FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The breweries that put Fort Collins on the craft beer map still matter, but the city’s beer culture thrives not because of a single giant producer, but because of a uniquely collaborative community.
Fort Collins brewers working together
“What I noticed about Fort Collins was the willingness from everyone to help each other out and to not dig their heels in and try to be too overly competitive,” said Chris McCombs, head brewer at Coopersmith’s Old Town Brewpub who has been brewing professionally for 30 years. “The beer culture is tight and very friendly and very collaborative.”
“We band together. We bond. We’re together as a team,” said Colin Westcott, owner of Equinox Brewing Company, who described a network of brewers who share ingredients, equipment and expertise. “There's a lot of camaraderie between the breweries. Rising tides float all boats.”
That cooperative spirit has been central to the city’s appeal to visitors, according to Vice President of Marketing for Visit Fort Collins Katy Schneider.
“It is truly a culture here in Fort Collins that embodies events and community and collaboration,” Schneider said. “It became apparent in the late 80s and early 90s that we had something special here in the brewing culture. From a tourism standpoint, coming to the place where a lot of innovation was happening in that industry put us on the map.”
Critical ingredient to Fort Collins' craft beer scene
Brewers credit another local advantage: tap water that doesn’t have high amounts of chemicals, like chloramine, which would normally have to be removed before the brewing process begins.
“There are a lot of brewers around the world who would love to have our water,” McCombs said.
“Here in Fort Collins, our tap water is just ready to go,” Westcott said. “It's all snow melt. It's a blank slate just ready for a brewer to do anything they want with. And that really does impact the overall beer quality.”
Fort Collins breweries changing with the times
Still, the craft beer industry faces headwinds. National beer sales have decreased by 4% in the last year, according to the National Brewers Association, which is the third straight year of declines.
“Everybody's brewing high quality beer, and so you're not the only game in town anymore,” said McCombs, who says increased competition can be a source of difficulty for many breweries. “It's not printing money necessarily, as it was in the early 2000s into the 2010s.”
Brewers are adapting to a younger crowd that isn’t drinking as much alcohol as previous generations. Westcott said that many breweries are starting to brew low alcohol varieties, and come up with new, unique flavors.
“It takes equal parts science and art,” Westcott said. “You have these raw ingredients. Now it’s up to me to make whatever I want out of it.”
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Front Range Maker's Market this weekend in Monument
More than 100 local vendors will be at the Front Range Maker's Market at Lewis-Palmer High School Saturday and Sunday.
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