Colorado Brewers Flock To Fort Collins Festival To Promote Their Beer

The Colorado Brewers’ Festival is preparing for its 20th year of fun in Downtown Fort Collins, the weekend of June 28 and 29.

The gates open at 11:00 a.m. and don’t close until 6:00 p.m. each day. In past years, a line of eager locals and visitors forms down the block of Mountain and College Avenue.

At the tent to get into the festivities, there is an I.D. check and a cost for admission as well. A two day pass is available at a total of $10 and a single day for $6. The main attraction of Brewfest is, obviously, beer, and in order to have a taste you must first purchase tokens. Each token is $2 and allows you to get one cup of beer. All proceeds from the event will go to several good causes, including to help fund the Fort Collins 4th of July, Lucky Joe’s St. Patty’s Day Parade, and free summer concerts.

Beyond The Beer, Brewfest Also Has Great Music And Food

There are three different Colorado local bands playing each day of Brewfest. The bands are usually set up right in the middle of the square, on the stage near the small waterfall. Each music group is allotted about two hours to play, and for most of the time playing, they draw a constant crowd of people dancing and surrounding the area. The concert schedule is as follows:

Saturday, June 27th
11:45am-1:45pm Gripton
2:00-3:45pm To Be Announced
4:15-6:00pm Roe

Sunday, June 28th
11:45am-1:45pm The Corduroy
2:00-3:45pm Pineapple Crackers
4:15-6:00 Caleb Riley Funk Orchestra

The Corduroy is returning again after performing at last years’ Brewfest. Their music style is a mix of Americana, Funk and Blues, and their popularity has begun to expand from Colorado into the South and Mid West.

An assortment of food vendors from local Fort Collins restaurants will also be set up around the area for people to purchase from.

Breweries That Will Be Hosting The Event

All of the major Fort Collins breweries will be a part of the 2009 Colorado Brewer’s Festival; these include Anheuser-Busch, Big Horn Brewery/CB & Potts, Coopersmith’s Pub and Brewing, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins Brewery, and Odell’s Brewing.


View Colorado Brewfest Breweries in a larger map

Anheuser-Busch is the creator of many of the well-known beers such as Bud Light, Budweiser, Michelob, Busch, Natural Light, Beck’s, and the list goes on. They also brew Bacardi products, non-alcohol beers, energy drinks, and specialty and regional beers. Their company is constantly growing, and as stated on their very own Website, “through its corporate foundation and community outreach efforts, they gave more than $267,000 in the Fort Collins area last year.”

The Big Horn Brewery, also known to many as CB & Potts which is a popular restaurant in Fort Collins, has locally brewed beer that is recognized across the nation. A few of their award-winning brews from 2008 include Java the Hut which is coffee flavored, Old Jack’s Stout which is wood and barrel ages, and Westminster Export which is a Dortmunder Style Export.

Coppersmith’s Pub and Brewing is located right inside Old Town Square with an outside dining area that is a great place to sit down and listen to the music during Brewfest. They always offer an assortment of beers on tap, many of them ales such as Not Brown, Poudre Pale, and Punjabi Ale.

New Belgium Brewing Company is based upon originality and that explains why they became the first wind-powered brewery in the United States. They have many exceptionally popular beers, and a few of them are Fat Tire, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle, and Skinny Dip.

The Fort Collins Brewery is a local favorite, and always offers tap room specials and exciting tours. Their beer can be purchased in over 21 states across the country. Some of their innovative creations include a tasty pomegranate wheat beer, Smoked Amber Lager, and a nutty flavored Timeless Red Ale.

Odell’s Brewery has been open for almost 20 years now, and they continue to come up with new inventive beers every single week in their tasting room. Easy Street Wheat, 90 Shilling, Red Ale, and Levity Ale are just a few examples of their classic and seasonal beers. This brewery is also part of numerous environmental programs that help keep our world green.

The Benefits For Breweries To Attend

The apparent benefit for breweries to be a part of this event is for exposure and to promote their beer and their brewery as a whole. For some breweries it is hard to calculate how helpful this event is for their company, but for others it is completely clear.

Although CB & Potts/The Big Horn Brewery has been open since 1971, they have only been involved in Brewfest for the past 12 years out of the 20 years it has been taking place. In an interview with Kirk Lombardi, he explained the importance of “being a player in the local craft beer culture.”

In questioning Coopersmith’s Pub and Brewery about Brewfest, it’s as if they feel the same way; becoming involved in the community and supporting many locals’ passions for great tasting beer is a top priority. Dwight Hall, the Head Brewer and Managing Partner for Coopersmith’s, voices his opinion about at least one advantage of Brewfest, “Colorado Brewer’s Festival is a great event to showcase the great diversity of Colorado craft beer.”

These breweries are very passionate about what they do, and about proving the excellence of Colorado brews.

What Kind Of Beer Selections To Expect This Year

Breweries usually select some of their new creations to serve at an event such as this, but they often times include the old favorites as well. “I try and choose beer that I think a lot of people will enjoy, and that reflects Coopersmith’s unique personality,” is what Dwight Hall from Coopersmith’s tells us about what he looks for and thinks about while selecting the beer to provide at an event such as CBF.

Some of Coopersmith’s most popular brews and ones that you might expect to see at CBF include:

- Punjabi Pale Ale, which Hall tells us is their most popular beer and it is served three ways: draft Pubside and Poolside, and hand drawn (Hanjabi on Poolside and cask conditioned on Pubside).

- Sigda's Green Chili Beer is popular year round

- Mountain Avenue Wheat is the best seller in the summer

- Razzmatazz Belgian Ale is one of the newer beers that they will be serving as well, and it is a blonde ale brewed with Belgian yeast and spiced with coriander.

The Big Horn Brewery on the other hand is not bringing out any new creations this year; they are just sticking to the all time favorites:

- Buttface Amber Ale and Colorado Blonde are two of their “top performers” for beer

- Big Horn Hefeweizen , Barefoot Wit, and Apricot Ale are a few other brews that will be available for tasting

The Costs For Breweries To Be A Part Of Brewfest

Each brewery provides their beer for a different price, along with various transportation costs and sponsorship costs. They do however, make at least some money from providing for this event. Coopersmith’s “sells their kegs to the Downtown Business Association at a lower than normal price and a standard transportation cost.”

To give you an idea about just how much beer people consume over the two days at Brewfest, Coopersmith’s has had three different types of beer throughout the past few years, and they have “sold out all 27 kegs over the weekend.” Lombardi explains that his breweries performance very similar, with about 18 of their kegs being used up by the end of the weekend. Not to worry though, the event has never totally run out of beer, there is always enough to go around for everyone.

The Big Horn Brewery laid out their prices a bit differently, “Beer costs around $900, sponsorship is $300 or so, and we get $1,260 back from the Downtown Business Association so we wind up making around $60,” which is not a lot of money considering the success of their brewery nationwide. It pays off in the end though, because as Lombardi tells me, they get a great deal of exposure to new customers. Hall also has the same mindset, exclaiming that CBF “brings thousands of beer lovers to our doorstep which is a good thing.”

These breweries are not so much worried with the costs, because they can make up any losses through tours, merchandise sales, and taking advantage of the busy summers. Hall seems very upbeat about the upcoming months, telling me that “summer is our busiest time; big events in old town like the Colorado Brewer’s Festival and New West Fest make our busiest days.” This is also true because their restaurant and breweryis located in the exact area that Brewfest takes place, and even more people stop in for a bite to eat or a quick drink during the event.

Why You Shouldn't Miss It

Lombardi expresses his experiences at the festival, “the brewers aren’t really allowed to participate, so my experiences are much like those of any ‘fest-goer’, sun, beer, music, and ‘good times’.”

Colorado Brewer's Festival is an event that can be enjoyed by all demographics; families, students, couples, and friends of all ages. It's an experience that you will not want to miss, and should be taken advantage of at least once if not every year by anyone who is in town the last weekend of June.

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