family-friendly ambiance. Upcoming summer events include trivia nights and the FoCo Peach Festival on August 17th.
Maxline Brewing
Where? 2724 McClelland Drive #190
Maxline Brewing is dedicated to providing an interesting variety of quality ales that suit a range of taste buds. Flagship beers and rotating seasonal offerings intermingle, with menu staples including a citrus wheat with orange peel and coriander and a refreshing peach mango pale ale. Rotating brews such as the raspberry basil saison shouldn’t be skipped — featuring fresh fruit puree and notes of whole basil leaves. The brewery hosts a variety of live musical acts from May through September, with Thursday shows kicking off at 6:30 PM and Sunday shows at 3:00 PM.
Gilded Goat Brewing Company
Where? 3500 South College Avenue #194
Gilded Goat is a family-owned brewery and taproom that just recently celebrated its 7th anniversary. Using Colorado mountain water and fresh ingredients, the brewery crafts quality beer that’s as bold and balanced as its high-altitude environment. The flagship beers feature the Purple Dream kettle sour, the Lightfoot Coffee pale ale, and the Guten Bock. Upcoming and seasonal brews include a blackberry lemon citrus hour, a bourbon barrel-aged Oktoberfest, and a King MooMoo imperial coconut stout — so keep an eye out and make sure to sample these exciting and adventurous offerings. The brewing company offers various events throughout the year, including trivia evenings, bingo, and live music.
Horse & Dragon Brewing Company
📷 Photo courtesy of Horse & Dragon Brewing Company
Where? 124 Racquette Drive
Horse & Dragon is a small craft brewery in FoCo that’s serving up a wide variety of tasty craft beers. On any given day, patrons will be able to choose from 12-14 brews in the tasting room, from pilsners and IPAs to stouts. There is also a handcrafted non-alcoholic golden root beer and a rotating sparkling water flavor. The brewery doesn’t have a kitchen, so feel free to bring your own snacks! Current beers on tap include the Fire Captain Irish red ale and an Aged Inquisitor doppelbock aged in whiskey barrels. The Sad Panda coffee stout is perfect for coffee lovers. Horse & Dragon also shows soccer games at all hours of the day and night, so swing by to cheer on your favorite teams! Tours of the brewery are available on request if you want a closer look at the behind-the-scenes process.
Funkwerks
Where? 1900 East Lincoln Avenue Unit B
Funkwerks was founded back in 2010 and is focused primarily on Saisons and sours, though they have plenty of room to experiment and offer a range of Belgian and American-style brews, as well as barrel-aged small batches and other specialty craft beers. The beer lineup at Funkwerks features their Tropic King Imperial Saison ale, the Raspberry Provincial sour ale, and a Surprise! IPA with cashmere, azacca, and mosaic hops. The brewery offers flights, such as four 5-ounce pours of their most popular brews or a build-your-own option. Alcohol-free beverages include Life’s a Buch Kombucha for those who want to skip the booze.
Drink Responsibly and Enjoy the Fort Collins Brewery Scene!
Whether you’re a craft beer aficionado or you’re relatively new to the scene, these breweries and taprooms around Fort Collins are welcoming of all. Even if you’re opting out of alcohol, many of the establishments have non-alcoholic beverages on the menu to ensure everyone has something delicious to drink!
Original Article: https://thegroupinc.com/our-communities/your-summer-2024-guide-to-fort-collins-breweries/
