Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company
402 Seventh St.
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
970.945.1276
www.glenwoodcanyon.com
Founded: 1996
When we stopped in for a pint: May 2001
Microbrewery #: 30
Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company
The Beer Hunt: Phil and Mark stopped for lunch at the Hotel Denver, home of Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company, on their drive back home. That’s five pint glasses in two days! How long will this new record stand?
- Grizzly Creek Raspberry Wheat
- Hanging Lake Honey Ale
- No Name Nut Brown Ale
- Red Mountain ESB
- Shoshone Stout
- Vapor Cave IPA
*I couldn’t find a beer list for Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company from May 2001. The names above are taken from the oldest source I could find- their December 2005 website.
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Bristol Brewing Company
1647 S. Tejon
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
719.633.2555
www.bristolbrewing.com
Founded: 1994
When we stopped in for a pint: May 2001
Microbrewery #: 29
Bristol Brewing Company
The Beer Hunt: Phil convinced everyone to hit one more brewery before heading home – Bristol Brewing. He indulged in a Mass Transit Ale, whose logo featured his favorite vehicle – a VW bus. Phil not only brought home a pint glass emblazoned with that logo, but also one with a Laughing Lab Scottish Ale logo for dog-loving me.
*I couldn’t find a beer list or logos for Bristol Brewing from May 2001. The logos above are taken from the oldest source I could find- their December 2002 website.
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Phantom Canyon Brewing Co.
2 East Pikes Peak Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
719.635.2800
www.phantomcanyon.com
Founded: 1993
When we stopped in for a pint: May 2001
Microbrewery #: 28
Phantom Canyon Brewing Co.
The Beer Hunt: Now that everyone had suffered through a starter beer, they were ready for more. Phantom Canyon Brewing Co.’s great downtown location (inside the historic Cheyenne Building, built in 1901) drew them in.
- Cascade Amber Ale
- Hefeweizen
- Queen’s Blonde Ale
- The Phantom I.P.A.
- Railyard Ale
- Zebulon’s Peated Porter
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Palmer Lake Brewing Co.
Extinct brewery formerly located at:
25 W. Cimarron St. (inside The Warehouse restaurant)
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
Founded: 1995
Closed: 2007*
When we stopped in for a pint: May 2001
Microbrewery #: 27
Palmer Lake Brewing Co. / The Warehouse
*This location is still the home of The Warehouse restaurant, minus Palmer Lake Brewing.
CooperSmith’s Pub and Brewing
“Northern Colorado’s oldest, biggest and best brewpub”
5 Old Town Square
Fort Collins, CO 80524
970.498.0483
www.coopersmithspub.com
Founded: 1989
When we stopped in for a pint: October 2000
Microbrewery #: 18
CooperSmith's Pub and Brewing
The Beer hunt: We hit one last brewery in Fort Collins before heading home. After our four-brewery day yesterday, we were admittedly more interested in lunch than beer, but we shared a pint, bought a souvenir glass and said goodbye to Colorado.
Not pictured: Crazy D’s Thunder Ale, Red Feather Amber, Scooter’s Scottish Ale, Sigda’s Green Chili Beer
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Smiling Moose Brew Pub and Grill
Extinct brewery formerly located at:
2501 11th Ave.
Greeley, Colorado 80631*
Founded: 1996
Closed: 2002
When we stopped in for a pint: September 2000
Microbrewery #: 17
Smiling Moose Brew Pub and Grill Taster Menu
The Beer hunt: Our fourth and final brewery of the day was the Smiling Moose Brew Pub and Grill. We shared eight samples and then at least four pitchers. Usually I’m the only one who favors fruit-flavored beer, but Smiling Moose brewed their ales light and easy-drinking enough for multiple refills of Apricot and Raspberry. The brewery didn’t have any souvenirs for sale or even a coaster to snag, so I stuffed their taster menu in my purse.
Extinct Brews:
- Saskatchewan Bigmoose Stout
- McAllister’s Ale
- Mooseberry Raspberry Wheat
- Pine Tree Pale Ale
- Maple Leaf Wheat
- Honeybear Wheat Ale
- Apricot Wheat Ale
*Since 2004, this location has been the home of Pitcher’s Brewery and Sports Shack.
Union Colony Brewery
Extinct brewery formerly located at:
1412 8th Ave.
Greeley, Colorado 80631
Founded: 1994
Closed: 2004
When we stopped in for a pint: September 2000
Microbrewery#: 16
Union Colony Brewery
The Beer hunt: Union Colony Brewery is where our evening really got rolling. Phil’s brother and his wife had joined us there in Greeley, a town best known for the wafting smell of its meatpacking plant. We played a few rounds of pool; Union Colony is one of the few breweries we’ve visited that doubled as a billiard hall.
The brewery took its name from Greeley’s founders, who were called the Union Colony of Colorado. Good thing we colonized the brewery when we did and racked up a pint glass; four years later Union Colony had shut its doors.
Extinct Brews:
- Union Colony Go West Wheat
- Union Colony Homestead Honey
- Union Colony Lazy Daze Lager
- Union Colony Old 8444 Alt
- Union Colony Pawnee Buttes Kölsh Ale
- Union Colony Rattlesnake Kate’s Vienna Lager
New Belgium Brewing Company
“Worth riding about”
500 Linden St.
Fort Collins, CO 80524
970.221.0524
www.newbelgium.com
Founded: 1991
When we stopped in for a pint: September 2000
Microbrewery #: 15
New Belgium Brewing Company
The Beer hunt: Even back in 2000, New Belgium Brewing had marketed their Fat Tire Amber Ale so intensely that we were looking forward to rolling into this well-known, premier microbrewery. We weren’t disappointed. Their flavor-rich Belgian-style brews really offer a distinct and subtle tasting experience.
After running through the gamut of samples, we sauntered over to the extensive gift shop. Three very drunk men, one with a Mexican flag draped lengthwise across his shoulders, entered singing. Phil saw one of them grab a bunch of t-shirts and leave. He told the cashier, who chased after them. The grateful clerk returned with the lifted merchandise and told Phil to have a t-shirt on the house! In all, we ended up with a Fat Tire t-shirt, Fat Tire pint glass, a bunch of logo stickers and a great story.
Our experience with New Belgium continued beyond our brewery visit. We attended their roving Tour de Fat bicycle festival in Missoula, Montana where we got to watch stunt riders traverse an insane wooden obstacle ramp. A friend of ours won a genuine Fat Tire bicycle at a foot race that was partly sponsored by New Belgium.
The bottom line is that it’s pretty hard to resist a beer that has a picture of a classic red bike pasted on it, especially after all of New Belgium’s hardcore advertising. True or False?: New Belgium has a bigger advertising budget than all of the other microbreweries in America put together…
What was on tap in 2000:
Not pictured: Abbey Belgian Style Ale (couldn’t find the logo with the monk on it); Saison Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale (couldn’t find the logo with the farmhouse on it)
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Linden’s Brewing Company, Night Club and Restaurant
“A tradition of the past, present and future”
Extinct brewery formerly located at:
214 Linden St.
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524
Founded: 1982
Closed: 2003
When we stopped in for a pint: September 2000
Microbrewery#: 14
Linden's Brewing Company, Night Club & Restaurant
The Beer hunt: Linden’s was our first microbrewery stop on what turned out to be a beer-soaked trip. We had driven out to Greeley, Colorado for a job interview and noticed that Fort Collins (a mere half-hour’s drive away) had a few breweries. Linden’s was right downtown, easy to find. I remember that it seemed unusually classy for a brewery and little else. But what do you expect when it’s the first of four breweries in one day? Our souvenir pint glass offers physical proof that we had a drink at this now defunct brewery.
- PegasAss Porter
- Red Ass Honey Wheat
- Sax-A-Pale Ale
- Red Ass Ale
- Percussion Porter
Estes Park Brewery
“Elevation 7522”
470 Prospect Village Dr.
Estes Park, C0 80517
970.586.5421
www.epbrewery.net
Founded: 1994
When we stopped in for a pint: August 2000
Microbrewery #: 5
Estes Park Brewery
The Beer Hunt: A family reunion brought Phil to Estes Park, Colorado He promptly brought some of the family to Estes Park Brewery. And he brought me home a pint glass with a yellow and orange rendition of the Estes Park logo. I was beginning to feel left out of all the beer hunting.
What was on tap:*
*I couldn’t find a beer list or logos for Estes Park Brewery from August 2000. The logos above are taken from the oldest source I could find- their April 2004 website.
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American Pint 