New Belgium Brewing – A State of Mind by Morgan Forsyth, Colorado Craft Beer Promoter
New Belgium’s classic beers are no strangers to a beer lover’s refrigerator. Their number one selling beer, Fat Tire, perfectly displays New Belgium’s expertise in the industry. The uniquely crafted amber ale has a light sweetness to quench your thirst, and is notably the beer that started it all.
The company has been thriving in Fort Collins since 1991, and has strived to create an eco-friendly environment that delivers high-quality beer. To make a successful company even more engaged, New Belgium is now 100% employee owned. Back in 2012, the Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) purchased the balance of company shares, which in turn made New Belgium entirely owned and operated by each individual employee. If that isn’t appealing enough, after one year of employment co-workers receive ownership and a commemorative one-year anniversary cruiser bike.
It’s hard to say what comes next with a brewery as prosperous as New Belgium, but the company’s driven business mentality has given way to another milestone. Being distributed in 37 states just wasn’t cutting it, and New Belgium wanted to share the love with the east coast and southern beer enthusiasts. Located in Asheville, N.C., the Asheville Brewery broke ground on May 1 of this year and is expected to be up and running by the end of 2015. While continuing to brew and bottle their core brands in the new facility, there will be more room to play around with new recipes. For the sour beer aficionado, New Belgium has doubled the capacity to create these – and let’s be honest, if La Folie was developed in a smaller workspace; there is twice the potential for some award winning recipes!
New Belgium Brewing Company
500 Linden St
Fort Collins, CO 80524
Phone:(970) 221-0524
Website: www.newbelgium.com