New Belgium Brewing

25 years of beer, bikes, and bemusement. This year marks a quarter-century of Tour de Fat, the world’s greatest costumed bike parade born here in Fort Collins. Sustaining such an event for over two decades requires two things: a good story and a good cause. On a July evening in 1999, Greg Owsley sat in his backyard with New Belgium Co-Founder Jeff Lebesch, sipping Fat Tires and brainstorming ideas for a signature bike event to promote the brewery’s flagship beer. Sure, New Belgium already sponsored several bike events around Colorado, but Owsley – then Chief Brand Officer – aimed to devise an event that countered the rigor of the era’s competitive cycling culture, led primarily by Lance Armstrong and a little-known bike race hosted by the French. "Where did I first find magic in the bike?" Owsley thought. He reflected on those long summer afternoons as a kid, where he spent countless hours on the bike with friends – building obstacle courses, fixing playing cards to the tire spokes, and even re-enacting the Alamo with bikes as horses. How to invoke that sense childhood wonder for the masses? How to get thousands of adults to celebrate the bike? To act like kids again, if only for a day? Essentially, what would the inverse of Tour de France look like? “I said, ‘Tour de Fat,” Owsley recalled. “Maybe it was the beer, but Jeff laughed and we felt we were onto something. The anti-competition, a celebration of the simply joy of riding a bike, getting to pedal your inner freak, act like kids again, yeah, like that.” 25 years later, Tour de Fat has made its way through dozens of cities across the U.S., encouraging thousands of people to partake in pedal-powered parties and bond over beer. The event has also raised millions of dollars for bike non-profits, including Bike Fort Collins, Send Town Bike Club, Fort Collins Bike Co-op, and the Overland Mountain Bike Association. “Whenever I meet someone about to swap their car for a bike at Tour De Fat, I’m filled with joy for them,” says Bryan Simpson, former brewery ‘spokes’-man. “It’s up to each and every one of us to find a reason to celebrate living lightly on this planet. In my experience, you cannot beat the bicycle for that.” Join us at the brewery this Saturday for another day of weird and wacky, featuring Paul Cauthen, Shady Oaks, and Decker Rush & Friends. More info here: https://lnkd.in/gDzRJHdP

A classic, revived. First released in 1999, our award-winning Blue Paddle Pilsner showcases tradition, restraint, and simplicity in a crisp and refreshing lager. Brewed with noble hops and premium pilsner malt, this Czech-style pilsner pays homage to its roots with a name inspired by the tool once wielded by a colleague's grandmother to keep mischievous beer sippers in line. Available tomorrow exclusively at our Fort Collins and Asheville Liquid Centers.

Two iconic brands, one epic collab. This summer, we are joining forces with Vans to bring their iconic checkerboard “Off The Wall” and into your hands as a must-have limited edition Fat Tire can. It’s all in the name of conservation; proceeds donated to Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, dedicated to inspiring communities to care for our oceans and beaches. And don’t miss the hyper-limited capsule collection at DrinkFatTire.com (the shoes are so awesome!)

Vans, now crafted for your hands. As unconventional originators, Fat Tire and Vans have come together to champion existence outside the norm. But the people you share this beer with and the places you enjoy it are what's important. Together, Fat Tire and Vans are proud to support Sustainable Coastlines and their work inspiring local communities to care for their oceans and beaches. Find limited edition Fat Tire x Vans cans near you: https://lnkd.in/g_NinU5Z

Lauren Limbach, our Wood Cellar Director & Blender, ~adores~ the smell of violets. So, for our third Blender Project release, she set out to capture the magic of the violet using each part of its form. In the wild, violet flowers exude a floral, raspberry scent, whereas violet leaves impart notes of cucumber and freshly-cut grass. To recreate this in beer form, we acidified our golden base beer with our house cultures in foeders, and after six months, transferred and infused the base with violet flowers, orris (iris) root, and violet leaves. The beer’s name — Fleeting Violet — refers to an aromatic phenomenon unique to violet flowers. At first sniff, the aroma is present and distinct, then it’s gone, then it reappears. Our brain’s scent receptors shut down the aroma compound (ionone) and returns it moments later, gifting us with the fragrance once more. This might be why violets are describes as having a 'flirtatious' quality. If you'd like to flirt with this exclusive wood cellar release, visit our Liquid Centers or buy now online: https://lnkd.in/gRbFMQZi

Today marks 33 years of New Belgium. That's 12,053 days of great people brewing great beer and having a hell of a great time doing it. In that time, so much has changed throughout our company, particularly here at the Fort Collins Mothership, where these snapshots were taken during its earliest days. To understand the layout of this 'Frankenstein' brewery is to understand how it came to be. Having outgrown our three-year-old production facility, we moved down the street to 500 Linden in 1995. Ever since, the physical brewery has grown with the brand, and the addition of a second brewhouse, a wood cellar extension, another bar, a packaging facility, and a water treatment plant to the original structure has created a labyrinth that boggles the minds of new hires and visitors alike. Thus, finding the original locations for these photos took a group effort, given that some of these spaces no longer exist in their original form. But it speaks multitudes to our culture that many coworkers who were around in 1995 are still here today, helping the newer ones find their way around, and taking the time to share a rich history that only a handful of breweries in the U.S. can claim. Here's to the next 365 at New Belgium, one more year of "one more beer?"

When the sun goes down on our side of town, it's up to our Overnight Production crew to keep the beer flowing at our Fort Collins, Asheville and Daleville breweries. Comprised of two teams at each site, this crew oversees all aspects of beer production without the luxuries enjoyed by the "Day Walkers" — access to brewing leadership, maintenance and support teams, and open sandwich shops. Merely staying awake to brew while the rest of us snooze is impressive enough, but maintaining a mental edge when the brain is normally its foggiest is a superpower that these brewers possess. A large system unexpectedly goes down in the middle of the night? Someone drops a pen in a full dry hop tank? A raccoon sneaks in through the back door looking for a snack? Crazy things like this happen — have happened — and it takes a cool head to put out fires safely and efficiently. Sure, if something breaks down, they can always pick up the phone and call for backup. (And if an issue is serious enough, they do.) But would you want to ring your manager at 2 AM? Didn't think so. Thus, these brewers are experts at learning on the fly, quickly picking up the skills to repair parts and solve problems typically overseen by other departments. What's it like working the brewery when no one's around? According to Joni Pipal, Overnight Shift Lead, it brings you closer to the ones that are. Camaraderie is innate to the role, and it grows through late-night snack breaks, potlucks, Wordle competitions at midnight, Friday 1554 floats at shift change, and delusional conversations at 4 AM that "make us laugh until we cry." Oh, and brunch. Lots of brunch.

“I've poured my heart and soul into creating this beer to be an all-inclusive brew." - Kelly McKnight, Head R&D brewer and creator of Biere de Queer. We're excited to announce that Biere de Queer, in addition to its annual offering at National Coming Out Day, will be offered during Pride month for the first time! This tiki-style ale is Brewed for All with Pride – along with pineapple, lulo fruit, hibiscus, calamansi, and rum natural flavor. Check out our new mai-tai-inspired can design or try it on draft in Fort Collins this weekend and Asheville next weekend. #BrewedForAll doesn’t just apply to our beer. Since its founding, New Belgium has been committed to driving environmental and social change and making craft beer for all. Thus, we’re dedicated to transforming craft beer with intentional work to build a more diverse and equitable industry, one that takes a step beyond inclusivity to create a culture of true belonging. And this work starts with our coworkers. In addition to receiving 100% on the @humanrightscampaign Corporate Equality Index, we offer inclusive benefits that include transgender and non-binary coworker medical care and support. Our work continues into the broader community by providing donations and volunteers to local LGBTQ+ organizations like Northern Colorado Equality and Blue Ridge Pride – in addition to our ongoing donations to the Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD. Help us make craft beer #BrewedForAll: https://lnkd.in/g__fTAy9

Having a hell of a lot of fun is one of our core principles, perhaps best symbolized by the anniversary bike, given to each coworker on their 365th day of employment at New Belgium. It's our way of paying homage to our origin story, showing appreciation to the ones that keep the beer flowing, and deepening coworker culture through our shared love of the bicycle. This year marks 25 years of this unique perk, first imagined by former coworker Mason Lathrop in 1999. We'll let him tell that story: "[The idea for an] anniversary bike came to me because I wanted a bike -- really, I needed a bike -- and was trying to think about how to get one. Even in the early days of NBB, biking was a big part of the culture. We had bike lunch, where on random days if you had ridden your bike to work you would get a free lunch. I proposed to [co-founder] Kim Jordan that we buy Fat Tire bikes and give them to people on their first anniversary. She thought about it and went for it." Over the next 15 years, we partnered with a few different bike companies to design and build custom Fat Tire cruisers. Then, in 2016, with the opening of New Belgium Asheville, we switched to 10-speeds to accommodate Asheville's hilly terrain. This year's custom commuter, designed by our friends at Brooklyn Bike Co., pays homage to our "Born on a Bike" legacy, marrying classic and bold components in the spirit of Belgian tradition. It's rugged, it's beautiful, and in our opinion, the best way to get from Point A to Point B(eer).