GastropubBack-alley beer bar$old-townSun-Tue 14:00-22:00; Wed-Sat 14:00-00:00
The Forge Publick House pours rotating craft taps in a brick back-alley room off Old Firehouse Alley in Fort Collins, trading quietly there since 2011.
Signature drink: Rotating craft taps
Food: Pie and snacks
Tip: Craft beer, brick building, back-alley drinking is the whole pitch; there is locally made pie when the case is stocked.
Cocktail barMartini bar$$old-townDaily 16:30-02:00
Elliot's Martini Bar has shaken classics and dessert martinis on Linden Street in Fort Collins since 1997, nightly until 02:00 with a back patio.
Signature drink: Classic and dessert martinis
Food: Tapas and meatballs
Tip: The Cucumber's Last Stand and Tequila Mockingbird are the house calls; the back patio is the seat to hold in summer.
Dive barHistoric dive bar$old-townMon-Fri 15:00-01:00; Sat 12:00-01:30; Sun 12:00-00:30
Town Pump has poured in the same 416-square-foot room on College Avenue in Fort Collins since 1909, the oldest bar in the city and nearly its smallest.
Signature drink: Cheap Colorado drafts
Food: None; bring a slice in
Tip: Cash-friendly, cramped and proud of it; a GoFundMe raised over 57,000 dollars in two days to save it during the pandemic.
Cocktail barWhisky lounge$$old-townSun-Thu 12:00-01:30; Fri-Sat 11:00-01:30
The Whisk(e)y lines up more than 2,800 whiskies behind its College Avenue bar in Fort Collins, one of the largest whiskey selections in Colorado.
Signature drink: 2,800-bottle whisky wall
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Happy hour runs all day Sunday and Monday; ask the staff to steer a flight, the list is genuinely unnavigable alone.
GastropubCommunity tavern$old-townSun 11:00-22:00; Mon-Thu 11:30-22:00; Fri 11:30-00:00; Sat 11:00-00:00
Pour Brothers Community Tavern deals craft taps, free darts and chicken bingo on Linden Street in Fort Collins, a neighbourhood room with tater tots.
Signature drink: Colorado craft taps
Food: Grilled cheese, pizza, tots
Tip: Chicken Sh!t Bingo runs the first and third Sundays; Thursday nights bring live music and Tuesday is trivia.
Dive barCollege dive bar$old-townMon-Thu 12:00-02:00; Fri-Sun 11:00-02:00
Trailhead Tavern holds down Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins as the Old Town dive bar of record, with cheap pitchers until 02:00 seven nights a week.
Signature drink: Cheap pitchers
Food: Bar food
Tip: It closes only for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the Sunday after the Super Bowl; expect a CSU crowd on weekends.