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Brew Review: NEXTnc Beer tour |
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Written by Erin Frustaci & Donovan Henderson
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Wednesday, 23 August 2006 |
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 You could say northern Colorado is the Napa Valley for beer. From the big guys like Anheuser-Busch to the little ones like Fort Collins Brewery, this region has it all.
It’s true. People actually get in their cars and drive up here, over here, and down here, for the beer.
“People come to Fort Collins for a day of beer tasting,” said Tom Peters, owner of Fort Collins Brewery.
So grab a cold one and get ready for some frothy fun.
During the next six weeks, NEXTnc will guide you through northern Colorado, Homer Simpson style, by way of ummm, BEER!
Each week assistant editor Donovan Henderson and I, your intreprid reporter, will tour northern Colorado breweries, all leading up to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver Sept. 28-30.
Donovan, a well-seasoned beer drinker, and myself, a non-beer drinker to say the least, will tell you what we like and what we don’t. Plus, you may learn something you didn’t know about where your drink of choice comes from or where to go for some great beer tastings.
This week we kick off with New Belgium Brewing Co. Next week, we will explore O’Dell Brewing Co. and the Fort Collins Brewery.
Though the microbreweries may be in competition with each other, they all share the same goal — to make good beer that people love.
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 Who to know
All the staffers know their stuff, but Tyler Foos really treated us well.
Atmosphere
There is a tasting room, which is usually pretty busy, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.
Be seen Friday afternoons at New Belgium. It’s a great end to the week and even better start to the weekend.
Why it is cool
Because it was founded by an electrical engineer, it makes sense that the company works to become as energy efficient as possible. The brewery operates by wind power and has its own water treatment facility on site. ...That, and they give their employees cruisers to ride around town.
Beer capita per year
370,000 barrels last year. A barrel is about 31 gallons, or 330 bottles. (But not all the beer is bottled.) The plant can fill about 320 bottles a minute.
About the brewery
The idea of New Belgium spun out of a bicycling tour in Europe. Jeff Lebesch’s first stop was Belgium and he never made it past there. He was inspired by the Belgians’ impressive pallet of ingredients.
As the story goes, it was his third night, and around his fifth pint when he had an epiphany. He was going to open his own brewery.
New Belgium started out as an experiment in Lebesch’s basement. The company was founded in 1988. By 1991, Lebesch and his wife, Kim Jordan went commercial.
Early deliveries were loaded up in Jordan’s station wagon. It wasn’t long before the company outgrew its first location and, in 1995, New Belgium relocated to Linden Street.
BEER LINGO
• wit “white” beer, barley/wheat mix • lager crisp, clean beer made at near-freezing temperatures • pilsner very pale with a dry, hoppy flavor • ale varies in color, more bitter than beer • amber beer that is reddish-brown in color • stout high hop, malt content, dark brown, full-bodied, with slightly burnt flavor
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|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
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|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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