Thomas Collins is the operations manager at Fort Collins Brewery. (Photo courtesy of Fort Collins Brewery).
As 2015 comes to a close, we’re once again asking leading figures on the Colorado beer scene to reflect on the past year and look ahead to next.
This next installment in our 5th annual Beer In Review features Thomas Barnett, operations manager at the Fort Collins Brewery — a family-owned microbrewery established in 2003. The brewery won a gold medal at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival for its Oktoberfest fall seasonal.
Now, on to Thomas’ picks:
Favorite beer of the year: This is basically an impossible question because there is really too many to name. However, I can give you the most memorable beer for this year. Right before GABF, my wife and I took a short vacation down to Colorado Springs. We stopped by and I must say their TPS Report with Wild Brettanomyces Wit and Rose Petals was unbelievable. You’d think it would taste unusual or funky with the rose petals but I just loved how that turned out.
Colorado brewery of the year: always produces outstanding beers and its adherence to strict quality control standards are second to none. I made it down to the new facility for the first time last month and it was amazing to see the progress from where they began to the new facility and seeing how the brewery has set itself up for even more success in the future.
New Colorado brewery of the year: in Fort Collins. It is great to see local home brewers taking their craft to the next level and Rally King is doing a great job of it! I am particular about my IPAs and their Surfer Girl IPA has a delicious, crisp finish.
Colorado brewery to watch in 2016:. This brewery is everywhere and people can’t get enough of their beer! Horse and Dragon really hit the ground running from Day One and I would imagine 2016 will be a big year for them. I do enjoy their NoCO IPA. It has such a unique hop profile.
Most notable craft beer news or trend of 2015: One of the most notable trends in 2015 seems to be the ever evolving world of sours. As brewers gain more knowledge about the wild bugs that make these tasty beers, the creative bounds for beer seem to be expanding even further. Gose beers, for instance, seem to becoming more and more prevalent and even common place at any given craft brewery!
Craft beer trend to watch for 2016: Oddly enough as everything else seems to come full circle in the world, things seem to be coming full circle in the craft beer universe. I am referring to what seems to be a resurgence of the lager style and increasing popularity of session styles. After quite a few years of “the bigger, the crazier, the better” being the motto of most craft breweries, consumers and breweries are ready to give their palates a little break and just enjoy some delicious easy drinking beer!
Here are previous entries:
