Fort Collins brewery scene still growing in 2018
As 2017 comes to an end, the Coloradoan is looking back at some of the stories and people who made headlines and what’s next for them in 2018.
Jacob Laxen
There's still room for more beer in Fort Collins. At least, that's what a handful of new or growing breweries are banking on in 2018.
Fort Collins ended 2017 with a total of 22 breweries operating inside the city and a handful more under construction.
Five new breweries are planning to open this year to join the crowded brewing scene in the town nicknamed the "Napa Valley of Beer."
C.B. & Potts, Freedonia Brewing, Prost Brewing, Ramskeller Brewery at Colorado State University and Red Truck Beer all have projects under construction. Another operation called Altered Code Brewing is scouting Midtown Fort Collins for a location to open in 2019.
Multiple new Loveland breweries also say they are opening in 2018. Tinmath Brewing and G5 Brewpub of Severance are also expected to open breweries in nearby Northern Colorado towns.
“There are a lot of breweries in town, but there’s room for more,” said Geoff Coleman, the longtime homebrewer behind Altered Code. “But I know I have to bring something a little different to the table.”
- C.B. & Potts plans to open a new 4,500-square-foot brewery and taproom along East Mulberry Street in late February. The space will include a new taproom and on-site C.B. & Potts food truck. The brewpub closed its original Fort Collins taproom in the Campus West neighborhood about a year ago but continued to brew at the site. C.B. & Potts has brewed in Fort Collins since 1996.
- Denver-based Prost Brewing opened a satellite taproom in Fort Collins in April 2016. Equipment is now being assembled in Fort Collins so the alleyway location can do some of its own in-house brewing. The operation plans to start brewing in Fort Collins this spring. Prost specializes in German beer styles.
- Freedonia Brewing had planned to open last year at an old church at 208 Remington St. but ran into a number of construction delays. Founder Ralf Kracke-Berndorff said the lager specialty brewery is now on track to open in late spring.
- Red Truck Beer has started demolition on the old Fort Collins Brewery at 1020 Lincoln Ave., with plans to open in mid-summer. The Vancouver-based brewery also announced plans to open a Denver location. The Fort Collins Red Truck location will include an indoor music stage and a truck stop-style restaurant. Spokesperson Stephanie Giard said the brewery hopes to hire a local general manager by this spring. Red Truck debuted in 2005. The brewery’s flagship offerings are Red Truck Lager, Red Truck Ale and Red Truck IPA.
- Ramskeller Brewing is being assembled on the Colorado State University campus. There's no specific construction timeline, but the brewery is expected to be functional by the end of the year. Students of the CSU's fermentation science program will do the brewing. Beers produced will be available on tap at the Lory Student Center’s Ramskeller Pub.
- Altered Code is Coleman’s vision of a small Fort Collins craft brewery specializing in IPA and sour varieties. The web developer is now looking to get a head start on the 2019 class of Fort Collins craft breweries, even with more locations soon to compete with. “I am just following my passion,” Coleman said. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Who opened, who closed in 2017
In 2017, Gilded Goat Brewing, D.C. Oakes Brewhouse & Eatery and Purpose Brewing & Cellars all opened in Fort Collins.
Fort Collins Brewery closed after 14 years in business. The taproom held a farewell party in July, and a few cases of Fort Collins Brewery beer is still stocked on shelves at liquor stores throughout town.
Fort Collins Brewery started in 1992 as H.C. Berger Brewery. New owners rebranded the operation in 2003 as a German lager house. The brewery eventually added ales and moved to its final 50-barrel brewhouse space in 2010.
Pateros Creek Brewing at 242 N. College Ave. closed in April after seven years in business. The brewery was priced out of its rent in Old Town Fort Collins.
The old Pateros Creek building is part of a $9 million renovation project on the block called The Exchange that will create a new plaza featuring numerous restaurants.
Founder Steve Jones explored moving Pateros Creek to another facility or having another brewery produce Pateros Creek beers but ultimately decided to retire the brand.
Pateros Creek had a farewell party in April. Equipment was eventually auctioned off.
“People think that beer is this automatic moneymaker,” Jones said. “Good beer will always exist, but it is getting harder to stand out.”
Jones still home brews many of his favorite Pateros Creek recipes. He has plans drawn up for a future Loveland brewery of a smaller scale that would have a different name.
Follow Jacob Laxen on Twitter and Instagram @jacoblaxen
Breweries of Fort Collins
- Anheuser Busch, 1988
- Coopersmith's Pub & Brewing, 1989
- Odell Brewing, 1989
- New Belgium Brewing, 1991
- C.B. & Potts, 1996
- Equinox Brewing, 2010
- Funkwerks, 2010
- Black Bottle Brewery, 2012
- Pitchers Sports Restaurant, 2013
- Horse & Dragon Brewing, 2014
- Snowbank Brewing, 2014
- Zwei Brewing, 2014
- Rally King Brewing, 2015
- Soul Squared Brewing, 2015
- McClellan's Brewing, 2015
- Three Four Beer Co., 2015
- Jessup Farm Barrel House, 2015
- Maxline Brewing, 2016
- Intersect Brewing, 2016
- Gilded Goat Brewing, 2017
- D.C. Oakes Brewhouse & Eatery, 2017
- Purpose Brewing & Cellars, 2017
Expected to open in 2018:
C.B. & Potts new location (late February)
Prost Brewing (spring)
Freedonia Brewing (late spring)
Red Truck Beer (mid-summer)
Ramskeller Brewery at Colorado State University (TBA)