Breckenridge Brewery, one of the oldest craft beer makers in the state and the subject of two separate corporate buyouts in the past decade, will open yet another chapter in its long life this August by entering a legendary Colorado beer market: Fort Collins .
The brewery, now owned by global cannabis company Tilray, will take over and rebrand the taproom currently occupied by Sweetwater Brewing at 1020 E. Lincoln Ave. Tilray also owns Sweetwater, as well as Green Flash Brewing, Alpine, Blue Point and others. The change is expected to take place on August 17 with a party featuring live music and giveaways.
“Given Breck Brew’s history in Colorado and its ties to the Colorado craft beer community, Tilray, Sweetwater Brewing and Breck Brew decided it was best for Breckenridge Brewery to move into the East Lincoln Avenue taproom in August 2024” , Tilray said in a statement. to JS. “SweetWater has had a great run in Fort Collins over the past 2.5 years, but we think it’s best if an iconic Colorado brand like Breckenridge Brewery establishes a presence in Fort Collins, which is also home to some of the nation’s most renowned craft breweries are established in the state.”
Andy Cross, JS
SweetWater Brewing has relinquished its Fort Collins taproom to sister company Breckenridge Brewery. (Photo by Andy Cross/JS)
Breckenridge will continue to operate its 40-acre brewery campus, restaurant and taproom at 2920 Brewery Lane in Littleton, as well as its small brewpub in Breckenridge Ski Resort.
“We spent several years trying to see where our brand would stick in the United States, and we realized it was most comfortable in the state of Colorado,” says Breckenridge Brewery “Culture Czar” Todd Thibault, who has been running almost almost works at the company. 30 years. Breckenridge is known for its Avalanche Amber Ale, Juice Drop Hazy IPA and Palisade Peach Wheat.
The decision to rebrand from Sweetwater to Breckenridge was fairly recent, but Thibault said the organization will retain all of its staff and brewers and will not have to close for any type of renovation. “If we do this right, this will change overnight.”
The restaurant will continue to serve the majority of its menu items – although there will be a few minor changes – while the taproom will still serve a handful of Sweetwater, Alpine and Green Flash beers, all of which are brewed on-site.
Founded in Georgia in 1997, Sweetwater moved to the Colorado building in 2021 to expand its presence in the western US. It took over the large production facility and taproom from Red Truck Brewing, a Canadian beer maker that was only in business for four years. Red Chair, in turn, had purchased Fort Collins Brewing at the same address in 2017.
Breckenridge was founded in 1990 in the city of the same name before moving its headquarters to Denver. It moved to its current Littleton campus in 2015 and was purchased by Anheuser Busch InBev shortly thereafter. In 2023, AB InBev sold Breckenridge (as well as the Shock Top, Blue Point, 10 Barrel, Redhook and Widmer Brothers brands) to Tilray.
Fort Collins is one of the birthplaces of craft beer in Colorado and is the headquarters of independent Odell Brewing, founded in 1989, and New Belgium Brewing, known for Fat Tire, which opened in 1991 and is now owned by Kirin, a Japanese conglomerate .
But there are also more than 22 other craft breweries and brewery taprooms in Fort Collins, including Funkwerks, Coopersmith’s, Horse & Dragon, Zwei, Purpose and Hello Brew.
“You could spend a month in Fort Collins” just trying them all, said Thibault, who said he’s excited to add Breckenridge’s name to the city’s roster of legacy breweries.
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