New Belgium Brewing Company

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New Belgium Brewing Company
New Corporate Logo as of July 2006
Location Fort Collins, Colorado
USA
Owner(s) Employee-owned
Year opened 1991
Annual production 437,000 US barrels
Active beers
1554 Brussels Style Black Ale Dark ale
Abbey Belgian Style Ale Abbey Dubbel
Abbey Grand Cru Abbey Dubbel
Blue Paddle Pilsner Pilsener
Fat Tire Amber Ale Amber ale
La Folie Flanders red ale
Mothership Wit Beer Belgian White
Sunshine Wheat Beer Belgian White
Trippel Belgian Style Ale Tripel
Mighty Arrow American Pale Ale
Old Cherry Ale (temporary availability) Fruit beer
Seasonal beers
Frambozen Raspberry Brown Ale Fruit beer
Skinny Dip Belgian ale
Springboard Belgian ale
2° Below Winter Ale Extra special bitter
Discontinued beers
Devil’s Advocate American strong ale
Loft Belgian ale
Mountain Mantra IPA
New Belgium NBB Love Flanders red ale
Porch Swing Single Ale Belgian ale
Biere De Mars Ale Saison
Saison Saison
Transatlantique Kriek Lambic

New Belgium Brewing Company is a regional brewery located in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2006, it produced approximately 436,000 barrels of its various labels.[1]

Contents

[edit] Beers

22 oz. Fat Tire
22 oz. Fat Tire

Fat Tire, an Amber ale, is the company's flagship beer. The recipe originates from a co-founder's bicycle trip through Belgium from brewery to brewery. The company promotes its Fat Tire ale locally by the public placement of colorful vintage bicycles outside its brewery, which is located adjacent to the public bike path along the Cache La Poudre River.

In 2006 NBB changed its logo. They did so because the company realized that beer drinkers could identify the Fat Tire label, but "didn't recognize the brewery label, or make the connection that New Belgium brewed Fat Tire and other best-selling brands, such as Sunshine Wheat."[2] The company's a new logo "pays homage to the well-known Fat Tire brand bicycle" drawn by Anne Fitch.[2]

[edit] Distribution

Before 2006, New Belgium distributed in only 15 states (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Colorado). In Spring 2006, the brewery began to distribute some of their beers in other markets. For example, bottles of Fat Tire distributed in Chicago claim "Chicago Inaugural: The 1st Fat Tire Ale served (legally) in the second city." In June of 2007 Fat Tire, Skinny Dip (New Belgium's Summer seasonal), 1554 and Mothership Organic Wit became available in Illinois in 6 packs of 12 ounce bottles. By the summer of 2007, New Belgium expanded distribution again to include select areas of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Minnesota metro area and Iowa.

[edit] Business and energy practices

New Belgium Brewery
New Belgium Brewery

The brewery was founded by husband-and-wife team Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan in 1991 and emphasizes eco-friendly practices and employee ownership in its marketing materials. It is located in northeast Fort Collins near the Cache la Poudre River on the grounds of the former Great Western Sugar plant.

New Belgium Brewery has made it a goal to be entirely wind-powered.[3] Rather than directly using wind-generated power, the brewery elects to pay an increased rate for their electrical energy, which is supplied by the City of Fort Collins Utilities in order to ensure it comes from the cleanest source possible.[4][5] About 10% of the brewery's power comes from methane gas created as a byproduct of their on-site water treatment plant.[6]

[edit] Tour de Fat

2007 Tour de Fat group ride in Portland, OR.
2007 Tour de Fat group ride in Portland, OR.
Tour de Fat balloon.
Tour de Fat balloon.

Tour de Fat[1] is an annual pro-bike tour sponsored by New Belgium. The events, which take place in various large cities around the West, include music, beer, circus-type performances, bicycle dance troupes, and a large group bike ride. The main event is a bike trade, in which a local participant transfers the title to their vehicle to New Belgium, in exchange for a new commuter bike and trailer.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Colorado Rides on Fat Tire to Beer Heights;. Retrieved on November 26, 2007.
  2. ^ a b New Belgium Brewing rolls out icon tied to Fat Tire beer Denver Business Journal. Amy Bryer. Jul7 7, 2006. Accessed Mar 21, 2008
  3. ^ New Belgium, Sustainability. Retrieved on April 28, 2006.
  4. ^ City of Fort Collins, Wind Power Program. Retrieved on April 28, 2006.
  5. ^ City of Fort Collins, Commercial Subscribers. Retrieved on April 28, 2006.
  6. ^ New Belgium, Process Water Treatment Facility. Retrieved on April 28, 2006.

[edit] External links