New Belgium Brewing Company
500 Linden St, Fort Collins, CO, 80524
New Belgium Brewing Company Menu
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Address :
500 Linden St
Fort Collins, CO, 80524 - Phone (970) 221-0524
- Website https://newbelgium.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Tue
Specialities
- Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
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Mary M.
Took the full tour today, too bad there was some maintenance going on so we couldn't see how everything processes but still a great place. Everyone that works here is really passionate about the business & the product & it shows. We love the brews. This place is what converted me to even drinking beer. Their sours are fantastic, La Folie is my top favorite & it's amazing to see how big their foeder forest has grown. More sours!
(5)Matthew M.
Been a million times. No need to review them really...we just love it so much thought I'd let them know.
(5)Rachel W.
New Belgium makes a refreshing wheat beer, but what you get in the tap room is almost identical to what you can buy in stores. The patio is lovely but it is always very crowded and there is very little parking. Everyone is very friendly, but don't count on getting on a tour unless you book it months in advance. If you're coming to Fort Collins for the first time then you might as well cross this one off your bucket list, but there are better breweries to visit in Fort Collins.
(3)Steven S.
Best brewery in America. Not sure how to elaborate further. Visited my sister in Fort Collins from VA, been bragging about thr experience ever since. Go see for yourself. Awesome staff, great beers, laid back atmosphere. Puts other breweries to shame!!!
(5)Alycia P.
I know I am being a broken record when as I type this but - hands down, the best brewery tour I've ever been on! I booked our tickets online well in advance but will say that our tour time had about 6+ people come on without advance reservations - so you definitely don't need to have booked out your tour, you just have to be relatively early. Our tour guide, Bernie, was the best part of the tour - it was obvious that he was so proud of the company he worked for and LOVED his job - he was so persuasive in his opinions of the company that it had me googling New Belgium's open positions mid-tour! Overall, I came out a stronger supporter and by default, drinker, of New Belgium's beers. And a newfound appreciation for the Abbey Dubbel for sure!
(5)Jessica B.
My friend visiting from IL and I went on a Brewery Tour on Saturday & it was fantastic! Not only was our tour guide informative and friendly, but also the whole experience was great. The building itself & the sculptures throughout the tour were so neat and creative. The behind the scenes look they gave us was incredible and all of the history that goes along with New Belgium is so interesting and neat. I would recommend this tour to anyone, I had a wonderful time! Oh, & they have great beer!
(5)Tracy E.
My most favorite place in Fort Collins! Love the beer. Love trying their new concoctions in the Liquid Center (Lips of Faith). The brewery tours are the best and the tour guides are even better. These employees are probably the most friendliest workers I have met. They love their job, they love their company, they love their beer, and they love their customers. I have gone on several free brewery tours and have learned something new every time. The company is employee-owned, which is such a testament to how well they operate and the lack of turnover in workers. On the tour, we learned about the history of New Belgium, sampled different beers, explored the operations behind the scenes, poured our own beer from a tap, and hung out with friends for 90 minutes. Make sure you book your tour a month or so in advance, especially during the summer. You can always cancel your tour reservation or give back a few of the spots, if you don't use them all. At the end of the tour, you can fill out a survey about the tour and get a free taster. Overall, it's really a fun atmosphere!
(5)Adriana C.
As a csu alum it actually hurts to give this place a less than perfect review... But I have to. I miss the old local small brewery that appreciated the locals but......New Belgium is still a great place to visit, but definitely corporate now. When I was a college student I remember walking in, greeted warmly, offered free beers, and conversing with the staff in their adorable small brewery. Showing my family this place this past Saturday felt like we were corralled in, rushed, and told my favorite sour beer was 20.50 for a pint (I get it's better quality but still... Sad) They offer tours and MOST beers are still just $4 each which is great but it just feels like a different New Belgium than the one I grew up with in college. I hope they stay connected to their roots because they were seriously the best & all of Fort Collins loved/supported them. Let me love you New Belgium! Until next time!
(3)Brad W.
Checking out New Belgium Brewing Company was well worth the hour drive from Denver. It could have even been one of the biggest highlights of our week long trip to Colorado. This Brewery was huge and the people that worked there were some of the nicest and most down to earth people that you will ever meet. FREE TOUR! does anything else need to be said? If you are still not convinced than keep reading. We arrived at the Brewery unannounced and unscheduled. This was not a problem at all. There was a man who greeted us from a canopy, next to the front door to the bar. We told him that we wanted to check out the brewery, he explained that the tour was a great time and the best way to experience New Belgium. Even though I did not schedule a tour time, the guy got us squeezed into the next tour coming up. This gave me an opportunity to have a beer or two before the tour, which I later found out was completely unnecessary. Our tour guide's name was Burny. Burny was so passionate about his job with New Belgium and the history of the brewery. He was a blast to be around for the 90 minute tour. On the tour you start out learning a little history about the brewery starting from its early basement brewing days. You travel along through each room and section of the massive buildings while getting the chance to sample some of their most iconic brews along the way. I don't want to ruin any of the stories or experiences of the tour. This is just something that you have to go check out and experience first hand. Burny tells great stories and he will make sure that you are entertained from the minute you meet him. I could tell you everything he taught us about New Belgium but he tells the stories much better (Burny even has a book for sale in the bar called "Burny's Journeys). Sadly the tour comes to an end. There is little question about what is left to do afterwards, TRY SOME BEER! The bar is fully stocked with everything that New Belgium has to offer. The bartenders do not accept tips because as we found out, New Belgium is completely employee owned. This was so interesting to learn about and to see how the pride of ownership really inspires every employee here to be amazing at what they do. In front of the brewery is one of the most full bike racks that I have ever seen in my life. Again, I don't want to ruin anything so if you want to find out all about the Fat TIre cruiser bikes in these racks then you will have to come take the tour. They have games and entertainment everywhere. Also out front is a game called Rolle Bolle. I have never seen such a cool drinking game. Its like giant shuffleboard with a unique twist. Everything about the New Belgium Brewery makes me want to quit my job and relocate to Ft. Collins. When you do the tour and meet the employees, there is no doubt that you will feel the same way. So if you are still reading this novel of a review than you are wasting valuable time. You should hop in your car and head to the Brewery. If you do not live in the Colorado area (as I do not) than you should certainly make this a priority on your next vacation to Colorado.
(5)Katy S.
When I planned my recent trip to Colorado, I knew that a trip to New Belgium would be in the cards for me. New Belgium makes some of my favorite beers and I was really excited to get to see it in person. I would have loved to do the tour, but as we were not sure what time we would get to town we decided just to stop in for a tasting instead. First of all, this place is massive. There is a huge brewery and tasting room area, some private rooms, a great outdoor patio, and even more space that I didn't get a chance to see. Although massive, it was not overly crowded and we quickly got a table. We also sampled several beers. I went for the ones that I haven't seen in Florida (where I live). They were all just as delicious as I had imagined. There is also quite a bit of merchandise and I left with a t-shirt and a fanny pack. Lastly, I tried to tip the bartender and he let me know that they are all shareholders in the company so they don't accept tips but that they get a cut of all of the beer sales. It seems like not only a truly great place to drink, but a truly great place to work. New Belgium really lived up to my expectations and I'm glad I got to experience it!
(5)Kashmir S.
Always wanted to check this brewery out and finally got the chance to while I was in town for a work trip. Had to make the best of it and do my own brewery tour, so of course this had to be on my list before I left. Luckily for me all the breweries are within a close distance, so makes it a lot easier to do your own make shift brewery tour. There is not much parking within the lot, but there is ample street parking around the area. They have a pretty decent size patio area, perfect for those cooler/warmer winter days and amazing summer days. There is plenty of space within the tap room and a bonus is that fact that they allow pets inside as well. They have some cool stuff on the walls (bikes as clocks, bottle shaped with cameras, etc.). Also for those interested in tours, they have self-guided tours so you never have to worry about being somewhere on time to get on one. The staff is extremely helpful and friendly. There is plenty to drink at this place, so I decided to go with the sampler size glasses, which was still a decent pour and cheap. This gave me a better chance to try as many beers as possible (since I had other breweries to visit that evening) and I did just that. I had a few of their lips of faith series and some of their more traditional taps. I was not disappointed at all within any of my selections or recommendations from the staff and nearby patrons. I did come away with a new favorite beer, Cocoa Mole (that stuff is like crack or what I assume the addiction of crack would be like..do yourself a favor and seek out this beer, you will not be disappointed at all). Amazing brewery. Equally amazing taps. Great staff and cool atmosphere to sip away on a pint or two as the day passes by. Add this one to the list to check out if you get the chance to visit Fort Collins.
(5)Karen D.
I love craft beer and love going on brewery tours. As a fan of Fat Tire Ale, during a recent visit to Colorado I knew I had to stop in Fort Collins for New Belgium Brewery Tour. Note you must go online and secure your tour in advance and they're booked pretty far out, I was glad there was an opening this afternoon our flight arrived, we got our rental car & drove straight to Fort Collins. We were welcomed as soon as we walked up to the property, they had a taco truck outside, which we enjoyed as our late lunch. Then went inside, we were 20 minutes early for our tour so we walked upstairs to the tap room, ate our lunch, had a beer, enjoyed the music playing in the tap room - Massive Attack one of my faves, as the main area was under construction. We checked in close to 2pm for our tour, were greeted by Derrick our tour guide and handed a beer to begin the tour the Cocoa Mole, heard the story about how New Belgium was started. Then we walked to the barrel room where their first barrel #1 is there, enjoyed another beer Belgian Sour La Folie brown ale and heard story about Jeff's first trip to Belgium and the Belgians who came back to visit to try Jeff's beer. Then we went to the bottling area of the tour and enjoyed Fat Tire right off the line, they produce a large amount of beer on this line, they have a counter, during our tour 206,000 bottles were filled, over 8000 cases that day. Next went to the canning area where we enjoyed Ranger IPA right off the line. The tour ended with going down the company slide fun and back to the tap room Loved hearing about the company, the bikes, sustainability, care for environment, trips to Belgium for their associates. Derrick our tour guide is one proud employee. The highlight of my trip to Colorado - stopping by New Belgium is a must on any trip to Colorado for craft beer fans.
(5)Lauren B.
Probably the best brewery tour I have done. Michael was hilarious, the tour was 90 min, they gave us beer during the tour, and small pours outside of the tour were pretty cheap. I highly recommend going and giving it a try! Even something for the kids at the end!
(5)Melanie L.
I want to live here and I don't even like beer! It's such a beautiful brewery and all the employees are super friendly and in a constant good mood. They seriously appear to have fun working and meeting the patrons. We went on the tour and I was very pleased with the length and amount of information we learned. My husband enjoyed getting twice the amount of samples! I did make an effort to drink each offering, but beer is too bitter for me. Our tour guide, Eric, was awesome. Also, you can bring your dog inside the store/bar area (they have water bowls available) The whole place just gives off a fun vibe and if I'm ever in Colorado again I'm totally going.
(5)Rob K.
If I'm honest, my first ever "craft" or "microbrew" was New Belgium's Fat Tire. First beer I had outside the regular stuff we all drank (Guinness, Coors, Corona, etc.). So venturing out to Fort Collins and coming out here was kind of a must for me. I really dug the variety of merch I could pick up and the chance to sample the majority of their special releases (Lips of Faith and Hop Kitchen). Also seeing a game of Rolle Bole was interesting!
(4)Adam S.
Great beer. Great merchandise. Cozy tasting room. We had a little bit of time left before driving back to Denver for our flight home, so we stopped by the New Belgium tasting room for a beer or two. Parking is a big tougher at NB than Odell's is, but luckily we were able to find a spot. A girl was sitting at a podium just outside the tasting room and directed us to the entrance. I noticed all kinds of NB merchandise as soon as we walked in the door. Caps, shirts, bike tube repair kits, bottle openers... We arrived around 5pm on a Wednesday. There were not many tables available; most people were waiting for the next brewery tour. Most of the bar stools were also filled, but my friend and I found a couple of stools open at the bar. NB doesn't do beer flights, but instead offers a small 4oz. glass (taster) for $1.50. I think I like the taster size better than the standard flight size. You get a better overall taste of the beer. I started with a taster of the Tour de Fall. It had a good, full-bodied taste, but was a bit too fruity and bitter. I tried the Trippel next and enjoyed it a bit more. My last taster was the Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout. Wow. The taste was incredible. It really did taste like salted dark chocolate. Unfortunately, this beer is one of the "Lips of Faith" beers, so I will probably not be able to find this small-batch beers outside of Fort Collins. Unlike some of the other local beers I sampled earlier in the week, all of the NB beers I tried were full-bodied, not flat, and had complex tastes. Some of the best beer in town. Before we left, I purchased a NB bike jersey and a pair of NB socks. Prices are good for NB merchandise overall, even better than prices for CSU merchandise at nearby stores. I would like to do a brewery tour the next time I am in town. Hopefully, I will know a month or two in advance so I can schedule it. One more thing I noticed is that NB does not accept tips. I asked our server about this, and he told us that NB is employee-owned, so just spending money at NB was enough. Nice way of doing business.
(5)Ryan E.
By far the best brewery tour I have ever taken. The guide was enthusiast, and LOVED his job. The history of the company is cool, and the environmentalism and philanthropy of the company is just phenomenal. Anyone who works here is fortunate by far; and Colorado should be happy to have businesses like this! VISIT NEW BELGIUM IF YOU CAN!
(5)P K.
Cool place to take a tour and see how they work. Great beer. Fun to write postcards to people from here (they mail them out for you, although a lot of mine didn't get delivered...) Too bad they used to give free tasters back in the day, hasn't been free for a while now. Biggest drawback is how crowded it gets, no space. Odell's is much better in that respect.
(4)Ann V.
I've been going to New Belgium Brewery for years while visiting family and now that I live here, I love that I can go anytime I want. The tour is fun, awe inspiring (big, oak barrels) and educational. The last time I was here I even attended a Colorado River Day presentation put on by the Sonoran Institute and got a free beer! Oh, and you cannot forget feather bowling. This is a must, game to play, if you never have. Great brewery with pretty friendly staff. A definite brewery 'go to' while in Fort Collins!
(4)Lauren H.
After signing up for the tour at New Belgium around two months in advance (it's clearly very popular), I was counting down the days until we got to finally visit New Belgium! My expectations were very high, and they were surpassed! My husband and I visited New Belgium on a sunny Friday afternoon for the 2 PM tour, the place was already pretty crowded when we got there. They have a fun, bright, open and colorful tasting room with lots of beers on draft, including their regulars, a couple of seasonals and several of the Lips of Faith series (my favorites). Before the tour started I ordered a 5 oz taster of the La Folie. The beers are around $4-$6 each, tasters around $1.50 - $2.00. They also have an area in the tasting room where you can grab a free postcard and fill out to send to someone back home - cool idea! Our tour started right on time, and our tour guide was fun & entertaining, if at times a little rehearsed. She offered us lots of interesting history on New Belgium as well as the brewing process during the 90 minute tour. It is clear that they treat their employees right here - after working there a certain amount of time, they get cool perks like a free case of beer a week, new bicycles & even trips to Belgium. Along the way we had stops where we sampled 5 beers - the Abbey, La Folie, Cocoa Mole, Fat Tire and Snapshot Wheat. I really liked all of the beers, especially the two in the Lips of Faith series. Another thing that was cool about the tour was along the way the tour guide asked a series of trivia questions, the prize being a fresh beer. My husband got a 20-minute old Fat Tire and I got a can of the just-made Snapshot Wheat. At the end of the tour you go down a slide to get back to the tasting room - be careful! I got going fast on the slide and ran into the man in front of me! I was very impressed with New Belgium and wanted to go back again on our second day in Fort Collins, unfortunately we did not have time. If visiting Fort Collins, I would consider this a must-do, I went home as an even bigger New Belgium fan than I was before!
(5)Chad G.
I was offered a brewery tour by one of the employees that I met and took him up on the offer. I have never had any interest in looking at how beer was made or the history of it. Well that has all changed now. We took the tour and had one of the best times of our lives. All of the employees at New Belgium treat you just like you're one of their own and you can tell that they all love their jobs. I was so impressed with the process of beer brewing and the company's history. If you're in Fort Collins you got to stop in at New Belgium and take one of the tours. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A DESIGNATED DRIVER! Cheers!
(5)Diana B.
I would have enjoyed more of the chemistry knowledge about the beer than the background of the company during the tour. So basically it wasn't as informative as I would have liked. Still, it was fun, got lots of great samples. It was nice to be there during the holiday season to have some of the great seasonals. I really loved the sour, le terroir. Our guide was ok , maybe he was just tired or burnt out on touring bc he was kinda bland and unenthusiastic. He also mention he had been there 11 years, so that's Probably the reason. The bar was fun n I enjoyed the crowed it brought, the customers were definitely the most fun!
(3)Clayton A.
Four stars because they had Le Terroir and La Folie on tap. These two beers are phenomenal, particularly the latter which I could drink 5 times a day, pour over cereal, throw in a smoothie, dip cookies into, and shower strippers with. It's damn good. Zero stars to the gal that does the tour check-ins and had a stick up her rear, looked at me and my family with disgust for some unknown reason before even exchanging a word with me. My understanding is this place is employee-owned, so shouldn't you be happy? Shouldn't you have an extra incentive not to have that shitty face when you address me or look disdainfully at my child. Four stars for the gear they sell here, particularly the hats, which are stylish and very reasonably-priced at $18. Five stars to the gentleman with hearing aids working behind the bar that was polite, attentive, and helpful and made up for the stuffy tour check-in lady (it occurs to me she's probably tight because that's her title at the brewery). One thing of note, I asked to taste a few beers before committing and ended up getting $2 sample pours. I'm not sure if they just don't do tastes, or if I just failed to communicate correctly, but either way, $2 for five ounces of La Folie and Le Terroir is well worth it. Of course, bigger pours are available, but hell, it was 11 AM. As for the tour, if you don't have all day and would like to hit Odell and Funkwerks and any other breweries in Fort Collins, know that they say it will take about an hour and a half, which seriously cuts into your drinking time elsewhere. With this in mind, I skipped the tour (which I was waitlisted on anyway) and chose to avoid further interaction with stick-in-the-mud tour check-in lady. Also, they have a Rolle Bolle court and a food truck in the outside area, two other nice touches. Plus, there's a ton of bicycle parking.
(4)George L.
I have to say, I'm a bit biased as doing a tour of the New Belgian Brewery operations has been on my bucket list for some time. I finally got a free weekend to head up here and stay with some friends and we did the tour the same day I got into Fort Collins. A great example of a progressive work culture and a heck of a great brewery. If you sign up for the tour, you not only get five beer tastings but you also get a rundown on the culture and operating practices of one of America's most well known craft breweries. If I remember correctly New Belgium is the third largest brewer of craft beer in America, behind Sierra Nevada (number two) and Samuel Adams (number 1). They also had their 2015 Coca Mole (spiced chocolate porter) on tap, from their Lips of Faith small brew line, and it may be one of the finest beers I've ever tasked - layered , complex, and just a low rich burn on the back end. For those with an academic bent New Belgium is a great example of a values driven organizational culture. They make great beer, in a sustainable way, and employees, as owners, are key to the success of the establishment and treated as the valuable stakeholders they are versus a a financial afterthought as is common in so many of today's large organizations. No kitchen at the brewery but there is always a food truck outside the doors to the tasking room so come on down, you won't be disappointed. :-)
(5)Stacia H.
Great place with great beer and great service. Didn't have time to take the tour but the self guided is still interesting.
(5)Brian H.
This place is literally as good as it gets! I called about a week before I wanted to make a reservation, because the website was all booked. The lady I spoke to graciously added my party of 3 to an existing BOOKED tour! Upon our arrival we were greeted immediately and our hands were stamped after our id's were checked. Our tour started at 1pm and our guide, Bernie, was full of knowledge and personality! He took us through the brewery, serving us a total of 5, 4-6 oz beers. The passion he has for New Belgium oozes from his pores and had my girlfriend checking their site for jobs after we left. As a matter of fact, ALL of the employees clearly LOVE their job with this company. I have been on the tour 3 times with friends or family members from out of town and we usually try and hit a couple or few while up there. In this case we hit New Belgium then immediately went to Anheuser Busch. On our tour at New Belgium there were roughly 25-30 people. On our tour at the "other guys" there were ZERO people other than the 3 of us. I honestly don't think I will go on the budweiser tour again. There is really no need to be honest. Of the 3 times that we have been to New Belgium, we have had 3 unique tours. The guides didn't follow a script and they went their own way with the story of how New Belgium was founded and is currently operated. You leave like someone dusted you with Fairy dust. If you only have time for 1 tour, do this one! If you have time for two, do this one then hang out at their bar and order some more BEER! Ask for Bernie at the Bar. He is only there 3 days a week but if you see him you'll be glad.
(5)Scott K.
I love this place. Everything is top notch and the tours are awesome90 minutes and 6-7 full pour samples nothing they do isn't great. Love it!
(5)Katharine C.
What could be better than the New Belgium Brewery? .. Nothing. The beer is fantastic, the tap room is large, and the atmosphere is always fun. The bartenders are always super talkative and accomodating; trying samples is always easy and fun. The best part? The tours. You can reserve spots in advance on their website for bigger groups. If it's more of a spur-of-the-moment tour, smaller groups can get on the waitlist and usually get on one of the next three tours. The tour lasts an hour and a half, and the guides take you through the entire brewery, giving you a different beer to sip on in each room. All the guides have unique stories to tell, and learning about the history of New Belgium (while drinking lots of beer) is always fun. The parking lot fills up quickly, but there is off-street parking available a little past the brewery on the left. There are TONS of bike racks as well. I love this place, and bring every out-of-town visitor I have here to take a tour!
(5)Jaqueline J.
I highly suggest to do the tour here. They book up really far advance so plan ahead. It is amazing to hear how they started and what makes them what they are as a company. You get a handful of beer samples during the tour (awesome) and learn a bunch of cool stuff. As a beer lover I absolutely loved doing the tour. Great history!
(5)Justin W.
Start here: get your name on the wait list for a tour Then: get two tasters of la folie And then: write a postcard to your mom while you drink la folie. New belgium provides free post cards and even mails them for free. Very nice. Then do this: drink your second la folie just to build excitement about your brewery tour where you'll get 1 free la folie on the 3rd stop in the barrel room. Don't: say you don't like folie. Simply say "my taste buds have not evolved yet" because that's the truth. Do: give your la folie to someone else whose taste buds have evolved and cheerfully look forward to the day they feel like the 4th of July in your mouth when a sour beer makes it's grand entrance. To sour beer lover lovers: You're welcome. I said it for all of us.
(5)Jill R.
GREAT brewery tour. We've done it a few times, and there is always something new to learn and different beers to sample. Good amount of tastings throughout the tour and solid food trucks.
(5)Lindsey A.
I've been on a lot of craft brewery tours but hands down, this is the best one I've ever done. It was huge but personal, impressive, super fun, had tons of samples, very engaging and just awesome across the board. Obviously if you have a chance to get a ticket (you have to sign up on the website ahead of time but it's so worth it.) then definitely do so, but if not, then the tasting room is still very great and has an amazing selection of their standard and more interesting choices, as well as lots of bottles and cans you can buy to take home, and merchandise too. If you like beer, just go. That's all I can say.
(5)Brenna R.
I am actually not a HUGE fan of New Belgium beer itself, although of course it is very drinkable. I just say this in comparison to other Colorado and Pacific NW breweries. However, this is the best brewery tour I have taken! First of all, the tour is free, but the tickets sell out months in advance -- especially for weekend tours and during the summer! We had given ourselves a 30 min cushion but were running 5 min late to our tour, after some bad traffic on our way up from Colorado Springs. We were worried they would give our tickets away to wait-listers (which is their policy). We got lucky and they held our tickets and let us join the tour as it passed by about 15 min into the tour. Considering we booked this 2 months ago, we were very grateful! So, thank you for that! The tour itself was great. Zach, our tour guide, had nothing but good things to say about working at New Belgium. The place is overflowing with positive energy and admirable business & environmental practices, and the tour is a great inside glance at these. The tour includes about 4-5 tastings (generous 2 oz pours), which of course makes for a fun time. You finish the tour in the tasting room, where you can continue tasting or commit to a pint or two. Definitely worth a trip up to Fort Collins. The tour itself takes about 90 min, with extra time if you are going to hang out in the tasting room or visit the food truck parked out front.
(5)Eric B.
Excellent tour and drinks! Great patio and hang out area. Rolly bolly is fun to play while enjoying a drink with friends. Great brewery!
(5)Mike K.
If you are visiting town or a local it is the place to be. Great beer, great environment, great company. One of the places that make Colorado so great.
(5)Kelly D.
Great place to tour and sample fresh beer! $1.50/sample. Tour is free and includes multiple samples along the way. Morgan is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour guide. If you can't book a spot on a tour ahead of time, you might get a ticket via standby.
(5)Logan M.
I'm not quite sure how I've made it this long without reviewing New Belgium. I went on a brewery tour here on my 21st birthday, I've been to each iteration of their "Lost in the Woods" parties, and I've spent an amount I'd rather not think about on their delicious bottled brews. What really keeps New Belgium near and dear to my heart is their consistent product, the friendliness of the tap room staff, and their refusal to take things seriously. I love their dedication to the environment, and I definitely covet a New Belgium cruiser. One of my only complaints with the place is it's always packed, but that helps filter people down the road to smaller players like Funkwerks or Patero's Creek. There's a reason the taproom is usually standing room only - it's a great place to grab a beer. Or two.
(5)Addison B.
Every time my wife and I have come in, the bartenders have been awesome, but today took the damn cake. It was crazy busy (Saturday evening rush) Our bartender was a really cool shorter gentleman that was extremely friendly and some asshat randomly came up and was very rude to him for literally no reason, after we'd talked to him for a minute he was being really cool and said "you know what? Since you guys are nice, I'm gonna hook you up." We had bought a bandana, a growler and a metal tacker sign, this awesome guy gave us 40% off, we've already been here a few time since we moved and we're gonna be coming back many more times, people like this need raises. Will definitely be coming back in the future!
(5)Kevin W.
Great beer, fun tour, tasty food (food truck parked outside), and friendly people. I was in town for business and booked a tour for a weekday afternoon. Went by myself for the tour, and ended up staying for 4 hours drinking and talking with others. The staff is friendly and extremely knowledgeable. You can tell they enjoy their jobs, and the company I would suggest you go. Yes, you reading this review... put down your phone and go. You don't need to read any more reviews "just to make sure". Do it. Go. PS - I can't wait until their Asheville NC facility is up and running.
(5)Blake B.
I've been a fan of New Belgium for years with Fat Tire being one of my favorite beers. It was great to be where they make the delicious beer that I've consumed for such a long time. If you're anywhere in Colorado and even a slight fan of New Belgium I highly suggest checking out the tour. The history of the company is great and you get so many tastings that it's totally worth it. My tour guide was amazing and you could tell he loved what he did. We went through the various buildings and ended up by going down the spiral side which was a perfect way to end the day. Make sure to hang out in the tasting room even if you can't make the tour. Such a great experience all the way around.
(5)Shane T.
This was an awesome tour! It helped that it was a perfect spring day but this is top of the line for service and knowledge. They give 4-5 samples that is more than enough and they also teach you how to properly taste test which makes a huge difference and makes flavors come out that you didn't realize were there before.
(5)Joe P.
Descriptive phrase: cool, trendy brewery with attached-biergarten. New Belgium Brewing Company's tours fill up weeks in advance, but we stopped by just to see the place anyway. Car parking is at a premium, but there were a million bikes (most with fat tires, natch) parked around instead. The inside bar area is cramped, both with people and merchandise. The outdoor beer garden is more spacious, with comfortable benches and tables, and some giant, alternate-reality version of bar-shuffleboard. This day there were food trucks parked outside too, whose food you could bring inside. Dogs are allowed. Overall it was a pleasant experience. My Tour de Fall (Pale Ale) was good. A perfectly nice place to stop for a beer. I'd expect the tour would've added a star or two to this review.
(3)Katie W.
So many good things to say about this brewery. First, get a tour if you can. It's fascinating and you get free tastes of different beers along the way. A crisp, just-off-the-line Abbey? You can't beat it. Second, the selection is awesome. There's something for everybody here. Try their Pump Kick (pumpkin) beer -- SO good! Parking is at a premium, but there's tons of space for your bike. Usually lots of dogs about, too. Great atmosphere. I loved visiting.
(5)Jade C.
New Belgium is livin it up with the cool, people know v our beer kinda thing. Had the hop tart.. Interesting, sour and not really my thing. Place looked awesome and I bet tours are great.. Just chilled in the sun on their nice patio.
(4)Mike D.
Great tour. Great time. Great bar with great prices. Great beer. Just great. A must do if in the area. Try to book the tour in advance. You can get on the tours standby but you could be waiting hours for people to no-show. If you have a tour booked, BE THERE ONTIME. If you're a minute late, your spot is given away to one of the aforementioned standbyers.
(5)Kim N.
Having spent a decent amount of time in Flanders drinking beer, which mostly was not leaving its locale, im glad to see the US breweries get inspiration from their Belgian counterparts. New Belgiums sours are pretty darn close to the stuff i had in the mother country. I guess they have an Asheville NC facility too so when i do my southern eats tour ill have to hit them up there too
(4)Christopher G.
I cannot think of a better beer tour that I have experienced. For one, this brewery is located in Fort Collins. This is one of my favorite cities on planet Earth. The tour is 90 minutes long, and you experience 5 types of beer: two of which were bottled or canned same day. The tour is a direct reflection of the attitude of the brewery. Brew good beer, be creative, and have fun. Finding out this brewery is 100% employee owned, and the story behind the founding of it...I'm a fan for life. That's either brilliant marketing, or what everyone should strive for in life. I choose to believe the latter.
(5)Kim M.
If your in the area STOP! Best brew your ever! You are there an hour and. Half and get about 5-6 tastings. During tour you get the opp to pour your Own beer. Even kids can go! Enjoy!!
(5)Rachel J.
You won't experience Fort Collins until you go here. You will never have the opportunity in your lifetime to visit such a cool brewery (this statement isn't approved by the FDA). This place is always packed because it's such a cool atmosphere. You can just hang out at the bar (sometimes they play games) and make sure to send someone a free postcard. I personally enjoy sending my mom a postcard that says "sorry for the stain on the carpet" so she looks for a stain in her house for hours, but you do what you feel is right. You can sign up for brewery tours in advance but they will most likely all be full. Your best bet is to show up and get your name on the list so they will call you if people don't show up. This is how I always do it and I always get called. The tour is so much fun you won't regret it. You actually get samples along the way and there is fun things to do such as go down the slide at the end. This is such a great company it will leave you wanting to ask for a job application. They have some really sweet merchandise too so grab a t-shirt or bottle cap earrings on your way out! But if you take any advice from me it's to try the sour beer la folie. I know, I know your sensitive taste buds can't handle sour but it gives you chest hair and we all know you need more of that.
(5)Mandah C.
I mean what can I really say? MOST people outside of Colorado think New Belgium when tbey think Fort collins or better yet they don't even know Fort Collins exists. New B is a staple. I love the beer!
(4)Brian H.
Awesome beer! Amazing tour! Plan and make reservations now. I'm sure I could write positive things about them all night, but I'll save my fingers some work. They deserve every positive word someone could say!!!
(5)Clancey L.
This tour never fails to impress and, as such, it's become the top "must do" thing for us to show off to house guests. Call a few days ahead and make reservations for the day/time you want. Then plan to spend at least a couple hours on the tour, sampling beers as you go, getting a great education along the way, and then chatting up your pals in the bar afterward. The tour guides are great fun--and be sure to take the circular slide!
(5)Stacey F.
Where fun and beers collide! This place is hopping! Lots of people so get here early. Great craft brews on the regular and lots of unique taps to try, too! A definite favorite!!!
(5)Laila N.
Great selection of beers, from your favorites to ones youve never heard of before! You can buy by the glass or buy little tasters for cheap! Parking lot is TINY, but you can park along the street. If you want to tour the brewery, I would schedule that as far in advance as possible. It definitely fills up fast. With free beer tastings along the way, I can understand why. The feel here doesnt feel like a giant corporation. Feels very local and homey and fun. The owners have a great sense of humor, which you can see all over the premises. Definitely have to stop here to see what new stuff they have going on!
(5)Steph G.
I came here with a large group for the tour. There were 11 of us, so I had to reserve 2 months in advance and it was well worth it! Awesome tour. Fun, large beer samples, and a lot of beer making in process for you to see. We also learned a lot about the company as a whole, and it really got me thinking about quitting the career I love to work here because it sounds super great! If only I had brewing experience instead of healthcare experience... Anyway, point is my friends and I had a great time. Highly recommend that you do it at least once if you live in CO!
(5)Allison F.
My first brewery tour... all other breweries are going to have a lot to live up to. The tour was free! Since I wanted to visit on a Saturday, I booked 60 days in advance and the tour was packed. Everyone on the tour got six free samples, some that were fresh off the assembly line. The tour guide was energetic, informative and most of all - FUN! The tour provided more details about the history and sustainability of New Belgium than their process of brewing beer, so keep that in mind. I'm surprised their tour lasts an hour and a half. Afterward, we stopped in their tap room and enjoyed $2 4oz samples and picked up a nice New Belgium pint glass for only $5. During our visit, they also had an Umami food truck parked outside so we could get our lunch on. TIP: if you do the after-tour survey on your phone, you can show the bartender to get a free sample of beer! New Belgium is definitely a Colorado must-see and I can't wait to go back.
(5)Alex L.
New Belgium Brewery is like the Disney World of breweries. Definitely sign up for a tour if you haven't been! Everybody here is great and they also have outside seating. I went on a Saturday, the day before Broncos/49'ers game. A lot of smack talking but toasting as well. Everyone was smiles. We are sure to be back!
(5)Nat S.
I have been here a couple times over the years, and have not been super recently. However, if this tour anything like what I remember, this is Willie Wonka's Psychedelic beer tour, complete with funny shriner bikes and high speed slide. There used to be and may still be free beer at the tasting room. Back when I was in College I used to obsess about having friends bring me Fat Tire up from the states when I lived in Vancouver. Though my pallet has grown, they still make some awesome beers, I am just not as crazy about the Fat Tire. It is a super eco conscious brewery and were way ahead of the game. They give their worker a free awesome cruiser bike after being part of the family for a couple years. I will bump up my four stars to five just because of the business practices. No food, here but plenty of choices in Fort Collins, Odell's and Funkworks are close by too.
(5)Alexis R.
Amazing tour and I loved trying the new beers offered. The kriek was very tasty & I liked the sour notes of the Biere de Garde from the lips of faith series. The tour is definitely worth booking in advance. You get 4-5 beer samples with full explanations along with seeing all áreas of the brewery from wort boiling to bottling. Also, $2 to taste whatever you like in the taproom. I like the focus on sustainability with solar panels, wind farm coops, recycling, and methane harvesting. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, and this was the best tour we took in the Fort Collins area. You have to come here if you are in the area!
(5)Leila R.
Love love love this place. Probably my favorite brewery in Fort Collins. Their beer is unbeatable. They have their regular beers and their Lips of Faith all on tap. I lost track of all the ones I had... Their tasters are also pretty hefty, FYI. Prices are great. And I thought it was really cool that they don't take tips -- it goes to charity. Plus, they comped the couple's tab next to us who was from Washington and doing a quick tour of some of Ft. Collins's breweries -- which I thought was cool of them. Bartenders behind the counter are really friendly and know their beer (duh). Ambiance is great. Love that they allow dogs inside. Bar is good and long. Lots of other seating, as well.
(5)Jonathan W.
Whoever hasn't given this brewery 5 stars should be banned on yelp. Nothing about this place is anything other than 5 stars. The beer, the service, the facilities, the tour, the culture.
(5)Samantha M.
Well, I am really glad that I booked our tour reservation 2 months in advance to the day (this really is the only way you can get a tour, you really have to think ahead). Our tour guide was new, but knowledgeable. They have switched up the route which is cool, and it was neat to see their solar display as we walked to one of the buildings. It's wonderful for a free tour! And make sure to take pictures by the bike-painted electric box!
(5)Carolyn P.
Once a fan, always a fan. Thank you New Belgium for staying true to those who love your beer! I make a point to try the seasonals and whatever is the latest and greatest on the Lips of Faith line-up. Visiting the brewery never disappoints. The tour is worthwhile if it is your first trip to visit them in Fort Collins. Then order a cold one, grab a seat, and make a friend (or ten!). Bottoms up!
(4)Justin L.
Best brew tour we've been on hands down! Our guide was entertaining and knowledgeable and the the beer was spectacular. Highly recommended.
(5)Leah M.
I wish we had read the reviews before going to this brewery; there were twenty people on the tour wait list, so we had to pass on that for this trip. We had a great visit, nonetheless! We loved the little tasting glasses, and we tried eight different beers. We love Fat Tire, but compared to the other brews we tried, it seemed a little dull to us. It was a beautiful day and we sat on the patio soaking up the rays and the beers. The next time we go, we'll be sure to sign up for a tour ahead of time.
(5)Tommy H.
1554 is the best near dark beer around anywhere! I get it whenever it is served on draft and I buy it as my main beer to keep at home. New Belgium makes many good beers, like Fat Tire, but this is hands down my favorite.
(5)Dave C.
I've been to a lot of breweries and been on many many brewery tours; this one was by far the best. It fills up quick using the online reservation calendar, but if you show up and hang out at the tasting room for a little while they usually have a no-show or two so you should be able to slide in. The tour was informative, the guide was extremely enthusiastic and engaging, we got to taste several beers, and to top it all off it was free! Can't beat that. Great time!
(5)Cyndi J.
This is one of my favorite Ft. Collins breweries. There is a hip, happenin' vibe, and the place was packed on a spring Saturday. They have a delicious sour beer, of which I savored every sip. There is a nice open patio outside, and it was fun to hang out with our group, sip our brews, and people watch. Service is very friendly, as well. As busy as the place is, they keep up very well with the drink orders.
(4)Justin L.
This place was awesome great free tour some good free beer lil snacks and great people. ive always loved New Belgium but this tour has me at a lot more respect now. I dont want to spoil it but if you love good stories and learning some things told by an awesome tour guide you haft to check this place out
(5)Bert H.
Seriously, when you can't get a seat at two o'clock on a thursday, get yelled at by a waiter for standing near the door trying to find a seat, and the whole drinking area looks like a drunken frat party...no thanks. What a let down. To travel from Seattle to Ft. Collins and finally get to experience the New Belgium Brewery experience and to run into a grossly undersized sampling area and rude waitstaff....I don't care if it's free beer or not. Whats the point if you can't seat down to actually try it. I'd rather just pick up a six pack of fat tire and drink at home than deal with the brewery. The beer is great, but the brewery experience only gets 2 stars (1 star for the location, and a bonus star just because I really do love the beer)
(2)Rachel L.
A mere 2 samples? Me thinks not. For a measly 8 oz of beer, the free samples are not iworth pushing through hoards of CSU frat boys. The end.
(1)Shannon T.
My boyfriend and I signed up for this tour about 6 weeks ago when he decided to come to Colorado for Thanksgiving. I'm glad we signed up early because this place was pretty crowded (at 2PM on a Wednesday)! It's just out of old town Fort Collins (within a nice walking distance), so you can easily get between the two if you plan on getting a bite to eat around town. There is parking around the brewery, but we just parked in a lot in Old Town and it cost us $2 for 3-4 hours. Upon arrival, we were given a bottle cap for 1 free beer at the bar. I was amazed at all the wood and cozy architecture. We wandered around and wrote some postcard coasters for friends and family which they mail for you for free! Our tour guide was great and provided us with the background story behind the brewery and facts about working there. Throughout the tour we were given 5 beers to sample (plus the free one at the bar = 6 FREE BEERS)! FANTASTIC. This was the best brewery tour I've been on thus far (this includes New Belgium, Sam Adams, and Coors). It was personable and fun and the 1.5 hours flew by! BONUS: At the end my boyfriend and I decided to purchase a 6-pack of Frambozen (DELICIOUS), 2 patches, and a small chocolate. They gave us the patches and chocolate (a $3.50 value) on the house! This tour/atmosphere is a great way to inspire brand loyalty and pride in this Colorado brewery.
(5)Ruben B.
Awesome beer. There is truly no better beer than Fat Tire. Skip the tasting room - the people who work there are arrogant and rude. Go over to O'Dells instead.
(3)Jared D.
Had a great time taste testing here a couple weeks ago. Seating is great however it gets really crowded after work so if you can take some time off in the middle of the day instead it might be quiet. 1554 is still my favorite beer from this place but you really can't go wrong with 2 Below, Belgium Blond, or Abbey. Drink up and Enjoy.
(4)Bruce E.
They deserve 5 stars. Get a private tour one day.
(5)Nick A.
There's very little to add to the list of glowing reviews, but I thought I'd add my two cents since they updated their "procedures". First - the door greeter now DOES SOMETHING besides take up space in an otherwise crowded room. Not to say that it wasn't fun interacting with them in the first place, but it used to be a pain in the ass to have to skirt past townies drudging on about some inane bs with the door greeter. Now - the door greeter checks your ID and hands out tokens, two - to be precise, with which you go get beer samples (one sample per token). I don't mind that they went from four samples to two samples, but I do kind of wish they'd throw in one more. The (intended, I'm sure) side effect of this simple change is that there are no longer hoards of old people sitting around, staring at their free beer samples and wondering how long it will be before their younger compatriots ask to consume their samples for them. In fact... this was the first time we've ever walked in to New Belgium and had a place to stand, sit, and get beer within 5 minutes of arriving. Tours are now booked online, which means there's no longer a hoard of non-beer-drinking morons taking up valuable bar space. What's more, samples are also given on the tours. I REALLY wish New Belgium would open up some sort of outdoor or patio space, but all in all, I like this version of New Belgium better than the "lets all attempt to go get sloshed but really stand around for an hour and a half, wait for a table, crowd out people who are drinking their beer, and, oh forget it, we're never going to land a table" New Belgium. Parking, as always, was a problem - but really, if you're drinking New Belgium beer, you should have ridden your bike there anyway. New Belgium has definitely made a name for themselves, and it's now a LOT easier, and a lot more comfortable, to go sample some new beers. Way to go!
(5)Girldrinkdrunk S.
We went at 1:00 on a Tuesday afternoon and were surprised by the craziness we walked into. The place was mobbed. There was no place to sit (hell, there was no place to STAND), and no one to orchestrate the chaos. We didn't know how to get beer or take the tour and no one was offering up the information. We wandered over to the cashier, who told us the current brewery tour was sold out, but there was another in a n hour and a half. We took her up on that and left to get lunch. When we came back, it was slightly less hectic and we wrangled two seats at the bar. We enjoyed all that we tried other than the Wit. Holy nasty! I generally like wits, but the bubblegum notes were impossible to overlook and the beer was flat out undrinkable. Everything else we tried was above average, with no real standouts.
(3)Tonya F.
Excellent tour+lots of samples+2nd story twisty slide+super nice people+dogs= DO IT! This tour was a blast. We have been on many brew tours large and small and these guys topped them all. Why? The place is big but the tour is very intimate, fun beer stories not just the usual "here is how beer is made". Lots of samples, the most generous I've had! We had 1 before the tour, 5 on the tour, and 1 after the tour. We also got to taste a beer fresh off the bottling line that is not in stores yet! My beer was 35 min off the line. I can't wait for Somersault to hit my liquor store shelves. Yummy. After about 5 sample beers, I took the twisty slide down, WEEEEEEE! They also have postcards all over the place that you can address and they will send. Drawbacks: No food, I'm glad we Yelped a BBQ joint before we went.
(5)Keaton W.
The tour is awesome! The people that work here are very nice, and answer any question you have. You get plenty of free beer to drink during your tour, and if you aren't there for a tour, and just there for drinking, the prices are awesome. Huge selection on tap!
(5)Stephanie K.
Question of the day: Three things you are thankful for: Lions getting the first NFL draft pick (this was prior to them picking Stafford). Tim Salmon. New Belgium giving me free beer! Please, please send your seasonal beer out to the rest of the country! They are too good to be kept in Fort Collins!
(5)Jody T.
This brewing company is the best! I love New Belgium beer and I love New Belgium culture. These people have got it right. My fabulous friend, Maigan, was visiting from Nashville, and being as huge of a beer connoisseur as I am, I decided a mini brewery tour was in order. So we borrowed some cruiser bikes from the lovely Fort Collins bike library and rode on over to New Belgium. We parked our bikes along the dozens and dozens of other bikes and headed into the tasting room. The bartenders were so awesome and chill. I think you have to be to work there. And of course I enjoyed several Fat Tires and Sunshine Wheats. We could have stayed there all day...but we had other breweries to visit. So we hopped back on the bikes and took off to O'Dell's. I will be back for the Tour de Fat!
(5)Eva K.
So, wow. You go here and they give you free beer! I kid you not. I would definitely recommend this place if you like beer and Fat Tire and all that good stuff. (and like drinking them for free!) The glasses are pretty big, too. And if you get to talking to some of the people behind the counter, they will give you more tastes. You can also fill a huge jug of beer for a price (not sure how much, but it's under ten dollars, that's something, right?). Why would you NOT come here?
(4)Mark M.
Funny story.... In 2005 I was camping around the state with family. I always liked Fat Tire and wanted to visit the brewery. We were in Boulder at 5:15 PM(rush hour) and the brewery closes at 6:00, so I knew it was going to be close. We got the the brewery at the stroke of 6. I abandoned my family and ran to the door, where I was greeted by a friendly employee about to lock the door. He opened it up and invited us in. There were already other people there still sampling and hanging out. He said "stay as long as you wish!". And, yes, that was very cool. Thanks N.B.B C.!
(5)Hailey B.
The best brewery tour I've taken! You should definitely sign up ahead of time, but the tours are free and very well done. You'll be offered beer tastings throughout the tour and lots of brewery facts! After the tour, spend time hanging out in the bar and trying some of the special/seasonal brews. My personal favorite: 2 Below, a winter-time hop fest!
(4)Coral T.
The most fun tour ever! And super kid friendly.
(5)Albert H.
Free samples in your own little assorted tray of mini-snifters. That's hard to beat! Beggers can't be choosers, but I wish I could substitute one or two of the ones I drink everyday for an extra sample of the rare taps, but they don't seem to want to comply. Decent breweriana for sale too, including cycling jerseys and socks. Hats are nice as well. Great feel here, employees seem damn happy to be working here, and I try to make it up here every visit to Colorado.
(5)J. F.
Get the Lips of Faith flight. Thank me later.
(4)Brad R.
Two things. The wait should be shorter. The beer should be better. I will admit that the brewery is aesthetically pleasing and the tour is pretty good. However, that is the extent of my appreciation for New Belgium. I have lived in Fort Collins for several years and have been to the brewery 5 times. I have only left happy 2 times. The place gets very busy and I am convinced that the staff serving up the 'free' beer have been instructed to take their time whenever possible. On a slow weekday, you can expect a 20 minute wait before you receive any 'free' beer. Typical evening? Good luck. I have never stood in line long enough to find out but my limit is 45 minutes. (I was trying to buy a small batch brew they only sell at the brewery. Yes, I am dumb for waiting until evening.) The beer? Yeah it is fine micro stuff but can not hold a candle to Stone, Avery, Full Sail, Rouge, Dogfish, or Odell. I have been told the quality was better years ago before they grew. I would put it in the same category as Sierra or Sam Adams. I am not saying it is bad, just not good enough to wait around for someone to give you free samples. Go to the store and pick up a sampler 12 pack, go somewhere nice, and decide for yourself. Or better yet, go a mile to your east and visit Odell. Much more interesting beer and you can actually buy pints without a wait or crowds.
(2)Blase K.
New Belgium sure was a treat. We popped by on our Colorado trip because we heard they gave out free beer (its true, more below). Instead, we got into a brewery tour that gave us five (yes, five) free beers, in addition to our sampler beers that you get in the front-room. The tour is pretty enjoyable if you (like me) don't know anything about large-scale brewing or are awestruck by large-scale industrial processes. The unique thing about New Belgium is that its a worker co-op: a refreshing change of pace: they have a slew of water recycling, energy recapture, and decreasing energy usage through efficient heating elements (they call the Merlin) and having all employees that are able to bike-commute. The normal corporate structure would probably disregard this level of detail or have some Greenwashing campaign, but New Belgium neither advertises this, but instead just shows it off. As far as the beer goes, apparently everyone on the West Coast is familiar with Fat Tire. Its allegedly pushing out Budweiser from taps all across the West Coast (again, allegedly) but I didn't see the huge appeal. It was still worlds better than Budweiser, but I would take a Bell's Amber over Fat Tire any day. Regardless, there is still a slew of great beers brewed here, from their Ranger IPA to their Trippel Belgian Ale, but the Mighty Arrow seasonal brew was by far my favorite. Again, stop by this place for FREE BEER.
(4)Sean J.
The New Belgium Brewery to Fort Collins is like the Eiffel Tower to Paris. Admittedly, it's not the most well-known establishment in Fort Collins, but that is the nature of being a brewery. It is a great tour, and one of the cleanest facilities in all of Fort Collins. The staff is as friendly and helpful as anyone could dream up. New Belgium was started by an engineer and his wife back in the mid-90's. Irrelevant to the story? To continue, he used his brilliance to mastermind the first brewery in the world to run solely off of wind power. The product waste is not discarded and forgotten, but it is given to local Colorado farmers to use for feed. The actual brewery is decorated with fascinating picture frames and about everything from the bar stools to the spinning bike on the wall have a bike theme (their signature beer is Fat Tire Ale being named after their bikes they toured Belgium and were inspired to start the Brewery - the original journal with this revelation is still on display). It is a brewery, so you're concerned about the beer, right? If you're over 21 and a beer drinker and in the area, there is no excuse to not check out the brewery. When you visit, you're handed a menu of beers. Choose your four favorite (including ones they sell, to taste-test only beers), and you can sample the beers for free. This may sound sketch to you, especially if you're from the East, and you're not used to such "New Belgium Talk." New Belgium is so convincingly good, that even though it's not sold east of the Mississippi, it's taste spreads coast to coast. I was recently at a dinner in Virginia, and I told the native Virginian that I was from Fort Collins, CO. "Oh, I know where that is. My dad's favorite beer is made there, and they made a special trip from NoVa just to visit the Brewery." After asking her if it happened to be New Belgium, her unspoken smile and wink assured me that was the exact one she was talking about.
(5)Tara B.
A great place to bring out-of-towners for a true taste of the Colorado lifestyle. During the tour, the philosophy behind the company comes out - after a year of employment you get a bike to ride to work, after 5 years, a free trip to Belgium with the boss. Oh, and pretty much all the beer you can drink. The place utilizes each and every morsel of material it can, runs on wind power and has it's own source of water. And after this awesome tour, you can feel really good about drinking those delicious free samples!
(5)Nathan V.
Amazing brewery......... amazing business.......... My life has changed by checking this place out. First off this place knows...... not thinks it knows but KNOWS how to make beer. When you start a brewery by really wanting to make a really amazing Belgian beer then you are going to do well. Not only does this brewery make amazing beer, but the business model blows EVERY OTHER BUSINESS MODEL OUT OF THE WATER. The vibe around the brewery is very cool and well worth checking out. I could go on but I will stop by saying that if you are anywhere near Fort Collins and like good beer or want to check out a really amazing company, then check this place out. I would give this place 10 stars if I could.
(5)Dustin G.
The New Belgium Brewery is one Colorado's many microbreweries that is probably most famous for its Fat Tire Ale. (Personally 1554 is one of my favorite beers ever) As a microbrewery, I always thought New Belgium was good....above most, but nothing too special. Until went to the source of the love itself in FoCo. Upon driving up even you see that this place will not be like other tours...it is fashionably designed, and the smell of roasted hops fills the air. When you enter the brewery, immediately is a bar which gives out free samples....packed with people, even though it was a weekday afternoon. Walking down the various hallways you run into factoids about the factory itself, its history and functioning. Further, the people in the brewery allow you to go look around and see the factory at work from an plexi-glass overlook, which is pretty cool. After the self tour, my entourage and I queued up for the guided tour which would take us back into the womb of the might beast. However, we made the mistake of not realizing that you needed a ticket (free) for the guided tour, but the tour guide let us go through anyway. Props. The guided tour shows all the inner workings of the company, as well as the secret second story bar, with its own special samplings. You could tell that people loved to work here, as everyone is smiley and chatty. Finally, I learned on the tour that all the energy that New Belgium uses is renewable...they even have their own methane power plant which is created from the waste water they use (a much lower amount I might add then most breweries), which actually is used to pump electricity back into the grid itself. I love this place, and will continue drinking New Belgium with Colorado pride.
(5)Lauren L.
Woah! What a really delightful surprise. I thought this place was going to be lame. Over priced. Tourist trap written all over it! All that stuff with bikes, it's just a marketing ploy! Though I like Fat Tire, it's not really my favorite. We signed up for a tour and really didn't think it would be all that great. We were wrong. Totally completely horribly wrong. Turns out New Belgium is a great company to work for. You can tell because every employee we saw or talked to was having an amazing time and spoke with great pride and enthusiasm. The tour was fantastic - free, filled with beer, super informative and an hour and a half long. Our guide was super fun and we got to drink a bunch of brews they don't bottle. I highly recommend it! Oh, and the bike thing - so not a marketing ploy. Every employee is gifted a bike after a year, the rack was FULL of them and the parking lot is organized by fuel efficient cars that carpool to trucks and SUVs WAY at the back.
(5)Kelly F.
What a great place! The tours were all booked but they invited me to come and try the wait list and worst case do a self tour. I lucked out and got on a guided tour and tried many great beers. Wonderful and super pleasant staff. I want to work here! If you're in the area check it out!
(5)Rebecca M.
I loved the behind the scenes tour. I didn't exactly unerstand all of the science behind the beer making process. What I am about to say may shock you....I don't like Fat Tire. I love Sunshine Wheat, Mothership Wit and Skinny Dip. On the tour we got to sample a limited supply beer that they weren't selling anymore. It was sooo amazing. I think it was a golden peach ale. Oh my god. I would have bought 5 growlers of it if it had been available. All of the employees we encountered were so fun and knowledgeable. The guy at the entrance even gave us stickers and key chains, score. What? Everyone gets them. Hrumph. Free beer, Free tour and a fun day out.
(5)Debbie J.
Oh my gosh! I love this place. I have a new favorite beer...Fat Tire.
(5)Laura E.
Warning: it can be hard as hell to find. I was a little put off initially because we had trouble locating it and the guide made me feel guilty for being late for the tour. However, he was a nice and funny guy overall, the tour was free, all the beer was free, and it was all crisp and delectable. Very much enjoyed the experience, plus you get to ride down a twisty slide (pretty hilarious after you get a few brews in you!)
(4)Rachael K.
One of the top two brewery tours we've been on. Worth the wait to get a reservation and the tour guide was spectacular (we had Melinda). The beer is broken up throughout a tour and the portions are on the small side, great for tasting and lightweights like me or people coming from sea level. And they have a slide. Who else has a slide??? Awesome.
(5)Carrie C.
How can you NOT give 5 stars to New Belgium? I mean really...it's a no brainer. 1) the tasting is FREE! yes...FREE. And you get to choose not one...but FOUR beers to taste. They'll bring you out about 6 oz each and with the altitude (ahem, if you're coming from outta town that is), you'll be sloppy in no time. I suggest that if you go with a friend, each of you should pick 4 different beers so you have an even larger assortment to sample. 2) the beer is GOOD! 1554....mmmmm dark yummy goodness. And you can't really beat any of the dark beers...anything with a coffee taste suits me just fine. 3) the atmosphere is fun...bikes abound outside (hence the Fat Tire....blah blah blah...and Tour de Fat...bike tour of beers/parade). Definitely a stop not to be missed if you're doin' the brewery tours in Ft. C. **tip: get your license out as soon as you find a seat, you'll be more apt to get served quicker. :)
(5)Darcy N.
This is still one of the best places around. As a brewery, a pub, a fun atmosphere, a place to learn about beer, to hang out with a great crowd of people, to learn about their causes and motivations . Want to meet people who actually love their job? This is the place. I bet even the janitors love it here. New Belgium Brewing Company are the pioneers of all things awesome! Saving the world one beer at a time? I think so. Love you guys!
(5)Tony N.
preface: The New Belgium Brewing Company is a brewing company. It does not serve food. As an out of towner, I am a fan of this Brewery. If you plan to tour the Brewery (FREE), make sure to reserve in advance. If you do not have a reservation, you are not totally out of luck. They sometime have impromptu tours if the tasting room is packed. If you come on a whim like I did, after checking your identification, you get 2 or 3 tokens for samplers. They friendly staff will explain the taste of each of their beer. If you BS with the server, he/she might give you an extra beer or two (not a guarantee.) WARNING: It can get packed, so do not expect a seat. It seems like a tourist destination. The crowd is very Vail, Boulder, if you are from Colorado, you know what I mean. now off across the street to Odell to compare and contrast.
(4)Chad H.
Honestly, I've never been a fan of their brews (Belgium yeast strains are generally too sickly sweet for me...) but their facilities, tour and staff overall are top notch. Definitely worth the visit for any beer lover!
(4)Hien D.
This place was awesome!!!!!! I came here with 3 other friends and once you check in for your tour, the "check-in" gal gives you a button for a free brew while you wait. It's pretty loud and happening here, and there's a very happy atmosphere. Once our tour started, we had the best tour guide ever, TYLER! Hilarious as can be. He ushered us into the tasting room where we given 2 free tastings and history on New Belgium. He showed us where the beer is brewed, packaged, blah blah blah. Come on, all you really care about is the free beer right?! Like others have said you get 5 free tastings and at the end get to go down an awesome slide. The tour lasted between 30-45 minutes and compared to the 6 other breweries we went to, this one was a non-stop blast. I would do this tour everyday if I could! MUST VISIT!! I think its the first 5 star rating I've ever given an establishment. You guys Rock! P.S. If you went on the tour on 9/20 at 4:30pm- "Bubblecum."
(5)Heather M.
I am not a huge beer drinker, but the tour is fun and the staff is so knowledgeable. They really help me find beers that I would like. Make sure to book reservations online or over the phone because the spots fill up fast! I have done the tour three times and it is still one of the places I take out-of-towners.
(5)Satoru Y.
(FREE) Great beer from a great brewery. From microbrew to national distributor, New Belgium has been one of my favorites over the years. It seems like only a few years ago, this little microbrew was getting its feet off the ground in the Fort. I love Fat Tire, Sunshine, and 1554, probably 1554 the best, and its hard to pass up when you can get it for free. Loved to come here when I was living in the area, and it was always a good time. The tour was always fun, and the free samples were great. I love the quasi-Danish look to the entire place; I almost felt like I was in Solvang, CA. Definitely a great destination if you are in the area. Great beer, and interesting sights, make it a great place to plan a trip to.
(5)Cody M.
I have taken quite a few brewery tours in the U.S. and Europe, and I can honestly say that New Belgium's brew tour puts all others to shame. The tour is free and it takes about 90 minutes, and they load you up with free beers throughout. You have to make reservations for the tour through their website about 4 to 6 weeks in advance, and the tour times fill up fast, so do not delay. Do not just show up hoping to take a tour because you will be disappointed. If you are not interested in taking a tour and just want to try some amazing beers, then you should just drop into the bar to try a bunch of their low-priced tasters. New Belgium has beers on tap and bottles/cans for sell at the brewery that you cannot typically find outside of Fort Collins; also, you usually get to try a couple of specialty beers on the tour. This place is truly amazing and it is like Christmas every time I get to go. The store in the brewery sells all sorts of neat NB clothing and accessories; for instance, my girlfriend and I are now the proud owners of Fat Tire vintage style bells for our bicycles.
(5)Hans T.
What's left to say about The Mothership that hasn't already been said? "Good free beer." "The employees love their jobs and working there." "Bitchin'." Grab your bike, unicycle, big wheel and friends and take a cruise over and see for yourself. The LC is closed Sunday & Monday, is packed Friday & Saturday, and is always worth the trip. Bikes get the best parking and the Poudre Trail goes right by the brewery.
(5)Ivan C.
as a belgium beer fan i was in heaven when i came across this brewing co... free beer and trivia on a summer day...two thumbs up.. too bad im back in cali if not you see me there all summer jaja
(4)Christina H.
FREE BEER!! That is truly what the 5-stars is for but for the sake of elaboration I'll explain. Bored and looking for some cheap activities, very spur of the moment, my boyfriend and I rode up to Fort Collins for a brewery tour of New Belgium. Being the slacker's we are and rising at the crack of noon, we just missed the last tour departing at 3:30. But we still got to hang out in the "liquid center" and sample beer. New Belgium offers 4 small samples of your choice of listed beers, friendly servers, and quite a bustling crowd. They aren't particularly stingy with the samples either, filling the small glasses nearly to the brim. Plus, they have some great t-shirts on sale, tasteful and cool enough for people to actually want to wear them without looking like an alcoholic. We bought one after bickering over what one to exactly choose, because they had such good options. New Belgium Brewery seems to me a great place for a 2nd or 3rd cheap date. And really, who doesn't enjoy quality free beer?
(5)Nick B.
FREE BEER tours (but make sure to sign up at least a month or two in advance). I thought it was a blast. Sip yummy beer and learn about the history, brew methods....by far the coolest brewery tour I have attended.
(5)Courtney R.
Four free samples per person, yes please. It was super crowded but who is going to pass up great free beer? There is energy about this place that is magnetic. Everyone was super friendly, you can bring your dogs and everyone bikes there! Awesome sauce.
(5)James D.
Whether your going on a tour, filling a growler or just going to hang out, New Belgium is an extremely fun environment to spend your time at. Highly recommend taking a tour, buying a growler and coming back often!
(5)Matt J.
I was very impressed on the tour that they gave here. Basically, we just had a guy who worked there walk around and show us everything, all while sipping on a beer. It's very cool to learn how eco-friendly their plant is. Very relaxed and very accommodating. After the tour you can stop in the tasting room and sample all of what you've just seen. I think when I was there a few years ago, we got 4 free 6oz samples and the tour was free as well. I'm not a huge fan of Fat Tire, but their other beers are great.
(5)Nick S.
Love the free tastings and the crew there is awesome. Skinny Dip is my favorite brew from this joint and come summer it always hits the spot. One beer that doesnt strike my fancy is their Fat Tire, which is the beer that they are better known for brewing.
(4)james v.
Huge fan of this brewery. The tasting room is worth a visit to sample their beer for free. Bring your growler! Have not done the tour yet but been here many times. NBBC sucked me into the beer culture.
(4)Justin B.
This one is simple the beer and the company are both awesome! The company is environmentally friendly and they they give back to the community. The only thing they could do better is sells the fat tire bikes. You have to work at the company for a year to get one. They also host the Tour de fat bike outing. Check out this out tour-de-fat.com Sept 13, 2008 Don't miss it tour-de-fat.com/city/den…
(5)Chelsea A.
New Belgium is as good as it gets. If you love great beer this is the place for you. Take the tour. You gain a lot of insight on how brewing beer works. Bonus...on the tour you get an extra sample. You have to get tickets, so arrive early! Fort Collins is known for their breweries. This is the one to see! Everyone who works at the brewery are super friendly. You can tell they love beer and they love their job! A funnn place to go!
(5)Andrew N.
I have many, many issues with New Belgium. The tap room is pretentious, trendy, over crowded, lame, too big for it's britches, unfriendly, and just not special. Coloradans will know what I mean when I say it is the Vail of Colorado breweries. Lots of other places that are better, but the tourists always know that one. Over the last few years the beer has tasted like it has gotten watered down. The only beer that had any promise was a few years ago they released a Bier de Marz for a seasonal and never brought it back. New Belgium was neat when it was really the first large micro brewery in Colorado, but now we can't call it our own when the owners are out to make money and people on the east coast think it's cool to be drinking a Fat Tire. Do not go to this brewery and please spend your money on better Colorado beer. Go a half mile away to O'Dells and get yourself a real beer that sells itself, not the multi-million dollar ad campaigns that New Belgium uses to try to sell their beer. On a side note that shows my theory, beer people will understand this. I bought a bottle of Elysian Brew Night Owl (a seasonal pumpkin from the Seattle brewery). On the side of the bottle is says "brewed by New Belgium for Elysian", it's really frustrating.
(1)Matt O.
Imagine a place where your inner child is creatively entertained, the flowers shoot high toward the Colorado sun, and your thirst is quenched by a variety of exciting beer styles named funny things like "Skinny Dip" and "Fat Tire". This isn't Willy Wonka's Beer Factory, but that's the best way to describe New Belgium Brewing Company, a place beer lovers dream of. The company motto "Follow your folly!" is happily acknowledged by all who are lucky enough to work at New Belgium Brewery, and by all who stop by for a tour, leaving with a smiling face and a belly full of beer ... By far, this is the most fun either of us has ever had on a brewery tour. New Belgium Brewery employees take their jobs seriously while having fun doing so, and it shows! With volleyball courts outside, a twisty slide, multiple free samples, costumes and other silliness for free - how could you not have a blast on this tour!? ~ Matt, "The Brewery Tourist"
(5)Angela M.
I was in Fort Collins for work and had the joy of being able to get in on a tour... The samples and educational aspect to this booze-filled afternoon was superb. I also spent about $60 on shirts and large beers, read: Lips of Faith, that I would not be able to purchase elsewhere.
(5)Becky S.
Fun is one way to describe this place. The people are all a little off-beat, which is what is endearing about New Belgium. Yeah, they brag about being employee-owned, being wind-powered, and using organic stuff... but really, how do you focus on that when the beer is so good? The tour I could take or leave. The neatest part is the slide at the end. But the free beer? I could drink all day if they'd let me. I appreciate having to answer a quirky question before they feed me liquid heaven. It makes sure I'm 1)Not too drunk and 2)Worthy of their beer. The service was friendly, the people there were all extremely knowledgeable. And there's lot of little fun things to play with and look at.
(4)Kimberly M.
I love them, and all their made with love brews... If you dont serve New Belgium you better step it up :)
(5)Matthew J.
Excellent brewery making great beers. Try them all. Crowded on weekends. Allow time to take in all the bicycle oriented decor. Take the time to write a post card to your friends to rub in that you are there and they are not. Drop the post card in the bin and they mail it for you. Definitely worth the time and don't forget to try the tour if you can. The sour beers were good also.
(5)J W.
New Belgium, all hype and only a bit of substance. Frankly, New Belgium beers are overrated, especially the flagship "Fat Tire." Though I do give them credit for some quite drinkable seasonal brews like "Skinny Dip" the always nice "La Folie," but otherwise I can do without the rest. The staff at New Belgium has a massive ego problem and seem to think that working for the brewery is the end all, be all of everything and that the general public should stand in awe. I can name some names here, but I will refrain this time.... If you are new to the area, it's worth going to the tasting room for samples. I highly recommend O'Dell brewery just down the road; exceptional beers.
(3)Jon B.
New Belgium is one of the best breweries in the nation.... trust me... I'm from Milwaukee. They servers are friendly, you get a choice of beers and its all FREE!!! They make sure that the experience if fun and over a very intelligent tour. I dream of having a place like New Belgium nearby... I'd be drinking A LOT. Try the Fat Tire and Mothership Wit... those may be my two favorites.
(5)Phil S.
Wow what a amazing place. The largest "micro" brewery that I have ever visited. It was too packed for tours during my visit but from what I could see it was a great place. Free admission that comes with 4 tokens for free samples...awesome. Dog friendly and also easily accessible by bicycle form the downtown Fort Collins area. It is right around the corner from Odell so if you are in the area you should check them both out.
(5)John S.
What an AWESOME place. We drove up on NYE from Denver to come check it out. We didn't actually get a chance to tour the brewery, but we hung out in the tasting room for awhile and got some swag. As a big fan it was pretty cool just getting to see the source of some of my favorite beer. Everything they have on tap is a creation of brewing genius. I can't wait to visit again. This time I'll book our tour waaaay in advance. Lesson learned.
(5)Barrett R.
World class, great commitment to the Fort Collins community and phenomenal beer. Sometimes I wonder who is not at the tasting room, it's packed and vibrant. They'll let you try their "prototype" breweries on location and you'll definitely enjoy the adventure.
(5)Eric H.
WOw this place is a fun brewery Fat Tire sucked me in but all there other types of beers are great I do enjoy the ranger ipa myself also bought a Disk for disk golf and yes the free brew tasting is well perfectness I also enjoyed the beet beer for not for everyone......
(5)Bee K.
hate on, haters... this brewery tour is a hell of a fucking time! i absolutely loved this place and left the building feeling super inspired and just generally better about the world. beautiful facilities, friendly and awesome staff, a giant super-fast swirly metal slide at the very end of the FREE tour, samples before-during-AND-after said FREE tour, adorable bikes everywhere, etc. etc. tour itself lasted about an hour and ends with a relaxing stop in a meeting room with a giant table where two final beer samples await you. my siblings and i had a great fucking time here. and i don't even fucking drink! super awesome hyper fun time!
(5)Justin F.
Arguably best beer in Fort Collins. O'dell's has been putting up more of a fight though.
(5)Tony H.
Want to know how much I like Fat Tire? Living on the East Coast, alas, I cannot find it here. So everytime I travel west of the Mississippi where I can find it, I drink up...and the last time I even brought a 6-pack back with me in my checked luggage. That's right, I took three days worth of dirty socks, stuck a bottle of heavenly Fat Tire in each one for insulation on the trip, and on 6 glorious occasions thereafter managed to enjoy what until then had seemed impossible - drinking a Fat Tire in Washington, DC. Sweet. As for the brewery itself, I managed to get there on a road trip out West a few years ago - and trust me, if I ever decide to give up the rat race and drop off the grid, I will head straight there and camp out until they hire me. Such an amazing vibe here, awesome folks working at the brewery, and gotta love that classic bike. Perfect business, perfect product - just please, please, please hear my pleading and ramp up distribution to reach me in DC!!
(5)Paul A.
Perfect tour, informative but great fun. Lots of good beers (the barrel-aged sour beer is nice) laid out during the tour with good timing and quantity. Get a little sloppy and no one heckles you; you're drinking a bunch of beer after all! Worth hanging around for an hour or two if you don't have reservations for the tour!
(5)tony s.
As a former resident of Ft Fun, visiting New Belgium is a required pilgrimage every time I return to the Centennial State, especially because the do not, as of yet, ship their brew out to the east coast. The tours are always fun and informative and the beer tasting is always ample, delicious, and free. It's not only one of the best breweries in North America, it's the best brewery tour in North America.
(5)Lisa B.
If the name doesn't ring a bell, here's a tip - they're the makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale. Which, as far as microbrews go is not a bad choice. For me, beer is definitely not my first choice. I've never been much of a beer drinker even though I lived in the Mecca of Beer (Munich, Germany) for many years. I've had some momentous run-ins with beer at a number of different Oktoberfests that left me hurting and often embarassed. Won't go into it here but I'll never drink beer again when there are video cameras around. However, when it was suggested that we rent some bikes in Fort Collins and do a mini-beer tasting tour, I figured it would be a good way to try something new and maybe learn to appreciate beer more. The New Belgium Brewing Company is great - they endevor to run their whole business sustainably - on wind power, etc. The tasting room all has creatively reused items in it - all the chairs are made of old metal barrels, etc. It's got a great feeling to it - nice high ceilings, cherry-colored wood, friendly staff. You sit down and are presented with menus of what's available that day. You get to choose 4 beers to taste from the list, and the presentation when they come out is amazing. Beer really ranges from light, light yellow to rich red to dark chocolatey brown - we were total touristy dorks and had to take photos. The range of flavors in the beer was also striking - the 1554 tasted like coffee, the Abbey tasted like dark chocolate and the Folie tasted like crisp, bitter wine. One of my favorites was of course not available for purchase - they have a contest between the brewers and micro-produce the winner for the tasting room and a few bars here and there. It was called Eric's Ale this time, and it was a peach lambic with just enough bite to be very interesting. The whole experience was great and for being a totally free tasting, the "tasting" sizes were extremely generous. I actually enjoyed drinking beer, even the non-fruit lambics. I highly recommend checking out the tasting room here and at the other breweries in the area - Fort Collins is a great place for microbrews.
(5)Casey D.
New Belgium truly is my alma mater. I practically grew up on their beer. Six years ago, I had my first date there with my cute boy. We discovered our love for sours with their first, public batch of La Folie. Now, I am teased by them via the Tour de Fat and Toronado's occasional specials (Foedre 3 is AWESOME!). If you've only had Fat Tire, you should visit the brewery. They have so much more, and better, beer to offer.
(5)Matt T.
A couple of stars for being socially concious and amazingly green...another couple of stars for making tasty, well done beer. Are they the absolute top beer ever made? No. That said each of their beers are extremely well made to style. Their amber is a great session beer, their Sunshine wheat right down the middle of the plate for a wheat...1554 is perfect for a colorado winter night, their Skinny dip is a light beer with some taste!...so well done at that account...the last star is the great service I get each of the three times i've been to the brewery. My palate is the richer for them being born...
(5)Blair W.
I was here for a last minute wedding party and was on a short budget. My friends had ordered some samples that were quite tasty. The place was huge, and we came at a time where the place was dead empty. the wait staff was pretty accomodating.
(4)Katy W.
I went here around 2:00 on a beautiful Tuesday. As we approached a bunch of motorcyclist guys + gals were on their way in as well. A guy in a tent was set up to handle the tours. We asked how to get in on a tour and he said because reservations are filled online the best way to do it is to go back at 10 AM the next day. The brewery is in a beautiful modern building. The bar area is large and entering it, crowded. There was an eclectic mix of people: local college students, tourists asking to get their pictures taken, families, "bikers". We sat down at the bar and were given 4-5 coins. They reminded me of mini-pins without the actual pin on the back. The bartenders are very nice, but they are busy. It seemed like they could use a couple extra workers. I'm sure it is a coveted job-serving delicious beer all day to beer lovers. It left me day-dreaming of leaving this hectic city life for the mountains and liberalness of fort collins. Anyone familiar with New Belgium will know of Sunshine, Mothership, Abbey, and Trippel. Instead, I asked for the somewhat hidden beers in the keg in their refrigerators which were not labeled. I had the Berliner Style Weisse Ale, a sweet mead beer. Love at first sip. While you're there, don't forget to fill out a New Belgium postcard to send to anyone by simply dropping it in the box. Let all those people know where you are while they are not.
(5)M S.
New Belgium is becoming a Fort Collins icon. If you have the opportunity to visit the brewery, I highly recommend it. The employees are friendly and welcoming and the beer is even better! I don't think they make a beer that I don't like, but if you want something different, try the sour beer La Folie. Excellent complex character and unique.
(5)Craig B.
I have in-laws that live close by and I take a tour every time I'm there. This past thanksgiving will be the last time. The tour was going good. I worked my way up to the front and engaged our guide in conversation about sour beer. I don't claim to be an expert and I would never try to tell someone else I knew more than them. I said to our guide that he should check out the Sour Beer Fest at Stone Brewery. He said he had sampled their beer. I said "No, it's a beer fest where they bring kegs in from all over the world" He turned back to me gave an annoyed laugh and said "I'm in the industry" and started very quickly rattling off all the sour beers he's had and what years the breweries opened. I just stood there looking at him and he walked away. I asked my friends if they saw it the same way I did and they said that they didn't hear what either of us said, but that they thought I insulted him and that he was telling me off. I guess the moral of the story is that most the the employees are cool, but if you dare to unintentionally question their knowledge of beer be ready to be belittled.
(1)Brian C.
Friendly and great free beer, awesome place! We couldn't go on the tour as we didn't know to schedule one prior to our visit (hint: they book up weeks in advance!), but the visit was awesome nonetheless. Super friendly and knowledgeable staff and great beer to boot, how can you go wrong! Wish they distributed to Ohio, we'd always have a supply of Fat Tire!
(5)rusty r.
Wow. Just stunning. The free beer, the friendly people, the inspirational story, the eco-friendly engineering... this place is a must see and worth repeating when friends are in town. Bernie is a tour giving machine. He is very friendly, funny, and endearing. He gives the best brew tour in Colorado... hands down! Plus, you get to try some of the brews that aren't bottled... yum! The employee beer of the month winner actually sucked... a bad mix of cinnamon or cardamon or something... no one liked it in my group. But that is just a local thing... eveything else was hands down amazing. I think 1554 has been my favorite since I moved to Colorado years ago. And get this... they are the 8th largest brewery in America, and they're only in 18 states! You can bet and friends are fearful of New Belgium! Budweiser
(5)Danielle K.
New Belgium gives a great beer experience. 4 free tastings! I love it. Personally the Frambozen is my favorite, but who can pass up a great Sunshine Wheat or Fat Tire. Every one is so nice and can answer all your questions about current and past beers. You can chill out, take a tour, taste some beers (try the ones you can't get on the shelf), write some postcards to losers who arn't there (they mail them for you!!!), and buy 3 growlers to get you though the next week when you can come back and refill them. Colorado LOVES new belgium, but FoCo loves them more. Lots of fun people just trying to drink some good beer. **TIP*** Don't try and go on a Sat. especially in the summer. Its a MADHOUSE with no seats.
(5)S T.
Great beer, great brewery, ok people. If you're going to do a tour, get there at opening to get the time slot you want. If you want to also get a tasting in, do it before your tour. It only gets more crowded as the day goes on. The tour was ok. I brew my own, and had a couple questions during Q&A time. I thought asking questions about their brewing practices might be appropriate during a brewery tour, but no. I got the impression I was annoying the tour guide. I did find other staff friendly and helpful.
(4)Teri P.
3 of us decided to go on the tour here on a Saturday afternoon. When we got there, all the tours were full, but the hostess said that normally some people don't show up and we can go on a waiting list. Tours start every half hour.. took 2 hours to get in, but WELL worth it!!! Our tour guide was Travis. He was friendly, knowledgable, and VERY entertaining!! First, we learned how to taste beer.. then you go through the tour and sample along the way! Highlights of the tour included: tasting of course, our tour guide riding a bike around, all the neat recycled decor around the brewery, doing a conga line back through the main drinking lounge area with our group (we decided we were going to be the fun group!), and getting to ride down a neat twirly slide at the end!! WHOO HOO!! We had a blast, and met new people in the tour group who were just as full of energy as we were to hangout with later!! =) I'd do this one again a few times!!! Best tour I've ever been on, BY FAR.
(5)Elaine E.
Of all the breweries in Colorado, this is my favorite hands down. I took my first tour my senior year of college when I was shadowing the head of marketing, Greg Owsley, and it was great. I definitely got a behind-the-scenes look and their staff was a very laid back and friendly group of people. I've been back since and have never been disappointed. I also think it's the most educational of all the tours, has great free samples and a great atmosphere. I love their emphasis on sustainability and how it's such an employee-centric company. A beautiful facility too. Most breweries are kinda dirty warehouses while NBB has really beautiful architecture, mosaics, a slide and an airstream trailer. An unbeatable combination.
(5)Meghan S.
Ok, so we went on a VIP tour set up through our distributor, Harbor, and it was truly amazing. Talk about a company that all companies should be modeled after! Burny was our tour guide, and a wonderful one was he! He told us the story of Jeff and Kim, gave us a private tasting of quite a few beers that aren't even on tap downstairs in the tasting room, and he even drew us a special Throwbacks welcome sign in the brew room. Great beer. Abbey is my favorite. Although Joe's Voodoo Ale was great too, it won the "loose lips" competition and isn't available outside of Fort Collins - such a bummer because it should be distributed for all the world to taste! Anyway, an exeptional company with exceptional employee-owners (they get a key to the brewery their very first day of working there) who brew exceptional-tasting beer. Have a taste for sure!
(5)Covey P.
free beer and great friends... need i say more? closed sun and mon and at 6pm the other days.
(5)Beau K.
I like beer, a lot. New Belgium is a fun one to visit, few downers are, no outside seating, can not buy a pint to drink there, and it will fill up quickly during busy hours its not worth it. If you are a tourist, its a must do though.
(4)Megan H.
New Belgium Represent. My boyfriend instantly thought I was the 'meat' when he knew that I only buy NB...or 'dank and dirty' beer. If it's not Sunshine Wheat, it's PBR for me, so if you like PABST BLUE RIBBON, you know this brewery's the bomb-dastic. (just kidding. they're not the same at all.) New Belgium is a quaint, awesome microbrewry and you can take TOURS every day (10a-6p except Sundays.) You can take self-guided tours OR hook up with a guide. (Guided tours are offered at 1, 2, and 3pm Monday through Friday and from 11-4 every hour on Saturdays.) After you work at NB for a year, the owners give you a sweet bicycle. Almost every employee rides their bike to work so when you go to the brewery, there are a bunch of old-school, colorful bikes that make you instantly want to work there. The samples are big and plentiful. The people are friendly, funny, kind, and know their product. And the factory has a super great 'I'm Indepenent -- Love Me' feel. It's a lovefest at the brewery and mama don't give her love for free.
(5)Michael M.
I really love what this place does, but I wouldn't visit again. It is definitely a tourist destination, and has the lines and crowds one would expect. It took a while to get a sample, but I could see it was going to be like that when I walked in. The beer was very good, but there were no more tours for the day, so I just walked around the place with my brother reading the little information blurbs on the wall. I enjoyed myself and I liked seeing New Belgium and finding out about some of their programs, including how much they do to reduce their carbon footprint. I also enjoyed getting to try the Lips of Faith, which I didn't even know existed. They had two different varieties tapped and both were unique and delicious. I would recommend you get there early if you go and do your shopping through their website if you gotta have something with a logo on it.
(3)Tracey Lee D.
Ah, NBB! I think that one would be hard pressed to find a bar in the state of Colorado that doesn't have Fat Tire on tap, or at least available in bottles. It possible that Fat Tire is the unofficial state beer. Move over Coors, New Belgium is moving in! Every visit that I made their brewery while I lived there was a fun-filled adventure. They have brewery tours, free beer tasting, retail items and just damn good times. The people that work there are all quite knowledgeable, and super friendly. If you are you are new to the area, are visiting or have friends/family visiting, you must take a trip to this brewery. It is required. Their Sunshine Wheat is my favorite wheat beer out there. Toss in an orange wedge, and you are all set. I am so glad that you can find New Belgium Brews in the Bay Area!
(5)Brian C.
What to say, what to say... New Belgium is by far the number one place to stop when in Fort Collins. After living in FoCo for 5 years I have learned to love and appreciate everything having to do with New Belgium, from their wonderful beers, the lovely liquid center, fantastic Tour de Fat, and their incredible contributions to the city. I could go on and on and on about the beers born here so I will leave the tasting up to you, every trip to the liquid center can be different due to the number of seasonal and specialty brews which are always fantastic. As you walk into the liquid center be prepared to meet your fellow beer fans, its wide open and you are sure to meet new friends. An update from their old system ou need to flash your ID at the front door and get your tokens(aka bottle caps) you only get three which is a downgrade from the past but a little sweet talking can lead to more. Now find yourself a seat, grab a beer menu and a NB employee will be around quickly to take your order, one beer at a time trading a glass for a token. Enjoy the wonderful brew and make some new friends. Bring your dog, ride your bike, follow your folly...long live New Belgium
(5)Gabrielle D.
In an effort to keep this short and sweet...ditto to every single review with 5 stars. This place is freaking awesome! Free beer? Yes please!! I don't live anywhere near CO anymore and I am always looking for ways to get me some Fat Tire beer in North Carolina where I live now. It's liquid heaven.
(5)T. W.
Taking the tour was the highlight of my trip to Fort Collins. DO IT!
(5)Em-eye-gee P.
Okay, it's kind of a wash. It's a brewery. You know what you're getting, it's like any other brewery (the only difference being the specific brews in question.) It's not really arguable that New Belgium's brews are the shit. This is without question. And the way they do it-- free tasting of the four brews of your choice-- is great. And of course they're eco-friendly, bike-friendly, happy and hippie, life is good, and all that, and they have a good amount of merch there. So-- why only two stars? --limited hours; --limited serving; and --the crowdedness, and the crowd itself. This was what really killed it for me. The hours are limited, and the serving is too-- after you taste your four, you're done. You can't sit there and continue to drink. They'll tell you "this is a tasting room, not a bar." I do guess that this is a good thing-- it keeps turnover up, and keeps people from camping out there for hours so that new people can't come in, but god dammit I wanted an actual Fat Tire after I tasted my four and was a bit annoyed that they wouldn't give me one. (And because of this, I'm not sure if I'd say it's "good for groups"-- technically, it is, but you have to factor in that they don't want you to linger all that long when you're done.) That I could accept. But sadly, the crowd is what really killed it for me the most. It's a bitch to navigate your way around a place that gives out free beer, that much is obvious. But there was something about the crowd itself that just made me feel kind of grimy and ready to leave. It was wall to wall with the "backward-wearing fitted baseball cap goatee frat guy" type, hogging the aisles, spilling out of the bathroom, taking chairs without asking, elbowing their way up to the bar, standing in doorways, sitting there in giant groups tying up tables long after they finished their samples... that kind of thing. So yes, I could sample four amazing brews for free... but I found myself thinking that I would have enjoyed it so much more if I'd just shelled out and bought a New Belgium 12-pack and drank it with a few friends. Somewhere else.
(2)Howard J.
This place is AWESOME! Well worth the visit. Tours can be booked up, and so can the brewery, because it is popular. So plan accordingly. Waiters are laid back, retail section is great, you can send a free postcard anywhere on these cool new belgium postcards! New Belgium beer selection is always great, seasonal offerings, and some limited editions too. Great vibe, chill place, Ill be back for a second round guys!!!!!!!
(5)Frankie B.
New Belgium is great. I have been a fan of theirs pretty much from the start. Their fat tire beer is still one of my all time favorites.
(4)Chris S.
yeah if you go to fort collins which I strongly suggest, you MUST go here. The tour is actually entertaining and informative , it's a great beer company run by employees who own a stake in the company. They said that after a year with the company they give you a bicycle which is symbolic of their flagship brew 'fat tire' and also symbolic of their dedication to keeping this earth green. great place. You can even watch them packing the beer in the bottling plant which also includes a ping pong table and the company encourages the employees to kick back and have some fun while still putting in a productive day. After the tour you can hang out in the pub and sample all the beer.
(5)Carlos S.
New Belgium Brewing Company is the Mecca for Micro-Brews. I took the short drive to Fort Collins. When you walk into the gift shop make sure you try the different brews: they have several seasonal brews that you may not know about. I took the tour which was AWESOME one gets an inside look into how the beer is manufactured. Moreover, there are plenty of stops to get your drink on. Make sure you make a trek down the slide. Also walking home with NBB gear for the office or home is the way to GO! By the way FAT TIRE is the best beer around New Belgium Brewery is home to FAT TIRE. Enjoy
(5)Brian D.
New Belgium's commitment to sustainability, biking, wind power, and quality brews is inspiring.
(5)Scott F.
Great beer! Great place! I've already been on 2 tours and can't get enough La Folie. This place inspired em to become a home brewer. Maybe, someday, I can work at a place like this.
(5)Del A.
Free beer! Need I say more?? Ok, I will say more... a GREAT way to start the evening in Ft. Collins (free beer) nice sampler (free beer) knowlegable staff (free beer) quirky setting (free beer) fun atmosphere (free beer)!!!
(5)Carrie O.
As if I need to echo the other reviewers (but I will anyway) this place is awesome! They have a really fun tour & you get to sample a bunch of the brews once you're done! You also get to see a really neat business in operation (I appreciate them being environmentally conscious & ethical in operation). And I do have an affinity for their Sunshine, even if I rarely drink it.
(5)Tanya W.
These guys are great. Fat Tire is awesome and the brewing headquarters is a must visit. I love what the company is representing -- locally owned, green, sustainable. Highly recommended.
(5)Chuck M.
Hello this is my mecca! First off you'll see tons of bikes as an employee you'll get a new belgium cruiser for one year with the company. There's some stuff outside to check out like an old airstream pull along trailer. You get inside and it's full of their stuff shirts, post cards etc. The real treasure here is the beer of course. The owner and his wife were slinging this beer out of their basement and blew up. The other really cool thing about this spot is they'll give you free beer!...and a tour if you are interested. This is my favorite beer they have many seasonal's and there at the brewery they have a brewing contest every so often so you can try what the employees are experimenting with. The cool thing about these guys is they are an employee run and owned company. Every employee has a say, so a few years back they decided to not get raises and go to wind power out of Wyoming. So this is eco friendly beer as well. You do your self an injustice if you love beer and you don't hit this spot. In my opinion they are the Sam Adams of the west coast and on their way to distribution every where as I know you can't get their beer in all 50 states....yet.
(5)John R.
This beer will make you wish you were in old Belgium. I lived in Fort Collins for three years. I wish I could support this brewery for their great environmental practices. But aside from being pretentious to the point of nausea, there's a much bigger problem- Their beer sucks!!!!!!!!!!!! Very bland and every "new" brew they come out with tastes like some slightly different version of Fat Tire. They have an entire functional brewing system downstairs that they show you on the tour. Why not use it? Take some chances, try to make something with a little more flavor. They've become too big for that now. I've tried beer from just about every microbrewery in the state and can honestly say that New Belgium's is the worst by far. Fat Tire and Sunshine Wheat have become nothing more than the next step up from Coors or Budweiser. I challenge every fan of NB to try real Belgian beer. Go to the Stonehouse and have a Chimay on draft. If you have any taste buds whatsoever, you'll never go back. Or, if you want to support something local go around the corner to Odells. Last year I tried their Bourbon Stout on draft which was only available at the brewery. Yummy! Use your brains people, and stop being fooled by some trendy label with a bicycle on it. Life's too short to drink Fat Tire!
(1)Kevin Q.
fun place to hang out, always packed, large variety and great beer
(4)Eddie G.
if your gonna stop by fort Collins and you even remotely like the taste of beer, make this a priority during your stay in town. well worth it, even for kids I'd image... wait, don't know if they allow kids in the brewery..
(5)Paul M.
The king of beers! Fat Tire got me through college. Great company, great employees and great beer. They are doing things right every step of the way. Hit their website and read up on everything they are doing.
(5)Michelle F.
Go there for the bike-in movies! It's a ton of fun to ride down Mountain with everybody. If you don't "drink" bring your own lemonade or water--very Colorado. Take a quilt and jacket along!
(4)laurie l.
If you are rating them for free beer, then certainly they deserve 5 stars, but for the overall tour/ brewery experience, they could improve and I agree whole-heartedly with other reviewers who state they are over-rated and over-hyped. They do have very talented marketers, that is obvious. Where to start? The counter staff are generally disinterested and rude. Maybe that is cool, and I'm not cool enough to get it. The tour guide we had went on and on about how cool New Belgium is, not much about the beer or brewing or anything substantive. And yeah go down a slide, meh. That said, they do have some standout Lips of Faith brews- showcase those, educate people on what makes your beer special besides "we are cool and fun". Treat your clients like grown-ups, really I don't mind being old. and uncool. I like to spend money on interesting beer. Check out Odell's up the street. They have phenomenal beer, great counter people, and it's by far my favorite brewery. No slide, sigh.
(2)Mikel W.
This place rocks!!! Great people running it with an outstanding tour and chatting with the locals was a lot of fun. Great people in Ft. Collins that love to talk beer.
(5)Phil R.
what can i say? this place is amazing. free beer. got on a tour without a reservation. with two toddlers. the tour was a little long, and we had to duck out at the end (toddlers) but it was really interesting and fun. the beer here is king. highly recommend if you are in the area.
(5)David F.
This place is awesome. I went here when I was on vacation and had a blast. They let you sample 4 beers for free. The guys working behind the bar are great in knowing what you should try and having a good conversation with. Even if you miss out on the tour you can walk around on your own tour of the facilities. This is worth checking out if you can. Not to mention that their beer is excellent.
(5)Alissa G.
Skip the Coors tour and come here! The building and grounds are beautiful and characters that work for NB are quirky and hilarious! The well known Fat Tire is worth the visit, but by far my favorite is the Blue Paddle Pilsner and Skinny Dip is a close 2nd... wish I could get BP in LA! This company is awesome, sustainable, and good to employees. They may seem happy because they get a ration of free "e beer" to take home, a beach cruiser for each year they work there, and I think my friend who brews for them is getting sent to Belgium this year for his 10th with the company. A perfect day in FoCO?? Go to Snooze for breakfast, float the Poudre on inner tube or have a riverside picnic, then stop to try a few brews for free before 5pm. From there? Everyone seems to go to the Rio and get really smashed. If in town be sure to check the New Belgium website for current events. In the summer they hold outdoor movies, live music events, etc etc. And don't forget Tour De Fat!! The costumed debacle which is more of a daytime door to door pub crawl on bikes than a parade!! Fun fun fun. I love this place.
(5)N K.
Not a fan... So, looking at their website, you would think that they begin handing out tickets for their tours, which are at 1, 2, and 3 o'clock , around noon maybe?? Well, when we got there at 11:00 just to be sure we would get tickets, we were told they start passing them out at 10:00 a.m. and they were already out of tickets! When we tried to explain that this might be important information to put on their website, they kind of just looked at us like they didn't care...a very LARGE strike one. So, we decided to leave and go to some other (better might I add) breweries. We came back to the brewery later in the day and this place was packed! You couldn't get a seat to save your life! You actually have to stalk people in order to get a seat because unless you are sitting in a seat, they will not serve you beer. It's utterly ricockulous! Strike Two! Finally, after stalking a group of people for about 30 minutes of wasted drinking time, we found seats. They have you mark your choices for beer and it takes about another 20 minutes to actually get the beers (four sample beers). The bartenders were rude and not friendly. Strike Three. I would much rather go to one of the more local breweries that doesn't have a stick up their a$$. Even if I have to pay for the beer. And BTW, the beer isn't that fantastic.
(2)Jim C.
Any place that gives my wife a free t-shirt despite their not yet being open deserves a great rating. We attempted to tour the brewery on the one day they were closed, came back the next day but they hadn't yet opened. Still, a worker went to the trouble to give my wife a shirt, one she'd promised to get for a friend back home. That's pretty cool.
(5)Aaron J.
I recently took a trip to the Denver area to visit friends, and was excited to check out New Belgium. Fat Tire is what they are known for, and their different varieties of beer are equally fantastic. The brewery itself is a first class operation. I have a toured Coors and for New Belgium being a much smaller brewery, they sure had a lot of state of the art facilities and equipment. On top of that, they really push to be an environmentally friendly operation in every way. We made a reservation for a brewery tour and I highly recommend you take the tour! We were treated to an hour long tour that really gave a full look at their whole process from brewing to packaging. They are not stingy at all with letting you try their beer. All of their beers have that Belgium beer taste. I enjoyed the Two Below winter seasonal. If you like beer, even just a little bit, Fort Collins' New Belgium is a must!
(5)Jenn M.
Free Beer! Yeah, I know it should have 5 stars if it gives away beer, but it's always really crowded (because it gives away free beer). Also, they close at 7 p.m. and children are allowed in because it's not considered a bar. Other than those couple of negatives though, you still have free beer and it's really good beer, you get to pick 5 (I think) to sample. They're mostly pretty good. They also usually give away free goodies, like bottle openers and stickers and.... you can go in and write postcards to your friends or yourself or your cats (new belgium postcards which are also used in all the local bars as coasters) and they will add the postage and mail them for you. We send them to anyone's address we can think of whenever we go. The company is awesome. They're very environmental with more than a nod to sustainability. They operate using wind power. They're really good to their employees. They provide the Bike-In Movie for 8 or so weeks towards the end of the summer. They're just plain fun and they're one of the few things in Fort Collins that is really fun.
(4)Brent C.
Although most everyone has tried, or at least heard of, Fat Tire and some of the other delicious New Belgium brews, I still feel that this is one of the better all around breweries in America. I was fortunate enough to have a family friend give me a behind the scenes tour of the facility, where I found myself drinking freshly bottled, as well as aged, La Folie at the top of their fermentation tanks. Absolutely grand. If you are new to New Belgium beers, then start with the standard brews and move on up. If you are a Fat Tire veteran then I would recommend branching out to the Lips of Faith beers they release every now and again. These are beers that have been created by the New Belgium employees and entered into a company contest. Whoever wins, gets bottled. Besides all of the brew, it goes without saying that this establishment is very green, making Colorado cows the happiest, mashiest cows in America!
(5)Patrick L.
A tour of New Belgium is a must for any visitor to northern Colorado. It's an education how a company can be environmentally conscious and a spectacular success at the same time! They have tours weekdays and on Saturdays. While you wait, you can get a free flight of samplers. Not all the beers will look familiar. Fat Tire and Sunshine Wheat are the ones everyone knows, Abbey ale and 1554 are connoisseur's favorites, and Mothership Wit is my favorite as a local. New Belgium also is a showhouse for Fort Collins' passion for biking. See also Bean Cycle, Full Cycle, Road 34. Be sure to send a postcard back home.
(5)Miss C.
atmosphere: 5 service: 5! drink: 5! The New Belgium Brewery is one of the things/places that *make* Fort Collins and northern CO for that matter. The tour is awesome, the brews are great, the company is a model of how companies ought to be run and managed, the entire experience is great. you can go on a crazy busy saturday afternoon or on a chill weekday and it's still an awesome experience. the staff love their jobs and it shows-- all the way from the service, their disposition, and to the brews themselves. best recommendation-- at peak times, bike to the brewery and avoid the full parking lot. and if you're buying beer there regularly, better to purchase the refillable jug of 64 oz and make an afternoon of it. i heart new belgium!
(5)Mon C.
so i'm not a biggest fan of beers.. but for some reason i fell in love with their seasonal beer "skinny dip".. (too bad it's only released every summer) this brewery is amazing. i love everything about it. the tastings are free and you're allowed up to 4-5 beers of choice. the brewery is quaint and full of character. they sell a ton of NB paraphernalia (shirts, hoodies, posters.. etc) and of course beer.. in addition they offer group or self guided tours. you walk in, seat yourself, and a server will warmly great you and serve you your samples.. quick, simple and painless.. the servers are great, they know their beers and are extremely helpful and friendly. NBB is on the same street as a bunch of other breweries, so you can easily go up the street and sample a bunch of beers. it's like the napa valley of colorado, but beer. i heart new belgium!
(5)Jessalyn A.
Some damn good beers - not only are they like 99% environmentally-friendly (they recycle waste, turn it into methane and use it for ELECTRICITY, they clean 98% of their water, they compost, and turn packaging materials into chairs), but they are worker-owned! They are also pro-bikes and if you need a free patch kit you can pick one up here. Then tour the place and you will get to go down a twisty slide and sample four types of their awesome selection, also for free! Top faves being the raspberry beer and the only-available-in-Ft-Collins brewed-in-French-wine-caskets beer which actually tastes like kombucha (this is a good thing!). If my best friend moves to Fort Collins as indeed he may, at least I have New Belgium to look forward to, along with lots of white people, strip malls, SUVs, Republicans, and snow. Best post-Christmas getting drunk with my cousins in a really boring town ever.
(5)Nate K.
Ever have a FAT TIRE? This is probably the world's best beer. Fat Tire is one of a handful of beers offered by the New Belgium Brew Co. and it is the smoothest Amber Ale you will ever try. Here is how good it is - legend has it at one time you could get Fat Tire anywhere on the West Coast, but people started to complain and the New Belgium Brew Co. pulled distribution back to Co and a few other large markets to maintain a high quality of beer -- WHO DOES THAT? Someone who really loves their beer. So if you are lucky enough to be somewhere where you can get Fat Tire - give it a try.
(5)Eric j.
First off, let me say I love beer, and it shows that the folks at New Belgium love beer too. With their 100% free tasters, wonderful staff and great atmosphere the brewery is a great place to stop by any time. That said... I just don't go in for Belgian style beer which means that I find the vast majority of their products undrinkable. When they venture away from Belgian style beers the results are a mixed bag of "tolerable" to "terrible" (I refer specifically to their winter beer which I swear tastes like moldy hops). All in all, I would have to say that this is a place I always take visitors to town, but would never in good conscience drink there myself.
(2)Mindy B.
Awesome, of course. Just can never get in for a tour because it's always booked! Otherwise, love this company.
(4)Drew D.
Coming here always makes me feel warm inside... and I don't think it's just the beer. I love the layout, love the people, love the samples. And that's just the tasting room! This is a perfect place for good times. Pumpkick is my second favorite pumpkin beer that I've tasted (first is by a brewery here in AZ called Sun Up), but really it wins because I can get it in bottles. :-) But 2 Below? Also a wonderful seasonal beer. NB has been delivering for years now! I could spend all day in their tasting room. This visit was the first time I had been here since about 2001, and it was great to see how much New Belgium has grown and changed positively.
(5)Francisco M.
Wow this brewery was awesome. Already liked New Belgium beers, but now...love them! Tried some very interesting beers there and found out that I need to explore my options way more. They gave us so many samples that I was definitely out of it by the end of the tour. Didn't help that we had already been to another brewery right before we here. Good thing I had a few pals with me and not driving.
(5)Matt M.
They have spammed my spotify account for too long. I hear the ad in my sleep, and the jingle plays all day in my head during work. Their beers are fine. Nothing too daring but pretty solid. That's why I'm giving 2 stars instead of 1. I never want to think about these people again.
(2)Ben B.
We have two huge complaints about this brewery 1. It is not close enough to where we live 2. They have not changed their hours to work around my work schedule in order for us to come more often. Seriously though this is definitely our favorite brewery. The year round beers especially the IPAs can be found in our fridge most of the time. The seasonal and specialty beers however are some of the most unique and flavorful beers you can find. Sure I have been places that had a couple beers that were more unique, however there is always something new here that will surprise you in the best way. Amazing beer aside, we found this to have the best tour of any brewery we have visited. It is definitely worth a trip just for the tour, but despite the quality of the business the service is what pleased us the most. Everyone is a pleasure to meet, especially our first bar tender Chad. I returned about two weeks after my first visit, and again there was Chad who not only recognized and greeted my girlfriend and I as soon as he saw us, but actually remembered my name. I have never had a bartender or server at any establishment that has been as exceptional as Chad.
(5)Michael W.
This is my favorite beer company, hand down! The beer is always amazing, and they are always working on a new lips of faith. The tour, as many others have said, is the best I have been to. Always fun and filled with plenty of free beer. I have to make a 3 hour drive to the brewery, but am glad to do it because it is well worth it. If looking to take the tour, make sure to book well in advance. The tours fill up very quickly due to their popularity. You can always go to the brewery, enjoy the tasting room, and try to get in a tour as a standby. This place reminds me of willy wonka due to the creativity and wackiness of this place. Amazing, amazing, amazing! The beer is always life changing and the people there make you enjoy it even more. While in Fort Collins, this is a must do!
(5)Mike B.
New Belgium is a must see brewery if you're in the area. Great beers and an awesome, free tour. The tours are booked solid for weeks in advance, but were added to the wait list and were able to join the first tour of the day. Each staff member we interacted with was friendly and welcoming. Scott, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and entertaining.
(5)Caroline U.
It's like the Chipotle of the Indian food world. Good food, but crazy expensive. For $13 a plate I could go to an Indian restaurant with a full menu. The staff working there was really friendly and helpful.
(3)Haile S.
Love this place.Always great tours and fun people. Tours book up fast but are worth the wait.
(5)Erika M.
Loved this tour! Not only is it super education, fun, and laid back, you also get about five four ounce glasses of beer! A reservation is a must, the self guided tour is just not the same. You begin in the shop/bar/check-in area. The hoppy smell is noticed right away. From the check-in you move to the area where the hops are prepped, and are on to your second glass of beer by now. The next area is the barrels, they are beautiful and old, oh and glass three. Did I mention they have an indoor rock wall for employees? Next you observe bottling and glass four. From bottling you move to canning and glass five. You finish up with a trip down the twisty slide. I'll tell you what, if I lived in Ft. Collins, I would go here regularly. If they put in a restaurant, I would never leave.
(5)Trevor K.
I just wanted to reach out and thank you for the amazing time we were shown while touring your facility this past Friday afternoon. We were excited to visit the brewery as we are all fans of your product, and excited to learn a bit more of the story behind the brewery. We have all toured many breweries from all over North America so weren't expecting a great deal of difference outside from a few tidbits of info - but you most definitely proved us wrong. From the first minute on the facility grounds we were met by staff who were welcoming and engaging. They were no doubt extremely passionate about their time at New Belgium. During a weekend where hundreds if not thousands of visitors were "invading" your workspace - every single person boasted a genuine smile and were as excited to meet us as we were to meet them. The tour itself was an experience like none I've ever received at a brewery or distillery. Jason T was an outstanding guide. His knowledge of the brewery & process was unparalleled and his enthusiasm impossible to match. We had such an amazingly interactive experience that will be hard to forget. I know I can speak for my whole group when I say that you have something special in your employees. Thanks so much for letting us get to know your brewery a bit better - I look forward to both visiting you again, as well as drinking countless pints of New Belgium beer in the near future.
(5)Jerry L.
I really like their Fat Tire Beer and my wife is a fan of the Sunshine (as long as it comes with an orange slice). If you haven't been on their tour it's a must do in Fort Collins, especially if you have friends or family in town.
(4)David F.
First, I love Belgium beer. Fun place to try different brews and love their Octoberfest beer.
(5)Tanya E.
We went to the brewery as a team building event. They have an ESOP plan similar to the type my company offers. Very impressive company. The tour was informative and fun! I went down the slide! The tasting room is full of energy. I know so much more about beer now.
(5)Jesse S.
After visiting several different breweries in Fort Collins and going on a couple tours I have to say that New Belgium was my favorite. The place is just cool. There are cool decorations, the tour is fun and upbeat (not to mention they give you lots of free beer) and they have a slide you can go down at the end of the tour. I seriously would love to work at this place. It just looks like a lot of fun, and what other workplace gives you a free bike after you work there a year? Besides all the cool stuff, their beer is solid too. They have something for everyone. I'm not a huge fan of hops and this is one of the few places that doesn't go crazy with hops in everything.
(5)Elyse L.
I am not a beer drinker, but since moving to Colorado from Florida I have to make some changes to fit in. Hence going on a brewery tour to gain more insight on the subject and to taste some fantastic beer! This was not just any brewery tour as I found out. This is a small, unique, happy place that brews some delicious beer. Our tour guide was the epitome of Colorado beautiful. She was laid back, natural, and drank beer with us during the sampling! She told us about the brewery's history and then showed us the brewing area upstairs. When we came downstairs and outside, she showed us all of the unique bicycles that you are free to take on a ride around town. And, she explained that each employee gets a New Belgium Brewery bicycle for their first year anniversary! For the employee's fifth year anniversary, the go off to Belgium for an all-expenses paid vacation! By the end of the anniversary speech, I asked the guide if they are hiring paramedics. She said no, so I bowed my head in sadness and continued on. Who would not want to work there?! So on we went into a large room of giant barrels of beer and a rock climbing wall. Our guide explained that this is where some of the beer ages. I didn't care though...I was more intent on finding out why there was a rock climbing wall. She said that the employees can come up with their own fun things to do as part of their seniority, so one guy asked for a rock climbing wall. I also saw a table tennis set on the canning floor and a pool table in the bottling section. I saw a guy rolling around on a skate board to get from one end of the warehouse to the other. I really want a job there. We ended the tour with a summary of the company's motto and belief system. The gist of it was to have fun, so we ended the tour at a slide which I slid down and nearly got stuck because I did not tuck my legs in enough and ended up laughing hysterically. I went to the bathroom four times on the tour and that is important information because they give you bathroom breaks and that is important because you sample a lot of beer. And I mean a lot. Go there. You will fall in love with the beer and with the employees. They seem to genuinely love their job and that made me very happy to be there and want to drink their beer!
(5)Jesse M.
The feeling I get from the tour is that the brewery has experienced amnesia and only knows about its beginnings because somebody told him. NB really had a cool beginning, but with as large of a scale they're working at today, all the love has been machined out of the beer. If you've already had your fill of love and just want some free booze, then you can't take the tour enough. Fat Tire was my gateway beer to good beer. I am thankful for that. Fat Tire is one step away from being macrobrew. I am not a fan of that. All of their beers are high quality. I am thankful for that. Most of their beers, save some Lips of Faith, are of relatively low artistry compared to the other thousands of breweries out there (man, if I didn't sound like a schmuck saying that).
(3)TJ R.
I absolutely love this place. As someone who comes from Oklahoma and has limited options, new Belgium blows me away. The selection is huge and the personalities are ever better. I've been here three times now and have loved every minute. If you want fresh, great tasting beer, then pick up a 6 pack or stop on in to New Belgium Brewery!
(5)Nichole C.
New Belgium has been a favorite Colorado brewery of mine for some time, so it was a must-visit on our trip from Chicago. As we walked up to the brewery, I was instantly hit by the delicious smell of grain...I'll tell you, that NEVER gets old. The brewery is HUGE and boasts a pretty cool tour, decent food from the food truck out front, and whole lot to see (from what I've heard), but we ended up just stopping in for a couple of tasters on our way out to Longmont. SO MANY BEERS...SO LITTLE TIME. Anyway, we were slightly disappointed that most everything at the brewery we had already seen and tried in Chicago, BUT the beer was delicious as always, regardless. I mean, I guess the good thing about their wide-spread distribution is that we can actually enjoy their beers at home and don't have to come all the way back out to Colorado to get them again. My favorites are the Rampant and the Ranger IPAs but they have a lot of other beers that are great too. I don't think I've ever tried a New Belgium beer I hated, really. Overall, if you haven't been on a tour before, check theirs out. If you haven't had their beer before, this is a MUST SEE (or must taste?). And if you HAVE had lots of tours and beers, it's worth it anyway, because it's a beautiful place with beautiful beers. D'awwwwww.
(5)Kerry B.
These guys brew one of our favorite beers, Rampant IPA. Have been enjoying their brews in Austin for some time now, so when we visited Denver we knew we wanted to come here. The brewery itself is about an hour drive from where we were staying, definitely worth the road trip up here. The brewery tasting room is large and has plenty of bartenders. Our bartender was very friendly and informative. All the beers we sampled from their seasonal menu were awesome. You just can't go wrong here. There is a brew for everyone. The merchandise section here is very cool, scored a Rampant IPA shirt for $20. Highly recommend.
(5)Eugene W.
Tour= five stars, have been on MORE than my fair share in the last 20 years. This is close to the best I have been on. Nice balance of quantity of samples with educational value. Tasting room - 4.5 stars, nice space, nice selection, ok servie, lots of room Beer - 3.5 - 4 stars. I am spoiled as I got to have the stuff before they grew to such a huge distribution. Quality is not what it used to be. Also the belgium focus and inspiration they have is vamanos. Maybe it is because it is now 100% employee owned, but focus has shift more to making lots and lots of $$$. Nothing wrong with it, but quality suffers when you quanitities get so large that QC becomes more flexible. Bottom line the tasting room and tour are worth the visit.
(4)Jessica B.
Great tour free tour. It's hot during the tour wear layers. 90 minutes long. You'll try several beers and you hear the history. It's a great insight into this employee owned company and their techniques. Before or after the tour try the Yuzu!
(5)Emlchach C.
Fantastic beer, fantastic atmosphere. New Belgium kind of speaks for itself I think...
(5)Dan M.
Love this place, Have some of the happiest workers around and by far the friendliest willing to explain anything about the company, and have the knowledge as well, tells you they really love to work there and do there job.
(5)Renee M.
While I went as a fan of New Belgium beers, I thought I knew what to expect on a tour. I was proved wrong. I was amazed at the delivery and level of passion of my tour guide and was amazed by the tour. 1.) the tour is free and they give you beer (GREAT BEER) throughout the tour process. 2.) as a tour guide I was definitely critiquing the guide. She was INCREDIBLE. 3.) as a Recreation and parks major I was amazed at the recreational integration that has been put into the Mother Ship. 4.) BEER! 5.) It is an extremely laid back and comfortable atmosphere. By far, one of my favorite brewery tours I've ever taken!
(5)Shannyn J.
Best tour in town! And the beer's not bad either! ;-)
(5)Justin O.
Found heaven here in the cool town of Fort Collins. Tried a lot of their beers which were all great. The sours were most memorable and good!
(5)Artie L.
Incredible staff and the beer is perfect! Take the tour, you won't regret it!
(5)Mary W.
We took a brewery tour with Erin as our guide, and it was the most fun we could have had with our clothes on! We tasted tons of delicious beers and sours, and learned all sorts of amazing facts about the history of New Belgium. This is an amazing company that gives back ten fold to the community. We should all be so lucky to work in such a great place... At least we get to visit it!
(5)Chris L.
This place is awesome. It has a food vibe, great people and great drinks. This brewery had a ton of great drink options and everyone is going to find something they like except if you don't like beer. Haha. If you do not have reservations for the tour then the wait-list can be long. Luckily the tour guide took an extra 10 people so I was able to go on tour. If you are on the wait-list they will call people every half hour and you have to be within listening distance when they call your name or will move on to another group. The tour is an hour and a half long and you get to try a lot of beer. I believe I had seven different taster glasses throughout the tour and if you answer questions correctly then you will get more beer. The factory was really nice and learned a lot. At first I was not really a fan of New Belgium but after going on your I am definitely a fan. I never had a sour beer and was not sure I would like it but it was great. Great place to go and hangout and spend time with friends. I suggest drinking water before and after so that you can drive home after. :)
(5)Tow M.
Great beer, great employee policies and an amazing tour. This is what all American breweries should strive for. My most notable expirience from the tour was when offered a fresh Ranger IPA from a can I reluctantly tried one (i'm not a big fan of Ranger). The tour guide mentioned it was not as fresh as they normally provide to the tour guest as it came off the line 2 hours ago. Holy crap the freshest most crisp IPA I have ever had. 10/10 highly recommend the tour.
(5)Jenna B.
I am a Fort Collins native, and every time I have people from out of town visiting, we go to New Belgium! Their tour is get and entertaining! Don't forget to ride down the slide!
(5)Kim P.
Being from San Diego it's easy to get spoiled on microbrewerys. But here in FoCo you have a prime and top of the line establishment that is actually going fairly global as we speak. I see it everywhere I go now. Pretty cool. There are food trucks usually always outfront in the pedestrian area and pretty great selection. The beers are exceptional and you can chill on the lawns for as long as you want. Also, try and attend a Tour De Fat when they tour the country. It is a can't-miss experience
(5)Rick T.
Everyone makes you feel at home here. We were lucky enough to get a 7 minute private tour. We had two nice sour ales and a winter beer two minutes off the line. The tour guide went out of his way to accommodate our schedules. The beer was very very fresh with the lines flushed every couple of minutes to ensure the very best. We tried several of the best beers which I can't name hint I had a good time at the brewery. Passionate people educating people like me who think they know beer. Fat tire will be opening a brewery in Asheville, NC several hours from my home town. I would be glad to visit and sample some ales! Shout to the tour guide who gave us the tour you rock!
(5)Wendell F.
Beer soooo delicious, tour so fun....what else can be said? NEW BELGIUM!
(5)Colleen J.
By far one of the best breweries I have been to! The tour is FREE and spectacular, the beer is varied and refreshing, and their tasting room prices are legit. I am considering a trip back to Ft Collins simply to visit New Belgium again. The only downside is the difficulty in making a reservation online, because there are NEVER spots open. If you're unable to get a res and have a small group (no more than 6) I suggest heading to the brewery and rolling the dice on standby slots for a couple of tours. OR, if you've got the time just sitting on the reservation page and refreshing like a mad man until something opens. If it does, attack immediately. You might get in, you might not. Either way it is worth the visit, tour or no tour!
(4)Jenni K.
How can you not give the best brewery every 5 stars? We weren't sure if we could get on the tour since they were booked up for the summer. So we went to the bar to order some tasters and wait (our names were on the standby list) and the bartender gave us some tasters on the house since we were from out of town! Score! Second score came when some people didn't show up for the booked tour and we were given their place. They give you PLENTY of beer at each stop on the tour, some of which you can't get anywhere else. The tour guide was amazing. Super energetic, you could tell that he loves New Belgium. And it was the last tour of the day. NB will also supply & mail postcards for you, so bring some addresses if you want to make relatives jealous. If you take the tour, definitely go down the slide. Its a short swirly thing and tall people need to crunch themselves up in a ball. But its fun, so do it.
(5)Gerold S.
We went on our 5 day vacation in Fort Collins 3 times to New Belgium, because on 2 of our 5 days they were closed ***lol*** What a friendly staff here and all of their huge variety of beers were outstanding. The tap room is really nice and you can write New Belgium postcards to everybody in the whole world for no cost. They know exactly what they are doing in their business. I am supporting them by buying their beers in the grocery store. Thanks New Belgium for the great experience and friendly atmosphere at your location in Fort Collins!
(5)Nicole H.
We came into CO for a long weekend and couldn't leave without visiting New Belgium Brewery. We heard they had a great tour but WOW we were surprised by just how amazing it was! Our hour and a half tour was guided by a gentleman who'd been with the company for 10 years- between sampling 5 beers and hearing his stories we could see why the company has seen such success over the years. Plan an afternoon up here with friends- be sure to call ahead as tours tend to fill up!
(5)Christi K.
For a company that started in a basement, New Belgium has come a long way.The 7th largest brewery in the US. 100% employee owned. And... building a second brewery in Asheville, NC! New Belgium is simply amazing. Everything from their beers, to beautiful artwork adorning the bottles, to employee owned business model, to having a job title called the Director of Fun! A few tips... - If you want to take a brewery tour, book it in advanced (1 month should do it, as you you cannot reserve tours that are more than 2 months away from today). Or, you can chance it and just go to the brewery. Sometimes people will no-show and you can get in on a tour. They run tours every 30 minutes, so it's worth a shot. The tours are 90 minutes long and you get plenty of samples along the way. You'll learn a ton about the brewery's history and you'll get to see and experience all sorts of neat stuff. The sour room is the best part!! Oh, and the fun slide! The metal burns on exposed skin are worth the cost of admission! - The Liquid Center, aka taproom, is awesome. They have tons of awesome NB beers to taste. Don't miss the Lips of Faith series. Get a growler filled. Pick up tons of NB swag. Send a free postcard and make friends jealous. When the weather is nice, there is a beautiful covered patio with a complete Rolle Bolle court for you to enjoy. Take a trip up to FoCo to visit New Belgium. It's worth it.
(5)Tony T.
Take the tour! Taste the beers! Be marry! During the tour, the guide leads us into the backrooms where all the beers were. There was also a room where they did the science behind the taste. That caught my attention. No doubt one of the best experiences. The whole place was packed with good people and great drafts. I ended getting some tasters for just a few bucks a glass. You can definitely taste the difference between the bottles you get from the stores versus what they had on tap in the brewery. When I was great my tab, the nice lady handed me the check and a free "on the house" tasters of one of their unique blends. I forgot what it was called, but it was delicious. When I was about to tip her, she noted that New Belgium does not accept tips. I was very surprised. The employees work there because they love to work there. I will definitely come back here whenever the next time I am in town.
(5)Rob M.
Always a great stop! The best beer tour for touring-sake in Fort Collins.
(5)Michelle L.
We were so lucky to get on the brewery tour, even though we didn't have a reservation. It was 90 minutes and completely fascinating. They let you sample many beers along the way. Learned about why they are such a fantastic company. Had a great time, worth the trip to Fort Collins.
(5)Gregory P.
Spent a few hours here sampling beer, sitting outside and eating tacos from the nearby vendor. Staff is great, even giving out a free sample to help celebrate a bartenders birthday. Just a great low-key atmosphere to chill and enjoy being with family / friends. Did not take the tour, but looks like fun too. Oh and yes, the beer is great. :)
(5)Katie G.
My boyfriend and I were really impressed with New Belgium Brewing Company. Everything from presentation to personalization, they have it. The staff was wonderful and knowledgable and we had a fantastic time on the brewery tour. Make sure you make your reservations online and ahead of time. We got lucky and snagged two last minute tickets but that doesn't happen often we're told. I'm not going to give away any secrets from the tour but I do hope you have the same tour guide we did, he was fantastic! I can't recall his name but he's been there for eight years, can't be too many of those! This place is green, treats it's employees really, really well and makes AWESOME beer. A must see in Fort Collins!
(5)Kiyono A.
This past weekend, my sister-in-law and I found ourselves venturing to the outskirts of downtown Fort Collins, over streams, through trees, and finally into the safety of New Belgium. It was love at first sight. The chairs made out of bike rims, the sweet smell of hops, the beer. What more can a girl ask for? Well, I'll tell you what, the La Terroir was definitely a solid sour. I love sours, and I was not disappointed. The Harvest Saison had a nice funkiness that refreshed my palate after the sour. It was light, yet still flavorful. My favorite beer of the day though was the PumpKick. Instead of pumpkin spice lattes in fall, I go for pumpkin ales, and New Belgium nailed everything I want in my pumpkin beer. It smells like pumpkin pie spice - like fall in all its baking goodness - but when you taste it, it isn't the sickly sweet pie taste that some pumpkin beers succumb to. No, PumpKick has a bright, fresh pumpkin taste at the forefront, and then finishes off with an aftertaste of spice. So flippin delicious. On a side note, I had a bottle of PumpKick at my friend's house later that night, and it was good, but I wasn't as blown away as when I had it at the brewery. Definitely get it on tap. For me. My roommates and I already have our next trip planned, and a third is in the works so we can take the brewery tour. Make sure you book online if you want to do the tour because the spaces fill up quickly (especially on weekends)! Also, we had amazing service by a bartender whose name I can't remember (white guy, shaved head, athletic - sorry for the generalization, but NB was our last stop of a long day of drinking). He checked in on us every time our glasses were empty, took the time to describe different beers, and gave us suggestions despite how busy it was, so he deserves some major kudos. Overall, great experience, and we will be back for sure!
(5)Kyra W.
This place is awesome! Book the tours in advance but it is well worth it. They give you lots of tasty beers to try and the bartenders are great.
(5)Sheila H.
Fantastic tour!
(5)Nathan G.
I've toured many breweries over the years. This has to be the best tour I've been on by far. ~ Amazing beers ~ Interesting company and culture. ~ Loved the oak aging room. Far too many beers for me to review. Simply, go there and try.
(5)Emily A.
Company seems like a wonderful place there helping environment and doing a lot of cool things my only gripe would have been our tour guide. I get it it's a fun place to work for but it seemed like every second he was throwing something in our face. there a tactical way and a tacky way and he was way tacky. While we saw other tours walking around with full bottles we had tiny tiny samples which is better than nothing but we didn't take the tour to hear how they send you to Belgium and they give you free beer and they do this and that or the best one he says I have the best surprise coming up its going to blow your mind!! We were excited till we learned what it was ... It was that they have whiskey barrels filled with beer for themselves ... Uh cool?!... Seems like the tour has potential but I wouldn't take it again if I knew the older gentlemen was giving the tour ( he says he works Tuesday sat sun cause he's jobs cooler than mine ... Right)
(2)Azsure D.
Amazing story woven through a fun and tasty tour! Book your tour 8 weeks out, or show up and luck out when someone doesn't show up. The free guided tour is 90 minutes long where you sample 5 beers and tour the facility under the guidance of the happiest people on earth. Learn about the renewable energy sources and business principles. So glad I went. Nice selection of souvenirs and great staff.
(5)Jeremy M.
Seemed like it would be a nice atmosphere but didn't ever do it for me: Was visiting a friend from out of town, when we decided to go here. A friend and I waited a half hour to not get served at the bar. The bar conducted two six pack holding competitions, bartenders seemed to eye out friends and serve them, but never did I get to taste the beer. Guess you had to know someone to have a good time here. Left promptly due to a packed house, and poor service. ( although a can of the beer I wanted and got from a store later did taste decent )
(2)Nick B.
This place is so damn bad ass it's incredible! We didn't realize showing up that the tours were so popular. And because of this we almost didn't get to partake in the epic narration and learning experience that is the brewery tour. Luck would have it that they were able to accommodate us. Thank The Spaghetti Monster! The tour allows you to enjoy candid conversation with an extremely knowledgable tour guide, all the while drinking a nice glass of whatever beer you may be discussing. Every room and section of the tour you are poured a different beer and discuss it's properties and the idea behind it's creation. Not only to you discuss the beer but you are informed on the incredible history of New Belgium. Going in I didn't expect much out of the tour. I figured it would be relatively short and rather dull. But I will be sure to enjoy the tour every time I come because every tour guide gives their own flare and twist on it. If you are anywhere in Colorado and have some time to kill be sure to make your way to New Belgium to enjoy the tour and Fort Collins. Once your tour is complete you can purchase some Schwag from the gift shop or enjoy all of their beers and even some they don't mass distribute. One final note. If you have your dog they are welcome into the bar area! I so wish we would have brought our English Bulldog. Oh well, there's always next time. Set aside at least 90 min for the tour.
(5)Christopher B.
Speaking to people they tell you New Belgium isn't what it used to be but most don't outright rip on it. New Belgium is the classic success story and the result is a bigger location with MANY more patrons which means less time for bartenders to spend time with people. I guess you can't have it all. What New Belgium still has are amazing beers and a pretty cool tasting area. We particularly liked the Lips of Faith beers such as Cocoa Mole. The lychee beer is amazing if you have get a chance to try it. They had 6 bottles for $17 and they disappeared in literally 2 minutes when we were there. Crazy! The best part was going with my wife who was only coming because I really wanted to check it out. I nearly had to pull her off the seat to get her out of there. Talking about a believer! Yes, you should check this place out especially since there are so many other breweries within biking distance! Good times!
(5)Joy P.
Reservations for a tour were full when we called a few day in advance but we were encouraged to come and get on the standby list. I am so glad we did! We arrived around 1:20pm and got on the list. The 1:30 tour filled up so we waited in the bar, sampled some beer, and checked out the unique souvenir selection. Bar and patio were packed. Thankfully, we got on the 2:00. Tour guide was Mindy. She was awesome, friendly, informative, and fun. Tour is personal, and engaging. 90 minutes flew by. They serve 6, yes, SIX, beers throughout this free tour, and it ends with a ride down a slide. Hands down the best tour I have been on. Stuck around and ate at the food truck. Great atmosphere. Beautiful company- inside and out.
(5)Matt M.
interesting story and well done tour - a bunch of good people. do the slide the end and check out the airstream in the parking lot.
(5)Bryan M.
By far the best brewery tour I've been to. It's great fun, it's interactive, and there's lots of samples to be had. There's questions along the way to win bottles of beer, or cans of beer, it's just a very fun tour to go on. One that I highly recommend and would love to go back and do again anytime!
(5)Nicholas T.
Great variety of beer!! And all of the staff are very friendly, always going out of their way to make sure you are enjoying yourself and the beer you are drinking!
(5)Mark L.
I've been on dozens of brewery tours but this one is the most fun. All of the hard to find Lips of Faith brews are on tap, as well as all of the other standards. It's a rare treat to find one of my standbys, Shift, on tap anywhere. The tours book up weeks in advance, and for good reason. It's one of the most fun and informative tours around. I've found that, as long as I'm not in a rush to leave, I've been successful with just putting my name on the standby list and then hanging out at the bar. The prices are great on everything---and merch. The last time I went, I was (unfortunately) the designated driver. It was the first time I had been there without drinking beer but I especially appreciated the fact that they offer free non-alcoholic house-made flavored seltzer on tap. Obviously not a reason to go there, but one of the many thoughtful touches in this place.
(5)James J.
We were 15min for the tour, so we missed it. To amazement bartenders made us forget about this pity for the rest of a night. People that work there are very friendly and knowledgeable. A bartender never lost us out of her sight and we always had something to drink. At the end we were given 4 bottles of beer of our choice for free, and 50% off on all their accessories!
(5)German S.
I had such a bad experience in this Brewery. I'm sorry New Belgium... Well, really, you should tell ME sorry. Where should I start? I live in Colorado. A few friends came to visit me from another country so I decide to took them to the best 5 breweries I think you shouldn't miss when visiting Co. So we decide to drive all the way from Denver to Fort Collins. We arrive at 3:50pm and sign up on their 4:30 tour. We sit down on the bar and start drinking a few of their selection of beer. We drink about 2 pints each until them call us for the tour. Here it start the nightmare for me... The woman that guides the tour ask me for my stamp or ID. It happens that I left my ID in my other car and I didn't brought my Drivers license at all with me. Somebody else was driving that day but All of us are 40 years old! Plus, i was already drinking in your tap room for 1/2 hour! We doesn't look like kids and we are not kids and woman! And you knew that my bold head its not under 21, right? So, she decides to DONT serve me any alcohol at all in this tour! Also to say it pretty loud in front of all the 20 people on this tour! And make me feel completely uncomfortable to the point that on every sample station people looks at me laughing... That was a situation she totally could avoid. You know how do I know that? I own 3 restaurants lady! Here in Colorado.. I know pretty well the laws :) I served about 30-80 glasses of beer daily for about 3 years of my life, and just renew my liquor license for fifth time! Can you imagine which beer did I just took out of my restaurants menus? Can you guess which brand did I cross for the rest of my life? YES! You guess! :) I would instantly fire yo if you were representing my brand! You make this prestigious Brewery looks stupid. Also this loyal customer have the worst experience and worst week end that I had in a long time... Thats why you get 1 star! I would give you 0 if I can. You have to learn how to treat customers and also how to represent one of the biggest (iF not the biggest) craft brewery of Colorado. Btw managers! Also she was rude when customers ask her any question or interrupt her when she was giving her speech. Make it looks Like she was just repeating what she repeat 50 times a day and she was about to go home and she wants it to do it soon... So sad... I felt I was visiting Budweiser or Coors , not New Belgium craft Brewery. She said she was almost working for a year now, I wouldn't give you the bicycle, i would send you to an urgent customer service class. Before this keeps happens...
(1)Lindsay M.
We took the free tour here and it was AMAZING. Our guide was very knowledge and he was a fun guy to hang out with for the duration of the tour. You get a ton of beer samples and end the trip going down a big slide. How fun is that? We will return next time we're in FoCo.
(5)R H.
This is a drop in the bucket review, but still... Go on the tour. 5 free samples-ish, of delicious beers. I love that they local source, are so environmentally friendly, and put out great beer. I'm a huge fan of 1554, and those leading the tours are full of knowledge and hilarious stories. Ask them anything, then walk downtown for a bite to eat. Super friendly staff. Even if you can't reserve a spot on the tour, hang out and try to pop in for no-shows. It always happens.
(5)Denise D.
Great tour, great beer! Emma, our guide, was knowledgable and full of energy and personality! They are really generous with tastings, the facilities are beautiful and funky - the slide at the end is just plain fun. The atmosphere is so relaxed we hated to leave, but it is so convenient to delightful Ft. Collins eateries- we even received an excellent dinner recommendation from Emma. Kudos!
(5)Christie L.
Came here with a group of coworkers. Bartenders were great and very helpful. Beer was good. Cool atmosphere. I'd def return.
(4)Nick L.
This place is awesome for a few reasons ... 1. Free tour of the brewery 2. Free beer along the tour ... I think I had 6 samples along the way. 3. Friendly and knowledgeable staff 4. The tap room has tasting sizes 5. Very eco friendly/green company 6. There is a slide to get downstairs This is a must stop if you're in the Fort Collins area and like good beer. New Belgium pushed the envelope and is trying new things with beer all the time. Try the Lips of Faith series, there is always something different and worth trying! This is one of the better brewery tours I've been on, they do an excellent job!
(5)David H.
Not sure if this will be seen but man I really appreciate new Belgium after our visit. At first it seemed really small and crowded but then we were lucky enough to get a tour. Our tour guide Emma was the best. She was informative, nice, educated, and really represented new Belgium for what it is. I never write yelp reviews, but after visiting new belgium I had to put it up here how great the people here are. It will definitely make me buy this brand more. Thank you so much new Belgium and Emma, you guys rock. A visit is a must.
(5)Gil S.
First, I LOVE their beers. The Fat Tire has been a favorite of mine for a long time and now that I live in Colorado it has become my go-to beer. The Ranger IPA is also a classic and they have some others that are pretty good. The brewery is very nicely designed. There is a tremendous attention to details and the overall experience is great. Inside there's a bar when you can get all their beers on tap, including ones that are very hard or even impossible to get elsewhere. There is no food inside but there's a hot dog truck just outside so you can grab a beer and a hotdog and hang out. The tour is free and is HIGHLY recommended. It's just fun and you get a lot of free beer. What can go wrong? Tours can get booked real quick so better to call ahead and make sure you can get into one.
(5)Jay M.
This place is a short bike ride away from me, so I think I take it for granted. But it's a lot of the best parts of Fort Collins all rolled up into one: great beer, friendly people, fun vibe. The space is usually crowded and doesn't lend itself as well to lounging around all day (when compared to O'Dells anyway), but plan to spend at least an hour here. Also, be careful playing Rolle Bolle, that game takes forever and you'll find yourself quite drunk by the end.
(5)Paul R.
There is a beer here for everyone. After spending the weekend in Fort Collins and checking out the local beer scenery. I can say what I have always thought. Fat Tire is much much better when you are sitting and ordering it in the establishment where it is made. The bottles of fat tire you get in Orange County just don't give it justice to the delicious taste of beer off the tap at New Belgium. There was also a peach beer brew that was mighty tasty. I can't remember the full name but everyone in my group thought it was fantastic. Wish I could have taken the guided tour but it was sold out well in advance (I think a month - minus 1/2 pt). Make sure you plan your trip and book your reservation if you plan on the tour. Cheers P.S "Snow Day brew is not good!" (minus 1/2 pt)
(4)Rob B.
We came to visit Fort Collins from Charlotte, and one of the first stops on our list was the New Belgium Brewery. I've always liked Fat Tire, but haven't had any of their other brews, so I was looking forward to taking a tour and tasting. First off, New Belgium is very popular. To partake of the free tour, you have to register for it on their website...usually about three months in advance. Yet it is so worth the advance planning, as you get a lot out of your free tour. New Belgium is an interesting company in itself, with their dedication to the environment and to their own employees and community. Each tour is about an hour and a half long, with several beer and restroom stops along the way, so feel free to drink to your heart's content. Our tour guide seemed to know what she was talking about when it came to the different beers, and threw a lot of information at us, though she didn't talk about the company itself so much. We had at least five different beers on the tour, and each one was explained quite a bit by the tour guide. Aside from getting to sample a Fat Tire that was bottled less than twenty minutes before tasting, we also got to taste a few other beers. At the end of the tour they encourage you to take a ride on their metal slide, but I wouldn't recommend it as you can hear the skin scraping off the riders on their way down. The taproom is pretty sweet, and you can swing in for a beer before or after the tasting, or just for a drink. We tried quite a few brews, and I really liked the Pluot and Coconut Curry. It's also worth noting that a small tasting glass is only $2, which is practically nothing! Another sweet perk is free postcards, in that you don't only snag them at for free but they ship them at no cost! New Belgium doesn't only brew a good beer, but they also give back a lot to the environment and community. Don't try "tipping" the bartender or tour guide as they won't accept it personally, but any tips go straight to charity! Sure, it's a bigger company, but they act like a smaller microbrewery with some of their business practices. If you're visiting Fort Collins visiting New Belgium is a must!
(5)Rachel P.
If you haven't had the chance to take a tour here I highly suggest you do so, it's 90 minutes well worth it. Our tour guide Mindy was extremely engaging and not only knew her beer but she genuinely seemed to have a passion for her job. New Belgium has always been on of my favorite breweries but now after seeing how they run their business and treat their employees I am more than happy to give them my business. Oh and did I mention they give you lots of awesome beer on the tour? Go check it out!
(5)Greg H.
This a a great tour! Unfortunately, you have to go on the tour now to get free beer while you're here. I would highly recommend it though because of a few of the following reasons: 1. Beer is good, and better when it's free. (they're $1.50 per glass now otherwise, but the crowd is smaller even on the weekends) 2. The staff is very knowledgeable, especially about their own products, facility, and history. I'm a bit of a history person myself, so it was great to find out about the beginnings of what brought the brewery up in the first place to the top rate facility that it is now. 3. I usually head directly north of Denver strictly for business except for Frontier Days and Ft Collins brew tours. So if I'm here for brew tours, i'd leave in cuffs or otherwise disappointed before I missed out on going here again. 4. Ft Collins isn't the best smelling place in the world sometimes, so drink a little more, and you'll care a little less.
(4)Heather F.
I haven't done tons of brewery tours but this is probably the greatest brewery tour on the planet. The spirit at New Belgium is one of "fun". In fact, they have a guy that works there (one of the original guys who help found the company) whose title is CEO of Fun or something like that. New Belgium doesn't charge for their tour and you gets LOTS of free beer samplings on the tour so it may be best to eat before the tour or you will be feeling it. Having said that this tour is so popular it can be booked out for weeks at a time so plan accordingly. You can reserve a spot online. There are lots of cool back stories on the guy who founded the brewery who traveled around Belgium in search of the secrets of beer (really cool story), neat prizes if you answer trivia questions properly along the way, and inside info on how the beer is bottled to the intricate network New Belgium has with the city of Ft Collins on energy consumption of the brewery plant. They use solar energy! This place is an absolute must when visiting Colorado.
(5)Van L.
What a fun tour! It is free and they give you a ton of really good beer. Our tour guide was quiet humorous. His timing was impeccable. Sadly he gave me too much beer to remember his name. The brewer is so cool. It was everything I had hoped it to be.
(5)Amy P.
This is the best brewery tour I have been on in Colorado hands down! Sarah was our delightful tour guide... She took us through the history of new Belgium, told interesting stories, and offered us samples of a variety of different beers that we were asked to smell, taste, and describe - as if we were tasting a glass of wine. Needless to say, the beer at new Belgium deserves this kind of treatment! I also discovered my new favorite summer brew through this tour-their Summer Helles. I will be back and bringing along any of my friends who also like beer!
(5)Heather J.
While visiting Ft. Collins, we went on the New Belgium tour on Halloween. Our tour guide was dressed as a deer (wish I could remember her name, because she was awesome). Lots of other people in our group were dressed in costumes, too. You get lots of beer tastings along the tour. The tour gave a lot of good and interesting information. Ended the tour back at the bar, but not before going down the slide. We stayed at the bar and had a few beers. The bartenders there were awesome. You can really tell that they love their job and their customers. I tried to tip, but because it's an employee-owned company, they didn't accept tips. Instead, they take the tips and donate it to a charity. The charity changes monthly. Great beer, great people, great, free tour. I highly recommend going. Make your reservations EARLY. A month before our trip to CO, there was only one day with spots available on the tour.
(5)Josh L.
By far the most popular brewery in Fort Collins and probably up there with any craft or micro brewery in Colorado or the nation, New Belgium Brewing is a staple of the town. Seemingly always popular, the brewery has had a few changes since I moved here a few years ago. Where once all samples were free, they charge for them now, but it's inexpensive and all funds go to charity. It's crowded, it's loud, it's almost always hopping. Slower times are likely weekdays in the winter time, even for it's fairly early closing time of 6:00. Seating can be hard to come by thanks to the popularity, though they added an outdoor seating area, so when the weather is manageable, you can enjoy your beer outside, fitting for a place that encourages cycling and the outdoors so much. Tours aren't as easy to get as they used to be, I'd recommend calling ahead, but they're even better than they used to be. The last time I took a tour, we had no less than five beer samples, got to ride their crazy corkscrew slide, and of course see the bottling plant. If you do stop in, I definitely recommend asking about their Lips of Faith that they have on tap. Some of them are obvious and up front, but three or four taps are kind of hidden behind them and a little hard to spot. Overall, it continues to be a fine spot to take friends and spend some time. The large room is well lit and even though it may sound like a bar, it certainly doesn't look like one. I would also recommend participating in some of their events throughout the year, such as the costumed Tour de Fat in September or the bike-in movies in the summertime. New Belgium is more than a brewery, they're an active and visible member of the community, and experiencing their activities to the fullest is a must for Fort Collins locals and visitors.
(5)William L.
Beer people are the best kind of people. They're funny, cool, smart, clever, and quirky. At New Belgium, you will find lots of beer people, and that's what makes this place great. While on our Ft. Collins trip, NB was an obvious choice for a tour. You have to book your (free) tickets a couple months in advance, so be sure to do that. The facility is huge and the tour takes you all around with more than a few stops to refill your glass with their delicious beers along the way. We even had a tutorial on the proper way to pour a beer at the bar in the fermentation room. Although the bottling lines were down for maintenance, it was still pretty cool to the facility. The guide was hilarious and very knowledgeable, knowing the answer to every question we had about the brewing process. They were even super accommodating by squeezing us in on another tour the day after our scheduled tour. The main room is a great place to hang out and chat with local beer geeks as well as the employees. The swag is pretty cool and almost all of their beers are available for take-home sale. Some may say that NB has gotten too big, but every facet of the facility, the people, and the beer is still in line with what craft beer should be.
(5)Frank G.
What an awesome experience. It's so cool to be able to pull back the curtain and see how this Sweet Nectar of Life is made. They make you feel welcome and appreciated as a patron, you can drink whatever kind of their delicious beer that you'd like (no you don't have the Brewmaster ladling it straight into your mouth, but it's right up there) and come on...there's a freakin' PARTY going on when you walk in the door! Well maybe there isn't usually, and the party was for me, but I enjoyed it. If you're in the Denver area and aren't allergic to beer and freedom, come see this place.
(5)Tres B.
Beautiful tasting room, with clever art, busy friendly bar staff and all kinds of beautiful souvineers. oh, and really great bee!!!!!!!
(5)Jason P.
Amazing tour. They have a great story to tell and their tap room and samples are off the charts. Plan on spending a couple of hours if you want a tour and a couple of beers in the tap room. They really know how to treat people.
(5)Lauren G.
Went to Fort Collins to see a friend who knows a lot of people who work at New Belgium. We went on the tour twice and just had an awesome time. Learning about the beer (and tasting it :) ) and seeing how they make it was cool, but also learning about the history of New Belgium and the company was really great as well. I would totally recommend going on a tour here, you won't regret it!
(5)Jeremy T.
This review is about the brewery itself, not the Beers, or individual Beers. There is flat out NO brewery tour, that I would rather go on than this one. It is above and beyond, as is much of New Belgium. For those that think this tour, at 1.5 hours is too long, go on every other brewery tour, that is quick and no where near as fun. All microbreweries that I have been to, and that is no small number, are proud of what they make. The thing that makes New Belgium stand out is the employee ownership that they have. Since each employee that has been there for over a year has a chance to be an owner of the company, the brewery and workers and tour guides exude pride. The tour itself has several stops along the way and several beers to try. There are stops to educate, stops to show, and stops to drink. While I like New Belgium beers, they generally aren't my favorites, though I am starting to like some of the less generic stuff they are doing. That said, this is as good of a brewery experience as I have had. Fun people, good beers, great tour, fun atmosphere, and a non evil company. Two thumbs way up.
(5)Brigette S.
Our tour was cut short because the electricity went out. The staff was phenomenal. Provided free beer to those who were unable to tour, personally apologized to each customer, and made us eager to return regardless of the situation today. New Belgium, you are impressive.
(5)Shaun B.
What a great experience! Super friendly staff and lots of tasting. Impressed with their sustainability efforts and company culture.
(5)Jeff S.
This was stop #2 on our impromptu brewery tour. I like coming to this one because of the attitude. It's well-advertised that employees are treated well here, and it tends to show in the service you get and the pride in the product. The beers they make have always been pretty formulaic - in fact, when I bar-tended I used to have customers order the NB seasonal and swear they were given Fat Tire, and I'd have to make them watch me pour it for verification. However, they seem to have broken the trend with the last couple of beers. This weekend they had 10 craft beers, and these took a giant leap away from the Fat Tire norm, I tried all of them and enjoyed each one. The place gets crowded, but it's very bright and open and has a very inviting feel to it. I recommend a quick (or extended) stop here if your in town,
(4)Jennifer M.
Came here on a Saturday afternoon and the taproom was so crowded you could barely walk - and yet we were served as soon as we got to the bar. Impressive! Despite the crowd we still had fun and enjoyed the self-guided tour. The guy wandering around in a 70's CSU track suit and Carrot Top afro really pulled the whole taproom together too.
(4)Stéphane M.
I am more attracted to the beers at other breweries, but here it is a great atmosphere. Everyone is so kind, no one gets angry at me and tips are not expected. It is a great environment to relax with friends.
(5)Peter J.
I've been to this brewery about a half dozen times. First visit, we did the tour which was excellent (and free!). What a way to learn more about the brewery's history and operations. You really get an appreciation for how much thought goes into this brewery, from the employee benefits to environmentally-friendly initiatives. Make sure to reserve a tour slot well in advance on their website, or if fully booked you may luck out and get in via standby the day of. Well worth the visit and you get several free samples throughout the tour. The tap room is excellent as well. While crowded (for good reason), it is worth going in to sample their great beers with their small tasters or full size glasses, see what limited edition Lips of Faith brews are out, and to check out the swag. I also fill up a growler everytime I visit. I only wish I lived closer! Oh, there's no food available in the tap room, but there is usually a food truck parked outside in the parking lot.
(5)Julia A.
It started many years ago at a campsite in Fresno California. We ran out of beer so I had to go to the store on the grounds to buy some. I found Fat Tire. And Love. ok. Not really love .. well .. ok. maybe love. Anyways. My husband who had lived in Colorado for a very long time brought me to New Belgium on our honeymoon because he loves me and gets me. Hands down. Best tour. EVER. Every stop on the tour brings a new sampling of one of their amazing brews. You have to make reservations. You have to make them way way in advance. BUT if you do, your time and energy will be rewarded. Trust.
(5)Anthony J.
When I first moved to Fort Collins a couple years ago (primarily because of the beer scene), New Belgium would've receive a 5 star rating because everything about their facility, their crew, the beer, etc. is as nearly perfect as one could possibly expect a craft microbrewery to be. They used to give you FREE tokens to just go have four sample size beers from their extensive line of brews. However, now you have to pay for everything (which I expect at every other brewery), including samples. This aspect was the 1 thing that set them above everyone else in my book, but they still get 4 stars for being rockstars in the brewing industry. As an avid homebrewer, I lean toward out of spec and off-center beers that scream individuality and uniqueness. Their Lips of Faith series have that nailed down shut! From the sour beers, to barrel aged beers, to interesting vegetable and chili beers they set the standard for quality and give us homebrewers inspiration to keep the adventure of brewing alive. Cheers!
(4)K F.
Dependable beer, outstanding atmosphere, fantastic energy from very knowledgable tour guide, Lauren, who clearly loves her job. Make sure to reserve a tour spot well ahead of planned visit on their website, available spots go fast! Home brewers, don't forget to bring your AHA membership card, decent discounts.
(4)Dylan L.
If I could live here, I totally would. First things first-take the free tour. You'll have to book a few weeks in advance, but you can do so easily from their site. I've visited/toured twice now, and both times have been an absolute blast. My first tour guide was an awesome gent by the name of Dave, who knew his stuff and had great stories to share, like when he worked the assembly line and was asked to taste beer at 6:00 AM (bet you wish you could do that at your job). The second time I had a younger guy in his late 20s (can't remember his name unfortunately) who was just as knowledgable and approachable. The tour is fantastic because they really let you see their operations, right down to looking inside their huge vats while they mix malts. You get several free samples, sometimes even of beers that haven't been released yet. I got to try their Ranger, a new IPA, a month before it hit stores. Sweeeeeeeeeet! These guys are passionate about what they do and it shows. Their products are great, and their employees all care. I admire the hell out of the fact that they're very environmentally friendly in their practices and they work with local businesses to re-use what's left over after the brewing process. After the tour, you're given a token for another free beer in their tap room, which is always buzzing and full of good conversation. It gives you a chance to enjoy a tasty brew while you make conversation with cool folks of all sorts. All in all, New Belgium is what a craft-brewery should be: fun, original, informative, and a great place to hang out. Make sure you check it out if you're in CO!
(5)Gary W.
If it wasn't in Fort Collins I'd go every weekend because this is the best brewery I've ever been to! The tour was free and you'll get a solid size beer at every stop. I want to say a total of 6 beers by the end of it all. You'll be feeling it! You also learn more on this tour about beer than I ever have before including how to "romance" your beer. We will be back!
(5)Carol B.
I have been through this tour multiple times and WOW. Great host lots of information and delicious samples! So friendly and welcoming. I came here for my 21st birthday and have been back every year since. One of the best brewery tours I have been on!
(5)Cynthia L.
After two days of snowboarding, it was time for a break. My boyfriend made reservations for a free 90-minute tour here and it was by far my favorite brewery tour to date. Our tour guide was personable and friendly with years of knowledge on New Belgium Brewery's history and beer science. The facilities were amazing and geared towards sharing the art and science of beer. During and after our tour, we tasted several different beers: Trippel, Organic Mothership Wit, Sunshine Wheat, Fat Tire (#1 seller), Abbey, Tom's Beer, and Blue Paddle. My favorite was the Sunshine Wheat. And yes, it was all free. I left 3/4 buzzed for sure. The most surprising end to the tour was the trip down a spiral slide to the first floor. It was hilarious to see full-grown adults scream and shout down the slide. I have a new appreciation for New Belgium beers. 5 stars!
(5)N J.
Nice but noisy tap room, great range of beers. We visited New Belgium after Odell and NB suffered by comparison. The set up at Odell is just nicer, as was the staff. We bellied up to the bar and tried a selection of the Lips of Faith series (yum!) but were disappointed that the waitress seemed a little "out there". We ordered another sample and she seemed to hear us but never brought it to us and eventually we got tired of waiting and just left. We might go back when they first open next time so we can enjoy better service and easier tasting.
(4)Amanda C.
This is the best brewery tour I've been on. It's fun, informative, interactive, and you get to try 5 awesome NB beers. Being from the midwest, I usually just see Fat Tire and maybe a few other in the stores, so was surprised to see how many varieties they make. Our tour guide, Laura, was fantastic and engaging. If you don't do the tour, you can sit at the bar and taste different beers for $1.50 each. All of their tasting proceeds go to charity!! They'll also mail a free postcard to anyone you choose. The only thing that was annoying is that it's hard to find availability for the tours online. Luckily, my friend found a spot on our tour an registered for 1 person but they didn't mind we had 2. However on the actual tour, there weren't many people on at all, so I can imagine many people are deterred from going by this. I would recommend just going anyway and they're so laid back they'd probably just let you on the next tour even without a reservation.
(5)Lauren B.
I brought a friend visiting from out of town here the other day. Not only was it a nice way to say, "Welcome to Fort Collins," but it was also a good excuse for me to finally go on a brewery tour. The tour is free, you just need to sign up on their website to ensure your spot. We started off with a free taster, which was a nice way to begin the tour. As we went through the brewery we tried a number of beers (5 total), which of course makes the whole group pretty loose and happy. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. I learned a lot, but I probably would have learned more had I not had those 5 tasters haha. At the end of the tour you get to slide down a spiral slide! Don't worry, it isn't mandatory.
(4)Samantha E.
Oh, how I love New Belgium and the Liquid Center. Free? Check. Both the tour and the samples. You can also buy their beer to take home (and the growlers are a great deal). Cool vibe? Check. The employees are awesome, and you're allowed to bring your dog. Good company? Check. Employee-owned, wind-powered, water-efficient, bicycle-promoting, everything you could want. Most importantly, awesome beer? Double check. All of my favorite beers are from New Belgium-- namely 1554, Skinny Dip, and the ever-reliable Fat Tire. If you're in Fort Collins, "follow your folly" and head over to New Belgium. You won't regret it.
(5)Nathan E.
Absolutely one of my favorite brewery visits anywhere. First of all, the building is amazing and upon entering you're in a very beautiful bar where you are allowed to redeem bottle caps for free tasters of New Belgium's wonderful beers. The tours are free as well, but they are in high demand so you should book early on their website (we did over a month in advance). Along the tour, given by a great guide that truly loves the company, you learn all about the founding, history, process, and business practices of New Belgium; all of which are interesting and innovative. You also are taken along a tasting tour, with a new beer at different steps along the way. We were there just before their first ever release of Somersault and were allowed to try some which was very, very cool. Don't skip out on the employee slide either! It's fun!
(5)Luke N.
6 of us showed up 5 minutes late for the last tour of the day and missed it. After getting drinks, one of the bartenders (Kevin) offered to give us a personal tour to make up for it. Super knowledgeable and totally made our day after driving up from Denver. This whole company just does it right. Thanks Kevin! Also the beer is phenomenal, looking forward to their east coast brewery to open and provide us with their brew.
(5)Amanda C.
Always a blast. I am not big on beer but we bring friends and family when they come and visit. They are always impressed and the staff is always friendly and extremely knowledgeable on the tour and who can pass up the Amazing Taco stand that is sometimes in front!
(5)J. Chuck K.
Everything about our experience was five stars. It's easy to see why you need to the book your tour at least a month in advance. Our tour guide was either buzzed, or just a very friendly, outgoing person who loves her job-maybe both. Either way, her knowledge and passion for the company made the tour very entertaining. The samples along the way didn't hurt either. This wonderful experience didn't end with the tour. Their taproom and bar staff made for an enjoyable place to hang out for a few beers after. Whether you're visiting from out of town (like me) or live in the area, I recommend checking this place out and going on the tour.
(5)Christine B.
I mean, c'mon people. You're in Fort Collins. There's beer everywhere. As a tourist you've GOT TO pop by for a brewery tour (sign up in advance) or at least pop in for a free tasting or two. It's the standard bottling company tour. You learn a bit about the history of the brewery (started in the basement) from your tour guide who, if it's her seventh tour of the day, is feeling pretty friendly after drinking tour beers all day. You walk around for about 90 minutes looking through windows with tastings spread throughout the walk to quench your thirst. Highlights: the "learn how to pour a proper beer" activity and the opportunity to slide down the curly slide. What you quickly figure out on this tour - that you wished you worked for New Belgium. Beer. Ping pong tables. Bicycles. Climbing walls. Laid back vibe. The tasting room can get pretty crowded. Folks at the bar gettin' their drink on. Other folks buying the NB merch. Lots of stander-arounders waiting for their tour to start.
(5)Greg S.
Great beer, great employees, amazing beer and they are going Eco friendly if that's up your ally. Fantastic beer and great company philosophy. Tell your friends to get new Belgian brewery to a town near you
(4)Dan G.
Get on your bikes and ride! I was just a skinny lad before I discovered New Belgium's beer. Now, I've got Fat Tire to thank for my spare tire. The New Belgium brewery was the most eagerly anticipated stop of our Colorado adventures. After a short drive to Fort Collins, we arrived and bolted from the car. The welcome room is actually more of a pub. We checked in at the bar for our tour (reserve those spots well ahead of time) and were given a couple of tokens that can be used to sample any of the dozen or so NB beers on tap. You'll get plenty more on the tour. I immediately got the 1554 and Kris had the Sunshine Wheat. We sipped while we looked around and checked out the swag. They sell a bunch of shirts, hats and beanies and other cool stuff. We just hung out and chatted as the crowd grew and played with everyone's doggies. They also have a huge cooler where you can grab bombers, sixes, twelves, cases and kegs. Our bartender was candid enough to tell us that you can find it cheaper around town. Our free tour began with a brief history of the company. The founder actually biked through Belgium on his mountain bike taking tips and notes on the brewing process and styles of Belgium beer. Locals continuously inquired about the "fat tires" of his bike, hence the flagship brew's name. I also didn't know that the Abbey Ale was their first beer. We started with glasses of that malty winner. It fell somewhere between the 1554 and the Fat Tire. I loved it, but have never seen it around Chicago. Let me know if I'm missing it somewhere please. We continued our drinking tour of the facilities and were taken to the brew room. It had picturesque views of the mountains, cool art, a bunch of wheel rims, bikes and another bar. Time for the 1554, giddy up! Our guide delighted in telling us about the environmental initiatives of the brewery and how every employee and guests are encouraged to bike around. No lie, there were cruisers everywhere outside. They present each employee with their own cruisers marking employment milestones, the powder blue 5yr was quite a beauty. Employees also get an ownership stake in the company. As we continued our tour of the bottling area, we sampled Fat Tire that was bottled the day before and the Le Terroire sours, not a fan of those. Those are part of their Lips of Faith series, implying that you just need to have some faith in what you're sipping. The Dunkelweiss I've seen around worked for me, the sours not as much. So goes the faith. Fun is the name of the game here. They had volleyball courts outside, there was a rock wall in one part of the brewery and we even got to go down their spiral slide to conclude our tour. It seemed like a really fun place to work and just be around. It also doesn't hurt that they brew some delicious beer. I read in the Trib that NB is our nation's seventh largest brewer. Good to know, because I drink a ton of it. Much love for my favorite craft brewer. Fat Tire beer you make my rockin world go round.
(5)Angela C.
Beer and biking - what a combination! New Belgium Brewing Company was hipster before it was cool, before New Yorkers even knew where the L train goes*. This was, hands down, the best brewery tour I've been on - informative on beer and the brewing process, insightful look into one of the coolest company cultures, a really interesting how-we-started story, lots of good samples (plenty for this cheap date to get tipsy), and really neat bike-themed art throughout the buildings. New Belgium has been on my brewery bucket list since I had my first sip of 1554 in the Madison, WI. I love that beer and also the Cocoa Mole I sampled during the tour. I had to take a bit of a nap on the grass before biking out. Those are strong beers... I checked, did you know that you can get a DUI on a bike?!! Anyway, so yes, I highly recommend visiting Fort Collins and New Belgium if you're in the area. Make the drive, it is well worth it. Plus, it's free, and we all know how I feel about free stuff that rocks. TIP: Make your reservation online - this place is not quite the walk up and walk in type. It's like a mecca for a lot of beer people. You might get lucky, but I personally like to take responsibility and make my own luck. -------------- * for non-NYers, the L train goes through Williamsburg in Brooklyn.
(5)Diana W.
I wish I loved beer...I really did. I've never gone on a brewery tour so I was surprised that this was FREE and that it was booked for months. You walk up to "check in" to your tour and you immediately get a free 6 oz tasting of a beer while you wait. Then when the tour begins you get an addition 6 MORE free tastings. Pretty amazing. The tour guide was FUN and looked like she LOVED her job. She gave a great history of how new belgium brewery began and gave a great description of each flavor of beer we tried as well as how they made it. Loved how "green" the company is! If you are looking to get "schooled" on how beer and the different types of beer in the "world" then this isn't it. This is just a tour of NEW BELGIUM beer. But either way, I'm not a beer drinker and I had a blast during the hour and a half
(4)Molly H.
I love love love this brew tour! If anyone is looking for a fun and interesting brew tour, please go here! My first tour was over 5 years ago and I was very impressed by this company with their dedication to their staff, their community and their beer! A year ago we got a chance to do it again when some friends came out to visit and it was even better! They have expanded the tour with more info and more beers! I am really impressed at how this brewery treats their employees, I can only imagine how amazing it would to work here. The perks are endless, all things you find out on the tour. But the Fat Tire bike might be one of the best of all. The only bummer is the tours are now able to be reserved online, which makes it nearly impossible to get a ticket (free) to the tour on a weekend if you don't plan a few months ahead, or go during the week. Either way if you get a ticket to the tour or just stop in and fill a growler to go, you will not be disappointed!
(5)Wesley D.
Easily the best brewery in America.
(5)Jamie K.
It's hard to admit, but I was one of the lucky individuals that got to spend my college years up in Fort Collins, BUT I never went to New Belgium! Boy was I missing out! The staff are super friendly, and the tap room has awesome tasters and all money goes to charity, what can be better?! The tour! My friend and I got lucky and were on standby for a tour, and we got the golden ticket! The tour was amazing 5 tasters of beer during the tour and funny and knowledgeable tour guide and a slide to end the 90 minute tour, you impressed me New Belgium and I wil definitely be back!
(5)Ashley W.
I finally made a visit to Fort Collins to the New Belgium Brewery! It's definitely one of the better brewery tours I've been on. My guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and fun. In addition to the standard, "here's how beer is made" information, our guide talked a lot about how the company was founded and the company culture, which I found really interesting. It's a great story! The tour was kind of long-- about an hour and a half-- but there was a lot of down time. The tours book up quickly, so I'd definitely recommend making your reservation as far in advance as possible. I did notice once I got there that they have a waiting list though. If you have a small group, you might consider going early in the day and getting in on the waiting list at some point.
(4)Our Y.
Cool tour, you will learn a lot. At the end you will receive the freshest beer of your life brewed within hours.
(4)Kimberly R.
If you thought New Belgium is only known for Fat Tire, you would be wrong. SOOO many amazing beers to try! My group and I had 12 different beers, tasters, that ranged from wheats to Belgiums to sours. YUM YUM YUM! I just wish they bottled more of their beers and they were available in Penn! The place is fun too. Lots of seating and outside seats too.
(5)Kate A.
Two friends were visiting from out of town, so we all went on the tour. It was awesome! They gave out at least five or six free beer samples and showed us the inner workings of the brewery. Our guide was extremely enthusiastic and made us all want to look for jobs there! Afterward we hung out at the bar and sampled a few more. It was such a nice afternoon! Good advice: Make sure you plan ahead. I booked our tour a month in advance for a Thursday and saw that the weekend spots go fast!
(4)Eliza D.
Yummy beer and free postcards (that they mail for you)!
(5)Phuong T.
Take the tour you'll enjoy it. Employees are passionate about the company and express it by being a great brand ambassador. You get to taste about 6 tasting through the whole tour and see how they make their beers. Great tour, everyone should at least go on the tour once. Don't forget to take pictures.
(5)Renee W.
Solid atmosphere and fun vibe. I also loved the tasters for $1-$1.50 each. Order 3 or 4 and it's a party! Bring your patience for how busy it gets and also for parking. But cool spot and just to say that I've been to the New Belgium brewery makes me happy.
(4)Ashley H.
Awesome personable tour! Packed bar! Great for big groups. FREE! Lots of beer! And we slid down the slide slightly tipsy! Great fun. The only downfall is that you MUST plan your tour ahead!! We brought three out-of-towners for their first brewery tour here and booked it over a month out. I scheduled our second tour for eight people three weeks in advance for a Wednesday afternoon. Definitely worth the wait! Just plan ahead.
(5)Liz M.
Ok here's what you need to know: - AMAZING beer! - Fun and interesting tours Fin. Go check it out.
(5)Tim K.
New Belgium tours are a love affair for me. I love to drag friends and out of town guests along so they can share in the joy. The tour guides are not required to follow a script, so interject their own story and comedic moments from around the brewery. The legacy of New Belgium is incredible as well, but I'll leave that up to the tour guides to tell you. All around the brewery there are creative ways that NB has invented to be sustainable and environmentally friendly. On one tour the guide even said that they use only TWO dumpsters a week for the entire company, because they've become so keen at recycling and reusing. New Belgium has a "Director of Fun" and "Having fun." is in their core values. You know the place has to rock! And of course their beers are incredible, my favorite being Sunshine Wheat.
(5)Clark P.
I loved this place. The tour was awesome, the beer was great, and I want to work there now! The whole atmosphere of this place is top notch and the employees seem to be as well. Great for an afternoon excursion.
(5)Chris D.
Let me add another 5 star review. Having spent most of my life in Fort Collins, I feel like I grew up with New Belgium, and took them for granted until I realized that not all towns and city's have such a fantastic brewery. What I love about New Belgium extends beyond their delicious beers. They make great strives to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and treat their employees very well... Oh how I would love to work for them... hint hint :) They also encourage a positive biking culture with various community bicycling events (my favorite being the Urban Assault Ride!), and they give back quite a bit to their community. This is a great company for their beer and social responsibility, but mostly for their beer.
(5)Jill K.
The most exciting and delicious beer tour ever. I've been on a few and the employees are always great. Passionate and enthusiastic, as well as knowledgeable. La Folie is my favorite beer ever, and you actually get to sample a decent array of styles on the tour. You also get to go on a slide. I just wish the tasting room was still free.
(5)Phillip G.
Amazing beers in the tasting room that I was not aware of! Terrific brand and company, that loves their employees and their customers!
(5)Daniella D.
We did not have a reservation but were able to get on a free tour at the last minute. The brewery tour offered a good amount of information, fun, and tastings. We enjoyed the tour and it seemed to be the perfect mix of enjoying New Belgium beer while learining about the beer and the company. We were not big into New Belgium beer before the tour but now purchase it pretty regularily because of our respect for the company and liking the different beers we were able to try. Thanks to Tyler our tour guide for showing us a great time. If you are in Ft. Collins I highly recommend visiting the brewery and taking the tour.
(5)Matt W.
Awesome place! Wish I lived in Colorado!!!! The beer was sooo fresh. Taster size pours are very generous so beware. Can't wait to go back!
(4)Victoria W.
On my recent trip to Colorado, my friend and I were looking for something to do in Ft. Collins because our hosting friend was at work. What is Ft. Collins known for? Breweries! New Belgium did not disappoint. Unfortunately, we did not make a reservation so we put our names on the stand-by list and enjoyed some tasters while we waited. Luckily, we got on the tour and let me just say, the tour is a MUST. They give you beer samples at every stop of the tour and the tour is full of interesting information about beer and the company. This brewery tour is a must! Did I mention the tour is FREE??? Free beer definitely deserves a 5 star rating!
(5)Chuck D.
I feel like maybe I should be annoyed with New Belgium's culture. I would be annoyed with it, but its not fake at all. I think New Belgium truly is all about beer and about taking care of the environment and yes, bikes! The brewery tour takes you through a really cool start up of a brewery that I feel like has a lot of passion for what they do. They really take a lot of pride in what they do everyday, but they also have a lot of showing it! I sometimes feel like I just need to stop going on brewery tours - some of them just start to run together telling you how beer is made. New Belgium does a great job with balancing story, and how they make and bottle/can their beer, and just fun activities (how to pour a beer from a tap, drinking the freshest bottled beer off the line, going down the slide at the end!!). Also - I love all the bike decor everywhere - its just so cool and well done! It adds to the atmosphere for sure. On to the beer. Fat Tire has made its rounds and is in every bar now and its good - it deserves to be there. But there is SO MUCH MORE to New Belgium. Abby Ale? Yes Please! Somersault? Yup. Ranger? Still good. Again - this place closes at 6 PM, which sucks. I wanted to spend more time with their beer and just hanging out. It was too bad!! Even if you feel you've had your fill of brewery tours, go to this one - its really a great time. Go early though, so you have time to sample more when you are done! I can definitely see why these tours book up so quickly for sure. Great job, guys! Just keep doing what you are doing!! :)
(5)Christian D.
OMG it's the Disneyland of beer!!! On a recent mission to try a few Colorado tap rooms we made sure to visit Fort Collins and hit up New Belgium. Upon walking up to the building, you might become overwhelmed with excitement. You start to smell that unique smell of NB beers and you instantly know where to go. Straight to the tasting bar! Not only sitting up at the bar do you get to chat with great employees of New Belgium about beer. But you also get a chance to try all of the Lips of Faith and New Belgium brews. I am usually not a taster or flight kind of guy, however with this many amazing beers on tap, I had to. I am a fan of sour beers so when I drank "Billy's Beer", I was sold! Damn that was good beer. Along with the Red Hoptober, La Folie and the Coco Mole...I was in heaven. The site has fun games throughout the property including a funky version of shuffle board. We did not do a tour but I know it would have been a blast. But once you do one beer tour, I think you get the idea. Anyways, I can't wait to go back.
(5)Tina H.
Every time I stop by, I try to get on the tour. People book their spots far in advance, but sometimes there are no-shows, and you can get on a waiting list to snag their spots. It doesn't alway happen, but if there are only two of you, you're bound to luck out at some point. I've been on three tours now, with three different guides. Every single one has been fantastic in their own way. Their tours are all different, focusing on whatever interests them more as individuals--the production process, the history, their apparently freaking fantastic corporate culture of sustainability and employee ownership. There are also lots of free beer samples. If you don't have a DD, I wouldn't suggest trying too hard to down them all to the last drop, especially if you've had or are planning to have another beer in the taproom. And then you get to take a ride down a slide! The taproom itself can be pretty damn busy. It can be hard and take quite a long while to get a server's attention at first, but once you do, they generally do a good job of focusing their attention on you. They seem just a little understaffed at all times; maybe it's because their servers are off giving great tours! They also don't accept tips because of their higher pay and employee ownership program. I wish there were more seating and more adequately shaded areas outside, but it's hard to make myself seriously complain about much here. Come seeking a good time, and you shall certainly find it.
(5)Kaitlyn C.
This tour was AWESOME!! 90 minutes of fun facts & free beer. You can also send new Belgium postcards to your loved ones for free!! Great merchandise to buy, 8 posters of the different beer labels for $5 and fat tire patches for $1.50. Now I have a souvenir for everyone. Be prepared to get drunk!
(5)Mandy H.
Free tasting of 4 beers...can't argue that! Wish I could've made it for an actual tour...but it was sold out :( Apparently you have to schedule that months in advance. Avoid going around 2p...it was elbow to elbow. According to the staff that was pretty average for that hour.
(5)Nancy F.
Ok, we are huge New Belgium fans, and I had to drop stars last time, because I felt they were losing some of the service that made them unique. I still think they should increase the size of the tasting room, but we did a tour again with new friends, and we had a great new tour guide. Her name was Emma, and what was nice is she was original, and way more low key than some tour guides there that talk way too much!. It was like back to the old days of great tours in a small brewery, even if it isn't small anymore. High Five to New Belgium for a change in the tour with not sitting us down in that boring room. Keep everyone moving. Out of towners don't want to sit down. Apparently, the room was being used, and that was a good thing! We love the Ranger, which is their number two best seller. Love the Bellgo, too. Also, they are dog friendly inside!
(5)Nora A.
I like the atmosphere, but sometimes feel that since I don't have dreadlocks, tattoos, or a t-shirt with an appropriately "renew the earth" type slogan, I am overlooked for service. I like 2 of the beers they make - it's ok - not all of us need to be fans of Belgium beer styles to enjoy the Fat Tire or 1554. Indeed, it's always a great place to take visitors to town, and take the tour. The samples used to be free, I don't think they are anymore. Locals all want to work here since (I hear) it's a laid back work environment where people care more than not, because they actually get to OWN a piece of the company and get a bike and a trip to Belgium as some of the perks. Sounds good! The fact that they are a superb example of renewable, reusable, local, using wind energy, etc. is icing on the cake.
(3)Alden C.
New Belgium was really the first micro brewed beer that I started drinking years ago before my big brewery kick and having the firm belief that I have to hit up every brewery in the state. There isn't much that I can't say that isn't good about New Belgium. I think my favorite beer is Sunshine but also their new seasonal beer , Frambozien is amazing! New Belgium has been a staple in the Fort Collins beer drinking community for years. I knew about them before I even started drinking beer. New Belgium also gives away awesome looking bicycles to their employees who have made it a year as well as businesses in town. Oh how I would love to score one of those bikes! New Belgium used to have free samples of beer if you had a free beer button which you would be given at the door when you go into the brewery itself. But in October of 2011 they did away with the free samples and started charging for the taster sets and such. All proceeds go to local nonprofit agencies in the area. A noble and unlikely reason to start raising prices. There maybe another advantage to this as well. When they gave away free samples the tasting room was so full of people it was almost impossible to walk around! Maybe since the freeness is gone it wont be so crowded. I would also love to go on a tour of New Belgium but the problem is that you have to make reservations way in advance. About a month in advance and they need to be reserved online. Anyone that just shows up thinking they can go on a tour will probably be not so lucky and in for a rude awakening. Tours are only done on the weekends and they are free.
(4)Mark S.
I was actually ready to dislike New Belgium, not because of their beer, but because they just didn't feel like a "microbrewery" anymore. I felt that they had gotten too big for that moniker, and were one of the big guys now. But they won me over with their amazing tour, which is the best brewery tour in the world. It's like an hour and a half long, so be prepared for that, but they give you around 6 (very large) tasters along the way. You already know that the beer is good, but the tour itself is outstanding. From the history, through the production and making of beer, it's fantastic.
(5)Keith J.
This place is fairly good. I love a lot of their beers, especially the Lips of Faith! The thing I didn't like is that they close at 6, but what can you do, they're a distributor, they don't need the all night business. So the cocoa mole ale is delicious. Definitely a desert beer. Tart Lychee and biere de mars are also good. Best bet is to just do a beer flight and pick whatever sounds good, which is pretty much everything. Is kid friendly too. They have a good homemade fruit & seltzer water concoction.
(4)Terry B.
Really great beers...they could be open later though. Was nice to go after work for a beer but had to hurry as they closed too early. The folks who work there are friendly and helpful. Great vibe at this place.
(3)Matt F.
Literally the best beer brewery tour in the world.
(5)Jonathan M.
Amazing. My absolute favorite brewery in the world. They do not have a single "weak" beer, and the majority of my top 5 of beers include the New Belgium label. The brewery tour is excellent. The company is fully employee owned. The tour guides are charismatic and knowledgeable. The fact that the tours are booked two months in advance is testament to just how great this brewery and its beer are. I don't even have any more to say. Let the beer do the talking
(5)Dean V.
What's better than an employee owned brewery that cares about the environment and considers valentines day a national holiday? Free beer of course...The NBB is a fun place to visit if you are a beer enthusiast and happen to be spending some time in Fort Collins, Colorado. While our tour guide seemed a bit hurried and under pressure, he truly loved his job and was extremely proud to be an employee of New Belgium. You learn a lot of interesting facts about how efficient and green NBB is, they are so on top of their game that they even reuse the steam that comes from brewing every batch of beer to re-power their internal chamber cleaning mechanisms. That's pretty damn impressive. Along this fun 90 minute tour you'll sample about 5 beers and see some cool things inside the factory. Afterward you can enjoy more beer in their lobby HQ and play a round of "cheese ball" or at least that's what I call the strange game they have set up on their side porch. Nothing beats the uncoordinated combination of alcohol and athletics. I have no doubt in my mind that this is a great company and you can tell by listening to the tour guides talk about how much they appreciate and respect the founders/CEO owners. Crazy to imagine such a large operation grew out of a guy's basement.
(4)Meghann F.
I love New Belgium. Their beer, their parties, their commitment to the environment. You have to book a tour well in advance because its - well popular. The tour is cool - you get a different tasting at every stop along the way. They have a director of "fun" that organizes different events etc around the brewery and they even have a Slide! The end of the tour you can write postcards, drink more beer, eat chocolate, dress up and take pictures in their staged backgrounds. Definitely worth a visit to see what they do and how they do it.
(5)Brad R.
Along with this being one of the top 10 largest breweries in the country, it's also one of the greatest ones to visit for a personal tour and tasting. In the heart of beer country, Fort Collins is packed with six other local breweries and despite New Belgium's size, it's still maintains a local brewery's charm and wealth of seasonal beers. Their logo is the beach cruiser bike and you'll find bike frames, axles, and tires as part of the decor all over. The brewery has a cool rustic feel combined with a hippie flair that resembles hanging out at an upscale camp ground with lots of great beers. We were visiting the week of the Great American Beer Fest, so the place was packed and they had tons of food and beer being served throughout the brewery. It was amazing. I've never been a huge fan of their flagship beer but I do love their Lips of Faith Cascara Quad Heavenly Feijoa Biere de Garde and other sours. All in all they've got about 20+ beers on tap plus some bottled beers as well. They make some amazing beers and you could easily spend an entire afternoon going through their line up. Many of their beers are only available either there at the brewery or within the Denver area, so I highly recommend stocking up on bomber bottles of the rare seasonal sours to take home. Next time I'm in Colorado, I'll definitely be back.
(5)Matt L.
Great tour!!! Been to many brewery tours and this was by far the best. Now it makes sense why their beer rocks!
(5)Patrick T.
Worth the trip to Fort Collins just for the tour! It's 90 minutes, you get 5 or 6 samples, you get to go down a slide at the end and it's free! We got to try a beer that had yet to be released, so that was really cool. Employee moral was very high. The entire time I was mentally writing my resignation letter from my job so that I could apply to this place. haha. They have a director of fun! It seems like New Belgium is a company that is doing it right. Kind of needless to say, but their beer is delicious as well. A perfect opportunity to try their Lips of Faith series. Be sure to check it out of you are near the area!
(5)Adam K.
New Belgium is like what Wonka's candy factory would be if they made beer instead of candy, except there's no morality lessons to learn along the way. New Belgium's facility is incredible. The tours are hard to get into unless you book weeks/months in advance. For good reason: the tour is about two hours long and you get fed a tremendous amount of (free) beer. The tour is fun and you see a lot of action going on. Plus, there's a slide at the end. Even if you can't hit a tour there's great beer in the taproom. NB keeps many regulars on tap along with a rotating supply of the Lips of Faith beers and a few odds and ends that either are only distributed in Fort Collins or never leave the property. If you aren't a huge fan of the regular line up there are still plenty of delightful Lips of Faith beers to enjoy and lots of beer to go. In the taproom you can write notes on their coasters and drop them in a box and they will mail them off for you (and pay the postage). I've sent many coasters on my few trips to NB and received several from friends. Definitely a great place to visit if you are drinking in Fort Collins.
(5)Bar C.
We personally never pass up an opportunity to drag visiting family and friends over to New Belgium Brewery for a tour. Atmosphere: Approaching New Belgium Brewing Company, you will notice long rows of bike racks full of "fat tire" bikes in front of their state of the art building. Once we entered the tasting room or "liquid center" we noticed a theme here. The stools and chairs are made from recycled bike wheels, bikes hang from the ceiling, and there is even a gift shop area where beer lovers can purchase much New Belgium bike related gear. Tour: There is much to learn while on this tour and we got the full history on how a home brewers dream and a bike ride through Belgium started it all. It was a lot to remember, considering the amount of samples given out during the tour and of course we started drinking prior to that. . We were poured a glass of Ranger to enjoy while the cooking process and purpose of the large tanks was explained by our cheerful tour guide. We sampled a Fat Tire beer, that we were informed was bottled just 20 minutes prior to our enjoyment. As if all that wasn't fun (and intoxicating) enough, we where then given the opportunity to go down the adult sized tornado slide on the way back to the tasting room.
(5)Brad S.
I only visited the gift shop, but it consisted of a pretty awesome bar, and you get three ~3oz samples just for showing up. I was hoping there would be more availability of the Lips of Faith series, but only two were on tap, and only one was being sold in bottles. I was also shut down from buying a growler of a LoF selection, citing low supply, which I understand, but was disappointed nonetheless. As it was, a growler of Ranger, a glass, and a t-shirt amounted to $32, so that amounted to a pretty successful visit. The worst part was the giant crowd that only got bigger on the Friday of my visit, but it was during Labor Day weekend and the day before the Tour de Fat, so it was also understandable. Honestly, though, do you really need to read reviews to know that New Belgium (and Fort Collins on the whole) is an awesome place to visit? No, you do not.
(4)Dan M.
Follow your senses... it is worth the trek up from Denver to the home of the mountain bike beer.... Fat Tire!!! They sell out of their free brewery tours, but don't be disappointed as their free sampling room setup is way cool. They give you a sheet of paper to circle the brews you want to try, and they provide a generous sized sample of each. Pair up with a buddy and you can sample most of them. Beware as some of the samples are pretty strong in alcohol content. Bring a Designated Driver ... you'll need it.
(5)Cameron Y.
This is a beautiful building! Both times I have been here it was so super crowded that it was hard to move around and impossible to find a place to sit... or even a apot to prop an elbow on! Probably my mistake for showing up during peak hours... The staff here is super friendly and fun to joke around with. Not as much bang for your buck here compared to other breweries, you don't get to taste everything, you have to pick a few. Even so, still worth stopping by!
(3)Grace L.
I had a conversation with a dear friend and fellow Yelper about a month before this visit. I told him about my best friend's wedding I was attending in Cheyenne. His response: "Yeah...there isn't much there. But are you flying into Denver?" "Yeah." "Then you have to visit the New Belgium Brewery on your way up. It's about the only cool thing you'll see." Boy, was he right. This brewery was like a mirage among the mountains. Sure, there was the Budweiser brewery a few miles down, but why go corporate when you can go craft? When you see the rows of bikes parked outside, the same bikes that grace the bottles of Fat Tire, you know you've come to the right place. Our tour guide/beer connoisseur was a Jake Gyllenhall look-a-like so much so, I just referred to him as Jake the whole time. I also found out he grew up in Tracy, a small town near my hometown, so it was nice to see some local blood in this part of the country. He was very informative in retelling the history of New Belgium, explaining the brewing process, and answering questions like, "How do you get one of those bikes?" (Employees get them on their 2 year anniversary with the company). He also drank along with us...super fun to see your own guide take part in pouring and tasting, or as he called it, "quality controlling (QCing)". You start the tour in the tasting room, then to the brew stations themselves, then to a special barrel station where they ferment the beer in the same barrels used for wine. The end result was an interesting brew with sour notes that most people in our tour didn't care for, but I enjoyed. You end at the bottling station and if you're feeling up to it (and by this time, you've had about 6-8 glasses of "tastings", you're going to feel up to it), you can go down the their corkscrew slide. I fell in love with New Belgium's philosophy of recreating childhood whim and nostalgia, hence the swing back bicycles, slides, and other fun things you would find around the brewery. If the Google campus brewed beer, it would look much like this fun house. We ended up back at the gift shop/taproom to get us a couple of growlers for the road. One for us and one for the newlywed couple. My favorite New Belgium brews? 1554 is one of the few dark ales that I enjoy, period. Ranger is my favorite pale. Note: if you want in to this free 45 minute tour, make sure you make reservations ahead of time online, at least 2-4 weeks in advance. They won't entertain you otherwise. I was lucky enough to time our tour just right as we flew into Denver and driving up to Cheyenne. Mad skills.
(5)Indigo W.
The best brewery tour ever, thank you Lisa!!! We were there on a pretty busy day, the beer is awesome, the experience is something we'll never forget. We wrote postcards to send home while sitting at the bar enjoying our beer samples (sometimes they were free, sometimes not). We'd probably still be there playing games, going down the slide, or hula hooping if not for the fact we had to keep on traveling. CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK! I wish we'd tried the waffles from the waffle truck.
(5)Joann C.
Crazy, circus fun! It definitely lives up to the tour de fat ambiance. Craziness in a box. Seriously. I love this shit. Although its a larger craft brews this place is legit. I love the feel. Everyone looks like they are having fun and its not just the regular beer in a box shit. Their lips of faith series is fun, inventive and flavorful. For example they have a smore porter with a perfect chocolate and marshmallow balance. There were quite a few sours on board like a Cascada Quad that was the syrupy alcohol kick in the ass flavors. I like the biere de garde and the beiere de mars nice light summer ales.
(5)Mona W.
This was our second visit and I was just as impressed during this visit as the last. Beers were excellent and the staff knowledgable and very helpful. We arrived without reservations (tried but had no luck) and the staff was able to accommodate our very large party for a tour. The tour guide was very good: she was well- informed and shared her knowledge as opposed merely reciting a bunch of facts. In addition to our pleasant experience with the staff and the excellent brews on this visit, New Belgium's engagement with social and environmental responsible practices reinforces it as one of my favorite breweries to visit.
(5)Steven H.
Good beer and good atmosphere. Fun place to have a few. Plus the Waffle Lab is out here often, eat there.
(4)Holly G.
Obviously, this hometown brewery has hit it big, which means it is really crowded now! The tour is still fun. The beers are still tasty. The staff is still rockin it. Just be prepared to pay for your samples now and be patient with all the folks visiting the brewery.
(4)David R.
great beers, great atmosphere. Doing craft beer right!
(4)Robin F.
Amazing brewery! The vibe inside was excellent and the staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Even helped pair their free chocolates with the samples beers I got! And bonus the t-shirts they sell are comfortable and really cool looking!
(5)Geneviève E.
Consistently good. Try as many of the Lips of Faith on tap as you can.
(5)Allison C.
I see many of the other reviews...yes, it's crowded. Especially on Friday nights. What do you expect? It's a sought-after brewery in a college town on the weekends. You have to plan in advance. As soon as we knew we were honeymooning in Colorado, 6 months in advance, we booked a tour. The tour is FREE! And you get 5 beer tastings! They appear magically, out of nowhere! And you get to pour one yourself! And you get to ride down a slide! We had the best guide ever. He LOVES his job. He refused our tip, "you are a guest in my home." Just as I have a smile that can't go away after attending Chicago's "Tour de Fat," I had a big smile during our tour. We were also fortunate enough to be in Fort Collins during the motherlode "Tour de Fat." We got to watch the bike parade. New Belgium Brewing Company is a socially conscious happy fun place. Plan in advance. Be prepared for some crowds.
(5)Luke H.
How can you go wrong with free tastings? They make up for their sold out for months in advance tours with free tastings. Also, the free post cards are pretty cool...you write it and they send it...sweet.
(4)Matt P.
Plan ahead! Go to their website and schedule a tour. These spots fill up quickly! Also, check their hours before going. They close relatively early so that the place does not turn into a bar scene.
(4)Brandon L.
Very nice facility and good beer selection.
(5)Colleen C.
Awesome tour - so worth it (because it's free) - call to make reservations ahead of time, especially if you have a large party. Such a fabulous story - just for the record, I didn't drink at all on the tour for personal reasons, but it was still so much fun!!
(5)Katie R.
It wouldn't be Colorado without the beautiful Rocky Mountains, outdoor activities and the smell fresh beer being brewed. I have to admit, i love this state. Even better, is the amazing amount of breweries that cover Colorado. Out of the mannnyyy breweries I've tried, New Belgium is one of my absolute favorites, and here's why: 1. The company in general is just plain awesome. Green, down with recycling, invested in their product and community, customer satisfaction and employee as shareholders are just a few things that set themselves apart from the competition...including bikes for their employees after 5 years, and a trip to Belgium once a 10 year mark has hit. 2. It all started with a bike...in Belgium. After visiting Brussels, Belgium, I became even more interested in what New Belgium had to offer. Their beer styles reflect originality and creative-ness, making some damn good beer. 3. The brewery itself is neat. Equipped with a slide, pool tables and all made from scrap materials, the building is one of a kind. 4. The tasting room & souvenir shop is an awesome place to try a variety of beer and socialize, while browsing the selection of New Belgium gear. 5. Donations to Charity are high on their list. Once a free tour, their tour now costs just $5 and goes to a charity of your choice. awesome :) In my book...best. ever.
(4)Reilly R.
This place is awesome! Could not ask for a better taproom or friendlier staff. I have a smile every time I leave this place!!!
(5)Hether S.
Let me just say this... This brewery makes me want to pack up and move to Colorado. Seriously. I have visited this brewery several times now - and can't wait to go back! I have been on the tour (you need to book this far in advance, be prepared to spend about an hour on the tour, and also be prepared to sample many tasty beers) but I have also gone here without taking the tour and had an equally good experience. If you aren't lucky enough to take their official and guided tour, you are encouraged to take a self-guided-mini-tour. Plus, either way, you get free beer samples (everything from Fat Tire to their Lips of Faith Dandelion Ale). The people who work at this brewery are friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about good beer...
(5)Chanh S.
This place is definitely the tourist trap of the breweries in town. The place looks HUGE on the outside but then you walk in and it's tiny and cramped. It's nice that they have small and large taste serving. I won't say too much about this since we didnt stay long since it was so crowded and you had to literally fight and stand in line to get a beer unless you knew the servers, which apparently many did. This place isn't worth the stop unless you do the beer tour...stay away if you want to sit and have a drink with friends..
(3)Steve B.
Fun, Great History, and Really Good Beer.
(5)Keely B.
Can I do a six star review, because I would like to. Best brewery tour ever. Whimsy to the max - more in love with this brewery than I was before I visited and learned more about the company and the brews. Many fun beers to taste in the tasting room and cool merchandise to purchase to bring home a little New Belgium Brewing with you.
(5)Brian W.
My 5* rating comes from the Tour Experience. Most brewery tours are short as they think that the young adults are only there for the free beer and are hoping the tour is only 15 mintues. Our tour was long and I was glad for that. Each stop includes a sample - what a fantastic idea. What a great experience. As a homebrewer I know the brewing process and was interested in what NB does and they delivered, tour guide was great and she had a huge respect for all beers. Tours are hard to come by, but we just showed up on a holidy and got right in, sure it was luck but they get 5*'s just the same. The tasting room is well done, nice Belgium bolwing outside. Recommendations: More games, both outside and inside. Popcorn or pretzels would be nice with purchase?
(5)Kees v.
This was without a doubt one of the best tours I have ever been on. Our guide was very enthusiastic about New Belgium, beer, and her desire to have us walk away with a good experience. During the tour she educated us about brewing and New Belgium's manufacturing model plus she allowed us to try many different types of beer. The place is nicely layed out and I was pleased to hear that New Belgium will soon have another site east of the Mississippi.
(4)Bill N.
Great place, great people, great beer. Must stop on any trip!
(5)Matt E.
I was given a VIP tour by their mothership hostess Penelope, (hey there has to be SOME perks to running a beer bar, right?) and from the moment I walked in I truly felt like a VIP. The tour was professional, very educational, and a lot of fun. The facility is beautiful and environmentally responsible. I learned a LOT that I'll be able to take back to my customers and some ideas for products I'd like to carry in the future. The beers were delicious, as well. A great experience and a great memory. Thanks Penelope and thanks New Belgium!
(5)Mike D.
Been on lots of Tours, (From WI so i have some interest in beer). This is HANDs down the best tour I have ever been on. greeted with a beer, next area next beer, like 5 or 7 samples, cool people, great guide. As a bonus the bartender gave us valuble information. in addition to New Belgium there are like 10 other breweries in town. there are maps! Plan a full day and bring a driver if you are not staying in Ft. Collins, We where in Golden, so like 60 miles? But lots of other places to stop on the way. pick up a map before you go. Dont miss this one!
(5)Brandon W.
Being a resident of Colorado and bringing my brother from Ohio, we both would agree that this is one of the best attractions of the state if you're into the good beer. Great people, great beer and a great tour. Go do it.
(5)Christina P.
They used to give out tokens for samples in the tasting room but have since changed it to selling everything. I almost like this better because if you want to try more than 2, which you will, you don't have to awkwardly ask for more or more tokens. You can do a taste for $1.50, pint for $4, or refill a growler. I highly recommend the Abbey or Mothership Wit Everyone who works here is super nice and happy all the time. The one drawback is that it can get very, very crowded and hard to get someone's attention, since most people sample and they are constantly refilling glasses.
(5)Molly H.
The tour is not to be missed and the story of New Belgium is heartwarming. The tour guides are incredibly knowledgeable and the slide is a fun way to end the tour (do they still do that?) New Belgium makes some awesome beers. Some of the best I have had (usually the ones from the tap room more often than the ones in a bottle). The tap room is always crowded though. You really start to feel like cattle after awhile. Still, you must make this a stop on your Ft. Collins Breweries Tour.
(4)Edward T.
The best brewery in Fort Collins if not in the states. Friendly staff and good beer. thanks guys
(5)Katy S.
Great beer and great friendly service...not too much you can ask for! The building is very clean and well kept! I highly remcommend going on the tours and at least checking the place out!
(5)Sarah G.
Okay, now that I'm not tipsy any longer I think it's time to write this review! I was in Denver visiting a friend and one of my only requests was to check out New Belgium's brewery tour. I love breweries, large or small, new or old and above all, I love New Belgium's Lips of Faith series. It's not impossible to come by in LA but it's nice to have the entire seasonal line-up, as well as the history behind it right there on hand! The tour is free (reserve early!) and comes with copious amounts of beer -- I definitely didn't go to get hammered but the delicious samplings (La Folie, bottled-that-day Fat Tire, Abbott, 1554, Blue Paddle, and more) combined with the altitude definitely did me in. If you don't have a DD, they have plenty of safe ride numbers and water on hand! The tour itself was low key but excellent - full of info about the history of the brewery, their efforts to remain an environmentally and socially aware company. It's actually quite admirable and impressive...really. The space is beautiful with mosaics, bright natural light, and the lovely smell of mashing grains. Obviously I won't be bringing a growler of La Folie back on my flight today but I will definitely be back next time I'm in Colorado!
(5)Bobby P.
I've been on a ton of Brewery tours but New Belgium was the best so far. Great job Laura! She was awesome and we were the last tour of the day. Loved the Sour room and fresh Fat Tire. Thanks again guys and keep up the great work!!!
(5)Mei L.
Make sure to get stamped and coined before entering. You get 4 free tastings per visit. FREE tours (but make sure to sign up at least a month or two in advance) Hard to find seating...will require some patience. It may be hard to find parking at their lot. There are some spots available if you drive around the brewery. a MUST VISIT if you are in Fort Collins.
(5)Sarah M.
Great beer and wonderful tour guide! Also lots of places to sit and elevators for those who need it. I really appreciated it. The tour was free and delicious. A must do in Fort Collins!
(5)katy b.
New Belgium has made me fall in love with beer culture. I stop by at least once a week for the beer, for the people, and for the incredible energy this place has. LOVE.
(5)Nick L.
Fantastic beer tour. Love that you get to taste a lot. Plus they teach you a ton about the brewing process. The staff was super enthusiastic and helpful. Plus who doesn't love NB's fun playful attitude with slide included.
(5)Cindy W.
A must see brewery, as you can see from other reviews, came from California to visit family for a wedding and my son really wanted to check this place out and so we made our reservation 60 days before (it books up super fast), however, we were 10 minutes late for our tour but Elizabeth at the front check in was so awesome in working it out somehow for 9 of us to get in anyway on the 4:30 tour. She was very accommodating and then Christine, the tour guide was the perfect guide. I have only been on one other brewery tour, I am not a beer drinker at all but this place totally amazed me. Again, the tour guide did an excellent job explaining every detail and giving us great information, as well as about 6 different beers to sample. Upon hearing what the company does for their employees, it made many on the tour wish they could work there. This company truly cares for its employees and gives fantastic incentives. The tour is 90 minutes and worth every second of it. The décor is cool, the lighting, things on the wall, pool tables, ping pong tables inside the brewery rooms for the employees chalk it all up to be a great place to visit. I would do it again, I enjoyed it so much. After 5 years of working there you get a trip to Belgium for a week and you get paid your normal pay also for that week off. You are considered full time by just working just 25 hours a week and at 10 years you get a month off on top of regular vacation time. Cool place and I loved it.
(5)Kate G.
Be prepared for a mob scene here. It's absolutely chaotic on weekends. I tried to walk into a tour that just started and was chided immediately, I had NO idea you had to show up super early to get on a list. I was bummed about that. It was a miracle we snagged seats at the bar after about 10 minutes, it was barely standing room only on a Saturday afternoon. The poor pourers were so swamped. It did take us some time to get our samples but we each enjoyed all four. Also managed to snag some stickers for our bikes. I give them credit for their marketing and their "green" practices, and loved participating in the Urban Assault in Denver this summer. Love their beers, events and will definitely be back, just better prepared for a zoo.
(4)Jenna P.
Everyone who says they had a bad time either doesn't like beer or didn't go on the tour. My boyfriend and I had an FANTASTIC time after a 7hr drive from Salt lake during our cross-country trip. Definitely a favorite stop. The tour was free and included 5 free beers to taste. Our guide was FANTASTIC and had been there for 8years. The company is a perfect example of what every company in America should be. And.........there is beer.... Free beer at that. So we both suggest that everyone stop and take the free 90min tour. SO worth it!
(5)Jolene T.
When my friend and I first came here we had the greatest time. She LOVES New Belgium beers and was in heaven being here. The bartender let her pour her own beer and she almost died. It was a little kid going to FAO Schwartz for the first time! We had tons of fun and they gave us tons of little gadgets to take home. Nowadays they have calmed down and the samples are no longer an option. I understand that is good for business but I hate buying a beer without getting to sample it first. Oh well, the first memory was awesome!
(4)Jin C.
didnt go on the guided tour and get messed up this time and enjoyed some beers with my friend. great place to try all kinds of beers. MANLY MEN CAN DRINK FRUITY BEERS!
(5)Dan F.
This place is hoppin, it's always busy! People park cars along the streets and there's always a chinese picture of bicycles out front. Plenty of photo ops for this legendary beer maker in a sustainably built and run microbrewery. They give tours. I can see why a beer enthusiast would make a trip to Fort Collins specifically to hang out at New Belgium Brewing Co. This is a microbrewery that you can go down every beer they make and be happy drinking it.
(5)Meghan D.
awesome. such a great tour, and A LOT OF BEER!
(5)Rachel M.
Best place to get a buzz FOR FREE. 1. New Belgium beers are amazing. 2. They give free tasters of beer. 3. Those tasters contain large quantities of said beer. 4. Servers are nice, funny and engaging. With all that being said, here are a few tips to get maximum enjoyment out of your visit: Call ahead to get tour tickets, as they go very quickly Resign yourself to a busy, crazy, rowdy atmosphere with college students and tourists, and enjoy!
(5)B H.
Really good tour. Makes you want to do good things. The beer is good also.
(5)Brandon K.
If you are in the Fort Collins area and enjoy a great craft beer , You should check out the New Belgium Brewing Company. Since time wasn't really in our favor we didn't get the chance to actually take a guided tour although we still got the chance to take a self guided tour around the plant. Samples are free, they give you 3 tokens to sample brews. I'm not sure if they really keep tabs on how much you drink since they let us sample 4-5 beers without asking for a token. They brew several types of beers, some that you can't even buy in stores. So if you take a trip to the brewery, try something different. I tried the Hoptober brew, which was very hoppy, which is great since I do like hops. The wife was really impressed with the berlinerwiess (she isn't a beer drinker) If you can't make it to the brewery at least try one of new Belgium's beers. I like Fat tire, Ranger and the Mighty Arrow beers the brew. You can find these beers almost anywhere that has a wide selection of beers.
(5)Ryan B.
This was the first place my Colorado native girlfriend took me when I first moved here. Some of the beers are sublime (Fat Tire, Abbey, Ranger IPA) and some are not so sublime (1554, Mothership, Blue Paddle). The real key here is the atmosphere. The site is beautiful with a great bar, always teeming with people. The reason? Great FREE beer. You are given tokens for free beer tasting when you enter, so you can try some old favorites or get a little crazy with their always changing seasonal varieties. The one negative is that, because of how busy it gets, it is tough to get an order in to a bartender quickly. The tour was informative, fun, and exciting. The tour guide was personable and extremely funny, which added some much needed laughs (greased by the free beer given on the tour as well). One unique part was that we were all seated at a table and given beer and chocolate pairings. It made drinking beer feel a little more sophisticated than just 'getting drunk'. All in all, I feel like the tasting and tour are must do's for any new native to CO. Although some of the beers were lacking, the atmosphere and SUPERSTAR beers like Fat Tire and Abbey more than made up for it.
(4)Natalie W.
I've been on the tour twice now, and I love it. The tour guides are funny and interesting, the beer is delicious and plentiful, and the facilities are stunning. I'm not the biggest fan of Fat Tire, but when you try it straight off the bottling line, it's wonderful. Make sure to come with a designated driver, or on a bike. However, I don't recommend biking tipsy (I've got some injuries to prove why...)!
(5)Roy K.
The best beer tour I have been on ( been on 5 or so) and def the most beer you will drink on a tour itself. Very friendly staff, not beer snobs, and tell a good bit of history on the place. Def worth a visit if you are in town/local.
(5)Andrew W.
New Belgium is the 3rd largest craft brewery in the world, yet feels so personal and small. We did a brewery tour along with samples Saturday at 3:00pm. Samples on the tour we enjoyed were: Abbey, Beer de Mars, 15 second old Fat Tire, Sunshine and 1554. I finished my tour with a final sample of the Ranger India Pale Ale. I always enjoy our visit and look forward to the next.
(4)Christina Z.
Maybe we just got stuck with an awful tour guide. I visited New Belgium in April 2011 and was blown away by how strikingly beautiful (and sustainable!) the facilities were, as well as all of the background on how New Belgium was created and their brewing process. Their commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency was gently woven in the process of how each beer was made, from sourcing to distribution, and told by a current employee who had formerly been a priest. Our group was fun, our tour guide happily answered our questions, and at the end of the day (after about 4 large samples and two full-sized beers...we somehow each got a can of Sunshine wheat and the tour guide slipped in a six-pack of Somersault into my purse for poking fun at me earlier...LADIES, THIS IS WHY, IN LIFE, YOU ALWAYS NEED TO CARRY A BIG PURSE!), I was filled with great beer and a huge appreciation for New Belgium's brewing process, how fun the company seemed, and their commitment to environmental and social responsibility. The two free samples at the end of the tour in the tap room certainly helped, too! Fast forward to last Saturday (March 31, 2012). The free samples in the tap room have been replaced by samplers ranging from $1.50 - $2.00 in price, not too bad of a deal, especially if you want to try their Lips of Faith series (HIGHLY recommend Valentine's Day, a raspberry ale with a tinge of sourness!) Even with this change, the tasting room was loud and packed. We started off our tour sitting in a room sipping on some Abbey while we heard the (lengthy) history of the founder and all the jazz about his fat tired-bike in Belgium and how New Belgium came to be the massive craft brewing company it is today. Then we were led through the brewery where we learned extremely relevant facts about the CEO (tip: you can make a drinking game and get completely wasted if you drink whenever "the lady with the big heart" is mentioned...down the whole damn glass if the tour guide pats his heart as he says it), how the brewery is decorated, how many people apply to New Belgium, what benefits employees receive after each year of working, how much the tour guide looooooved working there, how many vacation days employees got per year, how "love" and "having fun" is in their 10 commandments for working there...the true highlight of the tour (and an addition any craft beer fanatic will truly cherish) was walking through the parking lot of New Belgium where our tour guide pointed out where the CEO parks and how the parking lot is divided up by each car's MPG/fuel efficiency. Did I seriously just drive out to New Belgium and bring 10 visitors to here about their parking lot?! When I asked questions, the tour guide dismissed them, saying he'd get to them later on in the tour. When giving us instructions on how to go down the slide, he barked at a couple in the back who were whispering among themselves. And when someone on the tour joked about playing a round of foosball on the table beside the slide at the end of the tour, our tour guide glared at him and sharply stated that he needed to apply to New Belgium and start working there before he even thought about touching that table. So much for "love" and "having fun"? Frankly, we were served more Kool-Aid than beer, and I'm a little unclear why NB was pushing its visitors to apply to their company rather than buy their beer. Okay, fine, who am I to be so critical of a free service they volunteer to offer? I get that culture is a huge part of NB and it's interesting to hear about it, but it should come out organically in the story of how their great beer is made, rather than be the sole focus of the tour. You guys brew awesome beer...focus on that, and let the rest come naturally! Anyway, I think the point of this long-winded story is that if you want beer samples, you'll get them here. If you want to hear about the company and how they operate, you'll most certainly get that. If you want an in-depth explanation of their brewing process, you may not get that, depending on who your guide is. But, all in all, it's fun and free, and if you're in the Fort Collins area, it's worth checking out.
(4)Zach G.
Before I even entered, I loved this place. Why? Certainly not the parking situation, it sucks. Nay, on the way in, a gentleman on his way out gave me his "free drink caps". Added to the ones I got whilst inside, I suddenly had access to about 8 beers (luckily I wasn't the one driving the car!). This gave me ample opportunity to try many a tasty treat, and I really enjoyed them all. The atmosphere is really chill...it's part fancy, part hipster, all comfortable. Didn't make it on a tour...honestly, I don't care how it's made, I care that it IS made. Definitely a place I'll return to.
(5)Chris d.
Ugh. I can't believe I had to reserve a tour spot 6 weeks ahead for this. Saturday was the only day I could make it. It's much easier to get a spot during the week. I give them credit for having a nice, aesthetically pleasing facility and trying their best to recycle energy and compost to stay somewhat green, but that's about it. The smug, pretentious, hipster vibe was a major turnoff. It's almost like if Starbucks owned a brewery. The place was completely disorganized and many people had no idea where to go. After doing the first 2 parts of the tour, other people who were in a later tour group almost joined ours simply because they had no idea where to go & no one was around to help them. I had to point them in the right direction. The tour guide even commented how she has a tendency to lose half her group mid-tour. Like that's something to brag about? Call me crazy and old-fashioned, but I think a tour guide should inform people about the brewery, the brewing process, and other miscellaneous facts while maintaining a professional & positive attitude. She seemed disinterested and glanced over the brewing process instead of going in-depth. We got a much more detailed story about how the owner had a drunken idea to start a brewery. Worst part of the tour was seeing our Fat Tires being poured out of a fucking bottle. Are you kidding? We get bottled beer, just like I could pick up on the way home? How ridiculous. I want to try the freshest they have to offer. Who knows when that crap was bottled. She didn't bother to tell us because she found it more interesting to talk about nonsense like the weather. One part of the tour included hearing about employee parking. Like I really care how Prius drivers and carpoolers get front-row parking. Or how the owner parks her Audi farther away to honor the rules. Whoop dee fucking doo. Kinda fitting though, the top dog driving a fancy import while the lower-level folks are encouraged to bike to work. 2nd to last part of the tour included going down a fucking slide. Yes, a slide, like the ones we played on at recess as little kids. Needless to say, I passed. How dumb. The last part of the tour allowed us to sit down and enjoy 2 last samples while writing postcards to anyone we wanted, anywhere in the world, and they would mail them for us. Cool idea, even if it was a little cheesy. This company actually employs a guy whose official title is "Director Of Fun." I shit you not. They seem to be very proud of this too. I could no longer take this company seriously after hearing that. Fun that is forced upon someone is not fun at all. Worst of all though, the beer just isn't that great. Before today, I had only tried Fat Tire, which I thought was OK. I figured maybe the other brews would be better. Not really. None of them jumped out at me and made me think, "Wow, now that's good beer." The best was only about 3 stars out of 5, and that would probably be Sunshine Wheat. I might buy it at some point, but it's definitely not a priority. Overall, everything about New Belgium is thoroughly overrated.
(2)Bill L.
If you only have time for one brewery tour while in Fort Collins .... make it this one. I wish they served food because that would probably be as good as the beers. Liked the beers from there before I went to the brewery. Talked with one of the bartenders who was extremely friendly. Then I went on a tour. I've been on some bad tours and some good tours, but this one put them all to shame. I don't know if it was just the tour guide that put it over the top or not, but by far my favorite brewery to visit. Every stop got another beer and another great story about the brewery and it's history.
(5)Diana A.
HOW can I be first to review???!!!! We grew up coming to Ft. Fun from Laramie WY - so when I found New Belgium Brewery I just had to love it. Better than that though, their beer is lovable! Anyone who's had any New Belgium beer has probably had "Fat Tire" and we learned the history of the name and company, but they have many different brews. They offer free tasting and there is are gifts for yourself or friends. Our guide was awesome - we had an hour for our tour and we clipped along at a fun pace. No one in our group needed handicapped access, but I did notice that there were elevators at each of the locations we visited, so if getting up and down stairs is a problem, don't worry! Starting in August they're having RESERVATIONS for the tours, for which you can sign up online. As it was we arrived at 1:00 and all tours were booked except for 2 spots for the 3:00 tour. Having arrived when we did gave us two hours to people watch And there were a LOT of people ... heavy traffic - and TONS of people on bicycles. A lot of people were coming to have their Growlers re-filled. If you're heading to Ft. Collins, and you like beer, take the tour!
(5)Kathy W.
It was my first time here and it was delightful in some respects: upbeat, fun atmosphere, 4 free tokens per person for beer that was quite delicious, even for this non-beer drinker. However, trying to get the attention of the bartenders was ridiculous. Their vision did not extend to those patrons sitting behind them, and they spent quite a bit of time socializing amongst themselves. I though of tossing one of my tokens at them to get their attention, but decided otherwise since I didn't want to lose one of them OR get bounced out. Other than that, this was a fun place to spend a bit of time on a Saturday afternoon.
(3)Carlie D.
This brewery is awesome. I've always loved Fat Tire and Somersault so when we stopped in Fort Collins for breakfast and my friend reminded me that this brewery is right down the street, I knew it was meant to be. Since I've been living on the east coast for the past five years, I have learned to live without New Belgium. Sadly. Now that I am moving back to the best coast, I am excited to be back in the land of better beers (even though I will miss Sixpoint). The tour was only 30 minutes which is perfect for my attention span. Then we drank FREE beer for the next hour. It was awesome. I loved it and would like to go back. It's a good thing one of my friend's lives in Boulder because I am definitely going to have to drag her out to this lovely little town to try the brew.
(5)G. L.
This is what a brewery tour should be! Fantastic beer, cool atmosphere, free tour, nice people...and beer. We stopped by for a bachelor party weekend and took the free tour on a Thursday afternoon. Our guide was great and I'm not joking when I say we tasted beers the entire tour. The place is great and was so much fun. I can't wait to go back some day.
(5)Garth E.
New Belgium rocks my beer loving world! I lived in New York for four years where unfortunately they don't sell New Belgium brews and I felt like I was in withdrawal. Almost as soon as I deplaned in Colorado I used to head to my nearest liquor store and grab a 6-pack of Fat Tire or Sunshine. They just taste good, you can sense that they put a lot of thought into their different beers and I haven't found one yet that I didn't like (well, okay, that's not true. I once tried a beet flavored beer while touring the brewery and it was disgusting, but it's not one of their commercially sold beers so it doesn't count). I HIGHLY recommend touring the brewery if you're 21+. You get to see all the steps in the beer making process through a tour given by one of their energetic employees. You can just tell these people love what they do and have a passion for beer and microbrews in general. What's more is you get 6-7 FREE samples just for taking the tour. Let me repeat, FREE BEER. There can't be anything wrong with that. Only problem is the tours need to be booked at least a month in advance (unless you're lucky and some spots open up). I've also heard that lots of people cancel on the day of so spots often open up but I've never tried that strategy myself. If you're visiting Colorado (or any of the states that sell their beers), you must go pick up a 6-pack of Fat Tire. And if you can make it to Ft. Collins DO NOT skip over this microbrewery tour experience. Again, FREE BEER.
(5)Hymae W.
Went on a tour here and it was awesome. This place has that google style workplace where there workers actually love their company. After one year of employment they give there workers a fat tire bike, and after 5 they send them to Belgium to drink beer. The tour itself was also very impressive. There architecture is very cool and there interior designs are even better. They gave us 5 different beers over the tour which was just enough to get everyone buzzed (and maybe some even drunk). In the end they had this cool idea to give away postcards to send to whoever and they would even pay the postage and send them out. Overall badass company.
(5)Robert H.
Went on a tour. Pretty good times. Tasted four beers, saw the brew house, bottle and can lines. Tour guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable.
(4)Ka T.
I had such a great experience touring this brewery I'm still talking about it. My tour guide Tyler i believe was Professional as well as entertaining. He we able to give us all the inside story or the brewery as well as tasting all the great beers New Belgium has to offer. If you get a chance this is something not to miss out on! Im ready to do it again!
(5)Pui Ying S.
What a great tour. For free they let you taste healthy portions of at least 4 beers and show you their brewing rooms and tell you the history of the company. You can take pictures of anything you like. They also give you a token for a free tasting of beer at the bar after the tour. We even got to go down the employee twist slide. They also offered for free, to send coaster post cards to anybody you wanted for no extra cost. What a great souvenir! The place is greatly decorated with a super friendly staff who really cared about the product. I really enjoyed it here and recommend this for people in the area. The tour books up pretty quickly so I suggest booking at least a week in advance and you have to be on time. Though we arrived 5 minutes late and we were OK.
(5)Husky D.
Was there 10 years ago for the first time...really impressed by their tours and customer orientation in the several times I've been back there. Great micro brewery that's making headway nationwide with Fat Tire.
(5)Elle G.
I am the proud owner of permanent elbow scars from riding the slide on a tour. The tours are amazing, the people are awesome, and the beer is absolutely delicious!
(5)Leigh P.
On our great Denver adventure, we had a free day and decided the night before to go to the New Belgium Brewery. I went online to reserve a spot in a tour and saw they were all booked up for weeks. Weeks! Crap! I didn't let that deter us and out the door we went at 9am to head north and visit the adorable little city of Fort Collins. On the way, I called New Belgium to see if it would be a problem that we didn't have a reservation and if we could just wander around, buy a t shirt and a beer and was told we were definitely welcome. Score! We got to the brewery around 10:15 in the morning and there were really only a few people there. We asked for information and if we could do a self guided tour... but were told that a cool dude name Burny would be glad to show us around and give us a little private tour since we were there so early. We got to hear about how the brewery got started, about the people who work there and the fabulous perks, and about how much everyone really cares about the brew. It was a fabulous tour and we really felt we got an even better tour than what we would have had if we were able to get into the other tour. He made our experience at the brewery a really fantastic time. Oi! Pass the Skinny Dip!
(5)Jessica B.
I can't think of a bad thing to say about this place. Good, FREE beer. And lots of it. A group of us travelled into Fort Collins for the day to visit a couple breweries and this was our second stop. Its wonderful. You head into a pretty lively room, go to the counter, show your ID and get a very niced sized sample of your choosing (along with three buttons for more FREE samples). While I was sipping on my beer and travelling around the room looking at the merchandise and photo booth, I noticed how nice everyone was here. The beer tasters that had enough were sharing their tokens with those looking to... get drunk. lol. The employees were all very nice and willing to explain the difference in the the beer options. It was great fun and wonderful visiting on a hot summer day. My advice to those visiting is book your tour weeks in advance. We weren't able to go when we visited June 17th because they were booked through July!
(5)Jennifer R.
Best tour I've ever been on, and I've done a lot. They start off with a beer toast and end the same way. Lots of samples, many not yet for sell and good info. Engaged staff that seem to love their jobs. No food - but food trucks there on weekends and other busy times.
(5)Conner E.
Great place to stop by for a free brewery tour. it's a wonderful craft brewery known for producing such fine ales as fat tire, blue paddle, mothership wit, ranger IPA, and more. If you don't have time for a tour then simply stop in for a 5 beer sampling of any of the wonderful beer varieties that they serve. I'd recommend checking out any of the beers produced in the lips of faith series as they are all developed personally by the knowledgable master brewers! If you feel you need to take some of the delicious brew home with you then you can opt for a re-fillable growler (large glass container) that you can re-fill again and again generally at any brewery which also sells growlers. Cheers!
(5)Martin Z.
The Accumulation White India Pale is a joy. It has a crisp Reisling start and then the hops kick in with a tempered bitterness. The finish has smooth wheat bread and grapefruit bite. Great piece of work.
(4)Trey S.
Yes, fat tire put them on the map, but theres more to be had here. I enjoyed the beet beer, but it's not for everyone. The pro of this place: it's all free. They give you two chips to try two small samples. The con: if you like one you can't get a glass, just bottles to go. I think new Belgium continues to set the bar for creativity in brewing, but at the end of the day I think slot of the beer is better in theory and not so much in execution.
(3)Jessica W.
Go here to enjoy their delish beers and support a seemingly awesome company. Highly recommend the guided tour to learn all of the great things about New Belgium.
(5)Jim L.
You know how there are some guys who who want to see a game at every MLB ballpark? Well that guy isn't me and honestly, I will catch a game when I catch it. I would however like to visit a brewery in every state and since I've been to New Belgium, I only have 48 more states to go. I am not a huge fan of their Fat Tire which is the most popular out here in CA however I LOVE New Belgium's Trippel IPA. If IPA isn't for you, they offer many great selections to choose from. I've been to New Belgium twice and it is a great experience. They do not skimp on the samples and if you choose to take the tour, it is free. A fun afternoon and the next time I'm in the area, I know where I'm going. No, not to a ballpark.
(4)Christopher N.
Pure joy. That is what this place is. If you like beer and good times, you need to visit at least once. Summer tours book up weeks in advance but you can sometimes get lucky and squeeze yourself in - legally of course. Winter tours free up a bit.
(5)Christina G.
Let me first say, I'm not a huge fan of Fat Tire. At least in NC, it was so hyped up when it arrived that I felt the sting of disappointment. 1554 was better, but you know, there are lots of good local brews to be had too. So, it was with a degree of skepticism that I approached this brew tour. But as soon as we arrived, I was excited. We only got one beer token to use in the tasting room... but there was a whole fleet of brews I hadn't experienced, including a summer seasonal and several Lips of Faith beers (their more esoteric experimental recipes) on the actual tour. I'm told the tours have to be reserved months in advance, but our awesome hosts had landed us a Saturday afternoon visit. We started at 12:30, walked through the brewing process and got the back-story on how New Belgium started as a homebrew hobby. Along the way we sampled Fat Tire, Blue Paddle, La Folie, Skinny Dip and Mothership Wit. For free. Plus the tour was really solid. Our guide, though relatively new with the company, was witty and projected well. At the close of the tour, we got to slide down a twisty slide -- Phil has evidence of me arriving ass-first (which speaks volumes about my weight distribution). I will warn you -- I got a few bumps and bruises on my elbow and ankle (rubbing against the seams that connect the metal slide). Finally, we filled out some postcards to send home to family -- they mail 'em for you. We went back to the tasting room and wound up getting served way more beers than we had tokens for. The whole staff was really friendly... and it's no wonder. They're kept well with plenty of incentives. As if beer wasn't enough, they get a trip to Belgian after 5 years to recreate the founder's original inspirational trek; and after 10 years, a 6-week sabbatical. And they're hiring -- hm....
(5)Tessa G.
New Belgium beers are popular in Chicago so we decided to visit here when I was on vacation in Colorado in late September. The second you walk up to the place they give you 3 little tokens for free beer samples which is pretty generous of them. This place was packed asses to elbows with drunk snobby yuppies though. It was really annoying to deal with all of these people at noon on a Friday. I tried to purchase a few things and wound up just leaving after waiting over 15 minutes in a line that didn't budge once. The staff was friendly, the decor was nice and eco-conscious, and the beer was good but the hipsters and yuppies around me were unbearable. I had more fun at the smaller breweries surrounding here.
(3)joseph r.
free great craft beer and people give it less that 5 stars? wth??? great beer! great tour! great people!
(5)Amanda D.
I will say right off the bat that it is not New Belgium's fault that I'm only giving four stars. This place is just WAY too crowded. We visited on a Friday (our only option--if you can, do as NB recommends and go early in the week) and the tasting room was PACKED. Probably because they give away several samples of their very tasty brews. Also, I love NB's concept and positive, offbeat attitude. The decor is artistic and funky. Plus they have a 60's era Airstream camper. So, so awesome.
(4)Andreas H.
This is the pinnacle of brewing quality beer in an ethical, forward thinking manner. New Belgium produces a variety of beers, with some incredible seasonals thrown in. The business model for their company is also impressive. The fact that they are so green only helps the situation. WELL DONE!! However... I miss the Abbey Grand Cru.... please bring it back!
(5)Melissa T.
The friggin tops. I was a little wary of an hour and a half tour. Doesn't that just sound...long? But it was so interesting the time flew by. Our tour guide was friendly and learning the back stories behind the names of the different beers was highlight.
(5)Michele D.
Yay! We went on the tour this afternoon (that we booked a couple of months ago) and it was super fun! They give you a token for a beer to have while you wait for the tour to begin. Then, once you are on the tour, you get to taste many of the other beers. Our guide was both entertaining and informative. He made the tour really interesting with a lot of personal stories as well has information about the beers. At the end of the tour, there is a twisty slide that you can go down if you want to. Then it's off to the last room to taste a couple more beers and chat some more with the guide and the other members of the group. You can also write on New Belgium postcards and address them to your friends and New Belgium will mail them for you. I would love to come here again! I'm sure we will next time we are in the area.
(5)Brandon M.
one of the best places to go for beer/tours/fun!!!!
(5)Erin B.
AWESOME BREWERY TOUR!! First of all, be sure to reserve your tour online at least a couple weeks in advance. Our tour guide (Seth) said they do about 9 tours a day, so you ought to have your pick of the time that works best for your group. If people don't show up for their tour, their spots are given away as the tour starts so you can take your chances in that route. We started our tour with a beer and a history lesson. I didn't know much about how New Belgium got its start before our tour, but learned a lot. Nice to know more about the microbreweries (although, it's growing out of being a "micro"). They are celebrating their 20th year in 2011; and celebrating with beer of course! We went onto the brewery room (2 sections), the bottling factory, and the cellar. Each place we tried a different beer. We even got to pour our own beer from their tap! And of course, we ended with a trip down the slide!! After the tour, we went to their tap room for another free sample. This tap room was very cool and very laid back. This brewery seems like a wonderful place to work. They are proud of their "green" works and promote recycling/reusing resources. Be sure to stop by this brewery if you find yourself in Ft. Collins, CO!
(5)Julienne A.
This place is cool. Went here with my boyfriend and his folks while we were in town for New Years. Upon entering the winter wonderland that is before the NBBC, you are given these tokens to trade for complimentary tasters. Didn't get a chance to do the tour but i'm sure we'll be back to do that in the future.
(4)Craig L.
You need to do the tour (it's free) you need to meet the people and you need to hang out for a while. Famous for Fat Tire but that is one of their least awesome beers. Ranger and Tripple are yummy. If you are not careful, you will need a cab home from here without spending a penny. Or you can walk to Odell's and The Fort Collins Brewery and THEN call a cab. I think it is a plan!
(4)Dana R.
Nice free brew tour. Samples are only 1.50 at the bar. Very interesting and you will learn a lot about the company, their inspiration and their business model. Very comprehensive!
(5)Kelsey W.
If you even have to debate if you want to go to New Belgium you don't belong. But I want to know why they don't serve food?! Maybe because people like me would never leave...?
(5)Kevin S.
New Belgium is like Disneyland meets Mecca for beer lovers! Beautiful building, great people, community minded business model and best of all...FANTASTIC BEER!!!!
(5)Saera H.
I forgot to take my new Oxford wedge heels off before bolting down the slide, now they're all scratched up! Boo.
(5)Ayesha S.
I'm a pretty big fan of New Belgium as they put on the most awesome Tour De Fat bicycle event every year. When my friend suggested we check it out, I was all about it. The tours were sold out for the day, but we didn't mind much as you can take a self-guided one and I've been to enough breweries that I get the process. The staff is super friendly, and doesn't accept tips- we were specifically told that we could buy a New Belgium brew for someone the next time we're at the bar as their tip. Pretty cool. We had a great afternoon at the brewery, and managed to get way more than just two samples. I like that they have some of their specialty stuff on sale- we took home a six-pack of Frambhosen, which was someone's high school favorite. A solid place to check out while visiting Colorado.
(5)Lisa S.
Awesome tour. Not only do they give you 5 free little taster beers, but I was surprised to find how much the employees love working here and how green it is. After leaving here, I wanted a job! Do this tour, especially if you can only do one.
(5)Todd O.
How can you not love this place? They stand for everything good, anyone would want to work for them, the employees are happy, the beer is good, the place is cool...I can go on and on. I've been 4 times, been on the tour once. Its well worth it but its about 10-15 minutes too long...who cares when you're having fun. If you didn't plan ahead, just tasting and soaking in the New Belgium culture is worth it. A must do in Fort Fun!
(4)Joe P.
New Belgium is on fire and it's exciting to experience their growing wonderland of beer in person. They offer a great tour, culminating in a silly ride down a spiral slide. I only wish they would sell unlimited pours of beer in the tap room.
(5)Scott K.
New Belgium was not only delicious but it was a blast! From the moment we stepped into the "tasting room" the staff made us feel at home. We got to try 6 or so different beers, as well as learn what makes New Belgium such a unique brewery. New Belgium really defines the Fort Collins beer scene, and the tour gives you a great view into both the brewing process, and the history of the brewery. It is definitely a FoCo must for the average beer drinker, and the beer afficionado alike!
(5)Jessie H.
Visited 6+ breweries while in Colorado - This was our favorite. Great tour, guide, and beer to taste along the way. Definitely worth visiting!!
(4)Scott S.
I love this Brewery! From the ever changing Lips of Faith series to their always amazing regular line-up, my pallet is always impressed. If you're from out of town and want to stop by the brewery make sure and call ahead of time so that you can get on the waiting list for their tour. It's definitely worth the time as someone so incredibly enthusiastic shows you what it's like to work on something they're so passionate about. If you haven't tried all of their different styles, stop by the tap room and try out a few new beers. I like the Trippel and the Abbey beers. Keep it up guys!
(5)Brian K.
Went up to Fort Collins after a few days of skiing for a tour of the breweries. After reading all the reviews saying that this place was a madhouse, I was a bit skeptical. We also did not have reservations for the brewery tour (reservations could be made online but all were full when we checked). When arriving, parking looked to be scarce, but there are surrounding streets that had some spots open. Also lots of bicycles outside. Simply put, I was blown away by this brewery and its staff. I've never had a bad brewery experience, but this was exceptionally good. All the staff were really friendly, helpful, and willing to talk about the beer even with a bar full of people. The place was not a madhouse as I expected it to be, but it definitely was busy. Didn't have a problem getting to the bar and getting a drink though. Of note, this brewery is not licensed as a 'bar', so they do not SELL beer by the glass. They do have growlers, bombers, six and 12 packs for sale though (if you do buy something, you can't drink it on site). Since they don't sell, they give each patron 2 free samples (4-5 oz pour) upon entering. Really hearty pours and we could sample the regular brews and lips of faith series. Even the employee beer that was made by employees after winning a contest. We got a few extra samples from the bartenders for chatting it up with them and demonstrating our lust for excellent beer. Also discovered that there is a waiting list for the brewery tour in case someone doesn't show up. Luckily, we got right in and joined a tour that just started. The tour provides an excellent overview of the brewing process, the main equipment they use, the company's history, and it's environmental philosophy. We wandered around for 45min to an hour drinking beer. The best part of the tour though was the free beer - a total of 5 hearty 4-5oz samples (Abbey, Fleur de Messieur, canned Fat Tire, Tom's beer, and Ranger IPA). The brewery is beautiful and is a pleasure to wander around. Lots of cool stuff to look at - beer nerd heaven. Overall, we had a great time here. The tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. The facilities were very cool and a pleasure to look at. The beer was excellent (went home with a growler of Tom's beer, which you can't get anywhere else, for a pinch under $15 - a bargain if you ask me). We all walked away happy (and a little tipsy). I would highly recommend this brewery and will definitely go back.
(5)Shannon S.
Visiting for GABF, decided to RSVP for a tour. SO GLAD I DID! I always viewed New Belgium's beer as so-so. After seeing how well they treat their employees, their philosophy of beer making and the overall atmosphere, I am giving New Belgium 5 stars! Our tour guide was such a sweetie, she was super knowledgeable. What I really liked about the tour was that it was not the standard "These are hops, this is malt." It was in-depth and very educational. I highly recommend going down the slide on the tour, writing your buddies a post card in the tasting room and really enjoy yourself with the good company that surrounds you at New Belgium.
(5)Ali C.
fat tire is my favorite beer ever! that being said, on my most recent trip to colorado, i had to visit the new belgium brewing company! my sister and i arrived nice and early and ended up drinking beer for breakfast! what a better way to start the day? you get to try 4 different brews.. for free!! they are very healthy sized portions too. the employees are super friendly and helpful! they really made this place pop! we also took the brewery tour which was also free! at the top, you get 2 more tasters which was just awesome.. this is the cleanest brewery i have ever been to! they also have clothing, hats, posters and other fun things you can purchase to remember them by. my experience here was really amazing and i will definitely come back everytime i visit colorado!!
(5)Chard M.
I was sucking Fat Tire and Sunshine Wheat from the freakin' teet!!!! I felt like Barney at Duff Gardens. Killer brews!
(5)Leslie R.
I can remember when this was a tiny little place that sold t-shirts, pint glasses, and of course, beer. A friend and I swung through here as we emerged from a weekend in the mountains and this was like stepping into heaven! We weren't able to take the tour (on a crowded Sunday afternoon apparently you need to plan ahead!) but we still got to sample a bounty of beer, and there is enough there to see to make it worthwhile even without an official tour. The place has a great funky vibe - such as a pseudo religious shrine made of kegs and beer medals, and a "saint" statue. After walking through a curtain made of plastic keg tops you see a funhouse mirror reading "I like beer"... of course it makes you appear fat. There are also a bunch of neat little exhibits that give you insight into New Belgium's history as well as their fun and unique corporate culture. I loved their beer before, and now that I know more about what a cool company they are, I have an excuse to drink even more New Belgium!
(5)