Craft beer 101

Sours, sustainability and selection: A g uide to Greele y brewerie s By Emily Wenger

It likely won’t surprise you that lots of people in northern Colorado like beer. But what might surprise you is how many options are available here in Greeley and in Windsor.

Greeley is listed as the fourth best city in Colorado and 40th in the U.S. for beer drinkers, according to a recent report from Smart Asset.

We have a varied collection of breweries all with unique offerings and their own signature styles. Whether you’re looking for sours, a wide selection or beer with a cause, Greeley and Windsor have your back. Here’s a little about what our area breweries offer, in no particular order:

Wel dWerk s In 2018, WeldWerks Brewing Co. made the goal of brewing 100 beers. T he brewery, which has competed in nationwide contests and draws people from across the U .S . to its beer releases, has 32 faucets in its taproom. Although it doesn’t brew 100 beers every year, its beers are still on a frequent rotation, with only staples like its IPA Juicy Bits consistently available on tap. WeldWerks Brewing Company owner and head brewer N eil Fisher’s advice last year was to not get too attached to any of the new beers, but guests still said they were easily able to find a new favorite whenever they visited. Check it out from noon to 9 p.m. Monday-T hursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and S aturday, or noon to 7 p.m. S unday at 508 8th Ave., Greeley. For more information, call (970) 460- 6345 or go to WeldWerksBrewing.com.

Puck er up If you’re a lover of sours, Wiley Roots usually as several on tap, including its summer “slush” series. T he names, like “raspberry limeade,” “blue” and “purple” reflect the sweet and sour flavors. S ometimes the slush beers are poured into a slush machine, so you can enjoy these sours on the brewery’s patio to cool off on a hot summer day. When the slush series isn’t available, the brewery also typically has other sours throughout the year. Check it out from 2-10 p.m. Wednesday and T hursday, noon to 11 p.m. Friday and S aturday, and 1-8 p.m. S unday, at 625 3rd S t., U nit D, Greeley. For more information, call (970) 515- 7315 or go to WileyRoots.com.

H op al ong As its name suggests, H igh H ops Brewery in Windsor knows its hops. Part of the reason for that knowledge is clear when you’re sipping a beer on the patio that overlooks the brewery’s hops fields. T he family that runs the now three-part business, H igh H ops Brewery, the Windsor Gardener and T he H eart Distillery, comes from a background of both gardening and home-brewing. Pat and Amanda Weakland, the patriarch and matriarch of the family, are longtime gardeners and homebrewers, and their kids inherited different aspects of that knowledge. T he hops that grow right next to the brewery are used in the beer, and the herbs that grow in the Windsor Gardener are used for the liquor produced in the family’s distillery. Check it out from noon to 8 p.m. S unday-Wednesday, and noon to 9 p.m. T hursdayS aturday at 6461 Colo. 392, Windsor. For more information, call (970) 674-2841 or go to H ighH opsBrewery.com.

E arthy and sustainabl e If you’re looking for a classic, rich ale, an earthy chai flavor or just a brewery that focuses on sustainability, Green Earth Brewery has it all. S cott Pell, part owner of the brewery, was a longtime homebrewer before he opened the space. H is flagship ale, the Barbed Wire Black Ale, is smooth and dark. H is ales, he said, are traditional English and German style ales, and the brewery’s atmosphere reflects those styles. Pell renovated the space using largely refurbished or reclaimed items, including a bar that used to be in the old Kress building downtown. But the brewery’s primary focus is on sustainability. T he products in the beer are from within Colorado, and Pell hopes to eventually find a way to use solar or wind energy when brewing his beer on site. Check it out from 4-9 p.m. T uesday-T hursday, 2-9 p.m. Friday and noon to 9 p.m. S aturday at 725 10th S t., Greeley. For more information, call (970) 702-2332 or go to GreenEarthBrewingCo.com.

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craft beer 101

D on’t b e c rabb y Crabtree Brewing Company is the oldest brewery in Greeley. It celebrated its 13th anniversary this May. T he brewery was at the front of the wave of breweries coming to town, and helped pave the way for other craft breweries by working with the city to change its codes to be more open to breweries in Greeley. If you ask people who frequent the brewery, some favorites include the Dearfield strawberry blonde ale and the Ginger Bee, an ale with honey and ginger. For owner Jeff Crabtree, bottling and shipping his beers to other locations is one of his favorite parts of the business, but he also hopes the brewery can be a destination for people in and visiting Greeley. Check it out from 2-9 p.m. Monday-T hursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and S aturday and noon to 8 p.m. S unday, at 2961 W. 29th S t. For more information, call (970) 356-0516 or go to CrabtreeBrewing.com.

Brew ing f or a c ause T he owner of Rocky Mountain T aphouse, one of Greeley’s newest breweries, says his favorite beer to brew is “the next one.” Instead of the beer style, owner Rick Powers said the brewery focuses more on dedicating beers to people or causes. O ne of the first beers the taphouse brewed, Colt Brown Ale, was dedicated to Children’s H ospital Colorado, in the name of a friend’s child who died at the hospital and was an organ donor. Although the brewery is Christian-based, Powers said he doesn’t intend to “hit anyone over the head” with religion, and all are welcome. Check it out from 4-10 p.m. Monday-T hursday, 2-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. S aturday and 2-8 p.m. S unday. For more information, go to RockyMountainT aphouse.com or call (970) 451-5372.

Bites and b rew s Brix T aphouse & Brewery in downtown Greeley has the most beers on tap of the breweries in town, but the majority are from other Colorado breweries. T he brewery has its own rotating variety as well, which combine with the others to make about 60 beers, ciders and meads on tap at all times. T he brewery makes a variety of styles of brews and also offers various appetizers, including bacon wrapped dates, pub pretzels, nachos, wings and a meat and cheese plate. Live music and other events also add to the brewery’s atmosphere. Check it out from 3-10 p.m. T uesday-T hursday, 3 p.m. to midnight Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight S aturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. S unday at 813 8th S t., Greeley. For more information, go to BrixBrewT ap.com or call (970) 397-6146.

Gl uten reduc ed Randy and Regan Waddle opened Broken Plow Brewery in 2013. Randy was in his basement brewing some beer and nursing a sore back when he heard the Bob Dylan version of “Everything’s Broken,” and he decided on the name “Broken Plow.” H e was a homebrewer for years, and when he and his wife were getting tired of running a farm they opened Broken Plow. All the beers on the brewery’s website are designated as being “gluten reduced,” but it warns those who are extremely sensitive to gluten may want to be cautious. T he brewery’s flagships include a S ignature Chili Wheat, with locally grown chilies; the T attyboggler S cottish Ale with notes of caramel and chocolate; the S tone Free Apricot Wheat and Randy’s Pale Ale, which the brewery describes as a good introduction to enjoying hops. Check it out from 2-9 p.m. Monday-T hursday, 2-11 p.m. Friday and S aturday, and 2-8 p.m. S unday at 4731 W. 10th S t., Greeley. For more information go to BrokenPlowBrewery. com or call (970) 301-4575.

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