Fort Collins craft breweries make a growing city feel small again

In the Napa Valley of Beer, there are no names more famous than Anheuser-Busch, New Belgium or Odell. But Fort Collins’ fantastic beer scene goes far beyond the internationally recognized hometown breweries.

Hidden in strip malls across town are more than 20 small breweries with hidden patios, impressive live music and — most importantly — delicious beer.

Dodge the Old Town crowds at Equinox or Prost brewing companies, and enjoy secluded patios steps away from Old Town dining and entertainment while feeling like you’re in the mountains, not in the busiest section of town.

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Gather family and friends — young kids included — at Intersect Brewing in west Fort Collins, which has an indoor and outdoor children's play area. Intersect is one of many breweries that host trivia. Or you can hop over to Maxline Brewing in midtown for Bingo on Monday nights.

Maxline — like pretty much every smaller brewery — has an unexpectedly enjoyable patio, especially with it located in the brewery’s parking lot. Head over on a sunny afternoon with you dog to meet some friends and grab a board game from the shelf near the bar to play while enjoying your Peach Mango Pale Ale, saison or coffee porter.

Light and dark beers, saisons and sours can be found almost anywhere, and no matter where you go, you're bound to find something you like. As someone who had trouble finding beer I liked at first, ask the people behind the bar for recommendations. You could be asking the person who brewed the beer themselves.

Bring your pooch to pretty much any place for some special attention. Maxline’s employees — and possibly the owner — will most likely come by and pet your pup if you bring them in.

Stop into Funkwerks for unique flavors, their can’t-miss saison, and some of the friendliest staff you’ll ever meet. No one to go with? Bring a book and sit at the community table to meet new people and enjoy some live music.

Head to Purpose Brewing, another hidden beer treasure, for unique beers and the sought out small-town vibe: The owner will definitely come say “hi” to you at some point.

With the hustle and bustle of out-of-town guests and tourists visiting the well-known Anheuser-Busch, New Belgium and Odell breweries, everyone is still friendly, still waves hello, and still makes small talk while petting each other's dogs. And of course, I enjoy sitting on New Belgium's patio after attending a free tour, visiting the Clydesdales at Budweiser, or sipping a Sippin' Pretty by Odell's fire pit on a warm night.

But to me, nothing compares to the friendly, peaceful atmosphere of a tiny craft brewery. 

While I only named a few of the city's small craft breweries, there are plenty more breweries and plenty more ways to explore the Fort Collins beer scene.

And with more and more craft breweries popping up every year, stepping inside each one continues to feel like its own community, and makes you feel like you're in a small town again. 

Sady Swanson covers crime, courts, public safety and more throughout Northern Colorado. She is a Fort Collins resident.

Some of Fort Collins' small breweries

Equinox Brewing: 133 Remington St., Fort Collins, (970) 484-1368, equinoxbrewing.com

Prost Brewing: 321 Old Firehouse Alley, Fort Collins, 970-484-2421, prostbrewing.com

Intersect Brewing: 2160 W. Drake Road, Unit A1, Fort Collins,  970-682-2041, intersectbrewing.com

Maxlline Brewing: 2724 McClelland Drive, Unit 190, Fort Collins, 970-286-2855, maxlinebrewing.com

Funkwerks: 900 E. Lincoln Ave., Unit B, Fort Collins, 482-3865, funkwerks.com

Purpose Brewing and Cellars: 4025 S. Mason St. Unit C, Fort Collins, 970-377-4107, purposebrewing.com

Fort Collins' big breweries

Odell Brewing: 800 E. Lincoln Ave., Fort Collins, 970-498-9070, odellbrewing.com

New Belgium Brewing: 500 Linden St., Fort Collins, 970-221-0524, newbelgium.com

The Biergarten at Anheuser-Busch: 2531 Busch Drive,  970-490-4691, www.budweisertours.com