The amber ale is Fort Collins in a glass: toasty caramel malt, restrained hops and a clean finish, the style New Belgium's Fat Tire and Odell's 90 Shilling made famous.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Two 1989-vintage breweries built the city's reputation on amber, malt-forward beer. Odell Brewing's 90 Shilling, a lightened take on a Scottish export ale, has been the local default pint since the brewery opened on Lincoln Avenue. A basement operation founded around the same time became New Belgium Brewing, and its Fat Tire amber ale carried the Fort Collins name to shelves nationwide. CooperSmith's, the city's first brewpub, rounded out the 1989 class on Old Town Square.
Common allergens: Gluten
Tip from the editors. Keep bitterness modest; an amber lives on caramel malt balance, and overhopping turns it into a red IPA.
New Belgium Brewing pours Fat Tire and La Folie at its Linden Street mothership in Fort Collins, with tours, food trucks and the Tour de Fat bike parade.
Tip: Book the 90-minute brewery tour ahead; it ends in the foeder hall where the sour programme lives. Tour de Fat returns 29 August 2026.
Odell Brewing has anchored Fort Collins beer since 1989; 90 Shilling and Lagerado pour at the Lincoln Avenue taproom with live music every Wednesday.
Tip: The OBC Wine Project shares a patio at 824 East Lincoln; run club meets there Tuesdays before discounted pints.
CooperSmith's Pub and Brewing opened on Old Town Square in 1989 as Fort Collins' first brewpub, pouring Punjabi Pale Ale beside its own billiards hall.
Tip: The billiards room at 7 Old Town Square reopened in March 2026 with its own taps; pub food runs until close on the main side.
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