If you're a craft beer lover, you know that when the seasons change, so do our beers. In Fort Collins, it is like a holiday when a brewery releases a seasonal brew or firkin.
Changing seasons means new beers but it also means sunny days followed by windy and snowy afternoons, so we recommend always having your Akinz beanie ready for the ride home. That's why we paired some of our favorite handmade beanies with the current local seasonal craft beer options so you can be prepared for any weather and ready for adventure.
What is on tap in FoCo right now? We asked 5 breweries to recommend their current favorite seasonal for our beer-beanie pairings.
Odell's inspiration for the Settle Down Brown: "In the winter months, somewhere between ‘work hard' and ‘play hard' there's a moment that naturally seems to occur. A moment where you can sit back and relax with a good friend and…well, settle in. It's moments like these that inspired us to create Settle, Down Brown."
So of course we paired the Settle Down Brown with our everyday classic fit beanie, the Ahab. It's a great daily beanie that can also work hard and play hard and can be queued up as your favorite winter beanie to sit back, relax and settle in with a beer.
Odell Brewing opened in 1989 when Doug Odell, his wife, and his sister Corkie joined forces to create British style beers in Fort Collins. Odell is now the 34th largest craft brewery in the country distributing beer to just 14 states. Odell beers are beers you can drink every day. You can always find something on tap to suit your taste and mood.
New Belgium chose their twist on a classic, Fat Tire Belgian White, so we offered up the Storm Peak Beanie in our fitted style w/ a 'follow your folly'-esque pompom knitted in the classic New Belgium colors of deep red and yellow. This beer and winter hat combo is quintessentially Fort Collins.
The iconic staple Fat Tire has been around for 25 years. Fat Tire Belgian White is the newest addition to the Fat Tire family.
New Belgium established itself in 1988 on the back of a bicycle in Belgium from a young homebrewer, Jeff Lebesch. He rode his mountain bike with "fat tires" through European villages famous for beer, then returned to his basement in Fort Collins. Before they ever sold a bottle of beer, they hiked into Rocky Mountain National Park with a jug of home brew in one hand and a pen and pad in the other. Together, they wrote down what they wanted to instill into this business dream of theirs.
Equinox is a social place. They embrace the people who show up day to day and you can normally find the same locals in the tap room enjoying live music, good beers, and conversation. They have established roots in the community, and it is where you show up to find all your friends are already there. They have a roving lineup of 18 taps distributed by the custom-made keg trike to local pubs and restaurants.
Our Red Bodie beanie, just like an Equinox Orion Irish Red, is straightforward and warms you to your core. Fitted midweight beanie made from a soft spun wool and acrylic blend yarn. It is 80% Acrylic, 20% Wool. It is available in Deep Ruby, Plum, Periwinkle Blue, Marbled Gray & Neutral Gray.
The combination of an Akinz Beanie and an Equinox beer is like a conversation with your long lost best friend on beautiful Colorado bluebird day.
Maxline's head brewer, Shawn Woodbury, has been eating his wife’s Lavender Lemon pound cake and with the birth of spring, decided to take those culinary delights as a muse for this new beer, Lavender Lemon Saison.
Paired best with the Verve Beanie, which like the beer is sweet, subtle, and has a lot of spirit. It comes in unexpected color combinations just like the unlikely lemon & lavender combo and a ‘just the right amount of slouch'-y fit. The ultra cushy yarn is super comfy while keeping you perfectly warm.
With the new season, it is time to embrace something fun and new. Both enjoyed best with a smile.
Maxline Brewing opened its doors to the public on June 18, 2016, from husband and wife duo Cathy Morgan and Kevin Gearhardt. Gearhardt had been a homebrewer since the late 1980s and would sporadically entertain the terrifying idea of opening a brewery. Maxline gets its namesake after the bus line as it is located conveniently near the Max line in midtown with a neighborhood pub feel and a community focus.
LEMON LAVENDER SAISON
With the dawning of spring comes our love for the Lemon Lavender Saison. It is a delightful session beer coming at an ABV of 4.6%. The flavors are subtle with Pale Malt, Wheat Malt, Amarillo Hops, Lavender, Lemon, Elderflower. It is Floral, Spicy, and Citrusy with Prominent Yeast Esters. The Taste of Lemon, Lavender, Breadcrumb, Finishes Spicy and Clean with Floral Notes. It is Light bodied with high carbonation.
Of course we had to pair the Snowbank Beanie with Snowbank Brewing's Imperial Cranknbrew. And not only because of the name! This winter hat is cozy like a hot coffee after a cold bike ride, double layered ribbing over the ears keeps you super warm while drinking a cold beer. Handmade locally in the Fort Collins Akinz workshop, it's enjoyed best while drinking a locally handmade beverage.
Snowbank brewery opened in 2014 by a group of homebrewers that dreamed of a brewery that encompassed fantastic beer, Colorado outdoors, and the culture of collaboration in the brewing community.
Fort Collins is a community of makers. We craft our beer, distill our liquor, curate our music, envision our art, and we love our handmade winter hats. We create everything we think would be great in the world and then we enjoy it. There is nothing better than knowing the things you immerse your soul in are created in your community.
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