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
Find out what’s currently on tap!
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)
Find out what’s currently on tap!
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
American Pint 