Fort Collins Bus
NEW BELGIUM. ODELL'S. HORSE & DRAGON.
THE FORT COLLINS BUS
This is our SATURDAY tour.
We hit 3 major breweries in Ft Collins.
It may be the most awesome thing you do on a Saturday this year!
The Itinerary
The Ft Collins tour starts out at 9:30am, with pickups from Alameda Station first, then the corner of 20th and Wazee St.
From there we head straight to Ft Collins.
New Belgium Brewery - We've got tour spots reserved and jump off the bus and right into the tour. It's 90 minutes of beer-ducation, with a few free samples for extra credit. There are great food trucks here to enjoy for lunch.
Odell Brewing Company - Odell's is an awesome brewery to visit. Not because they have popping fresh favorites like 90 Shilling or Cutthroat Porter, but because of their Pilot System beers.
Horse & Dragon Brewing Company - We are proud to announce Horse & Dragon as a new addition to our Fort Collins breweries!
Then all souls head home to Denver. Plan on being home between 5:30-6:00pm-ish.
The Schedule
Below is a detailed schedule of events. But, keep in mind the only part of this schedule that is completely rigid are the pickup times, and our departure from Denver. The rest depend on traffic, chaos, energy, and the universe. But, we'll try our best to keep as close to the schedule below as possible.
9:30-9:40am (sharp)
Alameda Station pickup.
We'll be at the Alameda Station light-rail stop.
You'll see the bus on S. Cherokee St, next to the RTD Park-n-Ride lot.
If you drive, there are usually plenty of lot spots in the parking lot.
If you light-rail it, we're just a few steps away from the train stop.
We're leaving this pickup location at 9:40am sharp!
9:50-10:00am (sharp)
Wazee St, half-block south of 20th St pickup.
We'll be on Wazee Street, about a half-a-block south of 20th Street for our downtown pickup.
There's parking on the near-by streets, and in the parking lot to the west.
From there, we're off! We're leaving this pickup at 10:00am sharp!
10:00am (sharp)
Depart Denver
We truly despise tardiness. No late-comers will make the trip.
We've got an 11:30a appointment that we can't be late for. So, once we start on the road, we won't turn around. Bottom line, get there early.
We should arrive at the New Belgium brewery around 11:10-15 ish.
Just enough time to get you checked-in and ready for the tour, with a few extra minutes for bathroom visits, and browsing the selection of tap-room beers, and NBB merch.
11:30am (sharp) till 2:00pm
New Belgium Brewery Tour
[check out New Belgium Brewery]First, you'll take in the full 90 minute New Belgium Brewery Tour.
We really can only use one word to describe this tour: Epic.
You will be in beer-awe for an hour and a half.
Period.
(The tour gets 5-stars on Google and Yelp. And that ain't easy to pull off. Just ask anybody...)
The tour includes a few beer tastings as you meander through the expanses of the brewery, and take in the sights, smells, and sounds of a world-class craft brewing operation.
After the tour is complete, beer, growlers, and all kinds of other awesome New Belgium schwag can be purchased in their tasting room. $1.50 tasters of all the fresh beers are available. We'll hang out in at the tasting room for about an hour after the tour ends.
Enjoy the food trucks here as a lunch stop! Trust us, you could use some food after the tour and before two more breweries.
2:00pm (ish) till 3:00pm (ish)
Odell Brewing Company
[check out Odell Brewing Company]Get ready to sample another brewery's beer. And, not just any brewery, the original Odell's. Odell's is an awesome brewery to visit. Not because they have popping fresh favorites like 90 Shilling or Cutthroat Porter, but because of their Pilot System beers.
What's a Pilot System beer, you ask? Here it is in Odell's own words:
"While we do honor traditional methods to produce our award-winning line of beers, we also have a passion for trying something new and boldly going where no brewer has gone before. Enter the Pilot System, our portal to beer Shangri La. Part kitchen, part lab, part playground, our Pilot System gives our brewers the freedom to create and experiment with new beer recipes. All our beers begin this way - poured into a pint glass and passed around the brewery for tasting and input. Week after week, we create new specialty beers to share in our Tap Room.
Visit us today to enjoy a little taste for yourself."
That's pretty inviting, if you ask us! Odell's tasting room offers flights of Classics and flights of Pilots, either runs $4 for 6 samples.
3:00pm (ish) till 4:00pm
Horse & Dragon Brewing Company
[check out Horse & Dragon Brewing Co]We are proud to announce Horse & Dragon as a new addition to our Fort Collins breweries!
4:00pm (sharp)
Depart Ft Collins
It's time to head back to Denver...
Everyone will probably have a decent buzz on, and the trip back always seems faster than the trip there. So, that's a win-win in our book!
We should make it back into Denver around 5:15 ish, but it will ultimately depend on traffic conditions.
5:15pm (ish)
Drop off at 20th & Wazee
Back home. Hop off the bus, this stop concludes your Ft Collins Tour.
But... if you want to keep the party going... the Great Divide Brewery is, literally, only 164 steps from the drop off. We can point you in the right direction.
5:30pm (ish)
Drop off at Alameda Station
At last. Finally. Back home. Hop off the bus, and this really is the end.
Thanks for riding the Colorado Brewery Bus. We hope to see you (and your friends) again soon!
The "Fine Print"
You must be on-time for your pick-up. We've got a schedule to keep, and we run a tight ship! So, we don't wait around for late-comers. If you miss the bus, you won't be able to get your money back. It's a bummer, but we have to draw the line there. Check out our Refund/Cancellation Policy for all the info.
You must be 21 years of age, or older, to take any Colorado Brewery Bus tour. Bring your ID with you to get on the bus, as well as into the breweries.
We will be participating in an actual pre-scheduled brewery tour only at the Oskar Blues Brewery. The tour does not include free beer tasters. You can purchase more beer in the Oskar Blues tasting room ($1.50 per taster).
The other three stops, Avery Brewery, Fate Brewing, and Left Hand Brewing, do not include tours of the brewery or brewing facilities. Nor do they include any free beer tastings. But, again, you can purchase beers from these breweries for the going rates in their tasting rooms (typically $4-5 bucks for a flight of samplers, or $3-4 for full pints).
The Colorado Brewery Bus tour does not include lunch at the Fate Brewing's restaurant, nor any food at any of the breweries. You can purchase food, or bring a small snack/lunch - no medium or large sized coolers. Food is only available for purchase at the Ft. Collins Brewery and Equinox Brewery.
You can purchase beers, growlers, and any brewery schwag you want. But, no kegs. (They won't fit on the bus.)