The name “Funkwerks” fits the vibe of this cheery little brewery in a Fort Collins industrial park.
“Out here in the airpark, you get a crazy mix of people,” says co-founder Brad Lincoln. Located among body shops and warehouses in northeast Fort Collins, Funkwerks is a modest little place serving immodestly good beers. The name reflects the founders’ brewing inspiration, combining German perfection in “werks” with the Belgians’ funkier brewing style.
Funkwerks Brewery opened in December, taking up residence in the former home of The Fort Collins Brewery. Lincoln and partner Gordon Schuck painted the cinder-block building bright yellow and blue on the outside and green inside the taproom, bringing a modernist feel to the neighborhood.
The beers are a modern take on Belgian farmhouse-style brews made to refresh farmworkers in the summer. There are usually six or seven beers on tap at the brewery, all made with organic saison yeast. Funkwerks’ bottled Saison and White ales are available at Fresh Craft, Hops and Pie, Rackhouse Pub and some Denver-area liquor stores.
Order a light-to-dark sampler, and let your palate decide if you prefer the lagerlike Casper or tart White ale on the lighter end, or the more complex Wild Apricot or nutty Bastille on the amber-colored end of the spectrum.
Funkwerks serves locally made Nita Crisp crackers and MouCo cheese, but that’s it, food-wise.
As the eastern outpost on the Fort Collins beer tour map, Funkwerks can be a starting point or the last stop on a round of local breweries. The little place (about 40 seats) fills up fast with beery enthusiasm, attracting brew connoisseurs and the occasional reveler from La Chamba, the nightclub across the street.
Kristen Browning-Blas: 303-954-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com
