New Belgium Brewery Tour & Tap Room

New Belgium Brewery, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, is renowned for its innovative and high-quality craft beers, including the iconic Fat Tire Amber Ale.

New Belgium Brewery has always held a special place in my heart. Since my very first brewery tour here, a long time ago – it’s been a place I’ve always found an interesting sour, a nice IPA and a great place to enjoy a craft beer around friendly faces.

During a pre pandemic trip in early 2020, I once again visited one of my favorite spots in Colorado. Four years later, it was a pleasure to do it again.

This time, a lot had changed. With an ever changing market built on tastes and shifting economic factors, the craft brew scene had taken a huge hit. I realized this with Eagle Rock Brewing closing in Los Angeles. But, at New Belgium Brewery, this meant transitioning from being employee owned to being purchased by Lion, which is owned by the Japanese beverage company, Kirin. Which is honestly wild to follow the money and see how companies get sucked up into the world system.

In this case, I wanted to visit New Belgium Brewery to try some new beers and pick up a six pack for an upcoming activity with my friend Rosemary and I to share between us.

Turning onto Lindon, I was blown away by how different everything felt. Fort Collins seemed to have grown up around the brewery. In fact, things had gotten so expansive, that there was now a dedicated visitor parking lot for guests.

Walking into the Brewery tasting room, I just felt – home. It’s a true comfort to come back to a place that has served as a key memory over the years.

At the bar, a rather friendly behind the bar servicer, Dave, quickly took me under his wing. He had me try so many delicious items:

From the Sours, I tried:

FLEETING VIOLET (6% golden sour ale  – “berry” punch• aromatic • flirtatious)
PRICKLY PEAR (5% margarita sour – tingly •lil’ heat •supa’ pink)
ESSENTIAL ONE (6% golden sour ale – palo santo • apple • totally unique)
DOMINGA (6.8% mimosa sour ale – tart • golden • citrusy • quaffable)
TART LYCHEE (7.3 tropical sour ale – citrus fruit • cinnamon • sweet & sour)

From the Voodoo Ranger line, I tried the:

1985 (6.7% – Voodoo Ranger  tropical IPA
FRUIT FORCE (9.5% – Voodoo Ranger fruit punch IPA)
JUICE FORCE (9.5% – Voodoo Ranger hazy imperial IPA)

From the Belgian collection, I tried the:

HONEY ORANGE TRIPEL (10% – Belgian style tripel) and the 1554 (6% – enlightened dark ale)

In between sampling the different choices, Dave spoke to me about how the transfer from employee owned to corporate owned has changed them. Instead of feeling sad and dishearten, Dave (who has been with New Belgium for 18 years) said that the buy out came at exactly the right time: mere months before the COVID-19 pandemic. This allowed the company to – honestly – survive. Jobs and roles were created within the company to help people sustain the uncertainty of the times.

But – most importantly, instead operating in the red and losing money, the Brewery was now making money. Plus, post Lion life has been great for the employees, as they all have the same benefits, healthcare and structure – however now the employees just don’t have stock. Even the trips to Belgium, bicycles and perks are still the same.  It was beautiful to hear and I greatly appreciated his honesty and personal story.

What made my time with Dave even more special – is that he discussed his beloved cats with me. There’s nothing more fulfilling than discussing beloved pets over beers. He told me that when his last cat, Pumpkin passed away, the company honored her by introducing a stamp at in the tasting room, in Pumpkin’s honor. It just touched my heart in a brilliant way.

My conversation with Dave was really a perfectly timed, heartwarming conversation that I greatly appreciated. Plus, another guy showed me his tattoos – which were also gorgeous.

For my taster set, I made my own flight of the FLEETING VIOLET,  JUICE FORCE, HONEY ORANGE TRIPEL,  1554. It was one of the most glorious sights to behold.

Outside, I ordered a QUESADILLA WITH ASADA AND PASTOR with CHIPS the Las Catrinas food truck.

Once I received my food, I was in a state of happiness.

Everything was perfect.

Unfortunately, seemingly out of nowhere, the clouds changed color and the wind picked up. I should have remembered that Colorado weather can literally shift within 10 minutes, without warning. I looked up, noticed the fast approaching clouds and I remember distinctly telling myself: “Oh, is it going to rain? That wind is – um – getting strong.”

The next thing I knew, my quesadilla and chips had flown off the table and were scattered in the wind.

In the midst of “What – what? Did that just happen” and noticing bits of tomato and lettuce on my arm – all I could do was just laugh. I dusted the tomatoes off my skin and took another sip of my beers.

I texted my friend Sara about what happened. She quipped: “Nature was like “mine.” My queso.” It was hella humorous.

But I must say – I really liked that quesadilla!

Laughing, I finished my flight and headed back inside the taproom. I picked out a custom six pack, consisting  of New Belgium Brewery’s three Tripels. This was a solid selection to split with my friend Rosemary, during our weekend activities.

It was the perfect end to another wonderful time at New Belgium Brewing.

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Previously…

After a lovely time at the Butterfly Pavilion, we made our way to another one of my favorite stops in Colorado: the New Belgium Brewing Company for the brewery tour.

Nestled in the picturesque city of Fort Collins, Colorado, New Belgium Brewing Company stands as a beacon of craft beer excellence and sustainable practices. Founded in 1991 by Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan, this brewery’s story is a testament to the American craft beer revolution.

What began as a homebrewing passion evolved into a full-fledged brewery with the creation of Fat Tire Amber Ale, a Belgian-style beer that is one of my favorites.

As I stepped into New Belgium’s vibrant taproom, I was immediately struck by its lively atmosphere and commitment to environmental stewardship.

The walls adorned with cycling memorabilia, a nod to the brewery’s love for bikes and sustainability, spoke volumes about their values.

In 2012, New Belgium made waves by transitioning to a 100% employee-owned model through an ESOP, ensuring that every pint poured represented a collective effort and shared success.

In 2019, New Belgium Brewing was bought out by Lion Little World Beverages. Luckily, after the sale, they weren’t gutted like Ballast Point Brewing.

Today, visitors can tour the brewery’s state-of-the-art facilities, learn about their innovative brewing techniques, and savor a diverse range of beers that reflect New Belgium’s passion for quality and sustainability.

A visit to New Belgium Brewing is not just a beer tasting experience; it’s a journey through the history of craft brewing, community engagement, and environmental consciousness.

Tickets for the tour are given out on a first come, first served basis. There are 20 tickets available for each tour. Tours are once a day at 4:00pm Monday-Friday and 2:00pm and 4:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.

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